A New Wave of Crazy

I understand the calculations in the current political climate that cause some to tack to the right simply in an attempt to save their jobs. But in cases like this, the pushback after President Obama took office has given the excuse for current office holders to display their full wingnuttia and expose what most likely have been their true feelings all along with the added arrogance of thinking they have nothing to fear in showing their true colors.

In addition to reiterating anti-choice talking points on abortion and backing "traditional marriage," according to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, [Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C.] went further and "said if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn't be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who's sleeping with her boyfriend -- she shouldn't be in the classroom."

So now DeMint's expanding his discrimination to single pregnant women as well as gays. ...Nice.

Must Reads

Jann S. Wenner: Obama in Command: The Rolling Stone Interview

Dave Weigel: So Long, Jerk: Why liberals will be glad to see Rahm Emanuel go.

Carol H., Blue Jersey: Open Letter to Chris Christie on Hydraulic Fracturing

Angry Black Lady: Firedoglake Craziness: There is Something Wrong When I Agree with Fellow Oberlin Grad Michelle Malkin

Gail Collins: The Terrible Election Race Race

The Rude Pundit: James O'Keefe: Lowering the Bar to Subterranean

Chez Pazienza: Comment of the Week

JHW22 recommends...

Frank Schaeffer: Obama Critics, Admit You Were Wrong

President Obama's Weekly Address - October 2, 2010

Solar Power & a Clean Energy Economy

Rick Sanchez Calls Jon Stewart a "Bigot" - UPDATED

What the fuck? CNN's Rick Sanchez is apparently a very thin-skinned person, or at least suffering from a severe inferiority complex.

In an extended radio interview with SiriusXM's Stand Up! with Pete Dominick, Rick Sanchez basically suggested that Jews run the media, Jon Stewart constantly makes fun of him not for the stupidity that occasionally comes out of his mouth, but because he is Hispanic, and called him a "bigot" although later walked back the word but still called him prejudicial.

...Sanchez started out expressing an anecdote from his own experience, when someone who was “top brass” at CNN told Sanchez to his face that he saw Sanchez as “more as John Quiñones,” referring to the Hispanic ABC News reporter. Sanchez’s example was an illustration that the problem of racism in the media business goes further than many expect, enveloping “not just the Right,” but also “elite, Northeast establishment liberals” that “deep down, when they look at a guy like me, they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier, and not the top tier.”

That’s when Sanchez really let his feelings loose: “I think to some extent Jon Stewart and [Stephen] Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart’s a bigot.“

... I think he looks at the world through, his mom, who was a school teacher, and his dad, who was a physicist or something like that. Great, I’m so happy that he grew up in a suburban middle class New Jersey home with everything you could ever imagine.

Pete pressed, “What group is he bigoted towards?”

Sanchez replied: “Everybody else who’s not like him. Look at his show, I mean, what does he surround himself with?”

Well, let's see. I would say he surrounds himself with talented writers and comedians first and foremost, but if you want to look at the demographics of his on air personalities, there's Wyatt Cenac and Larry Wilmore, both African American, Samantha Bee and Olivia Munn, females, and Aasif Mandvi, an Indian born Muslim. But continue, Rick. Please tell us why you think Jon Stewart is a bigot.

Here’s what they do. This is the game they play. “I just picked on Fox News, because they just had a bold-faced [sic] lie about something — damnit, that means I gotta find something on CNN. Oh, I know… wait, hold on, let me find, oh that Rick Sanchez, that little Puerto Rican guy. I’ll make fun of him. Do you have anything.” “Uh, yeah, last week, he mispronounced the word indutably or whatever.” “Yeah, that’s it, find me that and we’ll do a whole 4-minute segment on how he mispronounced the word arithmetic.”

Rick Sanchez is Cuban, by the way. And as far as throwing Stephen Colbert into the mix, I suppose he missed Colbert's testimony during a hearing on immigration and US harvests on Capitol Hill. Or did he not understand the sarcasm?

Sanchez snickered sarcastically at the idea that Jews are as much minorities as Latinos in the US.

