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Last week, Pharaoh Tim-Pawlenty-kamun decided to play shell games with the people of Minnesota:
After opening the door to a gas tax increase a few weeks ago, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is describing the size of a bump he’d accept.
The Republican governor says he would prefer to keep the increase at a nickel or less, and tie it to a reduction in taxes elsewhere in the state budget.
Hello?!?!?
The whole flipping reason for raising the gas tax was to increase revenue, not cut it — or give Tim Pawlenty and his fellow anti-tax pharaohs Marty Seifert, Phil Krinkie and Carol Molnau an excuse to cut rich people’s taxes more than they already have — especially when the rich have been the only actual beneficiaries of the Bush “boom”, in Minnesota and in the rest of the nation.
Ah, but that was last week. Now it looks like he and his Republican buddies are trying to weasel out of a special session (and any sort of tax rise) altogether. Really and truly, and after the state Dems bent over backwards (way too far, really) to accomodate him — I kid thee not.
Of course, this is what he always does: Makes a promise in public, then looks for way to sabotage it behind closed doors. He’s done this over and over and over again.
And it’s not as if he’s doing the public’s will by opposing a special session and a gas-tax increase; polling at the Minnesota State Fair last week showed overwhelming public support for a ten-cent increase in the gas tax — twice Pawlenty’s feeble proposal of last week, which he later junked in favor of no increase at all.
Tell Pawlenty to cut the crap and call for a special session, without any of his jackbooted “preconditions”: 651-296-3391 or 800-657-3717.
We’ve had the First Plague (the 35W bridge collapse), the Second Plague (the flooding in southeast Minnesota) and the ongoing Third Plague (the drought that’s killing the crops in the rest of the state). How many more plagues does Pharaoh Tim need to see to soften up his hard heart? Will it take the full ten for him to summon up the guts to blow off his buddies over at the (Rich) Taxpayers’ League? Will the state have to be destroyed before he sees the light?
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PW!
PW!
wait – “a nickel?” Huh?
Let the Farow know he’s an a**hole!
Gov. Timmy hates his people! He is with the Judi and Rudi Ghoolianis of the world and their high price handbags!
Seems at one time I was under the impression that MN. was rather blue and pro labor and Democratic. Was that the case? Or am I thinking about WI.?
Hello, everyone!
For more on our Imperial Jackass of a governor, check out the graphics over at Tild’s place.
OK so Jennifer Dunn died and also Paul Gillmor from my old district:
The body of the 68-year-old congressman was found by staff members who went to his apartment Wednesday after he failed to show up for work, according to a Republican aide who spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.There was no immediate word on the cause of his death.
Gillmor’s office did not respond to a reporter’s call.
Gillmor had been in Ohio last week to attend a series of town meetings and tour areas of the state that were hit hard by flooding. “His sudden passing is a shock to us all and he will be greatly missed,” Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted said in a statement.
Gillmor, who represented Ohio’s heavily Republican 5th District in the Bowling Green area, was first elected to Congress in 1988.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..ongressman
The OH-5 has had a Republican in the Congress since the 1930s or something. Bowling Green itself is heavily liberal (surprise surprise, college town) but the surrounding area isn’t. Findley, where the worst of the flooding was last month, I think is within the 5th.
Robin Weirauch has challenged him in the last 2 elections. No idea if she’s running again in 08.
Maybe the Jesse wasn’t so bad in comparison…?
you should elect some more independents again, to national office as well.
PW!
Don’t forget the “fourth” plague – the infestation of the Airport rest rooms with Wide Stancers…
In Republic think, cutting taxes always raises government revenue. It’s magic!
All this strange weather has me worried. We need a leader who is solidly committed to looking after Mother Earth.
dakine01 @ 9
the Craig Plague
The rich were intended to be the only actual beneficiaries of the Bush “boom”. Everyone else is supposed to be happy because they don’t have to marry someone gay and pray the same way the Preznit pretends to.
Oklshoma kiddo @ 5
It was, but then the DFL made a few missteps, and then there was an influx of new residents who wanted the good life but didn’t want to pay for it. Plus, we had the big problem everyone had nationally of our media — after a brief two-decade period of almost-fairness — sliding back into blatant support of fascists.
The right-wingers on the officially right-wing radio and TV stations like to take the credit for this, but really, the right-wing blowhard with the biggest audience and most effective political reach is none other than the obscenely wealthy Tom Barnard of the KQRS Morning Show. His rants against anything Democratic are beamed to prime voting-age males and I suspect are themselves responsible for about 5% to 10% of the GOP’s point spread on any given race.
