BT!

Hi there Blue Texan!

as she tries to sell her house to move to Florida

Suppose she’ll vote for him in both states?

McCain must be stopped. Of course, Mrs Greenspan said this morning on MSNBC that he can survive a loss to Mitt in Michigan. “Everything’s great for McCain” is a narrative that even Mitt cannot pierce.

Say it ain’t so. . .

The Romney campaign, getting caught in a contrivance? You don’t say.

In Romney’s defense: When one has slung so much shit, in so many different directions, with so many direct contradictions, it’s *hard* to keep track of it all.

Suggestion for the Willard campaign – just co-opt one of the more famous Bush-isms – “It’s hard work”.

Check the campaign sign in the upper corner of this Kos posting. ;-)

Hmm, somebody oughta’ ask Ms. Sachs about her health insurance.

Pull string: “Vote for me if you want to live.”
Pull string: “I believe abortion should be safe and legal”
Pull string: “Resistance is futile.”
Pull string: “I’m pro life.”
Snap string.

Hey Teddy, I was thinking about starting a movement to replace the use of “narrative” with “line of bullshit”. Do I stand a chance?

And the latest from Michigan, Mitt’s er, “home state”:

YPSILANTI, Mich. – It’s snowing in Grand Rapids and it already snowed here. Now Republican campaign aides say turnout is light around the state this morning.

That could be good news for Mitt Romney, if the weather is keeping independents and Democrats from voting for John McCain. (Romney aides greeted this morning’s snow like kids who hadn’t yet done their homework hoping for school to close.) Among traditional Republivan voters, polls show Romney ahead, and his team says he’d win a GOP-only race. But McCain’s own strategists believe his supporters are more passionate about their man than Romney’s, and that so far, turnout is low everywhere, not just in areas that favor McCain.

Early exit polls haven’t leaked out far enough to reach me yet, so it’s hard to say who’s right and who’s spinning. One measure seems to tilt McCain’s way — he drew a crowd of several hundred people to a town hall here this afternoon, while Romney’s sole event today, a morning rally near the Grand Rapids airport, was much smaller. But don’t read too much into that. Who knows how many of the people listening to McCain right now have voted — or for whom?

Snow really doesn’t slow Michicagnders down much.

In Romney’s defense: When one has slung so much shit, in so many different directions, with so many direct contradictions, it’s *hard* to keep track of it all.

Good point.

I’ll pay you to vote for me.

does this qualify as a “Macaca Moment”?

Romney is actually John Forsyth’s son.

*snort*

so true.

For many reasons, one being the law of unintended consequences, I seriously question if Democrats should be messing around in the Michigan Republican primary.

I was snorting at Wigwam’s link (my reply button doesn’t always work, hmpf!). Check it out!

This is the same woman who said authoritatively last week to Monica Novotny on MSNBC: “John Edwards is no longer a viable candidate at this point.”

Yeah, I wonder about that too. Like creating a talking point that Dems approve of the Mitt so he must be really really bipartisan or some crap of endorsement. Besides, it’s such a rovian move and we’re better than that. We should be careful how we ride the wave of disenchantment.

I think Britney might have a future as a political pundit. Just sayin’

Someone taking a cue from Bush and his ‘Captive Audiences”?

OT…A new turd in the punch bowl for the GOP..this should give the NRA and wingnuts whiplash:

“Since ‘unrestricted’ private ownership of guns clearly threatens the public safety, the 2nd Amendment can be interpreted to allow a variety of gun restrictions, according to the Bush administration,” reports<. “The argument was delivered by U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in the ongoing arguments over the legality of a District of Columbia ban on handguns in homes, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.”</p>

“Bush defends the Washington DC gun ban” I wonder how they will spin that.

Ah, I remember tha Grand Old Days, when what was Good for GM was Good for America,
and Mitt’s dad marched alongside MLK and Fred Smith to bring peace and tranquility back to the Motor City, ultimatly leading to the resurgance of Detroit’s worldwide technology leadership.

Damn! I messed up the dosage again.

In Romney’s defense: When one has slung so much shit, in so many different directions, with so many direct contradictions, it’s *hard* to keep track of it all.

At one of the Repug debates, Romney told McCain that the latter was misquoting him. McCain responded soemthing like: “It’s easy to misquote you because you have changed your positions on so many issues at many different times.”

several callers on Thom Hartman state that Lieberman is campaigning with McCain in Michigan. That Michiganders get the feeling that SR Joe will be the VP pick

Bettr watch it, next stop?
Bizzaro World.

