Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

GOP Stuck with Monster Trump

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Previous Related Posts:
Trump Triumphant So Far
Palin Endorses Trump
Trump Misogyny - the Schlong and Short of It
Trump Jumps the Shark with Facism
Trump Gives Helicopter Rides at Iowa State Fair
Trump's Hair and Other Viral Memes

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The far-right and their Fox Noise Machine created Trump, and now they know they are stuck with him. If he loses, they lose to the Democrats. But if he wins, they still lose because they have to work with him and kiss up to him forever. There is no way to really win.











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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

First Democratic Debate for 2016

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It was a fun night! :) I love watching all of them, but clearly some aren't ever going to be President!









































































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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

NBC's Chuck Todd Shills for Mitch McConnell Against Alison Grimes

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Previous Related Posts:
Chuck Todd Admits that Truth Isn't Part of His Job Description
Jealous Clowns Brooks and Todd Question Obama's Manhood as the Alpha Dog
John Stewart Invents #McConnelling
Kentucky Zingerfest: Grimes Vs. McConnell at Fancy Farm

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NBC recently decided to replace the dreadful David Gregory as host of their Sunday "Meet the Press" show. Lo and behold, they chose Chuck Todd, who is so much like Gregory that news watchers everywhere predicted instant failure. Just a few weeks later, Todd is caught up in a political web that fulfills the expectations of his non-fans (including myself).

He has always been negative towards Democrats and especially President Obama, saying it "wasn't his job to sell Obamacare" and implying that the President failed when ACA was actually a roaring success. But this time he went on Morning Joe and said that Dem candidate Alison Grimes had "disqualified herself" from the job of Kentucky Senator by downplaying the fact that she voted for the President, as if he suddenly thinks the world of Pres. Obama - yeah, right. Of course, he doesn't explain how it would HELP Grimes to admit close ties to Obama in a state where she is vying for every crossover GOP vote. Every Democrat in a Red State has to do this at times to survive, so Todd put way too much emphasis on what she said.

The cringeworthy crew on Morning Joe discuss Alison Grimes as cringeworthy.



Now to be fair, many Dems also criticized Grimes for her position on that day, and even agreed with Todd - at first. But when it became clear that Grimes was just speaking like a careful politician, while Todd seemed to be shilling for McConnell, the picture was clear.

And believe me, the Mitch McConnell team saw a golden opportunity in Todd's dismissal of Grimes (almost as if it was planned, cough, cough), and immediately used the clip in one of his campaign ads.

From Washington Post
. . . the harshest critique probably came from "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd, who appeared on "Morning Joe" on Friday to discuss Grimes's weird reply. "I think she disqualified herself," Todd told host Joe Scarborough — an extremely strong statement.
Miss that segment? Well, don't worry, Kentucky. The campaign of Grimes's opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), will be putting it into heavy rotation with its new ad, titled "Disqualified."



Todd, meanwhile, denies that any of it matters, he's not partisan, he's not helping the GOP. And anyone who thinks so is not living in reality, apparently - or as Todd defines reality, whatever the Beltway pundits are saying at the moment. You gotta hand it to Todd - he is a consistent toady. But once again he is insulting our collective intelligence if he thinks he can at once be a "fair" judge of politics while bashing a major candidate trying to overturn a GOP leader in a Red State. He pounced on that one line and ignored how well Grimes is doing in every major poll (except on Fox News, of course, where they are always right - oh wait).

From Facebook via politicusUSA
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Right - if people choose to vote for Grimes they are "cheerleading," but if Todd sends a great quote to McConnell he is being "realistic." Riiiight.







And he went even further, blaming Grimes herself and taking no responsibility for what he said:

Via Daily Kos
How does Chuck Todd respond to this journalistic mistake? He blames the candidate. "I think that is one of those situations where she invited this on herself," Chuck Todd said. "It feels like she had a lot of consultants whispering in her ear, 'Whatever you do don't give Mitch McConnell a line for a TV ad.'" Alison Lundergan Grimes did her part. Chuck Todd failed as a journalist. He became the news. He gave Mitch McConnell a line for a TV ad.

