Politics – Page 1106 – Politics Plus

99 Years Is Too Little!

Posted by TomCat at 12:25 am Politics

Aug 172014

Republicans regularly commit crimes while in office, but they do so only on days that begin with the letter T. That’s Tuesday, Thursdays, Taturday, Tunday, Today and Tomorrow. However they are rarely called to account for their crimes as David “Diaper Dave” Vitter (R-LA) will attest. However, a Grand Jury has handed down incitements against Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) that could send him to prison for up to 99 years, even though I doubt that he’ll ever serve a day.

A grand jury indicted Gov. Rick Perry on two felony counts on Friday, charging that he abused his power last year when he tried to pressure the district attorney here, a Democrat, to step down by threatening to cut off state financing to her office.

The indictment left Mr. Perry, a Republican, the first Texas governor in nearly 100 years to face criminal charges and presented a major roadblock to his presidential ambitions at the very time that he had been showing signs of making a comeback.

Grand jurors in Travis County charged Mr. Perry with abusing his official capacity and coercing a public servant, according to Michael McCrum, the special prosecutor assigned to the case.

The long-simmering case has centered on Mr. Perry’s veto power as governor. His critics asserted that he used that power as leverage to try to get an elected official — Rosemary Lehmberg, the district attorney in Travis County — to step down after her arrest on a drunken-driving charge last year. Ms. Lehmberg is Austin’s top prosecutor and oversees a powerful public corruption unit that investigates state, local and federal officials; its work led to the 2005 indictment of a former Republican congressman, Tom DeLay, on charges of violating campaign finance laws… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Now it’s true that Perry does have the right as governor to use a line item veto for items in the Texas budget, but he does not have the right to use that veto as a threat to prevent other elected officials from representing the people that elected them.

Rachel Maddow provided excellent coverage of Perry’s crimes.

In closing, 99 years is not enough hard time, but if he does go to prison, I think justice will be served, if he is the bottom, and his prison lover (below) is the top:

ChristiePig

Open Thread–8/17/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:25 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Aug 172014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 118. The Fantasy Football draft made it a busy day. The TC Broncos are built around Manning, Ball and Welker, so I like the team I put together. However I’ve been running late ever since, and my COPD has been active today and prevented sleep.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:26 (average 4:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: James O. Pasco Jr., the executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, didn’t much care for what President Obama had to say Thursday about racist police behavior in Ferguson, Missouri. Not that the president said it was racist. Here’s Mario Trujillo reporting:

"I would contend that discussing police tactics from Martha’s Vineyard is not helpful to ultimately calming the situation," director Jim Pasco said in an interview with The Hill.

"I think what he has to do as president and as a constitutional lawyer is remember that there is a process in the United States and the process is being followed, for good or for ill, by the police and by the county and by the city and by the prosecutors’ office," Pasco added. […]

"I’m not there, and neither is the president," Pasco said. "That is why we have due process in the United States. And this will all be sorted out over time. But right now, I haven’t seen anything from afar — and maybe the president has — that would lead me to believe the police are doing anything except to restore order."

What this Republican pig (individual description, not indicative of all police) fails to realize is that when the due process of which he speaks is subverted by those responsible for guaranteeing it, intervention is needed.

From Think Progress: At a political debate on Thursday night, a GOP candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives left the room laughing after he struggled to answer a question on his position on reproductive rights. Rep. Mike Coffman (R), who’s running for re-election in Colorado’s 6th congressional district, needed help from the crowd to remember what “birth control” is called.

I only hope that, for the sake of the gene pool, his wife either used birth control throughout their married life, or had her children by a brighter bulb.

From Right Wing Watch: David Brody has been teasing out clips of an interview he did this week with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and his wife, Judy. At one point in the interview, she played into the Religious Right’s persecution narrative by claiming that Christians like herself are losing their freedom of religion.

Small Barf Bag Alert! A pocket or a shoe will do.

Her whining is a flat out lie. Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians hit opposition, when they attempt to impose their beliefs and/or piety codes on people who do not share them. I never face harassment for being a Christian, because I respect and honor others’ beliefs. Another problems with Republicans is that they disguise their political agenda as religion. I don’t remember Jesus ever suggesting that we take from the poor to give to the rich.

Cartoon:

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Republicans on Parade–8/16/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:36 am Politics

Aug 162014

RepublicansOnParade2

Here is the fifty-eighth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Minister Johnathan Gentry. He is so honored for selling out his own race to parrot Republican racism on the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise.

Hasselbeck and the two stooges find the one minister who disagrees with the entire NAACP and sides with the cops. Why? Because, Samuel 15:23 "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft." Black people need to quit being "so uptight" about officer stops.

The crowd on the couch pulled it off once again. They found a Black Minister, Minister Johnathan Gentry, to blame the conduct and attitude of the Black community for the recent tragedy of Mike Brown being gunned down, unarmed by Officer Darren Wilson. Gentry is fed up with the way all these Black folks aren’t more obedient and naturally, this is what they get.

