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Segami
Segami's Journal
Segami's Journal
August 11, 2012
What scares him isn’t Obama or Obamacare or higher taxes. What scares him isn’t Harry Reid’s comments about him not having paid taxes over the last decade (that’s more embarrassing than frightening). What scares him isn’t unions or liberal SuperPacs or progressive think tanks who will run ads against him.
What scares him is Kansas. And it scares him a lot.
In 2010, Sam Brownback traded his seat in the US Senate for the governor’s mansion in Topeka, and the same election that swept him into office also brought a huge wave of conservatives into the Kansas state legislature and Kris “Be afraid! Immigrants! Voter fraud!” Kobach as the secretary of state. Brownback had a solid majority lined up in both the Kansas House and Senate, and could hardly wait to get his solidly conservative slashing and burning of the state budget going.
But in the state Senate, Brownback got a rude surprise. The senate president and a handful of GOP moderates (moderate by Kansas standards, that is) refused to get on board with some of the harshest cuts and policies, and joined with the Senate Democrats to force Brownback to dial the worst of the proposals back. Brownback was furious, and as Emma Sullivan and her high school principal discovered, Brownback doesn’t deal well with folks who cross him.
Last Tuesday, Brownback and the conservatives of the Kansas GOP got their revenge. They ran primary challenges against all these moderates, as well as some others who voted *with* Brownback, and tossed almost all of them to the curb. Hard. Then they danced on their bodies, and broke with tradition by refusing to hold a “unity breakfast” on the day after the primary to bring the party together behind the winners. It was an ugly and vicious campaign, captured well by Steve Rose in the KC Star:
No one (to my knowledge) woke up with a bloody horse’s head in his or her bed, but the message was sent just as effectively. The conservatives in Kansas taught a lesson to so-called moderates in the GOP: you better get in line. Or else. Mitt Romney learned the lesson. Mitt has been laboring hard to tell conservatives that he’s a real conservative all through the primary season (as well as all through his earlier stab at getting the nomination in 2008), but it hasn’t worked. “What can I do?” he’s been asking himself, over and over and over again, and after last Tuesday, the answer was clear: Paul Ryan for VP.
cont'
http://firedoglake.com/2012/08/11/mitt-romney-paul-ryan-and-the-pup-tent-party-of-brownbackistan/
.
Mitt Romney Is SCARED, And His CHOICE Of Paul Ryan To Be His VP PROVES It.
What SCARES Romney.What scares him isn’t Obama or Obamacare or higher taxes. What scares him isn’t Harry Reid’s comments about him not having paid taxes over the last decade (that’s more embarrassing than frightening). What scares him isn’t unions or liberal SuperPacs or progressive think tanks who will run ads against him.
What scares him is Kansas. And it scares him a lot.
In 2010, Sam Brownback traded his seat in the US Senate for the governor’s mansion in Topeka, and the same election that swept him into office also brought a huge wave of conservatives into the Kansas state legislature and Kris “Be afraid! Immigrants! Voter fraud!” Kobach as the secretary of state. Brownback had a solid majority lined up in both the Kansas House and Senate, and could hardly wait to get his solidly conservative slashing and burning of the state budget going.
But in the state Senate, Brownback got a rude surprise. The senate president and a handful of GOP moderates (moderate by Kansas standards, that is) refused to get on board with some of the harshest cuts and policies, and joined with the Senate Democrats to force Brownback to dial the worst of the proposals back. Brownback was furious, and as Emma Sullivan and her high school principal discovered, Brownback doesn’t deal well with folks who cross him.
Last Tuesday, Brownback and the conservatives of the Kansas GOP got their revenge. They ran primary challenges against all these moderates, as well as some others who voted *with* Brownback, and tossed almost all of them to the curb. Hard. Then they danced on their bodies, and broke with tradition by refusing to hold a “unity breakfast” on the day after the primary to bring the party together behind the winners. It was an ugly and vicious campaign, captured well by Steve Rose in the KC Star:
If you are not a true believer, a blood-oath member of the tribe, then there is no place for you in the party. According to those who throw around RINO as a pejorative, if you aren’t one of them, you are not a true Republican. Rather, you are, by their definition, a Democrat disguised as a Republican.
This is the opposite of the “big tent” party. It is a “pup tent” party. Those who do not fit inside the pup tent are considered the enemy.
So, I am a RINO, according to many of the responses I have received from recent columns when I took exception to the agenda of the radical wing of the Republican Party. . . .
To follow the lemmings over the cliff, in order to be considered a real Republican, I have to accept certain premises.
I have to believe that the lowest taxes possible drive all other priorities, even if it tramples on public education. I disagree, vehemently. Without high quality public education, there cannot be economic growth, no matter what the tax rates are. The single most important function of state government is to provide high quality education. It is the bedrock of the future of our state… and our country.
