Steve Benen: …. I watch a whole lot of Obama’s speeches, and I’d say he seemed a little more fired up than usual. (Pay particular attention to his tone of voice in the last 90 seconds.)
Las Vegas, August 22
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Politico: President Obama said he’s beating Mitt Romney “by a few points” and said time is running out in the 2012 presidential election.
“I can’t resist a basketball analogy,” he told donors at a Lincoln Center fundraiser that featured NBA commissioner David Stern and current and former basketball stars including Michael Jordan. “We are in the fourth quarter. We’re up by a few points but the other side is coming strong and they, they, they play a little dirty. We’ve got a few folks on our team in foul trouble. We’ve got a couple of injuries and I believe that they’ve got one last run in them.”
“I’d say there’s about seven minutes to go in the game. And Michael’s competitiveness is legendary and nobody knows better than Michael that if you’ve got a little bit of a lead and there’s about seven minutes ago, that’s when you put them away.”
****
Politico: President Obama mocked Missouri Rep. Todd Akin here, telling a fundraising crowd packed with pro basketball stars that the embattled Senate candidate “somehow missed science class.”
“Recently some of you have been paying attention to the commentary about the senator from Missouri, Mr. Akin,” Obama said. “The interesting thing here is that this, this is an individual who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology but somehow missed science class. And it’s representative of the desire to go backwards instead of forwards and fight fights that we thought were settled 20 or 30 years ago.”
****
****
57andFemale: Unfortunately, states DO control voting. It was immensely difficult to pass the voting rights law just for this reason.
What matters most is that our side does not vote reliably, does not look at the big picture, and if they ‘aren’t in love’, they don’t bother. Why are 50M American women not registered to vote? Why do those who are not registered support PBO 2-1 over Romney?
ELECTIONS MATTER. Deciding that passing the first comprehensive health care law wasn’t ‘perfect’ enough, when in any other Presidency before PBO, this law would have been universally cheered by all progressives, is a reason to not vote in 2010, is unconscionable. A census year has implications for the next decade.
I admit to some despair today. This freak show of a Republican party is reason enough to register and to vote. It’s OKAY to vote because you’re afraid of the other guy. Republicans have not been in love with a candidate since – ever. They vote their hate and fear and get to the polls and have changed the political calculus, the discourse, the education.
30 years ago the notion that rights are given by God and not by government would have been considered treason, if not just evidence of rank stupidity. Our government is “we the people”, we are a nation of laws, not superstition. The greatest achievement of The Enlightenment was that man could fashion a society that would respect the human mind and dignity. It is specifically made by man that makes this country great (or did). This was universally understood under Ronald Reagan joined hands with Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and took this country through the gates of hell.
But that’s not reason enough for 50M American women to pay 10 minutes of attention a week, and vote.
Thanks Tally for giving me a heads-up on 57’s comment – thank you 57andFemale
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John F. Kennedy International Airport, Aug. 22
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ThinkProgress: A week from the 2012 Republican National Convention, Republican committee members spent Tuesday articulating and affirming the principles they stand for in a draft of the official party platform. Led by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) and featuring other Tea Party stars like Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), the committee approved a draft of the platform McDonnell said “will reflect the heart and soul of the Republican Party” and one committee member called “the most conservative platform in modern history.”
Here are some highlights…. (see post)
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Andrew Rosenthal (NYT): …. Republicans are trying to airbrush Mr. Akin out of the party, but simultaneously Republicans in Congress and in state legislatures are attacking women’s reproductive rights….
…. But what are these politicians so upset about? Mr. Akin’s belief that rape victims shouldn’t have access to abortions? Or just his belief that women can “shut down” pregnancies?
Voters should know for sure—what, exactly, do Mr. Akin’s fellow Republicans find so offensive and indefensible about the candidate’s comments? Reporters should put that question to every Republican running for national office.
Full post here
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****
ThinkProgress: Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign has flooded the airwaves with advertisements criticizing the Obama administration’s changes to the 1996 welfare reform law, accusing the administration of “gutting welfare reform” and removing the work requirements the law mandates. The ads are blatantly false, a point noted by independent fact-checkers, multiple media outlets, and even the newspaper cited in one of the ads.
This afternoon on CNN, Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer took Romney campaign chairman John Sununu to task over the false ads, reading directly from the Dept. of Health and Human Services directive that outlines the waiver program and the letters from Republican governors who asked for the waivers….
More here
Wolf Blitzer? 😯
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John Hudson (Atlantic Wire): They were the Republicans’ best chance at swift-boating President Obama, but they’re unraveling at the seams. The four-month assault by former Navy SEALs and Special Forces operatives against President Obama’s handling of the Osama bin Laden raid had the potential to discredit the president’s signature foreign policy achievement, but the veterans’ partisan excesses and absurd public remarks are turning them into a laughingstock within the special forces community.
