Politicalgates' Tribute to Seamus, Mitt Romney's Irish Setter

by Sunnyjane

Mitt Romney has succeeded in alienating many Americans by his stance on the various issues facing the country in this era.   He has been dismissive and/or arrogantly unsympathetic toward African Americans, the GLBT community, Hispanics, women, college students -- just to name a few.  But it's easy for those who do not fit in to one of these individual groups to shrug and say, Well, I'm not black, so... or Hey, I'm not gay, so...  and I'm a white male, so...  But there is one demographic that spans all of these groups: dog owners, pet owners, and animal lovers in general.  It's a huge group of Americans who fall into this statistical category.  And this particular voting bloc is not at all happy with Romney's treatment of his family's pet.

The cruel story of Seamus's treatment is well known.  Briefly, in 1983 Mitt Romney put his kids and wife in the family station wagon, strapped his dog into a crate on top of the car, and started out on a twelve-hour drive to Ontario, Canada.  Seamus suffered such distress that he had a bad case of diarrhea, which became apparent when the evidence started soiling the windows.  Romney calmly pulled into a service station, hosed off the car and his dog, and continued his journey.  As the Globe and Mail reported,  according to Romney biographers Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, “it was a preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management...[T]he name Seamus would become shorthand for Romney’s coldly clinical approach to problem-solving.”   

The Animal World Voices Its Displeasure

End Note

Need we say more?

Don't Get Me Started: You're a Liar, Mr. Romney

by Sunnyjane

It is well known that Mitt Romney can change his position on any one issue faster than a well-oiled weather vane in a cyclone.  He has, at one time or another, claimed he created one hundred thousand jobs...tens of thousands of jobs...and then thousands of jobs while running Bain Capital.

Fighting for America -- in France

But there are a couple other spin-the-stories that haven't gotten as much voter attention as they might warrant.  A prime example is Mitt's 4-D deferment from the draft as a minister of religion or divinity student so that he could, ahem, serve his country by trying to convert the French people to Mormonism.  [It is rumored that while the citizens of the country of the Franks found this offer sorely tempting,  they were somewhat reluctant to give up their fabulous wines and strong coffees for the rest of their lives.  This is a position I personally find very reasonable.]   When the Vietnam issue arose during his 1994 run for the U.S. Senate against Ted Kennedy, Mitt told the Boston Herald, I was not planning on signing up for the military.  It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam but nor did I take any actions to remove myself from the pool of young men who were eligible for the draft.  [Well, I do believe that spending thirty-one months in France on a missionary crusade could be construed as taking yourself off the draft list.]  But, fair enough; I sincerely doubt that there were many young men who actually thought the idea of going to war was a great way to spend a couple of years.  However, when he was so anxious to be the 2008 Republican candidate, Romney made the statement that, I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there, and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam.   [Oh, and just in case Sarah Palin gets her knickers in a knot about Barack Obama's not fighting in Vietnam, it shall be noted here that the President was a one-year-old when President John F. Kennedy sent troops to Vietnam, and he was twelve years old when the war ended in 1973.]   While American veterans currently favor President Obama, it will be up to those stalwart warriors of democracy to determine if Romney's record is a reason to vote against him in November.

One other example of Mitt's spin problem is the  issue of his inheritance from his father. George Romney died a wealthy man in 1995 at the age of eighty-eight, three years before his wife, Lenore.  After their mother's death, the four children inherited what must have been a very substantial estate.  Let's be clear on this: there is absolutely nothing illegal or even morally wrong with inheriting money.  So, why lie about it?   Why spin a tale that makes people narrow their eyes, purse their  lips, and say, Hmmmm?  When responding to questions about his wealth and where he got it, Mitt has given three disparate answers, the most disingenuous being, I didn't inherit money from my parents. What I have, I earned. I worked hard. The American way.   Then on another occasion, I did inherit some funds from my dad. But I turned and gave that away to charity. In this case I gave it to a school which Brigham Young University established in his honor.   Will the third time be the charm?  The next way he spun this head-scratcher of a tale as, What I got from my parents when they passed away I gave away to charity and to my kids.  As Nick Baumann of Mother Jones points out, a common estate-tax reduction strategy known as a dynasty trust relies on skipping generations. Did Romney pass on his inheritance to his kids for tax reasons? It's hard to know without seeing his tax returns—and that's another reason why he should release them. 