And a disclaimer: I'm not here to be "fair" to Todd. I think he is an ambitious warped individual who started out as a numbers guy and he's risen to a nice level of incompetence due to the Groupthink at MSNBC, where they routinely let go of any talented person who questions the GOP (Martin Bashir, Goldie Taylor, etc). I have been a critic of Todd on Twitter, and was recently blocked from retweeting or responding on his account right after having this conversation, which seems legit considering some of us saw Gregory as a loser for YEARS before NBC gave his job to Todd. Maybe they should listen to us now.



It seems as if Alison Lundergan Grimes is going to get the last laugh on both Todd and McConnell, as she is leading in the polls now. Which I'm sure he will say is incorrect, or just more cheerleading. Whatever!







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Friday, September 5, 2014

Kansas GOP Won't Let Democrat Drop Out of Race

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First Democrat Chad Taylor dropped out of the Kansas Senate Race so that Independent candidate Greg Orman will have a better chance to win. This was heralded as great news by the Democratic Party both locally and nationally, because if he wins, Orman will likely caucus with the Democrats. And let's face it: anyone calling themselves an "Independent" in Kansas might have a better chance to win than either a Democrat or a Republican.

From Kansas.com
In a stunning development, candidate Chad Taylor asked Wednesday that his name be removed from the ballot, paving the way for independent candidate Greg Orman to face U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts head-on in November.
“After much consideration and prolonged discussion with my supporters, my staff, and party leadership at every level, I have decided to end my campaign for the United States Senate,” Taylor said in an exclusive statement to The Eagle.

Chad Taylor supposedly asked the Kansas Attorney General's Office exactly what to do in order to legally withdraw from the Senate race. But once he withdrew, the GOP began to throw stumbling blocks that might thwart the plan out of fear that they will lose the Senate seat. And in order to help their own candidate, the NRSC announced that they were sending in a national advisor to help Senator Pat Roberts shore up a victory.

New York Times
. . . on Thursday, the Kansas secretary of state, Kris Kobach, a Republican, ruled that the Democratic nominee, Chad Taylor, could not withdraw his name from the ballot. Democratic officials said Mr. Taylor would file a legal challenge to the ruling.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is sending Chris LaCivita, who has served as a political troubleshooter in past Republican campaigns, to counsel Mr. Roberts and help oversee his campaign. The committee will also seek to hire a local lawyer in any legal challenge against Mr. Taylor, who had tried to drop off the ballot on the last day candidates were allowed to do so.

This is nowhere near over, however. Taylor is vowing to fight Att. General Kobach to get his name off the ballot. Note: Chris Kobach is a well-known Tea Party Wingnut, completely partisan, and part of the committee to re-elect Pat Roberts.

Talking Points Memo
"I am planning to challenge the ruling of the Kansas Secretary of State," Taylor said in a statement emailed to reporters. He invoked Kobach's membership on incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts' honorary campaign committee and reiterated that he had consulted with a member of Kobach's office before filing his paperwork while announcing the challenge.
It was not immediately clear whether Taylor would file his challenge with a court or the Kansas Objections Board, which covers election issues. But Kobach said earlier Thursday that the board, which is under his authority, would not handle any appeal.

























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Sunday, June 8, 2014

Locked Up ~ Mississippi Senate Race Shenanigans

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There are strange goings-on in Mississippi politics. In Hinds County on Election night, June 3, 2014, three people connected to the campaign of Chris McDaniel were somehow locked into the County Courthouse, along with boxes of supposedly secure ballots. They were Scott Brewster, McDaniel's campaign coalition director; Janis Lane, a Director of the Central Mississippi TEA Party; and Rob Chambers,a consultant with the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission.

From GulfLive.com
Hinds County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Pete Perry, who's supporting Cochran, said Lane called him at 2 a.m. Wednesday, saying she and a friend were locked inside the courthouse, that nobody else was inside and they needed help getting out.

Perry said Lane, who is on the GOP county committee, told him that when she was trying to get into the courthouse, she spoke to a man she believed was a police officer and that he showed them a door that appeared to be ajar.

Perry said he called the Hinds County Sheriff's Department. Cain, the department spokesman, said a deputy sent someone to let Lane, Brewster and Chambers out of the locked building.