T-Paw is shameless.
As Amy Klobuchar said, “A bridge in America should not fall.” And after a bridge falls, the LEAST we should expect of our elected officials is to deal like adults with the root cause of the problem. Our state’s infrastructure is in crisis, and Tim Pawlenty will not lit a finger to fix it.
Shameless.
I wonder if the secret service will let Bush’s limo drive over a Minnesota bridge when Bush goes to the GOP convention. What do you want to bet he flies in and then takes a helicopter to the convention? What do you want to but that none but the poorest GOP candidates drive over a bridge to the convention.
PW — pardon the OT, but if you haven’t read Glenn Greenwald’s homage to the masculine Mark Hemingway of National Review, don’t miss it.
Oklahoma knows drought. Most of my people lived through the dust bowl. Now we have more water than we know what to do with. And a couple of years ago we were trucking water to our cattle ranches.
sporkovat @ 8
The “independents” were and are, for the most part, Republicans who like to smoke pot. They hate paying taxes for social services (especially those that might help black people) as much as do their fellow Republicans.
Badwater @ 10
I miss the Clinton economy and I bet so does the stock and real estate markets.
You know, you’ve got to wonder what these people use for brainpower. How can he manage to get up in the morning and get to work?
things come undone @ 16
He’ll probably helicopter to the Homerdome parking lot(or the Target Center parking lot)? Then again, come this time next year, the Republicans might banish him all together. I have heard some people speculate on how much the GOP’ers will either play up or down The Decider’s appearance. After all, by the time the convention rolls around, they’ll be trying to appeal to more than just the fundies.
Phoenix Woman @ 19
Maybe Gov Pawlenty would be open to legaling pot and taxing it as a face saving way out of this mess before another bridge falls down.
After all isn’t he living proof that the only long term effect pot smoking has had on him was to turn him Republican?
It is really hard to be stuck with an idiot governor. Many people don’t know Ronald Reagan had almost as many recall signatures as Gray Davis. The only difference was most people felt any governor recall would be too costly (it is) and too much of an upset that could be better handled in the next election.
It isn’t that Davis was worse than Reagan, times had changed. People were willing to recall a governor and “throw the bums out”. Does Minnesota have anything like a “recall” tool the people can use? What can they do besides complain?
America to Republicans:
Have you no shame, Republicans? At long last, have you no shame?
Republicans to America:
Of Course Not — we are Republicans!!!
“After all isn’t he living proof that the only long term effect pot smoking has had on him was to turn him Republican?”
OMG! You mean that’s what the future holds for me? Is that what they’ve been harping about when they’ve said reefer was a gateway to other destructive behaviors?
Has the Laura-bot been kicked to the curb (kerb)?
SYDNEY, Australia — Condoleezza Rice has been President Bush’s foreign policy tutor, sports buddy, national security adviser and his secretary of state.
Bush came up with a new designation Wednesday at a dinner in his honor.
“She can be my date,” the president said, reaching out his left hand to touch Rice’s arm as they stood before the cameras at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister John Howard and his wife Janette at their residence, Kirribilli House .
First lady Laura Bush had stayed back in Washington, saying a pinched nerve prevented her from taking long flights.
link
The fifth plague the RNC convention.
please excuse the early OT – for anyone who missed it, here’s the audio from this morning’s HJC hearing on FISA.
OT – betcha this guy is a gooper:
Slanguage, a dictionary of Irish slang (ISBN 0-7171-2683-8)
…Also cute hoor [n. & adj., invar. male]. Term of denigration, implying (political) deviousness and lack of scruple.
Use as needed.
A senior Republican aide says talk of Sen. Larry Craig reconsidering his decision to resign “is moot,” suggesting there is no way Craig can get his case settled by the courts or the Senate Ethics Committee in three and a half weeks.
Steve-AR @ 27
He’s sure not acting like he wants to stop the rumors. I’m really starting to wonder . . . (Not that it matters, really, what happens between Georgie and Laura.)
Phoenix Woman @ 14
You’ll hear Tom Barnard’s voice on national commercials. He is a voice over spec*al*st. I try and make a point not to buy any products who give him work. Lately, the Nike One golf ball is on my sh*t list.
Edited and released by Mods
punaise @ 30
He is African American, so probably not.
things come undone @ 20
The stock market is doing just fine laundering illegal drug profits and collecting their in and out commissions.
