The Ledes

Monday, September 30, 2024

New York Times: “Kris Kristofferson, the singer and songwriter whose literary yet plain-spoken compositions infused country music with rarely heard candor and depth, and who later had a successful second career in movies, died at his home on Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday. He was 88.”

~~~ The New York Times highlights “twelve essential Kristofferson songs.”

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Public Service Announcement

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Washington Post: “Comedy news outlet the Onion — reinvigorated by new ownership over this year — is bringing back its once-popular video parodies of cable news. But this time, there’s someone with real news anchor experience in the chair. When the first episodes appear online Monday, former WAMU and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson will be the face of the resurrected 'Onion News Network.' Playing an ONN anchor character named Dwight Richmond, Johnson says he’s bringing a real anchor’s sense of clarity — and self-importance — to the job. 'If ONN is anything, it’s a news organization that is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it has the confidence of a serial killer,' says Johnson, 44.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll be darned if I can figured out how to watch ONN. If anybody knows, do tell. Thanks.

Washington Post: “First came the surprising discovery that Earth’s atmosphere is leaking. But for roughly 60 years, the reason remained a mystery. Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space — at speeds of 20 kilometers per second. Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream. There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet. It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found. The field is only about the strength of a watch battery — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space. It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth. This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable. The electric field is 'an agent of chaos,' said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study. 'It undoes gravity.... Without it, Earth would be very different.'”

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

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Apr302014

The Commentariat -- May 1, 2014

Graphic removed.

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "With the Republican-led filibuster of a Senate proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 on Wednesday, Democrats moved swiftly to frame the vote as an example of the gulf that exists between the two parties on matters of economic fairness and upward mobility. The question is not just one of money, they said, but of morality. And in doing so the Democrats returned to the themes that were successful for their party and President Obama in 2012 .... Speaking from the White House shortly after the measure was defeated 54 to 42, with 60 votes needed to advance, Mr. Obama admonished Republicans and called on voters to punish them at the polls in November":

... ** Annie Lowrey of the New York Times: Living standards for the poor are better than they were 50 years ago, but the poor have fallen further behind the middle-class & rich. Read the whole article. ...

... O Canada! Ian Austen & David Leonhardt of the New York Times: Middle-class Canadians are better off than middle-class U.S. workers. "... median income in Canada appears to have surpassed median income in the United States. Plus, their health care is cheaper, they're better-educated, they have higher union membership, the rich aren't as rich, & Canadians didn't lose their homes in the global recession [because Canadian regulations don't allow big bankers to run amok]. ...

... Charles Pierce: "Can we just drop the pretense now and admit that one of our two major political parties is perfectly fine with pauperizing the American middle-class in order to 'redistribute' wealth upwards?"

We have to be cognizant of how people hear things. For instance, when I think of 'inner city,' I think of everyone. I don't just think of one race. It doesn't even occur to me that it could come across as a racial statement, but that's not the case, apparently.... What I learned is that there's a whole language and history that people are very sensitive to, understandably so. We just have to better understand. You know, we'll be a little clumsy, but it's with the right intentions behind it. -- Rep. Paul White Bread Ryan (R-Wis.), after meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus Wednesday

CW Translation: Tetchy, tetchy. Among the many failings of those people, they don't hear right. I'm still the best person ever.

CW Alternate Translation: Damn! Those people are on to me. My staff will have to think of another code phrase for 'lazy black city folk.'

Neil Irwin of the New York Times: "By 2020, about 90 percent of American workers who now receive health insurance through their employers will be shifted to government exchanges created by the health law, according to a projection by S&P Capital IQ, a research firm serving the financial industry."

Jerry Markon, et al., of the Washington Post: "As officials in Oklahoma said they would investigate the botched execution that has drawn worldwide scrutiny, the White House weighed in and said that the execution was not conducted humanely. 'We have a fundamental standard in this country that even when the death penalty is justified, it must be carried out humanely,' Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said Wednesday during a briefing. 'And I think everyone would recognize that this case fell short of that standard.'" ...

... Dustin Volz of the National Journal: "Secret suppliers of drugs, changes in lethal-injection protocol, a cavalier attitude among Oklahoma officials, and a national death-penalty system in crisis preceded Tuesday's failed execution." ...