The other major part of the litmus test, as to whether you are a real Republican, has to do with your views on the social issues — abortion, evolution, embryonic stem cell research, even global warming.
There is absolutely no room for compromise on these issues. If you vary by an inch, it might as well be light years apart.
http://joco913.com/news/steve-rose-all-those-rinos-just-wont-fit-inside-a-pup-tent/
This is the opposite of the “big tent” party. It is a “pup tent” party. Those who do not fit inside the pup tent are considered the enemy.
So, I am a RINO, according to many of the responses I have received from recent columns when I took exception to the agenda of the radical wing of the Republican Party. . . .
To follow the lemmings over the cliff, in order to be considered a real Republican, I have to accept certain premises.
I have to believe that the lowest taxes possible drive all other priorities, even if it tramples on public education. I disagree, vehemently. Without high quality public education, there cannot be economic growth, no matter what the tax rates are. The single most important function of state government is to provide high quality education. It is the bedrock of the future of our state… and our country.
The other major part of the litmus test, as to whether you are a real Republican, has to do with your views on the social issues — abortion, evolution, embryonic stem cell research, even global warming.
There is absolutely no room for compromise on these issues. If you vary by an inch, it might as well be light years apart.
http://joco913.com/news/steve-rose-all-those-rinos-just-wont-fit-inside-a-pup-tent/
No one (to my knowledge) woke up with a bloody horse’s head in his or her bed, but the message was sent just as effectively. The conservatives in Kansas taught a lesson to so-called moderates in the GOP: you better get in line. Or else. Mitt Romney learned the lesson. Mitt has been laboring hard to tell conservatives that he’s a real conservative all through the primary season (as well as all through his earlier stab at getting the nomination in 2008), but it hasn’t worked. “What can I do?” he’s been asking himself, over and over and over again, and after last Tuesday, the answer was clear: Paul Ryan for VP.
cont'
http://firedoglake.com/2012/08/11/mitt-romney-paul-ryan-and-the-pup-tent-party-of-brownbackistan/
.
August 11, 2012
UpWithChrisHayes:
Ryan, who was chosen today as Mitt Romney's running mate, is regarded as a visionary among grassroots conservatives, and one of the intellectual leaders of the conservative movement. But there is much in Ryan's record that undercuts his image as a reformer and deficit-cutter, including his votes on the Bush tax cuts, Iraq War, Wall Street bailout and Medicare Part D, among others.
http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/11/13232707-paul-ryan-deficit-cutter-here-are-his-votes-on-the-wall-street-bailout-bush-tax-cuts-and-iraq-war?lite
CHART: HOW PAUL RYAN VOTED
BalloonJuice:
"...Sorry to continue with the deluge of Paul Ryan posts, but—when your idiot cousin inevitably talks about how serious Paul Ryan is, thanks to being such a deficit warrior, please refer him to this handy chart. It was prepared by the indispensable MSNBC show, Up with Chris Hayes...."
UpWithChrisHayes:
Ryan, who was chosen today as Mitt Romney's running mate, is regarded as a visionary among grassroots conservatives, and one of the intellectual leaders of the conservative movement. But there is much in Ryan's record that undercuts his image as a reformer and deficit-cutter, including his votes on the Bush tax cuts, Iraq War, Wall Street bailout and Medicare Part D, among others.
http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/11/13232707-paul-ryan-deficit-cutter-here-are-his-votes-on-the-wall-street-bailout-bush-tax-cuts-and-iraq-war?lite
August 11, 2012
The proceedings get off to a hilarious start as Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virgina refers to that Reagan/Romney energy. Speaking of energy McDonnell claimed that Obama has no energy policy, while using Obama’s all of the above term to describe Romney’s energy policy. It is good to know that Romney is just as dull at 9 AM as he is the other 23 hours of the day. Romney cited Ryan’s values and character. He mentioned Ryan’s father’s death at an early age, but he didn’t mention that the man who wants to kill Social Security was also a Social Security baby. Romney claimed that Ryan doesn’t demonize his opponents, and he appeals to our better angels. You know the ones who are funded by the Koch Brothers and want to raise your taxes.
Romney called Ryan an intellectual leader of the Republican Party, which says a lot about the Republican Party. (By this point, Romney managed to suck the life out an enthusiastic crowd. What were once loud cheers became dead silence.)
Romney again mentions his bold, specific, and achievable plan to strengthen the middle class, but again offers no specifics. Romney goes into his previously failed middle class speech, but this time he added his welfare to work lie. Romney promised to create 12 million jobs. Romney also lied about the president cutting $700 million from Medicare, and didn’t tell people that their plan to preserve Medicare is privatization and vouchers.