…. The fall from grace began with Larry Bailey, a retired 27-year veteran of the Navy SEALs who founded the anti-Obama political group Special Operations Speaks …. “I have to admit that I’m a Birther,” Bailey told Rogin….
Then came former Navy SEAL Ben Smith, a spokesman for the OPSEC Education Fund, which has taken out ads and a 22-minute film to attack the president. Smith rather likes posting remarks on his Facebook page calling the president inflammatory nicknames like “Heir Communist-in-Chief Hussein Mao-bama.”….
…. “This is an unprofessional, shameful action on the part of the operators that appear in the video, period,” U.S. Army Special Forces Maj. Fernando Lujan wrote on his Facebook page, to a chorus of approval from colleagues.
… Others echoed that same sentiment, such as retired Navy SEAL Capt. Rick Woolard. “I would prefer that SEALs and other special operators would sit down and shut the hell up.”….
Full post here – thanks Bob
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Jonathan Capehart: Rare is the time that a poll number makes me gasp. But there is one in the latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll that elicited one. While it was no surprise to see that President Obama snared 94 percent of African Americans surveyed, the presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney got nuthin’, zilch, niente, a big fat 0 percent.
More here
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Steve Benen: Jose Fuentes, a co-chairman of Mitt Romney’s Hispanic leadership team, has a fairly specific goal in mind when it comes Latino voters. “Our goal is to do better than four years ago and the McCain campaign did – our goal is to hit 38 percent with the Hispanic vote,” Fuentes said.
…. At this point, they’re not close to their goal.
President Barack Obama continues to lead presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney by wide margins with Latinos …. Hispanics, the largest-growing segment of the U.S. population over the past decade, said they preferred Obama over Romney in the presidential race, 63 to 28 percent.
More here
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Fort Lauderdale, Florida, August 22
The Hill: First lady Michelle Obama announced on Wednesday that the Obama administration has achieved its stated goal for U.S. businesses to commit to training or hiring 100,000 veterans by the end of 2013 “more than a year ahead of schedule.”
…. “I thought this challenge was pretty ambitious,” Michelle Obama said at Florida’s Mayport Naval Station in a speech live-streamed by the Department of Defense to every U.S. military base around the world. “When we first started out, we only had two companies as our partners, and I wondered to myself how we were going to get from there to 100,000 new jobs in two years.”
“But, fortunately, I didn’t have much time to sit around and worry, because before long, companies across this country started stepping up …. and today, I am so proud to announce that these 2,000 companies have not just met our challenge — they’ve exceeded it. As of today, they have hired or trained 125,000 veterans and military spouses — 125,000. And they’ve done it more than a year ahead of schedule. That’s pretty impressive.”
More here
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Program owner Jared Campbell watches as First lady Michelle Obama plays with a youngster taking part in the Life Sports Fitness program before she spoke at a campaign event in Fort Lauderdale
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See the First Lady’s interview with iVillage here (thanks Janelle)
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The Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Fla
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Thanks for the brilliant links tonight everyone 😉
The Obama Diary 
Good evening cips
Hellooooooo Roberta 😉
THANK YOOOOOU!! I always liked walking and singing in the rain. Looks like our President does too. Cute
Yes, rain is good. For a lot of reasons. This photo is one!
Ro. Bert. A! Number 1… Again! Woot!
Pure luck. Thanks.
OOPs CHIPS 🙂
Good Evening!!!
HI Gobrooklyn. Our local newspaper interviewed us people in the line waiting to get into the rally yesterday, they actually printed my response to what I thought of VP Biden. WOOT: I said he was a great VP and a straight talker and can say things the President can’t. They had a good spread in the paper about his visit and the Rally. We’re on the map. Opinion page, was a little snarkey, Thought the President should have been here instead of Joe. Ha.
wow, that’s fantastic Roberta! Biden or Prez, Prez or Obama, It would be a pleasure to hear either of them speak.
Which paper? is it online?
Go Roberta.
Great photos to end the day. Thanks, Chips.
My pleasure Jackie 😉
FLOTUS always looks so comfortable in her skin! She remains a terrific role model, no matter where I see her or with whom! Good wrap-up for today. I`m curious Chips, did you do that split thingy for this post? I’m still trying to sort it out.
Hiya VC, yep, I did the splits! Will check tomorrow why it’s not working for everyone. Are you seeing the full post on the front page again?
Hmmm, just switched to my iPad and the split is working for me. Pamela? I’m confused!!
Nope, it all just opens up beautifully, as it has always done…. I don’t touch it, just open from my email, and it loads, lickity-split. But, remember I had that little effing grey box for weeks, and weeks, so maybe my iPad just likes to do things it’s own way?
*its
Maybe if I turn off the iPad and restart, it might get the idea. I’ll try in the morning. Had a beautiful day off, only had to work about an hour, but that was consultation on the phone….. Took kitty for a walk around the yard, read up on my favorite blog! 🙂
You can do the splits? 😯 Okay, I’m jealous,
Oh!…. Yes. Yes. My screen is just like it’s always been. I’m thinking that as long as I’m not missing any of the information, I’m going to keep quiet. You rest well and enjoy some ‘sweet dreams’!
