Wednesday, October 31, 2012

BOO!

Sorry to scare you on Halloween, but here's my collection of things to worry about a week before the election

Sandy outages

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/politics/hurricane-sandy-brings-obstacles-before-election.html
Storm Brings Obstacles One Week Before Vote

NY: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/30/new-york-may-create-alternate-poll-sites

VA: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/30/hurricane-sandy-shuts-down-absentee-voting-in-parts-of-virginia/
 
Electronic voting machine mischief (where they have electricity!)

http://my.firedoglake.com/davidswanson/2012/10/28/john-kerry-must-speak-out-on-2004-election-theft-now/

Poll "observers"

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/10/30/1106961/romney-wisconsin-poll-watchers/
Romney Campaign Training Poll Watchers To Mislead Voters In Wisconsin

 More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it.html
This year's Katherine Harris?

 http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_10/the_new_katherine_harris040821.php
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted

David Brooks: Yes, Romney is a spineless opportunist - and that's a GOOD thing

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/opinion/brooks-the-upside-of-opportunism.html 

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_10/romney_by_hook_or_by_crook040818.php  

If Romney wins

http://www.samefacts.com/2012/10/campaigns/campaign-2012/punishing-bad-behavior/
[Mark Kleiman] If the Republicans lose this year, they might start to rethink their recent strategies. If instead they were to win (absit omen!) then they will be reinforced in their current behavior pattern. That is, they will be reinforced in:

Obstruction
Voter suppression
Constant, shameless lying
Racism
Misogyny
Homophobia
Islamophobia
Nativism
Downward class warfare
Global warming denialism/Lysenkoism
Church-state entanglement

 If Romney loses . . . it'll make Florida 2000 look like a picnic

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49263362#49586596

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/13/voting-laws-election-lawsuits_n_1879145.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/election-lawyers-ready-to-challenge-alleged-illegal-voting-activity/2012/10/29/af091392-21dd-11e2-8448-81b1ce7d6978_story.html

 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/us/politics/legal-battles-on-voting-may-prove-a-critical-issue-in-election.html

[NB: Do you think they've spent a billion dollars to lose gracefully? And Romney is JUST the guy to do this.]

In slightly less spooky news:

Chris Christie (R-NJ) didn't get the message (thanks to CV)

 http://status.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/chris-christie-praises-obamas-storm-response/
Chris Christie Praises Obama's Storm Response

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/christie-praises-obama-doesnt-give-damn-abou
"I've got a job to do here in New Jersey that's much bigger than presidential politics and I could care less about any of that stuff. . . . I've got 2.4 million people out of power. I've got devastation on the shore. I've got floods in the northern part of my state. If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics then you don't know me."  

 Can you guess which one is the lie, and which one is the truth?

 http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/norm-coleman-mitt-romney-roe-v-wade.php
Romney Surrogate Reassures Ohio Voters: Roe v. Wade Safe Under Romney 

 http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/mitt-romney-roe-v-wade.php 
Right And Left Agree: A Romney Presidency Would Imperil Roe v. Wade

Here's a hint: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/30/14808520-what-norm-coleman-doesnt-understand-about-roe-v-wade
[Steve Benen] The facts are not in dispute: Romney wants to overturn Roe; his platform calls for a constitutional amendment that bans all abortions; Romney said he "absolutely" supports a "Personhood" measure that would ban all abortions and some forms of birth control; Romney would be "delighted" to sign a bill that would no longer allow abortions "at all, period"; and Romney intends to "get rid of" Planned Parenthood.

 Is Willard's "Jeep to China" lie backfiring in Ohio?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-morning-plum-romneys-jeep-to-china-lie-earns-brutal-headlines-in-ohio/2012/10/30/6ca63574-227e-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_blog.html

He's still using it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/romney-expands-false-jeep-to-china-ad-campaign/2012/10/30/89e8a986-229d-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_blog.html
  
You didn't really believe that Willard's "hurricane relief" rally would be free of partisan sniping, did you?

