Rising Hegemon

And the sky is blue

2012-01-27T03:38:00.000-06:00

No wonder the modern GOP hates science...it makes sense:There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.
ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND...Rick Santorum comes out against getting a college education.[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Time to execute some people

2012-01-27T03:35:00.000-06:00

Who manage to register lower IQs than him (somehow there are some of them)Rick Perry’s dismal showing in the presidential contest has plunged his approval among Texans to its lowest level in a decade, and more than half say in a new poll that he should not seek re-election as governor.

Immediate Action Required

2012-01-27T03:30:00.000-06:00

As we know child abuse didn't seem to cause much of a reaction within the Vatican.But something things get them to act with great dispatch.

The Vatican was shaken by a corruption scandal Thursday after an Italian television investigation said a former top official [Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano] had been transferred against his will after complaining about irregularities in awarding contracts.

Unknown whether or not the names include any Romneys.For many years the papal official dealing with things like abuse claims within the Church was Cardinal Ratzenger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI. Surely he isn't mixed up in this business too?

"Holy Father, my transfer right now would provoke much disorientation and discouragement in those who have believed it was possible to clean up so many situations of corruption and abuse of power that have been rooted in the management of so many departments," Vigano wrote to the pope on March 27, 2011.

Guess who got shipped out of the Vatican?

Despite his appeals to the pope that a transfer, even if it meant a promotion, "would be a defeat difficult for me to accept," Vigano was named ambassador to Washington in October of last year after the sudden death of the previous envoy to the United States.

But David Brooks was probably excited

2012-01-26T04:33:00.001-06:00

Oh those endorsements are awesome:

Nate Silver @fivethirtyeight

Newt has surged negative 6 points in the Florida polls since the Fred Thompson endorsement.

Requires this.

Somehow this doesn't sound like a deterrent

2012-01-26T03:44:00.003-06:00

To vote Obama.
Barack Obama won't ask Timothy Geithner to stay on as Treasury Secretary if the president wins reelection, Geithner told Bloomberg TV's Trish Regan Wednesday.
Aw, we'll all be crushed. So who will the just as underwhelming replacement be?

Fact-ish

2012-01-26T03:39:00.001-06:00

Oh what a surprise, when it comes to a Democrat, "FactCheck" manages to fuck up fact checking.

So long James Madison, hello Robert Heinlein.

2012-01-26T03:30:00.000-06:00

Newt Gingrich's political development apparently began with "Space Cadet" and ended with "Starship Troopers"

Yesterday, America's self-proclaimed enemy of the deficit Newt Gingrich emphasized his latest policy plank:

"We will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American," Gingrich said.

And now to find the billions of dollars to build it...I guess it will come from more tax cuts for millionaires, as that is his other major platform.

Jobs programs, education, help for the poor, no. Tax Cuts and Moonbases, yes.

All that and a bag of chips (plus a war with Iran).

When it comes to science fiction as policy Newt has a long history of thinking he is Buck Rogers.

-- 1995, “Honeymoons in space will be the vogue by 2020.”

Please fill in your own jokes here....but I do wonder if that is why Calista's hair looks like something Buzz Aldrin designed?

-- 1985 he advocated “a large array of mirrors [that] could affect the earth’s climate,” warming it up so farmers could extend the growing season.

So he not only believes in man-made climate change (disqualifying in today's GOP), he's completely for speeding it up.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Ready for that Southwest Airlines "Want to get away?" commercial

2012-01-25T05:34:00.001-06:00

This is about the worst athletic botch I can remember, I could not feel worse for her.It's sort of like putting yourself in a position of nominating either Romney or Gingrich -- either one is an own-goal.

Greatest Interview ever

2012-01-25T05:13:00.000-06:00

Maurice Sendak interviewed by Colbert:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

This part of last night's show was awesome too.Rick Santorum does, in fact, like making baby soup.

Good thing Republicans are not beholden to facts

2012-01-25T04:48:00.002-06:00

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

If a Republican was President

2012-01-25T03:52:00.002-06:00

You'd be hearing this story non-stop on FoxNews and George Bush would have been portrayed as being there personally directing fire:

In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.

But as John "Santa Claus" Cole jollily points out this doesn't fit into the "Obama is a Pussy" theme. the GOP wants to portray (like the killing of that Osama fella stuff).

And again, if nothing else Obama has proved he can kill people illegally more cheaply, you'd think the Republicans could at least not begrudge him that (posterity however...).

Still?

2012-01-25T03:32:00.002-06:00

The last batch of recordings made under President Kennedy were released yesterday (and again, good job Nixon making sure we won't get the same things under subsequent Presidents).

It has many interesting and mundane things on it...

Conversations with top officials briefing Kennedy on Vietnam were among the most memorable, Porter said.

After hearing vastly different viewpoints from top advisers who had gone on a fact-finding mission to South Vietnam, Kennedy can be heard commenting: "You both went to the same country?"

Porter said the frustration palpable in Kennedy's voice during the conversation was insightful.

But the most vexing part of the release was this:Of the final hours of recordings released on Tuesday...officials excised about five to 10 minutes of family-related discussions and about 30 minutes because of national security concerns.
These tapes are nearly fifty years old...the cold war is over...what possible "national security" concerns could there be? I bet it involves the origin of 'Bat Boy'!

That speech was okay

2012-01-25T03:30:00.000-06:00

But Jerry Ford would have thought it was too conservative...But as usual, Obama benefits from who his opposing critics are. Such as this man, best know for defending endless wars fought for illegitimate reasons with the tactic of implying treason upon their opponents.

Well, that is timely criticism indeed coming as it does upon the heels of record profits for Apple.