This was all the same old Romney until he managed to show that he isn’t even competent enough to introduce Ryan as the next president of the United States. After Ryan’s big intro, Romney had to jump back in and correct himself call Ryan the, “next vice president of the United States.” Jesus, Romney can’t even get through introducing Ryan without a major gaffe. Although Romney’s slip was one of the rare bits of truth to come out of his mouth. He is hoping that Republicans show up to the polls to vote for Paul Ryan, because he certainly knows they aren’t showing up to vote for him.
Ryan delivered the standard boiler plate running mate speech, but the whole event was blown up by Romney’s mouth again getting in the way. Mitt Romney couldn’t even announce his running mate without screwing it up. This is not going to go well. The relaunch of Romney 2.0 looks to be off to a dubious start. 
http://www.politicususa.com/gaffe-machine-mitt-romney-introduces-paul-ryan-president-united-states.html
.
LOL!!!- GAFFE MACHINE Mitt Romney Introduces Paul Ryan as the NEXT PRESIDENT of the United States
The proceedings get off to a hilarious start as Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virgina refers to that Reagan/Romney energy. Speaking of energy McDonnell claimed that Obama has no energy policy, while using Obama’s all of the above term to describe Romney’s energy policy. It is good to know that Romney is just as dull at 9 AM as he is the other 23 hours of the day. Romney cited Ryan’s values and character. He mentioned Ryan’s father’s death at an early age, but he didn’t mention that the man who wants to kill Social Security was also a Social Security baby. Romney claimed that Ryan doesn’t demonize his opponents, and he appeals to our better angels. You know the ones who are funded by the Koch Brothers and want to raise your taxes.
Romney called Ryan an intellectual leader of the Republican Party, which says a lot about the Republican Party. (By this point, Romney managed to suck the life out an enthusiastic crowd. What were once loud cheers became dead silence.)
Romney again mentions his bold, specific, and achievable plan to strengthen the middle class, but again offers no specifics. Romney goes into his previously failed middle class speech, but this time he added his welfare to work lie. Romney promised to create 12 million jobs. Romney also lied about the president cutting $700 million from Medicare, and didn’t tell people that their plan to preserve Medicare is privatization and vouchers.
This was all the same old Romney until he managed to show that he isn’t even competent enough to introduce Ryan as the next president of the United States.
After Ryan’s big intro, Romney had to jump back in and correct himself call Ryan the, “next vice president of the United States.” Jesus, Romney can’t even get through introducing Ryan without a major gaffe. Although Romney’s slip was one of the rare bits of truth to come out of his mouth. He is hoping that Republicans show up to the polls to vote for Paul Ryan, because he certainly knows they aren’t showing up to vote for him.
Ryan delivered the standard boiler plate running mate speech, but the whole event was blown up by Romney’s mouth again getting in the way. Mitt Romney couldn’t even announce his running mate without screwing it up. This is not going to go well. The relaunch of Romney 2.0 looks to be off to a dubious start.
http://www.politicususa.com/gaffe-machine-mitt-romney-introduces-paul-ryan-president-united-states.html
.
August 11, 2012
- The Ryan choice is a symbol of how desperate the Romney campaign has gotten. After claiming that they wouldn’t repeat John McCain’s mistakes of 2008, the Romney campaign is repeating one of McCain’s biggest errors. Paul Ryan is Mitt Romney’s game change. Much like McCain in 2008, the base is growing increasingly disgruntled and vocal about the direction of his campaign. Polls show Romney trailing Obama both nationally and in swing states. Romney’s campaign has become a daily gaffe fest that is being undercut by his own staff and surrogates. It was all falling apart for Mitt, and after Andrea Saul’s endorsement of Obamacare this week, Romney had get the base back on his side.
Romney’s solution is Paul Ryan.
The choice of Ryan means that the Ryan budget and the privatization of Social Security and Medicare are going to be front and center this fall. By adding Ryan, Romney is going to have to also deal with the fact that Ryan’s budget is full of smoke and mirrors, and it actually raises the deficit. The Ryan budget is a massive upward redistribution of wealth that actually plays into Obama’s characterization of Romney as the candidate of the rich.
Romney urgently needs to change the narrative away from Bain, his tax returns, and his gaffes, but Paul Ryan actually reinforces that storyline. The Ryan budget gets people to stop talking about Romney’s tax returns and instead discuss how he just picked the guy who wants to kill Social Security and Medicare. This is like throwing yourself on a grenade only to have an atomic bomb land on you. Democrats will be doing handstands of joy, if Romney has indeed selected Paul Ryan. If he has done so, the GOP nominee has given Democrats the one running mate that they can use to define Romney from now until Election Day. The base will ecstatic about Paul Ryan. Democrats will be ecstatic to run against Paul Ryan, and by the time the campaign is over voters will be certain not elect Paul Ryan or the guy who chose him to the White House.
