Posts filed under ‘Teabaggers’
Serious Buyer’s Remorse Happening in Ohio
[Ohio Governor] John Kasich’s not getting any more popular. 33% of voters approve of him to 53% who disapprove. Only a little more than half of Republicans think he’s doing a good job (58/25), while Democrats (9/80) are almost universal in their disapproval. If voters could do the 2010 election over again they’d vote for Ted Strickland by a 20 point margin, 56-36, numbers that not coincidentally track closely with the Senate Bill 5 repeal result from last fall.
-John Boehner’s approval was 26/52 on our last national poll and it’s not much better in his home state of Ohio at 28/54. Boehner has a similar situation to Kasich where Republicans are meh to him (53/28) while Democrats pretty much all dislike him (8/74). He also does badly with independents at 28/55.
In 2010 Ohio voters elected a Republican Governor and went GOP in many House races, helping to elect a new Republican Speaker of the House from their state. Now they regret the Governor and don’t like the Speaker. It’s hard for me to imagine that buyer’s remorse isn’t going to work to the benefit of Barack Obama and other Democrats in the state this fall.
These guys will probably have unlimited money when they run again (thank you Republican activists on the Supreme Court) but hopefully — fingers crossed! — the people will vote them out anyway. Then again, Ohio isn’t known as the fairest, most transparent place to cast a vote…
The Tea Party Demo
Last week the New York Times published an article titled: Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot:
Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They brand government action for things like expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space as part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities.
They are showing up at planning meetings to denounce bike lanes on public streets and smart meters on home appliances — efforts they equate to a big-government blueprint against individual rights.
What struck me about the article wasn’t the UN conspiracy theory angle; that’s been around for a long time. What I noticed was the accompanying photo:
At a Roanoke County, Va., meeting, dozens opposed the county's paying $1,200 to a nonprofit. Photo: Jared Soares for The New York Times
Check out the age demographic.
Michael Steele Lies: Florida’s Primary is a “Grass Roots” Effort
Figures made available to The Associated Press showed Romney was spending $2.8 million to air television commercials in the final week of the Florida campaign. In addition, a group supporting him, Restore Our Future, was spending $4 million more, for a combined total of $6.8 million.
By contrast, Gingrich was spending about $700,000, and Winning Our Future, a group backing him, an additional $1.5 million. That was about one-third the amount for the pro-Romney tandem.
Only nine more months to go!
* It isn’t like me to refer to the former head of the Grand Old Party (i.e., the GOP) as the “former Republican party leader.” But given that 50% of Republicans have no idea who the GOP is, I’m thinking it’s a good idea to refer to Republicans not as the GOP, but as Republicans. I mean, if I have to hold their little hands so they’ll know what their party’s up to, I’ll do it.
Sarah: Have You Ever Heard of a Pot Calling a Kettle Black?
Sarah, you’re kidding right?
Palin’s self-awareness is just stunning, isn’t it?
Seems like just yesterday that Palin was the “grifter” who hadn’t “been properly vetted.”
Geezus.
Herman Cain to Deliver Tea Party Response to Obama’s State of the Union
Quickie:
Herman Cain will deliver Tea Party response to the State of the Union
Photo via Mediaite.com*
Herman Cain will deliver the Tea Party Express response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.
Tea Party Express, a political action committee, announced on Thursday that the former presidential candidate would be the speaker. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who also ran for president, was the Tea Party Express speaker in 2011.
“We are excited to have Herman Cain deliver the 2nd Tea Party State of the Union response next week,” Tea Party Express chief strategist Sal Russo said in a statement.
So, in other words, per the corporate lobbying groups who fund the Tea Party Express, Herman Cain is their guy.
I wonder who the grassroots members would pick. Maybe Cain. Maybe not.
(* Snark alert: How is it that the Tea Party folks bought a bus, they hired a company to create the graphics on the outside, they reviewed and approved those graphics, they hired a company to paint the bus, and yet that chain missed the fact that the word judgment was/is misspelled? Oy.)
Do the Koch Brothers Own Your Senator or Representative?
Last week, “Americans for Prosperity” the Tea Party group founded and funded by the Koch Brothers, released its “112th Congress Mid-Term Review Key-Vote Scorecard.” The review, “ranks Members of Congress based on their votes on the most important free market issues,” meaning it ranks members of congress based on votes that will benefit the billionaire Koch Brothers.