Flip-Flopping is Out, Lying and Hypocrisy are In

Perhaps it's because Romney's core convictions have proven to be as resolute as a strand of overcooked fettuccini that he's now reduced to Lying for the Lord and the White Horse he came in on -- or something like that.  It's all too wearisome to think about. But if we thought the garbage coming out of the 2008 presidential campaign had reached an all-time low, we were wrong: the Romney campaign has gone dumpster-diving in the rancid landfill of national politics.

As Rachel Maddow pointed out recently, Romney lied in the first anti-Obama ad his campaign put out in November 2011.  The Romney ad quoted President Obama as saying at a campaign rally, If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.   This was a lie, pure and simple.  The truth is from a 2008 rally where then-candidate Obama actually said  was, Senator McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, ‘If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.’


When reporters who knew full well that the quote was from the 2008 campaign questioned Romney on falsely implying that it was President Obama's current quote, Mitt employed the old sauce-for-the-goose defense -- which I suppose is the sophisticate's use of the childhood taunt of na-na, na-na boo-boo, stick your head in doo-doo.   Real classy.


This GOP campaign is turning into a perversion of the Golden Rule.  Their version sounds a tad like Do it unto them before they do it unto you.

On May 31, Romney was reduced to engaging in a bit of political theater when he shanghaied a group of reporters for a super-secret bus trip to the empty headquarters of now defunct Solyndra, explaining conspiratorially that there are people who don't want to see this event occur.

Huh?  If he was intimating that his hoped-for drama would somehow incur the wrath of the Obama campaign such that they would try to shut down his visit to an empty office building, Romney was sadly disappointed; his little act was a complete fiasco.  Is there a still-drawing-breath human being over the age of fifteen in this country who doesn't know that Solyndra was a solar technology company that was given a government backed loan through the Energy Department as part of George W. Bush's stimulus package?   And then, unable to compete with more conventional solar technologies after silicon prices fell dramatically, went bankrupt in 2011?  It is true that President Obama supported the company, and that it's demise was unfortunate, both for the company and its employees and for the green technology industry.  But Romney could have phoned in that story instead of resorting to such a ridiculous performance.  According to the amusing reporters' tweets who went on this little trip with the GOP candidate, that's pretty much what it amounted to.  Makes you wonder who in the Romney campaign thought this massive fail was a good idea.  As Mitt himself likes to say, That's capitalism; some businesses succeed and some don't.

But if Mitt was aware of their disdain, he trudged on valiantly by saying to the kidnapped reporters, Two years ago President Obama was here to tout this building and this business as a symbol of the success of his stimulus. Well you can see that's it a symbol of something very different today. It's a symbol not of success but of failure.  But he's where Mitt stepped into the Big Lie:  It's also a symbol of a serious conflict of interest. An independent inspector general looked at this investment and concluded the administration had steered money to friends and family, to campaign contributors. This building, this half-billion taxpayer investment, represents a serious conflict of interest on the part of the president and his team.


And where did he get the dynamic, show-stopping piece of information that An independent inspector general looked at this investment and concluded the administration had steered money to friends and family, to campaign contributors?   When requested by Michael Grunwald of Time Magazine  to provide that information, the Romney campaign supplied him with a Newsweek article asserting that Energy Department inspector general Gregory Friedman “has testified that contracts have been steered to friends and family.”  Except that the Newsweek article was an excerpt from the book “Throw Them All Out,” written by Peter Schweizer, a right-winger who has served as an adviser to Sarah Palin’s PAC, edited one of Andrew Breitbart’s websites, and written a slew of books portraying liberals as pond scum. Not exactly a disinterested source. And it turns out that the inspector general never testified that stimulus contracts were steered to friends and family. 


If Romney thought his hypocrisy on this issue would go unnoticed, he is more out of touch than previously believed.  As the Boston Herald reported in December 2011, when Romney was governor, the state handed out $4.5 million in loans to two firms run by his campaign donors that have since defaulted, leaving taxpayers holding the bag.


And just a couple of days after Romney's big Solyndra sham, another green technology company that received state loans while he was governor filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

So how's that Slam-Obama thingy going for ya, Mitt?

The Lyrics of a Liar

With humble apologies to the Bellamy Brothers, I believe with just a few word changes that one of their best pieces of music could become Romney's campaign theme song:

I’ll Lie To You For Your Vote

I can tell you what you wanna hear, but never truths about myself.
I can tell you I’m the best there is, there'll never be nobody else.
Yeah, I'm runnin' for president, I got money to burn.
But I’m just hoping that you never learn...

That I'll lie to you for your vote.
I'll lie to you for your vote.
Yes, I'll lie to you for your vote.
And that's the truth.