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/mitt-romney-sandy-relief-politics.php

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/romneys-pathetic-disaster-rally.html
  
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/30/1152457/-Mitt-Romney-attends-storm-relief-event-In-Ohio-Sponsored-by-his-campaign 

http://americablog.com/2012/10/romney-shows-campaign-video-at-hurricane-sandy-relief-event.html
Reporters blast Romney’s “Hurricane relief” stunt 

More: http://americablog.com/2012/10/red-cross-romney-hurricane-sand.html
 
Tough, very tough ad on the GOP's "war on women"

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/dem-super-pac-launches-kitchen-sink-war-on
 
Bonus item: An aptly-named scary movie for Halloween night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTOppsw9Gs

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com


I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Posted by at

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

BLOWN AWAY

(That's downtown Manhattan!)
 
Hurricane Sandy may determine the outcome of the 2012 election. Both campaigns are in freeze mode, but President Obama is visible and leading, while Romney is reduced to giving interviews in which he expresses concern for the victims.

Events like this, as George Dubya and his pal "Heckuva Job" Brownie discovered, remind people of why we have a federal government, why we each pay to help protect the well-being of others, why competency and organization of public services is an important skill. All of these reinforce Obama's message and contradict Romney's.

On the other hand, this is keeping Obama-oriented voters from early voting up and down the Atlantic seaboard. The storm's effects may linger long enough to impede voting on election day. If there is no electrical power, can they even hold voting at all? This is uncharted territory.

 The following articles make it clear: nobody has any idea what this will mean

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/10/hurricane_sandy_barack_obama_and_mitt_romney_are_trying_to_navigate_the.html
Natural disasters can hit presidents in two ways.  . . 

http://prospect.org/article/politics-frankenstorm
For both Romney and Obama, it's a mixed bag.. . .

 http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/10/will-romney-try-exploit-hurricane-sandy 
Will Romney Try to Exploit Hurricane Sandy?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/hurricane-sandy-unlikely-to-have-much-impact-on-election/2012/10/29/327feede-21ee-11e2-92f8-7f9c4daf276a_blog.html
Hurricane Sandy unlikely to have much impact on election

Can they postpone an election? http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/10/hurricane_sandy_election_what_if_people_don_t_have_power_on_election_day.html

UPDATE: Why we call him "Slinky"

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/264627-romney-cancels-campaign-events
[12:16 pm] Mitt Romney's campaign announced Monday morning that it was canceling scheduled rallies in Wisconsin and Florida later in the day, as well as events planned for Tuesday, as Hurricane Sandy continued to batter the Eastern Seaboard.

It also canceled events for running mate Paul Ryan. . . 

http://americablog.com/2012/10/romney-campaigning-hurricane-sand.html
[Later the same day . . ] Mitt Romney Attends Storm Relief Event In Ohio On Tuesday . .  

Paul Ryan to Collect Donations for Storm Relief Efforts at Victory Centers in Wisconsin on Tuesday
Selective concern

http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/N8nLE96dEw4/-Romney-touts-bipartisanship-in-new-ad-spurns-Democratic-governors-in-storm-path
Romney touts bipartisanship in new ad, spurns Democratic governors in storm path

 [NB: I know why he only called Republican governors. I'm sure he told them, "Please don't praise Obama!"]

As we saw yesterday, Romney clearly called for the abolition of FEMA. But today . . .

http://americablog.com/2012/10/romney-fema-hurricane-sandy.html
   
Romney's "Jeep to China" lie is so blatant and outrageous that even the pliant media is forced to point it out

 http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/misleading-romney-auto-ad-backfires-with-media.php
Misleading Romney Auto Ad Backfires With Media

More: http://www.samefacts.com/2012/10/lying-in-politics/though-that-is-not-the-case/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/politico-romney-jeep-ad_n_2040969.html

 http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/romney-suffers-auto-neurotic-prevarication-in-ohio
  
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/us/politics/gop-turns-fire-on-obama-pillar-auto-bailout.html
‘That’s pretty pitiful.’