By saying things like, It’s sickening. Black people are so uptight. Let’s change our ways, Gentry manages to blame police brutality upon the conduct of people when they are disproportionately stopped for no reason by police. Gentry speaks fondly of the times he’s been pulled over, because, let’s face facts, he’s a Black man with a very custom, tricked-out car. He also quotes scripture to back up his opinion…

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

The video embedded in the article linked directly to the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise. I refuse to do that, but I found another source.

Double Equal Opportunity Barf Bag Alert!!

It boggles my mind that a black man would allow himself to be used as a vehicle for the hatred of Republican racism. If there is such a thing as a Clarence Thomas award, he should get it!

Poll Results–8/16/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:18 am Blog News, Politics

Aug 162014

Here are the results of our Gridlock Poll. Politics Plus Polls are not scientific, because those who respond are not balanced according to demographic categories. Therefore, we do not accurately reflect the makeup of the US population. Nevertheless, our polls are often both accurate and indicative of the nation’s view.

0816Poll

And here are your comments.

Showing comments 1–9 of 9.

Posted by Arielle 4 hours ago.

Ha – is the Pope Catholic? Whose fault could it be, I wonder, if the country is a mess? I give the Republicans credit for 99%…. ok, 99.9%.

Posted by Patty August 14, 2014 at 5:16 am.

Definitely, the Republicans own the gridlock.

Posted by Edie August 11, 2014 at 5:17 pm.

The Republicans have done nothing but obstruct bills and appointments since Pres. Obama started his first term. The only things they agree on are their own pay raises and vacations.

Posted by Rixar13 August 5, 2014 at 12:47 pm.

95%+ Republicans

Posted by Yvonne White August 4, 2014 at 1:20 pm.

I think they’d claim it can’t be their fault 100% of the time because they’ve voted to repeal Obamacare 50 times & Democrats Just Wouldn’t Help! ;

LOL!

Posted by SoINeedAName August 2, 2014 at 3:27 pm.

Media’s endlessly claiming "False Equivalency" is their go-to mantra to excuse gridlock.

Democrats: 1+1 = 2

Repubicans: 1+1 = 4

Media: 1+1 = 3

But clearly that is NOT true, no matter how many times Chucky Todd, David Gregory, Joe Scarborough, et al try to ram it down our throats.

Pres. Obama had a great explanation.

“You’ll hear if you watch the nightly news or you read the newspapers that, well, there’s gridlock, Congress is broken, approval ratings for Congress are terrible. And there’s a tendency to say, a plague on both your houses. But the truth of the matter is that the problem in Congress is very specific. We have a group of folks in the Republican Party who have taken over who are so ideologically rigid …"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/05/23/morning-plum-obama-slams-both-sides-to-blame-media/

Posted by Terrie C. Williams August 1, 2014 at 9:11 am.

95+….um……DUH, it damn sure ain’t Dems doing this chit !!!!!!

Posted by Joanne D August 1, 2014 at 4:26 am.

Well, 100% is included in the range "95%+" so I was fine with that. I know many people are upset that this Congress has accomplished nothing, but I am pleased with that, seeing as, with this particular Congress, if they did accomplish something, it would be hurtful. and most hurtful to those who are most vulnerable. And since the Republicans have openly stated that obstruction is their intention, it boggles my mind that anyone could fail to see that they own the gridlock.

Posted by Phil July 31, 2014 at 7:36 pm.

Republicans own 100% of Congressional gridlock, T.C. (on the theory that, had not Republicans obstructed every piece of legislation that might cast the current administration in a favorable light, the turncoat Democrats would have voted with the herd). I’m withholding my vote until I decide if I can live with 95%+.

I fully agree with the results. There is a new poll up, Vote both here and in November!

Open Thread–8/16/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 162014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 117. It’s been a busy day with lots of chores, plus I made a chicken, rice and green bean casserole from scratch. My sleep schedule is running later than normal today. Tomorrow (Saturday) morning is our fantasy football draft.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:55 (average 5:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos:

MSNBC resident blowhard Joe Scarborough just couldn’t resist bloviating about the arrests of Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery and the Huffington Post’s Ryan Reilly. Scarborough’s idiot opinion? They must have gotten arrested because they just "want to get on TV."

Lowery had a thing or two to say about that, when CNN interviewed him about his experience, and Scarborough’s comments.

"Well, I would invite Joe Scarborough to come down to Ferguson and get out of 30 Rock where he’s sitting and sipping his Starbucks smugly," Lowery said during a Thursday morning appearance on CNN. "I invite him to come and talk to the residents of Ferguson, where I’ve been since Monday afternoon having tear gas shot at me, having rubber bullets shot at me … I would invite Joe Scarborough down here to do some reporting on the ground, then maybe we can have an educated conversation about what’s happening here."

Those who claim that MSNBC is the "liberal" should remember that this guy has as much air time as Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell combined.