... ** Andrew Cohen of the Atlantic: "What happened [Tuesday] night was the inevitable result of a breakdown in government in Oklahoma, where frustration at the continuing delay in the resolution of Lockett's case blinded state officials to the basic requirements of due process.... Lockett now is a symbol of feckless judicial review by the federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.... It's on[, among others,] Justice Antonin Scalia, the man of great faith, who just a few months ago, in oral argument in Hall v. Florida, lamented the slow pace of executions in this country and blamed his colleagues for the delay." ...

... Ian Millhiser of Think Progress has more on the history behind current executions. ...

... New York Times Editors: "On Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after her employees tortured a man to death, [Oklahoma Gov. Mary] Fallin [R] suddenly showed an interest in execution procedures. She ordered an independent review of the injection protocol, halting further state killings until the investigation is complete. She should have gone much further and followed other governors and legislatures in banning executions, recognizing that the American administration of death does not function. Mr. Lockett's ordeal, along with the botched deaths of other inmates around the country, showed there is no reliable and humane method of execution." ...

... Mike Sacks of the Daily Beast on the Supreme Court & the death penalty. The Court won't eliminate the death penalty, so it's up to voters.

Being a Winger Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry, Ctd. Mark Sherman of the AP: "Supreme Court opinions are rarely susceptible to the kind of fact-checking that reporters usually employ on politics. But Justice Antonin Scalia's hearty dissent in an environmental case this week contained such a glaring error of fact -- misreporting an earlier case in which Scalia himself wrote the majority opinion -- that the justice changed the opinion. The court quietly posted the corrected version on its website without notice."

Monica Davey of the New, York Times: Illinois Democrats propose to spend $100 million to lure President Obama to locate his library in Illinois, claiming the state will recoup the money in increased tourism. Republicans object. (No link.) ...

     ... CW: I'm with Republicans on this. However, I'll bet they'd be happy to spend $100MM to get a pro ball team to move to Chicago. Or way more. From ESPN Chicago, July 2013: "The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a $500 million renovation plan for the 99-year-old Wrigley Field, including a massive left-field LED scoreboard and a large neon right-field sign."

Gail Collins: $1 million won't buy you much these days. Unless you think Jeb Bush's advice or four Hillary Clinton speeches are practically priceless.

Dave Weigel of Slate unpacks the newest Benghaaazi! "scandal": "... the entire argument is about Rhodes mentioning, hours after the CIA had suggested the Benghazi attack grew out of demonstrations in several countries, that the immediate inspiration for the demonstrations was a video. That's the scandal -- that by giving the video all this credit, the administration was distracting people from the real story that terrorism was surging again. Even though the subsequent 19 months have seen no more attacks on embassies. Even though reporting at the time said the excuse for the protests was said video."

Etiquette Rule: Don't Embarrass the Host. Philip Otterman of the Guardian: "The German government has blocked Edward Snowden from giving personal evidence in front of a parliamentary inquiry into NSA surveillance, it has emerged hours before Angela Merkel travels to Washington for a meeting with Barack Obama. In a letter to members of a parliamentary committee obtained by Süddeutsche Zeitung, government officials say a personal invitation for the US whistleblower would 'run counter to the political interests of the Federal Republic', and 'put a grave and permanent strain' on US-German relations.'"

Our American Presidents

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Former President Bill Clinton, who has grown increasingly frustrated that his economic policies are viewed as out-of-step with the current focus on income inequality, on Wednesday delivered his most muscular defense of his economic legacy. The speech reflected a strategic effort by Mr. Clinton and his advisers to reclaim the populist ground now occupied by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and other ascendant left-leaning Democrats, and, potentially, to lay out an economic message that could propel his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to the White House in 2016."

That "Special Relationship" with Bozo. Nico Hines & Ben Jacobs of the Daily Beast: "In the early1980s, senior members of the British foreign service were appalled by what they saw as the American president's bumbling ignorance and lack of interest in world affairs. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were often portrayed as geo-political soul mates, but government files declassified in London on Wednesday expose a deep British disdain for the president who was described in official papers as homophobic, uninformed, disinterested and, not to put too fine a point on it, 'a Bozo.'"