And an Obama ad uses the "L" word: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-camp-releases-response-ad-to-romneys-jeep


Flailing now
 
http://rss.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/DsW4CMXF0B8/-House-Republican-says-Obama-hurt-car-company-that-closed-in-the-80-s
House Republican says Obama hurt car company that closed in the '80s
  
New GOP robo-call creates a fictitious "debate" between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Guess who they're targeting?)

http://blogs.jta.org/politics/article/2012/10/29/3110576/ecis-made-up-bibi-obama-robocall-debate

Given the rationale-free and ad hoc nature of the argument, it sure looks like the Des Moines Register endorsement of Romney was triggered by their spat with Obama, not out of any love for the Mittster

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_10/a_very_low_register040808.php
  
Ouch! http://nation.foxnews.com/stephanie-cutter/2012/10/28/abc-stephanie-cutter-goes-attack-against-des-moines-register

Bonus item: A preview of the morning after election day, enacted by two preschoolers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/10/29/preschoolers-reenact-the-2012-presidential-campaign-video/

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com


I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Posted by at

Monday, October 29, 2012

DESPERATE MEASURES 

 So now, Mr. "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" is posing as the savior of the auto industry, and President Obama, whose actions really DID save the auto industry, is plotting to send Jeep overseas to China (except that he isn't). This kind of crap CAN'T work for him, can it?

http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/109256/romney-ohio-chrysler-jeep-china-toledo-obama-gm-rescue#
A Desperate, Deceptive Gambit for Romney in Ohio
  
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/mitt-romney-auto-ad_n_2034971.html

http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2012/10/28/romneys-desperation-to-win-ohio-is-starting-leave-a-stench/

Is this a sign that he's losing?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/10/28/is_new_romney_ad_in_ohio_a_sign_hes_losing.html

A good time to remind folks that Romney wants to shut down FEMA

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/mitt-romney-fema_n_2036198.html

 http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/10/did_mitt_say_hed_shut_down_fema.php

 A cynical photo op: http://americablog.com/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-romney-relief-red-cross.html

Keeping good company

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/historians-romney-makes-nixon-look-like-an-open-book.php 
Historians: Romney Makes Nixon Look Like An Open Book

 Makes my head hurt

 http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/andrew-sullivan-romney-alien-ripped-his-mask
During an ABC News panel on Sunday, The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan noted that Romney had presented himself as a "brand new candidate" at the debates.

 "The Mitt Romney that showed up on Oct. 3 was like an alien that ripped off his mask and said, 'I'm brand new now,'" Sullivan pointed out. 

 "But we liked him!" [GOP strategist Nicole Wallace] exclaimed. "Isn't that the point? But we liked him better!"

 "He has evolutionary ideology like the church has revolving doctrine," Sullivan continued. "One day it's true, the last day it's not."

 Wallace argued that President Barack Obama was "eroding his own trust and credibility" by attacking Romney for constantly changing positions. 

 "You cannot be wrong and coreless," she said. "So, I think Obama had undermined his own attack by not being able to settle on one."

 "I'm sorry, but Romney was a severe conservative from January to October," Sullivan countered. "And now he's a new candidate. What I'm amazed at is why Republicans aren't scared about what he'll be in January or July next year."

 "Because what ever it is, is better than Obama," Wallace opined. 

 It really has surprised me that, given that virtually no one knows what Mormonism is, there hasn't been more curiosity about Willard's faith and what he really believes. Here's a good primer

http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/magazine/108787/the-mormon-ethic-and-the-spirit-capitalism

On Slinky's "charitable donations"

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-29/romney-avoids-taxes-via-loophole-cutting-mormon-donations.html

The GOPers in lockstep: the Benghazi screw-up is "worse than Watergate"

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/mccain-compares-drummed-benghazi-gate-wate

More: http://crooksandliars.com/news-hound-ellen/fox-doesn-t-need-no-stinking-inve 

Newt Gingrich on Mourdock's rape comments: "Get over it"


 Bonus item: Joss Whedon "endorses" Romney

http://americablog.com/2012/10/why-vote-for-romney.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com


I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Posted by at

Sunday, October 28, 2012

SAY ANYTHING

There's no point in correcting him. He doesn't care

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/romney-repeats-false-claim-jeep-outsourcin
Romney Repeats False Claim That Jeep is Outsourcing All Jobs to China

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/26/1150591/-Paul-Ryan-s-war-on-coal-miners
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are banking on the decline of coal to win them swing-state votes. Their whole "Obama's war on coal" argument is contradicted by the facts—the market is what's hurting the coal industry—but this is not a campaign dictated by the fact-checkers or the facts themselves. . . . 

