Democrashield
emmagold
Filed under: Conservatives, Corruption, IOKIYAR, International, Iraq, Media, Progressives, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Scandal | Tags: ACORN, Afghanistan, Blackwater, Democrats, DNC, Fail, Fundraising, Iraq, Republicans, RNC
That’s the same Blackwater which has been accused of murder, illegal weapons smuggling, bribery, fraud (including using taxpayer money to buy strippers and prostitutes) and stealing weapons from the US military, among many other serious crimes.
You know that if the DNC held a fundraiser at, say, an ACORN office then heads would roll, careers would end and the right-wing media would launch a massive weeks-long national outcry.
And yet, almost nobody in the media is making a fuss over the RNC getting into bed with Blackwater.
And to think, ACORN was only accused of was giving bad tax advice.
Double standards much?
Filed under: 2010 Election, Conservatives, Scandal | Tags: 2010, Donors, Fail, Fundraising, GOP, Republican National Committee, RNC, Stupidity
Politico obtained an RNC fundraising presentation that shows what party leaders really think of their donors:
The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”
The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”
The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said.
In neat PowerPoint pages, it lifts the curtain on the often-cynical terms of political marketing, displaying an air of disdain for the party’s donors that is usually confined to the barroom conversations of political operatives.
[...]
“What can you sell when you do not have the White House, the House, or the Senate…?” it asks.
The answer: “Save the country from trending toward Socialism!”
[...]
One page, headed “The Evil Empire,” pictures Obama as the Joker from Batman, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid are depicted as Cruella DeVille and Scooby Doo, respectively.
[...]
The most unusual section of the presentation is a set of six slides headed “RNC Marketing 101.” The presentation divides fundraising into two traditional categories, direct marketing and major donors, and lays out the details of how to approach each group.
The small donors who are the targets of direct marketing are described under the heading “Visceral Giving.” Their motivations are listed as “fear;” “Extreme negative feelings toward existing Administration;” and “Reactionary.”Major donors, by contrast, are treated in a column headed “Calculated Giving.” Their motivations include: “Peer to Peer Pressure”; “access”; and “Ego-Driven.”
[Emphasis mine]
So if you’re a small donor to the GOP, congrats: they think you’re petty, fearful and reactionary.
And if you’re a big donor to the GOP, congrats: they think you’re easily manipulated and egotistical.
That’s what the folks currently running the Republican Party think of their own donors.
But I think the best part of this story is how Politico obtained the presentation:
The 72-page document was provided to POLITICO by a Democrat, who said a hard copy had been left in the hotel hosting the $2,500-a-head retreat, the Gasparilla Inn & Club.
That’s right–the RNC put together this long, detailed, insulting presentation outlining their entire fundraising strategy for 2010 and someone just left it at the hotel, where it was discovered and handed over to the press.
This is what you’re paying for, Republican donors: to be insulted by people so incompetent that they leave a major campaign document sitting around in hotel.
I’d be asking for a refund if I were you.
Filed under: 2010 Election, Breaking, Conservatives, Corruption, Government, Governors, Media, Progressives, Scandal | Tags: Andrew Cuomo, David Paterson, Democrats, Eliot Spitzer, Gubernatorial Election, New York, New York Attorney General, NY-GOV, Republicans, Rick Lazio
David Paterson–New York’s unpopular, scandal-plagued, accidental Governor– will not seek re-election this year:
Embattled New York Governor David Paterson has decided to withdraw from the race for governor and will not seek election this year, local media reported on Friday.
The Democratic governor, implicated in newly raised questions of impropriety involving a top aide, has been under growing pressure to pull out of the race.
His withdrawal, reported by the New York Daily News and the New York Post, focuses political attention on state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who has been widely expected to challenge Paterson for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
[...]
Paterson was elected lieutenant governor and ascended to the top post two years ago when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal.
It now looks almost certain that Attorney General Cuomo will enter the race. On the Republican side, their candidate is likely to be former Congressman and failed Senate candidate Rick Lazio.