Buoyed by holiday spending, the company's revenue hit a sky high $46 billion and net income of $13.1 billion. This amounts to about $133 million of profit per day during the 14 week-long quarter.

And let us not forget the true patriotic "American-Corporate Way" of getting those profits, by having them made overseas in China and treating those workers like dirt.

You'd think Fleischer would be more than satisfied enough with Obama's ability to conduct inappropriate acts of war more inexpensively.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Nerd post of the day

2012-01-24T07:35:00.001-06:00

Return of the Jedi the way it should have gone...

So how much of that went to hating on gays?

2012-01-24T07:10:00.000-06:00

Mitt gave $2.6 million to the Mormon Church last year alone:

The couple donated $1.5 million in 2010 to theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which also receiveddonations from the family’s foundation. They contributed $2.6million to the Mormon church in 2011, according to the estimatedreturn.

So how much of that ended up being spent in California to keep gays from marrying?

Sunday's episode was fine

2012-01-24T06:08:00.001-06:00

But last night's special episode of Downton Abbey (on NBC for some reason) was just 90 minutes of the dog's ass interlaced with O'Brien and Thomas sniping at each other.

Another drip in the growing puddle

2012-01-24T05:43:00.002-06:00

More fun for Mitt, less fun for his victims:

Off a gritty bend in the Miami River, a few miles from a warehouse where he recently touted his job-creation plans, there’s a complex of buildings that bear witness to a time when Mitt Romney’s private equity firm laid off hundreds of workers, shuttered a profitable factory and made out with hundreds of millions of dollars.

It started in 1995, when Romney’s Bain Capital targeted the company that became Dade Behring, which made blood-testing machines and performed animal research at its Miami campus.

Bain borrowed heavily to buy the company and closed a factory in Puerto Rico to improve the bottom line. About 400 lost jobs there. Then in 1997, Bain shuttered Dade Behring’s Miami operations, costing another 850 jobs and a $30 million payroll in the community.

Before growing debt consumed the company, Bain executed its exit strategy and made $242 million.

And I wonder how many more of these stories will surface on Mitt's serial killing victory tour?

Drip prefers the "drip,drip,drip" method

2012-01-24T04:49:00.000-06:00

Oh how politically savvy:

Romney advisers stressed that the holdings in the Caymans — along with those in a Swiss bank account that was closed in 2010 after an investment adviser decided it could be politically embarrassing to Romney — were reported on tax returns and were not vehicles to avoid taxes.

Okay, first...this occurred to them for the first time in 2010...after he had already run for President?

Second, a Swiss bank account too? Oh Mitt and his money right next to Nazi Gold!

Third, just how bad are those prior years?

Fourth, how long does he think he'll get away with not returning those...and how does he think this is going to close the matter?

That shit may work on FoxNews but not anywhere else.

I missed the debate...(again) last night

2012-01-24T03:32:00.000-06:00

So I missed the talent portion:

Let us put them in…the Octagon!

2012-01-24T03:30:00.000-06:00

It seems just like yesterday some guy stated here that Mitt Romney as Republican nominee was going to happen. And then this happens.

Newt Gingrich has all but erased Mitt Romney's 23-percentage-point lead of a week ago among Republican voters nationally, and the two candidates are now essentially tied

And thanks to the Supreme Court time for the "Chubb Group" of the Gingrich Campaign to continue the underwriting:

Gingrich pal and wealthy businessman Sheldon Adelson will offer up another $5 million in funding for Gingrich’s super PAC, Winning Our Future.

And to think of all the episodes of NOVA that could make.I still think in the long run, Romney will be "settled" for, not because he is loved but because he'll do...but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to see this:

Veteran GOP Operative Steve Schmidt: Look, I think, not only are we not moving towards a coalescing of support by the Republican establishment for Newt Gingrich, we're probably moving toward the declaration of war on Newt Gingrich by the Republican establishment. And if Newt Gingrich is able to win the Florida primary, you will see a panic and a meltdown of the Republican establishment that is beyond my ability to articulate in the English language.

To the Octagon.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

On the other hand...

2012-01-23T06:26:00.000-06:00

If Romney loses Florida...

Newt Gingrich leads Mitt Romney by eight points in Florida, according to a poll conducted the day after the former House speaker won the South Carolina primary.According to the Insider Advantage poll, Gingrich has 34 percent support, Romney has 26 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul has 13 percent, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum garners 11 percent.

There may be no settling at all, the base may just decide they want to burn that SOB to the ground.

And they probably think that's a good plan.

And speaking of quality journalism

2012-01-23T05:56:00.001-06:00

Good to see David Gregory's nine (or ten?) figure salary hasn't prevented him from questioning right-wing memes...because he doesn't want to bother.
GREGORY: Can you have a Republican nominee who can play into the class warfare argument that the president wants to play in general?
Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?

Quality

2012-01-23T05:53:00.001-06:00

Oh that HuffPo front page continues to be of the highest caliber:

Oh no.

It will soon be time to settle

2012-01-23T03:30:00.000-06:00

There comes a time, if you are in a mood to marry, that you are more than aware of your potential mates foibles. They chew strangely, they occasionally smell, they don't like the same shows you like, etc.

But all-in-all they'll do because after all you aren't exactly perfect.

And if marrying is the most important thing of all, you'll sadly take what you can get.Newt Gingrich may have won South Carolina, and Mitt Romney may be a terrible politician, but of the GOP's potential suitors he's the best remaining option.And Republicans seem to agree, in their inimitable manner:

In a January 14-17 YouGov poll, 66% of Gingrich supporters said they had a “very” or “somewhat favorable” opinion of Romney. About 15% were neutral. The remaining 19% were unfavorable, but only 2% were said “very unfavorable”—which is how I would translate “deep dissatisfaction.” The same thing is true of Santorum supporters: 57% had a favorable view of Romney.