Great pics. Thanks chips.
GOMO.
WE MUST BE AS ENERGETIC AS THIS MAN!
Yes Indeed, Iola! He really inspired me.
I love this beautiful man so much. Thanks for posting this video again.
In the city where I live(very, very red) but changing in some ways. However, we have beautiful photos displayed on the city light poles which are beautifully presented throughout the city with military men and women who are serving in the war or have served in Iraq. It is a powerful sight to remind one of the price that these men and women are paying for our freedom and the freedom of people all over the world.
No matter what street that I travel down, I always make it a point to look up and say a few words for each by name. I say this to say that is another conversation to have in a very respectful manner with the one-on-one conversations. Ask if they have family or friends serving our nation, then make sure to thank them for their family member(s) service and their sacrifice. It makes a very personal and warm conversation to converse with them about how they feel about how the Obama Administration has helped them. Then ask them if they have something that you can do for them.
I did that last month while out, and it was so special.HZ
That is actually a very practical idea for a natural ‘political’ conversation starter, HZ. It’s something I could see myself leading up to. Thanks. {{HZ}}
First lady Michelle Obama announced on Wednesday that the Obama administration has achieved its stated goal for U.S. businesses to commit to training or hiring 100,000 veterans by the end of 2013 “more than a year ahead of schedule.”
Go Flotus and Slotus.
Since Mitt is always sharing info about the Obama admin, I figured I’d help make his research a little easier. Hope he’ll have time tonight to incorporate this into his speech for tomorrow.
I didn’t want to play favourites so I sent it to Ryan too. Sure hope one of them will make use of it to show their bipartisan creds.
That is just awesome. Nobody is talking about it either. Poor Media.
Now, it seems to me THIS is a BFD! What a fantastic achievement! Stunning!
It is a BFD. No other admin has cared for the vets as much as Obama’s. The credit to the two first ladies for all their hard work.
Agree amk and Pamela!!!
So proud of Joining Forces. First Lady Obama and Dr. Biden
Amazing achievement for this dynamic couple and their seconds. Michelle Obama is one awesome woman.
Have noticed that Richard Trumka is on Mitt’s case and thought giving a bit of encouragement would be helpful …
And, the #RomneyRyan attack on ‘welfare’ is just ooozzzing with racism, the irony being what several have noted – the majority (numerical and %age) are white. Just so they know, we know …
And then, there’s this …
It’s the John Birch Party folks – the Koch Brother’s Dad would be mighty proud of his kids …
Ok, for the MALE TOD members. I am a woman but I give compliments to other women when it is warranted. The First Lady is truly a nice looking woman. Her skin, yes- I was that close – is FLAWLESS. My BFF stated that you get skin like that from good sex. LOL. Oh, well. Now, you know why my skin is blotchy and I wear a ton of makeup in this Miami heat. LOL. Also, everyone speaks of her toned arms. But she has a nice pair of legs. I was checking them out. I wished my legs looked like that. Ok, that about it for my girl on girl re-action for the night. Sweet dreams, fellas!!
Auntsis522, yes she is one fine looking woman. What was it like to be so close to her? I can’t even imagine being able to see her in person let alone the President. I can only hope they come to Rochester during this election season. Good night, happy dreams.
lolololol
I feel ya, auntsis! 😆 When I saw PBO and Michelle a little while ago, I was mesmerized by Michelle and I’m a hot-blooded hetero woman. She comes across even more beautifully in person — softer, smoother, very pretty. I love me some PBO but Michelle…..she rocked it that day.
Hey, it’s okay to have a “girl crush” FLOTUS represents so well. As a woman, I am so proud of her!!
🙂
As an American, as a black American, I am so proud of them both. FLOTUS and POTUS.
In my last comment (end of previous thread), I vented my anger at Jake “the snake” Tapper accusing “the Obama team” of Akin-izing the R-money team (links to OpenCongress comparison of Ryan-Akin votes and Bloomberg’s analysis) without providing any context comparing Ryan and Akin’s voting record.
Now Chuck Todd is the recipient of my disgust. He lamely tweeted that the “RNC had only 3 cities to choose from for convo.” BuzzfeedAndrew, younger and less corporate, corrected him:
In the initial bidding, Salt Lake City was up against 16 cities from across the country, including Phoenix, Denver, San Antonio and Tampa, Fla. Many of those cities have record heat and humidity every year during the last week of August, and the committee has passed up Florida in the past for fear of hurricane season.
What stopped the RNC from choosing some other combination of four finalists than the ones they ended up with?
He swatted the side of the podium. He was feeling it. He’s in it to win it.
don’t click on jonathan alter’s tweet. it will make you sick. and angry at everyone.
