Former CIA agent Lindsay Moran talks to Cenk Uygur about the Boston Marathon
bombings, how the intelligence agencies react to domestic terrorism and what US
citizens can learn about the impact of US-authorized drone strikes from this
tragedy.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Democrat gearing up to oust Bachmann from Congress
By Morgan Whitaker
After coming within a few thousand votes of kicking Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann out of the House, Democrat Jim Graves is ready to try again.
Graves, Bachmann’s opponent in the 2012 election, on Thursday said he would challenge Bachmann for her seat again. “These days Congress is all about and scoring political points rather than actually solving problems and Minnesota’s 6th District—my home—is losing out because of that more than anywhere,” Graves said in a statement. “I’m not interested in celebrity, only in solutions.”
Bachmann’s team quickly responded, releasing a fundraising email and a video ad that claimed Graves was running again “after receiving his marching orders from the Pelosi-Obama campaign machine.”
Graves lost to Bachmann in 2012 by less than 4,300 votes despite being outspent by Bachmann 12-to-1, but she may not have that financial advantage this time around, as Democrats appear prepared to back Graves more significantly after his strong performance last year.
The news also comes as Bachmann deals with an ethics investigation into her 2012 presidential campaign. Earlier this week she darted away from reporters pressing her on the probe, before eventually blaming “politically motivated” Democrats for the investigation. Bachmann has been accused of failing to pay several Iowa campaign staff members by a former staffer.
“There’s political motivations that are involved because I’ve been named as the number one target for defeat by the Democrat Party, by Nancy Pelosi and also by SuperPACs so, you know no one can know anyone’s thoughts or intents, but clearly it looks like it’s politically motivated,” she said.
The Minnesotan congresswoman has also faced scrutiny for the wildly inaccurate Obama-bashing speech she gave at CPAC, inspiring scathing reports from fact checkers.
After coming within a few thousand votes of kicking Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann out of the House, Democrat Jim Graves is ready to try again.
Graves, Bachmann’s opponent in the 2012 election, on Thursday said he would challenge Bachmann for her seat again. “These days Congress is all about and scoring political points rather than actually solving problems and Minnesota’s 6th District—my home—is losing out because of that more than anywhere,” Graves said in a statement. “I’m not interested in celebrity, only in solutions.”
Bachmann’s team quickly responded, releasing a fundraising email and a video ad that claimed Graves was running again “after receiving his marching orders from the Pelosi-Obama campaign machine.”
Graves lost to Bachmann in 2012 by less than 4,300 votes despite being outspent by Bachmann 12-to-1, but she may not have that financial advantage this time around, as Democrats appear prepared to back Graves more significantly after his strong performance last year.
The news also comes as Bachmann deals with an ethics investigation into her 2012 presidential campaign. Earlier this week she darted away from reporters pressing her on the probe, before eventually blaming “politically motivated” Democrats for the investigation. Bachmann has been accused of failing to pay several Iowa campaign staff members by a former staffer.
“There’s political motivations that are involved because I’ve been named as the number one target for defeat by the Democrat Party, by Nancy Pelosi and also by SuperPACs so, you know no one can know anyone’s thoughts or intents, but clearly it looks like it’s politically motivated,” she said.
The Minnesotan congresswoman has also faced scrutiny for the wildly inaccurate Obama-bashing speech she gave at CPAC, inspiring scathing reports from fact checkers.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Man Hospitalized With Eel Up His Ass
Kinky Sex Leaves Man Hospitalized With 2 Foot Long Eel Up His Ass
By Ian Chant | 8:35 am, April 12th, 2013
On the off chance you needed another reason not to use live eels in sex play, consider the story of a man
in China’s Guangdong province who was hospitalized after an eel —
apparently being used in sex play to imitate a porn the man had been
watching — slithered up his anus and proceeded to wreak havoc on his
innards as it tried to chew its way out of his body to freedom.
Which, if you’re the eel, is a perfectly reasonable reaction here.
According to reports, the man was drunk and watching some particularly strange porn when he got it in his head to place a one-pound, 20″ long Asian swamp eel…well, not in his head, that’s for sure. Now, I’m no expert on putting eels up your ass for sexy times, but…that seems like a rather large specimen to work with. Then again, what do I know about eel butt play? (Answer: As of this morning, way more than I ever wanted to.)
Apparently, the patient here is no professional either, as after entering through the man’s anus, the eel promptly punctured his colon, causing internal bleeding. That’s before the probably panic-stricken animal started working it’s way through the man’s internal organs, using the only tools at its disposal — its razor-sharp teeth — to try and find the exit. The animal died shortly after being removed with a medical probe by a team of doctors, one of whom had this to say:
On the other hand, this would never happen to me, because, and I know I’m going to sound a bit judgmental, but bear with me here, SERIOUSLY, WTF ARE YOU THINKING, DUDE, THAT IS NOT WHERE EELS GO. That statement is confirmed by the fact that the man in question may find himself facing animal cruelty charges over the incident.
(via IBTimes)
By Ian Chant | 8:35 am, April 12th, 2013
On the off chance you needed another reason not to use live eels in sex play, consider the story of a man
in China’s Guangdong province who was hospitalized after an eel —
apparently being used in sex play to imitate a porn the man had been
watching — slithered up his anus and proceeded to wreak havoc on his
innards as it tried to chew its way out of his body to freedom.Which, if you’re the eel, is a perfectly reasonable reaction here.
According to reports, the man was drunk and watching some particularly strange porn when he got it in his head to place a one-pound, 20″ long Asian swamp eel…well, not in his head, that’s for sure. Now, I’m no expert on putting eels up your ass for sexy times, but…that seems like a rather large specimen to work with. Then again, what do I know about eel butt play? (Answer: As of this morning, way more than I ever wanted to.)
Apparently, the patient here is no professional either, as after entering through the man’s anus, the eel promptly punctured his colon, causing internal bleeding. That’s before the probably panic-stricken animal started working it’s way through the man’s internal organs, using the only tools at its disposal — its razor-sharp teeth — to try and find the exit. The animal died shortly after being removed with a medical probe by a team of doctors, one of whom had this to say:
“This was a particularly idiotic stunt and could have caused him a serious injury. Eels have small but very sharp teeth.”In the interest of fairness, the 39-year-old patient, who has to be rather happy he’s remaining unnamed by the hospital, did do exactly one thing right here in having the sense to admit that he had made a huge mistake and get help at the hospital for it. If this happened to me, you couldn’t even get me to go to the hospital. I would rather just sit back and die of embarrassment, and also a live eel eating its way out of my body.