Todd Palin Endorses Newt
I would think Todd would be more of a Santorum fan:
UPDATE:
Rachel Maddow just reminded me that Todd was supposed to be the First Dude. So the former First Dude, who has been banished to Siberia Alaska, endorsed Gingrich, the wannabe dude who was banished by the House.
Gawd. Are we living in crazyland or what?
What Should Colorado Springs’ New Logo Be?
Regulars to this blog know that I have posted quite a bit about about the goings on in Colorado Springs (here, here and here). It’s a fascinating place to watch because shrink-government, Tea Party-types run the place and yep, they’re shrinking government alright, all the way down to firing cops and asking cab drivers to be on the alert for criminal activity.
Now we have this:
According to the Colorado Springs paper, tomorrow is the deadline for that city’s open-to-the-public contest for a new logo. Designed around the city’s awesome and totally original new slogan, “Live it up!”
We’ve followed the ongoing budget problems in arch-conservative El Paso County off and on again for some years now with car-accident gawker fascination, since it’s a useful example of what happens when ideologues who run for office on a platform of “shrinking government” get the fullest extent of their wish–the real consequences of “drowning government in the bathtub.”
The result? A conservative masochist’s paradise: in 2008, El Paso County was forced to cut its suicide prevention program–even though Colorado Springs had the second highest suicide rate in the nation. El Paso County has experienced chronic jail staff shortages, and has had to ration sheriff patrols. The county has cut child protective services, and has even considered selling off its parks. The city of Colorado Springs was forced to temporarily shut off about one-third of the city’s streetlights to balance last year’s budget. The county health department was noncompliant for restaurant inspections, though we’re told this has recently improved somewhat. Eat it up!
With all of this in mind, we came up with some entries of our own for the “Live it up!” logo contest.
And this would be my favorite:
See more logo suggestions here.
Hee hee.
Newt Gingrich is Such a Kidder
Geezus, talk about pandering:
Last night during a tele-town hall hosted by Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, a caller asked Newt Gingrich if he would consider choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate if he wins the Republican nomination:
Gingrich: She is certainly one of the people you would look at. I am a great admirer of hers and she was a remarkable reform governor of Alaska, she’s somebody who I think brings a great deal to the possibility of helping in government and that would be one of the possibilities. There are also some very important Cabinet positions that she could fill very, very well. I can’t imagine anybody who would do a better job of driving us to an energy solution than Gov. Palin, for example. Tell her that she would certainly be on the list of one of the people we would consider.
Listen to the audio here.
Yeah, rrright. Newt, you expect us to believe this?
Tea Party Governor Hopes to Improve the “Mood” in So. Carolina Via Telephone Greeting
Geezus. This is par for the course in terms of what Republicans have to offer to help alleviate the suffering going on around here during this God awful recession depression:
Two South Carolina legislators say state employees shouldn’t have to answer the phone with Gov. Nikki Haley’s mandated cheery greeting unless it’s truly a great day in South Carolina.Democratic state Reps. John Richard King and Wendell Gilliard have filed legislation saying no state agency can force its employees to answer the phone with, “It’s a great day in South Carolina,” as long as state unemployment is 5 percent or higher. Their bill also would prohibit requiring the greeting as long as all South Carolinians don’t have health insurance.At a September meeting, Haley ordered her Cabinet agencies to embrace the greeting, saying it could help change the mood of state government.A Haley spokesman says the Republican governor stands by the greeting.
Lesbian Couple Confronts Troy, Michigan Mayor Over Hateful, Anti-Gay Remark
In early December, folks on the Internet found a hateful post, dated June 25, 2010, on the Facebook page belonging to the new, Tea Party affiliated mayor of Troy, Michigan, Janice Daniels. It read:
“I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there.”
On December 5, a married lesbian couple attended a Troy City Council meeting with their two young daughters and they addressed Ms. Daniels:
(Via.)
What a powerful, powerful message. And I love how the audience erupts in cheers at the end.
Stay Classy Tea Party
Again, Emma Sullivan is my new hero, especially when compared to the behavior of the Tea Party folks who sent this tweet out about Barney Frank retiring today:
Oh, and BTW, “POS” means Piece. Of. Shit.
Watch Rep. Joe Walsh (Crazy-IL) Defend the Banks and Scream at His Constituents
Tea Party Republican Rep. Joe Walsh held a townhall at Uno Bar and Grill in Gurnee, Illinois, over the weekend. When the topic of banks and the collapse of the economy arose, the congressman flipped out.
