Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Real Clear Politics - Mark Levin on Akin Senate bid
Embattled Rep. Todd Akin said today he is “standing on principle” by staying in the Missouri Senate race, despite pleas from top Republicans to quit because of controversial remarks about rape and abortion. Akin, making the rounds on morning talk shows, also confirmed for the first time that he was urged by GOP vice presidential contender Paul Ryan to stand aside. In one concession,
Akin said he will not attend the Republican National Convention next week in Tampa, where Mitt Romney will be formally nominated for president. “I will honor their wishes,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America. Republicans have high hopes of unseating Democrat Claire McCaskill and taking control of the U.S. Senate. But Akin’s comment about “legitimate rape” has all but drowned out talk of the economy and jobs as Republicans gear up for the 2012 election’s most intense period.
Akin has repeatedly apologized for his “legitimate rape” remark, made Sunday during a TV interview. On NBC's Today show, Akin discussed publicly for the first time the call he received from his friend Ryan, with whom he has co-sponsored legislation regarding abortion. Romney and Ryan indicated for the first time yesterday that they would like to see Akin out of the Missouri Senate race.
"He advised me that it would be good for me to step down," Akin said about Ryan's call. “I told him that I was going to be looking at this very seriously, trying to weigh all the different points on this.” Asked if ego is playing a role in his decision to stay in the race, Akin told Today show host Matt Lauer: "It's not about me. It’s about doing the right thing and standing on principle.” Akin defeated John Brunner and Sarah Steelman in a raucous primary earlier this month to win the Senate GOP nomination.The intra-party battle pitted GOP establisment figures against Tea Party supporters. "I know that the party voters took a look at our hearts, understood who we were, had a chance to meet us in many, many different ways and made a decision," Akin said on ABC News. “And it makes me uncomfortable to think that the party bosses are going to dictate who runs as opposed to the election process.” USA Today
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I don’t understand Levin’s ambivalence in his support for Akin in lieu of Akin’s decision to stay in the race.
ReplyDeleteAs I have mentioned earlier, I disagree with Rat's insistent claim that Romney will ban assault weapons. When Gov. Romney signed a 2004 bill titled, "An Act Further Regulating Certain Weapons," his critics erroneously cited this legislation as an assault weapons ban. But according to GOAL (Mass. Gun Owners Action League), with Mass politics the titles of legislation do not always represent the content, meaning this proposal was actually a pro-Second Amendment bill that began the process of reforming the state's gun laws. It was actually a victory for gun owners, not a defeat as reflected in the media.
ReplyDeleteTo read more, go to www.goal.org. Among other things noted on the website:
Legislation: During the Romney Administration, no anti-Second Amendment or anti-sportsmen legislation made its way to the Governor’s desk.
Governor Romney did sign five pro-Second Amendment/pro-sportsmen bills into law. His administration also worked with Gun Owners’ Action League and the Democratic leadership of the Massachusetts House and Senate to remove any anti-Second Amendment language from the Gang Violence bill passed in 2006. A summary of this legislation follows.
Proclamations: During his administration, Governor Romney issued a proclamation declaring May 7, 2005 as “The Right to Bear Arms Day”. The proclamation was issued on this date to coincide with GOAL’s Annual Banquet.
continued.
Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2004: An Act Further Regulating Certain Weapons
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect example of don’t believe in titles. The bill was the greatest victory for gun owners since the passage of the gun control laws in 1998 (Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998). It was a reform bill totally supported by GOAL. Press and media stories around the country got it completely wrong when claimed the bill was an extension of the “assault weapon” ban that had sunset at the federal level. They could not have been more wrong. Unfortunately for the Governor, someone had also wrongly briefed him about the bill. As a result the Lt. Governor and the Governor made statements at the bill signing ceremony that angered GOAL members. The following is what the bill actually did:
1. Established the Firearm License Review Board (FLRB). The 1998 law created new criteria for disqualifying citizens for firearms licenses that included any misdemeanor punishable by more than two years even if no jail time was ever served.
For instance, a first conviction of operating a motor vehicle under the influence would result in the loss of your ability to own a handgun for life and long guns for a minimum of five years. This Board is now able to review cases under limited circumstances to restore licenses to individuals who meet certain criteria.
2. Mandated that a minimum of $50,000 of the licensing fees be used for the operation of the FLRB so that the Board would not cease operating under budget cuts.
3. Extended the term of the state’s firearm licenses from 4 years to 6 years.
4. Permanently attached the federal language concerning assault weapon exemptions in 18 USC 922 Appendix A to the Massachusetts assault weapons laws. This is the part that the media misrepresented.
In 1998 the Massachusetts legislature passed its own assault weapons ban (MGL Chapter 140, Section 131M). This ban did not rely on the federal language and contained no sunset clause. Knowing that we did not have the votes in 2004 to get rid of the state law, we did not want to loose all of the federal exemptions that were not in the state law so this new bill was amended to include them.
5. Re-instated a 90 day grace period for citizens who were trying to renew their firearm license. Over the past years, the government agencies in charge had fallen months behind in renewing licenses. At one point it was taking upwards of a year to renew a license. Under Massachusetts law, a citizen cannot have a firearm or ammunition in their home with an expired license.
6. Mandated that law enforcement must issue a receipt for firearms that are confiscated due to an expired license. Prior to this law, no receipts were given for property confiscated which led to accusations of stolen or lost firearms after they were confiscated by police.
7. Gave free license renewal for law enforcement officers who applied through their employing agency.
8. Changed the size and style of a firearm license to that of a driver’s license so that it would fit in a normal wallet. The original license was 3” x 4”.
