Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Go To NewtGingrich.com

You'll like what you'll see.

Gingrich owns Newt.org, but NewtGingrich.com is controlled by someone with very different motives.
The website alternately redirects to a slew of websites with negative association to Newt: from the homepage of Tiffany, to the Freddie Mac homepage, to negative news articles about his campaign.

Try it: NewtGingrich.com

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

So, hey, come up with a Plan B

POSTED BY JHW22

Within hours of Secretary Sebelius denying an application to make a morning after pill available, over the counter, to girls under 17, women's rights groups went ape shit on their fellow woman's rights advocate. Ignoring their own previous appreciation of Secretary Sebelius' years of advocacy and ardent support of reproductive rights, she was enemy number one and she was playing "politics".

I called bullshit right away.

My take has always been that the ball was dropped by the FDA and the pharmaceutical company, NOT Secretary Sebelius. It's easy to blame her because she did the hard thing. But the anger should be directed toward the folks who rushed the data and the application.

The same people who acted as if the FDA was infallible should be SCREAMING about Yaz. We can't say the FDA is perfect on this issue and condemn them for allowing women, like my friend, Heather, to suffer a stroke because of her reproductive choices.

I also found the cries of her playing politics extremely hollow when just days prior to her being accused of playing politics, she denied a grant to Catholic Bishops because they didn't provide access to family planning centers in their human trafficking resource program. As someone who cares a great deal for programs to combat and aid victims of human trafficking, this hurt my heart. But I completely understand that women victims of trafficking need full access to full health care. How does the Secretary who was willing to make that Solomon choice, suddenly become the enemy playing politics?

The issues the Seretary faces aren't easy. They are going to piss someone off. To accuse her of playing politics because you don't like the choice she made is lame and ignorant of complexities.

I think the real politics were being played by women's rights groups who focused so much on one aspect, that may have inadvertantly caused harm to the very girls they are trying to help.

This issue can be resolved if the women's groups put the politics aside and make every decision thoroughly and with great care and foresight. I commend Secretary Sebelius for keeping the bigger picture in mind despite being accused of playing politics. No women should play any part of a political game at the sake of the girls.

And if I lose my feminist card for this, so be it. I'll go with my plan B and join a group of logical people who care that the girls are spoken up for in more ways than one.

Monday, December 19, 2011

A Small Price To Pay

So once again, Weeper of the House John Boehner shows his toothless bite when it comes to bringing his side of the aisle in line for a vote not to raise taxes. Yes, you read that correctly, NOT TO RAISE TAXES.

The Senate came together to pass a two month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance by a bipartisan vote of 89-10, and while that may not be an ideal situation, it staves off an automatic increase on taxes for 160 million Americans when the current payroll tax cut expires, hardly something to sneeze at in the current economic state of affairs. But that wasn't good enough for Tea Party Republicans who rejected the bill.
“When we met last week, Speaker Boehner requested that Senator McConnell and I work out a compromise,” [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid said, referring to the minority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “Neither side got everything they wanted, but we forged a middle ground that passed the Senate by an overwhelming bipartisan majority.”
Well, that was last week, Senator Reid. This week Boehner's got new marching orders from the extreme right.

This may be easy for me to say, but if having taxes raised (yes, Republicans are sitting idly by and breaking the Norquist code of raising taxes at any cost) is what needs to happen to make the general public aware of how intransigent the current Republican Party has become, and the result is a mass termination of House GOP jobs via the 2012 election, then it's a small price to pay for progress.

The House is currently in session to have another vote by 6:30pm which Boehner expects to fail. The system isn't broken. The Republican Party is broken.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Must Reads



Michael Gerson: The Problem with Gingrich’s Simplistic Attack on Sharia

Robert Reich: Wall St's Latest Shameless Ploy to Fleece You

Spike Dolomite Ward: 'Obamacare' to the Rescue and A Message to 'Obamacare' Haters [The Reply]

Steve Benen: The Competition to Reward the Wealthy

Benjy Sarlin: Meet The 22-Year-Old Who’s Driving Romney Crazy

Paul Krugman: Depression and Democracy

Christina Wilkie: Mitt Romney's Slogan Used By Ku Klux Klan, Anti-Immigrant 'Know Nothing' Party

Michael Tomasky: Could Obama Be Headed for a Landslide?

Renee Dudley: SC Gov. Haley Dictated Health Panel Finding - Outcome ordered before committee met

Andy Brownfield and Julie Carr Smyth: Speaker John Boehner's Staff Influenced Ohio Redistricting, Documents Show

Linda Greenhouse: Rock Bottom

Matt Miller: What Wyden-Ryan Hath Wrought

Al Franken: Why I Voted Against the National Defense Authorization Act

President Obama's Weekly Address - December 17, 2011

Honoring Those Who Served in Iraq

Friday, December 16, 2011

Joe Arpaio Under Investigation for Racial Profiling

From the "No Shit Sherlock" news desk, here comes a shocker!

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's boundary-pushing foray into Arizona's immigration enforcement over the last six years met its most bruising criticism when the U.S. Justice Department said the lawman's office carried out a blatant pattern of discrimination against Latinos and held a "systematic disregard" for the Constitution...
"We found discriminatory policing that was deeply rooted in the culture of the department, a culture that breeds a systematic disregard for basic constitutional protections," said Thomas Perez, who heads the Justice Department's civil rights division.
My only question: What the fuck took you so long to figure that one out?