"I told the deputy: 'I hope you don't just let her out. I hope you ask her what she was doing there,'" Perry told the AP.


From Washington Post
. . . What was the group doing in that courthouse? Brewster was joined by Janis Lane and Rob Chambers. They appear to all be McDaniel supporters: Lane, the Clarion-Ledger reports, is a board member of the Central Mississippi Tea Party; Chambers is a consultant who has worked with McDaniel. When questioned by the sheriff, the three gave "conflicting stories" about their presence in the courthouse.

Janis Lane is famous for saying that women don't really need to vote.

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I’m really going to set you back here. Probably the biggest turn we ever made was when the women got the right to vote. Our country might have been better off if it was still just men voting. There is nothing worse than a bunch of mean, hateful women. They are diabolical in how than can skewer a person. I do not see that in men. The whole time I worked, I’d much rather have a male boss than a female boss. Double-minded, you never can trust them.
~ Janis Lane, Central Mississippi Tea Party, 2012

I guess she was projecting her own "deviousness" onto "all" women, right? She certainly proved that she herself wasn't trustworthy.

What's also disturbing is that she was a "precinct worker" who was in charge of voting materials that night! Why is this obviously partisan woman in charge of votes?

WAPT.com
Lane was a precinct worker during Tuesday's primary election and had dropped off her ballot materials about 8:30 p.m. and then left, Perry is reported as saying.
Lane, Brewster and Chambers were contacted by WAPT-TV for comment but none of them answered.


Then there's Scott Brewster, who works for McDaniel:

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Via Talking Points Memo
"Going to come down to Hinds county. We will win the night but might be runoff," Brewster wrote in one Facebook comment thread at 11:16 p.m. on Tuesday night.

"Friends, thank you for all your messages and support," Brewster also posted on Facebook at 12:06 p.m. on Wednesday. "I didn't get until 4 this morning. I'll do my best to get back to everyone today. All of your encouragement has given our campaign family such positive energy. Thanks!!!"

And he's not worried about all that legal stuff:





Rob Chambers is associated with the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Committee, a lobbying group that fights against Common Core Educational standards. Here is an excerpt from his bio on their website:

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With training in theology, ethics, and philosophy, Rob Chambers brings both intellectual perspective and practical ideas to churches and Christian organizations who seek leadership in understanding and communicating applied biblical ethics to moral, cultural, philosophical, and political issues.
Rob is a Senior Consultant with the Christian Action Commission – the agency of the Mississippi Baptist Convention dedicated to providing resources on social and moral concerns and their implications on public policy issues from City Hall to Congress.


Maybe one type of action that Jesus would approve of would be to not be locked inside the Courthouse on the night of the election? I'm sure Chambers can understand why people have "moral concerns" about he and his buddies.

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Official McDaniel Campaign Statement, via Biloxi Sun-Herald
"Last night with an extremely close election and Hinds being one of the last counties to report, our campaign sent people to the Hinds courthouse to obtain the outstanding numbers and observe the count.

"In doing so, they entered the courthouse through an open door after being directed by uniformed personnel. They were then locked inside the building. At this point they sat down and called the county Republican chairman, a close Cochran ally, to help them get out. Eventually a Sheriff's officer showed up and opened the door to let them out."

This is actually the second time the McDaniel campaign got into hot water for strange activities:

From the Clarion Ledger
Brewster's name popped up during the first days after conservative political blogger Clayton Kelly was arrested and charged in a photo scandal involving U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's bedridden wife, Rose. Kelly was accused of sneaking into Rose Cochran's Madison nursing home and taking photos of her for a political video.
After Kelly's arrest, three other McDaniel supporters were charged with conspiracy in connection with the nursing home case. Those include state tea party leader and attorney Mark Mayfield and a former radio talk show co-host of McDaniel's.

From Liberal America Blog
The Hinds County Mississippi Sheriffs Department is disputing the account of three Tea Party activists in regard to how they gained access to the county courthouse after hours early Wednesday morning shortly after ballot counting stopped in the Tuesday primary election. Hinds County was one of the last Mississippi counties to post returns in the very hotly contested race between Chris McDaniel and Senator Thad Cochran.