“QUIET FOR A MINUTE! OR I’M GOING TO ASK YOU TO LEAVE. YOU NEED TO LISTEN!”
Wow. Talk about being a wholly owned subsidiary of the banking industry…
(Via.)
Herman Cain Releases the Worst Political Ad in the History of the World
Look at this pitiful thing:
(Video via TheHermanCain, Now is The Time for Action! campaign.)
Smoking a cigarette? What’s with that? And the look on Cain’s face at the end? OMG.
Herman Cain: If You’re Poor and Unemployed, It’s Your Own Fault
Here’s the Republican crowd at last night’s GOP debate in Las Vegas cheering Herman Cain’s statement that if you’re poor and unemployed, it’s your own damn fault:
(Via.)
The level of ignorance there is just mind blowing.
Rush Limbaugh Says This Man is “Human Debris”
This man is what Rush Limbaugh refers to as “human debris:”
Photo: Tumblr User: Whipporwill
Can’t Wait for the CNN / OccupyWallStreet Debate
I can’t wait for the CNN / OccupyWallStreet debate!
Steve Jobs Dies on Sarah Palin’s Parade
Sarah Palin made a big, big announcement today (well, not so much because we know she loves the $$ she’s getting from books, speaking engagements and Fox):
Sarah Palin 2012 Decision: Not Running
I know for a fact, just because I do, that Palin was looking forward to a night (or ten) of being at the top of the heap news-wise but damn that Steve Jobs, he went and died on her parade.
And then there are those hippies in NYC.
Poor thing.
Breaks my heart. (Not.) I’m thinking there’s some delicious karma going on here.
“A Parade of Human Debris”
Look at this great picture of the New York City Labor Chorus singing union songs this afternoon at the NYC OccupyWallStreet rally:
(Via.)
Oh, and on his radio show today Rush Limbaugh referred to the people in this picture as, “a parade of human debris.” Got that? Look at those good people. A parade of human debris.
One more thing: Check out this photo of “We Are The 1%” signs hanging in the window of the Chicago Board of Trade:
Image: USAanon/"T"/OccupyChicago
(Via.)
Why Rick Perry Might be the Winner in NiggerheadGate
I presume you’ve heard the story by now about Rick Perry’s Texas hunting camp that he and his father named, “Niggerhead.”
That said, despite what seems intuitive — that Perry and his campaign will suffer as a result of this revelation — the opposite seems to be the likely outcome in the crazy world of the GOP:
So far, only one of Perry’s GOP rivals has commented on N-WordheadGate: Herman Cain. Asked yesterday about the story, Cain, the only black Republican in the race, lashed out at Perry. “Since Governor Perry has been going there for years to hunt, I think that it shows a lack of sensitivity for a long time of not taking that word off of that rock and renaming the place,” Cain said on This Week. On Fox News Sunday, Cain added that there “isn’t a more vile, negative word than the N-word and for him to leave it there as long as he did before, I hear, that they finally painted over it, is just plain insensitive to a lot of black people in this country.”
Cain’s reaction is certainly understandable. Anyone could find the revelations offensive, and Cain is a black man who grew up in the segregated South. And yet, as Michael Tomansky points out today, it’s Cain, not Perry, who could be damaged the most by this story. To understand why, you have to consider that there are two things Republicans hate more than anything. One is being accused of racism, which has happened with increasing frequency since President Obama became president, and, if you ask Republicans, is never, ever justified. Two is unfair treatment by the allegedly biased mainstream media. So among Republicans, the widespread response to the Post story was not, “wow, Rick Perry messed up.” It was, “the liberal media is smearing another Republican as a racist!”
Amazing. Just amazing.
Buy Yourself a 6′ Tall, Rick Perry Chia Head Now
One of the 2012 GOP primary collectibles featured in my post yesterday was a 6′ Rick Perry Chia head statue. And now, for those of you who drooled over it, it can be yours for a mere $4,500. Find it here on eBay!
Think about it. You could look out your kitchen window and see that face in your garden every day for the rest of your life!
Follow Occupy Wall Street
Class warfare? Hell yes, and Wall Street won.
Enough.
I Will Not Be Silent
Follow OccupyWallStreet here.
You too Tea Partiers. This is a pic from a Tea Party rally in Madison, Wisconsin in April, 2010:
Hey. They’re ripping all of us off. Let’s get together.