Very powerless people… [snickers] He’s such a minority, I mean, you know [sarcastically]… Please, what are you kidding? … I’m telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they — the people in this country who are Jewish — are an oppressed minority? Yeah. [sarcastically]

I'm guessing this is going to come back and bite him in the ass big time with his evil, Jewish overlords at CNN.

Ricky, you got some 'splainin' to do.

UPDATE (8:50pm): Rick Sanchez was promptly fired from CNN today.

“Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well.“

Well, that was quick. Now I'm expecting A) Sanchez to accuse CNN of discrimination against him because of his Hispanic heritage and not because he's actually the bigot and/or B) Sarah Palin to defend Sanchez through a tweet explaining how his First Amendment rights are being violated.

Orly Taitz Endorses Angle

Well, I don't know about you, but if I were running for office, this is the one endorsement I would definitely seek out.

On Wednesday, without much public recognition, Orly Taitz threw her support behind Sharron Angle, posting a plea for readers to donate to the Nevada Republican Senate candidate on her website.

The obvious question must now be posed to Sharron Angle: Does she believe Barack Obama is legitimate? Or does she have doubts about Obama's origin of birth?

Expect a Palin Tweet Tomorrow

POSTED BY JHW22

I am going to attempt a Tweet in the voice of the Shakespearean, half-the-term/double-the-standards Twit herself. Bear with me. Here I go:

Finally Rahm leaves as I demanded. 2 bad 4 Real America that a slogan thief will replace him. I was 4 change before the word was invented and used in BHO campaign. Change that.

I didn't count the characters so I hope that fits. If I predicted correctly I will be quite pleased with myself.

Take That, Beck's Chalkboard!

POSTED BY JHW22

Personally, I think this should be viewed by every American. Will you do your part and share it? Or do I need to throw a whiteboard eraser at you?!

Paladino Flips Out - Threatens Reporter

It looks like Tea Party candidate and apparent mobster wannabe Carl Paladino can't take the heat when questioned about a smear.

New York Post State Editor Fred Dicker on Wednesday night asked Paladino to provide proof of his claim to the Politico blog that his opponent, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, had extramarital affairs.

Watch the video:



Paladino kickin' it ol' school with the threats. "I'll take you out, buddy." Nice. Seems like a perfectly normal exchange between a reporter and a New York gubernatorial candidate, huh? This is the guy on the Republican ticket?! Wow.

Did O'Donnell Even Go To School? - UPDATE

Another university is bringing Christine O'Donnell's self-professed education history into question Wednesday, as Claremont Graduate University, a school that the Delaware Senate candidate claims she attended, has told Talking Points Memo that they have no record of her being there.

Is she just another grifter? A Sarah Palin copycat? Although credit where credit is due, O'Donnell has been a professional campaigner for the last five years, long before The Thrilla from Wasilla was dumped into the national spotlight.

UPDATE (9/30/10 1:50pm):

Delaware Republican Senatorial candidate Christine O'Donnell has responded to accusations that she overstated her education in her resume by insisting that a LinkedIn profile erroneously stating she went to Oxford University wasn't authored with her knowledge.

But now a new website has surfaced listing the same erroneous biographical information. And a website spokesman claims that O'Donnell entered the data herself.

Oops. I'm waiting for "the dog ate my homework" excuse next.

But It's Not About Racism (The Gangsta Rap Edition)

The last question posed of President Obama for the most recent and lengthy Rolling Stone article's October 14th edition, but available online now, asked what kind of music he is currently listening to.

The President gave a fairly in-depth answer, including Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. He also said he listen to "a lot of R&B" and included classical music specifically naming Maria Callas as his opera standby.

He then said this:

"Thanks to Reggie [Love, the president's personal aide], my rap palate has greatly improved. Jay-Z used to be sort of what predominated, but now I've got a little Nas and a little Lil Wayne and some other stuff, but I would not claim to be an expert. Malia and Sasha are now getting old enough to where they start hipping me to things. Music is still a great source of joy and occasional solace in the midst of what can be some difficult days."

So what, pray tell, could the Fox Nation website headline possibly be?

Via Bob Cesca:



Yes, the Prez is a gangsta rap aficionado. But it has nothing to do with race, right?

