"This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya. We had constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn't very good and resented it. When we finally moved to America I thought it would be over."
-- President Obama, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, joking about Donald Trump's latest challenge.
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Watch tell-it-like-it-is State Senator Gerry Mander sing "This Place is MY Place," a hilarious-if-it-weren't-so-true celebration of greed, corruption, and the status quo at the State Capitol!
Laugh. Share. And then vote YES on Issue 2!
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According to Mitt Romney, it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's Sesame Street.
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Cutting PBS support (0.012% of budget) to help balance the Federal budget is like deleting text files to make room on your 500Gig hard drive
-- Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 4, 2012
COLUMBUS - Today ProgressOhio celebrated the abysmal Ohio Chamber of Commerce ratings tallied by four state legislators. According to an August 16th release, the Ohio Chamber gave 58 of 132 Ohio General Assembly members perfect voting record scores of 100%. In order to achieve this type of score, you have to be virtually lock-step with what the Chamber calls "business constituents." In response, ProgressOhio took a moment to celebrate those lawmakers who are responsive to the needs of working familes in their districts.
"Our organization has been very concerned with the fashion in which big business controls votes in the Ohio legislature. Our ALEC report last week detailed how voting sessions were cancelled and rearranged to accommodate ALEC meetings, which is a shadowy organization set up to promote corporate interests. In light of this, we wanted to highlight lawmakers who aren't in the pockets on big business, as is reflected by their low Chamber rating" said ProgressOhio Executive Director, Brian Rothenberg.
Senator Michael Skindell who received the lowest Chamber score of 11 percent added, "I wear the chamber's low rating as a badge of honor. This is the same unaccountable chamber of commerce that funneled millions of hidden, secret dollars into efforts to pass Senate Bill 5, the unsafe, unfair attack on working and middle class families last year. Of course they oppose me
Representative Robert Hagan of Youngstown responded to his 15 percent rating by apologizing to his constituents, "I am embarrassed by my rating and wish to apologize to working families across the state. I had no idea it was so high, but am gratified that I keep company with the other legislators who fight like I do to protect the interests of working families and for the protection of our environment. I refuse to let Corporations control my vote and will hold on to that honor until they pry that honor from my cold dead hands."
Proud of his 14 percent rating, Representative Michael Foley added "The Chamber and their members spend boatloads of dollars to defend corporate selfishness. I don't support that and I suppose my low chamber voting record reflects that. The Chamber, its members and allies in the legislature tried to kill Collective Bargaining rights of hundreds of thousands of Ohioans (SB5). Through their fundraising and campaign donations they support a political ideology that benefits the rich at the expense of the rest of us. My voting record and Chamber score reflect my resistance and opposition to these ideas."
Representative Dan Ramos who tallied a low rating of 14 percent responded to the Chamber's score by adding "I base all of my votes on what I believe is best for my constituents, and the working and middle class people of our state. I do not believe, as this group of lobbyists apparently does, that my constituents are in favor of ending collective bargaining (SB 5) or making it more difficult for the victims of cancer brought on by asbestos exposure, of which there have been so many in my area, from seeking remedy, so I voted against each of these bills. I will continue to vote against these types of harmful legislation, regardless of how it affects the scorecard of any group of special interest lobbyists."
ProgressOhio will continue to support legislators that support Ohio's working families, while simultaneously calling out lawmakers who enable corporate control of Ohio's legislative process.
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty Friday on 45 of 48 counts related to sexual abuse of boys over a 15-year period.
Jurors delivered the verdict around 10 p.m. after deliberating for about 21 hours. There were convictions related to all 10 sexual abuse victims, with the three not-guilty verdicts applying to three different individuals.
Of course, the hashtag on Twitter for all the commentry on Sandusky himself and the case was #Sandusky
Makes you wonder what exactly was going on in the heads of the Joe The Plumber Campaign for Congress when they tweeted this early this morning:
Summer's just around the corner and most everything on TV is rerun after rerun.
You can still get your fix by keeping up with the exploits of Josh "J-Money" Mandel in the latest online reality show Joshy Shore.
In this week's episode, payday lenders invite Mandel to hit the beaches of Paradise Island in the Bahamas for a fundraiser. Check it out, to find out why they are crushing so hard on J-Money.
Tune into www.joshyshore.com for a new episode every week this summer.
"When Obama Endorsed Marriage Equality" is a Tumblr making the rounds on the social web, much like "Texts From Hillary."
Caption: "all the states who've already legalized it were like:"
Caption: "... Joe, Hillary and Michelle were all ORANGE MOCHA FRAPUCCINOS???"
New images added all the time. Check it out!
From our friends at American Bridge:
With Ohio voting this Tuesday, we thought we'd make a little remix of OSU's "We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan" song interspersed with clips of Romney falling over himself to say nice things about Michigan the state AND University).
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A special Christmas carol for Ohio Governor John Kasich
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In this episode of Kasich's Cons we examine the disconnect between Kasich talking about creating jobs and doing "good things" and the actual facts on the ground.
Despite Kasich's rosy picture, unemployment in Ohio has actually risen since Kasich has passed his poorly titled "Jobs" Budget, ending 15 months of positive gains.
Don't let Kasich Con Ohio.
Vote NO on Issue 2!
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won a test vote of Iowans on Saturday, a show of popularity and organizational strength for the tea party favorite five months before the state's caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating season.
But what is the Iowa Straw Poll really about?
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Across the country extremist governors have launched coordinated attacks against the middle class by decimating public services and failing to create jobs, all while giving handouts to the wealthy.
With so many reactionary governors it is hard to tell which one is the worst!
Cast your vote for the Worst Governor Ever in this special summer election.
New Site Reviews All Four Of Blackwell's Books, Shows Him To Be Extreme, Beholden To TEA-Party
COLUMBUS, OH - Today, the Ohio Democratic Party launched a new website that uncovers exactly what kind of extreme, TEA-Party agenda Ken Blackwell would be beholden to if elected Senator. Blackwell, when he's not proudly declaring that he's "unflinchingly supportive" of the GOP budget to end Medicare as we know it, has been busy this past month touting his newly released book "Resurgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America."
But did you know this is the fourth book Ken has worked on? With Ohioans busy schedules these days, who has time to soak up so much extremism?
That's why the Ohio Democratic Party has launched Ken Blackwell's Book Club! Visit today and you won't have to suffer through read his books to see just how extreme and dangerous he really is!
Join Ken Blackwell's book club today: http://kenblackwellsbookclub.com/
Be sure to examine the entire site, from inspirational quotes, to excerpts from the books, Ken Blackwell's Book Club has it all!
COLUMBUS - Yesterday, House Speaker Bill Batchelder said he had no idea that his Republican colleagues in the Senate added anti-choice provisions to the state budget in the 11th hour.
Batchelder said, "That's in the budget? Oh my! We never talked about that. They must have a special room where they go to cook these things up, and keep them from their House colleagues. I gotta go read. I don't ever remember abortion in a budget bill [in my years in the House]."
"Oh my!" exclaimed Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Seth Bringman. "Clearly, the right hand doesn't know what the far-right hand is doing.
Senate Republicans are writing their extremist agenda onto the back of a napkin and sneaking it into the budget at the 11th hour in a way that bewilders even the Statehouse's top-ranking Republican. This is irresponsible governing and the people of Ohio deserve better."
As the self identified leader of the "Caveman Caucus" in the House of Representatives, we could not let Speaker Batchelder get away with his latest comment on this new fangled modern technology called computers they use in the House.
From The Daily Briefing:
Brilliant, but perhaps not technologically inclined Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder got the ball rolling yesterday when he instructed his members to check an amendment on the "little TV screen on your desk."
He was referring to the computer monitors each member has on their desk in the House Chamber to check legislation and amendments under consideration. Batchelder got a big, if unexpected, laugh.
After that, it became a running joke with several lawmakers referring to amendments on the "little TVs."
Someone should send Speaker Batchelder to computer class at the community college so he can get back to the important business, like keeping all those damn kids off of his lawn, walking laps around the mall at 10 am, and sending his grandchildren a $3 check on their birthday.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Republican Sen. Bill Seitz of Cincinnati has moved out of the Columbus condominium he shared with President Tom Niehaus of New Richmond, down the Ohio River from Cincinnati.
Seitz bolted after Niehaus removed him last week as chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee. Niehaus said Seitz was preparing a substitute version of a bill without informing the sponsor.
But Seitz suspects he's being punished because of his opposition to the collective-bargaining bill.
"I've decided he can have his condominium to himself," Seitz said yesterday. "I don't have the money for those high-priced digs since I lost my chairmanship."
Seitz also made public a four-page memo to Niehaus calling his demotion "pretextual." "To remove me as chairman when every protocol was followed on what was actually only a housekeeping measure is disingenuous," Seitz wrote.
It's really no problem for Niehaus though, he'll just pull up his man pants and foot the bill himself from the $100K+ he makes as a part time legislator.
Note to the Governor's Week In Review. Shouldn't there be an entry under February, 22, 2011 that goes something like this:
Today, I, Governor John R. Kasich, locked up to 10,000 Ohio citizens out of their Statehouse. They weren't on the bus, so I ran over them. Ha Ha! Plus that morning my wife was in the statehouse giving away some of the cash the corporations and fat cats donated for my crowning (I mean my inauguration) and I didn't want her to have to see any of the little people that actually do the work of this state. I mean some of them have dirt under their fingernails. Even though she was gone by 12:30, I locked the doors until well after 4pm just to make sure. Ha Ha Ha!
February 25, 2011
Rob Nichols, (330) 760-7582, Rob.Nichols@governor.ohio.gov
Week in Review
Saturday, February 19 through Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
· Gov. John R. Kasich held a press conference to announce new resources to help Scioto County and Ohio improve the fight against prescription drug abuse.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
· Kasich addressed members of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce about his vision for restoring Ohio's competitiveness.
· Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor spoke to members of the Mansfield-Richland Area Chamber of Commerce about the administration's vision for making Ohio a more attractive place for businesses to grow and create jobs.
· Taylor lauded the Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee in a public statement for nearly unanimous approval of S.B. 2, legislation establishing CSI Ohio: the Common Sense Initiative.
· First Lady Karen Waldbillig Kasich presented $190,000 in unspent inaugural committee funds to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) and Local Matters.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
· Kasich appointed Sergeant McKinley E. Brown, Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, the Honorable Martin R. Hoke, Ranjan Manoranjan, Peter R. Silverman, John S. Steinhauer and June E. Taylor to the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
· Taylor issued a statement praising the Ohio Senate's bipartisan 32-to-one vote in support of S.B. 2, legislation establishing CSI Ohio: the Common Sense Initiative.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
· Kasich addressed members of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce about his vision for restoring Ohio's competitiveness.
· Kasich appointed Thomas Price and Doug White to the Ohio Expositions Commission and Mike Brooks to the Hocking Technical College Board of Trustees.
· Kasich announced that Nicholas W. Zuk will serve as chairman of the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors.
· Taylor addressed members of the ClydeScope Economic Development Corporation at their annual meeting in Clyde about the administration's vision for making Ohio a more attractive place for businesses to grow and create jobs.
###
Apparently, someone told John Boehner that the Super Bowl winning Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned franchise in American professional sports major leagues and that Super Bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the Packers' union rep. for the NFL Players Association.
Subdoh Chandra channels Governor Kasich singing his homage to diversity, "Never Known a Non-White Man," to the tune of "Never Been to Spain" by Three-Dog Night.
The song was inspired by the controversy generated by Governor Kasich's failure to appoint a single person of color to his entire cabinet in January 2011 (the first time this has happened since 1962), his claim that he was only interested in appointing qualified people, and his statement to African-American State Senator Nina Turner that "I don't need your people."
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On last night's Saturday Night Live: Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, got a second chance to respond to the State of the Union.
Unfortunately, even given a second chance, Bachmann was unable to find the right camera.
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"If we truly care about our deficit, we simply cannot afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans"
We, the Real Americans, in order to form a more God-Fearing Union, establish Justice as we see it, Defeat Health-Care Reform, and Preserve and Protect our Property, our Guns and our Right Not to Pay Taxes, do ordain and establish this Conservative Constitution for the United States of Real America.
Article I. Congress shall have only the powers literally, specifically and expressly granted herein, and no others. That means definitely, without question, absolutely, no regulation of the Health Insurance or Financial Services industries.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected not directly by the People, but by other people whom the People have elected to better represent the People.
Any law enacted by Congress and signed by the President may be overturned by the vote of three or more States if they find it burdensome, offensive, annoying or in any way touching on Health Insurance, Property Rights or Guns.
Congress shall have no power to raise Taxes except on February 29, and then only if all the People of the United States approve such a measure unanimously, in writing and in English.
Congress shall balance the Federal Budget, preferably by eliminating the Departments of Labor, Energy, Education and State.
The preceding provision shall not apply to spending for the Department of Defense, appropriations for which shall increase three times as quickly as the growth in gross domestic product and upon the approval of House leadership in conference with Boeing, Halliburton, the Ashcroft Group and Kissinger Associates.
Arizona shall have the power to regulate Immigration.
Article II. No person except a natural-born Citizen who can produce video, photographic or eyewitness evidence of birth in a non-island American State shall be eligible to the Office of President.
The President shall faithfully execute the laws, except when, as Commander in Chief, he decides he'd really rather not.
The President shall not negotiate any Treaty without first receiving a signed and notarized note granting him permission, personally executed by every member of the Senate and the House, all 50 Governors and the editorial board of the Weekly Standard.
Read More of The Conservative Constitution at The Washington Post
In anticipation of the Rally To Restore Sanity and or Fear tomorrow no doubt
In this episode Jack Black's undercover mis-informant character Nathan Spewman ends up
inadvertently turning an eight-year-old classmate into Glenn Beck. It
turns out that all she needed was a Spewman's inspiration, a chalk
board, and the ability to associate meaningless words to become a
mis-informant herself.
"In no way, shape, or form does the Lucas County Republican Party condone the exploits of the Nazis."
"This is nothing more than a political attack against a candidate that has run a strong campaign against a 28 year incumbent who has neglected her constituents."
"This is a perfect example of dirty mudslinging politics - when people take something and spin it into more than what it is."
Read the full statement here.
WASHINGTON--Citing a desire to gain influence in Washington, the American people confirmed Friday that they have hired high-powered D.C. lobbyist Jack Weldon of the firm Patton Boggs to help advance their agenda in Congress.
Known among Beltway insiders for his ability to sway public policy on behalf of massive corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Monsanto, and AT&T, Weldon, 53, is expected to use his vast network of political connections to give his new client a voice in the legislative process.
Weldon is reportedly charging the American people $795 an hour.
"Unlike R.J. Reynolds, Pfizer, or Bank of America, the U.S. populace lacks the access to public officials required to further its legislative goals," a statement from the nation read in part. "Jack Weldon gives us that access."
"His daily presence in the Capitol will ensure the American people finally get a seat at the table," the statement continued. "And it will allow him to advance our message that everyone, including Americans, deserves to be represented in Washington."
The 310-million-member group said it will rely on Weldon's considerable clout to ensure its concerns are taken into account when Congress addresses issues such as education, immigration, national security, health care, transportation, the economy, affordable college tuition, infrastructure, jobs, equal rights, taxes, Social Security, the environment, housing, the national debt, agriculture, energy, alternative energy, nutrition, imports, exports, foreign relations, the arts, and crime.
No Ones Vote Is More Important Than Yours!
In honor of the GOP "Pledge to America," PoliticalCorrection.org has created a website showing what Republicans aren't telling you about how they would govern if they win the majority in November. If they control Congress, the GOP will...
...ensure equality for all Americans. Except the gays.
...not worry about all those "spoiled" unemployed people.
...defend the real victims of environmental disasters: the oil companies.
...create hundreds of thousands of jobs...overseas.
Actors dressed as Founding Fathers Ben Franklin and George Washington went hunting for U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester, in his congressional district to ask him to support the Fair Elections Now Act.
In the tradition of the Founding Fathers, they wore wigs, long-tailed coats and stockings. In the tradition of YouTube, they made a 3-minute video out of the expedition.
They looked for Boehner at his office, strip malls, a cornfield, a putt putt course, a golf course and of course, a tanning salon. And they needled him for raising money from special interest groups to support his bid to be the next House speaker while being a hold-out on the Fair Elections Now legislation.
The Fair Elections Now Act would allow Congressional candidates to raise a minimum of $50,000 from contributions of less than $100 and then qualify for federal public financing.
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LAST WEEK, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio joined the chorus of Republicans amenable to rewriting the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees American citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’’
If we could just make a few changes to the preamble too would that make the Republican Party happy?
Jon Stewart didn't really know what to say last night about Republicans who complain about the deficit but advocate for renewing the Bush tax cuts. So he turned to House Minority Leader "and retired Syracuse mascot" John Boehner (R-OH) for a solution to the country's economic woes. Boehner has said that "the only way we're going to get our economy going again and solve our budget problems is to get the economy moving."
"The only way to get our economy going, is to get it moving?" Stewart asked. "That is either the most profound or most retarded statement I've ever heard. You know what, actually it's the most profoundly retarded statement I've ever heard."
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Way back in March 2009, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced legislation that would require presidential candidates to produce copies of their birth certificates. The so-called "birther bill" was a beltway media sensation but only garnered support from a handful of far-right lawmakers in the House. Ultimately, the bill went nowhere, as the health care reform fight escalated and the birther craze faded into the background.
But the legislation still has 13 Republican sponsors (including Posey), so it's worth noting a detail that slipped under the radar (or at least our radar) when conspiracy theories about President Obama's birthplace were all the rage — the "birther bill" cites a nonexistent section of the Constitution as its basis.
Congress finds that under section 5 of article II of the Constitution of the United States, in order to be eligible to serve as President, an individual must be a natural born citizen of the United States who has attained the age of 35 years and has been a resident within the United States for at least 14 years.
The problem, for the 13 "constitutional conservatives" bent on sticking it the president, is that there is no "section 5 of article II of the Constitution." Article II of the Constitution contains only four sections.
It is Clause 5 of Section 1 of Article II that lays out the requirements for office.
Of course, this is mere trivia about a bill that died long ago.
Nonetheless, if Republicans want to cite the Constitution to score cheap political points, they should probably get it right.
Palin: 'Mama Grizzlies' And 'Pink Elephants' Preparing to 'Stampede' Washington
Naturally a mashup had to be made.
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A entirely content-free, argument-free, slogan-dominated, identity-politics-driven movement is afoot. Palin is leading it, as her new web ad demonstrates, even as Washington continues to deny that she has any larger political ambitions.
Sarah For President 2010!
Spurred by an administration he believes to be guilty of numerous transgressions, self-described American patriot Kyle Mortensen, 47, is a vehement defender of ideas he seems to think are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and principles that brave men have fought and died for solely in his head.
"Our very way of life is under siege," said Mortensen, whose understanding of the Constitution derives not from a close reading of the document but from talk-show pundits, books by television personalities, and the limitless expanse of his own colorful imagination. "It's time for true Americans to stand up and protect the values that make us who we are."
According to Mortensen—an otherwise mild-mannered husband, father, and small-business owner—the most serious threat to his fanciful version of the 222-year-old Constitution is the attempt by far-left "traitors" to strip it of its religious foundation.
"Right there in the preamble, the authors make their priorities clear: 'one nation under God,'" said Mortensen, attributing to the Constitution a line from the Pledge of Allegiance, which itself did not include any reference to a deity until 1954. "Well, there's a reason they put that right at the top."
