{"id":19625,"date":"2016-02-04T09:08:52","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T17:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=19625"},"modified":"2016-02-04T11:56:09","modified_gmt":"2016-02-04T19:56:09","slug":"open-thread142015-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/04\/open-thread142015-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–2\/4\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday my helper=friend could not come, and that screwed up my schedule.  I have lots of house work to do.  I need to stay up late to watch the debate on MSNBC.  It will have one bad moderator, Chuck Todd, and one fantastic moderator, Rachel Maddow.  This will be today’s only article, and I will it be sending cards on Care2<\/a>.  That way, I get some rest.<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 2:20 (average 4:45).  Birdie for kitty-lunch?  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

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

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>I have always been a fan of Jimmy Carter, and once more he hits it out of the park. As reported today by the Guardian, here is what he has to say about the effect of money on our American political system, post Iowa caucuses:<\/p>\n

Former US president Jimmy Carter<\/a> has warned that US politics has been corrupted by billions of dollars of campaign financing following a supreme court ruling that he said legalised “bribery”.<\/p>\n

He described the landmark 2010 Citizens United court decision, which equated campaign spending with free speech, as an “erroneous ruling”.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the Iowa caucuses<\/a>, in which Republican candidates spent $43m on TV advertising and Democratic candidates spent $16.8m, Carter said the domination of money in politics represented the biggest change since he was elected president in 1976.<\/p>\n

SCROTUS (Republican Constitutional VD) is wrong. Money is NOT speech<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>Declaring that “my time has come,” the former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced today that he was officially launching his 2020 campaign for President.<\/p>\n

“Washington is broken, and I’ve got some fresh new ideas about how to fix it,” Santorum told a small clutch of supporters and whatever family members were available, at an intimate rally in Des Moines. “Once the people of this great nation hear those ideas, there’s no stopping me.”<\/p>\n

“I’m in it to win it!” he exclaimed, to some clapping.<\/p>\n

Launching his campaign in Iowa, where the next Presidential caucuses will not be held for another forty-eight months, Santorum brushed aside suggestions that he was entering the race too early. “You’ll have to take that up with Jesus Christ,” he said. “He’s the guy who told me to do this.”<\/p>\n

Andy, did he slip and fall down in his own froth?<\/font><\/p>\n

From Alternet<\/a>: <\/font>Hungry for a bloodbath? Good, that's exactly what the election is, and guys Stephen Colbert are just waiting for candidates to stumble. Last night Colbert paid tribute to those who had fallen after the Iowa Caucus, as well as one who should have.<\/p>\n