I saw his tweet. He’s a stupid moron.
Wooohooo! Chips. This is like a Rise and Shine thread on steroids. In a good way. So much delicious news.
I read about Blitzer’s interview with Sununu and telling him that Romney’s welfare ad is a big fat lie. It was all over twitter during the latter part of the day and people were shocked that Blitzer actually held his ground and called out the Romney camp for lying about Pres. Obama’s policies. If only more journalists would do this everyday and not play the same both sides do it nonsense game.
😆 And you know UT, there was a ton more stuff I could have included, but the post would have been as long as Willard’s list of lies. Thanks again to everyone for the links.
I guess they are finally feeling it now that folks have taken to holding up Soledad as the model for journalism. lolol Calling for the President to bypass the traditional MSM and continue/expand outreach to local media. Twitter has been growing extremely louder on the demand for facts and less spin.
adding the link for those who have not yet seen the video or read the article. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/22/732101/cnn-host-schools-romney-campaign-chair-over-false-welfare-reform-attacks/
Hmm, well that model that predicts elections, pure Garbage.
That is all!
Meanwhile, every other model that predicts elections shows an Obama win. So keep that in mind.
I have!
I know, right? A landslide for Romney in which oddball bizarro universe?
And, from our sometime friend Nate Silver, back in March: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/models-based-on-fundamentals-have-failed-at-predicting-presidential-elections/
Debbie Wasserman Shultz was just on Piers Morgan, did very well!
We need her in the media a little more.
That was silly! I was texting my Mom about DWS, and I meant to write Jerry Springer on this blog.
My bad, not paying attention.
Yes. Jerry Springer did a very good job on Piers.
Oh Lord!
#InaugurationInsurgency
OBAMA: AKIN “SOMEHOW MISSED SCIENCE CLASS”
(CBS/AP) — President Obama weighed in on Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s controversial comments about “legitimate rape” Wednesday, mocking Akin by saying he “somehow missed science class.”
“The interesting thing here is that this is an individual who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology but somehow missed science class,” Mr. Obama said at a fundraiser in New York City Wednesday night. “But it’s representative of a desire to go backwards instead of forwards. And fights that we thought were settled twenty, thirty years ago.” http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57498701/obama-akin-somehow-missed-science-class/
BARNEY FRANK ON MITT ROMNEY: “THERE IS A MEANNESS AT HIS CORE”
=============================================================
Retiring Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) offered his assessment of Mitt Romney Thursday on MSNBC, at host Martin Bashir’s request.
“Mitt Romney is a man who appears on the basis of a long effort to be a politician,” said Frank. “He claims he doesn’t want to be a politician, but that’s mostly because he’s generally been unsuccessful in his efforts to be an elected official. Mitt Romney is a man totally devoid of any commitment to any principle except his own advancement. There is literally not a public policy which he has not advocated one side on one time and one side on the other. I’ve never seen a major political figure so absolutely unburdened by any commitment to any principle whatsoever.”
==============================================================
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/barney-frank-mitt-romney_n_1389365.html
Hi Jovie, I tried to respond to your question in the previous thread but the poor weather is disrupting the reception so the computer froze up on me. My island, Montserrat, is the most southern island of the Leeward Island chain (includes Antigua and Barbuda) and is therefore closest to the Windward Islands and French Guadeloupe in the southern Caribbean.
Thanks to everyone who sent me best wishes. Let me send you some assurance that whom God bless, no man curse. President Obama is surely and truly blessed. His 2008 victory was not a fluke and his 2012 repeat will affirm that. This blog is just tremendous in the support that is provided for him, his family and his presidency. You all will be rewarded with a resounding landslide Obama-Biden victory on November 06. I firmly believe this.
Good night everyone.
Be safe!
Thank you and take good care!
“…whom God bless, no man curse. His 2008 victory was not a fluke…” PrayerWarriorforObama, I believe this with every organ, tissue, cell and atom in my body…and yes, “…his 2012 repeat will affirm that.” Life is good, you are great and President Obama is amazing. Thank you for reminding us of this FACT!
Be safe.
BE SAFE. WHOM GOD BLESS, NO MAN CAN CURSE. THIS IS THE WORD! I DECLARE IT! This resonates loudly. I declare it for my daughter as well, who is presently in interviews as I write until 1130 for a major job promotion,
Good morning and a wonderful day to each of you.
“IF THE REPUBLICANS WILL STOP TELLING LIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS, WE WILL STOP TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THEM.”
—– By Adlai Stevenson
Lawrence O’Donnell opened The Last Word with this quote tonight. I would love for this quote to get the Bobfr tweetment.
It’s one of my most favorite quotes, Lh, and I’ve seen several tweeps post it over the past few months. Delighted Lawrence opened with it!!