A'Way Out West

The Nation of Bundyland Is A'Crumblin'. Its once-loyal troops break into civil war. A Daily Kos contributor reports. CW: Funnier if the troops weren't armed & crazy. Via Charles Pierce. ...

... CW: A good deal of attention has been given to the disappeared comma in the Second Amendment. Constitutional scholars instead should devote more thought to the nonstandard spelling & scrivner's error in the Amendment, what with its having been writ by hand before Webster introduced standard American spelling. The ratified version of the Amendment reads,

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

     ... But, with due respect to Justice Scalia (which would be no respect whatsoever), the original intent of the Founders surely was this guarantee:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bare arse shall not be infringed.

     ... I hold this truth to be self-evident. The venerable Founders could not have been stoopid enough to give those crazy high-plains grifters the right to "bear arms" such as muskets. Their skinny white asses, however, are relatively harmless.

A'Way Closer to D.C.

Michelle Cottle of the Daily Beast: Virginia's Republican party primary process is so undemocratic that a voter suppression technique used to select the establishment candidate actually looks like progress.

Not Everything Is Great in Canada

Jenny Yuen, et al., of the Toronto Sun: Toronto "Mayor Rob Ford says he's 'ready to take a break' from the mayoral election campaign to 'go get help.' The decision to immediately step away from the campaign — while staying on the ballot -- came after the Toronto Sun exclusively obtained a new raunchy audio recording of Ford ranting and swearing in an Etobicoke bar. The Globe and Mail also published a report that a new video surfaced of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking what has been described as crack-cocaine early Saturday morning."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Th[e] eastern Ukrainian city [of Donetsk] took another step toward mob rule Thursday as pro-Russian separatists stormed the state prosecutor's office and forced dozens of riot police deployed to guard the building into a humiliating surrender. The attackers, who threw stones and wielded sticks, were backed by a crowd of at least 1,000 men and women of all ages. They chanted 'fascists' and 'traitors' at the riot police and waved Russian flags as well as those of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic.... In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin made what appears to be a politically impossible demand: that the Ukrainian government completely withdraw its troops from the southeastern part of the country. He made the comments in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel...."

Reuters: "Two inmates were killed and between 100 and 150 prisoners and guards injured in an apparent gas explosion at a jail in northern Florida late on Wednesday, a county official said. The blast partly leveled the four-story Escambia County Jail's central booking facility, which held roughly 600 inmates, at about 11 p.m., county spokeswoman Kathleen Castro said. No escapees were reported."

New York Times: "Ukraine’s acting president conceded what had long been obvious: The government's police and security officials had lost control in the areas surrounding the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk." ...

... Reuters: "Ukraine said on Thursday it had detained Russia's military attaché to Kiev on suspicion of spying and ordered him to leave, as the ex-Soviet republic wrestles with an armed uprising it says is orchestrated by Moscow." ...

... Bloomberg News: "The International Monetary Fund approved a $17-billion loan to Ukraine with an immediate disbursement of $3.2 billion to help the country pay its debts as separatist unrest threatens to split the nation's east."

... AP: "The International Monetary Fund estimates that Russia's economy has already entered recession as fears of broad economic sanctions weigh on the economy. Russia's economy shrank 0.5 percent in the first quarter of the year compared with the previous three-month period and is expected to continue struggling, said the head of the IMF mission in Russia, Antonio Spilimbergo."

AP: "Police in Northern Ireland arrested Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams on Wednesday over his alleged involvement in the Irish Republican Army's 1972 abduction, killing and secret burial of a Belfast widow."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (14)

CW: I'm moving forward a comment Kate Madison posted early this morning in yesterday's thread:

Hi Y'all-

Just wanted to add a little human interest to the Wisconsin Voting Rights turn-around. Lynn Adelman, the federal judge who did the deed, was an "old" high school BF of mine--class on 1957 at Shorewood High. We called him "Ollie," because "Lynn" sounded too girly!

I wish I could say he was a lovely guy, because his politics certainly are (and have been always) in a good place. However, he was a rather arrogant and entitled character, and I was not sad to see our relationship end. I saw him again at our class reunion in 2007, and I must say it was pretty much the same story. However, I forgive him EVERYTHING, because he may just have given Scotty Walkabout the Big Boot! And a nosebleed to the Koch brothers as well. Some of the best politicians (and judges) are not particularly nice people. Guess in the big picture, politics trumps personality!