Filed under: 2010 Election, Conservatives, Health Care, House, IOKIYAR, Scandal, Senate | Tags: 2010, Donors, Fundraising, Health, Health Care Reform, Irresponsibility, Michael Steele, Republican National Committee, Republicans, RNC, RNC Chair
The RNC Chair is living the high life using other people’s money:
Republican National Chairman Michael Steele is spending twice as much as his recent predecessors on private planes and paying more for limousines, catering and flowers – expenses that are infuriating the party’s major donors who say Republicans need every penny they can get for the fight to win back Congress.
Most recently, donors grumbled when Steele hired renowned chef Wolfgang Puck’s local crew to cater the RNC’s Christmas party inside the trendy Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, and then moved its annual winter meeting from Washington to Hawaii.
[...]
A POLITICO analysis of expenses found that compared with 2005, the last comparable year preceding a midterm election, the committee’s payments for charter flights doubled; the number of sedan contractors tripled, and meal expenses jumped from $306,000 to $599,000.
“Michael Steele is an imperial chairman,” said one longtime Republican fundraiser. “He flies in private aircraft. He drives in private cars. He has private consultants that are paid ridiculous retainers. He fancies himself a presidential candidate and wants all of the trappings and gets them by using other people’s money.”
[...]
When Steele took over the chairmanship last winter, he inherited a $23 million surplus. Since then, the former Maryland lieutenant governor has raised $10 million less than the party collected in 2005 and has spent $10 million more. By the end of 2009, the committee’s surplus had shrunk to $8.4 million, according to campaign finance reports.
[Emphasis mine]
The RNC tries to justify this mess by saying that, since there isn’t a Republican in the White House, Steele has to travel a lot more to fundraise than some of his predecessors.
But, again, Steele is spending more and raising less–it certainly doesn’t look like the exorbitant travel, lodging, food and floral (really?) expenditures are profitable investments.
Personally, if I were a Republican donor, I’d be angry that my hard-earned money was going to pamper the RNC Chairman rather than win elections. Without enough funding, the pool of potential GOP pickups will shrink–and for what? Fancy food, private jets and all of the pretty flowers Michael Steele desires.
(Not to mention the hypocrisy of complaining about Democratic spending policies when the Chair of the GOP is using other people’s money to keep himself knee-deep in Hawaiian junkets and gourmet food. At least we’re creating jobs and improving health care.)
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, Media, Progressives, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Scandal, Senate | Tags: Crime, Democrats, James O'Keefe, Louisiana, Mary Landrieu, Republicans, Stupidity
We have an update this morning on the arrest of conservative activist James O’Keefe–apparently O’Keefe & co. weren’t trying to wiretap Sen. Landrieu’s phones. the Times-Picayune is reporting that they’re being charged with ‘entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony.’
Still, a crime is a crime and a felony is a felony. But I expect that the right will complain about the allegations of wiretapping in order to draw attention away from the fact that O’Keefe and his friends quite possibly broke a number of federal laws.
The question is, though, if they weren’t trying to wiretap the Senator’s phones what exactly were they doing?
MSNBC’s First Read brings us this:
A law enforcement official says the four men arrested for attempting to tamper with the phones in the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) were not trying to intercept or wiretap the calls.
Instead, the official says, the men, led by conservative videomaker James O’Keefe, wanted to see how her local office staff would respond if the phones were inoperative. They were apparently motivated, the official says, by criticism that when Sen. Landrieu became a big player in the health care debate, people in Louisiana were having a hard time getting through on the phones to register their views.
That is, the official says, what led the four men to pull this stunt — to see how the local staffers would react if the phones went out. Would the staff just laugh it off, or would they express great concern that local folks couldn’t get through?
[All emphasis mine]
So, James O’Keefe & co. quite possibly violated a number of federal laws so they could…break Sen. Landrieu’s phones to see what would happen.
Well, I certainly hope it was worth it…
And this is the guy who’s supposed to be the future of conservative journalism? Are you kidding?