In recognition …
Thanks so much Bobfr. You are such a wonderful and valuable member of the TOD family.
okay, here’s a little quiz from vanity fair. can you guess which cliches sarah palin will use in defense of akin? if you already guessed ‘bless his heart’ give yourself some extra points.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2012/08/Sarah-Palin-on-Todd-Akin-Use-the-Clich-Word-Bank-to-Reconstruct-Her-Statement
Hi Susanne, thank you for the earlier ‘so in love with you’ reminder that helped to take my mind off my Willard encounter. 😉 It worked too.
aloha vc
i so appreciate your willingness to listen to those rethug pukes–we do need to know what they’re saying, but it’s sooo painful! you clearly deserve the ‘so in love’ award !
NBC Tampa says the RNC has plans in place in case the hurricane affects Tampa—–they will either “conduct business online” or move the convention elsewhere. Uh—–isn’t that easier said than done? Okay, everybody, change of plans. See ya in Omaha.
WHAT? That is hysterical. Like travel arrangements and hotel rooms magically happen with their tickets to Tampa. Somehow I don’t see how they pick up and go elsewhere!
I assure you, if anyone is praying for that hurricane to hit Tampa it’s #RomneyRyan ….
BTW, that’s only mild snark …. and, the sheer idiocy of that comment by NBC Tampa is breathtaking … the logistics alone, even with a month’s notice, would be major …
You are right about that Bobfr. I don’t think it is snark at all. I believe that is a fact.
Shrumie is on Ed’s Show!!!!!! I know it’s a repeat, I was at Bible Study when it came on live.
ummm i think you mean a michelle/hillary ticket?
susanne you’re right. But FLOTUS said on the View that she has no interest in politics.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! hillary clinton should never run for president again. the drama of the clintons would destroy the gains of the democratic party since 2006 and of the obama presidency. we’re moving forward! not backward. i understand wanting a woman as president, but hillary ain’t it! elizabeth warren on the other hand…now she would be an incredible president in 2016! a little reminder of the weird world that is hillary clinton:
ugh.
she’s been fine as sec. of state, but sorry, she’s a very odd woman in my opinion…and easily beatable in a general election i might add. remember her spokespeople who she would put in her administration…lanny davis, mark penn, howard wolfson? gahhh!
I disagree she will win. As soon as President Obama and Vice President Biden secure that 270 electoral votes at 10 eastern standard time on November 6; I’m campaigning for Hillary 2016. As much as I like Elizabeth Warren she is a little too liberal to win a General Election.
i’ll take hillary at her word and assume she’s not running again, but if she does decide to do the unthinkable, i guess you and i will be campaigning against each other in the primaries.
:-).
Go Hillary 2016
Hillary is our best chance to win in 2016. I am not a Hillary fan, but if she runs, she wins…the others? I don’t know.
It’s hard for a party to keep the White House for twelve years. Since Truman left office, it’s only happened once – from 1981-1993. If we run Hillary, she wins. If we run any other Democrat, they might win, but they won’t be guaranteed a win like Hillary. Biden? He’d probably lose in a national campaign. Elizabeth Warren? Doubtful. Martin O’Malley? He’d put up a good campaign, but I don’t think he has what it takes to win a national election. Brian Schweitzer? He’s a good choice, I think he could win nationally, but I don’t foresee him ever winning the nomination because of his pro-gun stance.
Hillary would be our best shot at winning in 2016. Go with your best shot.
ahhh no.
Neither will run for any future political office.
Hi family:) THIS is priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please send this all over the place!! A woman on Dashboard posted this….
http://shevotes.info/day/2012/08/22
Hey df … just as I was on my way to the kitchen your comment stopped me in my tracks … and so ….
😀 😀 😀 😀
Thank you, Bob:) I’m glad that I could stop a man in his tracks!
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
This is just excellent, over to FB with it, moves fast from there!
Robert Reich @RBReich
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Mitt has jettisoned economic reason for electing him. Now it’s all just right-wing appeals: smaller gov’t, anti-abortion, welfare (race).
———————————-
No need to put race in brackets, like it’s a nuanced element of the campaign. It’s pretty blatantly front and center. The only thing going for Romney with the rabid GOP base is the colour of his skin. Paul Ryan, too.
“I can’t resist a basketball analogy,” he told donors at a Lincoln Center fundraiser that featured NBA commissioner David Stern and current and former basketball stars including Michael Jordan. “We are in the fourth quarter. We’re up by a few points but the other side is coming strong and they, they, they play a little dirty. We’ve got a few folks on our team in foul trouble. We’ve got a couple of injuries and I believe that they’ve got one last run in them.”
“I’d say there’s about seven minutes to go in the game. And Michael’s competitiveness is legendary and nobody knows better than Michael that if you’ve got a little bit of a lead and there’s about seven minutes ago, that’s when you put them away.”
President Obama’s got Michael Jordan on his team. MJ is 6-0 in championships, 2-0 in the Olympics, won an NCAA championship and was at his best in the fourth quarter.
We got this.
Chips – You do the splits very well. 🙂
Gunnite folks.