So they are going to settle (and since Andrew Sullivan is predicting otherwise...they'll settle) for Romney...for the least bad of a series of bad choices. All before the likely divorce on November 7, 2012.

Which is unfortunate in a way because Gingrich can definitely handle divorce.

And now PANIC!

2012-01-22T04:24:00.000-06:00

It used to be sometime in March or so that there was a traditional freak-out in whatever Party was the challengers in the upcoming election as the almost certain nominee suffers a temporary setback.But this year the GOP decided to get it started early.

As fun as this all is, and as someone who certainly isn't a Republican it is quite fun...once I get my jaw back in place, I just do not think Gingrich is going to get the nomination. Now that he's having his little run the powers-that-be in the Party are going to step up and make sure Mitt gets it.

However the caveat to the normal course of business is that the GOP has done everything in its power to let the crazies run free, the only real question is whether they can get them back in the bottle?It won't be easy.

We're riding this SOB to the gates of hell ...

2012-01-22T04:17:00.000-06:00

Because once they are there, they'll just let Newt in as an honored guest.

Nice job Republicans.

And then they went home to watch the Golf Channel

2012-01-21T18:40:00.001-06:00

Apparently Mitt Romney won only one group in South Carolina...those making over $200,000 annually.

And in Mississippi no less

2012-01-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

With their "noble" history on racial issues.
Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's grants of commutations or pardons to more than 200 prisoners, all but eight in his final days in office, disproportionately benefited white offenders among a predominantly black prison population, a Reuters analysis found.

Newt's spidey-senses go off

2012-01-21T08:43:00.000-06:00

Heidi Klum and Seal to divorce.

But of course

2012-01-21T07:42:00.002-06:00

Taking IOKIYAR to new depths of bullshit, FoxNews psychologist of choice, believes that three marriages...including six years of clandestine lap naps with his then mistress...will make Newt Gingrich a better President.

Family values...situational only.

Conservatives always accuse the left of practicing moral relativism...apparently because they have perfected it.

Well that settles it

2012-01-21T07:05:00.002-06:00

Chuck Norris, seen in the early morning across America struggling to act the part of "Chuck Norris, Total Gym salesman" has stopped looking for black helicopters long enough to endorse Newt Gingrich. Newt obviously being an enthusiastic user of the "Total Gym" (and hoping to bag Christy Brinkley as spouse #4).

Pat Sajak will endorse Ron Paul because of his high-vowel percentage (you know it kills that crazy [yet boring] guy that Obama is so vowel-rich).

"Nobody gets me, I'm like the wind baby"

2012-01-20T08:16:00.000-06:00

Add another one to the Mitt Romney awkward phrases catalog...

Chiding Gingrich for spending decades in Washington as a political “insider,” Romney insisted that he’s the “perfect example of why we need to send to Washington someone who has not lived in Washington, but someone who has lived in the real streets of America.”

Y'know the "real streets of America" (see Mitt use that street cred here) from within the gated community (that's a picture of his compound...well one of them).

Ladies and Gentlemen

2012-01-20T03:33:00.001-06:00

Your presumptive Republican Nominee:Every time we release things drip by drip, the Democrats go out with another array of abeing attacks. I'll put these out at one time so we have one discussion of all of this. I obviously pay all full taxes. I'm honest in my dealings with people.
"I am not a crook" seems honest and forthright in comparison.

At least it is humorous

2012-01-20T03:33:00.000-06:00

The victimization feeling so prevalent in the modern conservative movement has many of them circling the wagons around "Mr. Open Marriage" as the traditional family values candidate.

Gingrich couldn't have wished for a better state than South Carolina for paranoia to triumph over logic.

The important thing -- though not a great general election thing -- is that there candidate screech and piss off those not even involved in their nomination process ("the liberals") rather than appear capable of governing (which they do not think highly of).

Well he never has been one for sticking to his oaths

2012-01-20T03:30:00.000-06:00

Apparently Gingrich thinks that IF he should ever take the Presidential Oath it also creates an Open Marriage.

Newt Gingrich has pledged that on his first day as president he will set up a constitutional showdown by ordering the military to defy a supreme court ruling extending some legal rights to foreign terrorism suspects and captured enemy combatants in US custody.

That would be the decision of the Roberts' Court (without Roberts on the majority opinion naturally) in Boumediene v. Bush (2008). Ignoring the Constitution is not exactly rare in the Presidency (see Jackson, Andrew through Obama, Barack) but leave it to Gingrich to be so "open" about it.And in South Carolina famous for having problems with the Constitution (and judging by the standing ovation that it gave last night also problems with fidelity in marriage) this was not a negative:

He implied that would also extend to the 1973 decision, Roe vs Wade, legalising abortion."If the court makes a fundamentally wrong decision, the president can in fact ignore it," said Gingrich to cheers.

Unlike what the country can do when a President Gingrich makes a fundamentally wrong decision, although we certainly would have to get used to it.[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Desperately trying to paddle out of the circling drain

2012-01-19T10:48:00.000-06:00

National Review to the RESCUE!Oskar Schindler was a married man with a mistress; his interest in someone outside his wife hardly tells us everything we need to know about his character, judgment, courage, trustworthiness, etc.
If you begrudge a Republican being a family-values hypocrite while getting sexy-time on the side IT'S LIKE YOU SUPPORTED THE HOLOCAUST!

Further adventures of fine-timing

2012-01-19T09:56:00.001-06:00

Not to mention, class, Newt is trying to raise money saying he wants to punch Barack Obama in the face.

NOW is an especially bad time for Newt to suggest ANYONE take it "in the face".