Key to their account of how they entered the building is that when they arrived they were let in or shown where to enter by “uniformed personal “. Hinds County Sheriffs Department Spokesperson Othor Cain it that the department does do security for the courthouse during business hours. He also told the Clarion-Ledger that off duty officers are hired to do security during elections but that at the time that Lane, Brewster and Chambers gained entry all security would have been long gone.

“It’s a fabrication that someone pointed them to a door. I think that’s a total misrepresentation of fact,” Cain said. “None of our guys let anybody in.”
Cain stated there are attorneys and courthouse employees with access to the courthouse that are not “uniformed personnel.”

Even if there was no criminal activity, it still doesn't account for why these three individuals were in the county courthouse afterhours with no county employee. We have no information whether they had criminal intentions or not. We don't know how long they were in there…We need to have a total accounting."
~ MS District I Supervisor Robert Graham via the Clarion-Ledger


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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Supreme Court #McCutcheon Ruling Guts Campaign Finance Reform

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Whoa, SCOTUS just made another ruling that could change the course of future elections. While Democrats might also benefit, the answer to creating a stronger democracy can't be to flood political campaigns with even more money! All politicians are too beholding to special interests as they are. *sigh* I guess all Campaign Finance Reform laws are moot now, or will be overturned by the Supremes?

From Business Insider
The Supreme Court struck down caps that individuals can make to candidates or political parties during a two-year election cycle, in an opinion issued Wednesday by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The case, McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, marks the most consequential campaign finance ruling from the high court since the landmark Citizens United decision in 2010.

Critics immediately denounced the decision, saying it would give wealthy donors more freedom to influence an election.

. . . In 2014, the limit on all contributions was $123,200.

The Supreme Court's decision does not do away with limits on individual contributions to candidates for president or Congress, which now stands at $2,600 an election.























































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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Rep. Michael Grimm R-NY Threatens Reporter With Bodily Harm

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This happened after the State of the Union Speech on Tuesday night: a reporter for the New York One station named Michael Scotto was interviewing Representative Michael Grimm R-NY, asking about a political donor scandal that has been in the news for months. Grimm flipped out and went completely thug, threatening to hang the reporter by his bootstraps or worse:




From NY1 News
Grimm: "Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this f-----g balcony."

Scotto: "Why? I just wanted to ask you..."

[[cross talk]]

Grimm: "If you ever do that to me again..."

Scotto: "Why? Why? It’s a valid question."

[[cross talk]]

Grimm: "No, no, you're not man enough, you're not man enough. I'll break you in half. Like a boy."

In a statement, Grimm said,

“I was extremely annoyed because I was doing NY1 a favor by rushing to do their interview first in lieu of several other requests. The reporter knew that I was in a hurry and was only there to comment on the State of the Union, but insisted on taking a disrespectful and cheap shot at the end of the interview, because I did not have time to speak off-topic. I verbally took the reporter to task and told him off, because I expect a certain level of professionalism and respect, especially when I go out of my way to do that reporter a favor. I doubt that I am the first Member of Congress to tell off a reporter, and I am sure I won’t be the last.”

What was Grimm so ticked-off about? Well . . . he's in hot water:







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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Chris Christie and the #BridgeGate #BridgeGhazi #BridgeNado

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What did New Jersey Governor Chris Christie know and when did he know it? Call it what you will - BridgeGate - or Bridgeghazi, BridgeNado, or A Bridge Too Far, or Bridge Over the River Hubris - all of those are monikers for the plot to close lanes of the George Washington Bridge to Fort Lee, New Jersey, apparently hatched by Christie staffers in retaliation for a lack of endorsement from the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee. And the whole controversy is casting a new pall on Christie's chances of being the "last best hope" of a non-Tea Party candidate in the GOP Presidential Primary in 2016.

From Huffington Post
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) deputy chief of staff was directly involved in a mean-spirited effort to create "traffic problems" for a mayor who declined to endorse the governor's reelection bid, according to newly released emails.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly wrote in an email on Aug. 13.
"Got it," replied David Wildstein, who was then one of Christie's top aides at the Port Authority, which is run jointly by New York and New Jersey.