Christopher Hitchens Dies at 62

NY Times: Christopher Hitchens, a slashing polemicist in the tradition of Thomas Paine and George Orwell who trained his sights on targets as various as Henry Kissinger, the British monarchy and Mother Teresa, wrote a best-seller attacking religious belief, and dismayed his former comrades on the left by enthusiastically supporting the American-led war in Iraq, died on Thursday in Houston. He was 62.
The cause was pneumonia, a complication of esophageal cancer, Vanity Fair magazine said in announcing the death...

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Just Say "Oops" and Get Out.

Mark Meckler, the founder of a major tea party organization, was arrested Thursday at LaGuardia Airport for gun possession, law enforcement officials said.
The Queens District Attorney said Meckler was carrying a pistol and had a California permit, but not one for New York, authorities said.
Meckler allegedly told authorities he carries the pistol "because he gets threats."
...Yeah. Because everyone knows who Mark Meckler is. This isn't an Obama rally, Mr. Meckler, it's New York City, you shithead.

Job Creators!

Kim Kardashian just dropped $65k to outbid a gang of serious jewelry nuts for 3 unbelievable jade and diamond bracelets that used to belong to Elizabeth Taylor ... TMZ has learned.
Taylor's entire collection of rare and expensive jewelry was auctioned off in NYC this week for a whopping $116 MILLION ... and Kim was one of the bidders.
Can anyone tell me how many jobs Kim Kardashian creates? Or anyone else who decided to drop millions on a dead actress's jewelry? But a 1.9% tax increase to those making over $1 million a year in order to continue a payroll tax cut for 160 MILLION people is unacceptable. Got it.

(H/T JHW22)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Nothing Says "Presidential" Like a Twitter Fight

[Donald] Trump took to YouTube on Wednesday to criticize [Rosie] O'Donnell's new show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Trump called O'Donnell's show a "complete and total disaster." He also attacked MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and said that his show was "failing." Trump then tweeted the video, with the message "#trumpvlog Same last name, same bad ratings- @lawrence and @rosie....."
O'Donnell tweeted back and attacked Trump's self-proclaimed wealth. "How many billionaires sell ties and have crappy non reality shows - none - go back to selling snake oil - #bankruptmuch?" O'Donnell tweeted.
How many presidents or presidential contenders do you suppose would tweet something like this?



And to think this schmuck was actually leading the Republican field in the polls at one point. Oh, and here's why Trump lashed out at Lawrence O'Donnell:


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Trump Pulls Out of Debate

Badgerhead Donald Trump has decided that he's not going to moderate the Newsmax debate. His excuse? He doesn't want to "give up his right to run as an independent candidate" which we all know is bullshit otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.

Face it, Republicans: this thing was a joke from the beginning and why have a debate when no one is showing up? The only Trump whores were front runners Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum (who really has nothing to lose) and The Donald didn't want to be in a position of not being able to fire anyone. You can't use your tag line if there's no one in the room.

Fair and Balanced, My Ass

Okay, Fox newsies. What's wrong with this picture?


Yes, that's right! It seems that in Fox World, 8.6% unemployment in November 2011, is visually equal to 9% in October 2011, and actually higher than 8.9% and 8.8% in February and March 2011. Sure, I suppose you could just read the numbers, but why do that when Fox can show you a handy-dandy chart showing unemployment under the Obama administration hasn't improved? Me like pretty colors.

(Via Bob Cesca)

Monday, December 12, 2011

The Country of Solynda

I've been searching high and low in my atlas and can't seem to find Solynda.

CNN Political Ticker reports that Perry campaigned in the Hawkeye State, stopping in Ames. He focused on energy, taking shots at the Obama administration's handling of government spending.
"No greater example of it than this administration sending millions of dollars into the solar industry, and we lost that money," Perry said. "I want to say it was over $500 million that went to the country Solynda."
Did he mean the "company" named SolynDRA instead of "country"? No matter. He even got the name wrong. The man is an idiot.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Photo of the Day



What is this? A "terrorist fist jab"? Boy, that Obama is some elitist, huh?

Thanks to JHW22 for the heads up.

Must Reads



John Converse Townsend: An Army of Giant Rats Unearths Peace in Africa

Eugene Robinson: Republicans’ Reality TV Politics

Capital Times Editorial: A Year Later, Walker Rail Blunder Looks Even Worse

Bob Cesca: Occupy The Internet

Pat Garofalo: Perry Admits His Tax Plan Slams Low-Income People And Lets The Wealthy Pay Nothing

Digby: Guess What? Stephen Colbert Isn't Really Conservative

President Obama's Weekly Address - December 10, 2011

Ensuring a Fair Shot for the Middle Class

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Best "Fuck You" Ever

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania on Wednesday said Obama's policy toward radical Islamists "has been nothing but appeasement."
When asked about the accusations that his foreign policy is timid and amounts to a policy of "appeasement," The President responded:
"Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top al-Qaida leaders who have been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement. Or whoever is left out there, ask them about that."
BOOM! goes the dynamite.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

President Obama Speaks on the Economy

December 6th, 2011 - Osawatomie, Kansas

Trump to Obama: Call Me

You can file this one in the "Who The Fuck Do You Think You Are?!" folder.

Harry Morgan Dies at 96



NY Times: Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing the acerbic but kindly Colonel Potter in the long-running television series “M*A*S*H,” died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 96. His son Charles confirmed his death, saying Mr. Morgan had been treated for pneumonia recently.

 
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