End Note

Remember, Americans: we get what we vote for, and this is what Mitt Romney wants us to vote for in 2012

Wisconsin Scott Walker Recall Election 2012

 By Kathleen

From the Twitter page of Tom Barrett

Today is judgement day for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as the state's electorate votes on whether he should continue as governor or be replaced by Milwaukee Democrat Tom Barrett. Walker is being held to account for his highly divisive policies which include taking away the bargaining rights of public union members such as teachers. 

So far the exit polls show that there has been a high turnout and the race would appear to be an extremely close one. According to Politicususa many republicans are nervous that they might lose and are in panic mode. Traditionally a high voter turnout favours Democrats so I am much more hopeful that Tom Barrett can win than I was earlier today.

If Barrett does win then this result will send a resounding message to the GOP that Wisconsin voters have had enough and will no longer tolerate its attacks on their rights. Such a welcome outcome is bound to send chills down the spine of any GOP supporter and will also not be received very well by Team Romney. Billionaires might also get the message that they are not allowed to buy elections.

Also up for re-election are the Lieutenant Governor and four Republican State Senators. If any of the State Senators lose then the chamber will be under Democrat control. 

Taken a short while ago voters still in line to vote in Milwaukee.Photo by Nick Bohr

Anti Walker protest today outside the State Capitol Building

Line of voters outside Sugar Creek Town Hall by Amy Smith WISN.com

Please use the comment section of this post to discuss and add election results and updates as they become available.

+++

UPDATE:

In the time that it took for me to write this post and source the photos it was announced by NBC that projections revealed that the recall election was lost by the Democrat  and that the Republican had won. Wisconsin voters were still standing in line to vote as this claim was announced. It is said that some voters left the line and declined to vote. I'm not sure how it is that a TV station can make such an announcement when voters have yet to have their say. That is not how democracy is supposed to work. 

At least the Senate has returned to the Democrats which will make it a whole lot harder for Wisconsin's "new" governor to push through his divisive agenda so all is not lost. I never stay despondent for too long and neither should you. Despite the uphill battle against the machine we cannot give up on hope. There is an election coming up in November and it is important that Mitt Romney does not win or America really might find itself living in a dark age. 

Your electoral process demands renewal.

Voters need to start with how it is they vote and how those votes are counted. Voters must vote by hand on a paper ballot. The votes must then be counted on the premises that they were cast. They must not be taken anywhere else. Voters must insist that the machines must go and that hand filled ballots are counted by hand by the election officials. The count should also be video recorded for accuracy by representatives of the community. Americans need electoral reform now. I'm not sure whether such  reform can happen very quickly but unless it does every voter is a slave to the machine and I am very much afraid that you will have a new President come November. Remember though that you are not doomed and you do not have to accept what it is that the one per cent want for you. Demand electoral reform. Now. 

For those of you who are interested in further reading material about other aspects of electoral reform this link is to an article written in The Nation in 2008 -- it is the most comprehensive article that I have read on the subject of electoral reform.

Weekly Roundup, May 29-June 4, 2012

by Blueberry T

Friday, June 1, 2012

Sarah Palin’s Alaska:  Pallin’ Around With Terrorists

Kathleen literally got out of her sickbed to write a post about the trial of Schaeffer Cox, currently taking place in Alaska.  The trial is shining a light on the dark and tangled web of Alaska politics, and particularly the close relationships between accused domestic terrorists and the “inner circle” of Sarah Palin’s administration and associates.  So, in a hotel room at the 2008 Republican State Convention, Palin’s close aide Frank Bailey introduced Schaeffer Cox (currently on trial for conspiracy to murder) to William Fulton, then head of DropZone Security, with close connections to the militia movement in Alaska.  Fulton provided the heavy-handed security detail for former Senate candidate Joe Miller (whom Palin endorsed but who was then defeated by write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski); Fulton “arrested” Tony Hopfiger of the Alaska Dispatch during the Miller campaign.  As Kathleen asks, “How on earth does the person who was Sarah Palin's governmental aide know someone like Schaeffer Cox well enough that he meets him in private in a hotel room at a political convention? How is it that Sarah Palin's aide was so well acquainted with Cox that he discussed political strategies with him?”  H/T to Jeanne Devon of Mudflats, who has been covering the trial on her blog. 