Quote of the Day

"I received a call yesterday from Nathan Verdi, a fact checker at Forbes, who was calling to fact check [the Dinesh D'Souza Forbes] article after it was published. (Is this how journalism works now?)"

~Kevin Varney, the senior vice president and chief of staff of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to finance offshore drilling in Brazil that was named in the article.

Remember, this is the ridiculous diatribe that sent Newt Gingrinch off the cliff with his "anti-colonial, Kenyan ideology" rant.

Colbert on DADT

Mayor Rahm?

Rumor has it that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will announce his departure from the West Wing to pursue mayoral aspirations in Chicago. If he does go, then from now on, it's no excuses.

Tax Cut Punt?

Posted by JHW22

So the recent thing "to die" is the whole Bush tax cut thingy. Have I mentioned I hate the hyperbole of "it's dead"? I mean, how many times did the public option die? And it's not even fully dead, only partially dead, because there is a revival bill. But I digress... Democrats are mad at Pelosi and Reid for punting the Bush tax cut extension for the middle class/extermination for the really, really rich people until after the election when the fear is we won't have as many seats as we do now (as if having the number of seats we have now is a good thing). Everyone is all wee-wee'd up (and I SWEAR to you Obama used that expression before Palin did so I am keeping it in my repertoire) over the tax cut punt (I must add that trying to say that out loud and even type it is hard -- some word other than cut seems to want to come out). But I always say, "there's a reason".

And there is. Well, there are many. But for this post I want to raise just one. Obama's 2011 Budget. Unless my Googling is getting stale, I am pretty sure Congress hasn't approved Obama's budget via their resolution process for next year. If it has been approved, great, but I can't find where it has been given the okay.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the reason Congress isn't rushing into a cock fight (yes, I said cock) is because if they could just get that danged budget passed, many of the beloved tax cuts would become permanent and become Obama's and this Congress'. Perhaps, just perhaps, the idea is to get that damn thing passed and then say "Ha! We don't need no stinkin' Bush. We have our own tax cuts and they are better!" (Yes, I said Bush). If Health Care Reform is called Obamacare in the pejorative, why would we want to continue to call tax cuts Bush's? And in the same vein, we should call the tax "increase" the Bush Tax Increase since they were designed to increase by the Bush era players. (I pointed that out to someone today and was accused of "blaming". I pointed out that stating fact is informing, not blaming.)

My intertubes are hurting from trying to confirm if the budget passed or not. So if you have the answer, I'd really sleep better tonight. Now, if they haven't approved it yet, does anyone think it's either really tricky of the Dems to wait until the last minute? OR does anyone else wonder why the F^%$ his budget was presented in February and is STILL not approved?!

I should probably add that even though I was only going to pose one possibility, I have to say that a few of those things Republicans have wanted by way of the Bush cuts WERE signed into law today via the Small Business Jobs Act of 2011. Oh but watch the spin on the right over that one.

How Will Rick Perry Take Credit for This?

Posted by JHW22

I admit that I COULD go searching for any statement by Governor Rick Perry regarding this amazing news and accomplishement and act of socialism, but I won't. Instead I will share some GOOD education news from the state of Texas. It's nice to have something nice to say about this state.

September 23, 2010 - The Austin Independent School District today was notified by the U.S. Department of Education that it was one of the 62 winning applicants of the $442 million Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant competition. The District received $62.3 million—the largest grant awarded in the nation—in order to expand the strategic compensation program, called AISD REACH, for the next five years. The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

“This grant will accelerate our work to better recruit, develop, and reward high quality teachers and campus leaders, particularly at our high-needs schools in Austin. These critical resources will allow us to further refine and reinforce our support for outstanding teaching in our schools,” said AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen.