Rick Perry Says Shooting Sniper Rifles is His Golf
Make no mistake about it, Rick Perry is a real man. None of that wimpy golf stuff for him. No siree. Shooting sniper rifles and hanging out with “true patriots” is his golf!
(Via.)
The EPA to Add 230,000 Jobs; Spend $21 Billion Per Year!
It’s a story too good to be true for the anti-Obama and anti-regulation crowd: The hated Environmental Protection Agency is looking to spend $21 billion per year to hire an additional 230,000 people to enforce greenhouse gas regulations.
One problem: It’s not true.
Patient zero for this story is The Daily Caller, which on Monday wrote that the EPA is “asking for taxpayers to shoulder the burden of up to 230,000 new bureaucrats — at a cost of $21 billion — to attempt to implement the rules.”
To put that to scale: EPA currently has 17,000 employees at an annual budget of $8.7 billion.
“Much of what is said or written about EPA these days is entirely inaccurate — but The Daily Caller’s report is comically wrong,” EPA spokesman Brendan Gilfillan told POLITICO. “At least one job clearly needs to be created: They’re clearly in the market for a fact-checker.”
It’s amazing how gullible right wingers are. The Daily Caller was founded by Tucker Carlson, a right wing nut job for God’s sake.
Wake up people.
Geezus.
Chris Christy’s Bomb of a Speech at the Reagan Library
I was watching N.J. Governor Chris Christy’s speech at the Reagan library just now on Fox. It wasn’t going well — boring — and woohah, all of a sudden Sean Hannity broke in and said “we’re going to continue to monitor” this situation.
Not. A. Good. Sign.
UPDATE: Hannity went back to the “keynote speech” and Christy, in essence said, “Reagan,” “Reagan,” “Reagan.”
So, wooha. New stuff!
As a whole, the wingnutistan is looking ever more desperate.
Danish Drug Maker Opposes Using His Drug to Kill Floridian Tomorrow
I have no doubt Florida’s Tea Party Governor, Rick Scott, will blow this off as stupid stuff. After all, he’s gotta look tough:
The head of a Danish drug company has written to Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, to protest about the use of one of its anaesthetics in the execution of a Cuban national scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Staffan Schuberg, president of Lundbeck, the manufacturers of pentobarbital under the trademark Nembutal, has sent two letters to the governor expressing his “adamant” opposition to what would be Florida’s first use of the drug as part of a lethal injection. Barring an eleventh-hour stay, the three-drug cocktail will be administered to Manuel Valle, 61, at 3pm for the 1989 murder of a police officer.
[...]
The company also enlisted the support of the Danish government, which has written to the governors of the states using the drug through its embassy in Washington.
The Tea Party Doesn’t Care if We Die of Food Poisoning
To all the folks who want to do away with corporate regulation, get ready for more of this (and for God’s sake, don’t come crying to me when your loved one dies):
As many as 14 people may be dead in a still-widening outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to contaminated cantaloupes, according to a tally of state health officials’ counts.
Officials in Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming have added six victims to an official count of eight dead and 55 ill reported last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC officials were expected to update the official toll late Tuesday, but food safety lawyer Bill Marler of Seattle reported an unofficial count first. An earlier version of this story reported 15 deaths, but that later was revised.
And then there’s this from February of this year:
House Republicans Thursday released a more detailed picture of the cuts that would be required under their budget proposal for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, which is slated to be considered on the House floor next week. Food and public health regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [i.e., the CDC] would face significant spending cuts under the plan.
So, if the Tea Party has its way, you’re on your own America. Good luck!
Anti-FEMA Advocate Eric Cantor Pressing for FEMA Aid for His District
Again, the baldfaced hypocrisy here is stunning.
Eric Cantor circa September 1:
Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) caused a firestorm when he spoke out against more money for FEMA to help Hurricane Irene victims. Cantor is holding fast to the Tea Party idea of no more deficit spending.
And now, Eric Cantor, circa September 26:
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-7th, is pushing for information on the status of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request for federal disaster assistance for Louisa County residents in the wake of an earthquake there last month.
On Friday, Cantor held a conference call with Federal Emergency Management Agency and Louisa County officials. A readout of the call provided by Cantor’s office indicates that he asked FEMA officials about the timeline and process for determining whether the agency would grant federal assistance.
Too bad we have such a crappy media. That Cantor is pulling this kind of bait and switch should be common knowledge.