And Huckabee looks like a bigger Kevin Spacey…

Dear sir:

Your characterization of Mitt Romney as an advanced humanoid cyborg is deeply flawed. First, a cyborg is a man-machine amalgam. So humanoid is incorrect. Second, the Romney 2008 series was found to have design problems early on and frequent malfunctions in its policy, personality, and public relations matrices. It was never meant for public view. Believe us we are as deeply embarrassed about this as anyone.

Yours truly,

Republican Cybernetics International

“A name you can trust if you have been wired correctly”

You are finally on to the Mitt…ever wonder what he was doing in 1987?
Little Mitt Takes Over Chicago Radio Station

They don’t have to spin it. It really means that the rabble must be cleanized of it’s guns. They may come after us when the rest of the shit hits the fan.

There is that, but on the other hand the MI dems mights ask themselves just whom is being ‘punished’ by the DNC’s decision that only HRC would be on the ballot and that only HRC gains delegates there.

How about all the people of MI, the other d contendas and the rest of the people of the entire country who have not yet had a chance to put in their Two-cents’ worth.

How ’bout them apples?

707!!

Mitt got totally smacked when it was revealed that his ad called McCain’s immigration stance “amnesty”. When called on it and showed his (mitt’s) ad, the mittster wouldn’t own it, using the toddler’s defense: I didn’t see that one.

What a jerk.

And good God, what is McCain thinking, buddying up with Hojo. They all need to check their dosages.

And, how does that justify messing with another party’s primary?
Sorry, but I don’t see the logic in your post. Could you please clarify?

There is an interesting article that is “worth the price” or at least grabbing it in your bookstore and sitting down in a comfortable chair and reading it in the current Jan. 21 New Yorker. They put half their articles on line free, but this one isn’t although a podcast on it is free from the author.

It’s by Lawrence Wright “The Spymaster” on Mike McConnell, the DNI. In it McConnell asserts that waterboarding isn’t torture, that they can tell the difference between confessions elicted by torture that are true, and those that are false (I guess they share the same messages from God that George Bush gets), and his determination to make every ISP allow the government to have ready access to your email and every ISP and search engine to allow the government read access to your searches overtly so that they don’t have to secretly wiretap them like they are right now. This might require a compliant Congress, but he’s sure he has that already.

TPM Muckraker’s Account

New Yorker Summary Wright’s Article

“You know what waterboarding is?” [McConnell] asked. “You lay somebody on this table, or put them in an inclined position, and put a washcloth over their face, and you just drip water right here” — he pointed to his nostrils. “Try it! What happens is, water will go up your nose. And so you will get the sensation of potentially drowning. That’s all waterboarding is.”

You sure that wasn’t Gouliani?

I think Britney might have a future as a political pundit. Just sayin’

She’d definitely be on the wavelenth and at the insight level and share the same reading material of 95% of Americans of all ages.

Mitt a humanoid cyborg? Well, maybe?

Mitt Headroom Version 0.1 in Paranahoia

I belive Mr. Wright also says he has been told that he and his daughter have been secretly wiretapped. Wiretapping journalists?

It’ll be interesting to see how NBC & MSNBC cover Mr Andrea Mitchell’s new hedge fund employment.

Now c’mon people. Don’t do anything to torpedo a Romney win in Michigan! We need a Romney win in Michigan and a Huck win in SC so that the GOP circular firing squad will continue for a good, long time.

I have always thought that Huckabee looks like what you’d get if you could mix Kevin Spacey’s face in a perfect hybrid with Tommy Lee Jones’.

They don’t have to spin it. It really means that the rabble must be cleanized of it’s guns. They may come after us when the rest of the shit hits the fan.

If the “gang of five” came out against an “individual right” in the Second Amendment..you might be right.

And Huckabee looks like a bigger Kevin Spacey…

only Spacier…

“Bush defends the Washington DC gun ban” I wonder how they will spin that.

They’ll simply say it was okay because it keeps the guns out of the hands of liberals.

I think Huck looks like Nixon. Or at least Nixon’s cousin.

What did Kevin Spacey do to deserve this disdain??

And then there’s this:

A month after Mitt Romney declared that “freedom requires religion,” Mike Huckabee is explaining his desire for constitutional amendments outlawing abortion and same-sex marriage in starkly religious terms.

At a campaign event in Michigan Monday night, Huckabee said that he supports such amendments because “it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God.”

“What we need to do,” he said, “is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards.”

(Same link as my 11.)

I don’t think that messing with another party’s primary is right, Rovian perhaps, but not what should be done.