On the other hand, this would never happen to me, because, and I know I’m going to sound a bit judgmental, but bear with me here, SERIOUSLY, WTF ARE YOU THINKING, DUDE, THAT IS NOT WHERE EELS GO. That statement is confirmed by the fact that the man in question may find himself facing animal cruelty charges over the incident.
(via IBTimes)
“Ready to Cook” Frozen Meals With E. coli Can Be Very, Very Dangerous
The CDC is reporting a total of 27 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 (STEC O121) from 15 states. Of those ill, 81 percent are 21 years of age or younger and 35 percent have been hospitalized. Two ill people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, and no deaths have been reported. Farm Rich brand frozen food products is one likely source of infection for the ill persons in this outbreak.
These “Ready to Cook” meals have caused a number of both Salmonella and E. coli Outbreaks in the recent past.Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough E. coli Outbreak: Public health officials from several states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began investigating an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak with a common source in March of 2009. By June 18, the CDC had reported 69 E. coli cases in 29 states with a common source, and on June 19, 2009 Nestle recalled its Nestle Toll House prepackaged refrigerated cookie and brownie dough products for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
The FDA advised consumers to throw away any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products. Cooking the dough was not recommended to eliminate risk of contamination, since the E. coli bacteria could be transferred from the dough to hands and other cooking surfaces.
Nestle USA initiated a voluntary recall of many uncooked cookie dough products on June 19, 2009.
The Nestle press release contained a list of recalled products, with production codes. The company also closed half of its Danville, Virginia, plant – the half of the plant that makes Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough. According to a company spokeswoman, the Danville plant was responsible for the majority of Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough production.
On June 22, the Marler Clark law firm filed the first E. coli lawsuit against Nestle USA in connection with the Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough E. coli outbreak on behalf of a young California woman. The next day, the E. coli lawyers filed a second lawsuit against Nestle USA on behalf of a Colorado child who became ill with an E. coli infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of E. coli infection that can lead to kidney failure, after eating Nestle Toll House cookie dough in April. The firm filed a third cookie dough E. coli lawsuit against Nestle USA on behalf of a Washington victim on June 24. The law firm has resolved over a dozen claims on behalf of victims, including several HUS cases.
Later, on January 13, 2010, Nestle USA announced that two samples of its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough made at a Virginia factory tested positive for E. coli bacteria despite rigorous safety measures put in place after a recall of the product. They also announced that no dough had left the factory so there was no need for a recall.
In the end, Marler Clark represented 24 individuals who became ill with E. coli infections during the Nestle Toll House cookie dough E. coli outbreak. Their claims were successfully resolved.
Banquet Pot Pie Salmonella Outbreak: Marler Clark filed six Salmonella lawsuits against ConAgra, the company whose Banquet and store-brand chicken and turkey pot pies were identified as the source of a nationwide Salmonella outbreak in 2007. The serotype of the outbreak was determined to be I 4,5,12:i:-*.
Public health officials from several states collaborated to determine the source of the outbreak, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially announced that a Salmonella outbreak had been traced to the consumption of ConAgra pot pies on October 9th. At the time, ConAgra did not initiate a recall.
The CDC issued an investigation update regarding the Salmonella outbreak on October 10, 2007. In that update, the CDC announced that at least 152 people had been confirmed as suffering from Salmonella infections that had been linked epidemiologically and through laboratory testing to the consumption of contaminated pot pies between January 1, 2007 and October 9, 2007. At the time of the update, the CDC was aware of 20 people who had been hospitalized due to their Salmonella infections.
On October 11, 2007 – the same day Marler Clark filed its first lawsuit against the company – ConAgra asked stores selling Banquet and other pot pies produced by ConAgra to pull those products from their shelves. The law firm has since resolved all cases.
The final report issued by CDC on the outbreak determined that 401 people in 41 states had fallen ill with salmonellosis, the illness caused by Salmonella infection.
Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken and Rice Dinner Salmonella Outbreak: Marler Clark’s Salmonella lawyers represented victims of a Salmonella serotype Chester outbreak linked to Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken and Rice dinners in 2010. At least 44 people in 18 states became ill with Salmonella infections after eating the ConAgra-made products between April 11 and August 27, 2010.
Collaborative investigative efforts of public health officials linked the outbreak to Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice single-serve frozen entrées. The CDC launched an epidemiologic study and found that ill persons were significantly more likely than well persons to report eating a frozen meal, and all ill persons who ate frozen meals reported eating a Marie Callender’s frozen meal.
Additionally, two unopened packages of Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice entrées collected from two patients’ homes yielded Salmonella Chester isolates with a genetic fingerprint indistinguishable from the outbreak pattern.
After the CDC informed ConAgra Foods of a possible association between the Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice entrées and the outbreak of Salmonella Chester infections, ConAgra recalled the product on June 17, 2010. Products subject to the recall bore on their package label, “P-45” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
On June 23, 2010, Marler Clark filed a Salmonella lawsuit against ConAgra on behalf of an Oregon man who was sickened by the frozen meal. A second Salmonella lawsuit was filed on behalf of another outbreak victim on June 25.
And, guess what? Each time these manufacturers produced and sold contaminated product, they blamed the consumers for not "cooking the shit out of it."
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Confederate History Month: Celebrating Racists, Traitors And Slavers
By Justin "Filthy Liberal Scum" Rosario
Right now, this very second, we are in the middle of Confederate History Month. Right now, this very second, there are entire states celebrating their failed attempt to secede from the United States while killing hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and civilians.
These people are, by and large, assholes.
Now, this isn’t like the descendants of World War II vets (and the surviving vets themselves) commemorating a long and bloody war; these people are celebrating the side that lost. You know, the one that attacked the very country Southern conservatives claim to love more than life itself? And let’s be honest, most of the people who fly the Confederate flag are not liberals. These are the people who long for the “good ol’ days” when the South was a decent proper place where a white man could whip a black slave just for fun.