UPDATE: And now some on the right are trying to brush this off as a prank.
Uh, no. ‘Entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony‘ is not a prank–felonies aren’t pranks.
And you know that if a group of progressives had done the same thing to a Republican Senator no conservative would accept ‘it was a prank’ as a defense.
The right’s golden boy caught quite possibly breaking federal laws (and for a pretty stupid reason to boot). Maybe they should stop trying to spin this away and just own up to the fact that James O’Keefe isn’t exactly the sterling anti-corruption crusader they made him out to be.
Filed under: Breaking, Conservatives, Corruption, Government, Media, Progressives, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Scandal, Senate | Tags: Republicans, Democrats, Congress, Crime, Mary Landrieu, FBI, Epic Fail, ACORN, Fail, James O'Keefe, Lawbreaking, Wiretapping, Joseph Basel, Robert Flanagan
Remember James O’Keefe, the conservative activist who filmed those dubious undercover videos at various ACORN offices?
Well, he was just arrested by the FBI, apparently in an attempt to bug the offices of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA):
James O’Keefe, the conservative filmmaker who was behind the undercover operations that lead to the ACORN scandal last year, has been arrested with three others for allegedly trying to bug the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), the Times-Picayune is reporting.
[...]
FBI Special Agent Steven Rayes alleges that O’Keefe aided and abetted two others, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan, who dressed up as employees of a telephone company and attempted to interfere with the office’s telephone system.
[Emphasis mine]
So, apparently James O’Keefe is so concerned about government corruption that he had his friends dress up like telephone company employees and tried to illegally wiretap a United States Senator.
Remember, O’Keefe’s ACORN investigation broke a number of anti-wiretapping laws, so it looks like this publicity stunt is simply an extension of his lawbreaking MO.
The right touted James O’Keefe as a conservative anti-corruption crusader, but he’s looking more and more like a common criminal.
(Or maybe like a reality TV star, willing to go to any length for the limelight. O’Keefe should team up with Balloon boy’s dad–that is, whenever they’re both out of jail).
UPDATE: Andrew Breitbart, who was instrumental in publicizing O’Keefe’s dubious ACORN videos, had this to say:
I need to find information on this. I’m out of the loop on this. I will make my determination then on when to comment.
TPM’s headline for that piece was ‘More Liddy Than Woodward & Bernstein?’
Yeah, that’s what we on the left have been saying for a while now–and it’s about time O’Keefe’s underhanded tactics caught up with him.
UPDATE II: Read the FBI affidavit here.
UPDATE III: There might be more here than meets the eye–Jonathan Turley reports that one of the people arrested with O’Keefe, Robert Flanagan, is the son of William J. Flanagan, who is the Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
It’s kind of a big deal when the son of a US Attorney is arrested trying to wiretap the office of a United States Senator.
Filed under: 2010 Election, Conservatives, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Scandal | Tags: Republicans, Fundraising, NRSC, RNC, Republican National Committee, Epic Fail, Fail, Michael Steele, 2010, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Republican Governors Association, RGA, Tea Party, Donors
Republican donors are shunning the RNC.
The reason? Chairman Michael Steele:
Some wealthy contributors are shunning the Republican National Committee and donating instead to the other GOP campaign committees or directly to candidates – in many cases because of discontent with the leadership of Michael S. Steele, the party’s national chairman.
“I don’t plan to give to the Republican National Committee this cycle, and no other major donor I know is planning to either,” Christine Toretti, a Pennsylvania RNC member and a longtime major donor to the RNC and other GOP campaign committees and causes, told The Washington Times.
[...]
Mr. Steele, a former Maryland lieutenant governor, has had a contentious tenure as RNC chairman after his election a year ago, with open infighting among party officials over his leadership.
The Times first reported displeasure by RNC members, including several former party chairmen, over Mr. Steele’s acceptance of pay for speeches while holding down his full-time job as national chairman, for which he receives $223,500 a year plus unlimited expenses. To the further consternation of party elders and many rank-and-file members, he has embarked on a promotional tour for his new book, “Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda.”