The only people in real estate who really matter haven’t been hurt all that much by what’s happening and I wouldn’t be surprised if some enterprising little young Rethug isn’t posting foreclosure items in choice locations on the net somewhere.
Imagine all those stolen billions of our dollars from Iraq finding their way back here to buy shitloads of distressed properties laundered into some “entrepreneur’s” stake at becoming a real estate mogul, then offered as low-income housing in order to feed off the federal subsidies offered for 8B housing.
It’s happening as we speak because if I can think of something like this some little Republican conman is doing it.
Pheonix Woman @ 19
yeah, but nobody could rock the pink tuxedo and yellow feather boa like Jesse could.
http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestl…..urap2.html
very appealing to certain segments of the Republican demographic, these photos.
You’ll hear Tom Barnard’s voice on national commercials. He is a voice over spec*al*st. I try and make a point not to buy any products who give him work. Lately, the Nike One golf ball is on my sh*t list.
Edited and released by Mods
We need to put out an anti drug commerical with Timmy video quotes about why taxes are bad as cars full of screaming people fall off a collapsing bridge in the background.
Then we need a follow up with some GOP talking head saying we went to far, that our commerical is beyound the pale, and morally objectionable..
To which we reply not fixing bridges is beyound the pale. Its especially morally objectionable after one bridge has already fallen down.
GOP Politicans point blame like Emperor Nero scapegoating Christians for the city of Rome’s bad fire planning. But notice that after the fire the Romans did rebuild in stone. They did not just sit there waiting for another fire, or bridge to drop.
Leadership is more than doing something for a GOPer its giving to the rich, for us its about making things like bridges better.
Vote Democratic !
This is really unbelievable. Our Guv is so worried about getting the bridge rebuilt by the time his buddies come for the RNC, but he is unwilling to deal with the situation in a real way. Pass the buck on and dodge the issue.
He needs to be wake up and call a special session NOW! Deal with this like a statesman Tim, stop playing games with Minnesota Tragedies!
Oklshoma kiddo @ 11
We need a leader with the balls to pardon Leonard Peltier
Steve-AR @ 35
there I go again…jumping to conclusions
Obama and Hillary have more than party affiliation in common. They both took money from this character.
Norman Hsu, the Democratic donor and Clinton bundler whose grand-theft charge in the 1990s forced the Clinton campaign and others to donate his contributions to charity, skipped a bail hearing on a grand-theft charge dating to the early 1990s, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
The surprise development … came this morning in a San Mateo County, Calif., courtroom where Mr. Hsu had been scheduled to surrender his passport and await other proceedings in his case after turning himself in Friday and being jailed briefly before posting a $2 million bond.
Public financing of elections is the only answer. Unless of course you’re a believer in the basic propensity of politicians and candidates to do the right thing.
I think it’s called the Iron Law of Oligarchy. (Iron Law because it’s never been broken or bent). It states that for every political organization, there comes a time when they must choose to compromise and survive, or else die by their own sword. What we’re seeing with the Republican Party is what happens when a group doesn’t want to compromise or change from their inflexible viewpoints (no gays, no Latinos, no taxes, no Darwin). What we’re seeing with the Minn. GOP is an unwillingness to accept the need for a tax increase to pay for infrastructure repairs, something a majority of voters support and something that’s going to kill the party come the next election or another avertable disaster.
QuakerGirl @ 24
I don’t think it had a lot to do with changes in the attitudes of “the people.” The initiative/recall process had become much more of an industry by that time, one that can be pushed by rich Republicans, and Darryl Issa bankrolled the whole effort because he selfishly thought it would get him to the governor’s mansion.
The “pinched nerve” excuse if pretty lame. Flying in AF-1 is like traveling in a luxury hotel. She isn’t strapped into a seat for 12 hours. Interesting it was on the FOX site. I wonder what the good racist christian base thinks of him cheating on his wife with an African American woman. May be Ed Gillespie, after throwing Rove and Gonzo under the bus has his sights set on the decider.
johnSwifty @ 38
Since when have “spec*al*st” and “sh*t” been m*derated words? Things come undone?
johnSwifty @ 47
The first word contains within it another word that appears in a great deal of spam. Drop off the first three letters . . .
punaise @ 41
I had the same conclusion and eagerly hit Google; situation looks more complex than just another Gooper pervert.
Actually, I was wrong, the Iron Law of Oligarchy relates to how all political parties get dominated by an oligarchial group. But there was something in Poli Sci about a law like what I described…
Oklahoma kiddo @ 32
Heh! Craig’s asking for the case to be dropped, period. And he has a fighting chance.
johnSwifty @ 47
Take the “spe” and “t” away from the first word and you will see why.
johnSwifty @ 47
The first world contains within it a certain drug used to combat ED; can’t understand the second myself.