By picking Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney will cement his status as the man who lost the 2012 election before it even started. By not picking Paul Ryan, Romney just enraged the very voters he needs to show up in November. Either way, Mitt Romney has put himself in a classic lose/lose situation.
http://www.politicususa.com/romney-cement-doomed-status-picking-paul-ryan-vp.html
Romney To CEMENT HIS DOOMED STATUS By Picking Paul Ryan for VP
- The Ryan choice is a symbol of how desperate the Romney campaign has gotten. After claiming that they wouldn’t repeat John McCain’s mistakes of 2008, the Romney campaign is repeating one of McCain’s biggest errors. Paul Ryan is Mitt Romney’s game change. Much like McCain in 2008, the base is growing increasingly disgruntled and vocal about the direction of his campaign. Polls show Romney trailing Obama both nationally and in swing states. Romney’s campaign has become a daily gaffe fest that is being undercut by his own staff and surrogates. It was all falling apart for Mitt, and after Andrea Saul’s endorsement of Obamacare this week, Romney had get the base back on his side.
Romney’s solution is Paul Ryan.
The choice of Ryan means that the Ryan budget and the privatization of Social Security and Medicare are going to be front and center this fall. By adding Ryan, Romney is going to have to also deal with the fact that Ryan’s budget is full of smoke and mirrors, and it actually raises the deficit. The Ryan budget is a massive upward redistribution of wealth that actually plays into Obama’s characterization of Romney as the candidate of the rich.
Romney urgently needs to change the narrative away from Bain, his tax returns, and his gaffes, but Paul Ryan actually reinforces that storyline. The Ryan budget gets people to stop talking about Romney’s tax returns and instead discuss how he just picked the guy who wants to kill Social Security and Medicare. This is like throwing yourself on a grenade only to have an atomic bomb land on you. Democrats will be doing handstands of joy, if Romney has indeed selected Paul Ryan. If he has done so, the GOP nominee has given Democrats the one running mate that they can use to define Romney from now until Election Day. The base will ecstatic about Paul Ryan. Democrats will be ecstatic to run against Paul Ryan, and by the time the campaign is over voters will be certain not elect Paul Ryan or the guy who chose him to the White House.
By picking Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney will cement his status as the man who lost the 2012 election before it even started. By not picking Paul Ryan, Romney just enraged the very voters he needs to show up in November. Either way, Mitt Romney has put himself in a classic lose/lose situation.
http://www.politicususa.com/romney-cement-doomed-status-picking-paul-ryan-vp.html
August 11, 2012
Andrea Mitchell looked almost embarrassed to relay to Chuck Todd her news nugget of this story: relaying the news to second-time bridesmaid Tim “Bridge Fall Down” Pawlenty was Tagg Romney, the candidate’s son. Because, you know, Mitt doesn’t like to spend his time with losers.
http://my.firedoglake.com/teddysanfran/2012/08/10/mitts-veep-is-paul-ryan-nbc/
.
Mitt’s VEEP Is PAUL RYAN: NBC
FireDogLake:
Interrupting Olympics coverage with a Chuck Todd Special Report, NBC announced tomorrow’s 8:45am Eastern time announcement by Mitt Romney is that Wisconsin Congressman and House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan will run as his Vice-Presidential nominee. This puts the most reliable GOP base component, the Olds, in jeopardy, as Chairman Ryan is best known among the AARP set for his proposal to end Medicare as we know it.
During FDL Late Night, Swopa provides excellent on-the-fly analysis of this most recent Romney flip-flop:
To paraphrase Woody Allen, the hardest part of being a cynic about the Romney campaign is keeping up. Deciding they have to name Mitt’s VP now — more than 2 weeks before the GOP convention, with the Olympics not over yet, and on a Saturday morning, no less! — is as pure a sign of panic as you can get. Republicans are famously obsessed with winning each and every short-term news cycle, and Team Romney must have decided that a mid-August weekend of Sunday talk shows asking whether Mitt’s candidacy is in trouble was a fate that had to be avoided at all costs.
Andrea Mitchell looked almost embarrassed to relay to Chuck Todd her news nugget of this story: relaying the news to second-time bridesmaid Tim “Bridge Fall Down” Pawlenty was Tagg Romney, the candidate’s son. Because, you know, Mitt doesn’t like to spend his time with losers.
http://my.firedoglake.com/teddysanfran/2012/08/10/mitts-veep-is-paul-ryan-nbc/
.
August 11, 2012
John Warner A GOP moderate floated by Allen, the former Virginia senator could be a good bet to attract independents to Obama's side. After he left the Senate in 2009, The Washington Post called him a "political giant" in a lengthy profile boosting his independent record. "Warner is widely hailed as a bipartisan broker able to break ranks on principle without losing friends; a man who is at least as fierce an advocate for the state's military bases, rivers and highways as for such national issues as security and defense," the paper wrote.