Ménage à -ick

2012-01-19T09:43:00.001-06:00

But of course...family values uber alles bitchez!

In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Brian Ross, Gingrich claims her ex-husband wanted an open marriage. “He came to her and said, ‘I want to stay married to you and still have an affair with Calista, his current wife,” said Ross. “According to Marianne, he said ‘You need to share me,’ and she said ‘I don’t want to share,’ and the marriage ended.” Listen:

How very very French, er, I mean Freedom! of him, Newt is after all getting those handjobs because he's a total patriot.And hey, Newt is getting Rick Perry's endorsement and Palin yesterday...try not to think about how those got consummated...though I bet they were notarized with paw prints.

And in further news making Mitt Romney's day...100 Tea Party ~~idiots~~ Leaders to endorse Gingrich.

So long dipshit

2012-01-19T08:56:00.001-06:00

Rick Perry is departing the Republican race...apparently so he can taunt Turkey with bullshit as a private citizen.

I know the commercials

2012-01-19T07:09:00.000-06:00

For Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (or is it Incredibly Loud & Extremely Close?) are supposed to make you sad that Al Qaeda killed Tom Hanks.

But did you know at the time of his death he was riding Warhorse?

The IOKIYAR files

2012-01-19T03:40:00.000-06:00

So according to Bobo Brooks we interfere too much in people's personal lives by asking candidates to release their tax returns, but not if we find out what Bill Clinton's penis looks like.

Awkward...

2012-01-19T03:35:00.000-06:00

Newt and his wife the Bird Lady are going to have to endure inquiries into why the latter's head was in the former's lap so often in his various Chrysler Towncars for a half-dozen years (I'm sure it was an effort to get him to convert to Roman Catholicism).

Anticipating a potentially damaging interview with one of Newt Gingrich’s former wives ahead of the South Carolina primary, the Gingrich campaign issued an open letter on Wednesday night to “ABC News leadership,’’ the network that conducted the interview, in preparation for a Thursday night broadcast.Marianne Gingrich, the second of Mr. Gingrich’s former wives, was married to him for 18 years. After they divorced, Mr. Gingrich married his current wife, the former Callista Bisek, with whom he admitted conducting a lengthy affair while he was still married.

Next up, an interview with Romney's former pets.

The One-Percent Solution

2012-01-19T03:30:00.000-06:00

Located within sight of Cuba (it doesn't even require Palin-vision) the Cayman Islands are famous for a few things.

*Lovely tropical weather
*Beautiful beaches
*Availability as a a tax-haven from for multimillionaires so they don't have to pay taxes in their native countries.

Especially one like Mitt Romney.

In addition to paying the lower tax rate on his investment income, Romney has as much as $8 million invested in at least 12 funds listed on a Cayman Islands registry. Another investment, which Romney reports as being worth between $5 million and $25 million, shows up on securities records as having been domiciled in the Caymans.

Like most Americans, the closest an investment of mine has come to the Caribbean is a Bob Marley CD and a bottle of Captain Morgan. But it isn't "socialism" and Romney is a Republican; so it is just fine, moral -- and in another country.

Perhaps it was from a Roman lance?

2012-01-18T08:29:00.001-06:00

Tim Tebow suffered rib injury in game against New England.

Let's just make Chief Martin Brody Prime Minister

2012-01-18T08:25:00.000-06:00

Because they're "gonna need a bigger boat" because austerity is really helping to make things better:UK unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November to 2.685 million, official figures show.The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate also rose to 8.4% from 8.3%, the highest since January 1996.
via Atrios

Maybe a few 'Sweat Shops' will toughen you up Junior

2012-01-18T03:50:00.001-06:00

Gradually more demented Iowa Senator ~~Bullwinkle J. Moose~~ Charles Grassley believes combating child obesity requires putting the little urchins to work.

But for him, the thought of reducing the use of corn syrup...not so much.

Introducing the D.U.

2012-01-18T03:38:00.000-06:00

Those of you who make more than what Mitt Romney calls "Not very much" ($374,000) annually, feel free to give me money on the right.

The rest of you (all?), feel free to discuss our new mode of measuring your gross income compared to Romney's petty cash.

The "Douche Unit".

Although many D.U.'s are expended each day overseas maintaining the "Friedman Unit" (the F.U.) maintaining our ever renewing "Six Months" to fix things military occupation policy.

The last gasp before the circling of the wagons

2012-01-18T03:30:00.000-06:00

As Romney surges in the Republican polls, the Rupert Murdoch manufactured foundations of the Republican base are making a last stand.

Palin: "If I Had To Vote In South Carolina ... I'd Vote For Newt"Palin Compares Gingrich In Debate To "South Carolina's Own Smokin' Joe Frazier"

Oh look, somebody's assistant did a Wikipedia search just before it ironically went all black. Because if there's one obvious comparator to Newt Gingrich it is a black man who could take a punch and was famous for power from his left.

But for at least another 18 hours FoxNews is almost all-in on Romney not being the nominee. Hard to believe that news network has trouble with any sort of factual reality of any kind.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

These historical revision things may have gone too far...

2012-01-17T13:32:00.000-06:00

Contains some naughty words. History seems about right though...

They've now passed chlamydia...

2012-01-17T07:18:00.000-06:00

On to being less popular than syphilis. A record 84 percent of Americans say they disapprove of the way the Congress is doing its job compared......The 84 percent disapproval rate is the highest for Congress in nearly 40 years of polling.
And cue the the tears upon a leathery orange face.
When the parties are considered individually, Democrats in Congress have a 33 percent approval rate, while Republicans have a 21 percent approval rate, the poll found.
(pic via mikenitro94 at flickr.com)

If Rick Santorum believed in science

2012-01-17T03:31:00.000-06:00

His pointy head would start oozing what's left of his cranial fluid:

Gay parents "tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents," said Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University in Massachusetts who researches gay and lesbian parenting. Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident, compared with an almost 50 percent accidental pregnancy rate among heterosexuals, Goldberg said. "That translates to greater commitment on average and more involvement."