Ok, totally o/t, but a great late night read, and an inspiring reason to get up tomorrow, as if re-electing Obama~Biden is not already doing that! Cheers, and good night! http://www.rabbitearth.com/2012/08/22/a-morning-masterclass-live4-launch-at-hugos-manly/
Hey Pamela….that’s your widdle bunny Denea. She looks like she is having a ball. So glad she is doing well.
Did you guys see the bit O’Donnell did on our First Lady?
RE-POST: AN ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS SMACK DOWN OF THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA. (Highly Recommended.)
An Open Letter to Brian Williams
By NanceGreggs, on August 18th, 2012
———————————-
Your reference to Sy Syms, and his hallmark phrase that “an educated consumer is our best customer,” was dead on the money. Said you: “And I thought, well good on the late Sy Syms, because he was right about being a haberdasher, but he was also right about our business.”
That begs the question, sir: just how educated are the consumers of TV news these days? Do they know what’s going on – or do they only know about the “distractions” you serve up as news? Do they know Joe Biden’s accomplishments or failures as a vice president – or do they only know what Rudy Giuliani has to say about the matter?
Was the TV news viewing audience apprised of the facts before the invasion of Iraq – or were they spoon-fed opinions by newscasters wholly-owned by corporations with lucrative government contracts that would result in increased profits if the nation was at war?
It’s said that politics makes for strange bedfellows. What makes for stranger and much more dangerous bedfellows is corporate-sponsored news programming that tailors the news to fit their own agenda. I’ve no doubt that Sy Syms would be appalled at such a state of affairs.
————————————
http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2012/08/18/an-open-letter-to-brian-williams/
NOTE:
Rachel Maddow did another segment tonight where she implored her colleagues to do their job to get the facts to the American people. She said this is a test. With less than two months to go before the election it would be great if the facts could take center stage. Rachel made me think of this post from Nance Greggs a few days ago. This just seemed like a good night to re-post this amazing rant.
FTW
So this article is going around on twitter. I haven’t read it because its kind of long. very long. So if you are interested, here is the link. I will read it later. HINT: Chris Hayes loves it very very much and will have the author on his show. The author is an exceptionally bright guy although he can be a wee bit emo. Just a wee bit.
I can’t get with Coates anymore due to his comparison of President Obama with Dick Cheney. I’ll never read his stuff again.
Yes, there are few topics that Coates and I will never agree on so I tend to avoid them when he gets riled up. PM Carpenter had something to say on that Dick Cheney bs http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2012/08/glenn-ford-and-i-pity-ta-nehisi-coates.html
I find it hard to quit him completely though because he brings up topics I don’t think about.
I’ve had my disagreements with him in the past and still read his pieces, but that Cheney comparison did it for me. I took his blog off my bookmarks after that.
Thanks for that smack down on Coates by PM Carpenter, gobrooklyn.
Too much stupid goin’ on there.
Ta-Nehisi can miss me with this one. Seriously.
No thanks.
LOL…awww!!
Thanks for the link. It’s an extraordinary piece of writing. Can’t stop think about it. Broke my heart.
BAM!
it’s creepy how he’s now quoting pbo, saying ‘rape is rape’ like we can’t remember or won’t care that he’s also said ‘illegal is illegal’, meaning women who seek abortion services should go to jail.
Winner up of Dancing with the Stars, is on Ed’s Show. Love Mr. Sapp!!!
Gotta share this story. My brother has been a Republican foreva. Well, that is until Senator Barack Obama came along. We never talked politics because we were polar opposites, so he shocked me with that news not too long before the 2008 election. I was thrilled and thought if PBO can reach my bro, then oh my goodness.
I just got off the phone with him wherein we had a conversation about politics. (I still don’t bring it up much because I’m never sure what he’s thinking.) Well, he went on a long tirade about what a horrific crazy mess the Republican Party has become and how he can’t believe how nuts the RWNJs are in their hatred of PBO. He believes PBO’s done a great job as POTUS and he’s worried about our country if this insane RW extremism continues. I mean, he went OFF, talking about the insanity of Jan Brewer and the NRA and guns. Really, I think the GOP doesn’t actually realize how they are killing off their own party with their extremism. I think they have lost brother, who has been a hard-working solid middle class family man who just wants to see his grandchildren grow up in a decent world. It’s not rocket science.
Nice:) That’s great news…I think a lot of republicans are thinking the very same thing….their party has left them…and I imagine they feel used and betrayed (as they should!)
I tired eyes spied “Jan Brewer..aka Cryptkeeper…or BFB, as I like to call her…this is Mary Steenbergen doing an excellent job of being Jackass Jan….
WOW! She’s got her DOWN.
df, thanks so much for all the great information you bring here every single day. You’re a treasure and I so appreciate you. You’re an info MACHINE!!
Thank you, love:) Back at you!