Chuck Hagel Another possibility cited by Allen is former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel. It certainly wouldn't be out of character to step on stage and say a few unpleasant things about the GOP, something akin to what he told Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin in May. "Reagan would be stunned by the party today," Hagel said from his office at Georgetown University where he teaches. "Reagan wouldn't identify with this party. There's a streak of intolerance in the Republican Party today that scares people. Intolerance is a very dangerous thing in a society because it always leads to a tragic ending," he said. "Ronald Reagan was never driven by ideology. He was a conservative but he was a practical conservative. He wanted limited government but he used government and he used it many times. And he would work with the other party."
Olympia Snowe A punch in the gut could also come from Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, who could refrain from endorsing Obama but raise her own profile by pushing for a bipartisanship. News that Snowe is leaving the senate sparked a flurry of diatribes about the "death of the moderate Republican." It's possible she could go on stage with some sort of platitudinous unity message resembling her statements when she left the Senate. “Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term,” Snowe said. “So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate.”
Arlen Specter He's not really a Republican any more but he was for almost his entire career, which could count for something. These days Specter seems a bit restless, what with his GOP-bashing standup comedy bits. Maybe he'd be up for a star turn at the convention? He could recycle some of his Gingrich material. "I've known Newt for so long, I knew him when he was skinny…I've known him for so long, I knew his first wife — and all his girlfriends."
Buddy Roemer Let's face it: The former Louisiana governor's third party presidential bid isn't going anywhere. He's clearly got a bone to pick with the Republican Party so why not let it out next month? It would at least give him a potential platform for his favorite pet issue: Campaign finance reform. And let's be honest: Colbert isn't going to keep booking him on his show forever. He could use another profile booster.
Arnold Schwarzenegger The idea of the Governator assisting the Obama campaign got a boost this afternoon with The Wall Street Journal's Erica Orden's scoop that Schwarzenegger was approached by the White House before his term as California governor ended in 2011 about joining Obama's cabinet. "The entreaty to the centrist Republican governor wasn’t completely out of the blue," she writes. "Mr. Schwarzenegger, who was in office for more than seven years and continues to promote his vision of 'post-partisanship,' acknowledged earlier in his career that he’d welcome a cabinet post." Orden doesn't report why Secretary Schwarzenegger never came to fruition. Though Schwarzenegger ran for governor as a Republican, he's always stayed close to Democratic circles through his wife Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family. (She endorsed Obama in 2008 just days after he endorsed McCain). Whatever happened in those talks in 2011, since then Schwarzenegger and Shriver split in July 2011 and Schwarzenegger has gone back to his acting career. But, hey, The Expendables 2 opens on August 17, and maybe a primetime appearance two weeks later will be just the thing to give it box office legs.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/08/possible-gop-turncoats-democratic-convention/55658/
HEH- Possible GOP TURNCOATS At The Democratic Convention
Democrats are planning on enlisting "several" wayward Republicans to help turn out the vote for President Obama at next month's Democratic National Convention, but who will it be? The news comes in the form of an event planning document obtained by Politico's Mike Allen saying Democrats want a "centrist Republican leader" or "notable G.O.P. woman" to play a part at the Charlotte convention on at least two of the nights. This is a savvy strategy that has been tried in the past: Think Zell Miller's anti-Kerry speech at the 2004 Republican convention or Joe Lieberman's endorsement of John McCain in 2008. And, as Outside the Beltway's James Joyner notes, with the GOP's rightward drift, there's no shortage of disenchanted moderate Republicans who've either been primaried out of office or sidelined in the party. So which Republicans are low-hanging fruit?
Here's who some are speculating about:
John Warner A GOP moderate floated by Allen, the former Virginia senator could be a good bet to attract independents to Obama's side. After he left the Senate in 2009, The Washington Post called him a "political giant" in a lengthy profile boosting his independent record. "Warner is widely hailed as a bipartisan broker able to break ranks on principle without losing friends; a man who is at least as fierce an advocate for the state's military bases, rivers and highways as for such national issues as security and defense," the paper wrote.
Chuck Hagel Another possibility cited by Allen is former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel. It certainly wouldn't be out of character to step on stage and say a few unpleasant things about the GOP, something akin to what he told Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin in May. "Reagan would be stunned by the party today," Hagel said from his office at Georgetown University where he teaches. "Reagan wouldn't identify with this party. There's a streak of intolerance in the Republican Party today that scares people. Intolerance is a very dangerous thing in a society because it always leads to a tragic ending," he said. "Ronald Reagan was never driven by ideology. He was a conservative but he was a practical conservative. He wanted limited government but he used government and he used it many times. And he would work with the other party."
Olympia Snowe A punch in the gut could also come from Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, who could refrain from endorsing Obama but raise her own profile by pushing for a bipartisanship. News that Snowe is leaving the senate sparked a flurry of diatribes about the "death of the moderate Republican." It's possible she could go on stage with some sort of platitudinous unity message resembling her statements when she left the Senate. “Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term,” Snowe said. “So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate.”