Of course, this is logical.

But what does logic have to do with it -- God wanted parents who resent their children...lord knows resentment is what the modern GOP has built its foundation upon.

It's like all of Roger Ailes fantasies

2012-01-17T03:30:00.000-06:00

Not involving a leather-slave and gravy condensed down to two minutes. In the State where the Civil War began (and yes, they started it) a white guy beats up on a black guy while a bunch of self-justifying and aggrieved white people cheer and boo. What could be a better image on MLK day?Mission Accomplished, Rog.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Which political party will win the contest to sign up this guy?

2012-01-16T10:30:00.000-06:00

He sounds positively Palinesque or Edwardsian, or perhaps just enough of a Moron/Cad to be a hybrid of both:...the captain, Francesco Schettino, who reprehensibly, but also hilariously, escaped in a lifeboat before any of the passengers. (He was, to add to the picture, "covered by a blanket.") Even worse (better), he was seen that evening "drinking in the bar with a beautiful woman on his arm," and apparently brought the ship miles off course (and close to the rocky coast of Giglio) in order "to greet [a] friend on shore." ("There shouldn't have been such a rock," he told local TV.)

It would have been too awesome for mere words

2012-01-16T09:40:00.001-06:00

What if Saturday night's Patriot beatdown of the Broncos had been capped in this manner?

Austerity for thee

2012-01-16T07:18:00.000-06:00

Jesus on a Cracker,

The Queen should be given a new royal yacht – likely to cost at least £60m – as a way to help overturn Britain's mood of austerity, according to Cabinet minister [ed: EDUCATION SECRETARY!] Michael Gove.

If ever conservative economic theories were demonstrated in the perfect example it is this one.

BTW, there's no evidence the Queen asked in any manner for a new royal yacht...she's not a Republican.

via Atrios.

Welcome to the life of a Viking fan

2012-01-16T04:46:00.001-06:00

Packer backers.15-1 and doing the discount double-choke.

Now you know how about half my childhood went in the 70s.

If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today

2012-01-16T04:30:00.000-06:00

He'd be getting called a traitor every fucking day by FoxNews...and MSNBC.

And that's why he should have a goddamned YEAR named after him.

Welcome to your own personal Hell

2012-01-16T04:28:00.000-06:00

Jon Huntsman, you've won the right to say nice things about Mitt Romney that you know are complete bullshit.

That's what happens when you are missing the "h" in your first name, makes all the difference.

And Satire's lessons carry on

2012-01-16T03:30:00.000-06:00

Stephen Colbert's continued pointed parody against the travesty of Citizen's United sustains its brilliance in South Carolina:But why do anything about it? After all just because even Mark Hanna would think the current system is corrupt, doesn't mean anyone will lift a finger to do so. If the Supreme Court conservatives want to run the First Amendment aground like the captain of the Costa Concordia it is not going to be the politicians leading the charge, it will be the public having had enough.[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

What Digby said

2012-01-15T07:04:00.000-06:00

This is why she's the best (with a notable assist of Kevin Drum).

The murder rate is down and continues to drop and the traditional analysis of both left and right do not explain it.

But a more unexpected progressive policy on environmental laws may just be why.

Less lead (and not for the reasons you'd think...i.e. bullets) less violence.

[UPDATE: Actually as noted in comments a little elementary oversight on my part would have revealed while this was at Digby's blog it was actually written by David Atkins]

Oh, good idea

2012-01-15T05:36:00.001-06:00

Considering that -- like any other item in which he is involved -- Mitt Romney is sucking the life out of all the fun of everything -- the idea of Newt Gingrich trolling for votes in black churches is rather hilarious.And hilarity ensues:Standing behind the lectern at Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, Gingrich was peppered with questions about his assertion that poor children lack work ethic and his criticism of President Barack Obama as a "food-stamp president."
And in the stand-out moment of the comedy writing itself...
Following the question and answer session, church members prayed over Gingrich and his wife, Callista.

Finally

2012-01-15T05:16:00.002-06:00

Tebow supporters can finally get around to what they truly obsess over...the NBA.

Oh, right...

But the highlight of the game was this not very Christian moment from the game that epitomizes a couple things.

First, let's see Tebow do that. Punt or throw a punch, I'd settle for either.

Second, what kind of a dick move is that from Belichek? You are up 35 late in the 4th Quarter against the Broncos and their cutting edge 1930s single-wing attack and Brady is still in the game? What an asshole.

Third, Phil Simms said something funny...that takes care of this decade.

Mountain Meadows Marshmallow

2012-01-14T10:41:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romney, once again taken down by Krugman, for what he is, a complete weasel:what the story of Romney and the auto bailout actually shows is something we already knew from health care: he’s a smart guy who is also a moral coward. His original proposal for the auto industry, like his health reform, bore considerable resemblance to what Obama actually did. But when the deed took place, Romney — rather than having the courage to say that the president was actually doing something reasonable — joined the rest of his party in whining and denouncing the plan.And now he wants to claim credit for the very policy he trashed when it hung in the balance.

The Pinochet

2012-01-14T05:44:00.003-06:00

There are many things I didn't get right about John Edwards...including apparently him pulling off the kind of legal delays usually reserved for former military strongmen.