My point is that Kos’ view that (since the dem primary doesn’t matter) ‘mischief’ is ‘good’thing, does not address the ‘reason’ why Mi dems have been presented this grand ‘opportunity’.

The ‘opportunity’ results from the intent to ‘punish’ the MI dem ‘party’
operatives but has the blunderbuss effect of ‘harming’ many other interests, specifically that rights of ordinary people to choose whomever THEY think would best represent THEIR interests.

Sorry if I Confused that issue, because I think it centrally important.

I am merely curious that no one else has mentioned this. The behavior of the DNC is not laudable and they should be called on it.

I am not a schmuck.

What part of “separation of church and state” does the huckster not get?

And no, sir, you won’t get to go to Washington as president. Maybe as a tourist:

”People have been talking about things that Washington has been promising for years but not delivered,” Romney told the crowd [in Grand Rapids]. ”And so, I will go to Washington to stop the bickering, the sniping, the partisanship, the score-settling. I will go to Washington to actually get the job done for the people of America.”

There is that, but on the other hand the MI dems mights ask themselves just whom is being ‘punished’ by the DNC’s decision that only HRC would be on the ballot and that only HRC gains delegates there.

The more I read about the Dem debacle in Michigan, the more confused I get, but Marcy’s comments on the EW thread are pretty interesting I’m not sure if the DNC put only Hillary on the ballot, or that was Hillary’s choice.

EW Thread on Michigan

I asked EW if Hillary’s being on the ballot and Edwards and Obama removing themselves from it was an advantage for her/disadvantage for them, and EW said:

Obama and Edwards pulled off the ballot so as not to piss off NH and IA, though obviously Hillary’s willingness to remain on the ballot didn’t appear to affect her–so at the very least, perhaps this clusterfuck will prove to people in the future that we can tell IA and NH to fuck off and nothing will happen.

The DNC will almost certainly seat our delegates–but only after the winner has been selected. So likely the Hillary delegates will go and vote Hillary on the first round, than the winner (if it isn’t Hillary) from that point forward. The only incentive for Hillary’s campaign is that she’ll get some say on who gets a ticket to the convention.

In my somewhat limited experience, usually all the delegates go to the person who wins the primary overall (we had to fight tooth and nail to get the two delegates for Dean we had earned last time). But I also think that the CD level party gets a TON of sway over who gets to go anyway, so it will limit how much this is abotu Hillary’s supporters. In any case, the uncommitted will just open the participation in the convention to those who might not be a strong supporter of either Edwards or Obama.

Yes, there is a reason for Obama and Edwards to regret not staying on. One reason to get off is to avoid pissing off IA and NH. Doesn’t look like Hillary paid a price in either of those states, so it seems that Obama and Edwards did the (for the party) right thing but got no return.

Hillary gets a pyrrhic victory (assuming she gets close to 50% of the vote, or more), in that she can claim a victory she’d be wise not to claim. But that at least does give her some false momentum going into the NV and SC events.

In other words, I don’t think the media will blink about the Dem result, unless uncommitted won or Hillary got significantly less than 50%. But there has been some messaging to get people to go out for uncommitted.

The Election Rules in Michigan allow for any member of the electorate to vote in the Primary of either party. In Michigan and many other states the Parties have no binding force on what an individual can do. They are free to vote for whomever they wish. The parties have opposed closing their Primaries and for years (especially when Reagan and Dubya were the already crowned nominees) the Republicans have jumped to the Democratic side to impact the selection process.

Other States require those who register to a party to vote ONLY for that party. In California Republicans have closed their Primary but Democrats have an open Primary.

There is no one “breaking the rules” in Michigan. And if the Michigan Democratic and Republican Parties had not moved up their Primaries this wouldn’t have likely have happened.

It’s not as if Michiganders haven’t known about their Primary being flawed in terms of selecting a PARTY nominee..but they prefer it this way. Maybe they LIKE to be flies in the ointment?

the “and” part.

The part that talks about “separation” and “church” and “state”. Someone needs to remind that jackass why the Founding Fathers felt it imperative to discourage any “state” religion.

I whole heartily agree.

As a Republic candidate, the Huckster knows full well that religion is to be used to gain votes. After being elected, it is not used for governing. It has worked very well for Reagan and the Bushes.

Wholesale inflation shot up in 2007 by the largest amount in 26 years. Obviously, we need to choose the next President by which one prays most correctly.

I think Huck is different, though. Reagan and Bush just pandered to the fundies. Huck is a fundie. And I really believe he would govern that way.