9. Created stiffer penalties for armed home invaders.
Say what you want about what Romney will and won't do, but he will not ban assault weapons. The NRA is totally behind him. They would not be if they thought for a minute he would try to ban or regulate any kind of firearms.
ReplyDeletePaul Ryan is also an avid hunter, bowhunter and gun owner.
Well, gag, regardless of the content of the Mass legislation and regardless of the NRA having lost its' way, I will stand on Mr Romney's quotes.
DeleteDelivered by Mr Murdock's WSJ as he said it on Mr Murdock's FOX News Channel.
“I believe the people should have the right to bear arms, but I don’t believe that we have to have assault weapons as part of our personal arsenal,” he said on Fox News.
Now you can parse or spin that quote any way you wish, but as Mr Romney said, he stands by everything he has said.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deletef Mr Obama had said anything of similar content, at any time in his career, the NRA would be trumpeting it as an attack on the 2nd Amendment of monumental proportions.
DeleteThe hypocrisy of the NRA is shining through.
I won't split hairs with you, Rat. I understand the importance of your need to be right. But you need to read the quote again. He probably doesnt think assault weapons should be in someone's personal collection. I know lot's of gun owners that feel that way. But that's a long way from banning them if elected. If that's the quote you are riding on, you should start quoting Henny Penny.
DeleteBy the way, if you are concerned about assault weapons, and Obama get's re-elected, guess who will be on deck if a vacancy is available on the Supreme Court? Your buddy, Eric Holder, that's who.
Now you should be concerned.
I am not voting for Obama.
DeleteHe will not carry the State of Arizona.
Mr Romney will.
I am voting for Gary Johnson.
Hw will not carry the State of Arizona, either.
I am voting my convictions, not the Republicans.
Not Mr Obama's, nor Mr Romney.
Romney is an East Coast liberal, gun banning, mandate loving, big government Federalist
A vulture capitalist in his private sector career, a proxy for Goldman Sachs.
As is Mr Obama.
Birds of feather.
As far as voting GOP to affect the Supremes.
DeleteJudge Roberts on the ObamaCare decision, Alito and his comments on the 2nd Amendment destroy your argument, As did Justice Souter's appointment by Mr Bush.
Automatic Weapons can be licensed by the Federals. That is the precedent that can be applied to any firearm.
The fees charged for the licensing, well, they could be whatever the Congress comes to compromise upon.
Mr Romney will suport compromise, or he's lied to US.
Either is a disqualifier
What? Your first comments, I agree with, the second as to voting GOP to affect Supremes? I never mentioned the GOP. Your comments don't even make sense. Oh, never mind.
DeleteAkin needs to disappear. So does Lauer. He reminds me of a rodent. No offense intended, rat!
ReplyDeleteMr Akin is a man of strong moral fiber, known for quoting John Paul Jones ...
DeleteI've have not yet begun to fight
He stands firmly on the GOP Party plank concerning rape and abortion, as it was just formalized in Tampa.
Rape is no reason for an abortion to allowed under the GOP proposed Constitutional amendment.
He has no reason to step aside, he is in-line with Party dogma.
He is a true platform Republican, not a RINO.
Why should Akin disappear when the Republican nominee holds the exact same views?
ReplyDeleteMake that the Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee has the Exact Same Views.
Delete.
DeletePaul Ryan is viewed by many as being clever.
When asked by Fox News about his foreign policy experiance, he said,
“I’ve been in Congress for a number of years,” he told Cameron. “That’s more experience than Barack Obama had when he came into office.”
“I voted to send people to war,” he added.
That about says it all.
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That hardly says a thing at all, and you may be projecting your own feelings onto it. There is no context. He might be saying at least I have experienced the heart rending experience of actually having to make a decision on the excruciating questions one sometimes faces.
Delete.
DeleteRyan says, "I can't see Russia from my house, but I can help send troops there."
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The Demise of the Car
ReplyDeleteEurope’s declining oil demand is particularly significant, given that coming into the last decade, the EU was already a highly efficient user of oil. To have taken off even more demand in the past 5 years shows just how tough high oil prices have become in Europe. The result is nothing less than a devastation of Europe’s auto industry, which has already lost 800,000 jobs and looks ready to lose another 500,000 more according to recent forecasts, as reported by Bloomberg. Meanwhile, here is Time Magazine’s big thematic piece from just last month:
DeleteJust how bad are things in motoring Europe? On Wednesday Peugeot reported it lost over $993 million in the first half of 2012 alone. The same day, American maker Ford announced second quarter net income of just over $1 billion world-wide — but a $404 million loss in Europe, where the company now expects total losses to exceed $1 billion by year’s end. Meanwhile, General Motors Europe affiliate Opel-Vauxhall has lost a whopping $14 billion since the start of the century, and is almost certainly facing the same sort of layoffs and plant closures Peugeot has announced. And partners Chrysler and Fiat are also facing grim employment and production decisions to survive the sector’s tightening crisis.
DeleteWhat’s more, the sector is almost certain to see more bad news on the revenue front. According to the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (EAMA), new car registration declined by nearly 7% in the first half of the year. All told, projected total sales of 12.4 million cars in 2012 would represent a nearly 20% slide in volume over 2007, when the current string of annual shrinkage began. Forecasts that once saw activity improving by 2013 now push returning health in the sector beyond the recessionary horizon now stretching far off into the European distance.
Read more: http://business.time.com/2012/07/30/europes-debt-crisis-seems-bad-look-at-its-car-industry/#ixzz24I7T3x35
Isn't it interesting that the crazy guy at the top of the page uses the "Civil War" illusion?