                                                              

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Levi Axed Rex andTank (finally)

Patrick’s post delves into the latest goings-on with Levi Johnston.  Happily, we had not heard much from Levi lately, which many of us considered a good sign that he finally realized that tabloid notoriety and life on the D-list (or lower) have real limitations.  Politicalgaters universally expressed relief that Levi has finally realized that the representation that he received from his former attorney, Rex Butler and his “bodyguard,” Tank Jones, did not serve his interests.  There is an interesting Facebook exchange in which Levi and our Kathleen discuss the possibility that Rex was in cahoots with, and maybe on the payroll of, Sarah Palin.  This is speculation, but such an explanation could help make sense of the pitiful outcome of Levi’s custody battle, support payments and efforts to be meaningfully involved in Tripp’s life.   Hopefully he will get a competent and honest lawyer who will represent his interests, so that he can a greater role in Tripp’s life.  We all hope that Levi can also find meaningful work to support his family, and we wish Sunny and him well and hope that they and their soon-to-be-born daughter can lead a happy life together, away from the Palin soap opera.   


NOTE BY KATHLEEN.
Here is the link to Levi's community facebook page. There are many unseen photos of Levi, Tripp and Sunny. Please be sure to like it and read and leave comments there as Levi often communicates directly with his readers. He certainly has a wicked sense of humour and is sharing many aspects of his life. I wish he had done this years ago. Regardless Levi is opening up now and this is a very, very good thing.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Rogues Gallery: Congressman Joe Walsh

Sunnyjane has a stronger stomach than I do, as she was able to research and write about Congressman Joe Walsh, in her usual smart and entertaining way.  I find it hard to even look at the smug, smirking, narcissistic little twirp without wanting to smack that twisted mouth of his.   As sunnyjane shows, Walsh is another of the Bloviating ignoramus species, who revels in his own arrogant mediocrity.  No matter whether he’s dealing with an opponent or a constituent -- it’s his way or the highway.   In sum: Joe Walsh is a deadbeat dad, misogynist, racist loser who, despite all evidence to the contrary, thinks he is God’s gift to the universe.   Let’s hope that his district will see what a pitiful excuse for a human being they put in Congress, and vote instead for Tammy Duckworth, whose service to this country, spirit and determination are inspirational. 

Some Comments and Links: 

Maelewis: I'm trying to figure out the political agenda of the Right Wing of the Republican Party:
lay off workers
do away with any government aid for people who are out of work
do away with any kind of health care for people who are poor, elderly, sick and/or out of work
eliminate restrictive pollution controls on industry, dumping toxins into the air we breathe and the water we drink, contaminating our food supply and making people sick
do away with any kind of health care for people who get sick
foreclose on houses that are under water, throwing people out into the streets
do away with any kind of government program that aids the homeless
do away with education so people can no longer think for themselves
do away with fixing the crumbling infrastructure of our country so that people find themselves on collapsing bridges and highways
do away with any form of birth control  and ensuring a large population that will not be supported by any government programs for health, education or welfare. 
do away with the right to vote for more and more of the 99%, leaving just the right voters

This sounds like the perfect formula to cause an uprising of the disgruntled, disadvantaged, sick, poor people, the 99% who see that the captains of industry and the political bigwigs are living high on the hog. It reminds me of the ingredients that help to spark the French Revolution.  It sounds like Rome before it fell.  If we do not learn the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat it.

BanditBasheert reposted this comment from the HuffPo Geoffrey Dunn thread:  Perhaps Palin should quit blasting the 'lamestream' media that has so diligently protected her connections to the AIP while running with her stream of idiotic complaints against President Obama.   It's also very telling that her bots blame liberals for outing Palin in the numerous ethics complaints when it was one of 'her own', Andree McLeod, who began the onslaught.   As Palin is so quick to falsely condemn the President for his 'relationships' with Ayers who she claims is a domestic terrorist, she now needs to answer why her associations with those acting as wannabee 'domestic terrorists' should pass the smell test.

Leadfoot_LA:  How could Edwards be indicted for laundering money to hide a pregnant mistress, but Palin not be indicted for using state money, PAC $ and legal trust fund $$ to hide a pregnant teenage daughter (and then commit insurance fraud by claiming the child was her own)?!

Older_Wiser pointed out that GeorgeStephanopoulos featured Paul Krugman, saying that the Paul Ryan budget that Romney supports is a “fraud.”  

zane 1 found this from Jason Easley atpoliticususa on the same topic.  

BanditBasheert and Scorpie linked to Geoffrey Dunn on HuffPo, pointing out that Palin was “pallin’ around with terrorists.”  

Juicyfruityy found this on the Koch Brothersand voter purges.  