Neither does he

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/idiota.html
[Marco Rubio. R-FL) "The president's just not a supporter of the free enterprise system," he said, adding, "This isn't the first time I've said it, and I believe it with all my heart."

No, the two parties don't play the game the same way

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/florida-congressman-fires-up-crowd-in-pensacola/
Obama Abandoned Americans Killed at Consulate, Lawmaker Says at Romney Rally 

The GOPers are sending out slanderous DVD's about Obama in advance of election day. Here's how they picked which one

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/27/1150168/-Conservatives-tested-which-anti-Obama-conspiracy-films-to-send-to-voters

Don't think the Republicans aren't banking on this (Thanks to SC for the link)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/ap-poll-majority-harbor-prejudice-blacks-17577913#.UIwgEoV6PPp 
AP Poll: Majority Harbor Prejudice Against Blacks

 More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/10/27/colin-powells-former-chief-of-staff-gop-is-full-of-racists/
“Let me just be candid: My party is full of racists,” Col. Lawrence Wilkerson said Friday on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show.” ”And the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do with his competence as commander in chief and president, and everything to do with the color of his skin. And that’s despicable.” 

[NB: So how is it that after having a black President for four years, people are MORE racist? You have to look at the GOP dog whistle politics of racial division and suspicion. For shame.]

What Obama HAS accomplished in four years (Thanks to SC for the link)

http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html

The next front in the abortion wars

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/in-fast-moving-abortion-wars-is-spousal.html
Spousal notification

 The Sunday talk show line-ups 

http://firedoglake.com/2012/10/28/sunday-talking-heads-october-28-2012/
ABC’s This Week:  President Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, Newt Gingrich. Roundtable: George Will; Gwen Ifill; Andrew Sullivan, Austan Goolsbee; Nicolle Wallace.

CBS’ Face the Nation:  Rahm Emanuel. Sen. John McCain BENGHAZI. Then, Haley Barbour, Jennifer Granholm, John Fund, Bob Shrum.  Roundtable: Mark Leibovich, Ruth Marcus, John Dickerson.

Chris Hayes:  Heather McGhee (@hcmcghee), vice president of the progressive think tank Demos. Ari Berman (@ariberman), contributor to The Nation magazine and author of “Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics.” Bertha Lewis (@theblackinst), former CEO of ACORN and founder and president of The Black Institute. Hendrik Hertzberg (@RickHertzberg), senior editor and staff writer at “The New Yorker.” Ilyse Hogue (@ilyseh), co-Director of Friends of Democracy (a 2012 initiative to build political power around the issue of money in politics), former senior adviser to Media Matters for America and former director of political advocacy and communications for MoveOn.org. Avik Roy (@aviksaroy), member of Mitt Romney’s health care policy advisory group, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and author of “The Apothecary,” the Forbes blog on health care and entitlement reform. Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School, Author of “America’s Constitution: A Biography.” Jane Mayer (@newyorker), staff writer at “The New Yorker.”

CNN’s State of the Union:  Obama Campaign Senior Adviser David Axelrod and RNC Chair Reince Priebus. Ohio and Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) and Former Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH). Roundtable: Pollsters Bill McInturff and Anna Greenberg, and Time Magazine’s Michael Duffy.

Fareed Zakaria – GPS:  Economy, Mali, Fracking, plus. Joe Klein, economist Ken Rogoff, Amity Shlaes, Chrystia Freeland.

Moyers & Company:  What’s Behind the Presidential Campaign Messages? Marty Kaplan and Kathleen Hall Jamieson judge the political debates, and Neil Barofsky describes the obstacles to banking reform.

Meet the Press: Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Gov. John Kasich (R-OH).  Roundtable: Vice Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Carly Fiorina; Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne; NY Times columnist David Brooks; MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow; and NBC’s Chuck Todd.