ReplyDelete... CNBC also points out: “As governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed into law a ban on assault weapons and quadrupled the state’s gun licensing fee.” Romney’s answer to that: “Where there are opportunities for people of reasonable minds to come together and find common ground, that’s the kind of legislation I like. The idea of one party jamming through something over the objections over the other tends to divide the nation, not make us a safe and prosperous place. If there’s common ground, why, I’m always willing to have that kind of conversation.”
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeletePussy Riot and the Hypocrisy of the West
Artists can look after their own. For the British and US governments to get on high horses about Russian sentencing is hypocrisy.
America and Britain damned the "disproportionate" Pussy Riot terms. In America's case this was from a nation that jails drug offenders for 20, 30 or 40 years, holds terrorism "suspects" incommunicado indefinitely and imprisons for life even trivial "three strikes" offenders. Last week alone a US military court declared that reporting the Guantánamo Bay trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be censored. Any mention of his torture in prison was banned as "reasonably expected to damage national security". This has no apparent connection to proportionate punishment or freedom of speech.
The British security establishment during the Tony Blair-Gordon Brown regime tried to censor history books for possible "terrorist" incitement. It introduced control orders, restricted courts and long-period detention without trial. It made unlicensed demonstrating an offence and has since sought prosecution of Twitter and Facebook abuse. British ministers and courts are craven to what passes for public opinion. The idea that, whenever a crime or antisocial action hits the headlines, "the courts must send a message" is politicised justice. At times, especially in tragic cases involving children, it gets near to a lynch mob. Again the only message sent is to the media. If Britain's draconian sentencing were effective, British jails would not be bursting at the seams...
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ReplyDelete.
Declining Birth Rate in US: Short or Long-term Problem?
But the 2010 Census showed that in the past decade America’s birthrate slipped below at least one European country (France) and under the pace necessary to replace our current population. Immigration, both legal and illegal, is also slowing, in part due to plunging birthrates in Mexico and other Latin American countries. As one National Geographic report from Brazil has it, women there, too, are saying: “A fábrica está fechada.” The factory is closed.
America’s sinking birthrate is in great part a function of our wobbly economy. The decline, notes the Pew Research Center, largely coincides with the onset of the 2007 real estate crash and the financial crisis the following year...
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I've concluded it takes a dove three days to build a nest, because she is not working today again.
ReplyDeleteUnless I missed a day or so at the beginning.....
...
Rasmussen Tracking 8/19 - 8/21 1500 LV 3.0 44 46 Romney +2
Gallup Tracking 8/14 - 8/20 3050 RV 2.0 45 47 Romney +2
Ramussen Reports
ReplyDeletePresident Obama retains a slight lead in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections. This includes new numbers from Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Electoral College
Obama: 247 - Romney: 206 - Toss-up: 85
The only Electors that count.
DeleteRasmussen Reports are unchanged since last posted, here at the EB
While the RCP reports that there is movement in the toss-ups, coming from States that had leaned Obama.
221 Obama
126 Toss Ups
191 Romney
Maureen Dowd on Aiken:
ReplyDelete"Just Think No
There’s something trying about an unforgiving man suddenly in need of forgiveness.
Yet Todd Akin is right. He shouldn’t have to get out of the United States Senate race in Missouri simply for saying what he believes. He reflects a severe stance on abortion that many in his party embrace, including the new vice presidential candidate.
“I talk about one word, one sentence, one day out of place, and, all of a sudden, the entire establishment turns on you,” Representative Akin complained to the conservative radio talk-show host Dana Loesch on Tuesday as he spurned pleas from Mitt Romney and other G.O.P. big shots to abort his bid. He continued: “They just ran for cover at the first sign of any gunfire, and I think we need to rush to the gunfire.”
He’s right again. Other Republicans are trying to cover up their true identity to get elected. Even as party leaders attempted to lock the crazy uncle in the attic in Missouri, they were doing their own crazy thing down in Tampa, Fla., by reiterating language in their platform calling for a no-exceptions Constitutional amendment outlawing abortion, even in cases of rape, incest and threat to the life of the mother.
Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with his iPod full of heavy metal jams and his cute kids. But he’s just a fresh face on a Taliban creed — the evermore antediluvian, anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-gay conservative core. Amiable in khakis and polo shirts, Ryan is the perfect modern leader to rally medieval Republicans who believe that Adam and Eve cavorted with dinosaurs.
DeleteIn asserting that women have the superpower to repel rape sperm, Akin ratcheted up the old chauvinist argument that gals who wear miniskirts and high-heels are “asking” for rape; now women who don’t have the presence of mind to conjure up a tubal spasm, a drone hormone, a magic spermicidal secretion or mere willpower to block conception during rape are “asking” for a baby.
“The biological facts are perhaps inconvenient, but whether the egg meets the sperm is a matter of luck or prevention,” says Dr. Paul Blumenthal, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology who directs the Stanford Program for International Reproductive Education and Services. “If wishing that ‘I won’t get pregnant right now’ made it so, we wouldn’t need contraceptives.”
When you wish upon a rape.
Dr. Blumenthal is alarmed that Akin is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
“What is very disturbing to me is that people like Mr. Akin who have postulated this secret mechanism for avoiding pregnancy have developed their own make-believe world of science based on entirely self-serving beliefs of convenience or just ignorance,” he said. “I don’t think we want these people to be responsible for the lives of others.”