"Men like Madison and Jefferson were moved by the ideals of Christianity, and wanted the United States to reflect those values as a Christian nation," continued Mortensen, referring to the "Father of the Constitution," James Madison, considered by many historians to be an atheist, and Thomas Jefferson, an Enlightenment-era thinker who rejected the divinity of Christ and was in France at the time the document was written. "The words on the page speak for themselves."
According to sources who have read the nation's charter, the U.S. Constitution and its 27 amendments do not contain the word "God" or "Christ."
Mortensen said his admiration for the loose assemblage of vague half-notions he calls the Constitution has only grown over time. He believes that each detail he has pulled from thin air—from prohibitions on sodomy and flag-burning, to mandatory crackdowns on immigrants, to the right of citizens not to have their hard-earned income confiscated in the form of taxes—has contributed to making it the best framework for governance "since the Ten Commandments."
"And let's not forget that when the Constitution was ratified it brought freedom to every single American," Mortensen said.
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NORFOLK, VA—Gun owners nationwide are applauding the patriotic, though accidental, exercise of Second Amendment rights by 8-year-old Timothy Cummings Tuesday.
"Timothy is a symbol of American heroism," said NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre from Cummings' bedside at Norfolk General Hospital, where the boy is in serious but stable condition from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "While praying for his recovery, we should all thank God that his inalienable right to keep and bear arms has not been infringed."
The incident occurred shortly after Cummings returned from school and found that his parents were absent from the house. Displaying what Second Amendment-rights groups are calling "good old-fashioned American ingenuity," Cummings placed a pair of phone books on a stool to retrieve his father's loaded .38-caliber revolver from its hiding place on a closet shelf. After a preliminary backyard investigation of his constitutional rights claimed the life of Pepper, the family's cocker spaniel, Cummings fell on the weapon, causing it to discharge into his left thigh.
"The framers of the Constitution would be so proud of what my boy did yesterday," said Cummings' father Randall, 44, who originally purchased the handgun for home defense. "If 8-year-old boys discharging loaded firearms into their own legs isn't necessary to the maintenance of a well-regulated militia, I don't know what is."
Doctors worked for six hours to reconstruct Timothy Cummings' femur, which shattered from the impact of the high-velocity teflon-coated slugs, and to graft his remaining muscular and circulatory tissue over the fist-sized exit wound below his left buttock. Although the boy lost a great deal of blood, attending physicians say they are confident that he will recover sufficiently to resume active use of firearms, though his chances of walking again are slim.
"For years, the people who want to take away our freedoms have said that we're not smart enough or responsible enough to own handguns," Randall added. "Timothy is proof that even a child is capable of using a handgun for its intended purpose."
Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, Hannity will talk to former nine-term congressman and Lehman Brothers Wall Street Banker John Kasich about . . . well about nothing.
Tonight's show will air right after President Obama's address to the nation, but Kasich will go into the friendly and familiar confines of his campaign manager Roger Ailes network to talk to his old friend Sean about his new book.
One thing it won't be is a "hard hitting" expose of multi-millionaire John Kasich's plans and proposals for the State of Ohio. As Kasich always says, "You can bank on that".
Fox platform gives Kasich a boost
Since first talking publicly about running for governor in February 2008, Kasich has made more than 25 appearances on Fox News, five of them since formally announcing his candidacy last June. O’Reilly has introduced him as “John Kasich, our man in Ohio,” while Fox’s Sean Hannity talks up the “future governor of the great state of Ohio.” Gingrich spoke favorably of Kasich as a candidate while appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor,” the night before Ohio newspapers reported that Kasich was filing papers to raise money.
A Strickland representative was more pointed, declaring that “it’s sad that Congressman Kasich’s idea of leadership is offering up vague sound bites on friendly national cable news shows and in heavily edited Web videos.”
What’s rankled those in the statehouse press corps in Columbus is not that they haven’t been able to get a quote or two from Kasich on deadline but that he’s rarely done press conferences or impromptu gaggles with reporters; indeed, he’s had only three since announcing his candidacy. Therefore, seeing him on “Hannity” — where four of his five Fox appearances since June have aired — feeds into the perception that the national media and, in this case, a sympathetic platform take priority over the local press.
Recently, there was frustration in the press corps over the Kasich campaign’s decision to release a video response to Strickland’s recent State of the State address rather than respond directly to questions about how he would handle specific issues facing Ohio, such as an expected $8 billion deficit come November.
“I think the general consensus among local media is that he’s, so far, used more of a national platform than dealt with the statehouse press corps,” said Joe Hallett, chief political reporter for The Columbus Dispatch.
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I guess, this is what happens when BP spills coffee
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Attention TeaBaggers!
You Can Sign the The Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge Below.
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Dear Halliburton,
Thanks again for your willingness to step forward and be involved in our mission: making Washington work for you and other powerful special interests. It is badly needed.
Let’s start with the basics. Nothing has changed. I’m the same guy. For decades, I was in Washington supporting you, fighting for you. I’m running to restore the Washington we all crave—loopholes for special interests and corporations to export jobs. No accountability. Washington trusted you. I trust you. And you can trust me.
Take for example the response from my campaign regarding the oil spill. I haven’t said a peep. My opponent keeps ratcheting up the pressure for me to take a position—to defend Ohio taxpayers and hold Big Oil accountable. But despite being in the midst of massive investigations into your role in the Gulf Oil disaster, the worst oil spill our nation has ever experienced, you still thought to contribute to my campaign. I’m touched. And I’ve kept my word not to say a word.
We have so much in common, you and I, and we are building momentum. Dick Cheney is a dear friend who has helped shape both of us over the years. I count on his top-shelf support of my campaign, and I hope I can have yours as well.
Halliburton, supporter, friend, you probably already know how important these quarterly deadlines are to campaigns like mine. It's absolutely critical we take advantage of this opportunity to let other special interests know we are building momentum to win in November and maintain your influence in Washington.
Please take a moment right now to make a special end-of-quarter deadline gift or bundle thousands from your allies and funnel them to our campaign. I am really depending on the generosity of good friends like you to help me ensure we file a strong report this month.
Thanks again for your help, but I think we both know it’s best if you don’t appear with me on the campaign trail.
Robert PortmanSupporter, Please assume any truth to this email is due to typos. The end of the FEC filing period is June 30. Please help me file the best report possible by making a secure online contribution today. Thanks again.
*DISCLAIMER: NOT AN ACTUAL SOLICITATION FROM THE PORTMAN CAMPAIGN—
JUST WHAT THEY WISH THEY COULD WRITE*
Right-wing media were comparing false allegations that the White House "bribed" Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) with an administration job to the Watergate scandal and insinuating that it might well be an "impeachable offense".
As President Obama promised yesterday, the White House will issue a full account of the matter later today, the contents of which are already being discussed widely by news sources.
The gist of the report, President Obama’s chief of staff used former President Bill Clinton as an intermediary to see if Representative Joe Sestak would drop out of a Senate primary if given a prominent, but unpaid, advisory position.
The report, by the White House Counsel's office, will describe the Clinton conversations as informal and unhinged from any precise job offer since, as a former president, Clinton could not guarantee Sestak anything.
To which one can only assume the right wing media has to be saying to themselves, "Bill Clinton? Damnit, we already impeached him!"
And as for former President Clinton?
One can assume he will offer the following comment, ""I did not... have... effectual conversations with that man... Mr. Sestak.""
Update: The White House Memo has been released (pdf)
GOPContractWithAmerica.com is a website that links to a new Facebook application that allows supporters to fill out a poll and share it with their Facebook friends. Republicans have said their new site is not campaign oriented.
"The DCCC launched this new initiative to enable our four million plus grassroots supporters to vote for the worst GOP priorities that benefited big corporate special interests under George W. Bush," DCCC Spokesman Ryan Rudominer saidin an e-mail. "The DCCC will continue on the cutting edge in allowing our grassroots supporters' voices to be heard."
The custom designed Facebook application, which went live Thursday morning, will be used throughout the election cycle.
How you too can become a tea party patriot (in less than 2 minutes).
After you dress up in your funny (and historically incorrect costume), don't forget to pay your monthly dues to be in the club.
Watch It:
Well, post-primary silly season sure arrived fast this cycle.
First there was the over-the-top NRSC blog-ad with Lee Fisher and now we find that John Kasich claims his role with Lehman Brothers amounted to -- well akin to Joe Louis role as a Las Vegas casino greeter post-boxing. All smiles and autographs but no impact on marketing and sales.
C'mon, John a little reality spin goes a long way toward credibility.
You see John, they came to the casino to see ole' Joe and play the slots, and it ain't no different in the high-income world of pension dollars.
In today's Columbus Dispatch, Reporter Jack Torry reports that Kasich set up two meetings with Lehman folks and officials at Police and Fire Pension and the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System. But outside of setting up the meeting -- the erstwhile former Congressional Budget Master claims he had no juice.
The Kasich campaign told the Dispatch:
Kasich campaign officials said in a statement that "these meetings did not result in business for Lehman Brothers, and John earned no commission from this or any other public sector business." Kasich never approached any other Ohio governmental entity about doing business with Lehman, the campaign said.
"John's work at Lehman Brothers wasn't focused on the public sector but on helping entrepreneurs and private companies raise capital to expand and grow," Rob Nichols, a Kasich campaign spokesman, said in the statement. "At the request of a New York-based colleague, he was glad to help arrange two introductory meetings, and then his colleagues took things from there." (Torry, Columbus Dispatch)
Look, Ohioans can expect back in forth in the Governor's race, but for crying out loud we're not idiots.
Rep. Kasich got the job at Lehman Brothers because of his connections. In 2002, at the time of the meetings, one party -- his -- ruled all in Ohio. His New York friend who asked Kasich to set up the meeting -- did so because he was a former leader in Congress who had the juice to set up the meeting. And eventually Lehman did do some type of business with the pension funds because as Torry points out the Pension funds lost money when Lehman collapsed.