Arlen Specter He's not really a Republican any more but he was for almost his entire career, which could count for something. These days Specter seems a bit restless, what with his GOP-bashing standup comedy bits. Maybe he'd be up for a star turn at the convention? He could recycle some of his Gingrich material. "I've known Newt for so long, I knew him when he was skinny…I've known him for so long, I knew his first wife — and all his girlfriends."
Buddy Roemer Let's face it: The former Louisiana governor's third party presidential bid isn't going anywhere. He's clearly got a bone to pick with the Republican Party so why not let it out next month? It would at least give him a potential platform for his favorite pet issue: Campaign finance reform. And let's be honest: Colbert isn't going to keep booking him on his show forever. He could use another profile booster.
Arnold Schwarzenegger The idea of the Governator assisting the Obama campaign got a boost this afternoon with The Wall Street Journal's Erica Orden's scoop that Schwarzenegger was approached by the White House before his term as California governor ended in 2011 about joining Obama's cabinet. "The entreaty to the centrist Republican governor wasn’t completely out of the blue," she writes. "Mr. Schwarzenegger, who was in office for more than seven years and continues to promote his vision of 'post-partisanship,' acknowledged earlier in his career that he’d welcome a cabinet post." Orden doesn't report why Secretary Schwarzenegger never came to fruition. Though Schwarzenegger ran for governor as a Republican, he's always stayed close to Democratic circles through his wife Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family. (She endorsed Obama in 2008 just days after he endorsed McCain). Whatever happened in those talks in 2011, since then Schwarzenegger and Shriver split in July 2011 and Schwarzenegger has gone back to his acting career. But, hey, The Expendables 2 opens on August 17, and maybe a primetime appearance two weeks later will be just the thing to give it box office legs.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/08/possible-gop-turncoats-democratic-convention/55658/
August 11, 2012
Another Christian Hypocrite Repug Weasel!
We found out why the #2 Republican in the Oregon House really stepped down this week. Now retired (sort of) Republican House Rep. Kevin Cameron of Salem, Oregon, told us he was stepping down from his leadership position last month for “business and family” reasons. It turns out that he didn’t really step down for family and business, but rather because he went to a strip club with his frat brothers of the Oregon Republican House. Yes, they’re a notorious gang of fratty boys only types.
Cameron, who served as an Executive Board member at Morning Star Community Church, was afraid that his colleague Matt Wingard– who has been forced to resign recently in a different sex scandal — was going to go public with the story of how Cameron went to a topless bar while golfing in Palm Springs with six other Oregon Republicans this past January:
You have to wonder why those other Republicans aren’t stepping down. It sort of suggests that this colleague, Matt Wingard, has something a bit more damaging on Cameron. The colleague might be in the mood to share, since it was Cameron who asked him to step down after Wingard’s sex scandal. Our boy Kevin told Oregon Live, “I made a phone call to Matt and said, ‘If you don’t step back from your candidacy, then I will have to publicly call for your resignation.’ That did not go over well.”
The AP reported:
Kevin’s colleague is former former Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, who was accused of sexual misconduct by a former aide. Or, as we put it in layperson terms, supplying alcohol to underage females and using your power to entice them to have an unwantned sexual relationship with you, though the young women brought the allegations forward to state investigators. She “complained” about his behavior to the police (this translates from misogynist to English as “unwanted sex”). One doesn’t normally see the woman going to police in consensual relationships. Cute, right? Luckily for Matt, investigators from both the state Department of Justice and the Clackmas County Sheriff “declined” to press charges. Ain’t it cool in the club? Matt is musing much about how he’s the “victim” in all of this.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/oregon-republican-frat-leadership-sex-scandal.html
ANOTHER Oregon Republican From the FRAT LEADERSHIP Goes Down in SEX SCANDAL
Another Christian Hypocrite Repug Weasel!
We found out why the #2 Republican in the Oregon House really stepped down this week. Now retired (sort of) Republican House Rep. Kevin Cameron of Salem, Oregon, told us he was stepping down from his leadership position last month for “business and family” reasons. It turns out that he didn’t really step down for family and business, but rather because he went to a strip club with his frat brothers of the Oregon Republican House. Yes, they’re a notorious gang of fratty boys only types.
Cameron, who served as an Executive Board member at Morning Star Community Church, was afraid that his colleague Matt Wingard– who has been forced to resign recently in a different sex scandal — was going to go public with the story of how Cameron went to a topless bar while golfing in Palm Springs with six other Oregon Republicans this past January:
The Oregon House Republican leader who abruptly stepped down last month says he did so in part because of concerns that the public would find out that he and a handful of other GOP lawmakers had visited a topless bar.