That has always bothered me, and I am sure, always will.

Kate Madison

May 1, 2014 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Re Slumming it; How about "territory of sub-standard housing owned by non-caring rich folk and neglected schools disowned by non-caring rich folk" instead of "inner city". A little longer description but apt.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterJJG

@Kate: Too bad your other buddy (neighbor), Kenny C., didn't hand down any goodies like Ollie, and only besmirched himself time and again. And yes, politics does in many cases trump personality–– or vise versa–-I'm thinking of the grim tale of Grimm who has a dynamite smile and I imagine had his way with women, dogs and children ( but not reporters who he'd like to throw off balconies) but tried to scam the system and will probably be indicted.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

@Kate: yes, it's a rare good day in Wisconsin! I just read Judge Adelman's opinion and am happy to overlook his personal flaws in admiration of his analysis and conclusions.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterNadd2

Don't know very many people, either "just folks" or in the public eye who are both stellar human beings and who did the right thing in a big way - or visa versa. Having said that. Bill Clinton does nothing that is not first and foremost in support of his legacy, including assisting in getting his wife elected. I'm going to need a very large clothespin to squeeze my nose shut in the voting booth. The Clinton duo requires the head of a pin to store their collective character.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterDiane

Could Paul (Lyin') Ryan possibly be any more smarmy or insulting?

Well, I suppose so. These days Republicans seem to outdo themselves on a weekly basis.

When the Lying One tries to weasel out of a comment he made about "inner city" residents, not only is it absurd to think that he meant something else, it's insulting to try to convince people that you didn't mean what you said. Republicans are so used to using dog whistles that they occasionally forget that plenty of people besides their base know what they're talking about.

So when Ryan complains about lazy inner city people who haven't worked in generations and don't have a "culture of work" it's a lead pipe cinch he's not talking about lazy white people. Or any kind of white people for that matter. And he might have been able to get away with it, sort of, if he hadn't brought up inveterate racist and crackpot "researcher" Charles Murray. It would be like hinting around about euthanasia and later trying to deny it, which you probably could have if you hadn't started singing the praises of Dr. Kevorkian.

I certainly hope the Congressional Black Caucus had plenty of salt on hand.

But trying to weasel out of intemperate and stupid remarks is something racist GOP pols and those who pander to the racists are also pretty adept at.

Remember George Allen (R-Kicked out of office), who tried to convince everyone that he had no idea that "macaca" was a racist slur and that he just made it up on the spot?

And don't forget dickhead Rick Santorum (R-Also kicked out of office) who insisted way past the point of embarrassment that he was referring to "blah" people, whoever they might be.

Really, they're racists or racist enablers who don't have the balls to just come out with it. They want to be able to prove to the mouthbreathers and confederate flag fondlers that they are just as racist as your friendly neighborhood hood-wearing cross burner, but also want the political cover of being able to disavow their disgusting sentiments when confronted by decent human beings.

Plus, in Ryan's case, don't forget that those comments about lazy "inner city" people were delivered while appearing on a radio interview with noted dirt bag, hypocrite and liar, Bill Bennett who once suggested that in order to reduce inner city crime rates to near zero, all black babies should be aborted.

Even if this was a "joke" as he later tried to claim, who makes jokes like that but racist pigs? Who even thinks of crazy shit like that?

Show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Regarding the British government documents taking the shine off Saint Ronald's halo.

So the Brits considered him a Bozo? I can't believe that. The idea.

Surely they meant Bonzo?

How any of this can be a surprise is beyond me. The guy was a dangerous, doddering nincompoop. Oh, he was a pretty savvy politician, savvy at getting elected and inflicting horrible policies on the US, great at subverting the Constitution and supporting Central America death squads, excellent at reverse Robin Hooding, but those policies were mostly based on hysteria, bigotry, ignorance of the real world, and Hollywood fantasy.

Some (myself, occasionally) think that George W. Bush was the worst president in history, but that honor should probably be reserved for Saint Ronald of Reagan whose legacy has so damaged the United States. But maybe he could be labeled "Most Dangerous" and Bush "Most Stupid".

I don't know. They're both Bozos. Or Bonzos.