But, for all the Republican cant about how they want to keep government out of the lives of others, the ultraconservatives are panting to meddle in the lives of others. Contrary to President Obama’s refreshing assertion Monday that a bunch of male politicians shouldn’t be making health care decisions for women, this troglodyte tribe of men and Bachmann-esque women craves that responsibility.
“Next we’ll be trying to take away the vote from women,” lamented Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist who advised Romney in the 2008 race. “How can we be the party of cool and make the generational leap forward when we have these recidivist ideas at the very core of our base?”
Akin defended the incendiary comment he made on a Missouri TV show — “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down” — by saying he wasn’t talking about rapists being legitimate, but rather “false claims” of rape, “like those made in Roe versus Wade.” He said he meant to say “forcible rape.” Oh, that’s ever so much better.
Akin, Ryan et al. have made it their business to designate which rapes are legitimate, joining up to push Orwellian legislation last year to narrow the definition of rape to “forcible rape.”
And Mitt, who was for abortion rights (except for Mormons he counseled) before he was against them, in his last presidential bid went after the endorsement of Dr. John Willke, a former president of the National Right to Life Committee and father of the inanity about rape victims being able to turn back sperm if they put their mind and muscles to it.
The nutty doctor hypothesized: “This is a traumatic thing. She’s, shall we say, she’s uptight.” Adding, “She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic.”
Akin is right in saying this race should be about “who we are as a people.”
It should also be about who they are. They are people who want to be in your life, deep in your life, even when they say they don’t."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/opinion/dowd-just-think-no.html?hp
Lordy, lordy, lordy,
ReplyDeleteI actually sat and listened to that Levin belch. Man, is he a dork!
On The Planet of the Rapes when women are "legitimately raped" they secrete Magic Teflon Vagina Juice (according to a government official from la la land) which protects them from experiencing an unwanted pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteEvidently, according to Church Lady on Church Chat, for women who are not "legitimately raped" that magic teflon vagina juice cannot be conjured up.
House member Todd Akin (R-Bullshitistan) is there because some voters chose him to legislate laws for them.
I might note that Akin's magic potion ideology has been put into the 2012 GOP platform: no women's choice even in the case of rape or incest.
While the Romney - Ryan ticket claims to not hold that view from the GOP platform, it is a disingenuous denial:
After saying he “can’t defend” Rep. Todd Akin’s suggestion that women don’t get pregnant from rape, Mitt Romney stepped up his rebuke on Tuesday when he called on Akin to drop out of the Missouri Senate race. But archives from Romney’s previous presidential bid show that the Massachusetts Republican has historically supported the person who is the source of Akin’s theory, Dr. Jack C. Willke, the father of the antiabortion movement . . . . .
Dredd Blog
The Dems lost the Medicare debate following the Ryan rollout. That's kind of bemusing. You just have to ask "how could they have been so ill-prepared for what was a very likely VP selection?"
ReplyDeleteEh. Well, anyway, ill-prepared they were. I've seen "greased pig" round-ups that were more organized.
About the most interesting stat I saw during the entire week wasn't brought up by the Democrats, but by Ezra Klein.
2/3rds of Medicaid Money Goes To Seniors.
And, Ryan's Program absolutely Eviscerates Medicaid.
Gallup, and Rasmussen continue to agree at Romney +2. As of right now, Romney is going to win this thing.
Rufus finally got one thing right!
DeleteHoooray!
"Romney is going to win this thing."
He got it right.
Lot's can happen a few weeks, Rufus. I bet Obama wins. The pendelum swings back and forth. I believe Sept 24 is first day of early voting. Still plenty of time for hole card showing.
ReplyDeleteCould be, Gag. But, right now, he's losing the "Old Folks," big time. And, I don't see how a Dem can win while losing the old folks by double digits.
DeleteAll those other groups "may, or may not" turn out, but the old folks will be there.
The most powerful line I've heard out of the Pubs has been Ryan's "Medicare shouldn't be a piggy-bank for Obamacare." Sweet, sweet, sweet.
Despite the fact that Ryan's budget makes the same reductions on payouts to providers as does Obama.
If you can't put it on a bumper sticker it ain't workin'.
.
DeleteI've seen polls that show the same thing wrt seniors. They seem to approve of Ryan over Obama on the Medicare issue, but not by a wide margin. I would be surprised if this doesn't shift as we near the election.
While seniors tend to be one of the more conservative voting blocks, they also tend to be one of the most informed. And if they were voting their own self-interest (in strictly economic terms), one would thing they would prefer Obama.
However, the wild card is that Ryan ruled out having current seniors be affected by his proposals. Perhaps, the seniors will feel that since it won't affect them who gives a shit. I hope not.
The ironic thing about Ryan's plan is the implementation schedule. By 2030, the boomers generation, the biggest problem for Medicare, will be pretty much through the system and demographics should be shifting in the other direction. Ryan puts implementation off for over 10 years allowing more than half the boomers to go through the system before 'any' changes are made. Most of the boomers will be through the system before the Ryan plan is fully implemented.
Ryan takes the biggest problem we've got and completely ignores it, a purely political decision. The Ryan budget also ignores Social Security, a major problem that a few simple fixes could correct. Why? Again, purely politics. With an election coming up why address a controversial issue when you can ignore it?
All hat, no cattle.
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Ash, let's see here now, Admiral.
ReplyDeleteWhich do you think is worse:
1) A man that uses some ill considered words
or
2) A man who is supposed to be a constitutional law professor who is in favor of KILLING a child that survives an abortion? This is INFANTICIDE, Ash, and the moment that child is born it is a UNITED STATES CITIZEN due all the rights of any other citizen, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The whole world is waiting for your considered reply.
No snarlys, please.