HonestyinGov had the same topic from adifferent source.  

Sunnyjane pointed out a new Obamacampaign ad on Romney economics.  

Election 2012: Rep. Joe Walsh, The Tea Party Mega-Mouth

by Sunnyjane

While the field of candidates vying for the position of Most Obnoxious Know-Nothing/Do-Nothing in the U.S. House of Representatives is jam-crammed with highly qualified contenders, Joe Walsh (R-IL) is the clear front-runner.  This is a man so blatantly malicious that he would gleefully fire a cruise missile through the hull of the Good Ship Lollipop while dumping raw sewage into Peppermint Bay.  You know you're stockpiling some really bad karma when, after only ten months on the job, even House Republican leaders say you're toxic.

Full of Sound and Fury...and Mighty Full of Himself

After a couple decades of personal failures -- including tax liens, lawsuits alleging his failure to pay debts, the foreclosure on his condominium, losing his driver's license because of unpaid insurance, and failing to pay child support  -- Joe finally succeeded in his bid to become a failed politician. Oh, he won the election (by only 292 votes), but getting to Washington and actually doing what is right for the country are two entirely different things.

Once in Washington, the self-described crazy Tea Party freshman said in an interview with Time Magazine,  I came here ready to go to war.  The political powers will always try to get you to compromise your beliefs for the good of the team. The people didn't send me here to compromise.  This city ain't never seen something like this freshman class.   Of course, there are those people who always make money from war, while the majority of the citizenry suffer badly, and this war was no different.   A salary of $174,000 a year was more than Joe Walsh had made in roughly five years doing whatever it was he actually did back in the Land of Lincoln.  (According to several different financial disclosure forms, he tried his hand at various pursuits, never earning over $40,000 a year).   There are those of a certain disposition who feel free to ruin their fellow countrymen's lives for a rather generous salary -- which, by the way, their fellow countrymen are paying.  What sort of sick irony is that? 


Walsh was embroiled in a battle before he had even made plane reservations to Washington.  In December 2010, his former wife's lawyer called the congressional payroll office to have them enforce a court order to withhold $2,164 from his monthly check for child support.  Ouch!  [Memo to Walsh Wife #1:  You may want to make plans now to go back to court after January 21, 2013, because there's a very good chance that the congressman will not be a House employee.]


Added to that indignity, exactly nine months after Walsh had been sworn in, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington listed him has one of the most corrupt representatives in congress.  CREW's report said, in part,   Rep. Walsh has a long history of financial problems...By failing to pay child support, by failing to pay that support while loaning his campaign more than $35,000 and living in an expensive house, by failing to report his child support obligations on his financial disclosure forms, by inaccurately reporting his income to the court handling his child support case, and by failing to report to the FEC changes to his personal loans to his campaign, Rep. Walsh acted in a manner that does not reflect creditably on the House.   Double ouch!


In addition to CREW, the new CredoSuperPac has listed Walsh as one of the Republican candidates to be defeated in 2012, describing them as the most odious members of Congress and further stating that They are anti-woman. They are anti-science. They are hypocritical, bigoted, and have said and done things that are downright crazy.   TRIPLE ouch!


None of these issues, however, could stop Tony Perkins and the far-right-Christian Family Research Council from engaging in a cow-pie-sized bit of It's OK If You're A Tea Part Freak by bestowing upon Joe Walsh their coveted True Blue award for defending family, faith, and freedom.   [You cannot make this stuff up.]   Blithely brushing aside the inconvenient facts of Walsh's personal family issues of divorce, remarriage, and his, um...reluctance to pay child support, Perkins said, Congressman Walsh and other 'True Blue Members' have voted to repeal Obamacare, de-fund Planned Parenthood, end government funding for abortion within the health care law, uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, and continue support for school choice. I applaud their commitment to uphold the institutions of marriage and family.   To which, believe it or not, Walsh had the balls gall to respond, Defending American values have always been one of my top priorities, and this reward reaffirms my dedication to that fight.   [Forget that defending takes a singular verb.  What is most revealing about Walsh's statement is the fact that he used reward, which means payback.]


Representation from a Mutant Gene Pool 

It's obvious that the single indicator on the Koch brothers' litmus test for who qualifies as a good Tea Party politician is: Batshit Crazy.   Possessing all the class, finesse, and morals of Attila the Hun, Joe Walsh aced it.


We are all too familiar with the Tea Party puppet strategy of Just Say No to make Barack Obama a one-term president.  And, we know what they're against: raising taxes on the rich; lowering taxes on middle and poor Americans; enacting environmental regulations; restricting banking abuses; etc., etc., etc.  New day, same story.