Bonus item: The morning after, if Romney wins (Thanks to WF for the link)

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/the-morning-after-2/

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/maher-mitt-mobile-will-be-towing-behind-it

Extra bonus item: It's easy to fool stupid people

http://crooksandliars.com/mugsy/omg-birther-morons-tout-hilariously-faked-vi
Birther Morons Tout Hilariously Faked Video of Obama Birth as Real

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com


I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Posted by at

Saturday, October 27, 2012

THE AUDACITY OF NOPE

How do you run a campaign against someone who shamelessly denies his own previous statements and positions ("I never said I would cut taxes for the wealthy"), who refuses to give any details about what he would actually do if elected ("If I gave you specifics you would criticize me"), and who makes up lies -- baldfaced, undeniable lies -- with confidence that he will not be called to account for them?  

Rachel Maddow hits Slinky with a two by four: watch!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#49576203  

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/26/1150633/-Mitt-Romney-stays-silent-on-Sensata-as-he-lies-about-Jeep-jobs-going-to-China

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_10/romneys_closing_argument040765.php
  
Photo credit (JT): http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/10/cover-story-mitt-romney-norman-rockwell-tattoos.html

 Romney campaign photoshops image to make size of crowd at Romney rally look bigger

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/26/1150776/-Evidence-surfaces-suggesting-Iranian-missile-Photoshoppers-could-be-on-Romney-campaign-payroll

Remember what they say about weather in the Midwest: Don't like it? Wait, it'll change. Just like Slinky

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/26/1150718/-Romnesia-With-11-days-to-go-Mitt-Romney-changes-position-on-subsidies-for-renewable-energy-in-Iowa

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/26/1150577/-Romney-to-endorse-stimulus 

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/26/14725019-chronicling-mitts-mendacity-vol-xl
 
Romney's been talking a lot about the number of people on food stamps and below the poverty line. What's his plan?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/10/mitt-romneys-real-poverty-plan
  
Why people believe political lies

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-new-resilience/201210/why-youre-likely-believe-political-lies
  
Simple facts: the economy is GROWING. Too slowly, and a bit unsteadily, but much better than when Obama took office

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/26/14719814-economic-growth-exceeds-expectations-picks-up-steam
 
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/10/economy-meh
 
There is a chance this year that the popular vote and electoral vote might split. It happened in 2000. But now it is being trumpeted (before it even happens) as a major crisis of legitimacy for Barack Obama. Because we all remember that George Bush could get NOTHING done as President

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/10/spare_me_3.php

Damn you, CNN

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/26/1150817/-CNN-knows-their-spin-and-they-re-sticking-with-it
 
The cell phone issue: not all polls are the same

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/10/understanding_the_polls_in_ohio.php

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/ohio-polls-live-automated.php

 Lena Dunham cuts a mildly racy ad for Obama, talking about her "first time" (voting). The right explodes in outrage . . . except that their hero, Ronald Reagan, made the same joke in 1980

 http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/lena-dunham-first-time-ronald-reagan.php

 What Romney REALLY thinks about gays

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/romney-some-gays-are-actu_b_2022314.html

John Sununu was a former governor, and an important figure in the Bush I administration. Since then he has basically done nothing except serve as a smear merchant and hatchet man for the GOP. All you need to know about the character of the Romney gang is that THIS is the man they want speaking for them

 http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/once-again-john-sununus-at-the-center-of-a-race-blow-up.php

In John McCain's world, it was Colin Powell's fault we went into Iraq


  
Bonus item: Tina Fey!

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/tina-fey-rips-grey-faced-men-2-haircuts-defi
"I wish we could have an honest and respectful dialogue about these complicated issues," the comedienne told the Center for Reproductive Rights Inaugural Gala. "But it seems like we can’t right now. And if I have to listen to one more gray-faced man with a two-dollar haircut explain to me what rape is, I’m gonna lose my mind!" 

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com


I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Posted by at

Friday, October 26, 2012

UNSKEW YOU

 The latest Republican trick: recalculating polls that are unfavorable to Romney, to make them show what they don't show. (Of course polls that are favorable to him are VERY reliable.) In practical terms this makes the value of individual polls almost worthless -- which might not be a bad thing!

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/romney-memo-unskews-time-ohio-poll

More: http://www.samefacts.com/2012/10/campaigns/campaign-2012/cheerful-polling-geekery/

STOP! Please stop!