A month later Wildstein did indeed create the traffic problems that Christie's office requested. He closed down two of Fort Lee's access lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the country. The closures came on Sept. 9, the first day of school in Fort Lee, leading to massive traffic jams as bridge traffic backed up into local streets. As a result, police and emergency vehicles were delayed in responding to reports of a missing child and a cardiac arrest.

Text Messages:
MAYOR SOKOLICH: Presently we have four very busy traffic lanes merging into one toll booth….The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help, please. It’s maddening.

PERSON A: Is it wrong that I’m smiling?

WILDSTEIN: No

PERSON A: I feel badly about the kids

PERSON A: I guess

WILDSTEIN: They are the children of Buono voters

***Click This Link to Read More Emails/Texts between Christie Staff Members Concerning the Bridge Closure at NorthJersey.com




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I worked the cones, actually. ...I was in overalls and a hat. I was the guy working the cones.
~ Gov. Christie on December 2, 2013 mocking a reporter's question about the bridge situation in Fort Lee

I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better.
~ Statement from Chris Christie after emails of staff were revealed today

God Bless the Local New Jersey Newspapers who stuck with this story.
. . . We in the National Press owe them credit for opening this most amazing can of worms. Without them and their persistence in the face of stiff resistance, the nation might have never heard the words "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Without them it would have been just another local traffic jam story. Now it's anything but that.
~ Rachel Maddow on MSNBC

He is the worst example of bully and boss. And this string of e-mails clearly exposes a web of deceit, subterfuge and arrogance leading straight to Chris Christie.
~ Barbara Buono, Democratic candidate for Governor against Christie in 2012

Trenton, we have a problem.
~ Chris Matthews on Hardball

This is just a window into the way in which the Governorship has been run in New Jersey. And far from being a "small story" this is a thread that you pull to see how this guy operates, and how he would govern were he to become the President of the United States.
~ Howard Fineman on Hardball

You cannot close down the biggest bridge in the world for political retribution. You have intentionally put people in harm's way. You knew that before you did it. You knew that when Fort Lee called 20, 30, 40 times.
. . . This is about the lowest level of poltical venom I could ever make up. We’ve now ensured that we’re going to remain the butt of every political joke for the next 20 years on political misconduct.
. . . I've got to believe there's going to be an investigation to determine if this rises to the level of criminality.
. . . I'm nervous about future retribution. I want Fort Lee left alone.
~ Mark Sokolich, Democratic Mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey







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Friday, September 6, 2013

Senator John McCain Plays IPhone Poker During Syria Hearing

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From Forbes
One would think that the matter before the Congress would at least command their attention. But, as the Senate conducted a hearing today to discuss the details of the strike, and the arguments for and against it, Sen. John McCain took out his iPhone and played poker to pass the time.
An image of McCain’s phone was captured by Washington Post photographer Melina Mara, and posted to the Post’s live blog of the hearing. The photo is blurry, but clearly depicts a game in progress.

From Daily Caller ~ "Poker Fans Irate at McCain's Double-Dealing
Sen. John McCain, who was caught by a Washington Post photographer playing online poker during the Syria debate, once sought to ban online gambling — and gambling proponents are accusing the Arizona Republican of dealing from the bottom of the deck.
“John McCain not only opposed online gambling, he might have been the strongest critic of gambling in Congress,” Wayne Allyn Root, a successful Las Vegas odds maker, 2008 Libertarian vice presidential candidate, and prominent Mitt Romney supporter during the 2012 presidential campaign, told The Daily Caller.
“Obama and McCain are masters of that politicians’ art form — ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’” Root added. “That’s a nice way of saying they are liars, cheats, frauds and hypocrites.”


David Letterman's "Top Ten John McCain Excuses"
10. Leave me alone -- I'm a hundred years old
9. Can't gamble in casinos since getting caught counting cards
8. Relax, it's just a war hearing
7. Is Reagan upset?
6. I was on the phone with IBM headquarters in Dallas
5. Still able to pay attention to hearings on Iraq or Iran or whatever
4. At least it wasn't some sissy game like 'Bejeweled'
3. Someone has to win back our $17 trillion
2. Better idea than Palin
1. Calm down, it wasn't strip poker



Conan O'Brien: 
Senatorial Hearing Poker Challenge























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