January 2012
“Whoever wins the Republican primary is going to be a standard bearer for a...”
– President Obama, signaling an aggressive tack for his early re-election campaign.
#two_terms
“I hope not.”
– Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS), when asked by CBS News whether he thought Newt Gingrich had a chance to be president.
Romney Converted His Father-in-Law After He Died
Gawker: “Two readers have sent us confirmation that Edward Davies, Mitt Romney’s militantly atheist father-in-law, was indeed posthumously converted to Mormonism by his family, despite the fact that when he was alive he regarded all religions as ‘hogwash.’”
Context via catholic.com:
“You might be surprised to learn that the Mormon church has teams of...
“When the conservative financier Charles Koch sent out invitations for a...”
– Advocacy Group Says Justices May Have Conflict in Campaign Finance Cases
That headline is a perfect example of the media’s bullshit “he said, she said” reporting. There is no “may” about that conflict of interest; Scalia and Thomas should have recused themselves. Period.
(via ryking)
roboticemoticon asked: Reminder that banks are bigger, more "profitable" and more insolvent than ever and that Obama did nothing to rein in banks. He gave them bigger bailouts.Did the US reimpose Glass-Steagall? Because as of RIGHT NOW banks can still partake in all the risky behaviour they like.
diggingonexistence asked: I know this sounds pretty ignorant, but can you please explain the full spectrum of Obama care? I think it sounds like it has good intentions, but I don't understand why people hate on it.
“So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that...”
– President Obama, 2012 State of the Union.
GOP Response: “Yeh, but….party comes before country. We need to use the debt Republicans created with Bush against Obama so we can get right back to the failed policies that crushed the economy before our voters realize the identity politics we...
“We used to say “You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.”...”
– David Frum, “When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?” New York Magazine
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“Capitalism, in its current form, no longer fits the world around us. We have...”
– Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum; i.e., Davos.
WatchDavid Frum Slams Fox For Creating “Alternative Knowledge System”.
Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad
“… the workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions….
Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious — sometimes deadly — safety problems. Employees work excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly ...
“He’s not going to ask me to stay on, I’m pretty confident. I’m confident he’ll...”
– Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner
“Apparently earlier today, someone placed rifle scope stickers on the capitol...”
– Fired Up! Missouri
Is All This Spending Really Buying Anything?
Just 1% of Americans accounted for 22% of the 1.26 trillion spent on health care in 2009, according to a new federal study. That’s about $90,000 per person. 5% of the population accounted for half of total health care spending.
Most of health care spending happens in the last month of your life. I dismal fact.
“Most people would still be really disturbed if they saw where their iPhone comes...”
– Former Apple executive
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Architect Of Massive Deficits Now A Spending Hawk?
From January 2003. Mitch Daniels/Republicans were only off by $2+ trillion dollars.
“The White House is downplaying published reports of an estimated $50 billion to $60 billion price tag for a war with Iraq, saying it is “impossible” to estimate the cost at this time.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels told The New York Times in an interview...
“What can the Red Team say in response, except “Ouch!”? American isn’t great?...”
– Mark Kleiman #sotu
"The Romneys gave $100 million to their sons and... →
Welcome to the wonderful world of estate planning for the super wealthy. The Romney kids will have to pay taxes when they start taking income from the trust their father set up for them — at the usual 15% rate paid by millionaires, of course — but the inheritance itself is blissfully tax free. It’s just another of the many benefits of running a private equity firm.
“Let’s do some nation building right here at home.”
– Obama, #sotu
“If you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make...”
– President Barack Obama. (via goodreasonnews)
“Do you think I’ve ever had an abortion?”
–
Barney Frank, advocate for pot decriminalization, responding to an interviewer who didn’t seem to believe that Barney doesn’t smoke pot himself.
FTW.
“The reality is that, like it or not, ‘Islamist-oriented’ governments...”
– Jackson Diehl, WaPo.
Consider this a lesson no Republican will ever learn.
Independents Bailing On Mitt
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Mitt Romney’s popularity has dropped dramatically with an unfavorable rating at 49% and favorable rating at 31%. It’s even worse among independents: 51% don’t view him favorably while just 23% do. Jonathan Chait:
“The Obama campaign would almost certainly still prefer to run against Gingrich. But the electability gap between...
A Lobbyist By Any Other Name Would Smell Like Newt
Buzzfeed Politics focuses on Mitt and Newt’s long back-and-forth:
Gingrich offered proof that he didn’t lobby: He’s hired a lobbying expert. Actually, that proves the opposite. … [T]he reason you bring in an expert on the complicated law isn’t to avoid influence-peddling. It’s to avoid having to register.
Jonah Goldberg echoes:
[Gingrich’s] stuff...
Capital Gains: Theology For The Right, A Debate...
Rod Dreher:
“What, exactly, is conservative about a tax system stacked so that the ultrarich make massive profits from it, while working men and women pay a much higher rate on their income? Is the essence of conservatism protecting the privileges of the few at the expense of the many? If so, we lose. We are not egalitarians, and justice doesn’t require economic leveling. But soaking...
Where Are Newt's BFFs?
David Frum:
“It’s striking that almost none of Gingrich’s former colleagues in the House has endorsed him for president. Striking that nobody associated with a past Republican presidential association has done so. He is a candidate of talk-show hosts and local activists — and of course of Rick Perry and Sarah Palin — but not of those who know him best and have...
“I believe the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the...”
– Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas • Describing why he decided to skip an event in which Obama honored the team for winning the Stanley Cup last season. While the event went off without a hitch, Thomas’ no-show has drawn a lot of controversy, as many felt that the move showed a lack of respect to the...
Why Newt Is Like Nixon
Jon Meacham:
“The analogous elements are obvious. Like Nixon, Gingrich is smart, with a wide-ranging and entrepreneurial mind. Like Nixon, Gingrich is a striver who seems insecure around traditional establishment figures even though he has achieved much more than nearly all of the politicians, editors and reporters he seems to at once loathe and fear. Like Nixon, Gingrich is fluent in...
“Again, the point here is not that Romney did something wrong by paying the low...”
– Romney’s Taxes - NYTimes.com
Paul Krugman is awesome.
(via shorterexcerpts)
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MegaUpload v Universal Music: Why The Shutdown,...
MegaUpload announcement in December 2011:
There’s another gigantic wrinkle in the MegaUpload drama. Not only is MegaUpload fighting tooth-and-nail against Universal Music Group, but they’re now planning the launch of a cloud-based music locker, download store, and do-it-yourself artist service. It’s called MegaBox, and it’s already up in beta with listed partners...