According to the US Department of Education:

Applicant Name: Austin Independent School District

PR/Award #: S385A010111

State: TX

5-Year Amount: $62,324,746

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) is applying for a federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant in order to expand its strategic compensation initiative, AISD REACH. This program, which has been piloted for the past three years, is aimed at recruiting, developing, and retaining high quality teachers and administrators in Austin, particularly at the district's high-needs schools. The theory of action behind AISD REACH is that incentive programs in education must couple supports and rewards to accelerate academic improvement. To this end, REACH rewards gains in student achievement at the campus, team, and individual teacher levels. Additionally, REACH provides full-time mentors to novice teachers who are most at risk of attrition. Mentoring also represents one of several leadership pathways in REACH that allows accomplished teachers to remain in the profession supporting the growth of their colleagues. The third component of REACH is targeted professional development in which teams of teachers collaborate to address a data-driven need on their campus, monitor the impact of their work, and present the results of their efforts to a juried panel of their peers. Finally, REACH targets incentives for teachers and administrators who choose to work in the district's most challenging campuses. Taken together, AISD believes that this program, which has already yielded positive results, builds the capacity of Austin educators to better serve students, empowers them to support the growth of their colleagues, and challenges them to reach rigorous performance goals aligned to the district's goal of preparing all students to be college and career ready. AISD's TIF proposal is specifically aimed at expanding AISD REACH, currently implemented at 15 schools, to include all schools in East Austin, an area composed of 33 high-needs schools, where staff attrition rates and academic underperformance have been historically high. Finally, AISD's TIF proposal has been developed in collaboration with teachers, administrators, the teachers' union, and the business community. To this end, this proposal is supported by Education Austin, the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and legislators from Austin's state and federal delegations.

I bet it KILLS Perry to know that his state is getting federal money for education -- the largest grant of all -- because he hates edumication as much as Bush did.

P.S. If you know that Perry responded to this, please do not share that info with me. I want to enjoy this and not allow that idiot to burst my bubble.

edit: P.P.S. I am cracking up!! Another ISD near Perry's stomping ground, Round Rock ISD, also received a US Department of Education grant. They are pretty much the same as Austin in geography. All right there at Perry's doorstep. Oh, goodness, I can't stop laughing. All that federal money spilling into his state. What's a crappy governor to do?

Why I Stopped Watching Real Time

When I first started this blog almost four years ago, it was because I was inspired by Richard Dreyfuss when he was a guest on Real Time. I noticed last season, after President Obama won the 2008 election, the was something a little different about the show. Something akin to falling into the false equivalency meme that has infected the mainstream media.

There is no such thing as "both sides are equally crazy." Who is the liberal equal in influence to a Sean Hannity or a Rush Limbaugh? Name the progressive that has an equally large following. Point out who on the left holds an audience of millions spellbound like Glenn Beck does with his rubes. You can't name one, because one does not exist. Not even to mention the content of these shows, using half truths, spin, innuendo and flat out lies in an effort to undermine any Democratic "agenda." Believing that both sides are the same is just flat out wrong and dangerously naive.

And then last Friday night, there was Bill Maher introducing Andrew Breitbart as one of his guests on the panel. Andrew. Fucking. Breitbart. And he introduced him as a journalist.

It was disappointing to hear Bill Maher refer to Andrew Breitbart as a "journalist" last night. He isn't one, and calling him that is an insult to every journalist everywhere. Journalism requires the kind of integrity Breitbart utterly lacks...

Maher has diminished himself in elevating Breitbart, who returned the favor by telling his host "you're not libertarian, you're socialist." The fabricator's entire web empire is characterized by this sort of Overton Window-yanking insanity. You cannot find a single mention of Iraq or Afghanistan contracting scandals on his sites, for example, but you can find the latest ginned-up outrage over White House Christmas ornaments or an NEA conference call in between the Victoria Jackson posts.

I turned the program off halfway through the show.  I want honest debate, not shitty talking points and ACORN conspiracy theories.

Will I watch Maher again? Maybe in passing or perhaps stream a video clip here and there, but I'm not going out of my way to tune in anymore.

TV Producer to Ben Stein: STFU

Television producer Linda McGibney had something to say regarding Ben Stein's opinion piece last week on CBS Sunday Morning. Basically, suck it up, rich man. You've prospered mightily under the Bush tax cuts and the house of cards that was the housing bubble. Letting the tax cuts expire is not "punishment," you whiny, little prick.