Oh, did I offend? Tough noogies.
This is about the time that some jackass insists that the Civil War was about “state’s rights.” You see, this is a story that Southerners enamored of the Old South tell themselves, and anyone in earshot, to avoid the reality that they are “proud” of a heritage inextricably bound to slavery and treason.
Take a moment to enjoy the sound of right-wing heads exploding.
Now, there are a numbers of ways to debunk this fairy tale that the South was all about state’s rights and “freedom” from an oppressive central government and it’s hilarious watching traitor-worshipping conservatives contort themselves to avoid the truth. So let’s make a list!
1. Declaration of Causes of Seceding States:
2. The Cornerstone Address (I wrote about this in brief on my blog so it might seem a bit cribbed):
3. This is all crap! The Confederacy was all about FREEDOM™ and State’s Rights™ (FREEDOM and State’s Rights are both trademarks of the Angry Ignorant White Man Coalition, also known as the GOP)!!!
Well, OK, if that were true, then the newly-minted CSA’s constitution would reflect that. Heck, if states wanted to abolish slavery on their own, then FREEDOM™ and State’s Rights™ would demand they be allowed to do so:
There you have it, in their very own words; the traitors of the Confederacy attacked the United States and caused the bloodiest war in American history for the sole purpose of preserving their “right” to treat other human beings as property.
Anyone that flies the Confederate flag, reminisces about “better times” or insists that “The South Will Rise Again!” is celebrating racists, traitors and slavers.
If you celebrate a culture based on the most immoral of all crimes against humanity, you are, by definition, a racist asshole.
If you try to pretend that slavery wasn’t so bad or that the “War of Southern Scumbaggery” was about FREEDOM™, you are a lying racist asshole.
If you actually believe the right-wing whitewashing of the Civil War, you are delusional but not necessarily an asshole (although the odds against this are not good).
Is it any wonder so many of these assholes find their way to the Republican Party?
Come join me on Facebook, my home blog or just follow me on Twitter @FilthyLbrlScum
Right now, this very second, we are in the middle of Confederate History Month. Right now, this very second, there are entire states celebrating their failed attempt to secede from the United States while killing hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and civilians.
These people are, by and large, assholes.
Now, this isn’t like the descendants of World War II vets (and the surviving vets themselves) commemorating a long and bloody war; these people are celebrating the side that lost. You know, the one that attacked the very country Southern conservatives claim to love more than life itself? And let’s be honest, most of the people who fly the Confederate flag are not liberals. These are the people who long for the “good ol’ days” when the South was a decent proper place where a white man could whip a black slave just for fun.
Oh, did I offend? Tough noogies.
This is about the time that some jackass insists that the Civil War was about “state’s rights.” You see, this is a story that Southerners enamored of the Old South tell themselves, and anyone in earshot, to avoid the reality that they are “proud” of a heritage inextricably bound to slavery and treason.
Take a moment to enjoy the sound of right-wing heads exploding.
Now, there are a numbers of ways to debunk this fairy tale that the South was all about state’s rights and “freedom” from an oppressive central government and it’s hilarious watching traitor-worshipping conservatives contort themselves to avoid the truth. So let’s make a list!
Georgia “For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery.”
Mississippi “Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery– the greatest material interest of the world.”
South Carolina “Those [non-slaveholding] States have assumed the right of deciding upon the propriety of our domestic institutions; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution; they have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery; they have permitted open establishment among them of societies, whose avowed object is to disturb the peace and to eloign the property of the citizens of other States.”
Texas “They [non-slaveholding states] demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and negro races, and avow their determination to press on their crusade against us, so long as a negro slave remains in these States.”Does it get any clearer than that? Yes, actually, it does.
2. The Cornerstone Address (I wrote about this in brief on my blog so it might seem a bit cribbed):
“The new Constitution has put at rest forever all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institutions—African slavery as it exists among us—the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution. Jefferson, in his forecast, had anticipated this, as the ‘rock upon which the old Union would split.’ He was right. What was conjecture with him, is now a realized fact. But whether he fully comprehended the great truth upon which that rock stood and stands, may be doubted. The prevailing ideas entertained by him and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old Constitution were, that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally and politically. It was an evil they knew not well how to deal with; but the general opinion of the men of that day was, that, somehow or other, in the order of Providence, the institution would be evanescent and pass away… Those ideas, however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an error. It was a sandy foundation, and the idea of a Government built upon it—when the ‘storm came and the wind blew, it fell’.”
“Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition.”This speech was delivered on March 21, 1861, by the VICE PRESIDENT of the Confederate States of America, Alexander Stephens. But what the hell did he know? He was just the VICE PRESIDENT. Do keep in mind, dear conservatives, that this was over one hundred years before Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin. Vice Presidents generally had to be reasonably intelligent.
3. This is all crap! The Confederacy was all about FREEDOM™ and State’s Rights™ (FREEDOM and State’s Rights are both trademarks of the Angry Ignorant White Man Coalition, also known as the GOP)!!!
Well, OK, if that were true, then the newly-minted CSA’s constitution would reflect that. Heck, if states wanted to abolish slavery on their own, then FREEDOM™ and State’s Rights™ would demand they be allowed to do so:
Article IV Section 9(3) The Confederate States may acquire new territory; and Congress shall have power to legislate and provide governments for the inhabitants of all territory belonging to the Confederate States, lying without the limits of the several states; and may permit them, at such times, and in such manner as it may by law provide, to form states to be admitted into the Confederacy. In all such territory, the institution of negro slavery as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected by Congress, and by the territorial government: and the inhabitants of the several Confederate States and Territories, shall have the right to take to such territory any slaves lawfully held by them in any of the states or territories of the Confederate states.Soooooo, no state could join the Confederacy unless it allowed slavery? What if they didn’t want it or changed their minds later? Well, that was just too bad. You HAD to allow slavery. Why? Because the central government would have forced you to. Just to make this crystal clear, a central government forbidding the enslavement of other human beings is “tyranny,” but a central government forcing states to adopt slavery is “FREEDOM™?” Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
There you have it, in their very own words; the traitors of the Confederacy attacked the United States and caused the bloodiest war in American history for the sole purpose of preserving their “right” to treat other human beings as property.
Anyone that flies the Confederate flag, reminisces about “better times” or insists that “The South Will Rise Again!” is celebrating racists, traitors and slavers.
If you celebrate a culture based on the most immoral of all crimes against humanity, you are, by definition, a racist asshole.
If you try to pretend that slavery wasn’t so bad or that the “War of Southern Scumbaggery” was about FREEDOM™, you are a lying racist asshole.
If you actually believe the right-wing whitewashing of the Civil War, you are delusional but not necessarily an asshole (although the odds against this are not good).
Is it any wonder so many of these assholes find their way to the Republican Party?
Come join me on Facebook, my home blog or just follow me on Twitter @FilthyLbrlScum
Friday, April 12, 2013
Cutting Social Security: Does Obama have a grand Democratic plan in mind or is he caving to Republicans again?
Cenk Uygur, political reporter Joe Williams, Yahoo! News senior editor Beth
Fouhy and The Nation contributing writer Lee Fang assess President Obama’s
budget plan, which includes cuts to Social Security through a chained CPI.
Critics of the plan say the reform really just sells out senior citizens.
“Isn’t this horrible negotiation strategy?” Cenk asks, now that Republican figureheads like Paul Ryan are saying the chained CPI doesn’t count as true entitlement reform.
“It’s never enough. It’s never going to be enough,” Williams says. “But you have a potential strategy here where President Obama is demonstrating — yet again — another object lesson that the Republicans are intransigent, that they’re not willing to do anything that he proposes.”
“Isn’t this horrible negotiation strategy?” Cenk asks, now that Republican figureheads like Paul Ryan are saying the chained CPI doesn’t count as true entitlement reform.
“It’s never enough. It’s never going to be enough,” Williams says. “But you have a potential strategy here where President Obama is demonstrating — yet again — another object lesson that the Republicans are intransigent, that they’re not willing to do anything that he proposes.”
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Obama should not compromise on Social Security
There are plenty of ways to reduce the deficit without hurting
veterans, the disabled, and the poor.
President Barack Obama’s upcoming budget plan will reportedly include cuts in Social Security benefits by lowering the cost of living adjustments known as “chained CPI.”
That would lower income for seniors, disabled veterans and reduce help to the poor. It would be bad for the American people, and liberals in this country should be outraged.
“In 2008, candidate Barack Obama told the American people that he would not cut Social Security,” said Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday. “Having him go back on his word will only add to the rampant political cynicism that our country is experiencing today.”
The president claims these cuts are all in the name of reaching a deal with Republicans on deficit reduction. But unfortunately, these changes would reduce federal spending by only $130 billion over ten years. With our current national debt sitting at roughly $16 trillion, the ten-year estimate would reduce our current debt by about a whopping 1%.
Ten years from now, the number will be even lower, and as you can tell by that ratio, the big three are not the cause of our deficit.
Social Security is completely solvent. It has not added one penny to the deficit, and it should be left alone.
Americans know this, and they don’t want their earned benefits cut. A recent survey shows eight in ten Americans would rather pay more taxes, than have Social Security cut.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of ways to cut the deficit without hurting the poorest among us. A new study reveals America’s largest corporations stash roughly $1.5 trillion in offshore tax havens each year by using these loopholes; they avoid paying about $150 billion in annual taxes. If just these loopholes were closed, it would cover the cost of living adjustments for Social Security and more.
President Obama needs to keep up the fight on this. He needs to put the same effort into protecting the big three as he is with gun control and immigration.
If he chooses to go forward with these cuts as expected on Wednesday, it will show a clear disconnect between the American people and the president they chose to protect their social safety net. He would be the first Democratic president in history to cave on the big three and chip away at Social Security.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Did Mitch McConnell successfully bully Ashley Judd into dropping her Senate challenge?
Cenk Uygur talks to Jonathan Miller, former Kentucky state treasurer,
TheRecoveringPolitician.com founder and political adviser to Ashley Judd, about
Judd’s decision not to challenge Mitch McConnell’s Kentucky Senate seat. Cenk
speculates that a smear campaign headed up by McConnell and Karl Rove may have
been the reason for Judd’s withdrawal.
“Ashley had felt empowered by the McConnell and Rove ads early on,” Miller says. “They made her feel like, if they’re attacking her this early, that’s she’s really onto something, she really does pose a threat.”
But even though Miller doesn’t believe the attacks are the main reason Judd is no longer running, Cenk is less than convinced. “They must have been [the reason she dropped out]. She was considering it, she got attacked and then she left.”
“Ashley had felt empowered by the McConnell and Rove ads early on,” Miller says. “They made her feel like, if they’re attacking her this early, that’s she’s really onto something, she really does pose a threat.”
But even though Miller doesn’t believe the attacks are the main reason Judd is no longer running, Cenk is less than convinced. “They must have been [the reason she dropped out]. She was considering it, she got attacked and then she left.”
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sequester Slashes Unemployment Benefits, But Not Corporate Welfare
By Elisabeth Parker
”Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — Albert Einstein
What’s worse than Congress obsessively focusing on slashing government spending instead of creating jobs? Screwing over all the people who haven’t been able to land non-existent jobs even more by cutting their skimpy unemployment benefits. Who cares that it’s the GOP’s fault that so many folks are unemployed? A bleak January Jobs report proves that their austerity has slowed down our economic recovery, plus their decades of deregulation allowed the banks to wreck our economy in the first place. Let’s keep implementing their sucky policies and see what happens.
Travis Waldron from Think Progress warns that soon the skeletal hand of sequestration will extend its bony fingers to snatch away the long-term jobless’ last lifeline. Thanks to the sequester — which went into effect on March 1st — the federal government’s Emergency Unemployment Compensation will be cut. This program provides extended unemployment benefits for people who’ve been unemployed for longer than six months, after they’ve used up their state benefits. According to Paul Davidson from USA Today, unemployment checks currently average a stingy $300 per week — which MSN Money‘s Life Coach flat-out declares is “nearly impossible” for Americans to get by on for very long. Nonetheless, it’s better than nothing.
Unfortunately, nothing is what many Americans will soon get. Nancy Cook from the National Journal writes that roughly two million people stand to lose their benefits:
According to Waldron, cutting unemployment benefits will further slow the economy:
Furthermore, IF you agree that (a) Forcing people to work for less than a living wage is a form of slavery; (b) Republican policies are dominated by southerners; and (c) The South’slack of economic development model has always heavily relied on slave labor (though the skin color of their slaves has changed over the years); THEN it grows increasingly obvious that cutting benefits for unemployed people is just the latest step along the GOP’s primrose path to economic slavery (as brilliantly argued in an article by my AI colleague, Sanghoee, and by Imara Jones in ColorLines).
After forty years of imposing disastrous policies, conservatives have succeeded in wrecking the economy and destroying the middle class job base. Now all they need to do is shred our already-frayed social safety net, and the American people will be primed to do our corporate masters’ bidding.
SPECIAL NOTE TO OUR UNEMPLOYED READERS: If you’re unemployed and worry that you might lose your benefits, my AI colleague Tiffany Willis compiled an extensive list to help you find the resources you need. She knows what’s talking about, because she worked in workforce development for the State of Texas for over a decade. She also invites you to post questions to her on Twitter (@tiffany_willis). She’s only one person and doesn’t have a team of operators standing by, but she loves helping people and will do her best.
”Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — Albert Einstein
What’s worse than Congress obsessively focusing on slashing government spending instead of creating jobs? Screwing over all the people who haven’t been able to land non-existent jobs even more by cutting their skimpy unemployment benefits. Who cares that it’s the GOP’s fault that so many folks are unemployed? A bleak January Jobs report proves that their austerity has slowed down our economic recovery, plus their decades of deregulation allowed the banks to wreck our economy in the first place. Let’s keep implementing their sucky policies and see what happens.
Travis Waldron from Think Progress warns that soon the skeletal hand of sequestration will extend its bony fingers to snatch away the long-term jobless’ last lifeline. Thanks to the sequester — which went into effect on March 1st — the federal government’s Emergency Unemployment Compensation will be cut. This program provides extended unemployment benefits for people who’ve been unemployed for longer than six months, after they’ve used up their state benefits. According to Paul Davidson from USA Today, unemployment checks currently average a stingy $300 per week — which MSN Money‘s Life Coach flat-out declares is “nearly impossible” for Americans to get by on for very long. Nonetheless, it’s better than nothing.
Unfortunately, nothing is what many Americans will soon get. Nancy Cook from the National Journal writes that roughly two million people stand to lose their benefits:
Moreover, they are people whom the political establishment has largely forgotten. There are no new stimulus programs on the horizon for the long-term unemployed, nor is there anything new to help train them or connect them to jobs. Those still receiving benefit checks will see them whacked by as much as $450 in total between now and the end of the fiscal year in September, according to Labor Department estimates—all due to spending cuts that both parties consider ill-advised and indiscriminate.Even more alarmingly, Waldron also reports that eight states have already brutally slashed their unemployment programs, with an estimated loss of $582-$4,161 per unemployed person, depending on their state. And … big surprise! Five out of eight of these states are in the South (more on that shortly).
Weeks of unemployment benefits lost, due to state cuts. Chart from Think Progress.
According to Waldron, cutting unemployment benefits will further slow the economy:
America’s unemployment program, stingy as it is, also has benefits for the economy: the Congressional Budget Office estimated that failure to extend the federal program at the beginning of the year would have cost the country 300,000 jobs.This would force even more desperate people to take sub-living wage jobs with crappy employers like Walmart — if they’re even still hiring — and force American tax payers to cover food stamps, housing subsidies, and other necessities that these jobs don’t pay enough for workers to afford. Well, at least until the Republicans cut those programs as well. Walmart IS the original corporate welfare queen, after all.
Furthermore, IF you agree that (a) Forcing people to work for less than a living wage is a form of slavery; (b) Republican policies are dominated by southerners; and (c) The South’s
After forty years of imposing disastrous policies, conservatives have succeeded in wrecking the economy and destroying the middle class job base. Now all they need to do is shred our already-frayed social safety net, and the American people will be primed to do our corporate masters’ bidding.
SPECIAL NOTE TO OUR UNEMPLOYED READERS: If you’re unemployed and worry that you might lose your benefits, my AI colleague Tiffany Willis compiled an extensive list to help you find the resources you need. She knows what’s talking about, because she worked in workforce development for the State of Texas for over a decade. She also invites you to post questions to her on Twitter (@tiffany_willis). She’s only one person and doesn’t have a team of operators standing by, but she loves helping people and will do her best.
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Elisabeth Parker is a writer, Web designer, mom, political junkie, and dilettante. Come visit her at ElisabethParker.Com, “like” her on facebook, “friend” her on facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her Pinterest boards. For more Addicting Info articles by Elisabeth, click here. |
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
GOP outreach to African-American voters: ‘It’s going to take more’ than talk
By Morgan Whitaker, @morganwinn
10:35 PM on 04/02/2013
The Republican party loves to remind voters that it is “the party of
Lincoln”–but in the most recent election, only 6% of African-American
voters cast their ballots for the GOP’s Mitt Romney.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, determined to overcome that deficit, has launched a $10 million minority outreach campaign, including a tour of urban centers that brought him to the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn last month.
“Today is about listening, today is a start. I’m not coming here with all the answers, but I am coming here with an open heart, an open mind,” Priebus said. “Only time will tell if this is just talk, but all I can tell you is what’s in my heart and what our desire is as a party.”
Fellow Republican and leader of that church Reverend A.R. Bernard, who joined Priebus there, believes Priebus’ desire to bridge the gap is genuine. ”Having met and spoken with Reince Priebus that he’s sincere,” he said on Tuesday’s PoliticsNation. “But… it’s going to take time.”
“I think the Republican party has to think more than just re-branding, it has to rethink its message and its policies,” he said, pointing out that government services are important to people in urban and suburban “concentrated areas.” Rev. Bernard thinks a message of lower taxes, rather than one of cutting programs, could help the GOP more.
As Buzzfeed chronicled, people outside Rev. Bernard’s Christian Cultural Center knew Mitt Romney, and his “47%” legacy, far better than they knew Reince Priebus. “Each of the half-dozen people interviewed said they voted for Obama in November. They all complained, unprompted, that Republicans only cared about rich people.”
Rev. Bernard doesn’t expect overnight change from the Republican party. “I think [Priebus] is sincere in listening but I don’t know if that’s going to translate into the kind of action that can be measurable immediately,” he said. “When you’re talking about spending $10 million, that’s not a lot of money when you’re considering the need for a long term strategy to deal with the issue of the relationship between African-Americans and the Republican party. It’s going to take more than that.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, determined to overcome that deficit, has launched a $10 million minority outreach campaign, including a tour of urban centers that brought him to the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn last month.
“Today is about listening, today is a start. I’m not coming here with all the answers, but I am coming here with an open heart, an open mind,” Priebus said. “Only time will tell if this is just talk, but all I can tell you is what’s in my heart and what our desire is as a party.”
Fellow Republican and leader of that church Reverend A.R. Bernard, who joined Priebus there, believes Priebus’ desire to bridge the gap is genuine. ”Having met and spoken with Reince Priebus that he’s sincere,” he said on Tuesday’s PoliticsNation. “But… it’s going to take time.”
“I think the Republican party has to think more than just re-branding, it has to rethink its message and its policies,” he said, pointing out that government services are important to people in urban and suburban “concentrated areas.” Rev. Bernard thinks a message of lower taxes, rather than one of cutting programs, could help the GOP more.
As Buzzfeed chronicled, people outside Rev. Bernard’s Christian Cultural Center knew Mitt Romney, and his “47%” legacy, far better than they knew Reince Priebus. “Each of the half-dozen people interviewed said they voted for Obama in November. They all complained, unprompted, that Republicans only cared about rich people.”
Rev. Bernard doesn’t expect overnight change from the Republican party. “I think [Priebus] is sincere in listening but I don’t know if that’s going to translate into the kind of action that can be measurable immediately,” he said. “When you’re talking about spending $10 million, that’s not a lot of money when you’re considering the need for a long term strategy to deal with the issue of the relationship between African-Americans and the Republican party. It’s going to take more than that.”
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Stupid Right-Wing Tweets: Michelle Malkin Edition
By Blue Texan
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.So, providing undocumented immigrants a path to legal citizenship is tantamount to the federal government not defending California and Texas from a Mexican invasion. Awesome.
Any Republican that signs on to Marco Rubio's reform efforts will be targeted for primaries by Malkin and her fellow travelers. And yes, if he succeeds in the Senate, he can forget about the nomination in 2016, too.
Ed Rendell's Plea for Fracking Fails to Disclose Industry Ties
By Justin Elliott
ProPublica, March 28, 2013, 11:29 A.M.
What Rendell’s passionate plea failed to note was this: since stepping down as Governor in 2011, he has worked as a paid consultant to a private equity firm with investments in the natural gas industry.
The op-ed piece was widely noted in other media outlets, and Cuomo wound up being asked about it during a radio appearance on Wednesday. The New York State Petroleum Council promptly issued a press release hailing Rendell’s “strong and confident argument.”
Reached Wednesday, Rendell told ProPublica that he should have disclosed to the Daily News his work at the private equity firm, Element Partners, and that the newspaper “should have included it.”
Rendell said the Pennsylvania-based firm pays him about $30,000 per year. Still, he insisted he is not conflicted on the issue of fracking, in which water and chemicals are injected deep into the ground to extract previously unreachable natural gas from rock. He said he does not own equity in Element Partners or any fracking companies.
"The only conflict would be if I had a pecuniary interest in the natural gas industry doing well, and I certainly don’t," he said.
Element Partners’ website lists several investments by the firm in natural gas companies, including a company called 212 Resources that specializes in “fluid management systems” for fracking.
Rendell is also a senior adviser at the investment bank Greenhill, which has worked on several large transactions involving natural gas companies. A Greenhill spokesman said Rendell has not been involved in the firm’s work in the energy sector.
"I have no brief for industry," Rendell told ProPublica. He said he supports fracking because of the potential for American energy independence and jobs.
“If we choose to embrace natural gas, it will help us get past a number of significant economic and environmental challenges,” Rendell argued in the Daily News op-ed. “On the other hand, if we let fear carry the day, we will squander another key moment to move forward together.”
Daily News opinion editor Josh Greenman said in an email to ProPublica that he was unaware of Rendell’s relationship with Element, and indeed had been assured by Rendell’s representative that there was no conflict.
“Had I known, I certainly would have disclosed that and conceivably would have made a different judgment on the piece," Greenman said.
The Daily News has now added a disclosure line to the online version of the op-ed.
This isn’t the first time Rendell has popped up in New York advocating for fracking. The New York Post ran an interview with Rendell in November in which he said Cuomo would be “crazy” not to lift the fracking ban. That piece didn’t mention Rendell’s ties to the industry either.
Update 4:15 pm:
It’s worth noting that since leaving office, Rendell has been a vocal supporter of fracking around the country. He’s weighed in in support of a regulated fracking industry in venues including Huffington Post; the Nightly Business Report; a Manhattan Institute forum; the Austin, Texas, PBS affiliate; and a Wall Street Journal conference with businessman T. Boone Pickens.
Here is a clip from the Journal’s 2012 ECO:nomics conference, in which Rendell says the burgeoning gas industry is “great for America in so many ways.”
ProPublica, March 28, 2013, 11:29 A.M.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell took to the New York Daily News op-ed page Wednesday with a message to local officials: stop worrying and learn to love fracking.
As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo agonizes over whether to allow the controversial natural gas drilling technique, Rendell invoked his own experience as a Democratic governor who presided over a fracking boom. New York state, Rendell argued, has a major part to play in the nation’s fracking “revolution” — and it can do so safely. He rejected what he called the “false choice” of “natural gas versus the environment.”
As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo agonizes over whether to allow the controversial natural gas drilling technique, Rendell invoked his own experience as a Democratic governor who presided over a fracking boom. New York state, Rendell argued, has a major part to play in the nation’s fracking “revolution” — and it can do so safely. He rejected what he called the “false choice” of “natural gas versus the environment.”
What Rendell’s passionate plea failed to note was this: since stepping down as Governor in 2011, he has worked as a paid consultant to a private equity firm with investments in the natural gas industry.
The op-ed piece was widely noted in other media outlets, and Cuomo wound up being asked about it during a radio appearance on Wednesday. The New York State Petroleum Council promptly issued a press release hailing Rendell’s “strong and confident argument.”
Reached Wednesday, Rendell told ProPublica that he should have disclosed to the Daily News his work at the private equity firm, Element Partners, and that the newspaper “should have included it.”
Rendell said the Pennsylvania-based firm pays him about $30,000 per year. Still, he insisted he is not conflicted on the issue of fracking, in which water and chemicals are injected deep into the ground to extract previously unreachable natural gas from rock. He said he does not own equity in Element Partners or any fracking companies.
"The only conflict would be if I had a pecuniary interest in the natural gas industry doing well, and I certainly don’t," he said.
Element Partners’ website lists several investments by the firm in natural gas companies, including a company called 212 Resources that specializes in “fluid management systems” for fracking.
Rendell is also a senior adviser at the investment bank Greenhill, which has worked on several large transactions involving natural gas companies. A Greenhill spokesman said Rendell has not been involved in the firm’s work in the energy sector.
"I have no brief for industry," Rendell told ProPublica. He said he supports fracking because of the potential for American energy independence and jobs.
“If we choose to embrace natural gas, it will help us get past a number of significant economic and environmental challenges,” Rendell argued in the Daily News op-ed. “On the other hand, if we let fear carry the day, we will squander another key moment to move forward together.”
Daily News opinion editor Josh Greenman said in an email to ProPublica that he was unaware of Rendell’s relationship with Element, and indeed had been assured by Rendell’s representative that there was no conflict.
“Had I known, I certainly would have disclosed that and conceivably would have made a different judgment on the piece," Greenman said.
The Daily News has now added a disclosure line to the online version of the op-ed.
This isn’t the first time Rendell has popped up in New York advocating for fracking. The New York Post ran an interview with Rendell in November in which he said Cuomo would be “crazy” not to lift the fracking ban. That piece didn’t mention Rendell’s ties to the industry either.
Update 4:15 pm:
It’s worth noting that since leaving office, Rendell has been a vocal supporter of fracking around the country. He’s weighed in in support of a regulated fracking industry in venues including Huffington Post; the Nightly Business Report; a Manhattan Institute forum; the Austin, Texas, PBS affiliate; and a Wall Street Journal conference with businessman T. Boone Pickens.
Here is a clip from the Journal’s 2012 ECO:nomics conference, in which Rendell says the burgeoning gas industry is “great for America in so many ways.”
Monday, April 1, 2013
This week on Inside Washington
This week on Inside Washington: Gay marriage, public opinion and the Supreme Court.
The President prods Congress on gun control.
The financial meltdown on Cyprus means hard times for money launderers.
As North Korea rattles sabres, the U.S. rattles back with B-2 bombers.
North Dakota comes down hard on abortion.
The President prods Congress on gun control.
The financial meltdown on Cyprus means hard times for money launderers.
As North Korea rattles sabres, the U.S. rattles back with B-2 bombers.
The Right-Wing Hucksters Who Dare Not Be Named
By Conor Friedersdorf
John Podhoretz and Jonah Goldberg believe disingenuous conservative pundits are doing irreparable harm to their movement. So who are they?
President Obama's critics "seem eager to believe he is a lightweight," John Podhoretz writes in Commentary, "and he is not." Conservatives underestimate him to their own detriment, he argues, utterly failing to know their adversary, for when they're not calling him "a golf-mad dilettante," they're indulging in the polar-opposite delusion that he's a power-mad Kenyan Marxist.
The unintended result:
So long as conservative hucksters thrive, movement conservatism cannot.
They do "irreparable harm."
There's just one thing. In the same way that Goldberg believes there are movement-conservative hucksters "eager to make money from stirring rage, paranoia, and an ill-defined sense of betrayal," but never actually says who these hucksters are, Podhoretz disdainfully reiterates that right-wing personalities are making their profits at the expense of the ideology they purport to be advancing, but he doesn't actually identify the individuals who are perpetrating that fraud.
An honest question, guys:
How do you expect to stop these people who you identify as scheming hucksters doing irreparable harm to your cause if no one with intramovement credibility ever directly critiques their bad work? It seems like you've both spent a lot more time feuding with people who call out the hucksters than with the hucksters themselves. I know the names atop my list. Rush Limbaugh. Mark Levin. Sean Hannity. Glenn Beck. That isn't to say that a worthwhile list couldn't be made up without those names on it. There are so many to choose from. All I can say for sure is that you've got individuals in mind who, by your own admission, are doing damage to the movement you're both invested in far more earnestly than they are ... and you'll only criticize them obliquely. As best I can tell from regularly seeing your work, they're the only sort you disdain but won't name.
Perhaps it isn't fair to pick on you for holding back. Lots of elites in the conservative movement totally agree with you, but haven't even had the courage to make the vague critique you've articulated.
You guys aren't going nearly as far as I'd like, but at least you're naming the problem. Yet conservatives must name names if the hucksters are to be defeated. Outsiders like me aren't enough.
Dissidents at The American Conservative aren't enough. Insiders-turned-"apostates" like David Frum aren't enough.
I don't know if Podhoretz and Goldberg would be enough either.
But if even guys like them don't go farther than they have, given what we know of their beliefs, the cause is doomed, and folks making bank off dumb alarmism will keep flourishing. The talking points that prevail on the right will continue to badly miss the mark, the critique of the Democrats in power will continue to be weaker than it really ought to be, and the GOP will continue to lose. Am I missing a more actionable critique? If not, isn't it long passed time to make one?
__
*Daniel Larison points out the problems with Podhoretz's warnings about Obama's foreign policy.
John Podhoretz and Jonah Goldberg believe disingenuous conservative pundits are doing irreparable harm to their movement. So who are they?
President Obama's critics "seem eager to believe he is a lightweight," John Podhoretz writes in Commentary, "and he is not." Conservatives underestimate him to their own detriment, he argues, utterly failing to know their adversary, for when they're not calling him "a golf-mad dilettante," they're indulging in the polar-opposite delusion that he's a power-mad Kenyan Marxist.
The unintended result:
The notion that Obama is a dangerous extremist helps him, because it makes him seem reasonable and his critics foolish. It also helps those who peddle it, because it makes them notorious and helps them sell their wares. But it has done perhaps irreparable harm to the central conservative cause of the present moment -- making the case that Obama's social-democratic statism is setting the United States on a course for disaster and that his anti-exceptionalist foreign policy is setting the world on a course for nihilistic chaos. Those are serious arguments, befitting a serious antagonist. They may not sell gold coins as quickly and as well as excessive alarmism, but they have the inestimable advantage of being true.As you can see, I've boldfaced the part of that critique that focuses on conservative movement hucksters*. After calling them out for so many years, it was nice to see Jonah Goldberg acknowledge back in January that the right has an "unhealthy share" of hucksters whose rhetoric is driven by lucre rather than conviction, and it's nice to see Podhoretz echo the criticism, because it's absolutely true.
So long as conservative hucksters thrive, movement conservatism cannot.
They do "irreparable harm."
There's just one thing. In the same way that Goldberg believes there are movement-conservative hucksters "eager to make money from stirring rage, paranoia, and an ill-defined sense of betrayal," but never actually says who these hucksters are, Podhoretz disdainfully reiterates that right-wing personalities are making their profits at the expense of the ideology they purport to be advancing, but he doesn't actually identify the individuals who are perpetrating that fraud.
An honest question, guys:
How do you expect to stop these people who you identify as scheming hucksters doing irreparable harm to your cause if no one with intramovement credibility ever directly critiques their bad work? It seems like you've both spent a lot more time feuding with people who call out the hucksters than with the hucksters themselves. I know the names atop my list. Rush Limbaugh. Mark Levin. Sean Hannity. Glenn Beck. That isn't to say that a worthwhile list couldn't be made up without those names on it. There are so many to choose from. All I can say for sure is that you've got individuals in mind who, by your own admission, are doing damage to the movement you're both invested in far more earnestly than they are ... and you'll only criticize them obliquely. As best I can tell from regularly seeing your work, they're the only sort you disdain but won't name.
Perhaps it isn't fair to pick on you for holding back. Lots of elites in the conservative movement totally agree with you, but haven't even had the courage to make the vague critique you've articulated.
You guys aren't going nearly as far as I'd like, but at least you're naming the problem. Yet conservatives must name names if the hucksters are to be defeated. Outsiders like me aren't enough.
Dissidents at The American Conservative aren't enough. Insiders-turned-"apostates" like David Frum aren't enough.
I don't know if Podhoretz and Goldberg would be enough either.
But if even guys like them don't go farther than they have, given what we know of their beliefs, the cause is doomed, and folks making bank off dumb alarmism will keep flourishing. The talking points that prevail on the right will continue to badly miss the mark, the critique of the Democrats in power will continue to be weaker than it really ought to be, and the GOP will continue to lose. Am I missing a more actionable critique? If not, isn't it long passed time to make one?
__
*Daniel Larison points out the problems with Podhoretz's warnings about Obama's foreign policy.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Alaska Republican uses racial slur to describe Latinos
As his party is in the midst of a on-going minority outreach campaign, Alaska
Republican Congressman Don Young gave an interview Thursday to local
radio station KRBD in which he referred to Latino farm workers as
“wetbacks.”
Asked about bringing jobs back to America, Young recalled the workers on his father’s farm in California, where he grew up.
“My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” he said. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”
Young issued a response to the remarks late Thursday evening. ”During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.”
He continued, “Migrant workers play an important role in America’s workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship. America must once and for all tackle the issue of immigration reform.”
Young, the second most senior Republican serving in the House, has represented Alaska’s only congressional district for four decades. He won reelection in 2012 with 63% of the vote. While the remarks may be politically perilous for the rest of his party, the impact in his own district might not be as severe. According to the most recent census, less than 6% of the Alaska population self-identified as Hispanic.
Asked about bringing jobs back to America, Young recalled the workers on his father’s farm in California, where he grew up.
“My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” he said. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”
Young issued a response to the remarks late Thursday evening. ”During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.”
He continued, “Migrant workers play an important role in America’s workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship. America must once and for all tackle the issue of immigration reform.”
Young, the second most senior Republican serving in the House, has represented Alaska’s only congressional district for four decades. He won reelection in 2012 with 63% of the vote. While the remarks may be politically perilous for the rest of his party, the impact in his own district might not be as severe. According to the most recent census, less than 6% of the Alaska population self-identified as Hispanic.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Tommy Chong knows how to fix America’s gun control problems
Cenk Uygur and actor Tommy Chong talk about the best way to get better
gun control in the U.S. “I came up with a solution to the gun control
problem,” Chong says, “all because of pot. The solution is insurance.
You can own a gun, but it has to be insured. And if that gun creates any
havoc, the insurance company has to pay.” Cenk says, “That’s really
smart because what it does is get capitalism behind the solution.”
Friday, March 29, 2013
Palin out of hibernation, ready to take on 2014
It’s been years since she held elected office, but former
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has released a new web video proving she’s far from
ready to relinquish her star role in Republican politics.
Palin brings the mama grizzlies out of hibernation, complete with a growling bear, in the new video released by her political action committee, SarahPAC and delivered to her loyal followers in a fundraising email.
The video, “Loaded for Bear,” features clips of Palin’s speech at at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, although no footage of Tina Fey’s recent impression managed to make the final cut.
And while it doesn’t reveal whether Palin plans to run for office in 2014, the video does indicate she plans to play a role in the midterm election, perhaps as a kingmaker. The ad touts her support of a number of recently elected tea party senators, including Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio (who’ve recently teamed up in opposition to gun control).
Whatever her plans may be, it’s safe to say Karl Rove won’t be happy, especially the recent rekindling of their long-running feud.
Palin brings the mama grizzlies out of hibernation, complete with a growling bear, in the new video released by her political action committee, SarahPAC and delivered to her loyal followers in a fundraising email.
The video, “Loaded for Bear,” features clips of Palin’s speech at at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, although no footage of Tina Fey’s recent impression managed to make the final cut.
And while it doesn’t reveal whether Palin plans to run for office in 2014, the video does indicate she plans to play a role in the midterm election, perhaps as a kingmaker. The ad touts her support of a number of recently elected tea party senators, including Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio (who’ve recently teamed up in opposition to gun control).
Whatever her plans may be, it’s safe to say Karl Rove won’t be happy, especially the recent rekindling of their long-running feud.
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