[Emphasis mine]
Republicans are desperately trying to keep this simmering scandal from boiling over.
Considering how much they have at stake this year, this is probably the worst time for major intraparty infighting.
The GOP spin is that their party is motivated and united, ready for major victories in November. The reality, though, is that the GOP is an underfunded, infighting, disorganized group now being set upon by they very conservative activist they spawned.
And at the center of it all, weighing the whole shebang down even further, is Chairman Michael Steele.
UPDATED: The Michael Steele fracas threatens to boil over:
House and Senate leadership aides are furious with RNC chair Michael Steele and have angrily confronted the RNC’s press shop over their inability to keep the chair on message.
In the course of a regular daily conference call between senior Congressional communicators, House and Senate aides berated RNC staffers over Steele’s comments that the GOP would not be able to take back the House, and that even if they did, the party would not be prepared to lead.
A senior Senate aide brought up Steele’s comments, arguing that he was ruining what should be several days of glowing press for the GOP in the wake of retirement announcements from Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Chris Dodd (D-CT).
“Steele is setting us far back with his comments and it needs to stop,” the aide said, according to 2 sources who were on the call.
[Emphasis mine]
Donors are angry, Congressional aides are angry…is Steele even going to be around for the GOP’s inevitable disappointing performance in November?
Filed under: 2010 Election, Breaking, Conservatives, Corruption, Economics, Government, Polls, Progressives, Scandal, Senate | Tags: 2010, Banks, Chris Dodd, Congress, Connecticut, Connecticut Attorney General, Democrats, Economy, Republicans, Retirements, Richard Blumenthal, Senate Banking Committee
The past 24 hours have brought a flood of high-profile Democratic retirements–Sen. Byron Dorgan (ND), Gov. Bill Ritter (CO), and now Sen. Chris Dodd (CT):
Dodd, the powerful and embattled chairman of the US Senate Banking Committee, will announce he will not run for re-election at a press conference in his home state of Connecticut, according to The Washington Post which reported the story late Tuesday on its political blog.
[...]
The retirement of Dodd, 65, pre-empts what Republican foes had seen as a winnable battle for his Senate seat in November, when the opposition party aims to reduce the crucial 60-vote majority.
Democratic sources told political news outlet Politico that Dodd’s announcement would allow Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to run in his place, giving the Democratic Party what they described as a stronger nominee in a race regarded by many as a toss-up.
“He’s totally in,” a top national Democrat said about Blumenthal’s candidacy, according to Politico.
[Emphasis mine]
I actually think Dodd’s retirement is a good thing for Democrats–his approval ratings have tanked in recent months, making his re-election prospects slim.
One reason for that is the perception that Dodd received special treatment from banking interests, thus posing a conflict of interest with his role as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
Another reason is the perception that Dodd, as Chairman, didn’t do enough to avert the 2008 economic collapse and prevent future collapses.
Chris Dodd had a big weight around his neck–one that gave Republicans the chance to win that seat. Without him I think Democrats are likely to keep that seat, particularly if the highly-popular Blumenthal is their candidate.
UPDATE: Further evidence that Dodd’s retirement is good news for Democrats– election prognosticator Charlie Cook just changed his rating of Connecticut’s Senate race from “lean Republican” to “toss up.”
UPDATE II: Greg Sargent reports that polls show AG Blumenthal leading all GOP candidates by 30 points.
Republicans will spin, but Dodd’s exit is good news for Democrats.
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, International, Labor, Scandal, Senate, Terrorism | Tags: Democrats, Erroll Southers, Jim DeMint, Labor, National Security, Republicans, Terrorism, Transportation Security Administration, TSA, Unions
That’s right–in the wake of a thwarted terrorist attack we learn that the top spot at the Transportation Security Administration is empty.
And it’s all thanks to Republican Senator Jim DeMint:
An attempt to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day would be all-consuming for the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration — if there were one.