Rep. Kevin Cameron of Salem initially said he was giving up his role as the No. 2 Republican in the House due to personal reasons. The Oregonian reported Thursday http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/08/night_in_topless_bar_becomes_e.html#incart_river_default
that Cameron and six other Republicans visited a bar featuring topless dancers during a three-day trip to Palm Springs, Calif., in January.
Rep. Kevin Cameron of Salem initially said he was giving up his role as the No. 2 Republican in the House due to personal reasons. The Oregonian reported Thursday http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/08/night_in_topless_bar_becomes_e.html#incart_river_default
that Cameron and six other Republicans visited a bar featuring topless dancers during a three-day trip to Palm Springs, Calif., in January.
You have to wonder why those other Republicans aren’t stepping down. It sort of suggests that this colleague, Matt Wingard, has something a bit more damaging on Cameron. The colleague might be in the mood to share, since it was Cameron who asked him to step down after Wingard’s sex scandal. Our boy Kevin told Oregon Live, “I made a phone call to Matt and said, ‘If you don’t step back from your candidacy, then I will have to publicly call for your resignation.’ That did not go over well.”
The AP reported:
After Wingard dropped his re-election bid, Cameron said, he heard talk in GOP circles that Wingard might go public about the lawmakers’ Palm Springs vacation.
“Matt never had any discussion with me directly about that,” Cameron said. “There were rumors that he would do that.”
http://hosted2.ap.org/OREUG/northwest/Article_2012-08-09-GOP%20Leader-Strip%20Club/id-4704fa011e8a4d609fefa405dcdd00dc
“Matt never had any discussion with me directly about that,” Cameron said. “There were rumors that he would do that.”
http://hosted2.ap.org/OREUG/northwest/Article_2012-08-09-GOP%20Leader-Strip%20Club/id-4704fa011e8a4d609fefa405dcdd00dc
Kevin’s colleague is former former Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, who was accused of sexual misconduct by a former aide. Or, as we put it in layperson terms, supplying alcohol to underage females and using your power to entice them to have an unwantned sexual relationship with you, though the young women brought the allegations forward to state investigators. She “complained” about his behavior to the police (this translates from misogynist to English as “unwanted sex”). One doesn’t normally see the woman going to police in consensual relationships. Cute, right? Luckily for Matt, investigators from both the state Department of Justice and the Clackmas County Sheriff “declined” to press charges. Ain’t it cool in the club? Matt is musing much about how he’s the “victim” in all of this.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/oregon-republican-frat-leadership-sex-scandal.html
August 10, 2012
Here is Ingraham illustrating the size of down filled pillow Romney brought to the gunfight...
Repugs are lining up to take their turn at the bus steering wheel...
Conservative radio talker and occasional Fox News guest host Laura Ingraham has a dour message for her fellow Republicans: “Romney is losing,” she said on her show Friday.
“I might be the skunk at the picnic, but I’m going to say it and I’m going to say it clearly,” Ingraham said, citing recent polling that shows President Barack Obama widening his lead in public opinion. “Romney is losing,” she deadpanned, later suggesting he’d brought “a down pillow to a gun fight.” 
Her proposed fix: Start over, and this time wear the brass knuckles.
Ingraham’s Friday show puts her in a growing class of conservative pundits apparently angered by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s press secretary bragging to Fox News that Romney’s policies in Massachusetts would have saved the life of a woman who died after her husband was laid off by Bain Capital and their health insurance was canceled.
Conservative consensus is that the spokesperson, Andrea Saul, was defending the very thing — the individual mandate — on which much public conservative opposition to the President’s health care reform is based. Less than 24 hours after Fox News broadcast Saul’s words, both Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter were pushing the Romney campaign to fire her. Ingraham went a step further on Friday and called for a reboot of the campaign’s whole message
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/10/conservative-host-ingraham-romney-brought-a-down-pillow-to-a-gun-fight/
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LOL- Conservative HOST Ingraham: Romney Brought ‘A DOWN PILLOW TO A GUNFIGHT’
Here is Ingraham illustrating the size of down filled pillow Romney brought to the gunfight...
Repugs are lining up to take their turn at the bus steering wheel...
Conservative radio talker and occasional Fox News guest host Laura Ingraham has a dour message for her fellow Republicans: “Romney is losing,” she said on her show Friday.
“I might be the skunk at the picnic, but I’m going to say it and I’m going to say it clearly,” Ingraham said, citing recent polling that shows President Barack Obama widening his lead in public opinion. “Romney is losing,” she deadpanned, later suggesting he’d brought “a down pillow to a gun fight.”
Her proposed fix: Start over, and this time wear the brass knuckles.
Ingraham’s Friday show puts her in a growing class of conservative pundits apparently angered by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s press secretary bragging to Fox News that Romney’s policies in Massachusetts would have saved the life of a woman who died after her husband was laid off by Bain Capital and their health insurance was canceled.