I look forward to the next reunion

2012-01-13T04:05:00.000-06:00

The Santorum clan sounds like a lot of fun...and we'd never hear the end about them if they had a Democratic export:On the campaign trail, Santorum often touts his grandfather’s flight from Italy “to escape fascism,” but he has neglected to publicly mention their close ties with the Italian Communist Party. “Rick’s grandfather Pietro was a liberal man and he understood right away what was happening in Italy,” Mrs. Santorum told Oggi. “He was anti-fascist to the extreme, and the political climate in 1925 was stifling so he left for America. After a few years he returned to Italy with his wife and children, including Aldo, Rick’s father, who passed away late last year. It’s a shame he won’t have the joy to see his son’s success in his bid for the White House.” She goes on to explain how the family then became pillars of the Communist Party in Italy.
Santorum likes to cite this grandfather's hard work in the mines to give him a better life, and I stated the irony of his grandson wanting to weaken labor and safety laws for those same mine workers. Little did I suspect ol' Grandpa would be have so many reasons to be royally pissed.

Don't worry he'll clean it up today

2012-01-13T03:57:00.002-06:00

Rick "I didn't say Black" Santorum comparing Romney and Obama:“We need contrasts,” Mr. Santorum said, “not just a paler shade of what we have.”
Sometime today Santorum will claim he said "palisade".

2012-01-13T03:30:00.000-06:00

One must stay together within one's tribe:

An array of Republicans and conservatives — including some of Mitt Romney's sharpest critics — rushed to the GOP presidential front-runner's defense Thursday to counter efforts to paint the former venture capitalist as a job-killer.

But it is a pretty big, broad and long-standing tribe, immune from repercussions:

The desperation of homebuilders was a running joke among top Federal Reserve officials during the waning phase of the housing bubble in 2006, according to transcripts released Thursday...“We think the fundamentals of the expansion going forward still look good,” Timothy F. Geithner, then president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, told his colleagues when they met in December 2006.

Finally the bipartisanship of the wealthy.[cross-posted at Flickr.com](pic via Vagabondblogger at flickr.com)

Nobody ... except those who gave enough of a shit to care ... could have predicted

2012-01-12T07:04:00.001-06:00

Via Atrios:

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greece's budget deficit widened last year as an austerity-fuelled recession cancelled out much of the extra revenues the government was hoping to raise through emergency taxes, data showed on Thursday.

Funny how that always seems to happen.

But by all means Republicans, demand we do so here.

Maybe if we spent some money to get people employed?

Nah, fuck all but the already wealthy, you think this is an actual Democracy as opposed to an advertising campaign?

Yeah, a real problem

2012-01-12T07:01:00.001-06:00

Apparently vote fraud is such an incredible problem the only people that do it are right-wing freaks and they are caught...IMMEDIATELY!

[I guess in their minds the reason why is because black people all look alike...it's the only self-justifying laughable and racist excuse they've got left]

What the moral and correct theme should be

2012-01-12T04:10:00.000-06:00

Is Mitt Romney complaining about class warfare and envy of the already rich in modern America is a little like two douches from America going to Equatorial Guinea and wishing they had bought the 65" plasma instead of the 55" they settled for.

It's both douchey and pointless compared to the reality surrounding them that they are determined to ignore.

But then again, douchey and pointless fit Mitt Romney like a Joseph A. Bank crew-neck.

Genus Envy

2012-01-12T03:30:00.000-06:00

Following a tradition of people born to millionaires who declare themselves self-made, Mitt Romney shows no sign of becoming self-aware.

Romney's "envy" remark came after Lauer asked about the concerns of "anyone who has questions about the distribution of wealth and power in this country."

"I think it's about envy. I think it's about class warfare," Romney said.

That certainly appeals to his base.

They knew his sweet spot was among older, higher-income voters — those with annual household incomes of between $75,000 and $150,000 and with upscale interests like gourmet cooking.

As long as Top Chef doesn't move to Tuesday the rest of the primary season should be a breeze.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Putting it succinctly

2012-01-11T07:51:00.001-06:00

Atrios comes up with the truest statement of the day, perhaps year, perhaps all time:We are ruled by fools who think mass poverty is the solution to a bad economy.

Dream big

2012-01-11T07:45:00.000-06:00

Just a bit of white-out...unironically:

Republican Dave Spence, the plastics guru running for governor, says he "earned a degree in Economics" from the University of Missouri. That may be true — but it is not entirely accurate.According to the university, Spence's degree is not in economics. It is in home economics.

But Spence has a tried and true explanation that makes him the ideal Republican candidate:

"I was a 60-watt bulb in a 100-watt society."

Which I guess beats Rick Perry who was one of three things, a dim bulb, a tulip bulb or a, uh, the other thing.

So by all means, elect this guy Governor.

Going out as kkklassy as he came in

2012-01-11T04:02:00.000-06:00

Only the non-compete clause can keep Pat Buchanan from being a regular contributor on FoxNews where he can discuss how he likes Krauthammer even though Fuhrer would have applied Action T4 to him...and who is he to criticize?“Look, for a long period of time the hard left, militant gay rights groups, militant — they call themselves civil rights groups, but I’m not sure they’re concerned about civil rights — people of color, Van Jones, these folks and others have been out to get Pat Buchanan off T.V., deny him speeches, get his column canceled,” Buchanan said during a radio interview with Sean Hannity this afternoon. “This has been done for years and years and years and it’s the usual suspects doing the same thing again. But my view is, you write what you believe to be the truth.”
That's the kind of rant even Ron Paul would call nutty -- but that's Pat.

Can't be good

2012-01-11T03:42:00.004-06:00

So to cut my coffee intake (well, actually to cut down on the shit I put in coffee intake) I started to use a coffee press.

Does anyone else feel like the thing is literally staining your teeth while you drink its result?