FWIW, the RNC has told MI, NH, SC, and FL (at least) state parties that they will be penalized half of their delegates for disobeying the national party rules for timing of the primaries so it is not just the Dems who are penalizing states for breaking the rules.

Not that it matters as always we know IOKIYAR

I confess to being very unclear about this as well, and what I put up was basically gleaned from what I found several day ago at DailyKos. Sorry, but do not have the linkerage.

That said, if the dems wish to be seen as a ‘morally’ upright and ‘decent’ party then their behavior must reflect that assertion/intention.

For too long the dems have played ‘dumb’ and I am still waiting (hoping) for them to behave as if they were ’smart’ or, more precisely, ‘intelligent’. A little ‘wisdom’ would not be amiss either.

OT.Susan Faludi on HRC.

The correct Hillary Clinton stereotype

LaTimes

I am not suggesting any laws or rules are being broken. What I am asking about is whether voting in another party’s primary for the sole purpose of causing mischief is ethical. It seems to me that this is a question that should be seriously considered.

Last night watching the Romneyzoid on The News Hour I could not help but be reminded of another candadtes aspirations in a former presidential campaign speed. The similarity between words and mecahncial,or inhuman, delivery was uncanny. “We must move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!!” Kodos Presidential Election Speech

OT Froomkin up Nation wants a new direction

It seems to me that what needs to be questioned is the byzantine system of rules and processes for selecting candidates and the lack of standard procedures from state to state. The primary system is profoundly flawed.

Yes, you’re correct and Huck has governed that way. Check out any of the local coverage in Arkansas on how he held up disaster claims for two to three weeks while pondering the words “acts of God”.

Since MI voters do not declare a party preference until arriving at the primary, it seems to be a non issue. I believe Texas (where I currently reside) does the same thing. The only impact in Texas is (as I understand it) that if you vote in either party’s primary during a specific election season, you can’t then turn around and sign a petition for an independent to get on the ballot.

Bingo!!

Hmm. I wonder if Mitt is planning to revitalize Michigan economy with his expanding enemy combatant business plan a/k/a the Double Gitmo Plan?

only losers go with that “we’re better than that” nonsense. TO quote the great Herm Edwards.. you play to win the game!

a little off topic…from democrats.com a new petition to congress supporting Robert Wexler’s drive to investigate the Bushco and Cheney.
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/125

I agree with you in the sense that I think the primaries would serve the interests of the nation better if cross-voting were prohibited. But, the law now permits cross-voting and taking advantage of that fact can sometimes give this or that faction an advantage in what is clearly a competitive/adversarial system. There is no ethical obligation not to take advantage of that feature of the rules.

Similarly, I don’t think those advocating a tax increase are morally obligated to pay the additional tax until the increase becomes law.

I understand the logic of Dems crossing over to vote for Mitt, and there sure is no legal obstacle to them doing that since Michigan is a crossover state.

What confuses me in Michigan is the prospect of the Dems voting Uncommittedthat I have seen written that a heavy Uncommitted win would help either Obama or Edwards presumably for votes to be brokered between them later (and I suppose the undecideds don’t help Hillary.

There is the prospect that DNC will forgive Michigan (EW thinks so) and that they would vote Hillary on the first round or if she doesn’t win she gets a say in who gets into the convention.

But I also agree wholeheartedly with you. Ethics matter and we eschew them at our own peril.

The Willardzoid: All things to all people but double portions for the rich-like-him.

The Huckleberry: Fundie-mentally wrong, but the media can’t get that narrative, they are obsessed with biblical analogies, today it’s David and Goliath (or Mike and Mitt)

The McCainiac: “I promised I would not run again, but promises are made to be broken, right? It’s politics after all.”

Fredzzzzz: Awake for the turn of the Century. Nap time now.

Paul-o-mania: “Yeeeeeeeeearggggggh!” “Oh, I didn’t write that either”.

Fern,
The rules are not just varying by state, they vary by political party. I believe (although IANAL) the parties are considered independent organizations and as such set their own rules. This is why each party has different numbers of delegates as well as rules for awarding delegates from the various caucuses and primaries.

Most states set broad rules and reality is, some of the primaries are just “beauty contests) if you will with no delegates on the line but have been put in place because the powers in the state see an opportunity for “economic development” by having a primary and trying to bring that “business” to their state.

It is an ugly process but many aspects of it came into play as a revolt against having the party bosses (think Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel et al) picking the candidates through nothing but back room deals. In fact, it is a far more open process, at least within the Democratic Party, thanks to the “McGovern Commission” rules first put in place in the early ’70s which mandated among other things, proportional delegate representation by vote, gender, race etc.