But the thoughts of the British ambassadorial team deserve further consideration, especially since Reagan, whose presidency relied so heavily on fantasy and ignorance, is still held in such high esteem by the wingnuts.

Can't wait for the calls to bomb Britain by the right-wing not-so-intelligentsia.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Every time I see the Daily Beast illustration of the "justice" scale above, I can't help but think the wrong finger is being used. Anybody good with graphics retouching?

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterNiskyGuy

For those commenters who were speculating about what Robert Parry would say about John Kerry's "apartheid" comment & retraction, here's the definitive answer.

Marie

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterMarie Burns

Missed this one.

Bad news for Teabagging dolts but pretty good news for the country in general and democracy specifically.

It appears that Teabagger groups, those icons of conservative purity, those scions of the sainted founders, are scamming the rubes and making a packet doing it.

Wonder of wonders! How could that ever have happened? Corruption and mendacity attached to right-wing causes? Unpossible!

CPAC screamer and president of Tea Party Patriots (oxymoron alert), Jenny Beth Martin, pays herself hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in "consulting fees" but returns only a small fraction of the millions taken in under the pretense of electing more guv'mint hatin' troglodytes.

Damn. Too bad, that.

According to a report in the Washington Post (aka Bush Crony and Torture Supporters' Retirement Home):

"Out of the $37.5 million spent so far [this year] by the PACs of six major tea party organizations, less than $7 million has been devoted to directly helping candidates, according to the analysis, which was based on campaign finance data provided by the Sunlight Foundation."

Oops. Sorry Matt Bevins, sorry

Teabags = Moneybags. So much for the purity of conservative causes.

It's been pretty well known that conservative groups have been using ideological boogeymen and scare tactics to fire up their less than sharp as tacks base to line their own pockets for quite a few years now. No wonder the GOP hates education and loves stupid voters. They make a fortune off them.

But you know who is peeing her pants over this?

Little Miss Sunshine, Jenghazi Rubin, the Post's very own wingnut groupie.

"Republicans who have been targeted as sell-outs by these groups have every right to be infuriated. They’ve been used to generate huge money – for the PAC leaders. It is good business to harangue mainstream Republicans, fundraise off of the “sell outs” and then reap the rewards."

Earth to Jen, Earth to Jen, have you been living in a cave? Of course it's a scam. And this person has a column in the Post? Oh wait, but so do plenty of other alternate reality wingnuts. Never mind. Little Jen is also outraged to find out that many 'bagger groups have been pushing unelectable morons into winnable races but still make a bundle even if baggers lose.

Don't forget, this is the same pinhead who predicted a Romney landslide right up until Ohio went to Obama and the next day wrote that Obama only won because no one liked Romney, the guy she said was unbeatable.

Der....

How does this party even function anymore? The whole thing is a dirty joke. If Democrats could ever get it together, the GOP wouldn't recover for a generation. Not holding my breath on that though.

Jen has a sad. Teabaggers are greedy crooks. Boo-hoo.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Here's a bit of insight on the grifter who heads the LA Chapter of the NAACP.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-in-wake-of-sterling-scandal-naacp-leader-under-scrutiny-20140430,0,1220086.story#axzz30UR8NKxZ

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterJames Singer

Question.

Will Rick Perry's new eyeglasses, designed to make him look more professorial, make him smart enough to remember that third department of the federal government he was going to abolish?

Or will they make him smart enough to realize that doing something about global warming will be more effective than calling for all Texans to kneel and pray for an end to droughts?

The new specs might look sharp but they don't do enough to obliterate the ghostly image that hovers above his head whenever he opens his mouth.

That dunce cap.

May 1, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

I thought I would get a perfect score on this! NOT! See how you brilliant peeples do. (This is for a bit of comic relief.)

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/donald-sterling-donald-trump-quiz

May 2, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterKate Madison

Marie,
The Cubbie deal? The city is not part of that $500M. BUT there are some tax incentives and stuff. But really, not that much and I'm a taxpayer here. Of course, the Ricketts family WANTED us to pay for it, but to his credit, our teeny-tiny mayor stood firm. I'm so happy about that, that I'm willing to cut him some slack on the other.

May 2, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterHaley Simon
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