Go Figure

If you come out with even something moderately progressive AND actually fight for it, it is not only good policy it is good politics. IF ONLY WE ANGRY LEFTWING BLOGGERS HAD THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE?!!!!

Barack Obama has jumped to a 15-point lead over the Republicans in Congress in trust to handle job creation, a sign the beleaguered president’s $450 billion jobs package has hit its mark in public opinion. Fifty-two percent support the plan – and most say it just might work. Overall approval of the U.S. Congress, meanwhile, has dropped to its lowest in polls back to the mid-1970s. And of the eight in 10 Americans who are dissatisfied with the way the country’s political system is working, more blame the Republicans in Washington than the president. A month ago, Americans divided evenly, 40-40 percent, on whom they trusted more to handle job creation, Obama or the congressional Republicans. Now, after his jobs proposal and ongoing promotion of his plan, it’s 49-34 percent, Obama’s first significant advantage over the GOP on jobs in ABC/Post polling since early 2010.

It helps that even in an environment where the media establish bends over backwards, if not well more than that, to let the GOP argue things like "muslims=bad" "world=flat" "God=Angry" that they are wedded to doing AB-SO-FUC-KING-LUTE-LY-NO-THING about unemployment except make it worse and blame Obama, even the media has caught on to that.

If you are around and available

Occupy Wall Street has more coming around the nation today. As for myself, there was this miscommunication on my part and I spent most of the last week occupying Wall Drug. Ice-water is pretty good though.

Yes, hard to believe

Noted stereotype-enforcing businessman Herman Cain recently proclaimed that African-Americans are brainwashed into voting for Democrats.

because some black people won't even listen to someone who appears to be a conservative or a Republican. I call that brainwashing.

Because it couldn't possibly be a rational individual choice driven by observation.

Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance. “Niggerhead,” it read.

Nope, couldn't be:

Perry Fought To Keep Confederate Symbols Displayed On Government Buildings

Oh, and how could it be a rational choice when the same Herman Cain calls this "insensitive" one day and then the real leader of the GOP sweatily weighs in:

They’re trying to say that Perry’s a racist, and Herman Cain has jumped in and basically joined that chorus — and it is absurd.

So sayeth the man who never engages in race-baiting -- Herman Cain, being a Republican uber alles, is ready for his apology:

“I am not attacking Governor Perry. Some people in the media want to attack him. I’m done with that issue,” Cain said.

Yes, hard to believe so many African-Americans, when even allowed to vote by them, do not choose the leaders of that Party.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

This

Is enjoyable prose:
 

Now, it appears that the Koch brothers also specialized in international bribery, lying about industrial homicides, and dealing with Iran. You have to love the e-mail from the Koch flack that blames "regulatory complexity" for the company's lawlessness. (If only there weren't so many laws, we wouldn't break so many of them!)

Bravo, Mr. Pierce.

When blessings come in a Asshole-shaped package

That horrendous Hank Williams Jr. song is off Monday Night Football for now, thanks to the horrendous Hank Williams, Jr.

It seems Hank got caught in a battle of wits with the crew from Fox & Friends, and when four unarmed people are in a battle there are no winners.  Well, we win, as that awful song won't be played.

Why is it the talented ones always drink themselves to death so their untalented offspring can write awful songs about them?

But the real point is this, other than describing Hank Jr. as an idiot, I really don't see the point of repercussions other than mockery (oh, not hearing that song is a nice bonus though).

Compare this to the reaction of the right-wing to the Dixie Chicks several years ago.   

Democracy (the bombs are just a bonus) for others countries, but not here

It's a Republican Feature.

According to a new report, over five million voters could be denied the right to vote under new laws adopted in a dozen states... ...The Brennan Center wrote that there has been a partisan divide in terms of the new laws, noting that the laws had mainly been generated from Republican-controlled state legislatures and signed by Republican governors.

And naturally,

the new laws will have an impact on minority voters. According to the Brennan Center, African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to register to vote during voter registration drives in Florida, and new photo I.D. requirements in Texas do not include forms of identification heavily used by minorities.

And in about 2014 the NYPD will be paying how much?

Little reported on...except by themselves (and here)...were the arrest of several journalists, including Amy Goodman at the 2008 Republican Convention.

Their crime was committing acts of journalism, which is obviously dangerous within a city block of a gathering of the GOP. Here's the lovely video to remember it by: Well in the name of such dangerous First Amendment practitioners, the law enforcement of the Twin Cities of Minnesota and the Secret Service has to pay out a six-figure settlement.

The settlement includes $100,000 in compensation paid by the St. Paul and Minneapolis police departments and the Secret Service. The settlement also includes an agreement by the St. Paul police department to implement a training program aimed at educating officers regarding the First Amendment rights of the press and public with respect to police operations, including proper procedures for dealing with the press covering demonstrations.