The post remains vacant because Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has held up President Barack Obama’s nominee in opposition to the prospect of TSA workers joining a labor union.
As al Qaida claimed responsibility Monday for the thwarted attack and President Barack Obama made a public statement about it, Democrats urged DeMint to drop his objection and allow quick confirmation of nominee Erroll Southers, a counterterrorism expert, when the Senate reconvenes in three weeks.
[...]
Southers, a former FBI special agent, is the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department assistant chief for homeland security and intelligence. He also is the associate director of the University of Southern California’s Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, and he served as a deputy director of homeland security for California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Two Senate committees have given Southers their bipartisan blessing.
[Emphasis mine]
So a Republican Senator is blocking the appointment of someone to head the TSA for purely partisan political purposes.
We almost had a deadly terrorist attack–one that wold have killed an airplane full of people–but the GOP is leaving the TSA headless because they hate labor unions and don’t want a government agency to unionize.
Why is the GOP putting politics ahead of American lives?
Filed under: Conservatives, Corruption, Government, House, Scandal | Tags: Congress, Financial Reform, Financial Regulator Reform, Lobbyists, Main Street, Reform, Regulation, Republicans, Shills, Wall Street
From The Hill:
In a call to arms, House Republican leaders met with more than 100 lobbyists at the Capitol Visitors Center on Tuesday afternoon to try to fight back against financial regulatory overhaul legislation.
Republican lawmakers met with a massive team of lobbyists in order to block financial regulatory reform designed to prevent another major economic collapse.
In other words, the GOP is working hard to help Wall Street once again beat out Main Street, leaving us all at the mercy of a bloated, unaccountable financial sector.
They just can’t help but side with big business–that’s business as usual for the GOP. And they want us to trust them with the majority again come 2010? Wasn’t one financial collapse enough?
UPDATE: Ugh. Apparently conservative, bank-friendly Democrats are also trying to kick this bill down the road.
The Democratic Party is preferable to the Republican Party, but this reminds us that sometimes Democrats can be just as bad as Republicans.
Filed under: Conservatives, Economics, Health Care, Scandal | Tags: Aetna, Congress, Health, Health Care Reform, Health Industrial Complex, Insurance, Insurance Companies, Republicans, Shame
What’s the rush?
That’s the GOP’s talking point on health care reform. What’s the rush? Why the hurry? Why not just put it off for another few months?
Health insurance giant Aetna is planning to force up to 650,000 clients to drop their coverage next year as it seeks to raise additional revenue to meet profit expectations.
In a third-quarter earnings conference call in late October, officials at Aetna announced that in an effort to improve on a less-than-anticipated profit margin in 2009, they would be raising prices on their consumers in 2010. The insurance giant predicted that the company would subsequently lose between 300,000 and 350,000 members next year from its national account as well as another 300,000 from smaller group accounts.
[Emphasis mine]
650,000 are going to lose health insurance because Aetna needs to grow their profit margins. That’s more than the entire population of the state of North Dakota, and that’s just one insurance company.
You want to know what the hurry is? Why don’t you go ask those 650,000 Americans now without insurance? Or the 45,000 Americans who die each year because they lack access to adequate health care. I’m sure they’d be able to tell you.
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, Governors, Scandal | Tags: Arkansas, Clemency, Cory Cox, Crime, Incompetence, Maurice Clemmons, Mike Huckabee, Republicans, Robert Herzfeld, Scandal, Wayne DuMond
Mike Huckabee has a pardon problem. And, in a just world, it would prevent him from ever holding public office ever again.
As I previously posted:
The Seattle Times reports that the man suspected of shooting four police officers in Washington State was granted clemency in Arkansas nine years ago by then-Governor Mike Huckabee.
Huckabee had reportedly pardoned the suspected shooter, Maurice Clemmons, because he was just 17 when his original crimes were committed. (Clemmons was still on parole, and should apparently have been sent back to jail in Arkansas more recently.) But it’s a tragic, and politically damaging story of the kind that, with the name Willie Horton attached, helped derail Mike Dukakis’s bid for the White House.