I don't know why, I just feel that way.

But then again, I'm kind of a crazy asshole* so YMMV.

*sadly, not in a Melanie Griffith in Something Wild kind of way; but fortunately not in a Ron Paul voter kind of way either.

He's the master

2012-01-11T03:35:00.001-06:00

Compared to TBogg the rest of us are just bators.

Or something like that.

Insert "sweetheart" in appropriate place...may have been a better way of saying that.

And now it gets "really" crazy...

2012-01-11T03:30:00.004-06:00

The other night I thought was watching on episode of 'The American Experience' about the Romneys, but it turned out to be Downton Abbey... still worked for me (Republicans are such a 'Mary' and 'Edith' hybrid).

The GOP race started off in Iowa, which while full of its share of those cheering on the rapture, is still a moderate place in the Midwest compared to Nebraska, Kansas or the Dakotas (they still count right?). Last night it came to New Hampshire, which gave local neighbor (Utah, Michigan, Massachusetts, France, where isn't he a neighbor?) and quality aluminum siding salesman Mitt Romney a still unimpressive double-digit victory. But New Hampshire, like Iowa, is one of those states that allows gay marriage, obviously feeling the taint of being next to Vermont.

Hey speaking of taint, now we have a real conservative state coming up, the land where making a political statement can mean firing on ol' Fort Sumter, South Carolina. A place where Rick Perry, like Edmund Ruffin, intends to make his last stand. The Republicans got a bit crazier in New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich, even got called out for being mean by Grand Wizard Limbaugh. South Carolina seems a bad place to rally around your prospective leader, but maybe Romney can pull it off.

Jefferson Davis did...for a while.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Looks like Peter King is finally over that Brett Favre mancrush

2012-01-10T17:10:00.003-06:00

And ready to fall in love again:

I suppose this response could be creepier

2012-01-10T05:29:00.000-06:00

From chip-off-the-old asshole Rand Paul...but it would be hard.Why oppose civil rights legislation Rand?

There are things that people were concerned about that were unintended consequences [of the Civil Rights Act]...It’s not all about race relations, it’s about controlling property, ultimately.

It's not about "race" it's about "property"...

You sure you really want to go with that analogy you prick?

(pic from here)

Looks like somebody wants to be a darkhorse

2012-01-10T05:04:00.002-06:00

The Popenfuhrer throws Santorum at the wall:

(Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Monday that gay marriage was one of several threats to the traditional family that undermined "the future of humanity itself".

As opposed to "forced celibacy" which is totally fine and working out just great.

And now back to covering up child abuse.

That whole Obama over Romney thing..

2012-01-10T05:01:00.001-06:00

May not be all that Freudian.

Boy that was riveting

2012-01-10T04:41:00.001-06:00

1. I'd say Alabama's defense is pretty good.
2. Honey Badger don't care. (let me be the 383rd million to say it)
3. By the time the NCAA and BCS finally allowed this game to be played, neither did I.
4. Nor Disney for that matter, choosing to broadcast all the major bowls on cable, including this one.

Romney's "Bain"

2012-01-10T03:30:00.000-06:00

As the esteemed Mr. Bogg noticed, Mitt Romney is quite proud of his time at Bain, and will hear no one speak ill of it:

Mitt Romney said his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination are turning the 2012 primary into a “trial” on free enterprise by attacking his record at Bain Capital, the private equity group he helped start.

Can I get a witness for the prosecution?

Way to make money off of your constituents' suffering Mitt. You sir are the embodiment of free enterprise (if you've got a millions in the bank from mom and dad).[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Condolences

2012-01-09T19:15:00.000-06:00

As the bipedal companion to a twelve year old dog I feel for you Oliver Willis.

The glories of nepotism

2012-01-09T14:08:00.000-06:00

Cable News Networks please start hiring people on merit.

Because she is stupid, noted daughter and NBC News analyst Meghan McCain told her audience today that the Obamas deserve "an emoticon of privacy." Twice. She meant "a modicum."

And now the Meghan McCain emoticon.

(.)(.)

Better call up the "Pre-Cog" Unit on this one

2012-01-09T07:26:00.001-06:00

Because here's a criminal charge no one could have ever predicted:Thirty-year-old Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop is tentatively charged with carrying a concealed knife, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and a probation violation after his arrest Thursday.
Who would have thought a guy who changed his name to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop would be a suspected pot user?

Oh, a new way to waste time

2012-01-09T05:14:00.000-06:00

Now instead of watching a show...I can follow people watching a show.

This totally makes Sunday like watching Gawker people comment on Padma's outfits on Top Chef Wednesdays (my favorite remains her dressing up like the Land O' Lakes Native American).

Why yes, have no life, why do you ask?

389 Strikes and you are out

2012-01-09T04:27:00.000-06:00

Pat Buchanan...Hitler apologist, race-baiter, glass-booth occupant, may have finally gone too far.
AP reports that MSNBC president Phil Griffin has indicated the controversial former presidential candidate will not be allowed back on the network after the release of his latest book. “Suicide of a Superpower” has been roundly condemned for its racially-charged content, including chapters titled “The End of White America” and “The Death of Christian America.” Griffin said, “When Pat was on his book tour, because of the content of the book, I didn’t think it should be part of the national dialogue much less part of the dialogue on MSNBC.”
Still the key word seems to be "may".FoxNews will definitely snap him up...as will Der Stürmer.

All part of the plan

2012-01-09T03:30:00.000-06:00

Another series of days another series of bizarre and patently insincere statements from Mitt Romney.

“I know what it’s like to worry whether you’re gonna get fired,” he told about 600 people in an Opera House here. “There were a couple of times I wondered whether I was going to get a pink slip."