Conservative consensus is that the spokesperson, Andrea Saul, was defending the very thing — the individual mandate — on which much public conservative opposition to the President’s health care reform is based. Less than 24 hours after Fox News broadcast Saul’s words, both Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter were pushing the Romney campaign to fire her. Ingraham went a step further on Friday and called for a reboot of the campaign’s whole message
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch......etch-a-sketch.......etch-a-sketch........etch-a-sketch...
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/10/conservative-host-ingraham-romney-brought-a-down-pillow-to-a-gun-fight/
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August 10, 2012
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Its been one of those days!
Breaking: Nasa's ' Curiosity ' Captures FIRST Signs of LIFE
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Its been one of those days!
August 10, 2012
Jon Huntsman Sr., longtime Romney backer, calls on him to release tax returns
The internet is alive with speculation that the secret source Harry Reid claims to have on Mitt Romney’s tax returns is Utah industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. He is the founder of Hunstman Corporation and the father of the former GOP presidential candidate — and the speculation is based on the fact that his profile fits with much of what we publicly know about Reid’s presumed confidante. But I just got off the phone with Huntsman, and he confirmed to me that he is not Reid’s source.
However, in a move that could be significant, Huntsman forcefully called on Romney to release his tax returns. This matters, because Huntsman is a longtime backer of Romney — he has long been close to Romney; he supported his early campaigns; he was the national finance chairman of Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign; and he has raised a lot of money for him over the years. (He backed his own son in the latest GOP primary.)
Reid has claimed that he has it from someone who knows that Romney paid no taxes for a long time. Some have speculated Huntsman is Reid’s source because Huntsman is partners with Robert Gay, a lontime managing director of Bain; they are both officers at Huntsman Gay Global Capital. Huntsman is also close to Reid. But Huntsman adamantly denied discussing Romney’s returns with Reid, and said he knew nothing about them. “That’s absolutely false,” Huntsman said of the speculation. “I have absolutely no knowledge of Bain or Mitt Romney’s tax returns.”
Asked directly if he had ever had a conversation of any kind with Reid about Romney’s returns, Huntsman reiterated he hadn’t. Huntsman said his main connection to Reid is through their shared interest in cancer research. In any case, the more important thing here might be Huntsman’s call for Romney to release his returns. He may be the highest profile Republican — and he’s certainly the one closest to Romney — to do so thus far.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/jon-huntsman-sr-longtime-romney-backer-calls-on-him-to-release-tax-returns/2012/08/10/9f343a8c-e312-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_blog.html
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Romney BACKER URGES Mitt: RELEASE MORE RETURNS!
Jon Huntsman Sr., longtime Romney backer, calls on him to release tax returns
The internet is alive with speculation that the secret source Harry Reid claims to have on Mitt Romney’s tax returns is Utah industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. He is the founder of Hunstman Corporation and the father of the former GOP presidential candidate — and the speculation is based on the fact that his profile fits with much of what we publicly know about Reid’s presumed confidante. But I just got off the phone with Huntsman, and he confirmed to me that he is not Reid’s source.
However, in a move that could be significant, Huntsman forcefully called on Romney to release his tax returns. This matters, because Huntsman is a longtime backer of Romney — he has long been close to Romney; he supported his early campaigns; he was the national finance chairman of Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign; and he has raised a lot of money for him over the years. (He backed his own son in the latest GOP primary.)
“I feel very badly that Mitt won’t release his taxes and won’t be fair with the American people,” Huntsman told me. In a reference to Romney’s father, who pioneered the release of returns as a presidential candidate, Huntsman said: “I loved George. He always said, pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years.” “Mr. Romney ought to square with the American people and release his taxes like any other candidate,” Huntsman said. “I’ve supported Mitt all along. I wish him well. But I do think he should release his income taxes.”
Reid has claimed that he has it from someone who knows that Romney paid no taxes for a long time. Some have speculated Huntsman is Reid’s source because Huntsman is partners with Robert Gay, a lontime managing director of Bain; they are both officers at Huntsman Gay Global Capital. Huntsman is also close to Reid. But Huntsman adamantly denied discussing Romney’s returns with Reid, and said he knew nothing about them. “That’s absolutely false,” Huntsman said of the speculation. “I have absolutely no knowledge of Bain or Mitt Romney’s tax returns.”
Asked directly if he had ever had a conversation of any kind with Reid about Romney’s returns, Huntsman reiterated he hadn’t. Huntsman said his main connection to Reid is through their shared interest in cancer research. In any case, the more important thing here might be Huntsman’s call for Romney to release his returns. He may be the highest profile Republican — and he’s certainly the one closest to Romney — to do so thus far.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/jon-huntsman-sr-longtime-romney-backer-calls-on-him-to-release-tax-returns/2012/08/10/9f343a8c-e312-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_blog.html
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