No dissertations, Ash.
DeleteJust
1)
or
2)
will do.
boobie, what would you do if your daughter had gotten pregnant when she was raped? Would you have forced her to have that child?
DeleteWas your daughters rape legitimate? Was it a forced rape?
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DeleteTalk about ashholes.
.
just a few ill considered words there quirkster?
Delete.
Delete.
Some might think so.
I'll let you know when I feel they are ill considered.
Or I will delete them. I've done it many times before after reflection.
.
Just answer the question, Ash.
DeleteYou are running from it in the worst way.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The middle class is struggling to survive and shrinking before our eyes, the Pew Research Center reported on Wednesday.
ReplyDelete"America's middle class has endured its worst decade in modern history," the Pew Research Center said in its report. "It has shrunk in size, fallen backward in income and wealth, and shed some -- but by no means all -- of its characteristic faith in the future."
Of the 2,500 people Pew surveyed, 85% of those who identify themselves as middle class say it is more difficult now than it was a decade ago to maintain their standard of living. The report also found that the middle class is a much smaller part of the population than it used to be, while the poor and rich extremes of society are expanding.
The biggest issue facing the middle class is that their wealth is deteriorating, said economist Richard Fry, who co-authored the report. The housing crisis eroded much of the middle class' net worth, creating a "lost decade" in terms of economic well-being for this group . . . . . .
. . . The middle class also took a bigger hit on the pay front. While incomes across all class levels declined for the first time since World War II, the middle class saw the biggest decline, with a median income for a four person household declining to roughly $70,000 in 2010 from about $73,000 in 2001, the report said. The median income for the lower class is $23,000 and about $113,000 for the upper class. The middle class is also giving up more income to the rich. In 2010, the upper income group took in 46% of all income, up from 29% in 1970. The middle income group took in 45% of income, down significantly from 62% in 1970.
The Shrinking Middle Class
DeleteHey! College football starts next week. The weather is starting to change. I love the fall.
ReplyDeleteYeah, too bad they don' have football in Tx, eh?
Delete:)
:)
:)
“Best of all he loved the fall
DeleteThe leaves yellow on the cottonwoods
Leaves floating on the trout streams
And above the hills
The high blue windless skies
Now he will be a part of them forever.”
I love the fall too.
Rufus, you must of forgotten I went to that Basketball college just north of you. We are frustrated football fans.
DeleteGag, if you posted it more than 3 hrs ago, I'm sure I forgot. :)
DeleteThe Cherokee that speaks with forked tongue is behind by five points, and, look at this --
ReplyDeleteThere’s no way that Republicans can lose a Senate race in Missouri while winning two in Massachusetts and Connecticut … right? Would Spock have to wear a goatee in that universe? Rasmussen’s new poll in the Nutmeg State shows Republican nominee Linda McMahon out to a slight lead over Democratic nominee Chris Murphy in their first look at the general election race for Joe Lieberman’s US Senate seat:
Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon holds a narrow lead over Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at Connecticut’s U.S. Senate race.
A new telephone survey of Likely Voters in Connecticut shows McMahon with 49% of the vote to Murphy’s 46%. One percent (1%) prefer some other candidate, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
PALM BEACH, Fla. – With Election Day less than 11 weeks away, top-rated radio host Rush Limbaugh says Democrats are “set to implode,” becoming more “maniacal” and going to war against each other.
ReplyDelete"Nobody on the Democrat side is looking happy,” Limbaugh said this afternoon. “These people are at war with each other and they’re getting, even if it’s possible, more maniacal in their TV appearances.”
Two national polls out today by Gallup and Rasmussen have Mitt Romney ahead of President Obama by two percentage points, while an Associated Press/Gfk poll has Obama leading by one point.
While analyzing the surveys, Limbaugh explained, “You can detect trends, and in swing states, Romney and Ryan are gaining ground. And in some places, it’s small but it’s perceptible.
(((((There’s something happening out there. And I frankly have been of the opinion that – and I’ve been very careful saying this – but you’ve heard me say it. If the election were held today, I think we’re looking at landslide.)))))
I thought that a week ago. I don’t want to say this too often because political situations are too volatile as the [Todd] Akin thing illustrates.”
Akin is the six-term Republican congressman from Missouri whom some Republicans are urging to quit his race for the U.S. Senate after suggesting a woman’s body can shut down a pregnancy after a “legitimate rape.” Akin has apologized for the remark and said he will not withdraw from the race.
Limbaugh said Democrats are “saying some of the craziest, wackiest things, and the Akin thing is unfortunate, but I think the Democrats are – I don’t want to say this too loud either ’cause I don’t want to affect what their inclinations are – but I think they’re set to implode over this. They have these hot-button, boilerplate issues that cause them to go to Page Two of their playbook that’s 30 years old.
“And they put plans into motion that just are not relevant. They live in a bubble. They lie to themselves about their own popularity. They fall for it because the media creates a false impression of just how many people do support Democrats and liberals in this country.”
As an example, Limbaugh said, “Nobody’s showing up at Obama appearances, so they say, ‘Oh, well we’re doing that on purpose. We are limiting the audience size so the president can have a more intimate event with the attendees. And we’re also limiting the amount of money at any one time.’ That’s such a crock! There isn’t the enthusiasm for Obama that there was. Nowhere near it.”
Rufus, really, your guy is a crook, in addition to being for killing new born children.
ReplyDeleteAugust 22, 2012
Labor Department Spends Stimulus Funds Running Ads On Olbermann, Maddow
"No jobs created," the Washington Times reports. The contract noted that -- zero jobs created.