According to state records, the Lehman holdings of OPERS declined in value from $441.4 million in 2007 to $73.3 million at the end of 2008. The police and fire fund had 14 separate investments managed by Lehman Brothers that declined in value from the purchase price of $14.3million to $2.4 million in 2008. (Torry, Columbus Dispatch)
At some point even in politics, a spade is a spade.
Campaign pollsters might tell candidates with ties like Kasich's to Wall Street to distance themselves fast -- but there is a risk of losing credibility with Main Street.
Anyone out there really think John Kasich set up a meeting and had no juice to a) get the meeting and b) get business for his employer?
That bridge just doesn't sell.
Last night, Jon Stewart apologized to Fox News and contributor Bernie Goldberg for telling them "go f*ck yourselves" last week.
"I know that I criticize you and Fox News a lot," he said. "But only because you're truly a terrible, cynical, disingenuous news organization."
Stewart then reiterated his "go f*ck yourselves" message with the help of a gospel choir.
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"You can't dress how you dress and not expect jokes. You're wearing colonial costumes. And not even the whole costume...Which founding father wore the tri-corner hat with an Orlando Magic jersey?"
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Glenn has been attacking Progressives lately, but I never thought he's stoop this low.
Look who's on Glenn Beck's blackboard today!
It's me, as well as ProgressOhio and some of Ohio's top Lefty Bloggers.
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Put yourself or your friends on Glenn Beck's Blackboard today!
Barack Obama gets a surprise visit in the night from ex-Presidents Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Clinton, Ford, Reagan and Carter to get a few pointers about the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and why it's so important.
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March 2, 2010 | Issue 46•09
It is my responsibility as an elected official to look out for the people back home, the voters who sent me to Washington. So, after 20 years representing Ohio's 8th District, I know what the good citizens of Montgomery, Preble, and Butler counties really want: someone who engages in the kind of calculated political gamesmanship that increases his standing in the Republican party while simultaneously hindering our country's legislative process at every conceivable turn.
I assure you, the last thing my voters need is some well intended, do-all-I-possibly-can-to-help-the-little-guy congressman running around Washington, working across the aisle, and fighting tooth and nail for jobs, health care, and financial reform to ensure their tax dollars never end up in the hands of banks capable of holding our entire economy hostage.
No, sir. My constituents deserve better.
They deserve a leader willing to roll up his sleeves and play the types of twisted, greedy political games that, by their very nature, tear apart the fabric of our democracy for the sake of assuring reelection. They deserve someone on their side who will ask the tough questions, such as how will painting Democrats as radical ideologues play in, say, Arkansas? Can we vote "no" on the health care bill and still make it look like we give two craps about the welfare of ordinary Americans? How can we twist positive news about the GDP into a negative for the Obama administration?
Trust me: If you talk to an unemployed, uninsured mother of two in Greenville, she'll tell you that jobs and reliable medical coverage come a distant second to the crafting of meticulous talking points that deftly omit the facts and reduce what should be honest discourse about our country's future to a series of contrived, easy-to-digest sound bites designed to sway crucial independent voters.
And when John Boehner saw the President's proposal for tomorrows Health Care Reform Summit he said, "Oh my, this proposal is to small."
Then John Boehner unveiled the Republicans real strategy for Health Care Reform and he exclaimed, "now this feels just right to me".
Real Time is back and Bill Maher takes on the Tea Baggers in this edition of New Rules.
Maher: And three, cult members always attribute all of their problems to one simple explanation. Now here's an amazing statistic. In a recent poll almost ninety percent of Tea Baggers said that they thought taxes had either gone up or stayed the same under Obama. Only two percent thought they went down. But the reality is taxes have gone down for ninety five percent of working families taxes went down.
Think about that. Only two percent of the people in a "movement" about taxes named after a tax revolt have the slightest idea what's going on...with taxes.
So, it would be easy to just mock, except that those who fall under the control of cults aren't necessarily weirdoes, they're victims. And we shouldn't forget that these people are our relatives, our neighbors and the folks at the next table in the restaurant. Especially if that restaurant is Hooters and it's dollar wing Wednesday.
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Dems jab Portman with new web site
In their ongoing quest to paint former Bushie and GOP Congressman Rob Portman as the ultimate insider, Democrats in Washington have set up a new web site with a simple, understated objective: to bring "all of Rob Portman’s baggage to light – his intimate ties to Wall Street and corporate special interests, his implementation of the failed economic policies that wrecked Ohio’s economy, his unending support for out-of-control spending, and his deep ties to the disgraced Washington establishment."Dubbed “Mr. Portman’s Neighborhood” - of course located at "the intersection of K Street and Wall Street" - the former George W. Bush budget director and trade representative is chided for "advocating for the same reckless, failed policies of the past, while opposing common sense efforts to jumpstart job creation, regulate Wall Street, and rein in out-of-control spending."
Portman takes a hit for accepting campaign contributions from major Wall Street firms who got federal bailout money in the fall of 2008 "during the Bush administration." Of course Portman wasn't even in Congress for that vote, which was supported by many Democrats, including a guy by the name of Barack Obama.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is behind the effort, which also slams Portman for costing Ohio "thousands of jobs."
Stephen Colbert & Jon Stewart go after the ridiculous snowstorm coverage in Fox "news'" anti-climate change propaganda designed to fill their global warming denying viewers' heads with more silliness.
Jon Stewart: Unusually Large Snowstorm
Aasif Mandvi freezes in New York, Sam Bee feels the heat in Australia, and Jason Jones reports on the darkness everywhere.
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Stephen Colbert: We're Off to See the Blizzard
Based on the latest data from the Dopplest 9000 radar, Stephen can only assume that the sun has been destroyed.
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And don't miss Rachel Maddow's take down where she explains the science of weather vs climate change so that even a fifth grader could understand it.
Rachel Maddow: Global Warming isn't the opposite of snow
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Following President Obama's surprise appearance at the White House press briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs garnered laughter from the press corps by holding up his hand to reveal that he had written notes on his palm in black marker.
Gibbs' move was a jab at Sarah Palin, who was shown to have written notes on her hand at a speech at the Tea Party convention Saturday after making an implicit criticism of the president for using a TelePrompter.
Gibbs quipped that he had made the notes in case he and his family are snowed in by the storm approaching Washington. He said the words written on his hands included "eggs" and "milk" and that he had written "bread" but crossed it out.
A close up of the palm also revealed the words "hope" and "change," which Gibbs said he included "just in case I forgot that."
That was another crack at Palin, who asked Obama supporters, "How's that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?"
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The Looney Left has truly been replaced by the Crazy Right.
Over at Return of the Conservatives (where "Sith Happens") one of Ohio's righty bloggers get's his Obama Derangement Syndrome on over this picture taken in the Oval office:
With apparent great indignation he writes:
"I'm sure by now many of you have seen the image above. It is disgusting. It is repulsive. It shows the overwhelming lack of respect and class that the current occupant of the Oval Office repeatedly displays."
Dude, try using "the Google":
Following the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to allow unlimited corporate funding of federal campaigns, Murray Hill Inc. today announced it was filing to run for U.S. Congress and released its first campaign video.
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“Until now,” Murray Hill Inc. said in a statement, “corporate interests had to rely on campaign contributions and influence peddling to achieve their goals in Washington. But thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middle-man and run for office ourselves.”
Murray Hill Inc. is believed to be the first “corporate person” to exercise its constitutional right to run for office. As Supreme Court observer Lyle Denniston wrote in his SCOTUSblog, “If anything, the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission conferred new dignity on corporate “persons,” treating them — under the First Amendment free-speech clause — as the equal of human beings.”
Murray Hill Inc. agrees. “The strength of America,” Murray Hill Inc. says, “is in the boardrooms, country clubs and Lear jets of America’s great corporations. We’re saying to Wal-Mart, AIG and Pfizer, if not you, who? If not now, when?”
Murray Hill Inc. plans on spending “top dollar” to protect its investment. “It’s our democracy,” Murray Hill Inc. says, “We bought it, we paid for it, and we’re going to keep it.”
Coming soon to a city near you!
Darlene McBride's "Take Back America" Tour
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Even Better Than the Real Thing
John Oliver searches for the simple time in American history that Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly want to return to.
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The Daily Show's recap of the past year.
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D) The place where the family of a married person resides shall be considered to be the person’s place of residence; except that when the spouses have separated and live apart, the place where such a spouse resides the length of time required to entitle a person to vote shall be considered to be the spouse’s place of residence.
other than his personal statement that he lives in Kettering.
Watch a compilation of Husted's testimony before the Montgomery County Board of Elections:
Ultimately under Ohio Law Husted was found to not be a resident of Kettering for voting purposes by Ohio Secretary of State Brunner.
From her decision:
"Engaging in a legal fiction that a legislator remains a 'resident' of his district by virtue of holding office regardless of his actual, physical presence in the district violates this constitutional requirement".
"While Senator Husted's subjective testimony claims an intention to return to a 'fixed' habitation, the weight of the evidence based on his actions and those of his family under the relevant legal provisions tip the scale so clearly against his assertions that I am convinced and hold the firm belief that he is no longer a resident of Montgomery County and therefore is not eligible to vote there,"
So Jon ran to the all Republican Ohio Supreme Court. who overturned 7-0 the Secretary of State's finding in a tortured ruling reminisent of Bush V. Gore.
In doing so "Slick Jonny's" strategy backfired in that the Court had to support very strick voter challenge provisions in the Ohio law which in the future will provide election and voting protections for all Ohio voters that will go a long way to ending the Ohio GOP's ongoing voter caginjg strategies forever.
The true story of his "rise to power" in the Republican part perhaps should have prepared us for the fact that in 2009 he remained the most despised politician in the country for much of the year.
If former Ohio Congressman Donald “Buz” Lukens hadn’t been caught having sex with a minor 18 years ago, Boehner might very well not be in Congress at all.