Oh, yeah… how could I forget…?

St Rudy: “Is it 9-11 in Florida yet on 9-11 of 9-11?”

…’if she doesn’t win she gets a say in who gets into the convention.’

Sounds wonderfully ‘democratic’ to me.

I prefer Molly Ivins’ take on Hillary:

http://www.freepress.org/colum…../2006/1304

Wonder if she’d like Obama. There are certainly times where he could be called “republican-lite,” but one of his main themes is to stop being afraid, which Molly would like. Hard to say. I’m guessing Edwards first, but she’d probably get behind Obama if it came down to that. We’ll never know I suppose….

OT–

This can’t bode well:

Stocks fell sharply on Tuesday after an economic report showed retail sales fell in December and two large banks announced big investments from overseas amid rising losses.

At 2 p.m., the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index had fallen 2.2 percent, standing at 1,384.78, a decline of 31.47 points. The Dow Jones industrial average was off 233.14 points, or 1.8 percent, to 12,545.01. The Nasdaq composite was down about 2.4 percent.

Thanks for that linky bonkers. Worth the read. RIP Molly, I do miss her.

It bodes well for Permanent Vice President Cheney. He’s long been investing based on bad economic news. I’m sure the Bush Family is well positioned too. Mission Really Accomplished!

Nodody lives in the UP, anyway…

Really, really miss Molly, courageous,warm and funny. Most definitely worth the read.

And also this, at least in New York:

Citigroup announced a steep cut in its stock dividend and another big investment by foreign investors on Tuesday after taking more write-downs related to subprime securities and posting a $9.83 billion loss for the fourth quarter.

Beginning what is expected to be a grim week for financial company earnings, Citigroup said it was writing down $22.2 billion because of soured mortgage-related investments and bad loans. The bank is also cutting its dividend by 41 percent and obtaining a $12.5 billion cash infusion to strengthen its balance sheet, including big investments by its former chairman, Sanford I. Weill, and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.

Facing rising expenses and deepening losses, Citigroup is expected to embark on a major cost-cutting campaign that could result in at least 4,000 layoffs. And thousands more could be in the offing in the coming months.

….but, but, you could land a 747 on those shoulders….

on sera la…a deux heures centrale…

….but, but, you could land a 747 on those shoulders….

Mitt’s scrawny little shoulders?
or did I miss something here?

Did you get my message? *g*

….but, but, you could land a 747 on those shoulders….

Mitt’s scrawny little shoulders?
or did I miss something here?

my bad. it was a 737:

In his June 6 column, Politico chief political columnist Roger Simon declared former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the winner of the June 5 Republican presidential debate and attributed Romney’s victory, in part, to the fact that he is “[s]trong, clear, gives good soundbite, and has shoulders you could land a 737 on.”

As Media Matters for America noted, Simon has previously described Romney as having “chiseled-out-of-granite features, a full, dark head of hair going a distinguished gray at the temples, and a barrel chest,” adding: “On the morning that he announced for president, I bumped into him in the lounge of the Marriott and up close he is almost overpowering. He radiates vigor.”

can you imagine writing anything so emabarrassing?

What happens is, water will go up your nose. And so you will get the sensation of potentially drowning. That’s all waterboarding is.”

Nancy, Nancy, they’re breakin’ our hearts. Please set the table. Hurry hurry!

We need a Romney win in Michigan and a Huck win in SC so that the GOP circular firing squad will continue for a good, long time.

Maybe SC could go to Thompson and FL to Giuliani. That would really screw up the media’s attempt to pick a front-runner.

What did Kevin Spacey do to deserve this disdain [ being compared to Huckabee] ??

Well, Spacey (who I think is great) did play an alien in a movie and I’m certain he was an ‘illegal alien’ and we know McCain loves illegal aliens and wants to give them amnesty and Romney is trying to win in Michigan where they make (or at least made) Fords and Ford gave amnesty to Nixon and Huckabee looks like Nixon, so Huckabee must be a Republican.

It’s hard to keep all this straight, so I think I’ll just vote for John Edwards!

But that at least does give her some false momentum going into the NV and SC events.

Well, at least she won’t have false momentum to go with the false hopes.

Citigroup is expected to embark on a major cost-cutting campaign that could result in at least 4,000 layoffs. And thousands more could be in the offing in the coming months.

Typical, the bosses made the deal and lost all the money, but it’s the little guys who pay with their jobs. Amazing every time I read something like this.