So what were stimulus funds doing plumping Maddow's and Olbermann's show's ad buys?
The ads touted the "Green Jobs" that aren't available.
The firm ultimately negotiated ad buys for “two approved spots” airing 14 times per week for two months on “Countdown With Keith Olbermann” and “The Rachel Maddow Show,” according to a project report, which listed the number zero under a section of the report asking how many jobs had been created through the stimulus contract.
David Williams, president of the nonprofit watchdog Taxpayers Protection Alliance, called the contract “questionable” because it created no jobs and because of the placement of the ads on shows viewed as friendly to the administration’s policies.
“Hiring a PR firm does not create jobs, and this was obviously meant for selling a particular political agenda,” Mr. Williams said. “The placement really reeks of a political ad rather than a job ad, and taxpayers see through this.
Puhleeze, Boobie, American Nutjobs, and Now, Rush Limbaugh?
ReplyDeleteGo read something that's NOT written by a crazy person. This thing is tighter'n a tick. Nobody's winning a "landslide" this year.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteA reporter for the Pittsburgh TV station KDKA asked Paul Ryan the other day what he thought of Rep. Todd Akin’s pronouncement that victims of “legitimate rape” can magically “shut down” pregnancy and so do not need the right to an abortion.
ReplyDeleteMr. Ryan went through the motions of expressing shock: “His statements were outrageous, over the pale. I don’t know anybody who would agree with that.” * But when the reporter asked Mr. Ryan if he thought abortions should be available to rape victims, he toned down his rhetoric.
“Well, look, I’m proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress,” Mr. Ryan said. “It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.”
The answer is instructive, and emblematic of the way Republicans have been trying to handle Mr. Akin’s deranged rant. Mr. Ryan acts as though Mr. Akin is an outlier when, on the merits—setting aside the biological mysticism—there’s not much daylight between them.
It’s not like we don’t know Mr. Ryan’s views on rape exceptions. He is opposed to them. He’s on the record saying abortions should only be legal if the mother’s life is at risk. We also know that he is a leader of a right-wing faction devoted to the odd pursuit of redefining rape. Last year, he and Mr. Akin co-sponsored the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” which would have prohibited federal funding of abortions except in cases of “forcible rape.”
Republicans are trying to airbrush Mr. Akin out of the party, but simultaneously Republicans in Congress and in state legislatures are attacking women’s reproductive rights. They enact laws that chip away at when and how women can obtain abortions. When that fails, they pass legal requirements that make it difficult for doctors to provide abortions, or they cut funding for organizations that provide abortions.
House Speaker John Boehner, who has said anti-abortion measures are central to the Republican agenda, acted appalled at Mr. Akin. So did Senator John Cornyn, another devoted anti-abortionist. He withdrew the pledge of $5 million that the National Republican Senatorial Committee had made to Mr. Akin’s campaign and tried to get him to drop out. He called Mr. Akin’s comments “wrong, offensive, and indefensible.”
But what are these politicians so upset about? Mr. Akin’s belief that rape victims shouldn’t have access to abortions? Or just his belief that women can “shut down” pregnancies?
Voters should know for sure—what, exactly, do Mr. Akin’s fellow Republicans find so offensive and indefensible about the candidate’s comments? Reporters should put that question to every Republican running for national office.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/ask-your-local-g-o-p-candidate-about-legitimate-rape/?hp
Funny clip on the last post. Nice one.
ReplyDelete–With the exception of one member, the Minutes underscored the willingness among FOMC voters to engage in another round of [large-scale asset purchases], with the report stating that “many members judged that additional monetary accommodation would likely be warranted fairly soon unless incoming information pointed to a substantial and sustainable strengthening in the pace of the economic recovery.” This reference is key as it reinforces our long-standing belief that the burden of proof has remained on the data to prove that further policy easing will not be required.
ReplyDelete–Millan L. B. Mulraine, TD Securities
–If there was any doubt about how close the FOMC is to easing, the minutes to the most recent meeting should dispel those concerns. Many members suggested that additional easing would be warranted unless a “substantial and sustainable” pickup in economic activity materialized.
–Dan Greenhaus, BTIG LLC
–The FOMC is once again itching to ease. I was surprised that they were able to resist the urge at this meeting, but the minutes made clear that they took a pass for two reasons. First, after having adopted a second round of Twist in June and hyping that as a major move, the FOMC couldn’t very well come back 6 weeks later and do something else and claim that was big too. In the FOMC’s words, “more time was seen as necessary to evaluate the effects of that decision.” Second, and more importantly, as laid out above, they were revving up to do something in September.
–Stephen Stanley, Pierpoint Securities
Greece's debt stands at more than 300 billion euro (£236 billion), and its economy is struggling through a fifth year of recession with unemployment above 23%.
ReplyDelete...
Some German politicians have talked openly in recent weeks about the possibility of Greece leaving the euro, and the vice chancellor, economy minister Philipp Roesler, has said that the idea of a Greek exit has "lost its horror".
But Athens insists the country must remain in the euro - something which opinion polls have shown the vast majority of Greeks want.
So Massachusetts is imposing a cap on health spending, public and private. Here’s the Journal again: “All Massachusetts doctors, hospitals and other providers must register with a new state bureaucracy as a condition of licensure.
ReplyDelete...
“Sweeping” is a woefully inadequate word to describe such policies, whose terminus is all too clear: If health-care spending hits the government-dictated ceiling, then even if you’re willing to pay a doctor out of pocket for a consultation, the government won’t let you.