After figuratively drawing and quartering President Obama about his lack of a jobs bill, John Boehner, the supposed Speaker of the House, refused to grant the president permission to speak to a Joint Session of Congress in August 2011 because it interfered with a GOP presidential debate and it would take too long to sufficiently secure the Capitol Building for a presidential visit -- a whole three hours!   Of course, the President did eventually present his jobs bill, but Joe Walsh was not in attendance, calling it political theater and telling Martin Bashir of MSNBC that I won't be a prop for Obama.   He further stated, [President Obama] is abusing his position.  We reserve that for heads of state and visiting dignitaries, presidents in moments of crisis.   [So the jobs situation wasn't a crisis?  Hmmm....]


The poorly barbered gray head then scampered back to Illinois and had this to say at a Town Hall meeting with his constituents instead: How idiotic is this president?  I don’t want to be disrespectful, but he’s going to bring forth a jobs plan next week. Think about that for a minute. He’s been in office for three years. He’s destroyed job creation systematically for three years. 

As for his opponent in November, Walsh is ugly and dismissive towards Tammy Duckworth, a decorated and severley wounded veteran of the Iraq war.  Acknowledging in a March 2012 interview with Politico that, she sacrificed her body for this country, Walsh then lowered his voice and added, Ehhh. Now let’s move on.  But he was not done with the subject, asking rhetorically of the interviewer, What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran…She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat. David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel just picked her up and dropped her into this district.  


And to his constituents, the very people who made the grave error of voting him into this position, he is equally rude, yelling and screeching at them in town hall meetings.  For example, when a constituent asked a question regarding why there were not more regulations on banks, the strutting and shouting Walsh yelled,  Don’t blame the banks … that just pisses me off!  before threatening the calm constituent that he would throw him out of the meeting if he didn’t stop talking.

Yeah, you stay classy, Joe.  OK?


Enough Hypocrisy to Make a Rock Hemorrhage

It is hardly This-Just-In! news to report that the Republican Party is so anti-woman that it makes the 1940s seem like Female Utopia.   Anyone of the opposable-thumb species in this country is aware of the egregiously outrageous laws that Red States have enacted against women. But the far-right's assertion that There is no GOP War on Women is just a big fat lie tad disingenuous.  A case in point that did not get much press is Walsh's ranting indignation when the National Security Agency met with several Egyptian political groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.  Walsh contended that the Muslim Brotherhood has a bad women’s rights record and that since President Obama is including the major political group in the talks, that somehow makes him anti-women.


The congressman said, I call on the President not to meet with or recognize groups that do not respect women’s rights and basic freedoms. It’s disappointing that an Administration – which continues to use inflammatory rhetoric against Republicans by using terms such as ‘War on Women’ – would meet with the Muslim Brotherhood. This is a group that would be happy to see women’s rights returned to the Stone Age. The President is sending an unclear message.


Stand back, dear readers; the hypocrisy is flammable.

An Unhealthy Dollop of Racism Flavors a Tea Party Stew

Think Progress reports that at another of Walsh's ranting town hall meetings in March 2012, he said that Barack Obama was only elected because he is black and articulate.

Just this week week, he came out with The Democratic Party promises groups of people everything. They want the Hispanic vote, they want Hispanics to be dependent on government, just like they got African-Americans dependent on government. That's their game.   In reference to Jesse Jackson, he went on to state that were it not for black people's dependency on the government, the civil rights activist would be out of work.


But hey, when you get verbally smacked down for your racist comments, don't retreat, repeat and reaffirm your bigotry!   As late as last Friday, Walsh was verifying his hooded-white-bed-sheet opinions by telling a radio station interviewer, I know enough of [Jesse Jackson] to know that if African Americans -- how come Jesse Jackson opposes school choice for inner city African American parents? How come he won't give that ability to low-income black parents? Because he doesn't want blacks, African Americans to escape miserable public schools.  He won't give them that opportunity. Why? Because he wants them dependent and imprisoned in terrible public schools in the inner city.  All Jesse Jackson is trying to do is to keep African Americans down on some plantation.


End Note

UPDATE

To learn more about the CredoSuperPac and TakeDownJoeWalsh, use the following links:

http://act.credoaction.com/take_down/about.html

http://www.takedownwalsh.com/

H/T:  honestyingov

Levi Johnston slams his former lawyer Rex Butler on Facebook and defends himself against "deadbeat dad" claims - Read the full facebook exchange

By Patrick

Levi Johnston, who, according to Bristol Palin's frequent public accusations, is a "deadbeat dad" and doesn't pay child support, has now started a public facebook community page.