LOL…….Mary Steenburgen is funny. I didn’t know she had a comedic flare. I love that “Self-Deportation Station”
So funny; stayed and watched a few other videos.
this is so good–and a special treat for the late-night tods! mahalo nui.
Wow, that’s great about your brother Meta. As VP Joe says “this is not your father’s Republican party”.
Thanks meta! This is heartwarming because by logic the extreme and the lies of the gops should be making the moderates leave en masse!
Good on your bro..
Remember THIS epic smackdown????
http://www.upworthy.com/a-tea-partier-decided-to-pick-a-fight-with-a-foreign-president-it-didnt-go-so-we?c=cp1
Michael Higgins:)
Here ya go, desertflower!!
BAM! Can we clone this man????!!!!
Robme & Ryan = Two Wankers Whipping up Fear…..I love this guy. I wish he would go on MTP and all the Sunday morning shows and blast them for NOT DOING THEIR DAMN JOBS and act like the journalist they claim to be.
All I can say is WHOA!
WHOAAAAA
What ho TOD Peeps. Woot! Heard an Obama Radio ad this afternoon in the car. But here’s the story…and I’m still giggling about it. . I’m on my way home from a tedious work related meeting late this afternoon, driving thru Glendale, pissed because it’s hot in the car & outside (since we’ve been having a fairly significant heatwave here in LA). I’ve got both car windows in the front down (car A/C is not working), and in traffic stopped at a red light at a major intersection. My radio is on KJLH (Stevie Wonder owns the radio station) and then I hear those energizing words, “I’m Barack Obama and I approved this message”. “YESS!!!” I turned up the volume to hear this GREAT radio spot by a college student talking about how he is the first of 5 kids raised by his single mom to go to college. He’s studying to be a counselor for urban youth. And the reason he was able to go to and stay in college is because of the President’s efforts on Pell grants and this will be his first time voting for our illustrious Prez, since he wasn’t old enough in 2008. Then he talked about the importance of voting and urged everyone to get out and vote, go to gottaregister.com, etc. etc..
So I’m clapping at the end of the radio spot and basically doing the happy dance in my car, when I look to my left and there’s a silver haired couple in a Prius in the left lane next to me, smiling and waving at me. Their passenger window was down. I waved back at them, kind of embarassed and said “this is my first time hearing an Obama ad on the radio and it’s so cool!” The husband(?) in the passenger seat said, “we’re for Obama too but look at the car in front of you.” So I looked and there was this silver SUV in front of me with a Romney sticker on its bumper that was MAYBE the size of a 3×5 postcard, I think even smaller. It had the R logo on it and the “Believe in America” that was barely legible. I started laughing and said to the guy in the Prius, “this man is collecting hundreds of millions of dollars from the super rich for his campaign and this is the best they can do for their supporters, some small bumper sticker that you can barely read???”. The guy in the Prius laughed and said, “I know, wait till you see ours.” We just laughed and shook our heads. They were in the left hand turn lane and a few seconds later they drove past me to make their turn and they had FIVE bumper stickers, the round blue 2012 and the round obama/biden red white & blue stickers 2012 pasted across their bumper. Very legible, very large, very easy to read!! I was, as Ms. Chips sez, WEEPIN, I was laughing so hard. At the next intersection when I was stopped at the red light, the silver SUV with the teeny, tiny, Romney bumper sticker was still in front of me, so I snapped a picture on my cell phone (cell phone, not smart phone) just for posterity’s sake. I sent it to Mz. Chips since we can’t embed photos. But, OMG!! 😆 😆 I know some people were “in despair” today at this blog, but today of all days, I can say with the utmost conviction, even tho’ yes we’ve still got to work to do before Nov. 6,but OH MY FUCKING GOD, HAVE WE GOT THIS! 😆 😆 #PRESSONNN!!! 😆 😆
Verrrryyy cool! And I love the sound of that ad.
Meta, thanks for sharing the story about the conversation with your brother. Thinking of you. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks Purpleshoesla for this great story. Wonderful interaction.
Good Night Chips and TOD Family. ((((((((( Love you all so very much)))))))))))) HZ
Excellent story! I’m finding myself pulling up alongside many 2012 Obama stickers. I also saw a guy whom I stereotyped as a Republican who pulled past me and had a bumper loaded with Obama stickers (that’ll teach me). Considering that the GOP have been working for four years to tell their base that the world is coming to an end, it’s telling that the streets aren’t packed with Romney bumper stickers.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed an Obama surrogate on Meet the Press. Very impressive man.
Here ya go, Sosena! (Warning, You ‘ll have to get thru Peggy Noonan thinking that people are waiting with bated breath for her words to get to hear the wonderful Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed 😆 😆 )
Bravo to Mayor Reed. And I did not listen to Reagen Noonan or the other Republicans at the table.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014203841
US election: Mitt Romney met Todd Akin doctor Jack Willke during 2012 campaign
Dr Willke, a prominent anti-abortion campaigner, claims to be an authority on the theory espoused by Mr Akin that victims of what the Republican congressman called “legitimate rape” do not become pregnant because their bodies “shut down” due to the trauma.