The essence of Obamacare was the individual mandate—the decree that everyone must buy health insurance, whether they want it or not. Now, many of the same liberals who wanted government to make people spend money on health care also want to dictate the point at which they should stop. (And when that doesn’t work, what then?)
.
DeleteCome on!
Did anyone ever expect anything different? It's in the nature of elitist pols. They know what's best for you and, dammit, you are going to get it whether you want it or not.
Anyone who thinks Obamacare is anything but an intermeediary step to single payer is a naif.
And I am not making a judgment about single payer. Perhaps it is the best way to go. However, the problem with any healthcare system is the assholes that dream it up and/or adminster it. The problem with a healthcare system run by the elitists is that that will end up telling you what health care you will get, how much of it, when, and who from.
And they convince thmeselves they are only working in your interest.
.
Hear, hear!
DeleteExcept that part about single payer.
" The problem with a healthcare system run by the elitists is that that will end up telling you what health care you will get, how much of it, when, and who from.
And they convince thmeselves they are only working in your interest."
Yes indeed.
I'd add, leading many to an early grave.
Bullshit, Mr Romney said the individual mandate healthcare was a conservative initiative.
DeleteHe wasn't lyin', was he?
.
DeleteBullshit, rat?
Mine was a general statement about buraucracies and the elitist dicks who usually end up running them. Although, it can be expanded specifically to Obama, a statist and Fabian socialist, a man who prefers Alinsky's methods to those of Ayers.
If you confute elitist with liberal, that is your problem; however, it is understandable how you got there.
.
Republican foreign-policy circles have hailed Mitt Romney’s choice of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running-mate, noting that he believes in free trade, a strong defense, and is thinking seriously about China. Moreover, unlike the current resident of the White House, Ryan is an unabashed advocate of American exceptionalism.
ReplyDelete...
Bush did not attack Iran because he was already waging war in two Middle Eastern theaters and did not want to go down in the history books as the president who only waged wars on Muslims. Barack Obama has not attacked Iran in his first term and is highly unlikely to do so in his second term because his Middle East policy is one of extrication from the region, not further military involvement.
...
The record shows that there is always a reason for American presidents of both parties to look the other way when Iran is up to no good. No American president has ever drawn red lines for Tehran and enforced them by showing that transgressions are swiftly and severely punished.
On this date in 1902, Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to ride in an automobile.
ReplyDeleteON EDUCATION SWING IN 'OIHO,' OBAMA MISSPELLS BATTLEGROUND STATE...
ReplyDeletePerfect image.
Using a state-by-state analysis of unemployment and per-capita income, academics Kenneth Bickers and Michael Berry of the University of Colorado project that Romney will win 52.9% of the popular vote and 320 electoral votes. The political scientists discuss their findings here.
ReplyDeleteTheir forecast suggests that President Obama will lose in almost all of the swing states, including North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida…
Bickers said much of the polling thus far means relatively little, with much of the electorate still not focused on the race. The academics said their model focuses on the preeminent issue of the economy. Applied retrospectively, the model predicts the correct winner in every presidential contest going back to 1980, they said.
These boys came up through BubblePlumbPolling.
http://hotair.com/archives/2012/08/22/academic-model-romney-will-take-52-9-of-the-vote-320-electoral-votes/
Heavily reported on, at FOX News
DeleteThe door is slightly ajar for a Two-bagger the first half of Sept.
Delete1) A Release from the SPR, and
2) A Fed QE
A little jump in the Stock Market, and an Easing of prices at the pump going into Oct.
hmm
Too little, too late.
DeleteThe jig is up.
Obama +1.5
ReplyDelete- RCP
Rasmussen Tracking 8/19 - 8/21 1500 LV 3.0 44 46 Romney +2
ReplyDeleteGallup Tracking 8/15 - 8/21 3050 RV 2.0 45 47 Romney +2
......
Meanwhile, over at Drudge, some heavily intoxicated monkey lab technician is arrested with his pants down partying with a couple of monkeys.
It would be hard to live down a headline like that.
And here's a Prince to appreciate -
Deletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/22/naked-prince-harry-photos-shock.html
Best thing Princess Di ever did was give birth to those two boys.
.
DeleteIf you've got the chance for a little strip pool with some regis-groupies, what the hell, go for it.
On the other hand, given his position, he's either and idiot or a jerk for allowing photos to be taken of the orgy.
.
Spoken from the mindset of a man naturally born to the deceptive!
Delete:)
He's just being Prince Hal fooling around with Falstaff and Miss Quickley, before he becomes King, Quirk.
DeleteIt's an old and honored English tradition.
Relax.
They practice primogeniture, Bob. William has to die, childless, for Harry to become King.
Delete…you know me not old man.
DeleteAugust 22, 2012
ReplyDeleteThe Obama Identity
Richard Butrick
Thomas Sowell, the distinguished economist and political analyst, rarely goes to the cinema. However, he drove 30mi to see this cinema production.. The theater was jammed and the audience watched in rapt attention. The movie? The documentary 2016 produced by Dinesh D'Souza, the author of best-selling book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage" and directed by Gerald Molen of Schindler’s List fame.
D'’Souza is of the conviction that Obama’s upbringing has given him the firm belief that US has gained its great wealth and position in the world by exploitation of the third world. He is convinced that Obama’s mindset is closed on that point and that Obama is equally convinced that great wealth, not just of nations but of individuals and of corporations in general, is obtained by exploitation. To Obama's mind that great imbalance of wealth must be redressed even if that means a diminished America. If D'Souza is right then Obama is a sneak. Obama does not openly proclaim and defend his position.
