{"id":12441,"date":"2014-03-27T01:15:06","date_gmt":"2014-03-27T08:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=12441"},"modified":"2014-03-27T01:15:06","modified_gmt":"2014-03-27T08:15:06","slug":"open-thread3272014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/27\/open-thread3272014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–3\/27\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow, and this is tomorrow\u2019s only article.  I was busy with cleaning, preparation for my prison volunteer day tomorrow, and putting away my grocery delivery.  I want to rest as much as I can before my volunteer day.  Because I will be getting home very late tomorrow night, there may be nothing at all for Friday.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 2:24 (average 4:44).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>Now here’s a sentence a candidate and\/or current governor and\/or conspicuously creepy mechanical lizard puppet never wants to hear<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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On late Thursday, billionaire Mike Fernandez abruptly resigned his post as the finance co-chair of Governor Rick Scott\u2019s (R-FL) reelection campaign.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do you know how hard a campaign has to work these days to court billionaires? And now you’ve lost him, Scott. Hope it was worth it.<\/p>\n

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Tensions between Scott\u2019s campaign staff and Fernandez had been building for weeks. And the last straw, according to people within the campaign who spoke with the Miami Herald this weekend, was an incident in which several of Scott\u2019s campaign staffers allegedly began joking around in a cartoonish, over-the-top Mexican accent while on the way to a Mexican restaurant. <\/p>\n

Fernandez, who is Cuban, reportedly shot off an angry email to campaign leadership after word of the incident leaked out.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Please read below the fold for more on this story. <\/p>\n

I always love to see it when a Plutocon Vulture Capitalists and racist Republican hatemongers have a falling out.  Click through for more.<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>With less than a week left for people to sign up for health insurance, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it would allow more time for those who had tried to apply but were blocked by technical problems with the federal exchange.<\/p>\n

Several states running their own exchanges, including Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have taken similar steps in the last two weeks.<\/p>\n

Open enrollment was scheduled to end on Monday for all Americans. The White House had previously insisted that the deadline was firm and would not be extended.<\/p>\n

Under the move planned by the administration, some people will be given a special enrollment period, beyond the deadline, if they can show they were not able to enroll because of an error by the federal exchange or by the Department of Health and Human Services. Federal officials allowed a special enrollment period, on a case-by-case basis, for some people who were unable to meet the Dec. 24, 2013, enrollment deadline for coverage starting Jan. 1 of this year.<\/p>\n

This move by Obama is perfectly legal and good for the country, but I’ll bet the howls from Republicans will be long and loud. Such howls are music to my ears.  (Late Update:  Boehner is positively limp with apoplexy!!)<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

From TPM<\/a>: <\/font>Fox News host Bill O’Reilly backed Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) disputed comments on a culture of "inner city" men<\/a> not working on Tuesday night, arguing "race hustlers" would have branded the congressman a racist no matter what he said about poverty.<\/p>\n

O’Reilly pressed Ryan on a conversation he had with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who labelled his remarks<\/a> a "thinly veiled racial attack," and asked if Lee apologized after Ryan clarified<\/a> that the comments were inarticulate.  [DOUBLE BARF BAG ALERT!!<\/font><\/strong>]<\/p>\n