On this facebook page, Levi, who often has been silent when he was slammed by the Palin-family in public, makes some first attempts to show that he is is a different type of father and that the constant Palin-propaganda is not accurate. We are on Levi's side here, as it is absolutely believable that the Palins play dirty with him - as they have played dirty with many other people before who got in their way, may it be Mike Wooten, Walt Monegan or John Bitney - just to name a few examples.

It is regrettable that Levi did not defend himself more vigorously in the past, especially since Bristol Palin made a fortune out of exploiting his son Tripp via magazine articles, TV adverts and now a tacky reality TV series.

On May 22, Levi posted on his facebook page a picture of a text message to Bristol, apparently in order to prove that the claims that he does not want to see Tripp are wrong:

However, there might be other reasons why Levi has been "handicapped" as far as his dealings with the Palins are concerned. It is obvious that Levi's anger runs deep. Evidence for this can be found in the comments below the above picture that Levi posted. The following exchange has been posted in a shortened version already on another blog - but we have the full exchange, as "Dorothy Marriott", who commented there, is the facebook-name of our very own Kathleen. The complete exchange is not visible any more, as Levi deleted his last comment.

We did not publish this exchange so far, as we first tried to get into touch with Levi directly, but unfortunately we received no response.

So here is now the full exchange:

Dorothy Marriott 
More action like this, Levi. I hope you have a decent lawyer now.
39 minutes ago

Levi Johnston
 I ask for Tripp twice a week. It's kinda hard going up against a family that can afford to bribe a lawyer a million dollars easily and make it so I lose my son forever.
 21 minutes ago

Dorothy Marriott 
That is terrible. Do you know this for a fact? Now that is big news.
17 minutes ago

Levi Johnston
 No I don't.. just saying that they could easily of they wanted to and are definently like that. Found out my last lawyer was on their side the whole three years he was working for me. That's why I have to find the right lawyer this time so this doesn't happen again.

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These comments by Levi did not surprise us. However, it should be noted that Levi did not claim as a fact that the Palins bribed Rex Butler. He clarified in the second comment that he does not know this for a fact and adds that "they could easily if they wanted to and are definitely like that." This is a very important difference, and should be reported also for Levi's own protection, as the "shortened version" of this exchange reads very differently.

Over the years, there was more than enough evidence that Rex Butler and Tank Jones did not act in Levi's best interest. From the public information alone, witnessing the poorly conducted custody trial with Bristol, one could see that Rex Butler achieved very little for Levi Johnston.

The old days: Levi Johnston, Tank Jones and Rex Butler

An inside source also let us know several months ago that Rex and Tank were not happy at all that Levi decided to tell his own story in his book "Deer in the Headlights." This behavior by Tank and Rex is very puzzling indeed.

Tank Jones had been Levi's constant companion for years, his "handler", being together with him virtually all the time during public appearances. Officially, Tank was a bodyguard. But it also might have very well been the case that Tank's role was to make sure in the first place that Levi did not do anything "stupid." But at this point, we can only take guesses.

Then there is "Sarah Palin's big elephant in the room" - her faked pregnancy with Trig. Rex Butler certainly knows much more about this topic than is known in public. He once said to an Alaskan journalist, strictly "off-the-record", as he stressed, that he "doesn't know for certain" that Sarah Palin is Trig's mother and then showed no desire to discuss this topic further. Levi Johnston on the other hand always seemed convinced that Trig is Sarah Palin's biological son - a fact which many of our readers did not like in the past, but which could be explained, as I am convinced, by the fact that Levi himself was duped by the Palins regarding this matter.

The Palins made sure that their big deception was guarded as carefully as possible - and made sure that Levi right from the start had no doubts about Sarah being the biological mother of Trig. As it turned out, this plan worked. It is a shame that Levi does not really want to talk about this topic. We surely would be very interested to talk to him about this, as it could solve some open questions, but also raise new questions. Regardless, it would most likely bring us closer to the truth about Trig.

Levi Johnston, who is still very young and whose anger about the whole situation is more than understandable, is in a very difficult position right now, but his only possibility is to try to take charge of his own life. We wish him lots of success, and he surely has our blessings.