Spe CIA* LIS * t
james @ 41
That would get the American Indian vote out in force and make the Western states competive.
QuakerGirl @ 24
Gray Davis was gamed by Enron. Power shortages magically stopped after he was voted out. People were angry, but the thing they were mad about was manufactured by Enron both for company profit and Republic benefit. It’s another example of Republic cheating. People should be really angry about that.
Phoenix Woman @ 51
Assuming Craig has not delivered an official letter of resignation yet, his comments about his “intent to resign” at the end of September are not legally binding. He’s a senator until he delivers that letter of resignation and its “effective on” date has passed.
Should Craig not deliver that letter, or revoke a letter previously delivered with the Sept 30 date on it, the Senate Ethics committee will have quite a pickle to deal with.
Let’s hear it for Crain- I’m gonna send him some money if he decides to fight- he’s too damn entertaining to leave so soon!!
Phoenix Woman @ 50
I haven’t reviewed it but I think that was the point of the leaked cell phone message. Craig changed his announcement from “resigning Sept. 30″ to intent to resign Sept 30. He hasn’t resigned and the Gooper’s heads are ready to explode.
PaulW @ 44
True, but there’s a bit more to it than that. It’s not just basic inflexibility, it’s that they’ve built on a base of rabid anti-taxers who are the most active primary voters. They’ve convinced themselves that because no one likes taxes, everyone must hate taxes above all else.
This worked for a while, but now their fairy tales about how government wastes all your tax money and everything would work great without it are coming apart, they’re trapped between responsibly raising taxes and getting hell at primary time, or not doing it and getting clobbered at general election time.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of guys.
OT
How will Ohio replace its Rep that died? Do they have a D or R governor?
johnSwifty @ 47
Huh? How would I know? I’m not a Mod.
Steve-AR @ 58
in the radio snippet I heard from his resignation announcement, he placed particular emphasis on the word “intent”.
OT..
WA-08: I just received word that Darcy Burner’s primary opponent has dropped out. I won’t necessarily celebrate, since I think primaries are a good thing (and Darcy was going to rock that primary), but for what it’s worth, Democrats are now united in the district. Go Darcy!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..1354/52501
That is good news..now she won’t have to piss away money on a primary fight.
PaulW @ 49
do you think it likely that both parties in the ruling duopoly might suffer from such an affliction?
I am mindful of the possible and perhaps probable advantages of having Mr. Craig to kick around for the next year or so.
james @ 36
I’ll still take 8 years of Bill over the soon to be 8 years of Bush in a second.
Thanks Phoenixwoman. I called, FWIW. Very polite.
The pertinent question might be ‘does Mr. Rove want Mr. Craig around, or not.’
Ok kiddo: “I am mindful of the possible and perhaps probable advantages of having Mr. Craig to kick around for the next year or so.”
I hear you. Let’s prop him up with some supportive calls, LTE, etc..
This is what I would call brilliant writing.
Gooper congresscritter from Ohio found dead…Heavily gooper district so no political impact.
Does Senator Craig got a case for a discrimination suit against the Republicans in the Senate who took away his committe seats? I mean trying to have sex in a public place is not as bad as paying for it numerous times with how many hookers?
Senator Craig pleaded guilty but Senator Vitter confessed on TV. I really don’t see the distinction between the two
(snip)
McConnell told reporters that Craig had told him that if he fails to have his guilty plea dismissed by Sept. 30, “it is his intention to resign from the Senate.”
If he does win the dismissal of the guilty plea, “it would be his intention to come back to the Senate to deal with the ethics committee case … and try to finish his term.”
(snip)
HuffPo
rwcole @ 72
Except that this republican safe district lost 4 decades of seniority.
And, of course, sympathy to all the family and staff.
Land of ten thousand lakes.
http://video.google.com/videop…..5728948753
BigMitch @ 74
The OH-05 R 10.1 may not be a slam dunk for the thugs. It’s rust belt Ohio, I think, and I would think a lot of the R’s are soft. Gillmor only got a conservative rating in the low 80’s so he wasn’t bat-shit crazy. The special election will be an early sign of trends if the Dems go for the seat.
Steve-AR @ 77
If the Dems don’t go for the seat, then they are the ones who are bat-shit crazy.
“Will the state have to be destroyed before he sees the light?”