And if Florida Congressman Mark Foley hadn’t been caught sending sexually explicit messages to Congressional pages...and Jack Abramoff hadn’t been caught bribing politicians...and Tom DeLay hadn’t been caught up in conspiracy charges—in short, if the Republican Party hadn’t seen its best-laid plans go up in scandalous smoke over the last two years, then Boehner likely wouldn’t now be in leadership, let alone the minority leader.
Then there's this factoid about John Boehner . . . turns out his nickname in the halls of Congress and further up the Republican power structure really is "Boner".
BOEHNER LIKES TO say that he’s just a regular guy with an important job. He prefers that no one address him as “Congressman” but instead call him “John” or simply “Boehner.” Close friends and colleagues, President Bush among them, endearingly refer to him as “Boner.”
"Boner" consistently met our expectations for wing-nuttiness throughout the year. From his commentary on President Obama's first State of the Union address to his admission that he needed an anti-depressant to perform his duties as leader of the Republican House Caucus, John regularly delivered.
John's wingnut rating definitely rose when we found out that he doesn't know the Consitution from the Declaration of Independence, (a wingnut trademark) and when he called the Cap and Trade bill passed by the House "a pile of sh*t", he earned inclusion in Ohio's Stone Age 5.
Of course the "Boner" quote of the year was when with polls showing that 57% of Ohioans supporting the public option, he told reporters that he's never met "anyone" who supports the public health insurance option.
"This is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake," Boehner said, noting that he had never consumed such a milkshake.
We wanted to deliver John's Wingnut Award to him personally at his office, but apparently he's in Florida golfing for the holidays.
“Coach” Dave Daubenmire, the local Christian talk radio host and blogger and the founder of Pass the Salt ministries is equal parts Glenn Beck conspiracy nutcase and Rod Parsley over the top fire-and-brimstone rhetoric.
Here's Daubenmire leering at a child, who is staring at a fetus he has out for display on the streets of Columbus.
Here's another picture of him burning a freshly-ripped Koran:
Earlier this year, he wrote of President Obama:
With his silver tongue, and his mulatto ancestry he was able to lure away enough-middle-of-the roaders to carry him on his magic carpet to the highest office in the land. [...]
But let there be no doubt, he is the marionette that the communist puppet masters had been grooming for years. A true Manchurian Candidate he was the perfect hand-picked front man programmed to do the communist’s bidding. With the help of the socialist media, the socialist labor unions, and the socialist entertainment industry he was swept into office with the bogus claim that he was America’s first “black” president. He was the first president “of color,” to be sure. But the color is red, not black.
On his radio broadcast he regularly spouts birther conspiracies and who can forget his Fox News-documented stalking of Congressman Zack Space in the name of killing health care reform.
"Coach" was fired from the London schools (what he now calls "goverment schools") in Madison County in the wake of a lawsuit resulting from his refusal to stop praying with his players. The school district settled the suit out of court with the ACLU, which cost Daubenmire his position.
Like all good wingnuts Daubenmire is a hypocrite. Little known is that while Daubenmire wants to tell everyone else how to live their lives, his own son is a convicted pedophile. Ummm, I seem to remember something about removing the log in your own eye first there, Dave.
Anyway, Daubenmire will be off to a good start to raise his wingnut ranking in 2010 when he holds the Shake The Nation teabagger gathering in Columbus featuring . . . wait for it . . . Alan Keyes on January 9, 2010.
GOP launches new web site for Boehner
The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a new site dedicated to making House Minority Leader John Boehner of West Chester the next speaker of the House.
One a the creative features of the new site is the launching for sale of a new product, apparently in response to the recent Congressional Budget Office report (pdf) saying that health-care reform will cover more than 30 million people while substantially cutting the federal deficit which included the following statement:
"The 5 percent excise tax on cosmetic surgery was eliminated, and a 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services was added."
Minority Leader Boehner wanted to assure Republicans everywhere that he does not use indoor tanning services, His orange look is from a spray on product which the GOP is now offering for sale as a fund raising tool under the name, "John's Terror Tan" on the newly constructed site.
After today's Congressional Budget Office report (pdf) saying that health-care reform will cover more than 30 million people while substantially cutting the federal deficit, Minority Leader John Boehner is really, really upset about passing health reform.
You see buried within that CBO report is the following statement:
"The 5 percent excise tax on cosmetic surgery was eliminated, and a 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services was added."
New era: Health authorities open brothels to male prostitutes
Men may now join the ranks of Nevada’s brothel prostitutes, after a unanimous decision today that added language to health codes so male sex workers could be tested for infectious diseases.
Men were previously barred in Nevada from the oldest profession because codes specified that prostitutes must undergo “cervical” testing for sexually transmitted diseases, which ruled out men.
Bobbi Davis, owner of the Shady Lady Ranch, a small brothel near Beatty, wanted to add male prostitutes to her stable of sex workers.
And while there have been plans for brothels to hire men in the past, Davis made the first-ever request to have the Nevada State Board of Health add urethral exams to the guidelines. That allows male sex workers to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Davis has said the men could start working at her five-bed brothel starting in the New Year. The male prostitutes will decide for themselves whether to accept male or female clients, she said, just as the female prostitutes do now.
I'm sure one of these guys will need a new line of work soon and hey, Senator Ensign is from Nevada and won't even need to relocate.
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By the standards they utilize each and every day, this conspiracy should be obvious to any Teabagger or Beckerhead shouldn't it?
t was just six weeks ago that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) decided he was fed up with empty, meaningless congressional resolutions. These largely symbolic measures are taken up all the time -- it's been routine fare for years -- but Boehner decided they're now evidence of Democratic negligence. "These are your hard-earned tax dollars at work," Boehner scoffed.He apparently didn't persuade his own caucus. This week, 19 House Republicans unveiled a resolution (H. RES. 951) to make it clear that Congress likes Christmas.
Whereas Christmas is a national holiday celebrated on December 25; and
Whereas the Framers intended that the First Amendment of the Constitution, in prohibiting the establishment of religion, would not prohibit any mention of religion or reference to God in civic dialog: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas;
(2) strongly disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas; and
(3) expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions by those who celebrate Christmas.
That'll show the anti-Christmas crusaders. If this entirely toothless resolution garners support, everyone will know that congressional politicians approve of the holiday. All of those folks intent on "banning references to Christmas" -- presumably they exist outside of far-right imaginations, right? -- won't know what hit 'em.
"These are your hard-earned tax dollars at work."
On The Colbert Report last night, Stephen Colbert reviewed Sarah Palin's much-discussed new memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life." The verdict? "A steaming pile of sh*t."
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The RNC launches a brand-spanking-new Web site, complete with Michael Steele’s “What Up” blog.
Pretty funny though that the the "Future Leaders" page was blanks and gave a 404 error when the site went live.
So after it hit the blogs, the GOP threw up a quick update:
Who are the future leaders of the Republican Party?
You are - you, the people who make America work. We built GOP.com for you because we recognize you want a place to express yourself where our elected leaders —the people you elected to do your business in Washington DC—can hear, respond and interact with you directly.
Seems if the GOP really cared about YOU their future leaders, they would have finished YOUR page before Your new website went live.
With the President winning the Nobel Peace Prize on the day of his birthday some say Bo got overlooked due to his master's good fortune.
But is Bo even the coolest White House pet ever?
Probably not.
So what White House pet was the coolest?
Sarah Silverman launched a new campaign this weekend on "Real Time with Bill Maher" in which she pleads with the Catholic Church to sell the Vatican to save the world: "You preach to live humbly, and I totally agree. So now maybe it's time for you to move out of your house that is a city."
“We need a hero, and who is more primed to be our hero than the pope? He’s literally a caped crusader,” explains Silverman. I think that she might be on to something.
Sarah Silverman's ambitious plan for feeding the world.
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Saturday Night Live opened last night with a skit poking some fun at President Obama's good luck, focusing on his Nobel Peace Prize.
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From The Colbert Report:
Stephen understands what Glenn Beck is going through when the media doubts his sincerity.
More brilliance from Stephen.
Colbert: It's like looking into a mirror-- after you've done a ton of coke off of it. Clearly... clearly Glenn Beck... clearly Glenn Beck is as sincere in what he says and does as I am in believing that baby carrots are trying to turn me gay. And folks that is great news. Because if he and I don't believe what we say... and don't mean what we feel, then you our viewers aren't just being intellectually impoverished. You're being emotionally defrauded. And that would be a cynical manipulation of Americans' legitimate fears.
In which case, we shouldn't be on T.V. at all. (Starts sobbing.) And I don't know about Glenn Beck... but that idea makes me very sad. I'm sorry... I just love my paycheck so much.
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U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is going to be one of 12 women to be featured in the 2010 Great American Conservative Women Calendar, which was created to act as a fundraising tool for the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute.
Here's a look at an early release of her photo.
From last night's Colbert Report:
“…I want you to go to Conservapedia and make me a Biblical figure…”
As we told you eearlier this week the Conservative “answer” to Wikipedia has decided to use crowdsourcing to combat “Liberal bias” in existing translations of the Bible — they’re asking readers to help them identify translated terms in common versions of the Bible that match their idea of a liberal interpretation.
Last night Stephen encouraged his viewers to create accounts on the site and add him to the Bible wherever it seems appropriate…
Conservapedia site’s crashed, ten minutes after it came up on the show. Looks like they got a Colbert Bump of ISP-frying proportions.
Joe the Plumber exudes buckets of flop sweat in DC as he tries his hand at being a stand up comic.
Seems the last couple of things Joe's tried his hand at flopped too:
What ever happened to IRSVote.com, the Website where users were asked to pay $0.99 for a phone call to “vote the IRS out of business” and replace the income tax with a FairTax? While the site is still up and running, Wurzelbacher admitted that endorsing the site was probably a mistake.