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/10/mittmentum_mitt_romney_s_presidential_campaign_is_drawing_huge_enthusiastic.html 
Mittmentum Is Real

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/10/25/romneys_momentum_seems_to_have_stopped.html 
Romney's Momentum Seems to Have Stopped

Selective moral outrage: John McCain originally came out with a condemnation of Richard Mourdock's (R-IN) horrific assertion that pregnancies due to rape are God's will. But McCain changed his mind when he heard that Mourdock "apologized." (How DO you apologize for something like that? For saying it? For believing it? For saying what you believe?). 

Meanwhile, McCain reserves his full wrath and fury for the terrible Colin Powell, who endorsed Obama for President . . .

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/mccain-accepts-mourdocks-apology
An aide for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Thursday he hadn't seen Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's press conference when McCain told CNN Wednesday that Mourdock had to apologize for his statement about rape, conception and God's will in order to keep McCain's endorsement.  . . .

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/john-mccain-lashes-out-at-colin-powell-after-obama-endorsement.php
John McCain bitterly denounced former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday for supporting President Obama for a second straight election.

“General Powell, you disappoint us and you have harmed your legacy even further. . .”

By the way, doesn't THIS guy (Josh Mandel, R-OH) look like one of those movie space aliens who pulls their human face open to reveal the lizardly face underneath?

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/josh-mandel-richard-mourdock-sherrod-brown.php
Mandel Breaks With GOP Senate Field, Backs Mourdock To The Hilt

Also: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/romney-campaign-mourdocks-rape-comments-we-s
Romney Campaign on Mourdock's Rape Comments: We 'Still Support Him'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/mitt-romney-goes-mum-on-mourdock-mess/2012/10/25/5f8e3e4e-1ec4-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_blog.html 
Mitt Romney goes mum on Mourdock mess

So Romney is making a big play for gay Republicans, huh?

 http://bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/10/24/mitt-romney-overruled-state-agency-and-rejected-new-birth-certificates-for-children-born-gay-parents/TqOHBb99V98H6nGQqUQrjO/story.html 
Romney rejected new birth certificates for gay parents


Not enough of a public issue: what Romney would do to the Supreme Court

 
In a personal conversation, Obama calls Romney a "bullshitter" (which sounds about right to me). But when this hits the press, the usual Republican hanky-waving and vapors result -- what a terrible thing for someone to say! 

http://www.politico.com/playbook/
[Douglas Brinkley] “We arrived at the Oval Office for our 45-minute interview … on the morning of October 11th. … As we left the Oval Office, executive editor Eric Bates told Obama that he had asked his six-year-old if there was anything she wanted him to say to the president. … [S]he said, ‘Tell him: You can do it.’ Obama grinned. … ‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bullshitter, I can tell.”’”

Here we got Barack Obama, the smartest man ever to occupy the Oval Office. He was gonna heal the planet. Speaking of that, he called Romney a "bulls---ter." I can't say the word. He actually called Romney that! He doesn't like Romney. He called him a "bull[crapp]er." That's close as I can get to it. But he used the real word. If there's anybody "bullcrapping" us, it's Barack Obama.. . .
 
Meanwhile, the Romney campaign keeps using surrogates to blow the racist dog whistle -- but nobody is outraged over that

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a Romney surrogate, said on Thursday night that the reason former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed President Obama today was due to the color of his skin. . . .
 
The State Dept invites some international representatives to observe American democracy at work. In Texas, there is outrage that furriners should be "interfering" in our electoral process. Welcome to American "democracy" at work, guys! (Thanks to DR for the link)


 
Bad for democracy

President Obama and Mitt Romney are both on pace to raise more than $1 billion with their parties by Election Day, according to figures released by the campaigns on Thursday.  . . .

What if, after all the hubbub over the 2012 election and the billions spent on it, Americans voted for basically no change whatsoever? . . .

[NB: This is a very weird argument, and it is dangerously close to implying that BECAUSE we are spending so much on it, we better elect someone new because, well, what's the point otherwise?]
 
Bonus item: Well, at least she didn't ask for his birth certificate!

 http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/your-moment-of-zen.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL: http://pbd.blogspot.com


I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)