What is amazing in all this is that the question of the Obama identity persists. No president in the history of the US has remotely come close Obama as regards the persistent question of his identity. Nixon, Carter, Roosevelt, Reagan, Coolidge - you name the president. For none of them was identity an issue. Their policies reflected their beliefs. What they stood for was not an issue. Liberals and conservatives might disagree with the merit of their arguments and policies but like them or hate them, their identity was not an issue.
That the Obama identity issue persists is in itself damning evidence that the projected identity is not the real identity. And one would vote for that because...why?
Watch related American Thinker Video selection: "2016: Obama's America"
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/08/the_obama_identity.html#ixzz24KotSpq0
Everyone should see this movie. This is not Michael Moore crap.
Deleted'Souza is a good guy, and if the this movie is like his books it is a joint effort by his group and will be well researched.
d'Souza just sent a few bucks to O's destitute alcoholic brother in Kenya to keep him going another few months.
How is your brother doing, President Obama?
“I know not; am I my brother's keeper?”
Redag
DeleteI saw 2016 and was very impressed. Very informative and done in a non-biased way. When the movie ended ( and the theater was full ) the audience applauded. I haven't been in a movie where that happened in a long time. That gave me hope for November.
This comes as a bit of a surprise, I think.
ReplyDeleteAustralia Leads the World in Rooftop Solar
You always hear about Germany, and California. Australia slides in under the radar.
No surprise there. Like I said earlier, every other house has a solar array on the roof.
DeleteSpeaking of which, California got another 1,000 Megawatt Solar/Hr, yesterday.
Delete1,000 Megawatt/Hr
I guess I was drinkin' that night, Sam. :)
DeleteWell, that's a heck of a thing.
I'm beginning to think that Australians ARE just a little smarter than the average bears.
Let me get this straight.
ReplyDeleteMassachusetts has, arguably, the best healthcare in the world,
covers Everyone,
has a rate of healthcare inflation below the average state,
Just about the highest Median Income/Standard of Living in the United States,
and an economy that's running in the top two, or three in the U.S.
and all this is, somehow, a Bad thing?
Once an X-Band identifies a missile's trajectory, the U.S. can deploy ship-or-land-based missile interceptors or antimissile systems.
ReplyDeleteThe Navy has drawn up plans to expand its fleet of ballistic missile-defense-capable warships from 26 ships today to 36 by 2018, according to Navy officials and the Congressional Research Service. Officials said as many as 60% of those are likely to be deployed to Asia and the Pacific.
In addition, the U.S. Army is considering acquiring additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, antimissile systems, said a senior defense official. Under current plans, the Army is building six THAADs.
Solyndra Art
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Natural-Discourse-at-UC-Berkeley-garden-3788078.php
Value for our money.
Obama claimed he could control the wind, the rain, the seas.
ReplyDeleteSo we know who is behind this -
http://icons-ak.wunderground.com/data/images/at201209_ensmodel.gif
Dang it, it was a computer model of the hurricane heading for Tampa.
DeleteThis is nearly as good, from Drudge -
Deletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444270404577605643222916070.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop
Here's a good idea -
ReplyDeleteAround the clock, Democratic candidates, spokesmen, commercials, and the party’s foot soldiers in the news media will labor sedulously to transform the party of Lincoln and Reagan into the party of Akin. By Election Day, Akin will be more famous, ubiquitous, and inescapable than Kim Kardashian. His twisted comments on rape will be played again and again, with spooky music, scary edits, and every instrument in the campaign consultant’s tool box applied to amplify this message…
On its opening evening in Tampa, the Republican National Convention should vote on prime-time television to denounce Akin, reject his wretched comments, disassociate the party from him, and pledge that no GOP resources will be deployed to support his campaign. Each delegation should express itself on this matter through a roll call of the states. The decision should be overwhelming, if not unanimous, against Akin.
Such concrete action might put some safe distance between Akin and the rest of the party and thereby isolate this contagion.
HotAir
Or, like Sarah and Coulter suggest, get a third candidate in there, even if as a write-in.
Q, the Swiss healthcare system, which many consider to be the best in the world, was put in place in 1995; it hasn't led to single-payer, yet.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is covered (and, covered extremely well,) and their cost per capita is about 40% Less than ours.
Swisscare (the early Romney/Obamacare
I thought Massachusetts had the best health care system in the world.
DeleteNow it is the Swiss.
One day the Afghans had a better system than ours.
I'm confused.
No shit.
DeleteIt IS the "Party of Akin." 200 Republicans Co-Sponsored Akin's particularly brutal anti-abortion bill.
ReplyDeleteThe Democratic Party is the Party of Obama, who favors killing born alive babies.
DeleteThis is called Infantide.
The Democrats are the Party of Infanticide.
And, of course, pulling the plug on the old folks, too.
Here's a govment and party that calls itself a govment, and lets on to be a govment, and thinks it is a govment .... and wants to kill its citizens. Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Call this a govment!? why, just look at it and see what it's like.
DeleteI think there might be more to that story than you realize, or are saying.
In one case I use the word, "arguably," in the other case the disclaimer "many consider." Obviously, I think they're both very good.
ReplyDeleteBob, you might ought to try a less-challenging blog. Maybe, Ace-o-Spades, or Hot Air. Something like that.
Gateway Pundit.
DeleteDo they have commentors at American Thinker?
You're funny, Rufus.
DeleteI can't help it.
And you did one day say the Afghan system was better than ours.
DeleteIn a really unguarded, thoughtless, emotional laden moment.
No I didn't. That's stupid.
DeleteTotus
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/photos/teleprompter-obscures-u-president-obama-speaks-during-campaign-photo-174748405.html
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