“I’m learning,” he said. He started to say something about the people who hound him to endorse their products, but he thought better of it. “The basics were there for a great idea but they definitely want to do it just for money. And it was sold to me as more of a chance of doing something else. The publicity that they promised never came.”Wurzelbacher shrugged. The idea had made sense to him, he said — people will vote for American Idol, so why not something important? But he said he’d walked away from the project, and his PajamasTV reporting job was only a three-month gig, so the high-profile projects of earlier this year were no more. He had, however, endorsed a conservative comic strip called “Microman USA,” which was on sale at the conference.
Watch Joe the Comedian:
America is under attack, people. Not from Iran, not from suitcase bombers or North Korea, but from Barack Obama and those that like him.
Jon Stewart explored these organizations and people last night and after a brief intro about ACORN, he quickly came to the conclusion that the National Endowment for the Arts and school children are at the heart of the problem.
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The issue with these folks is trying to give them a snappy name for thei group. "Birthers" is taken. "Truthers" is taken. Msybe "Birther Truthers" are what we should call them.
Sarah Palin's Guide To Procrastination or Where Is Sarah's Baby Bump 10 Days Before Trig's Birth?
Sarah Palin appears to have an issue with procrastination. Well, at least when it comes to pregnancy.
Includes video and pictures taken 10 days before the birth of Trig
In response to the above pictures being published, this guy says that Sarah faked the pregnancy to receive the Religious Right's final blessing to bt VP.
Now let me quote from Max Blumenthal's book "Republican Gomorrah", Chapter 24, page 287:
After learning through a sonogram that her child would have been born with Down Syndrome, Palin bravely chose to carry him to term.
Her decision excited James Dobson (of Focus on the Family), and he wrote her a letter congratulating her for having what he called "that little Down Syndrome baby." "What a way to emphasize your pro-life leanings there," Dobson declared on a September 2 radio broadcast. Tony Perkins, who phoned in from the Family Research Counsel office in Washington, DC, echoed Dobson: "It's one thing to support the policy. Its another to live it out."
People had been talking about Palin possibly being a VP candidate as far back as February 2008, BEFORE the supposed birth of Trig Palin. But it was THAT BIRTH that cemented the decision of the Evangelicals, led by James Dobson, to support her.
John McCain earned his parties nomination, on March 5th ("Coincidentally" Sarah announced her pregnancy the next day), but could not get the Religious Right to endorse his candidacy. Without them he had no chance of victory. Then he tapped Sarah Palin, on August 30, and they came over in a flood of support.
So the math is simple. No Trig Palin, no VP nominee Sarah Palin.
Stephen defends those who say they're not racists, but just criticizing the President's policies, but also thinks that there is a better way to roll out such criticisms like those from Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh who accuse him of doling out reparations or those of GOP politicians who refer to him as "that boy" or "uppity".
Here's how to prevent your valid criticisms of Barack Obama from being unfairly associated with racism through putting on a little "blackwashing".
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Despite granting interviews to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Univision, President Obama's decided to exclude Fox News from his media tour last Sunday.
SNL demonstrates that it wasn't crybaby Chris Wallace, but actually Glenn Beck who was the reason behind the President's decision.
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Glenn uses a demonstration to make his political point.
Barack Obama has galvanized the country, because of the sheer size of the bills he's proposed, and the number of the bills, the urgency he's placing on the bills.
He's forced us to think! And get involved!
We have -- not like John McCain, been boiled slowly -- we have been tossed quickly into boiling water, and don't forget what happens!
What happens when you throw 'em in! When you throw 'em in, frogs into boiling water!
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Okay...forget the frog. [pause] I swear I thought they jumped right out.
But they don't.
Sgt. Creepy’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Muammar Al-Gaddafi)
See Also:
Jon Stewart, on the Values Voter Summit, porn making you gay, and Tom Delay's dance moves
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Jack Cafferty: When DeLay Goes To Prison They Can Show His Dancing Video To The Inmates
In a satiric video from Funny or Die, Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, and other celebs band together to "protect" insurance company profits from the evils of health care reform.
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For those who have a hard time reading between the lines, here's a list of what Teabagger signs say followed by what they really mean.
White Slavery
Obama Wants Your Guns
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is the preferred 2012 GOP presidential nominee among Christian conservatives, according to the results of a straw poll announced Saturday at the annual gathering in Washington called The Value Voters Summit.
The summit's poll, which featured nine presidential prospects, found that 28 percent of Christian conservatives said Huckabee would revive the Republican party and traditional conservative principles.
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On Monday, during a pre-interview chat with CNBC’s John Harwood before taping, President Obama called West a “jackass.” Terry Moran, a former White House correspondent at ABC News – which shares fiber optic cable with CNBC – and a few other colleagues heard the remark, and, of course, Tweeted about it:
"Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a 'jackass' for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential."
Harwood later said he did not have an explicit agreement with the president to keep the remark off-the-record. But, as the Associated Press pointed out, so-called “open mic” chatter caught on tape before an interview starts in earnest is generally considered not for broadcast.
Within the hour, ABC News had the Tweet – and others – deleted. The network then apologized to the White House and CNBC.
On Tuesday, the remark, the Tweet and the reaction to this crazy journalistic ethics breach were debated heavily. TMZ obtained an audio clip of the president’s “Jackass” crack – replete with unidentified cackling – and posted it on its website.
Then on Wednesday, video of the CNBC interview surfaced, first posted by Politico.com and then, like Moran’s now-infamous Tweet, was promptly taken down by the site.
"We just felt upon reflection that it was more respectful to a fellow news-gathering operation to take it down," Politico managing editor Bill Nichols wrote. "We had no complaints from ABC, CNBC, the White House or anyone else."
But later on Wednesday, CNN – of all things – decided to broadcast the Politico-sourced clip:
Of course, the inevitable video mash-up soon followed:
Saturday Night Live explains how the congressman's outburst came to pass.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - If you're a fan of the hit FOX show Family Guy, you're probably going to hear a familiar voice soon.
He used to be a senior White House advisor and deputy chief of staff, but now Karl Rove has a new gig. He's going to be an actor on Family Guy.
Rove stopped by FOX 5 in D.C. to do some voice over work for the hit show. He says when the creators first called and asked him to do it, he wasn't sure what the show even was. But, his 20-year-old son convinced him to do it.
Rove says the fact that Rush Limbaugh is also doing the show sealed the deal, after some editorial work, that is.
"I had a telephone conversation with the creator, who is a completely mindless liberal and had an incredibly tasteless joke in the script that I had to talk him out of, but it was a sign of how much he needed a conservative in order to make this program succeed," said Rove. "I play myself, meaning the son of Satan, the spawn of evil."
Limbaugh and Rove will appear in the same episode, but don't set your DVR just yet. It won't air until next spring.
It was a lovely day in DC as the Billionaires for Wealthcare gathered to survey our investments. After a few of our beautiful heiresses took proper tea at the Ladies Tea Party held by Americans for Prosperity, our gilded heroes headed off to greet the marchers with signs, chants and songs.
We set up our post on an elevated curb along Pennsylvania Avenue, proudly surveying the throngs we’d funded. The crowds mainly greeted us with cheers for the status quo. A few seemed confused; they were clearly in awe to be face-to-face with those who profit from their most manipulated fears.
As they passed we waved them on and serenaded them with our songs.
From there we decamped and headed into the crowds toward the Capitol to mingle with those working so hard to ensure our right to raise rates and deny claims.
The crowd embraced us with their exuberant chants and signs. Ayn Rand was a favorite theme, of which we naturally approved, but some were a bit unique. Regardless, we’re proud of the teabaggers, and thrilled that they came out like good soldiers. After all, nothing says freedom like denying claims. And besides, OUR death panels turn a profit.
From our perch, your trusty billionaires thanked our hardworking teabaggers, rallying the crowd with rousing chants like “Money is freedom!”, “Freedom Works – FOR US!, “You Protest – We Profit!” and the big crowd favorite, “Bring Back Bush!!!”
To close we popped some champagne, toasted our teabaggers and took our leave of the march.
Back in the limo, we enjoyed the last of our caviar and, as a final touch, sent a huge flower arrangement to the luxury suite of our most loyal foot soldier, Glenn Beck, and headed home.
Until the next rally, we remain yours in obscene wealth and the status quo – Billionaires For Wealthcare.
Watch The Song That's Sweeping The Nation: Let's Save The Status Quo
Billionaires for Wealthcare is a grassroots network of health insurance CEOs, industry lobbyists, talk-show hosts, and others profiting off of our broken health care system.
We are not a political, religious or even particularly well-organized group. We're simple folk, thrilled profiteers pouring out of our corner offices to dance on the grave of "Change."
We'll do whatever it takes to ensure another decade where your pain is our gain. After all, when it comes to healthcare, if we ain't broke, why fix it?
After just yesterday estimating a crowd of up to 1 million, what is described by the Associated Press and the New York Times as "tens of thousands" showed up today in DC.
The right is getting carried away with made up numbers sourced from who else, but right wing bloggers:
Awesome news for those who support the Tea Party Tax revolt, it was announced today that so far about 1.5 million people are at the rally. In fact, Michelle Malkin is reporting that estimated turnout is now 2 million people!
They're fighting back against the estimated crowd reports in the "liberal" media by using an image taken during the peak of the march from a DC traffic cam in an attempt to demonstrate the "huge" crowds. Think of what it would look like if you took half of tonight's crowd at OSU/USC game and made them all exit the stadium area by walking down Lane Ave, all at once.
Looks impressive doesn't it? Certainly "tens of thousands of people" . In this picture you can see 5 blocks. How many people can you actually fit in one block? 2,000? 5,000? 7,500?
Here's the same traffic cam image from a little over an hour later.
Still, Freedomworks, the corporate astro-turf sponsor of the event claims that the organization's "metered" count of protestors is "more than 450,000". Somehow they were unable to say where or how the "metering" was done.
Update: The DC Fire Department has issued an unofficial estimate of 60,000 to 70,000 people in attendance.
Around noon, when the event was in full swing
At least, the protesters who did show up knew who to thank for getting them there.