And the story also recalls another act of clemency gone awry: Huckabee advocated for parole for a convicted rapist who — his allies said — had been railroaded by Huckabee predecessor Bill Clinton. The rapist, Wayne DuMond, was released; he raped and murdered another woman.
Well, it turns out that the truth here is much, much worse than it seems.
Filed under: 2008 Election, 2012 Election, Conservatives, Government, Governors, Media, Scandal | Tags: 2008, 2012, Arkansas, Clemency, FOX News, Incompetence, Maurice Clemmons, Mike Huckabee, Pardons, Sarah Palin, Scandal, Washington, Wayne DuMond
It looks like the former Arkansas Governor/Fox News personality is leaning against another run for President in 2012:
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he’s leaning slightly against running for president in 2012 but says it’s far too early to say what he will do.
Huckabee says how the 2010 congressional elections turn out will affect his decision. He also will be looking at whether the Republican Party is willing to unite behind him as a candidate.
Another consideration, Huckabee says, is the status of his weekly TV show on Fox News.
Given those factors, Huckabee says mounting another presidential bid is “less likely rather than more likely” at the moment.
[Emphasis mine]
Despite Huckabee’s popularity among evangelical Republicans, it’s highly unlikely he could beat someone of Sarah Palin’s caliber. In addition, his failed 2008 campaign would probably cast a shadow over any potential candidacy.
Filed under: Conservatives, Health Care, House, IOKIYAR, Scandal | Tags: Abortion, Choice, Cigna, Health, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Hypocrisy, Michael Steele, Republican National Committee, Rights, RNC, Stupak, Stupak Amendment
Surprise surprise, more Republican hypocrisy:
Federal Election Commission Records show the RNC purchases its insurance from Cigna. Two sales agents for the company said that the RNC’s policy covers elective abortion.
Informed of the coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho told POLITICO that the policy pre-dates the tenure of current RNC Chairman Michael Steele.
“The current policy has been in effect since 1991, and we are taking steps to address the issue,” Gitcho said.
[...]
According to several Cigna employees, the insurer offers its customers the opportunity to opt out of abortion coverage — and the RNC did not choose to opt out.
[Emphasis mine]
There is no way this is just an oversight–the RNC’s health plan has been unchanged for 18 years, and at any point during that time they simply could have opted-out of abortion coverage.
Filed under: Conservatives, Corruption, Government, International, Iraq, Scandal | Tags: ACORN, Blackwater, Blackwater USA, Blackwater Worldwide, Choice, Corruption, Crime, Department of State, Double Standards, Iraq, Military Contractor, Military Contractors, State Department, Stupak Amendment, Xe
Infamous military contractor Blackwater Worldwide (also known as Blackwater USA and now Xe) has previously been accused of corruption, murder and illegal arms smuggling.
Well, now you can add bribery to that list:
Top executives at Blackwater Worldwide authorized secret payments of about $1 million to Iraqi officials that were intended to silence their criticism and buy their support after a September 2007 episode in which Blackwater security guards fatally shot 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, according to former company officials.
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, Health Care, Progressives, Scandal | Tags: CNMI, Congress, Fail, Health, Health Care Reform, Immigration, Jack Abramoff, Labor, Northern Mariana Islands, Republicans, Wages
As it turns out, the GOP’s health care reform bill is worse that previously thought.
Yesterday, I discussed how the GOP plan will let insurance companies sell plans across state lines. As part of that, insurers would be able to choose a ‘primary state’ to operate out of; that state’s laws would then govern that company’s insurance policies everywhere they do business.
My theory is that, under the GOP plan, insurance companies would simply pick the most laxly-regulated state as their ‘primary state,’ thus allowing them to continue the same shoddy practices which helped cause our health care crisis in the first place (such as denying coverage due to preexisting conditions and dropping coverage for those who become seriously ill).