Yeah, uh-huh. Or this:

The super PAC supporting Mitt Romney blanketed Iowa with millions of dollars in negative campaign ads aimed at Newt Gingrich...But don’t ask Romney about ‘em: said he’s never seen the ads — right before he said he’s seen one and described its content.

Or this:

Early in the debate, Rick Santorum pressed Romney on why he hadn't run for re-election in 2006, when his first term as Governor expired. Romney suggested it was because politics isn't his calling...This is, as Newt Gingrich pointed out, ridiculous. Romney left the governor's office for a presidential campaign that hasn't stopped since.

Even in a profession famous for its insincerity Romney stands as a gigantic fake. Nobody believes a word he says, especially Mitt Romney.And in a year where the Right-wing and its wide-ranging need for paranoid screeching predominates the GOP process, being the biggest fake in politics actually is an advantage. [cross-posted at Firedoglake]

America Votes

2012-01-08T08:30:00.003-06:00

To watch a shitload of football over those clowns last night, especially since they didn't even lay a glove on the steel helmet of flip-floppery.

Oh how unexpected from the course of history

2012-01-08T08:23:00.000-06:00

John McCain is on yet another Sunday Talk Show, this time Face the Nation.

Where he will undoubtedly talk about how Mitt Romney will be the next best choice behind Obama in the Fall election.

And then he'll talk about Octopus loss.

Unleash the fury

2012-01-07T07:20:00.001-06:00

Oh, here we go:The effort to derail Mitt Romney’s presidential quest heightened dramatically on Friday when a super PAC associated with Newt Gingrich outbid all comers for the rights to a scathing 30-minute attack video depicting Romney as a greedy, job-killing corporate raider “more ruthless than Wall Street.”In a season filled with negative ads and rhetorical crossfire, the striking feature of the film, aside from its mini-documentary length, is its authorship. The film was made by Jason Killian Meath, a former associate of Romney’s top strategists, Stuart Stevens and Russ Schriefer. Meath had worked for the Romney campaign in 2008, creating much of the ad content for that failed effort.
It may as well have been sponsored by Obama 2012. But it also really shows the strength of the "occupy" movement.(via AmericaBlog)

Oh those quaint ittle people

2012-01-07T07:10:00.000-06:00

It's New Hampshire's turn to get the passive-aggressive contempt of the media now.

You learn that Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) is awful at small talk. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is a ham, breaking into funny voices and goofy faces. And former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is . . . not like that at all. “Like talking to your doctor,” one voter remembered.

I'm guessing more like your proctologist.

Here's the deal with Romney, he's such a fake, so clearly a phony, that it has pretty much become his strategy. Nobody believes a thing he says -- and therefore saying the crazy pathetic shit he says awkwardly nobody is going to believe he's that crazy, just really unctuous and insincere.

And in this year of extreme GOP dementia that's a bonus for the general election.

Nice job Methuselah

2012-01-06T16:34:00.000-06:00

Crazier every day

2012-01-06T05:22:00.001-06:00

New Hampshire, you are next to Vermont...why the fuck are you so right-wing nutty?Today the GOP-controlled Senate passed HB 542, which effectively ends compulsory education for New Hampshire students. Their House colleagues approved the measure earlier last year.
Because literacy is a commie-plot...it must say so in the Magna Carta.

Wonder how this has happened?

2012-01-06T03:30:00.000-06:00

It's almost as if the wealthy were running the government:

After plummeting from 2007 through 2009, U.S. corporate profits regained their precrisis peak in early 2010, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The latest, revised data released just before Christmas showed corporate profits before tax rose to a record $1.97 trillion in the third quarter of 2011.But corporate tax receipts, as reported by the Treasury Department, remain lackluster, even as the economy has gained some ground of late.

I'm sure all those new loopholes and deductions were written with absolutely no bias at all.[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Naturally

2012-01-05T06:24:00.000-06:00

The New Hampshire GOP, last seen demanding the release of already released birth certificates, has turned to demanding all laws be based not on the Constitution, but Magna Carta.

Leave it to Republicans to demand we follow a document that in essence demanded the government leave the great lords alone.

Frothied it up

2012-01-05T04:49:00.002-06:00

Nice explanation:

"I didn't say black people. I started to say word and kind of went 'bleurgh' and mixed my thoughts. I started to say one word and came up with a different word and moved on."

Uh huh...let's go to the video.

Whose Democracy is it? Not ours apparently

2012-01-05T03:30:00.000-06:00

Despite Iowa being my state of residence, I'm not a fan of the Iowa Caucuses (or the New Hampshire Primary just to be gratuitous) but I do have respect for the people that actually work hard in the process and the voters who care enough to take part.

That is after all what Democracy is supposed to be about at least, right?

Apparently not for the folks that really matter:

Actual voters are mere speed bumps.[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Reporter Asshatery

2012-01-04T21:13:00.000-06:00

During the last multi-candidate event at the West Des Moines Valley High School on the day of the caucus, the students participated in the Rock the Vote event as audience members, organizers, and coordinators of the activities of visiting reporters.

Apparently the reporters were “pushy",” “rude,” and "pushed through a line of students who were trying to show reporters where they could and could not go.” How do we here at RH know this? Several students themselves told me as the event ended that they were “disappointed” by the “shameful behavior” of the reporters, photographers, and camera crews. Some students were walking out talking about how they had been badly treated.

One student even showed me, the beginning of a bruise on her arm that she said came from a reporter who “slammed into me” to “push past the line of students and did not care who he hurt.” “He was so rude,” she said.

It is more than disheartening that those who are supposed to cover caucus events and set an example for those who will participate in democracy in the future, should engage in such disregard for their hosts.

In fact, it is the height of reporter douchery.