David Letterman took on South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson Thursday night in a top ten list explaining his "excuses" for shouting "you lie" during the president's health care speech Wednesday.
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Did you see all the students on TV tonight saying how inspired they were by the President's talk today?
Well, MSNBC gives us the rest of the story . . . from the other side so to speak.
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First a question. What exactly is "Code 34 of the Federal regulations"? It sounds straight out of Glenn Beck's mouth.
Second, since he apparently hasn't learned much except how to drink the Kool-aid his parents apparently pumped into him, he apparently is unaware that that one of the prime requirements of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" is that all public high schools are REQUIRED to give all personal info of all of their students to military recruiters. If they don't, no Federal money for the schools.
Yes, how proud his parents must be tonight.
ProgressOhio will carry the President's talk to student's Live today at 12 noon
(But parent's who kept their children home from school today are warned you should not watch or you will soon be instituting un-American socialist institutions as well as washing your hands more often.
John Harwood is Chief Washington Correspondent of CNBC and a political writer for the New York Times.
In this interview on MSNBC, he tells the truth about these people fear mongering over the President speaking to school children next week.
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Novotny: John, what about this controversy over opposition to Obama's speech to school children?
Harwood: I've got to tell you Monica, I've been watching politics for a long time and this is, this one is really over the top. What it shows you is there are a lot of cynical people who try to fan controversy and let's face it, in a country of three hundred million people there are a lot of stupid people too, because if you believe that's it's somehow unhealthy for kids for the President to say work hard and stay in school, you're stupid.
Novotny: Ouch.
Harwood: In fact, I'm worried for some of those kids, I'm worried for some of those kids of those parents who are upset. I'm not sure they're smart enough to raise those kids.Wingnuts Say Obama Address To School Children Is Secret Plan To Recruit His "Hitler Youth Brigade"
Local School Gives In To WingNut Demands: Won't Allow Children Hear President's Positive Message
Of course, everyone knows that Health Insurance Reform will offer more choices for American citizens as well as additional consumer protections, right?
Everyone understands that having a public option makes additional choices available right?
Well, not everybody.
Here's another uniformed protester who doesn't have a clue of what he's "protesting".
We’ve had some fun names for political parties in the history of our country. From the Whig Party to the Know-Nothing Party, the Looking Back Party to the Pirate Party.
As far as I know, “Tin Hat Party” hasn’t been used…yet.*
As has been pointed out by others (Rick Perlstein's must-read piece here and Frank Rich's here), the paranoid crazies have always been with us.
What’s new-ish is that now we have one as the leader of one of the nation’s two biggest political parties.
The Republican National Committee (as in the official republican party, not some local militia group with a copying machine... although it’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference) recently sent out a fundraising letter with an enclosed survey entitled "2009 Future of American Health Survey." We’ve all seen such surveys, with their leading questions -- intended to rile up readers enough that by the end they're reaching for their checkbook. Fair enough.
But this one, complete with a cover letter from RNC Chairman Michael Steele, sunk to a new low. Check out question #4.
(See additional pages of the mailing, including the cover letter from Chairman Steele, here)
"It has been suggested that the government could use voter registration to determine a person's political affiliation, prompting fears that GOP voters might be discriminated against for medical treatment in a Democrat-imposed health care rationing system. Does this possibility concern you?"
Really? “It has been suggested”? by whom? The RNC was unable to produce any examples of anyone expressing any “concerns” or “fears” that health care reform would result in such discrimination against Republicans.
So it seems that the “fears” are being “suggested” by this guy:
Good news, Chairman Steele! The domain "www.tinhatparty.org" is available!
*UPDATE: I stand corrected! The Tin Foil Hat Party exists and can be found here: http://www.tfhp.org
Billionaires for Wealthcare!
We have the most profitable health care system in the world!
Watch the Teabaggers Agree!
This video pretty much sums it up.
The Republican Party Circa 2009.
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Thanks Steve-O!
Stephen Colbert sets up a debate between Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and a dining room table. See who wins!
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See Also:
. . .and since MySpace is the definitive place to get one's birthday and other important personal information (yuk, yuk) the Tin Foil Asshat wearers at WorldNet Daily say that proves he was born during time Hawaii was a territory.
So he can't be President. It's that simple!
If President Obama were indeed born in Hawaii, was it while the islands were a territory of the United States?
A new wrinkle in the dispute over his birth – and whether he is eligible to be president under the U.S. Constitution's requirement that the president be a "natural born" citizen – appeared today when Obama's official MySpace page declared his age is 52, thus placing his birth year at 1957 instead of 1961 as has been claimed.
That would mean he would have been born during the archipelago's time as a territory of the U.S., the islands' status from about 1900 until statehood in 1959.
"We have NO idea what we're talking about"
This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy.
I then took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility.
After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
I watched this while eating my breakfast of U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
At the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank.
On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the U.S. Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.
After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.
And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration -- and post on Freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right.
Sarah Palin's final speech as Governor of Alaska baffled many. Conan O'Brien realized it was a poem and asked William Shatner to recite it verbatim.
David Frum: "Sarah Palin's most notable achievement as governor of Alaska was to increase the payout from the state's energy tax take by $1200 per resident.
Isn't it odd then that she would use her farewell address to warn against the danger of government handouts?
A photo of Willy Mays aboard Air Force One inspired some amusing conjecture over at Wonkette yesterday concerning the in-flight movie playing aboard the plane.
The movie playing was quickly identified as Planet of the Apes by one of the commenters, but one suggested it was "the live-feed from the Senate Republicans’ cloakroom."
From the Home Office in Wahoo, Nebraska...
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U.S. Sen. George Voinovich’s decision to drop an f-bomb in a private conversation with Karl Rove inspired a 2007 trivia quiz. His recent off-color assessment of the new climate change bill prompted us to update the survey.
As long-time Georgiephiles know, Ohio's senior senator has a temper than can be real hot.
Take the Temper Trivia Test to see just how hot.
1. When the FAA grounded his state airplane to clear the airspace for President Clinton, Voinovich told the control tower to go:
A. blow
B. screw themselves
C. screw the Democrats
D. fly a kite
E. to hell.
2. When the FAA grounded his state airplane to clear the airspace for President Clinton, Voinovich called the decision:
A. bullsh*t
B. horsesh*t
C. cow sh*t
D. a vast left-wing conspiracy
E. Dick Celeste's fault.
3. After the incident, the FAA fined Voinovich and accused him of trying to:
A. impersonate a licensed pilot
B. impersonate an air traffic controller
C. impersonate a rational man
D. endanger the life or property of another.
E. harm the reputation of the United States Senate.
4. When welfare recipients descended on the Statehouse to protest then-Gov. Voinovich's plans to cut welfare benefits he:
A. ordered the Ohio Highway Patrol to remove them
B. ordered the Ohio National Guard to shoot them
C. ordered Mike Dawson to spin them
D. blamed Dick Celeste
E. cried
5. As Cleveland Mayor, Voinovich hosted a news conference to urge people to patronize the struggling Cleveland Indians. When a reporter pressed the mayor for information about the last time he had attended a game, Mayor Voinovich blurted out:
A. Go Browns. And take the Indians with you.
B. Who-Dey!
C. Rah, rah, rah. Get behind the team.
D. The tickets are too pricey.
E. Frank Celeste hated baseball.
6. When the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled that the state's system of funding public schools was unconstitutional, Voinovich's initial response was to:
A. cry
B. blame Dick Celeste and the Democrats
C. want to strip the court of its authority to determine what constitutes a constitutional school-funding plan
D. put out a contract on Paul Pfeifer and Andy Douglas
E. cry harder
7. When the Ohio Supreme Court again ruled that the state's system of funding public schools was unconstitutional, Voinovich responded by:
A. accusing the OEA of being greedy
B. accusing Democrats of being greedy
C. accusing Pfeifer and Douglas of being Democrats
D. blaming Dick Celeste
E. appointing a commission
8. When explaining his opposition to cap and trade legislation, Senator Voinovich said:
A. “They should call it crap and trade.”
B. “There is just a lot of crap in there.”
C. “Where did all this crap come from?’’
D. “Who gives a crap?’’
E. “If crap falls in the forest, and no one else is present, does it really make a smell?’’
Answers:
1. B (screw themselves)
2. A (bullsh*t)
3. D (endanger the life or property of another)
4. E (cried)
5. C (Rah, rah, rah. Get behind the team).
6. B (blame Dick Celeste and the Democrats ) and C (wanted to strip the court of its authority)
7. E. (appointing a commission)
8. B (There is just a lot of crap in there.)
Non-Temper Bonus Question:
On the day of his inauguration as governor, a tuxedo-clad Voinovich signaled his desire to tighten the state's belt when he:
A. Sold inaugural mugs engraved with "Let's Work Harder and Smarter and Do More With Less.''
B. Gave free inaugural pencils stenciled with "Let's Work Harder and Smarter and Do More With Less.''
C. Signed an executive order to cap state spending.
D. Signed an executive order to cap tuition at public colleges.
E. Picked a penny out of a urinal.
Answer to Bonus Question:
E. Picked a penny out of a urinal
David Letterman and Sarah Palin have both moved on, but that didn't stop a few dozen protesters from turning up to a “Fire David Letterman” rally outside the Ed Sullivan Theater tonight.
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Sonia Sotomayor goes from a childhood out of a Lifetime movie to possibly becoming the first Latina justice on the Supreme Court.
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Judge Sonia Sotomayor could be the first U.S. Supreme Court nominee for which YouTube plays a role in her confirmation hearings.
Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, considered a leading contender to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court, speaks on a panel at Duke Univ. Law School in 2005.
She is responding to a question on the pros and cons of different types of judicial clerkships.
Expect this clip to be viewed a million times today:
President Barack Obama poked fun at himself and the Washington establishment Saturday night.
Obama spoke at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner. He took playful digs at his frequent use of a teleprompter and Vice President Joe Biden's knack for speaking off the cuff.
Republicans were also a target. Obama joked that former Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't make the dinner because writing his memoir, "How to shoot friends and interrogate people."
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The $200-per-ticket dinner attracted plenty of VIPs from outside the Beltway.
Proceeds from the dinner will help feed the hungry and fund journalism scholarships. The association will donate more than $23,000 to the charity So Others Might Eat, including money raised by skipping formal dessert for guests.
The White House Correspondents Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.
The Democratic National Committee today released a new web ad “Survivor: GOP” highlighting the continued disunity and infighting among Republican leaders over control of the party. Even as the GOP attempts to rebuild, they continue to be stymied by internal squabbles over who should lead the party and in what direction. While the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin face-off against Eric Cantor, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, Michael Steele continues to face off against, well, everyone. Meanwhile, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich continue to pine for the good old days - defending a string of failed economic and foreign policies that they advocated for over the past two decades. All the while, GOP moderates, what’s left of them, are treated like the skunk at the garden party.
Last week, Republican Senator Olympia Snowe pointed out in the New York Times after Arlen Specter switched parties that “It is true that being a Republican moderate sometimes feels like being a cast member of ‘Survivor’ — you are presented with multiple challenges, and you often get the distinct feeling that you’re no longer welcome in the tribe.”
As leading Republicans including Eric Cantor, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh continue to wage self-interested battles to shape the future of the Republican Party in the way that best serves their own political aspirations, Americans are voting themselves off the island, and out of the Republican party.
Watch “Survivor: GOP”:
Miss California Carrie Prejean lost the first prize in the Miss America Pageant because of her views on same-sex marriage.
But, as the new spokesperson for the National Organization for Marriage, is a woman with capped teeth and new fake breasts really qualified to speak out against things "unnatural" that aren't "Biblically correct?"
Gathering Storm: Miss California Trying to Redefine Traditional Breasts for the Rest of Us
Now, in the latest twist in the tale, a celebrity gossip blog, The Dirty, has released some salacious photos of Ms. Prejean. The blogger has promised that he has more and will release them in due time.
Shocked by the photos, and the blogger's accompanying insults Miss California fired back with this statement:
"I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive."
Intolerant and offensive? I guess that makes it a stand-off.
Jon Stewart explored the tax day tea protests last night. He not only took on Fox News for sponsoring these events, but the people themselves for protesting wasteful spending by buying a million tea bags and wasting them. Stewart also looked at the amazing coincidence in timing that these people decided to go anti-government around two and a half months ago.
It was a great idea, really. Take a million tea bags and dump them in Lafayette Park to protest government spending. Hip, hip, hoo-ray!
But a funny thing happened en route to a visually pleasing Tax Day protest. The National Park Service said the tea party protesters didn't have the proper permit to dump their bags.
So instead of a raucous visual demonstration, all that was left was images of the tea party packing up their boxes of tea on a cold, soggy day in D.C.
Doh!
"We have a million tea bags here, and we don't have a place to put them because it's not on our permit," said Rebecca Wales, lead organizer of D.C. Tea Party.
Fight the power, folks, but next time check your permits before acquiring 1 million tea bags.
Last week the righties were all in a fluster because the President of the United States supposedly bowed before an "Arab Muslim King".
U.S. President Barack Obama bowed to an Arab Muslim King prior to a photo session at the G-20 Summit meeting in London.
See for yourself, which is about 50 seconds into the video.
No U.S. President in the history of our Republic has EVER had to BOWED FOR ANYTHING!
It is UNPREDECENTED! (sic)
Well, what will they say now that he's been caught "bowing before children" at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll?
I mean it's unprecedented!
The National Organization for Marriage recently released a new fear mongering (if not over-blown and dramatic) ad against same sex marriage full of lies and propaganda.
Here's a response.
Watch It:
Not much more to say other than,
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David Letterman wants to help the ailing GOP and last night he did so by producing a new television ad for them called "The Party of Yes." It details their positive stance on issues and tells voters that they will be ready to lead in 2028.
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Rick Santelli is doing his stand-up hit from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and behind him, some dude on the trading floor keeps moving a Barack Obama Chia Pet into the shot.
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For years, New Yorkers have done everything in our power to get this guy to leave town." Tactics included holding gay pride parades, kicking Rush's potential narco connects out of Times Square, and stocking Chinatown with "Chinese extras." "He was the Truman in our city-wide Truman Show," said Stewart.
He then ended the segment by saying, "If you're heading out from Uptown, take 42nd Street west to Ninth Avenue take a left, go down four blocks, Lincoln Tunnel's on your right, and you know what? Here's my EZ-Pass. Get the f*ck out of here."
Watch It:
It's really true - you just can't mock The Party of No often enough on their "budget."
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ProgressOhio is a partner of Americans United For Change
We'll all be underwater with the Republican Road To Recovery.
Why would a president want to be prepared and careful about what he says? The guy who had the job for the last eight years didn't need no stinkin' teleprompter!
Well, David Letterman addressed the outrage last night with his segment 'Teleprompter Vs. No Teleprompter.' It was enlightening to say the least.
Watch It:
The name "Colbert" beat out NASA's four suggested options in the space agency's effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year.
NASA's mistake was allowing write-ins. Colbert urged viewers of his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report" to write in his name. And they complied, with 230,539 votes. That clobbered Serenity, one of the NASA choices, by more than 40,000 votes. Nearly 1.2 million votes were cast by the time the contest ended Friday.
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President Obama's [Very Innocent, in context] "Special Olympics" Comment when referring to his Bowling skills on the Tonight Show - 03/20/09
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Still overcome with incredulity over former Vice President Dick Cheney’s interview on Sunday with CNN, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart couldn’t resist Tuesday night taking a couple of shots at some of the eye-brow raising statements made.
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AIG’s new management team last year proposed that its employees give up their “retention” bonuses, or at least reduce them.
The response from the 370 or so employees set to rake in $450 million in bonuses through 2010?
It apparently didn’t matter that taxpayers have provided $170 billion and counting to bail out AIG. “Quants,” the people who put together the computer-programmed algorithms behind the complicated hedges and trades that brought down the company, pushed back hard against any notion they should sacrifice their bonuses, the source said. If that doesn’t warm the hearts of taxpayers and lawmakers alike, maybe this will: Many of those receiving bonuses already have made enough money not to have to work again.
Here's Gina, wife of Ted explaining why they "CAN'T" give the money back.
Satire Alert . . .
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John Oliver does his best Bush impression to prove science is undermining America.
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see more Political Pictures
Barbie Hits the big "Five O"
Astronaut, doctor, rock star, beach babe -- perhaps more than any other woman in history, Barbie has managed to reinvent herself countless times throughout her 50 years.
She's also tried her hand at more than 100 careers, ranging from the professional and respectable to the weird and wacky.
She was an army medic and veterinarian -- even a U.S. presidential candidate.
And she's also suited up for some less likely occupations over the years, from cowgirl to candy store cashier and NASCAR driver.
Barbie even did a stint as a babysitter, and once, as a paleontologist.
Is Barbie a positive role model for women or does she represent an unattainable fantasy?
“I’m sorry Limbaugh called for harsh sentences for drug addicts while he was a drug addict. I’m also sorry that he’s bent on seeing America fail. And I’m sorry that Limbaugh is one sorry excuse for a human being.”
"What about this bonehead Rush Limbaugh? Honest to God, I mean, what is going on there?" Letterman said.
"Dave, don't do this to me, please," Couric interjected. "Don't do this to me."
"He gets up in Washington and he's the keynote speaker at some function and he comes up and he looks like an East European gangster," Letterman continued. "He's got the black jacket on, the black silk shirt and it's unbuttoned like, oh yeah, when you think Rush Limbaugh, you think, 'Ooh, let's see a little flesh.' Honestly. What is he doing?"
The Leader of The Republican party delivered his "speech to the nation" to a room full of the craziest "conservatives" in the country.
CNN and Fox News carried the hour and a half diatribe live and commercial free.
In this clip, he explains his I want the President to fail rant. The wingnuts go wild!
"If it sounds like Jindal is targeting his speech to a room full of fourth graders,
that's because he is.
They might be the next people to actually vote for Republicans again."
Nate Silver:
A speech can be judged from a variety of different angles -- content, accuracy, tone, delivery, context, audience, etc. Jindal's was one of those rare gems that failed practically every test.
Update: And now it turns out his whole Katrina story was a lie.
New Rule: We all have to tighten our belt and to start John Boehner has to cut back on the bronzer.
The GOP's Fresh Ideas?
The conservatives—that's right, the very same folks who just dragged us along on an eight-year drunken binge during which they borrowed-and-spent us into the deepest financial catastrophe in nearly a century—are now standing there, faces full of moral rectitude, fingers pointing and shaking in our faces, righteously lecturing the rest of us on the topic of "fiscal responsibility."
From Crooks And Liars:
I'm still trying to figure out who was playing who in this skit. For a bit of fun I took my best guess and if anyone thinks I'm wrong feel free to correct me.
Okay no guess here. Dan Akroyd as John "Weepy Eyes" Boehner.
No guess here either. Darrell Hammond as Mitch McConnell.
And no guess on this third one. Andy Samberg as Eric "GOP Golden Boy" Cantor.
I wasn't so sure of myself on these. Jason Sudeikis as Tom Coburn?
Will Forte as David Dreier?
Kristen Wiig as Lisa Murkowski??
Seen on the Ohio GOP feed . . .
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine kicked off his Party to the People Tour in Franklin County on Thursday night at a forum hosted by the Grandview Area Republican Club. DeWine plans to conduct similar forums in all 88 counties this year, giving Republicans white people an opportunity to voice their opinions about the future of their party.
Joe the Plumber is the savior who will lead the Republicans beyond the wreckage of lost elections and into a new era.
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A true Buckeyes Fan shows his dedication on a cold winter afternoon. ENJOY!!!
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