Well, it turns out I was wrong, because it will actually be worse than that. In the GOP bill, the list of potential ‘primary states’ isn’t just limited to states–it includes American territories such as American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
That last one will probably jump out at some of you…
Filed under: 2012 Election, Conservatives, Corruption, House, Progressives, Scandal | Tags: 2012, Bill Clinton, Craziness, Ethics, Mike Gravel, Newt Gingrich, Primaries, Republicans, Speaker of the House
Apparently, Newt Gingrich is considering running for President:
On C-SPAN this morning, Newt Gingrich was asked if was going to run for president in 2012.
Said Gingrich: “Callista and I are going to think about this in February 2011. And we are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country. And we’ll decide, if there’s a requirement as citizens that we run, I suspect we probably will. And if there’s not a requirement, if other people have filled the vaccum, I suspect we won’t.”
Newt Gingrich for President? Really?
Newt Gingrich, who hasn’t held elected office in 11 years?
Newt Gingrich, the first Speaker of the House to be disciplined for ethics violations?
Newt Gingrich, whose ethics problems led to him being forced out of office by his own party?
Newt Gingrich, who admitted to having multiple extramarital affairs?
Newt Gingrich, who admitted to having multiple extramarital affairs while going after Bill Clinton for his extramarital affairs?
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, Health Care, Scandal | Tags: Democrats, Health, Health Care Reform, Recession, Republicans, South Carolina, Tort Deform
Let me introduce you to a dirty little practice called ‘recession‘:
The South Carolina Supreme Court has ordered an insurance company to pay $10 million for wrongly revoking the insurance policy of a 17-year-old college student after he tested positive for HIV. The court called the 2002 decision by the insurance company “reprehensible.”
That appears to be the most an insurance company has ever been ordered to pay in a case involving the practice known as rescission, in which insurance companies retroactively cancel coverage for policyholders based on alleged misstatements – sometimes right after diagnoses of life-threatening diseases.
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, House, Progressives, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Scandal | Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, Democrats, George W. Bush, Health, Health Care Reform, Joe Wilson, Republicans, Teabaggers, Unhinged
The House of Representatives just voted 240 to 179 to condemn Rep. Joe Wilson for calling the President of the United States a liar during a joint session of Congress.
As I’ve said before, such an outburst is against House rules, which is why this rebuke was necessary.
Filed under: 2009 Election, Conservatives, Faith, Government, Governors, Progressives, Scandal | Tags: 2009, Bob McDonnell, Creigh Deeds, Democrats, Elections, Extremism, George Allen, Regent University, Religion, Republicans, Robert G. Marshall, VA-GOV, Virginia
The Washington Post has the scoop on what Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial candidate really believes:
At age 34, two years before his first election and two decades before he would run for governor of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell submitted a master’s thesis to the evangelical school he was attending in Virginia Beach in which he described working women and feminists as “detrimental” to the family. He said government policy should favor married couples over “cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators.” He described as “illogical” a 1972 Supreme Court decision legalizing the use of contraception by unmarried couples.
Filed under: 2010 Election, Breaking, Conservatives, House, Polls, Progressives, Scandal, Senate | Tags: 2010, Charlie Melancon, Congress, David Vitter, Democrats, Eliot Spitzer, LA-03, LA-SEN, Louisiana, Numbers, Republicans, Sex Scandal
Democratic Congressman Charlie Melancon (LA-03) has announced that he will run against hooker-loving Republican Senator David Vitter in 2010.
Melancon may have been inspired to run by a spate of recent polls showing that he would pose a formidable threat to the scandal-plagued Republican incumbent:
Filed under: Conservatives, Government, House, International, Iraq, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Scandal, Terrorism | Tags: 2004, Abu Zubaydah, Al-Qaeda, Ali Soufan, Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, Constitution, Democrats, Department of Justice, Dick Cheney, FBI, Foreign Policy, George W. Bush, Inspector General, Republicans, Torture
Conservatives are–predictably–trying to spin the 2004 Inspector General’s report on the CIA’s interrogation program as vindication of their view that torture successfully thwarted terrorist attacks.
Of course, that’s inaccurate:
