The GOP’s demented family values: From the Duggars to David Vitter, again and again, the social conservatives have horrifying hypocrisy problems
"We ought to view the Republican Party as a case study in overcompensation. It appears the majority of their members moralize in proportion to their sinfulness. Even more annoying, when busted, their response is always to double down on their false convictions. Their hypocrisy and moral failures feel routine at this point. This is unfortunate for a couple of reasons. For one, the public becomes desensitized to this sort of thing, which means the hypocrites are able to survive their scandals."
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Rick Perry Tries to Sound Intelligent About Wall Street – Fails Miserably (Video)
Rick Perry Tries to Sound Intelligent About Wall Street – Fails Miserably (Video)
"the former Texas governor came away looking like a complete imbecile after trying to bash the Dodd-Frank banking regulations while simultaneously calling for – you guessed it – banking regulations."
"the former Texas governor came away looking like a complete imbecile after trying to bash the Dodd-Frank banking regulations while simultaneously calling for – you guessed it – banking regulations."
Federal Judges Throw Out Virginia GOP’s Totally-Not-Racist ‘Redistricting’ Map (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/06/federal-judges-throw-out-virginia-gops-totally-not-racist-redistricting-map-video/
"when you try to shove all the black people who will never vote for you into a single district to lessen their influence — like the GOP did in the state of Virginia — you’ve crossed a line. While there’s some leeway for moving voters around based on which party they vote for, it’s still technically illegal to to corral people into a single district based on their race."
"when you try to shove all the black people who will never vote for you into a single district to lessen their influence — like the GOP did in the state of Virginia — you’ve crossed a line. While there’s some leeway for moving voters around based on which party they vote for, it’s still technically illegal to to corral people into a single district based on their race."
John Boehner Once Again Forced to Hang Head in Shame and Admit President Obama’s Been a Success
John Boehner Once Again Forced to Hang Head in Shame and Admit President Obama’s Been a Success
"It must absolutely pain Boehner to have to hang his head in shame every month and basically admit that the economy is doing well under President Obama. Especially considering that for years all he did was fear-monger and lie to the American people about how practically everything this president has done – from raising taxes on the rich to the Affordable Care Act – was going to destroy the economy and cost us millions of jobs. And none of that has turned out to be true."
"It must absolutely pain Boehner to have to hang his head in shame every month and basically admit that the economy is doing well under President Obama. Especially considering that for years all he did was fear-monger and lie to the American people about how practically everything this president has done – from raising taxes on the rich to the Affordable Care Act – was going to destroy the economy and cost us millions of jobs. And none of that has turned out to be true."
George Will's Wife Works For Scott Walker
George Will's Wife Works For Scott Walker
"Will has not only received a cash prize from the Bradley Foundation but he also sits on their board.
The Bradley Foundation is one of the major dark money funders for Walker and for the shady groups that do Walker's dirty work, like trying to derail the John Doe investigations into Walker's illegal politicking.
But wait! There's more! There's always more.
The CEO and President of the Bradley Foundation is Michael Grebe, Wisconsin's Money Badger. Grebe is the guy that directed the foundation's money to Will, Walker and the various front groups. Grebe also was the chair of each of Walker's gubernatorial campaigns.
But never let it be said that Walker doesn't take care of them that take care of him. Continuing his long tradition of pay for play and cronyism, not only has Walker the Weasel passed all the policies Grebe wanted, but appointed Grebe's son to the Wisconsin University Board of Regents.
Once Wisconsin is finally able to rid itself of Walker and his ilk, it will take decades to get the stench of corruption out of the air."
"Will has not only received a cash prize from the Bradley Foundation but he also sits on their board.
The Bradley Foundation is one of the major dark money funders for Walker and for the shady groups that do Walker's dirty work, like trying to derail the John Doe investigations into Walker's illegal politicking.
But wait! There's more! There's always more.
The CEO and President of the Bradley Foundation is Michael Grebe, Wisconsin's Money Badger. Grebe is the guy that directed the foundation's money to Will, Walker and the various front groups. Grebe also was the chair of each of Walker's gubernatorial campaigns.
But never let it be said that Walker doesn't take care of them that take care of him. Continuing his long tradition of pay for play and cronyism, not only has Walker the Weasel passed all the policies Grebe wanted, but appointed Grebe's son to the Wisconsin University Board of Regents.
Once Wisconsin is finally able to rid itself of Walker and his ilk, it will take decades to get the stench of corruption out of the air."
A glimpse behind the curtain of how Koch-funded corporate front groups manipulate the news you read
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/05/1390905/-A-glimpse-behind-the-curtain-of-how-Koch-funded-corporate-front-groups-manipulate-the-news-you-read?detail=facebook_sf
"corporate front groups were disseminating the pro-Big Business propaganda to slant the news we read but this is a bit of a rare glimpse behind the curtain as to how it is sometimes done. In many cases, they actually pay for bloggers and professional "trolls" to write for them, submit letters to the editor and op-eds to newspapers, downrate articles on sites like Reddit, and give bad reviews to liberal books on places like Amazon.com while uprating pro-business books. In this case, they are fishing for free exposure from bloggers, apparently without checking first to see if the bloggers actually agree with their corporatist agenda."
"corporate front groups were disseminating the pro-Big Business propaganda to slant the news we read but this is a bit of a rare glimpse behind the curtain as to how it is sometimes done. In many cases, they actually pay for bloggers and professional "trolls" to write for them, submit letters to the editor and op-eds to newspapers, downrate articles on sites like Reddit, and give bad reviews to liberal books on places like Amazon.com while uprating pro-business books. In this case, they are fishing for free exposure from bloggers, apparently without checking first to see if the bloggers actually agree with their corporatist agenda."
Monday, June 8, 2015
PERRspectives: Obama Has Created Six Times as Many Jobs as Bush
PERRspectives: Obama Has Created Six Times as Many Jobs as Bush
"Back on January 9, 2009, the reliably Republican Wall Street Journal published a helpful analysis titled, "Bush on Jobs: The Worst Track Record on Record." Last week, Bill McBride of Calculated Risk provided an updated analysis to show just how dismal. Some of the highlights:
During Dubya's two terms in office, the U.S. economy created just 1.3 million new jobs. So far, six times more--7.7 million jobs--have been added 28 months into President Obama's second term.
The private sector actually lost 463,000 jobs under George W. Bush. In contrast, Obama has presided over 63 straight months of private sector job creation, 8.3 million in all.
Under small government Republican George W. Bush, the public sector at all levels grew by 1.7 million workers. In contrast, federal, state and local governments have shed 638,000 jobs since Barack Obama first took the oath of office.
Let that settle in for a moment. Barack Obama wasn't only facing the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression. The Obama recovery alone in modern American history was undermined by the overall contraction of government at all levels. The mythmaking of Kevin McCarthy aside, Obama's expansion would have been more robust if Republicans on Capitol Hill and in state and local governments hadn't stood in his way. DC Republicans didn't just block Obama initiatives like the American Jobs Act and infrastructure investment that could have boosted employment when unemployment was mired at 9 percent and strangle job creation and consumer confidence with their debt ceiling hostage-taking. The destructive austerity policies of state and local governments created an "anti-stimulus," with layoffs of public sector workers and cuts to spending that only served to undermine the gains from the stimulus. By May 2013, the Hamilton Institute estimated those austerity policies cost 2.2 American million jobs and resulted in the slowest recovery since World War II. In April 2012, the Economic Policy Institute explained why:
The current recovery is the only one that has seen public-sector losses over its first 31 months...If public-sector employment had grown since June 2009 by the average amount it grew in the three previous recoveries (2.8 percent) instead of shrinking by 2.5 percent, there would be 1.2 million more public-sector jobs in the U.S. economy today. In addition, these extra public-sector jobs would have helped preserve about 500,000 private-sector jobs.
To put it another way, "Democrats saved the economy; Republicans tried to kill it." And as the job numbers continue to show, Barack Obama is just the latest to show the economy almost always does better when a Democrat is in the White House. Compared to Jeb Bush's brother, about six times better."
"Back on January 9, 2009, the reliably Republican Wall Street Journal published a helpful analysis titled, "Bush on Jobs: The Worst Track Record on Record." Last week, Bill McBride of Calculated Risk provided an updated analysis to show just how dismal. Some of the highlights:
During Dubya's two terms in office, the U.S. economy created just 1.3 million new jobs. So far, six times more--7.7 million jobs--have been added 28 months into President Obama's second term.
The private sector actually lost 463,000 jobs under George W. Bush. In contrast, Obama has presided over 63 straight months of private sector job creation, 8.3 million in all.
Under small government Republican George W. Bush, the public sector at all levels grew by 1.7 million workers. In contrast, federal, state and local governments have shed 638,000 jobs since Barack Obama first took the oath of office.
Let that settle in for a moment. Barack Obama wasn't only facing the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression. The Obama recovery alone in modern American history was undermined by the overall contraction of government at all levels. The mythmaking of Kevin McCarthy aside, Obama's expansion would have been more robust if Republicans on Capitol Hill and in state and local governments hadn't stood in his way. DC Republicans didn't just block Obama initiatives like the American Jobs Act and infrastructure investment that could have boosted employment when unemployment was mired at 9 percent and strangle job creation and consumer confidence with their debt ceiling hostage-taking. The destructive austerity policies of state and local governments created an "anti-stimulus," with layoffs of public sector workers and cuts to spending that only served to undermine the gains from the stimulus. By May 2013, the Hamilton Institute estimated those austerity policies cost 2.2 American million jobs and resulted in the slowest recovery since World War II. In April 2012, the Economic Policy Institute explained why:
The current recovery is the only one that has seen public-sector losses over its first 31 months...If public-sector employment had grown since June 2009 by the average amount it grew in the three previous recoveries (2.8 percent) instead of shrinking by 2.5 percent, there would be 1.2 million more public-sector jobs in the U.S. economy today. In addition, these extra public-sector jobs would have helped preserve about 500,000 private-sector jobs.
To put it another way, "Democrats saved the economy; Republicans tried to kill it." And as the job numbers continue to show, Barack Obama is just the latest to show the economy almost always does better when a Democrat is in the White House. Compared to Jeb Bush's brother, about six times better."
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Watch: A Nobel Economist Debunks Trickle-Down Reaganomics In Four Minutes
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-a-nobel-economist-debunks-trickle-down-reaganomics-in-four-minutes/
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"." (Reposted)
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"." (Reposted)
Understanding Amtrak and the Importance of Passenger Rail in the United States
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2015/06/04/114298/understanding-amtrak-and-the-importance-of-passenger-rail-in-the-united-states/
"Amtrak is a national asset that will not be able to continue to provide reliable service or expand to meet future population growth and travel demand without additional investment. This is especially true in the Northeast, where approximately one out of every three jobs in the region is within 5 miles of a passenger rail station. Over the next four decades, the region is expected to grow by more than 30 percent, adding approximately 15 million new residents. Without improved passenger and commuter rail service, this growth will lead to crippling congestion that hampers U.S. economic performance."
"Amtrak is a national asset that will not be able to continue to provide reliable service or expand to meet future population growth and travel demand without additional investment. This is especially true in the Northeast, where approximately one out of every three jobs in the region is within 5 miles of a passenger rail station. Over the next four decades, the region is expected to grow by more than 30 percent, adding approximately 15 million new residents. Without improved passenger and commuter rail service, this growth will lead to crippling congestion that hampers U.S. economic performance."
The Agenda to Raise America’s Pay | Economic Policy Institute
The Agenda to Raise America’s Pay | Economic Policy Institute
"Over the same period that most workers’ wages have stagnated, economy-wide productivity has risen by 64 percent. In short, the potential has existed for adequate, widespread wage growth over the last three-and-a-half decades—but these economic gains have not trickled down to the vast majority."
"Over the same period that most workers’ wages have stagnated, economy-wide productivity has risen by 64 percent. In short, the potential has existed for adequate, widespread wage growth over the last three-and-a-half decades—but these economic gains have not trickled down to the vast majority."
Majority Leader McConnell Calls For Extraordinary Blockade Of Obama’s Judges And Justices
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/05/3666582/majority-leader-mcconnell-calls-extraordinary-blockade-obamas-judges-justices/
"This is not the first time McConnell has moved the goalposts on judicial confirmations. In 2012, for example, when President Obama was up for reelection, McConnell announced that he would attempt to block all appeals court confirmations under the so-called “Thurmond Rule.” The Republican leader claimed that this rule “holds that within six months of a presidential election, the opposition party can, and typically does, refuse to allow votes on circuit court judges.”
No such rule exists. Although the “Thurmond Rule” has, at times, been invoked to slow down confirmations in a presidential election year, prior Senate practice does not support McConnell’s claim that confirmations should simply halt. As we explained shortly after McConnell announced that he was invoking this so-called rule, “President Carter had 5 appeals judges confirmed between this day in 1980 and that year’s election, one of whom was future Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. President Reagan had 7 in his first term and 2 in his second. The first President Bush had 7. No appellate judges were confirmed in the lead up to the 1996 election, but one was confirmed at the end of President Clinton’s second term. The second President Bush had 3 confirmed during this period in 2004 and 2 in 2008"."
"This is not the first time McConnell has moved the goalposts on judicial confirmations. In 2012, for example, when President Obama was up for reelection, McConnell announced that he would attempt to block all appeals court confirmations under the so-called “Thurmond Rule.” The Republican leader claimed that this rule “holds that within six months of a presidential election, the opposition party can, and typically does, refuse to allow votes on circuit court judges.”
No such rule exists. Although the “Thurmond Rule” has, at times, been invoked to slow down confirmations in a presidential election year, prior Senate practice does not support McConnell’s claim that confirmations should simply halt. As we explained shortly after McConnell announced that he was invoking this so-called rule, “President Carter had 5 appeals judges confirmed between this day in 1980 and that year’s election, one of whom was future Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. President Reagan had 7 in his first term and 2 in his second. The first President Bush had 7. No appellate judges were confirmed in the lead up to the 1996 election, but one was confirmed at the end of President Clinton’s second term. The second President Bush had 3 confirmed during this period in 2004 and 2 in 2008"."
Bernie Sanders Exposes 18 CEOs who took Trillions in Bailouts, Evaded Taxes and Outsourced Jobs
http://pdafund.com/component/k2/item/65-bernie-sanders-exposes-18-ceos-who-took-trillions-in-bailouts-evaded-taxes-and-outsourced-jobs
"Sen. Sanders responded to the lecture from America’s CEO’s by releasing a report that detailed how 18 of them have helped blow up the deficit and wreck the economy by outsourcing jobs and evading US taxes."
"Sen. Sanders responded to the lecture from America’s CEO’s by releasing a report that detailed how 18 of them have helped blow up the deficit and wreck the economy by outsourcing jobs and evading US taxes."
A Republican Nightmare: Science Group Demands 2016 Presidential ‘Science Debate’
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/04/republican-nightmare-science-group-demands-2016-presidential-science-debate/
"The problem lies in the fact that on almost every issue, Republicans would get creamed. This is the “I’m not a scientist, but…” party, after all."
"The problem lies in the fact that on almost every issue, Republicans would get creamed. This is the “I’m not a scientist, but…” party, after all."
Bernie Sanders Lays Into Republicans For Their Attack On Social Security
Bernie Sanders Lays Into Republicans For Their Attack On Social Security
"Unlike the GOP, Sanders actually has a plan to keep it solvent that doesn't involve asking Americans to work until they drop dead."
"Unlike the GOP, Sanders actually has a plan to keep it solvent that doesn't involve asking Americans to work until they drop dead."
The Dangerous ‘Red-State Model’ | The Nation
The Dangerous ‘Red-State Model’ | The Nation
"The failure of Brownback’s plan has made headlines not only because of its consequences in Kansas but also because of its potential impact on national politics. Brownback explicitly intended his plan to inform the policy debate in 2016 and beyond, but his gambit didn’t work as planned. As The Post’s editorial board wrote last year, “Mr. Brownback’s Kansas trial is rapidly becoming a cautionary tale for conservative governors elsewhere who have blithely peddled the theology of tax cuts as a painless panacea for sluggish growth"."
"The failure of Brownback’s plan has made headlines not only because of its consequences in Kansas but also because of its potential impact on national politics. Brownback explicitly intended his plan to inform the policy debate in 2016 and beyond, but his gambit didn’t work as planned. As The Post’s editorial board wrote last year, “Mr. Brownback’s Kansas trial is rapidly becoming a cautionary tale for conservative governors elsewhere who have blithely peddled the theology of tax cuts as a painless panacea for sluggish growth"."
Deep red Florida town is epicenter for Obamacare
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/03/1390201/-Deep-red-Florida-town-is-epicenter-for-Obamacare
"Here's a bit of irony—the place in the country that has the most Obamacare enrollees and stands to lose the most if the Supreme Court rules against subsidies is the stomping grounds of two Republican candidates for president. Both of those candidates, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, want to repeal Obamacare."
"Here's a bit of irony—the place in the country that has the most Obamacare enrollees and stands to lose the most if the Supreme Court rules against subsidies is the stomping grounds of two Republican candidates for president. Both of those candidates, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, want to repeal Obamacare."
States stand to lose big in Obamacare case, but the majority of people in them don't know that
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/03/1390149/-States-stand-to-lose-big-in-Obamacare-case-but-the-majority-of-people-in-them-don-t-know-that#
"Texas stands to lose $205,586,498 in tax credits to its citizens with Obamacare policies, if the Supreme Court rules that the law doesn't authorize those subsidies, because Texas uses the federal insurance exchange. That's 832,334 people, by the way, at risk at losing their subsidies in Texas. In Florida, it's $389,407,704 going to a whopping 1,324,516 people. Those two states represent nearly a third of the nation's population that's at risk of losing subsidies, according to new state-by-state analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation."
"Texas stands to lose $205,586,498 in tax credits to its citizens with Obamacare policies, if the Supreme Court rules that the law doesn't authorize those subsidies, because Texas uses the federal insurance exchange. That's 832,334 people, by the way, at risk at losing their subsidies in Texas. In Florida, it's $389,407,704 going to a whopping 1,324,516 people. Those two states represent nearly a third of the nation's population that's at risk of losing subsidies, according to new state-by-state analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation."
Americans In Red States Have The Most To Lose If The Supreme Court Guts Obamacare
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/06/03/3665565/red-states-obamacare-subsidies/
"That’s because the people who currently rely on subsidies to help them pay for plans purchased on Obamacare’s federal marketplaces are more highly concentrated in red states"
"That’s because the people who currently rely on subsidies to help them pay for plans purchased on Obamacare’s federal marketplaces are more highly concentrated in red states"
Poll Finds Republicans And Democrats Actually Agree That Campaign Finance Is A Disaster
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/06/02/3665352/campaign-finance-poll/
"While money flowing into U.S. elections has become increasingly unregulated and the 2016 election is slated to surpass spending records, a recent poll found that a majority of Americans of both parties support measures to restrict the influence of wealthy donors in politics."
"While money flowing into U.S. elections has become increasingly unregulated and the 2016 election is slated to surpass spending records, a recent poll found that a majority of Americans of both parties support measures to restrict the influence of wealthy donors in politics."
Friday, June 5, 2015
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP for Gutting Voting Rights and Lays Out 6 Major Reforms | Alternet
Hillary Clinton Attacks GOP for Gutting Voting Rights and Lays Out 6 Major Reforms | Alternet
"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who launched his presidential campaign this week, had signed laws “that a federal court said were written to discriminate against minorities,” she said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cut early voting and made it harder for college students to vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed early voting legislation. And Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor in 2000 when a “deeply flawed purge” removed tens of thousands of legal non-white voters, contributing to George W. Bush’s appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court."
"Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who launched his presidential campaign this week, had signed laws “that a federal court said were written to discriminate against minorities,” she said. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker cut early voting and made it harder for college students to vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed early voting legislation. And Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor in 2000 when a “deeply flawed purge” removed tens of thousands of legal non-white voters, contributing to George W. Bush’s appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court."
What's The Matter With Kansas? The GOPers Running It Into The Ground
What's The Matter With Kansas? The GOPers Running It Into The Ground
"Wichita, Kansas is the home base for Koch Industries, in case you didn't know. That's one reason why it was so important for them to buy some favorable tax policies."
"Wichita, Kansas is the home base for Koch Industries, in case you didn't know. That's one reason why it was so important for them to buy some favorable tax policies."
Obama Pushes New Environmental Protections, So GOP Comes Out In Support Of… Pollution
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/05/obama-pushes-new-environmental-protections-so-gop-comes-out-in-support-of-pollution/
"It further proves the Republican Congress that Obama now has to deal with has jumped the shark entirely. Their hatred toward the president is so great that even things like clean water must be sacrificed if they think they it can hurt the Obama’s legacy. Their governing style isn’t to govern at all. It’s purely disruption."
"It further proves the Republican Congress that Obama now has to deal with has jumped the shark entirely. Their hatred toward the president is so great that even things like clean water must be sacrificed if they think they it can hurt the Obama’s legacy. Their governing style isn’t to govern at all. It’s purely disruption."
Meet One of the Last Best Hopes to Stop the Plutocrats' Takeover of American Democracy | Alternet
Meet One of the Last Best Hopes to Stop the Plutocrats' Takeover of American Democracy | Alternet
"Plutocrats have been on a roll for a while in the U.S., and campaign finance reform is in full retreat. Though Americans hate money’s “obscene” role in politics, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they feel hopeless about changing it. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Buckley and Citizens United decisions, money is speech and corporations are people, so forget about limiting what billionaires and Super PACs can contribute to campaigns."
"Plutocrats have been on a roll for a while in the U.S., and campaign finance reform is in full retreat. Though Americans hate money’s “obscene” role in politics, according to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they feel hopeless about changing it. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Buckley and Citizens United decisions, money is speech and corporations are people, so forget about limiting what billionaires and Super PACs can contribute to campaigns."
Watch: A Nobel Economist Debunks Trickle-Down Reaganomics In Four Minutes
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-a-nobel-economist-debunks-trickle-down-reaganomics-in-four-minutes/
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"."
"In this video, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz lays out a damning indictment of Ronald Reagan’s deregulation and sweeping tax cuts that have resulted in the worst income inequality in the developed world and have been holding America back for the past thirty years. He definitively debunks the delusional “trickle-down” theory of income transfer and bemoans the fact that social mobility in America has been crippled by the concentration of wealth in the top 1%, preventing hard-working Americans from moving upwards in society or improving their lots in life.”The same market forces, the same forces of technological globalization are at work in the same way in advanced countries. It’s not the economic forces. It’s our policies"."
Republicans set sights on the Endangered Species Act
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/04/1390407/-Republicans-set-sights-on-the-Endangered-Species-Act
"Republicans in Congress have a problem. They badly want to get rid of the Endangered Species Act, one of the most successful conservation laws we have for protecting endangered wildlife from going extinct. But unfortunately for them, the law works and is wildly popular with the American people.
Their solution? Keep the law, but gut it beyond recognition and make it totally ineffective by adding burdensome new restrictions and allowing local politicians to overrule science whenever they feel like it."
"Republicans in Congress have a problem. They badly want to get rid of the Endangered Species Act, one of the most successful conservation laws we have for protecting endangered wildlife from going extinct. But unfortunately for them, the law works and is wildly popular with the American people.
Their solution? Keep the law, but gut it beyond recognition and make it totally ineffective by adding burdensome new restrictions and allowing local politicians to overrule science whenever they feel like it."
Scott Walker’s Baffling War On Bikes
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/06/03/3664754/scott-walkers-war-bikes/
"In just one year, Wisconsin’s bike friendliness ranking from the non-partisan League of American Bicyclists dropped from the third best in country to ninth. If the state legislature approves Governor Scott Walker’s budget, which slashes funding for bike infrastructure, boosts spending on freeways and imposes a new tax on bicycle sales, the ranking could plummet further.
As Governor Walker prepares for a likely run for the White House, he’s been traveling the country touting his record of slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, saying he has “put more money back in the hands of the hardworking taxpayers.”
Yet Governor Walker and his allies in the Madison statehouse have found one corporate sector where they’re willing to raise taxes: bicycles. Though they have been hesitant to hesitant to consider boosting taxes on gasoline or vehicle registration fees, state lawmakers have been pushing a $25 tax on the sale of all new bicycles in the state, on top of the existing sales tax."
"In just one year, Wisconsin’s bike friendliness ranking from the non-partisan League of American Bicyclists dropped from the third best in country to ninth. If the state legislature approves Governor Scott Walker’s budget, which slashes funding for bike infrastructure, boosts spending on freeways and imposes a new tax on bicycle sales, the ranking could plummet further.
As Governor Walker prepares for a likely run for the White House, he’s been traveling the country touting his record of slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, saying he has “put more money back in the hands of the hardworking taxpayers.”
Yet Governor Walker and his allies in the Madison statehouse have found one corporate sector where they’re willing to raise taxes: bicycles. Though they have been hesitant to hesitant to consider boosting taxes on gasoline or vehicle registration fees, state lawmakers have been pushing a $25 tax on the sale of all new bicycles in the state, on top of the existing sales tax."
The Kansas Supreme Court Challenged Republicans' Agenda. Their Solution: Replace the Judges.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/final-front-sam-brownbacks-battle-control-kansas
"Since Republican Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011, he and his allies in the GOP-dominated state Legislature have implemented drastic tax cuts—part of a "real, live experiment" in conservative governance, as Brownback put it in 2012, that has resulted in precipitously falling revenues. But Brownback's tax slashing hit a snag last year when the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase education funding, potentially forcing the governor to roll back his signature tax cuts in order to increase school spending. So conservatives in Topeka declared war on the court."
"Since Republican Sam Brownback became governor of Kansas in 2011, he and his allies in the GOP-dominated state Legislature have implemented drastic tax cuts—part of a "real, live experiment" in conservative governance, as Brownback put it in 2012, that has resulted in precipitously falling revenues. But Brownback's tax slashing hit a snag last year when the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase education funding, potentially forcing the governor to roll back his signature tax cuts in order to increase school spending. So conservatives in Topeka declared war on the court."
Judges Considering Criminal Probe Into Scott Walker May Be Implicated In Same Offense
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/06/02/3665064/judges-considering-criminal-probe-scott-walker-may-implicated-offense/
"In a newly released court filing, the prosecutor in the case raised the question of whether one or two of the justices hearing the case are implicated in the same kind of scheme. Two groups suspected of coordinating with Walker’s campaign have also spent $10 million to elect the four-justice conservative majority. The prosecutor’s heavily redacted brief also suggests that two justices, or, at least, their campaigns, may have committed the same offense that is at the heart of the Walker investigation—coordinating with dark money groups to get reelected."
"In a newly released court filing, the prosecutor in the case raised the question of whether one or two of the justices hearing the case are implicated in the same kind of scheme. Two groups suspected of coordinating with Walker’s campaign have also spent $10 million to elect the four-justice conservative majority. The prosecutor’s heavily redacted brief also suggests that two justices, or, at least, their campaigns, may have committed the same offense that is at the heart of the Walker investigation—coordinating with dark money groups to get reelected."
Utah Lawmaker Accused Of ‘Illegal Scheme’ To Seize America’s Public Lands
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/06/02/3665047/ken-ivory-public-lands-complaint/
"A watchdog organization filed complaints against a Utah state representative on Monday for allegedly leading “an illegal scheme to defraud local government officials out of taxpayer funds” to finance a campaign to seize America’s public lands.
The complaints, filed by the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), request that the attorneys general of Utah, Arizona and Montana investigate state Rep. Ken Ivory (R) for “solicit[ing] funds from local officials, falsely claiming the federal government can be forced to transfer public lands to the states.” The complaints cite Ivory’s use of his role as president and founder of the American Lands Council (ALC), a Utah-based organization, to “enrich” his personal wealth and make “false or fraudulent representations to obtain money"."
"A watchdog organization filed complaints against a Utah state representative on Monday for allegedly leading “an illegal scheme to defraud local government officials out of taxpayer funds” to finance a campaign to seize America’s public lands.
The complaints, filed by the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), request that the attorneys general of Utah, Arizona and Montana investigate state Rep. Ken Ivory (R) for “solicit[ing] funds from local officials, falsely claiming the federal government can be forced to transfer public lands to the states.” The complaints cite Ivory’s use of his role as president and founder of the American Lands Council (ALC), a Utah-based organization, to “enrich” his personal wealth and make “false or fraudulent representations to obtain money"."
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
Christie Officials Hid Wall Street Fees From NJ Officials
"Even as Chris Christie pushed to cut benefits to retired New Jersey firefighters, teachers and other state workers, saying there simply wasn’t sufficient money in the pension fund, his administration was concealing how millions of those pension fund dollars were spent.
Faced with intensifying criticism of skyrocketing fees the state pension was paying to financial firms, the Republican governor's officials have touted their own cost estimate. But they didn't offer a complete reckoning. The officials' testimony to state lawmakers and letter to one of the state’s largest newspaper chains earlier this year appeared to prove that the state’s fees were well below other states. In fact, the Christie administration’s pension analysis, obtained through an open records request by International Business Times, omitted so-called performance fees that the state is paying to Wall Street. Those levies, which give financial firms a cut of the state’s investment gains, now total hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A Christie administration presentation to state pension trustees also obtained by IBTimes similarly omitted those performance fees.
The disclosure that the Christie administration's cost estimates hid large payments to financial firms comes as New Jersey lawmakers are set to hold a hearing on Thursday to scrutinize the more than $600 million a year the state now pays in total pension fees. The hearing follows an IBTimes’ reporting series that prompted New Jersey pension trustees to launch a separate investigation into the fees -- some of which have been paid to financial firms whose executives made campaign contributions to Republican organizations backing Christie’s election campaigns."
"Even as Chris Christie pushed to cut benefits to retired New Jersey firefighters, teachers and other state workers, saying there simply wasn’t sufficient money in the pension fund, his administration was concealing how millions of those pension fund dollars were spent.
Faced with intensifying criticism of skyrocketing fees the state pension was paying to financial firms, the Republican governor's officials have touted their own cost estimate. But they didn't offer a complete reckoning. The officials' testimony to state lawmakers and letter to one of the state’s largest newspaper chains earlier this year appeared to prove that the state’s fees were well below other states. In fact, the Christie administration’s pension analysis, obtained through an open records request by International Business Times, omitted so-called performance fees that the state is paying to Wall Street. Those levies, which give financial firms a cut of the state’s investment gains, now total hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A Christie administration presentation to state pension trustees also obtained by IBTimes similarly omitted those performance fees.
The disclosure that the Christie administration's cost estimates hid large payments to financial firms comes as New Jersey lawmakers are set to hold a hearing on Thursday to scrutinize the more than $600 million a year the state now pays in total pension fees. The hearing follows an IBTimes’ reporting series that prompted New Jersey pension trustees to launch a separate investigation into the fees -- some of which have been paid to financial firms whose executives made campaign contributions to Republican organizations backing Christie’s election campaigns."
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush Wrongly Blames GOP Congress for Dubya's Spending and Debt
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush Wrongly Blames GOP Congress for Dubya's Spending and Debt
"As it turns out, it is Barack Obama who brought some budget discipline to Washington. On January 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama's inauguration day, CNN reported on the latest long-term budget forecast from the CBO. Just days before President Bush ambled out of the Oval Office for good, CNN explained "the U.S. budget deficit in 2009 is projected to spike to a record $1.2 trillion, or 8.3% of gross domestic product." With the recession in full swing and the massive TARP program passed at Bush's urging the previous fall, CBO predicted in January 2009 that federal spending would spike to $3.543 trillion dollars while tax revenue would plummet to an anemic to $2,357 trillion. Federal spending has hardly budged since. While the annual deficit has been reduced by two-thirds, Uncle Sam's outlays measured in constant FY 2009 dollars have dropped every year since George W. Bush left the Oval Office and Barack Obama moved in."
"As it turns out, it is Barack Obama who brought some budget discipline to Washington. On January 7, 2009, two weeks before Obama's inauguration day, CNN reported on the latest long-term budget forecast from the CBO. Just days before President Bush ambled out of the Oval Office for good, CNN explained "the U.S. budget deficit in 2009 is projected to spike to a record $1.2 trillion, or 8.3% of gross domestic product." With the recession in full swing and the massive TARP program passed at Bush's urging the previous fall, CBO predicted in January 2009 that federal spending would spike to $3.543 trillion dollars while tax revenue would plummet to an anemic to $2,357 trillion. Federal spending has hardly budged since. While the annual deficit has been reduced by two-thirds, Uncle Sam's outlays measured in constant FY 2009 dollars have dropped every year since George W. Bush left the Oval Office and Barack Obama moved in."
Bernie Sanders wants to debate GOP candidates now to expose their unpopular ‘reactionary agenda’
Bernie Sanders wants to debate GOP candidates now to expose their unpopular ‘reactionary agenda’
"Sanders said Republican candidates want to offset “huge tax breaks for billionaires” with “massive cuts” to programs that help millions of American, including Medicare, Medicaid, and – in the case of likely candidates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie – Social Security.
“They get away with that stuff because a lot of people don’t know what they are talking about,” he said.
Sanders said he would like a debate between Democrats and Republicans during the primary season so he could “confront them honestly and say to their face” what voters should know about their governing intentions."
"Sanders said Republican candidates want to offset “huge tax breaks for billionaires” with “massive cuts” to programs that help millions of American, including Medicare, Medicaid, and – in the case of likely candidates Jeb Bush and Chris Christie – Social Security.
“They get away with that stuff because a lot of people don’t know what they are talking about,” he said.
Sanders said he would like a debate between Democrats and Republicans during the primary season so he could “confront them honestly and say to their face” what voters should know about their governing intentions."
The 1 percent’s “centrist” propaganda war: Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren are so threatening to the establishment
The 1 percent’s “centrist” propaganda war: Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren are so threatening to the establishment
"These arguments for centrism are just red herrings cloaked as pragmatic advice, designed to distract people from real problems, like the fact the GOP is actually a dying breed, while the rise of the modern liberal movement is overwhelmingly associated with the millennial generation.
Indeed, the largest base for conservatism today will be, quite literally, dying off in the near future. The Republican party is the old white party, which is not a very good survival strategy, as white people will cease to be a majority in about three decades, and todays elderly will be dead. This seems to be a much more significant problem than the Democratic party going too far to the left, which is actually a wise strategy for the future, if we are to believe the data suggesting the millennial generation is the most liberal yet. In fact, a few years ago, a Pew poll suggested that millennials (18-29) view socialism more favorably than capitalism, which is quite astonishing for the United States.
Elizabeth Warren and the rising liberal movement have created a real fear within the Republican party and Wall Street."
"These arguments for centrism are just red herrings cloaked as pragmatic advice, designed to distract people from real problems, like the fact the GOP is actually a dying breed, while the rise of the modern liberal movement is overwhelmingly associated with the millennial generation.
Indeed, the largest base for conservatism today will be, quite literally, dying off in the near future. The Republican party is the old white party, which is not a very good survival strategy, as white people will cease to be a majority in about three decades, and todays elderly will be dead. This seems to be a much more significant problem than the Democratic party going too far to the left, which is actually a wise strategy for the future, if we are to believe the data suggesting the millennial generation is the most liberal yet. In fact, a few years ago, a Pew poll suggested that millennials (18-29) view socialism more favorably than capitalism, which is quite astonishing for the United States.
Elizabeth Warren and the rising liberal movement have created a real fear within the Republican party and Wall Street."
ALEC Responds To Atlanta's 11Alive, Still Blocks Video Footage Of What They Actually Do
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/06/03/alec-responds-to-atlantas-11alive-still-blocks/203873
"ALEC and their corporate sponsors have a vested interest in keeping their conferences confidential. In secrecy, lobbyists and lawyers construct model right-wing legislation to be introduced in state houses across the country."
"ALEC and their corporate sponsors have a vested interest in keeping their conferences confidential. In secrecy, lobbyists and lawyers construct model right-wing legislation to be introduced in state houses across the country."
ALEC Tries To Intimidate News Crew, Receives Knockout Punch Instead! – VIDEO
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/alec-responds-to-11alive-investigation/
"ALEC responded on its website and placed the blame for what had transpired at the Georgia resort squarely on the shoulders of the news crew because – well, because to tell the truth wouldn’t serve the purposes of ALEC and those who fund the operation."
"ALEC responded on its website and placed the blame for what had transpired at the Georgia resort squarely on the shoulders of the news crew because – well, because to tell the truth wouldn’t serve the purposes of ALEC and those who fund the operation."
Scott Walker And ALEC Allow High School Dropouts To Teach High School
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/02/scott-walker-alec-high-school-dropouts-teach-high-school.html
"According to an ALEC template, Wisconsin Republicans have proposed an ALEC rule change that allows high school dropouts to “be licensed to teach” in public high schools. It is something that critics, and likely every conscious American, have labeled as “breathtaking in its stupidity.” The ALEC measure was slipped into a 1:30 a.m. Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee along with other underfunded K-12 budget items during a late-night session by Republican state Representative Mary Czaja. Koch Governor Scott Walker has tried to ‘sneak’ the ALEC legislation into the state budget for the past three years, and it appears that this year will be the year when high school dropouts will replace University-trained educators in teaching Wisconsin public high school students."
"According to an ALEC template, Wisconsin Republicans have proposed an ALEC rule change that allows high school dropouts to “be licensed to teach” in public high schools. It is something that critics, and likely every conscious American, have labeled as “breathtaking in its stupidity.” The ALEC measure was slipped into a 1:30 a.m. Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee along with other underfunded K-12 budget items during a late-night session by Republican state Representative Mary Czaja. Koch Governor Scott Walker has tried to ‘sneak’ the ALEC legislation into the state budget for the past three years, and it appears that this year will be the year when high school dropouts will replace University-trained educators in teaching Wisconsin public high school students."
Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?
Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?
"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will address the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in San Diego this July.
Walker’s speech at ALEC will be a reunion of sorts. Walker was an ALEC member as a state legislator in the 1990s, and the agenda that Walker has championed throughout his long political career has closely tracked the policies promoted by ALEC and its corporate funders, despite public opposition to many of those measures."
"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will address the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in San Diego this July.
Walker’s speech at ALEC will be a reunion of sorts. Walker was an ALEC member as a state legislator in the 1990s, and the agenda that Walker has championed throughout his long political career has closely tracked the policies promoted by ALEC and its corporate funders, despite public opposition to many of those measures."
Why Rick Perry Is More Likely To End Up In Prison Than Be Elected President
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/04/rick-perry-prison-elected-president.html
"Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his 2016 presidential candidacy today as he is currently facing 109 years in prison for abusing his power as governor. Perry is more likely to end up in prison than be elected president.
Rick Perry’s campaign announcement was straight out of 2012, with the exception of Perry stealing Elizabeth Warren’s line about the game being rigged. Perry said, “Capitalism is not about the gains of Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.” Perry followed this statement up by calling for the immediate repeal of Dodd-Frank and the rollback of regulations."
"Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his 2016 presidential candidacy today as he is currently facing 109 years in prison for abusing his power as governor. Perry is more likely to end up in prison than be elected president.
Rick Perry’s campaign announcement was straight out of 2012, with the exception of Perry stealing Elizabeth Warren’s line about the game being rigged. Perry said, “Capitalism is not about the gains of Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.” Perry followed this statement up by calling for the immediate repeal of Dodd-Frank and the rollback of regulations."
Minn. man says company wrong to fire him over Obama lynching threat: ‘My only regret is being called racist’
Minn. man says company wrong to fire him over Obama lynching threat: ‘My only regret is being called racist’
"Minnesota man who tweeted lynching threats to President Barack Obama said this week that he was wrongly called a racist and then fired from his job.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that the president’s newly-launched Twitter account had received an unexpected number of hate-filled messages.
The paper singled out Jeff Gullickson for posting an image of Obama with a noose around his neck."
"Minnesota man who tweeted lynching threats to President Barack Obama said this week that he was wrongly called a racist and then fired from his job.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that the president’s newly-launched Twitter account had received an unexpected number of hate-filled messages.
The paper singled out Jeff Gullickson for posting an image of Obama with a noose around his neck."
On their wedding day, turned away by NC magistrates
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article22949817.html
"I met the love of my life more than 40 years ago in Raleigh. Thomas is a lifelong North Carolinian. I was a recent transplant from Vermont. We are both legally blind, and soon after we met, we moved to Winston-Salem to work for the Industries of the Blind. Our friendship blossomed into love, and in 1976, Thomas proposed. I very happily said yes.
Soon after, we went to our local courthouse to receive a civil marriage license from one of the magistrates there, so we could commit our lives to each through a legal union. I was so excited. People always say your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, and I was expecting mine to be exactly that.
But when we walked into that government office together, we were told that the magistrate on duty wouldn’t give us a marriage license. I was flabbergasted. We had planned everything, we had all our paperwork and we were legally eligible to get married.
So why wouldn’t he marry us? The reason, it turned out, was because Thomas is African-American, and I am white. The magistrate told us that marrying an interracial couple went against his religious beliefs. Our happy day quickly turned into a nightmare."
"I met the love of my life more than 40 years ago in Raleigh. Thomas is a lifelong North Carolinian. I was a recent transplant from Vermont. We are both legally blind, and soon after we met, we moved to Winston-Salem to work for the Industries of the Blind. Our friendship blossomed into love, and in 1976, Thomas proposed. I very happily said yes.
Soon after, we went to our local courthouse to receive a civil marriage license from one of the magistrates there, so we could commit our lives to each through a legal union. I was so excited. People always say your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, and I was expecting mine to be exactly that.
But when we walked into that government office together, we were told that the magistrate on duty wouldn’t give us a marriage license. I was flabbergasted. We had planned everything, we had all our paperwork and we were legally eligible to get married.
So why wouldn’t he marry us? The reason, it turned out, was because Thomas is African-American, and I am white. The magistrate told us that marrying an interracial couple went against his religious beliefs. Our happy day quickly turned into a nightmare."
The media’s most destructive meme: Why we need to admit that the GOP’s extremism is virtually unprecedented
The media’s most destructive meme: Why we need to admit that the GOP’s extremism is virtually unprecedented
"It’s a very neat trick by the Republicans. They may be extreme right wingers but they know exactly how to seduce a willing political media into focusing on anything but their growing fanaticism."
"It’s a very neat trick by the Republicans. They may be extreme right wingers but they know exactly how to seduce a willing political media into focusing on anything but their growing fanaticism."
6 Ways Ted Cruz Is A Threat To America And The American Way Of Life
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/06/6-ways-ted-cruz-is-a-threat-to-americans/
"Ted Cruz Fuels Fringe Conspiracy Theorists
It is bad enough that we have whack-a-doodle militia members armed to the hilt with their camouflage rags and assault rifles without the likes of Ted Cruz feeding their fear of conspiracies around every corner."
"Ted Cruz Fuels Fringe Conspiracy Theorists
It is bad enough that we have whack-a-doodle militia members armed to the hilt with their camouflage rags and assault rifles without the likes of Ted Cruz feeding their fear of conspiracies around every corner."
Ted Cruz Tries Quoting JFK to Defend Republican Ignorance on Tax Rates, Fails Miserably
Ted Cruz Tries Quoting JFK to Defend Republican Ignorance on Tax Rates, Fails Miserably
"Almost everything Ted Cruz regurgitates is just some talking point that’s directly meant to pander to tea party voters. And it’s not as if reality, facts or history even matter – because he seems to literally just make up whatever he wants."
"Almost everything Ted Cruz regurgitates is just some talking point that’s directly meant to pander to tea party voters. And it’s not as if reality, facts or history even matter – because he seems to literally just make up whatever he wants."
Fox News and the Duggars reach a disgusting new low: The twisted persecution complex in last night’s insane interview
Fox News and the Duggars reach a disgusting new low: The twisted persecution complex in last night’s insane interview
"Megyn Kelly, avenger, swooped in to get an interview with the victims in the Duggar family molestation case. The victims being parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, of course. In the span of an hour Wednesday night, Fox News transformed the disturbing Duggar family into culture war martyrs, targets of the most vicious liberal attacks since the War on Christmas.
The Duggars delivered a stunning display of deflection, the longest exercise in self-absolution since Gov. Chris Christie’s two-hour pity party when Bridgegate was revealed. The right wing Christian activists and LGBT antagonists found unbelievably creative ways to minimize what son Josh did when he molested four of his sisters, and a baby sitter, in seven separate incidents."
"Megyn Kelly, avenger, swooped in to get an interview with the victims in the Duggar family molestation case. The victims being parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, of course. In the span of an hour Wednesday night, Fox News transformed the disturbing Duggar family into culture war martyrs, targets of the most vicious liberal attacks since the War on Christmas.
The Duggars delivered a stunning display of deflection, the longest exercise in self-absolution since Gov. Chris Christie’s two-hour pity party when Bridgegate was revealed. The right wing Christian activists and LGBT antagonists found unbelievably creative ways to minimize what son Josh did when he molested four of his sisters, and a baby sitter, in seven separate incidents."
The Duggars: The real ‘bad guys’ are the people who blew our conspiracy of silence about our pervy son
The Duggars: The real ‘bad guys’ are the people who blew our conspiracy of silence about our pervy son
"There was so much to dislike and be horrified by in Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News Wednesday night that it is hard to even know where to start.
With an able assist from Kelly — a former lawyer who used her legal training like a defense attorney walking a client through court testimony, making a small admission of guilt here, pointing the finger at someone else in the courtroom over there — the entire interview was an exercise in damage control and blame-shifting with a healthy dollop of the persecution blues."
"There was so much to dislike and be horrified by in Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News Wednesday night that it is hard to even know where to start.
With an able assist from Kelly — a former lawyer who used her legal training like a defense attorney walking a client through court testimony, making a small admission of guilt here, pointing the finger at someone else in the courtroom over there — the entire interview was an exercise in damage control and blame-shifting with a healthy dollop of the persecution blues."
Proof Positive Of Ted Cruz' Sociopathy
Proof Positive Of Ted Cruz' Sociopathy
"Watch sleazy Ted Cruz behave like the sociopath he is in that video. Reporter asks him about his horrible Joe Biden joke, and he feigns sadness for Vice President Biden's loss of his son, Beau.
But when asked why he told a Biden joke during his speech, he walks away. No remorse, no regret, nothing. Just dead eyes."
"Watch sleazy Ted Cruz behave like the sociopath he is in that video. Reporter asks him about his horrible Joe Biden joke, and he feigns sadness for Vice President Biden's loss of his son, Beau.
But when asked why he told a Biden joke during his speech, he walks away. No remorse, no regret, nothing. Just dead eyes."
Despicable Fox News Gives The Duggars A Primetime Special To Cover Up Child Molestation
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/03/despicable-fox-news-duggars-primetime-special-cover-child-molestation.html
"Fox News has managed to go even lower than giving Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar a favorable interview. The network is giving the Duggars an hour-long primetime special to explain away why they covered up their son’s child molestation crimes."
"Fox News has managed to go even lower than giving Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar a favorable interview. The network is giving the Duggars an hour-long primetime special to explain away why they covered up their son’s child molestation crimes."
Louisiana Teachers Are LITERALLY Using The Bible As A Science Textbook
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/03/louisiana-teachers-are-literally-using-the-bible-as-a-science-textbook/
"This law is so damaging to the state’s children that 78 Nobel Laureates and several prominent scientists have endorsed its repeal, though efforts to rid the state of the Louisiana Science Education Act have been unsuccessful thus far."
"This law is so damaging to the state’s children that 78 Nobel Laureates and several prominent scientists have endorsed its repeal, though efforts to rid the state of the Louisiana Science Education Act have been unsuccessful thus far."
Fox News is still trying — and failing — to understand why the rest of the world respects America more under Obama than Bush
Fox News is still trying — and failing — to understand why the rest of the world respects America more under Obama than Bush
"On Tuesday night’s episode of “Hannity,” Fox News continued to grapple with what is, to it, the inexplicable fact that according to two recent polls the rest of the world respects America more now than it did when George W. Bush was president."
"On Tuesday night’s episode of “Hannity,” Fox News continued to grapple with what is, to it, the inexplicable fact that according to two recent polls the rest of the world respects America more now than it did when George W. Bush was president."
Most Americans support same-sex marriage. Republicans still don't.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/01/1389593/-Most-Americans-support-same-sex-marriage-Republicans-still-don-t
"Once again, note the huge difference between what the Republican base thinks and everyone else. There's a twenty point difference between Republican and independent voters; for the party, it's not a long-term sustainable position."
"Once again, note the huge difference between what the Republican base thinks and everyone else. There's a twenty point difference between Republican and independent voters; for the party, it's not a long-term sustainable position."
Bullish on Bernie: Populist Presidential Platform Draws Overflow Crowds
Bullish on Bernie: Populist Presidential Platform Draws Overflow Crowds
"Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who spoke to overflow crowds in Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend following his official campaign kick-off in Vermont last Tuesday, is gaining traction with both the press and the public."
"Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who spoke to overflow crowds in Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend following his official campaign kick-off in Vermont last Tuesday, is gaining traction with both the press and the public."
NY Times/CBS Poll Concurs: Americans Hate Citizens United
NY Times/CBS Poll Concurs: Americans Hate Citizens United
"The findings reveal deep support among Republicans and Democrats alike for new measures to restrict the influence of wealthy givers, including limiting the amount of money that can be spent by “super PACs” and forcing more public disclosure on organizations now permitted to intervene in elections without disclosing the names of their donors."
"The findings reveal deep support among Republicans and Democrats alike for new measures to restrict the influence of wealthy givers, including limiting the amount of money that can be spent by “super PACs” and forcing more public disclosure on organizations now permitted to intervene in elections without disclosing the names of their donors."
What We Now Know About The Men Who Led The Impeachment Of Clinton
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/05/30/3664334/now-know-republican-speakers-helped-impeach-bill-clinton/
"Almost 17 years later, with the federal indictment of Hastert for illegally concealing up to $3.5 million in hush-money, we finally have a more complete understanding of the men who led this effort."
"Almost 17 years later, with the federal indictment of Hastert for illegally concealing up to $3.5 million in hush-money, we finally have a more complete understanding of the men who led this effort."
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Kansas Republicans Just Admitted That Cutting Taxes to “Boost the Economy” is a Scam
Kansas Republicans Just Admitted That Cutting Taxes to “Boost the Economy” is a Scam
"Since the dawn of trickle-down economics during the Reagan administration, the only thing these tax cuts have done is made the rich more wealthy than they’ve ever been while leaving 98 percent of Americans further and further behind."
"Since the dawn of trickle-down economics during the Reagan administration, the only thing these tax cuts have done is made the rich more wealthy than they’ve ever been while leaving 98 percent of Americans further and further behind."
Robert Reich: Corporate Welfare Is Destroying Our Economy (VIDEO) | Alternet
Robert Reich: Corporate Welfare Is Destroying Our Economy (VIDEO) | Alternet
"Corporations aren’t people, despite what the Supreme Court says, and they don’t need or deserve handouts."
"Corporations aren’t people, despite what the Supreme Court says, and they don’t need or deserve handouts."
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Beau Biden, Son Of Vice President, Dies Of Brain Cancer At 46
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/30/3664472/beau-biden-son-vice-president-dies-brain-cancer-46/
"Beau Biden served as attorney general of Delaware and joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008, the same year his father ran for vice president. It was at the 2008 Democratic Convention he delivered an impassioned speech to introduce his father." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
"Beau Biden served as attorney general of Delaware and joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008, the same year his father ran for vice president. It was at the 2008 Democratic Convention he delivered an impassioned speech to introduce his father." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
Vice President Joe Biden’s son Beau dies after battle with brain cancer
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/vice-president-joe-bidens-son-beau-dies-after-battle-brain-cancer
"Beau Biden, 46, was hospitalized this week at Walter Reed Medical Center. He died Saturday evening surrounded by his family, the vice president’s office said." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
"Beau Biden, 46, was hospitalized this week at Walter Reed Medical Center. He died Saturday evening surrounded by his family, the vice president’s office said." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
ALEC: Paying For Corporate Lobbying With Our Tax Dollars
ALEC: Paying For Corporate Lobbying With Our Tax Dollars
"corporate special interest money will always find plenty of ways to influence legislators. Here's the deal, though: you and I should not have to subsidize that special interest lobbying and influence peddling. The IRS needs to investigate ALEC and stop this sleazy charade now."
"corporate special interest money will always find plenty of ways to influence legislators. Here's the deal, though: you and I should not have to subsidize that special interest lobbying and influence peddling. The IRS needs to investigate ALEC and stop this sleazy charade now."
Kansas Republicans Finally Admit That Their Tax Cuts For The Wealthy Have Failed
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/30/kansas-republicans-finally-admit-tax-cuts-wealthy-failed.html
"Republican Governor Sam Brownback and his Tea Party sycophants in the Kansas legislature have insisted for the past several years that tax cuts for the rich would usher in an economic utopia. They envisioned businesses flocking to the state to take advantage of low taxes spurring an economic boom. Instead, the state has fallen on hard times, with massive budget shortfalls triggering savage cuts to education and social services. Even many Republicans are now acknowledging that their policy has been an economic disaster." Trickle Down fails again.
"Republican Governor Sam Brownback and his Tea Party sycophants in the Kansas legislature have insisted for the past several years that tax cuts for the rich would usher in an economic utopia. They envisioned businesses flocking to the state to take advantage of low taxes spurring an economic boom. Instead, the state has fallen on hard times, with massive budget shortfalls triggering savage cuts to education and social services. Even many Republicans are now acknowledging that their policy has been an economic disaster." Trickle Down fails again.
Bobby Jindal And Grover Norquist Wreck Louisiana
Bobby Jindal And Grover Norquist Wreck Louisiana
"One reason everything’s hitting the fan is there’s not much left. Gone are $800 million from the Medicaid Trust Fund for the Elderly and $450 million for providing development incentives, and the rainy day fund has dropped from $730 million to $460 million on his watch.
Republicans like state Rep. Jay Morris, who, after hearing Jindal’s vow to veto any measure that didn’t have Grover Norquist’s blessing, declared the approach “insane"."
"One reason everything’s hitting the fan is there’s not much left. Gone are $800 million from the Medicaid Trust Fund for the Elderly and $450 million for providing development incentives, and the rainy day fund has dropped from $730 million to $460 million on his watch.
Republicans like state Rep. Jay Morris, who, after hearing Jindal’s vow to veto any measure that didn’t have Grover Norquist’s blessing, declared the approach “insane"."
Devastating Walker Budget to Be Finalized
Devastating Walker Budget to Be Finalized
"Walker has also proposed another $127 million in direct cuts to the state’s K-12 public schools in next year’s education budget, after $1 billion in cuts in his first budget. The legislature will likely shrink the K-12 cut in response to public outrage.
In the continuing effort to weaken the state's public schools, the budget would also allow Wisconsin schools to hire people without bachelor's degrees to teach subjects like math, science, technology, and engineering."
"Walker has also proposed another $127 million in direct cuts to the state’s K-12 public schools in next year’s education budget, after $1 billion in cuts in his first budget. The legislature will likely shrink the K-12 cut in response to public outrage.
In the continuing effort to weaken the state's public schools, the budget would also allow Wisconsin schools to hire people without bachelor's degrees to teach subjects like math, science, technology, and engineering."
Obama Rescues Arrogant and Ungrateful Texas Republicans With Federal Disaster Declaration
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/30/obama-rescues-arrogant-ungrateful-texas-republicans-federal-disaster-declaration.html
"Arrogant Republicans like Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz won’t thank the President for literally rescuing their state with prompt action in a time of disaster. Cruz and Abbott are ignoring basic civility because they think it is good politics to ignore Obama while begging for a federal handout.
If Texas were capable of going it alone, they could handle their own natural disaster, but they can’t. What’s even worse is that many Texas Republicans lack the basic decency to thank the President for quicking being there for them in their time of dire need."
"Arrogant Republicans like Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz won’t thank the President for literally rescuing their state with prompt action in a time of disaster. Cruz and Abbott are ignoring basic civility because they think it is good politics to ignore Obama while begging for a federal handout.
If Texas were capable of going it alone, they could handle their own natural disaster, but they can’t. What’s even worse is that many Texas Republicans lack the basic decency to thank the President for quicking being there for them in their time of dire need."
Huckster And Hypocrite: Ted Cruz Voted Against Sandy Relief, Now Demands It For Texas
http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/05/29/huckster-and-hypocrite-ted-cruz-voted-against-sandy-relief-now-demands-it-for-texas/
"I do not in any way, shape, or form begrudge the victims of the Texas floods all the federal relief money they may need to put their lives back together. Not for a moment. But I object to people like Ted Cruz preaching their version of economic theory and then reversing themselves when it serves their purposes or helps get them reelected.
Mark my words: When Cruz runs for reelection to the Senate 2018, he will have images of the flooding and taglines saying that he personally led the fight to secure relief funds for his constituents."
"I do not in any way, shape, or form begrudge the victims of the Texas floods all the federal relief money they may need to put their lives back together. Not for a moment. But I object to people like Ted Cruz preaching their version of economic theory and then reversing themselves when it serves their purposes or helps get them reelected.
Mark my words: When Cruz runs for reelection to the Senate 2018, he will have images of the flooding and taglines saying that he personally led the fight to secure relief funds for his constituents."
Watch: Hypocrite Ted Cruz BEGS For Federal Relief Money For Houston Flooding After Voting Against Sandy Aid
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-hypocrite-ted-cruz-begs-for-federal-relief-money-for-houston-flooding/
"It turns out that Texas is the biggest recipient of federal disaster relief money in the country, as 46 counties are in a state of emergency. For all the railing that Ted Cruz does against “big government” and “wasteful spending”, he sure is quick to change his tune. The disaster in Texas is an absolute tragedy, but it’s equally appalling to see Cruz flip-flop after attempting to deny critical disaster relief to other Americans for partisan brownie points. This is a re-occurring theme with Republicans, who lack the empathy and compassion to spend federal money on disaster relief for other Americans but clamor for it when bad times hit their own states."
"It turns out that Texas is the biggest recipient of federal disaster relief money in the country, as 46 counties are in a state of emergency. For all the railing that Ted Cruz does against “big government” and “wasteful spending”, he sure is quick to change his tune. The disaster in Texas is an absolute tragedy, but it’s equally appalling to see Cruz flip-flop after attempting to deny critical disaster relief to other Americans for partisan brownie points. This is a re-occurring theme with Republicans, who lack the empathy and compassion to spend federal money on disaster relief for other Americans but clamor for it when bad times hit their own states."
Ted Cruz Backs Big Government For Texans – The Hell With The Everyone Else!
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/05/ted-cruz-backs-big-government-for-texans/
"In fact, Cruz’s state, Texas as well as Oklahoma were the top two states on the FEMA handout list having accounted for more than a quarter of the Agency’s declared disasters since 2009.
So Cruz is the Senator of a state that single-handedly receives more disaster relief money than nearly any state in the Union, with the possible exception of Oklahoma, and he voted against relief to victims of a storm that nearly wiped out the coast of New Jersey and New York because he’s against big government and thinks that it should just stay out of the way."
"In fact, Cruz’s state, Texas as well as Oklahoma were the top two states on the FEMA handout list having accounted for more than a quarter of the Agency’s declared disasters since 2009.
So Cruz is the Senator of a state that single-handedly receives more disaster relief money than nearly any state in the Union, with the possible exception of Oklahoma, and he voted against relief to victims of a storm that nearly wiped out the coast of New Jersey and New York because he’s against big government and thinks that it should just stay out of the way."
Ted Cruz’s Mind Blowing Hypocrisy on Texas Floods Shows Idiocy of Republican Philosophy
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/05/ted-cruzs-mind-blowing-hypocrisy-on-texas-floods-shows-idiocy-of-republican-philosophy/
"Cruz’s mind blowing hypocrisy was made all the more obscene when you take into account that this was the same Tea Party Senator who voted against federal aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy because he deemed much of the spending to be ‘wasteful’. The lesson is clear – screw the rest of the country when they need help, but rescue Texas. And to be sure, Texas needs rescuing a lot, being the number one recipient of federal disaster relief aid.
Don’t expect any of these inconvenient ‘facts’ to trouble Cruz and the radical anti government loons in Texas – hypocrisy is now an inbuilt facet of Republican ideology, so much so that no one pays it much attention any more. Just as Mitt Romney was able to campaign on an anti Obamacare platform in 2012 despite rolling out the exact same program in Massachusetts, Republicans couldn’t give a damn what the public thinks. As long as they are hurling enough mud at Democrats for being socialists, no one seems to notice their constant raids on public money."
"Cruz’s mind blowing hypocrisy was made all the more obscene when you take into account that this was the same Tea Party Senator who voted against federal aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy because he deemed much of the spending to be ‘wasteful’. The lesson is clear – screw the rest of the country when they need help, but rescue Texas. And to be sure, Texas needs rescuing a lot, being the number one recipient of federal disaster relief aid.
Don’t expect any of these inconvenient ‘facts’ to trouble Cruz and the radical anti government loons in Texas – hypocrisy is now an inbuilt facet of Republican ideology, so much so that no one pays it much attention any more. Just as Mitt Romney was able to campaign on an anti Obamacare platform in 2012 despite rolling out the exact same program in Massachusetts, Republicans couldn’t give a damn what the public thinks. As long as they are hurling enough mud at Democrats for being socialists, no one seems to notice their constant raids on public money."
Once Again, Mike Huckabee Proves That Republicans Don’t Know Anything About the Constitution
Once Again, Mike Huckabee Proves That Republicans Don’t Know Anything About the Constitution
"when you go back in history and look at the states that supported:
Slavery
Denying women the right to vote
Segregation
Bans on interracial marriage
The opposition to the Civil Rights Act
They’re almost all states that have always been “conservative” and are almost all “strongly Republican” today. States like South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Mississippi – all on the wrong side of history during each of those times in our history and all very Republican states today.
Yet, despite that overwhelming evidence showing that conservatives almost always end up on the wrong side of history, millions of them will look you straight in the eye and swear that they’re the ones “standing for Constitutional values"."
"when you go back in history and look at the states that supported:
Slavery
Denying women the right to vote
Segregation
Bans on interracial marriage
The opposition to the Civil Rights Act
They’re almost all states that have always been “conservative” and are almost all “strongly Republican” today. States like South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Mississippi – all on the wrong side of history during each of those times in our history and all very Republican states today.
Yet, despite that overwhelming evidence showing that conservatives almost always end up on the wrong side of history, millions of them will look you straight in the eye and swear that they’re the ones “standing for Constitutional values"."
Ted Cruz’s rainy day socialism: How a right-wing fanatic learned to stop worrying and love redistribution
Ted Cruz’s rainy day socialism: How a right-wing fanatic learned to stop worrying and love redistribution
"Overall, and disaster relief funds aside, more than 33 percent of Texas’ revenue comes from the federal government. One third of all the money Texas spends on its people during a typical year is, in fact, redistributed from taxpayers in Chicago, Manhattan, Hollywood, San Francisco (home of the terrifying “San Francisco Values”) and, of course, Honolulu, the not-real-America birthplace of our “profoundly dangerous” socialist president. Rewinding to the Great Recession, Texas received $6.4 billion in funding, as requested by former Gov. Rick Perry, from the Recovery Act; which, by the way, has been referred to as the “failed stimulus” by Cruz and others. The redistributed stimulus money balanced the Texas budget and preserved its rainy day fund. In total, Texas was the third-highest recipient of stimulus funds, totaling more the $33 billion.
If Cruz, Abbott and other conservative Texans plan to comport themselves as members of the party of personal responsibility, the least they could do is to man-up and own their socialism."
"Overall, and disaster relief funds aside, more than 33 percent of Texas’ revenue comes from the federal government. One third of all the money Texas spends on its people during a typical year is, in fact, redistributed from taxpayers in Chicago, Manhattan, Hollywood, San Francisco (home of the terrifying “San Francisco Values”) and, of course, Honolulu, the not-real-America birthplace of our “profoundly dangerous” socialist president. Rewinding to the Great Recession, Texas received $6.4 billion in funding, as requested by former Gov. Rick Perry, from the Recovery Act; which, by the way, has been referred to as the “failed stimulus” by Cruz and others. The redistributed stimulus money balanced the Texas budget and preserved its rainy day fund. In total, Texas was the third-highest recipient of stimulus funds, totaling more the $33 billion.
If Cruz, Abbott and other conservative Texans plan to comport themselves as members of the party of personal responsibility, the least they could do is to man-up and own their socialism."
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