Meanwhile the Tea Partiers when not being feted by the cable networks are still demanding justice, or at least a sandwich for Kenny Gladney.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Yeah, that's pretty much it

Lukovich:

via here.

I'm not going to get into all the various obvious reasons

African-Americans overwhelmingly vote for Democrats, other than the fact they have no reason to vote for the Party taken over by southern whites who were Dixiecrats; whose candidates call their property things like "Niggerhead"; like to put on tricorner hats and impersonate the founding slaveholder de jour; who are quick to get the needle ready if the inmates non-white; and love to call any black politician un-American and/or socialist. But I'm going to guess calling African-Americans "brainwashed" isn't going to change the dynamic.

Oh, I heartily approve

Arrested Development limited run and then a movie? It's been a few years, hopefully by now someone in the Bluth family will have seen a chicken. Oh, and btw, to avoid a situation like this in the future start watching "Community" now. That way you won't wish you had when you finally start watching it on Hulu or Netflix several years from now after it was cancelled because you wrongly thought Big Bang Theory was funnier.

"Six seasons and a movie"

That's good Administerin'

Who's bright idea was this one?

ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) - The Atlantic school district has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed over student strip searches. Settlement documents released by the district show the families of three girls will each get $100,000. Other details of the settlement were confidential. The families' lawsuit had said the girls were strip-searched in a locker room in August 2009 after a classmate reported the theft of $100 from her purse. No money was found. The lawsuit claimed the girls' state and federal rights against unreasonable searches had been violated, as was an Iowa law that specifically prohibits strip-searching students.

Droit du seigneur, Koch-style

For most people -- well, non-Republicans for certain -- funding a right-wing group with your billions and calling it "grass roots" would be a bit rich, and not just as a pun. But not for the Koch Brothers.  

And hell, while we're at it, for most people secretly dealing with the government of Iran is only the province of the Reagan Administration pre-whitewashing. But apparently, it's good if you're the Koch Brothers.

Good thing their name isn't George Soros, or they'd be in real trouble.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

I'm sure it's all a big misunderstanding

Wow, just, wow -- now he's sown up the teabagger vote:

In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance. “Niggerhead,” it read.

In Perry's defense he did insist the name eventually be changed to "Brazilnuthead".

Also he wants to invade Mexico so he can have a ranch called "Wetback Acres".

Naturally

Last month CNN met with leaders of the TeaParty at a Dennys -- which was appropriate because the usual number of attendees at a tea bagger gathering would not fill up a Dennys. Meanwhile 700 were arrested for deigning to step foot on the Brooklyn Bridge (and not for sale purposes) from #occupywallstreet and the coverage on the Sunday chat shows. Why nothing of course. But we get two Cheney's and, of course, John McCain. Oh that liberal media.

Does seem rather dubious

#Occupywallstreet trends everywhere in the world except the United States? Seems rather unlikely. (via the Great Orange Satan)

This will be the rage

Until there's a terrorist warning from Alfred E. Newman.

Conflicted

I respect those who have problems with the extra-judicial execution of an American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, though admittedly I have a little less problem with it than most of those folks. I admit there's some (well, more than some) situational ethics involved but I really don't think I'm as bothered by this one as say the "judicial" execution of Troy Davis, or just the reliance upon death by drone in general. And this doesn't exactly make me feel worse:

U.S. intelligence indicates that the top al-Qaida bomb-maker in Yemen also died in the drone strike that killed radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, two U.S. officials said Friday. Ibrahim al-Asiri is the bomb-maker linked to the bomb hidden in the underwear of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. The FBI pulled al-Asiri's fingerprint off that bomb. Authorities also believe he built the bombs that al-Qaida slipped into printers and shipped to the U.S. last year in a nearly catastrophic attack.

Tweeting in Tongues

Some self-parodies never end.

The real question is

When will somone start charging you for using cash? Perhaps when the Teapartiers manage to start forcing us to carry around gold doubloons?

It is a trite but simple rule

Those of us who are fans of professional clubs (*cough* Vikings *cough) who have never won shit and have seen their team come up craps at the worst possible times from childhood well into middle age can feel free to mock douchnozzles like this:

The greatest choke in baseball history ended the only way it could have ended, with the Red Sox gagging on the Camden Yards lawn one last time. Truly unbelievable. This feels like revenge for 2004 and 2007.

So sayeth Boston writer Dan Shaughnessey.

First, of all -- considering this same franchise won two championships in the last seven years (after a haitus of more the 3/4 of a century as their fans never tired of telling us -- see pretty much every hour of Ken Burns' Baseball) AND won in 2004 because their hated rival blew a 3-0 game lead in a best of seven series (speaking of "chokes" greater than this self-congratulatory greatest choke) you should just shut the fuck up already.