Category Archives: 2012 Presidential Race

Not Exactly Cassandra

Michael Barone predicts disaster for the Dems this year.  His headline today in The Washington Examiner says it all — “Democratic Strategists in 2014 Are Like French Generals in 1940.”

Y’all remember Michael Barone writing on November 2, 2012, don’t you?  He predicted that Mittens would get 315 electoral votes, and the Kenyan Muslim Socialist would get 223.

Kind of makes you think “Republican Strategists in 2012 Were Like French Generals in 1940,” doesn’t it?

Also kind of makes you think, “Why does this guy still have a job?”

 

Tea Party Tyranny

From  “Tea Party Ain’t Over Yet:  How Conservatives Still Control Congress,” Talking Points Memo:

“The tea party has taken a series of hits since it goaded Republican leaders into a costly and self-defeating government shutdown last fall.  But the conservative movement remains formidable when it comes to pushing Republican leaders to just say no, at all costs, to new economic and domestic initiatives that aren’t essential to avert immediate crisis.

“The emerging dynamic is one where the tea party can no longer hold the basic functions of government hostage to conservative policy reforms, but has effective veto power over major new proposals that require bipartisan deal-making.

“Even on initiatives that are broadly popular, as in the case of emergency unemployment compensation and raising the minimum wage, conservatives have successfully blocked any movement forward.

“An initiative that Republican strategists say is imperative to stave off electoral extinction — immigration reform — isn’t going anywhere.  Recently, Speaker John Boehner took a significant step toward action by releasing a pro-reform blueprint.  But within one week, after a fierce backlash from tea party organizations…he hit the brakes and signaled that the House wouldn’t take up reform.”  Emphasis added.

A minority of the minority is controlling this country, is keeping it from moving forward economically and socially.  It really doesn’t matter at all that Obama beat Mitt, that Dems have a majority in the Senate (because you need 60), and that Dem House candidates got over a million more votes than GOP candidates.  What the hell did we win exactly?

Quote of the Day — And Maybe the Month

“Between you and me, I’m sort of holding my nose for two years cause what we’re doing here is gonna be a big benefit to Rand in ’16.”

Jesse Benton, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s campaign manager (probably not for long) for his 2014 re-election, in a recorded telephone conversation with Republican activist Dennis Fusaro.

Fusaro leaked the conversation to the Economic Policy Journal as part of the scandal about Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign paying Iowa State Senator Kent Sorenson to jump ship from Michele Bachmann to Paul.  Under Iowa law, Sorenson couldn’t be paid by a presidential campaign, but he was. We’re talking a couple of hundred thousand dollars here.

Jesse Benton, who married into the Paul family, was Ron Paul’s national campaign chairman in 2012 and Rand Paul’s campaign manager in 2010.

McConnell needs Rand Paul’s support in his fight against Tea Party primary challengers, and then of course McConnell would be heavily in Rand Paul’s debt come 2016.

This is getting nasty, and it isn’t just about Kentucky, it has national implications for the next presidential election.

It’s About the Big Bang, Not Big Bird

The GOP tells us that this is a watershed election.  I agree, but not for the reasons they say.  This isn’t about whether or not we’re going to switch to vouchers for Medicare or what the Medicaid budget is going to be.  This is about whether we’re going to continue down the Republican path to the Dark Ages.

To their shame, the GOP has let extremists take over their party at the state and national level.   The question on November 6 is whether we’re going to let the crazies take over our country.

I grew up believing that some things were settled in our society — that evolution was established science, that Keynesianism was established economics.  But now the GOP presents laughable, long-discredited science and economics as the truth.

With 435 congressional districts, we’re going to get people like Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin.  But fringe people like him should not be elevated to the Senate.  And they definitely shouldn’t become Vice President, but Paul Ryan and Todd Akin are Tweedledee and Tweedledum on social issues.  Ryan is a little more careful about what he says in public, but their views and votes are the same.

We are outraged about the Taliban shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan because she defended the right of girls to go to school.  We rightly think the Taliban are sick barbarians.  But if Ryan and Akin had their way, we’d have 14-year-old rape and incest victims dying from illegal abortions.  That is every bit as sick and barbaric.

I voted for Bush 43 in 2004 and McCain in 2008 because I was afraid of the radical Muslims.   I’m still a registered Republican, but I’m voting for Obama because I’m afraid of the radical Christians.  I want to defeat the Christian Taliban here at home.

 

Is It Mitt and Marco?

Does he know something we don’t know?  In a TV interview, Marco! Rubio! said, “If I do a good job as a Vice President — I’m sorry, as Senator, I’ll have the chance to do all sorts of things.”

Even if Mitt hasn’t promised him the job, Rubio showed he’s certainly thinking a lot about it.

Mitt and Marco — Slick and Slicker.

If You Support the Buffet Rule, You’re a Sinner!

I’m beyond seeing red, I’m seeing something that isn’t in the normal spectrum, I’m hallucinating with outrage.

I got a mass email from a GOP politician saying that the Buffett Rule (those earning $1 million a year  or more should pay 30% in taxes) isn’t about “fairness” as President Obama says.   Noooooooo, it’s about “envy,” and envy is one of the “Seven Deadly Sins.”

So he wants to muscle the Evangelical base into believing that if they support the Buffett Rule, they are not just making a political choice about taxes, they are sinners, and Jesus is weeping, and they are going to Hell.  He neglects to mention that greed is on that list as well.

The Mafia is more subtle than this!

Reince Preibus and other GOP Powers That Be, I voted for Bush in 2004, I voted for McCain in 2008 (despite the moron running with him), but you have lost me, and I doubt you’ll ever get me back.  And it’s not me, it’s you.

If people are dumb enough to buy this, and Mitt wins, then they get what they deserve.  The one percent will be laughing at them over their Long Island Iced Teas at the Maidstone Club for the next four years.

Newt’s Phony Campaign Costing Taxpayers Real $

Conservative web site The Daily Caller is reporting that Newt’s Secret Service protection is costing taxing tens of thousands of dollars a day.  Back in 2008, Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told a House subcommittee that candidate protection cost about $38,000 a day per candidate.

If we’re so outraged about the GSA Las Vegas junket, as we should be, why aren’t we outraged about this?

Why Bo Sleeps With One Eye Open

Yesterday, Jim Treacher at The Daily Caller, the web site founded by Tucker Carlson, who has gone from wanting to be George Will (see old clips with bow tie and preppy glasses) to wanting to be Andrew Breitbart (see red meat on said web site), posted a story saying that we can’t be outraged about Mitt’s putting his Irish Setter Seamus on the roof of his station wagon for a 12-hour trip because President Obama admitted in his book Dreams From My Father that he actually ate dog while he was a child living in Indonesia.

And so that inevitably led to #ObamaDogRecipes, and Politico‘s pick of the top 11 tweets:

Beagles with cream cheese

Eggs rover easy

Great Danishes

Pugs in a Blanket

Pup Tarts

Obama’s Indonesian Cookbook:  Dreams of My Fido

Chicken Poodle Soup

Spaghetti and Mutt Balls

Santa’s little hamburger helper

When Obama asks for a DOGGY BAG he really means a bag with a dog in it

Garlic Mashed BOtatoes  MMMMM

To which I add Canned Spamiel and Cheese Labradoodles and encourage you to share yours.