From NY Times: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Thursday night that he had agreed to relinquish power, a move that came after days of crisis in which his deployment of extra security forces around the capital had raised worries of a military coup.

Mr. Maliki’s decision held out the prospect of a peaceful transition of power, based on democratic elections and without the guiding hand of American military forces, which would be a first in modern Iraq’s troubled history of kings, coups and dictatorships.

A few days ago, I said that I doubted this would happen. OOPS! When I’m, wrong I say so. I had good reasons for thinking otherwise, but good reasons do not always guarantee accuracy.

From Upworthy: Utah Drug-Tested Almost 5,000 People On Welfare, And The Results Almost Made Me Throw Something

I wonder what Utah thought they’d find when they implemented mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients? I doubt this is it. The moral of the story? I’d say the "sketchy drug addict" narrative that continues to be assigned to people on government assistance isn’t really that accurate … or fair.

0816Drugtests

Those are results that Republicans do NOT want you to know, because it trashes their dishonest stereotype.

Cartoon:

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Republicans on Parade–8/15/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:27 am Politics

Aug 152014

RepublicansOnParade

Here is the fifty-seventh article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Fitzwalkerstan Republican nominee for the US House, Glen Grothman. He is so honored for excessive display of a PhD in Bullshitology.

Wisconsin Republicans may not have gotten the message the RNC has been pushing about how to avoid offending women and minorities.

On Tuesday, State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) narrowly prevailed in Wisconsin’s sixth congressional district Republican primary, winning by just 215 votes. Grothman will face Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris (D) in the November general election to succeed retiring-Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI).

From offending women to minorities to LGBT people, here is a sampling of Grothman’s extreme positions that have endeared him to Tea Party types but earned condemnation elsewhere:

Women Are Paid Less Because They Don’t Care About Money: For years, women have decried the injustice of being paid less than men for equal work, but Grothman knows women don’t actually need as much money. “You could argue that money is more important for men,” he told the Daily Beast. He also blamed the wage gap on “women’s decision to prioritize childrearing over their careers.” Grothman and Republicans in Wisconsin successfully repealed the state’s equal pay law in 2012… [emphasis original]

Inserted from <Think Progress>

I have included only one of his insane (typically Republican) positions. Click through for the other six, which are six more reasons this Republican deserves this parade.

Open Thread–8/15/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:26 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 152014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 116. It’ s humid sticky day, but one on which I can catch up on a little rest.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Upworthy: According to these two singers, Maddie and Tae, they were sitting around in their studio one day, listening to country by their favorite male artists, and they realized a few issues with how women were being treated in them. So they wrote a song about it. Take a look at the great video below.

OMG!! Bubba in a Bagger Butt Bikini!! Disappointed smile

From Daily Kos: It is open season on President Obama. He is a weak president. He is too cautious, they say. Even Hillary Clinton has jumped on the bandwagon.

As always, the Republican Reich is trying to blame Obama for what they did.

From BBC: The US says it is unlikely to launch a mission to save Iraqis fleeing Islamist fighters on Mt Sinjar as there are fewer people there than expected.

On Wednesday, the UN said tens of thousands from the Yazidi religious minority were on the run from fighters from the militant group, Islamic State, who have threatened to exterminate them.

But US Special Forces who carried out a reconnaissance mission to the mountain say the number is not as high as previously thought.

It’s nice to learn good news from the region for a change.

Cartoon:

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Police Racism in Ferguson

Posted by TomCat at 12:24 am Politics

Aug 142014

Because there are so many honest, dedicated police officers in this nation, I hesitate to level a charge so severe as racism at any group of policemen, but in the case of the police in Ferguson, MO and St Louis County, I have to make an exception. The more I learn about them, the more disguised I become. Local demonstrations against them continue.

The protesters, almost all of them black, raised their fists and chanted, “We shall not be moved!”

Down the hill, advancing against them late Monday night, were police officers in gas masks and riot gear, most of them white.

“Don’t shoot!” some of the demonstrators yelled, inching closer to the barely visible police line. One man drifted several dozen feet closer with his arms up, lifting his shirt and spinning around as if to say: Look, no gun.

Then an older woman in a dust mask to shield her a bit from the swirling tear gas spotted him and shouted, “Get your ass back here!”

The two sides were locked in confrontation in this working-class suburb of St. Louis, where the police shooting of an unarmed young black man triggered a night of looting Sunday — and demands for justice from a predominantly black population…

Inserted from <LA Times>

It’s hard to imagine that the scene above is the police response to unarmed demonstrators, upset over the apparent police murder of an unarmed black teen with his hands in the air.

Rachel Maddow provided the best coverage of this tragedy I have found.

I don’t have much else to day, except that this level of Republican hatred and racism must be stopped.

Update:

Footage tonight from Jake Larson in Ferguson. He appears to be just a resident, whose other video’s haven’t been politically oriented. The situation has degenerated into a police riot.

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