To paraphrase David Addington “We’re only one more bridge collapse from a Democratic governor in Minnesota.”
More Craig..Josh Marshall’s take;
Gotta Say It
Okay, Sen. McConnell has now sanctioned Sen. Craig’s bizarre decision to recant his guilty plea and his resignation.
What’s Sen. Craig got on Mitch McConnell?
–Josh Marshall
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/052339.php
Miss McConnell must not be sleeping very well.
james @ 41
Agree, James.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 76
I loved that, OKK. How did you find it?
TJ @ 61
Yes we do. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is our Democratic Governor. Many of us in former Congressman Ted Stricklands district worked our asses off so that he would be our next governor. With Republican Security of State Blackwell’s (manipulation of the 2004 Presidential selection in Ohio http://www.howohiopulleditoff.com/trailer/) running for the Republicans it was not too difficult.
Records show that one third of the Republicans in Ohio voted for Ted for Governor. (there are sane and moral Republicans) Strickland voted against the 2002 war resolution, he has a Ph.D in Psychology and is an ordained minister who really walks his compassionate and empathetic beliefs with a clear grasp of the facts.
http://governor.ohio.gov/
You can bet this seat will be filled with a most outstanding individual by Democratic Governor Ted Strickland.
Diane @ 28
Isn’t that going to be fun next summer!!!
Think of all the protest opportunities. Start building the next generation of “Kiss floats” now.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 32
Who thinks that Craig was either shocked or disappointed to learn that? Not I.
Steve-AR @ 80
I’m sure it’s very hard for McConnell sleeping in that closet, an’ all!
TJ @ 61
Governor Strickland is a Democrat, but I don’t think Reps can be replaced by an appointment, IIRC, there has to be an election.
Kathleen @ 83
In some states gubernatorial nominations such as to fill a congressional seat have to be made from a list of possible candidates submitted by the congressman’s party. Other states have different laws and/or traditions that prevent the governor from appointing someone from his own party to fill a seat vacated by the other party. What is the law in Ohio?
I’d like to see Craig turn “Independent”, like Lieberman. He could really cause a lot of grief & pain for the Repugs who’ve thrown him under a train.
jim oconnor @ 70
As Bill Maher said on Chris Matthews Hardball last evening the Republicans may not be too hard to beat when the Republican convention is lined up to be held in the state where the bathroom episode took place and the brigde collapsed.
Maher had Matthews grinning from ear to ear.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/…..epublican/
Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) 1939-2007
Republican Congressman Paul Gillmor was found dead this morning in his apartment in Washington, D.C.
CNN reports members of his staff found him dead in his apartment after he failed to show up to work on Congress’ first day back from Summer recess.
Gillmor has served in Congress since 1989 representing the 5th district of Ohio, located in the northwestern portion of the state including Bowling Green, Tiffin, Fremont and Norwalk.
Gillmor is the third member of Congress to pass away this year, after Charlie Norwood (R-Georgia) in February and Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-California) in April. Gillmor’s seat will be filled by a special election.
Ohio Law:
3521.03 Filling vacancy in United State House of Representatives.
When a vacancy in the office of representative to congress occurs, the governor, upon satisfactory information thereof, shall issue a writ of election directing that a special election be held to fill such vacancy in the territory entitled to fill it on a day specified in the writ. Such writ shall be directed to the board of elections within such territory which shall give notice of the time and places of holding such election as provided in section 3501.03 of the Revised Code. Such election shall be held and conducted and returns thereof made as in case of a regular state election.
Effective Date: 09-08-1971
OT from the Lexington Herald-Leader Breast feeding protest goes national as Applebee’s steps in it again.
Jane is Upstairs!
TJ @ 61
Special election, I believe.
Well, it’s obvious that he’s using the tax increase on gas to pay for the tax cuts he wants.. so in effect it’s a redistribution of taxes. The poor get more of the burden while the rich get less. It’s a tax hike for the poor and a tax cut for the rich.
That’s been their tactic all along
Oklahoma kiddo @ 43
There’s possibly another money scandal with “Clinton” written all over it.
From the WashingtonPost online, “Sant S. Chatwal, an Indian American businessman, has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaigns, even as he battled governments on two continents to escape bankruptcy and millions of dollars in tax liens.”
The story continues at…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..36_pf.html
But, since the press isn’t really pressing Hillary on campaign contributions, we’ll just pretend it isn’t important and keep trying to let the public know she’s Republican-lite.
But how could he host the Convention next Summer after raising taxes? How could he look the wingnuts in the eye?