"I know one thing: BRIAN WILSON won’t make the John King mistake on any subject with Newt; he's not going to be the shrinking violet there."
~ Michael Steele, former RNC Chairman reveals his admiration for Beach Boys leading light, Brian Wilson.
I've wondered about Rodin's famous sculpture. Is he engaged in deep thought or sitting around wasting time? And why isn't he wearing pants? I ask the same of myself. Here we comment on well, mostly politics. Or we may just sit! If you like it, tell a friend. If not, tell us, but please read the GROUND RULES before you do.
As Catholic leaders who recognize that the moral scandals of racism and poverty remain a blemish on the American soul, we challenge our fellow Catholics Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum to stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes on the campaign trail. Mr. Gingrich has frequently attacked President Obama as a “food stamp president” and claimed that African Americans are content to collect welfare benefits rather than pursue employment. Campaigning in Iowa, Mr. Santorum remarked: “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.” Labeling our nation’s first African-American president with a title that evokes the past myth of “welfare queens” and inflaming other racist caricatures is irresponsible, immoral and unworthy of political leaders.
Some presidential candidates now courting “values voters” seem to have forgotten that defending human life and dignity does not stop with protecting the unborn. We remind Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum that Catholic bishops describe racism as an “intrinsic evil” and consistently defend vital government programs such as food stamps and unemployment benefits that help struggling Americans. At a time when nearly 1 in 6 Americans live in poverty, charities and the free market alone can’t address the urgent needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. And while jobseekers outnumber job openings 4-to-1, suggesting that the unemployed would rather collect benefits than work is misleading and insulting.
As the South Carolina primary approaches, we urge Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Santorum and all presidential candidates to reject the politics of racial division, refrain from offensive rhetoric and unite behind an agenda that promotes racial and economic justice.
Francis X. DoyleAssociate General SecretaryU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (retired)
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Leadership Team:Sisters Patricia McDermott, RSM (President) Eileen Campbell, RSM Anne Curtis, RSM Mary Pat Gavin, RSM Deborah Troillett, RSM
Mittens paused 19 times in this brief soliloquy — 12 times before mentioning the diary. That's one scared candidate; scared of Newt Gingrich. It was Romney who used the kitchen heat metaphor. Now, it seems, he can't handle the heat from refusing to release his taxes — something he should have prepared for years before this. He does all right when scripted but is incapable of improvising against a vicious attack dog like Gingrich."Let's — let's — let me — let me say — let me say one — one of the things I find amusing is listening — is listening to how — how much credit is taken in Washington for what goes on on Main Street. I — I mean, Mr. Speaker, it was — it was — you talk about all the things you did with Ronald Reagan and — and — and the Reagan revolution and the jobs created during the Reagan years and so forth. I mean, I looked at the Reagan diary. You're mentioned once in Ronald Reagan's diary. And it's — and in the diary, he says you had an idea in a meeting of — of young congressmen, and it wasn't a very good idea, and he dismissed it. That — that's the entire mention. And — I mean, he mentions George Bush a hundred times. He even mentions my dad once. So I — I — I — there's a sense that Washington is pulling the strings in America."
Gosh Soledad, I'm so sorry to have scared you or stirred such consternation within the Idiot Punditocracy (you too, Ron Brownstein — when you lie with idiots you risk catching Teh Stoopid)... Would you feel any better if you knew the source, Soledad?Soledad O'Brien scrutinized Gingrich's choice of words "unilateral disarmament" to describe a campaign free from negative ads. Gingrich had defended his attack ads on Mitt Romney noting that when faced with attack ads from his opponents, "if you unilaterally disarm, you might as well drop out of the race."
"When you hear a candidate talking about his fellow candidates and using the words unilateral disarmament, that's almost scary. I mean, how worried are you about the damage that Newt Gingrich could do to the front-runner?"
Okay, whatever. You might say Zeitgeist. I can dig it. But here's the thing: It happened before and it happened again! Moreover, Mittens follows a different pattern from Newt. In Mittens' case, he (or his 'people') likes to flip a phrase of mine to give it the exact opposite Republican meaning. There was this from Mittens' 1/10 victory speech in New Hampshire:Name names and point the finger at the real villains; what do you expect, I ask again — for Democrats to unilaterally disarm? Not gonna happen, and thank your oracle for it.
ME, from a 1/5 post, on the devastation wrought by actual Big Government Republicans:"The middle class has been crushed..." Blah-blah-blah. As if this guy has any earthly idea of what constitutes the middle class.
In last night's debate, Romney said this about 'Obamacare':"[T]he actual Big Government Republicans waged two wars off the books, enriched beyond measure their crony capitalist pals, and crushed the middle class and unions."
ME, from a 1/17 post, on how Progressives were right about the futility of President Obama seeking to compromise with Republicans while Chris Matthews and his "centrist" pals were wrong:"[W]here Barack Obama believes that he knows better for the American people what's best for them. He's wrong. We're right."
