Archive for January 22, 2012
Don’t Like Citizens United? Turn the TV Off
Antonin Scalia is a simple-minded asshat unworthy of the position he’s in:
Photo: Adm Golub / The San Francisco Chronicle
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia has a simple solution for people who don’t like all the political advertisements unleashed by the court’s decision two years ago that ended limits on corporate contributions in political campaigns – change the channel or turn off the TV.
Scalia was asked about the [Citizens United] decision during a presentation before the South Carolina Bar on Saturday, exactly two years after the court handed down the 5-4 decision in the case that led to the rise of Super PACs. They are outside groups affiliated with candidates that can take in unlimited contributions as long as they don’t directly coordinate with the candidate.
“I don’t care who is doing the speech – the more the merrier,” Scalia said. “People are not stupid. If they don’t like it, they’ll shut it off.”
Yo Tony, people are stupid. They don’t turn their TV off. They watch and they get brainwashed.
(Hear me screaming now?)
I’m going to bed. I’m walking people through a food bank tomorrow.
Romney Wins the Liberal, Pro-Choice Vote in South Carolina
OMG, the Republicans have dug themselves a monumental hole in their race to the stratospheric right. Check out this analysis of exit polling in South Carolina: South Carolina Exit Polls: How Different Groups Voted.
The people who voted for Gingrich were for the most part married, born-again evangelical Christian white males who are falling behind financially. They have no college degree, they identify themselves as very conservative and they support the Tea Party. Electing someone who can beat President Obama was a very high priority, more so than reducing the deficit, creating jobs, ending abortion or their own family’s financial situation.
On the other hand — again — check out the results at the link above, Romney did well with people who favor abortion “in most cases” and “all cases,” and with people who identify themselves as “moderate to liberal.”
So, what is the GOP to do?
Two years ago the Tea Party was the answer but now the GOP establishment is running away from that crowd as fast as it can, yet the Tea Party-type candidate won yesterday, and Romney’s a “liberal.”
No way will Gingrich appeal to the vast majority of Americans, and no way will Romney appeal to the Republican base. So what’s the party to do?
Ooo-yah, I’m lovin’ this.
Boehner Criticizes Obama’s State of the Union Speech Two Days Before He Gives It
This would be Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Hedge Funds) today on the GOP channel:
House Speaker John Boehner has already given his review of President Barack Obama’s forthcoming State of the Union address – and it’s not pretty.
“I’ve read a lot about what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night, and it sounds to me like the same old policies that we’ve seen: More spending, higher taxes, more regulation,” Boehner said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“If that’s what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night, I think that’s pathetic,” the Ohio Republican said.
What a fool, criticizing something that is still being written (per USA/Today): “President Obama is dedicating much of this weekend to writing his State of the Union address.”
The GOP frets that the moniker, the Party of No, has stuck, but they keep reinforcing it.
Lil’ Drac the Baby Bat
Here is a darling story about a baby bat — Lil’ Drac — who was hand-raised after his mother rejected him:
Lil’ Drac is an orphaned short tailed fruit bat (Carollia perspicillata). His mother was yet another casualty from zoo closures which are occurring across the US. Sheis a young mother who was stressed from the conditions in which she was kept, combined with the additional trauma of being captured and transferred to a new and unfamiliar environment. Consequently, she abandoned Lil’ Drac after he was born. He was found on the padded floor of the indoor flight enclosure at Bat World Sanctuary, curled up in a little ball.
PART I:
PART II:
I love how he likes to rock himself.
Romney Flip-Flops on Releasing His Tax Returns
This would be Willard Mitt Romney exactly one month ago:
Mitt Romney, who is one of the wealthiest men ever to seek the presidency, said on Wednesday that he had no intention of releasing his tax returns if he became the Republican presidential nominee, breaking with a long tradition in both parties.
“I don’t intend to release the tax returns. I don’t.”
This would be Willard Mitt Romney today:
Gov. Mitt Romney said Sunday he will release his tax returns on Tuesday as he tries to pivot from an issue that dragged him down in his South Carolina primary loss to Newt Gingrich.
Romney said he’ll post his 2010 tax return and 2011 estimate online Tuesday, after he was hammered by his rivals and gave awkward debate answers last week as he said he would release his tax returns in April.
“I think we made a mistake holding off as long as we did,” Romney said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. “It was a distraction. We want to get back to the real issues of the campaign.”
So, no, it wasn’t a “mistake.” It was a calculated strategy that blew-up in his face, and now he’s flip-flopping. Again, the Romney people think we’re idiots.
And by the way, I don’t think releasing his 2010 tax return and a “2011 estimate” will be enough. I think the pressure will remain for him to release at least three or four year’s worth of returns and we’ll be going through this all over again in a week or three.
What an arrogant gashole.
Joe Paterno Dies
Joe Paterno has died at the age of 85 after experiencing serious complications from lung-cancer treatment.
The health of Paterno, who had fought the disease for two months, had grown progressively worse after he recently broke his pelvis in a fall at his home in State College, Pa.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today,” said a statement from Paterno’s family, released Sunday, shortly after 10 a.m. ET. “His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.
“He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been.
“His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community.”
The day Paterno was fired from Penn State my husband said he thought Paterno would probably die soon because coaching there was his life. Turns out he was right.