The 87-year-old endorsed Mr Romney’s bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination and was one of his official campaign surrogates. ”I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement,” Mr Romney said at the time.
…snip…
However, Dr Willke told The Daily Telegraph that he did meet Mr Romney during a presidential primary campaign stop in the doctor’s home city of Cincinnati, Ohio, in October last year. Local news reports at the time noted that the candidate held “private meetings” during the visit.
“He told me ‘thank you for your support – we agree on almost everything, and if I am elected President I will make some major pro-life pronouncements’,” Dr Willke said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9493653/US-election-Mitt-Romney-met-Todd-Akin-doctor-Jack-Willke-during-2012-campaign.html
Another Mitt LIE
mitt never met an asshole he wouldn’t pander to..and that makes him a zillion times an asshole from all the asshole energy he’s incorporated along his slimey journey.
Thanks PoliticalCarnival… NSFW…..
He’s Funny, df! Thx, I didn’t quite get his name but he calls out ryan, akin, et all in just such a way that you can laugh but still understand how dangerous they are.
That. Was. Awesome. Never heard of this guy before. Thanks for this!
#ForcedRape
#InaugurationInsurgency
Ownership summarized:
More recipients in a few hours …
America This Is NOT A Test
Yes We Can
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1418446683001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAA-0SHTMk~,-wEchEh36Hp6r5NL-JmFB67Stiu30Hbe&bctid=1799419408001
I posted the above video of Michelle Obama on IVillage
libra800, thank you for posting the IVillage interview video of FLOTUS, I really enjoy them, specially the one when she talks of them trying to get baby Malia to sleep in he crib through the night. Shows once again how cool FLOTUS is.
A private poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of PP, shows Mitt Romney’s struggles among women voters in six battleground states as very real, with the potential to get worse with messaging about his positions.
The poll, taken from Aug. 9 through Aug. 13 by Hart Research Associates, comes as the group is planning a new $3.2 million targeted ad buy in Ohio and Virginia-area markets
The full polling memo is here. Among the findings:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/08/planned-parenthood-poll-women-negatively-swayed-by-132894.html
Bill, I just read that article! Pretty good news, we needed some good empirical data. Some BS Republican polls last few Days, had me wondering?
So far Mark Knoller is very quiet on Twitter. No mention of that poll yet. His latest tweet was from last night. It’s a bit early so I will give him a couple hrs. But something tells me he’s digging to see how he can spin anything in the worst light possible. Or maybe he’s just depressed and bring himself to tweet anything.
Breakfast time hopefruit2.
a new study from pew research shows middle income americans losing ground:
‘ “The notion that we are a society with a large middle class, with lots of economic and social mobility and a belief that each generation does better than the next — these are among the core tenets of what it means to be an American,” said Paul Taylor, the Pew Research Center’s executive vice president.
“But that’s not necessarily the case anymore.” ‘
‘ And 85% of middle-class Americans said it was harder now than a decade ago to maintain their middle-class lifestyles.
Of those who felt that way, 62% said “a lot” of the blame lay with Congress. About 54% blamed banks and financial institutions, 47% said the same about large corporations. More people placed blame with the previous Bush administration (44%) than did with the administration of President Obama (34%). ‘
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0823-middle-class-20120823,0,6206289.story
We knew that this recession hit the middle class hard, and you see on Ed show where he talks of the income for the middle class had started to flat line for decades, while the rich kept getting richer, and Romney have his way they will get more richer. While the middle class and poor stay the same or worse.
my eyes are rolling so furiously i can hardly type. the blessed cardinal will give his benediction to the rethugs. i know this was reported here earlier today, but now,
‘The BBC’s Zoe Conway in Washington says the cardinal’s office is keen to play down his appearance, describing it as just a priest going to pray.
But some, she says, will see this as America’s most powerful Catholic giving Mitt Romney his blessing. ‘
‘ The move was not partisan and the cardinal was open to invitations from both political parties, he was quoted as saying. ‘
right.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19353304
Maybe the dems will hire the cool nun from the bus!
If you listen to Harold Ford on tv, their is a strong possibilty that he is working for Robney.
And I waited til He finished speaking, this time. Yeah, he is definitely shilling for Robney, yesterday too. What is up with that?.
One word, Jove. M-O-N-E-Y.
Harold Ford id a LOSER. Haven’t you learn that by now?
New Obama ad- Bill Clinton to the rescue-
http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/08/clinton-flies-solo-in-obama-ad-on-middle-class-132895.html
Here you go for those who don’t want to give Politico the clicks 😉
He looks really good. I can’t wait to hear his speech at the convention.
“Ryanomics” LOVE IT:
Morning everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/08/23/rise-and-shine-276/
The Prez looked great in the blue shirt and tie yesterday!!!