Same words. Opposite meaning. Zeitgeist? Random Coincidence? I don't think so. Here's my theory: Whoever writes Mittens' and Newt's material is probably under pressure to come up with catchy sound bites daily, and certainly for major events such as debates and victory speeches. So they cheat. They know they can't poach from popular internet media sources that absorb tens of thousands to millions of hits daily. So they steal from ME, one who Lawrence might have accurately described as a "smart" but "obscure" blogger. We're small but we get around."We warned the President, it's not gonna happen, time's a-wastin' Mr. President, strike while the iron's hot. Guess what, we Progressives were right, you and Chris were wrong."
Why Is This Crazy Woman Applauding "WAR WITH THE FEDERAL GOVT."? |
OH, MY. Tell us, Chris, would you have to run this text by suit-sayer Steve Capus's prior censorship department before going on air with it? Steve to Chris: "Just say 'desultory' or 'dog whistle' or whatever; as long as you don't say the 'R' word, got it?!" "Sure, boss."“I think (Gingrich) has that subtlety of racism that I know quite well, that Gingrich knows quite well, that appeals to some people in Georgia. I’m not saying he’s racist, but he knows the subtle words to use to appeal to a racist group.”
Matthews, of course, believes the Left's critique is "impractical." He calls Progressives "the flagellant class" dedicating his final minutes with boyfriend Andrew to dissing us. We're neither monolithic nor ideologues, which makes their little ditty surrounding ponytails, motorcycle gangs, and age groups stupid and irrelevant. If you've ever felt embarrassed for people making fools of themselves, you'll know what I mean."Andrew Sullivan has written a cover story for Newsweek Why Obama's Critics are Dumb. The right calls him a socialist, the left says he sucks up to Wall Street, and independents think he's a wimp. Andrew Sullivan on how the president may just end up outsmarting them all."
Questions for Chris: What exactly is "dog whistle" and what is it intended to signify? Are you forbidden from saying "racism" anymore when referring to the Republican Party? Even your commentary intimated it by mentioning "race" but never attributed racism to the racists. What are you afraid of? And why bring on Ron Christie, a lying Republican Uncle Tom to speak of this, instead of Gene Robinson, who was actually at the debate? Did you miss how loathsome and vile that Republican crowd was last night, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Repeat after me, Chris: "This is racism." Can you say it? Or have you turned into a coward in your old age. As Martin Luther King Jr. said: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”"The same kind of cronyism that poisoned his health-reform also invaded his handling of the financial crisis. This led not just to bailouts but the increasing concentration of financial power in the big six banks, setting up the system for another round of bailouts in the future.
At some point, the top players in lots of sectors in the American economy, in education, finance, military-industry, or health-care are operating less and less in a free market, and more and more in government licensed cartels.
In one sense there is a reason why critics of Obama on the right and left seem to contradict each other. At times we really do seem to be getting the worst of both worlds. The middle and working classes get the heartless layoff notices of capitalism, while the richest see their losses "socialized" away.
It's a problem Obama did not invent, but one he has intensified. And it isn't "dumb" to say so."
Well, isn't that special! Gee, this comes as a COMPLETE surprise."A brand new batch of Ron Paul newsletters raises questions for the libertarian Republican — as well as a host of embarrassing fresh passages to go along with such classics as “the coming race war” and “the federal-homosexual cover up on AIDS” from earlier reports.
Ron Paul claims “probably ten sentences out of 10,000 pages” were objectionable in his long-published newsletter series, even as he denies having ever written the content in question (or even having seen most of it). But, as TPM has reported and a new collection of Ron Paul newsletters posted by The New Republic confirms, racism, homophobia, and fringe conspiracy theories seem more like the newsletters’ raison d’etre than a rare aberration. In fact, even short promotional letters for the publication name-checked many of the most toxic passages."
OH, MY. OH.MY.GAWD.“But on the other side of the ocean, it’s like his family here doesn’t exist. Instead he draws crowds as the head of the ultraconservative faction of the Republican party, against divorce, gay marriage, abortion, and immigration.
Those politics don’t play well in Riva del Garda, a community of ultraliberals. On the campaign trail, Santorum often touts his grandfather’s flight from Italy “to escape fascism,” but he has neglected to publicly mention their close ties with the Italian Communist Party,” according to Oggi Magazine journalist Guiseppe Fumagalli.
OH THE HUMANITY! Newt Gingrich and his paleolithic party think UNIVERSAL health care for Massachusetts citizens is a terrible thing; incidentally the World Health Organization ranks France #1 in health care while the U.S. places no higher than #36 — OH NO, Paleo-Repugnants, won't you PLEASE make it go higher?!:"What benefits will I get?
Commonwealth Care members get health services by enrolling in health plans. There are several plans to choose from. Each health plan offers the same medical benefits, plus some extras. Some plans are only available in certain parts of Massachusetts. Some plans cost more than other plans.
All Commonwealth Care health plans include:
• outpatient medical care (doctor's visits, surgery, radiology and lab, abortion, community health center visits)• inpatient medical care (hospitalization)• mental health and substance abuse services (outpatient and inpatient)• prescription drugs (pharmacy and mail service)• rehabilitation services (cardiac rehabilitation, home health aide, therapies, inpatient services up to 100 days per year)• vision care (exam and glasses every 24 months)• dental care* (*this benefit is only for people with incomes at or below 100% FPG)• emergency care including ambulance and out-of-state coverageThe health plan you choose may also offer extra services."