FBI-informer William Fulton reveals: Sarah Palin's former top-aide Frank Bailey and ex-Tea Party candidate Joe Miller connected to indicted Milita-leader Schaeffer Cox

By Kathleen

Schaeffer Cox together with Joe Miller

A recent article in the ADN reports that according to testimony given by FBI informant William Fulton, Frank Bailey, former aide to Sarah Palin, introduced him to militia leader Schaeffer Cox who is on trial in Alaska for making threats to kidnap and kill law enforcement officials. 

The introduction took place in a hotel room during the 2008 Alaska Republican State Convention. Joe Miller who ran a controversial race for the US Senate was also present in the hotel room at the time. 

That year Miller was also working as an attorney employed part time by the Fairbanks North Star Borough during which time he admitted that he had accessed colleagues computers using them to sign into his personal website in order to vote on a political poll. In order to cover his tracks Miller afterwards cleared the cache on the computers but unknowingly also deleted passwords and id's belonging to his colleagues. When confronted by his superior Miller lied and denied that he had done so. He later admitted his involvement in the loss of information on his colleagues computers and was severely censored for having done so. During the 2010 Alaska Senate race blogger Andrew Halcro leaked information about Miller's employment file which later was released in the public interest by various media outlets. Miller is now suing Fairbanks North Star Borough and former mayor Jim Whitaker for leaking information from his personal employment records. Andrew Halcro has been disposed as a witness.

Furthermore, lying is a concept that Miller is very comfortable with as during the campaign he denied on his election website that he had met with Cox outside of public forums. The following statement was published on Miller's election website:

Mr. Cox offered no tangible support to Miller's run for the US Senate; he was neither a campaign contributor nor volunteer; and, save for public forums during the campaign, has had no contact with Mr. Miller subsequent to his run-ins with the law early last year.

Unfortunately for Joe Miller, William Fulton's (who worked as security detail for Miller during his campaign) testimony clearly disputes this claim. If I were him I would think again about a lawsuit against anyone as quite apart from the fact that the suit is unlikely to succeed Joe's testimony isn't exactly dependable, is it?

Frank Bailey, who was a former aide to Sarah Palin and together with two other authors wrote a "tell-all" book which gave some insights into Palin's personality that was based on State of Alaska emails, also knew Cox well enough to introduce him to William Fulton in the privacy of a hotel room. 

Bailey was part of Sarah Palin's inner circle and was also well acquainted with her husband Todd Palin who, despite denials from Sarah, is known to have registered as a member of the Alaska Independence Party which has also coincidently enjoyed the support of Schaeffer Cox who it would seem had political ambitions of his own. Sarah, not a member, gave the party a lot of succour when as Governor of the state she addressed an AIP convention via video in March 2008. 

Cox, who is in prison on charges of conspiracy to murder, has made a lot of claims regarding the extent and scope of the militia which he is a member of. He has said that it consists of "a medical unit with surgeons, doctors, medical trucks. Engineers that can make GPS jammers, bombs and all sorts of nifty stuff." I guess if you are a deranged nutcase then bombs would seem like quite nifty stuff. 

How on earth does the person who was Sarah Palin's governmental aide know someone like Schaeffer Cox well enough that he meets him in private in a hotel room at a political convention? How is it that Sarah Palin's aide was so well acquainted with Cox that he discussed political strategies with him? Strategies which likely entailed the taking down of Randy Ruedrich as the Alaska GOP chairman. The mind boogles. Bailey must have been there to represent Palin which leads nicely to the conclusion that she will pal around with anyone, including a loose canon like Cox, if it means that she is more likely to achieve her own ends. 

William Fulton also had access to firearms through his business DropZone Security in Anchorage. Perhaps they were just getting together for a beer and the takeover of the Alaska GOP but I think that it is also conceivable that Bailey and Miller introduced Fulton to Cox in the belief that Fulton could supply Cox with arms for his militia. If so, I wonder what it was Bailey and Miller were hoping for? 

I wish we knew more details about the meeting. I for one would really be interested in what was discussed and if a certain person's name was mentioned in connection to the VP nomination and all the possibilities that might entail. 

UPDATE:


According to Fulton's testimony Bailey, Miller, Fulton and Cox met in Fulton's hotel room in order to discuss a meeting for a strategy session.

This excerpt of transcript of the Fulton's testimony was taken from the Mudflats blog:

"When did you first meet Mr. Cox?

At the 2008 Republican convention, Sir. I was introduced to Mr. Cox by Joe Miller and Frank Bailey in my hotel room. We were having a meeting on a strategy session for the next day.

 Joe Miller, the ex-candidate Joe Miller?

Yes, sir."