{"id":20376,"date":"2016-03-05T11:39:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-05T19:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=20376"},"modified":"2016-03-05T11:39:59","modified_gmt":"2016-03-05T19:39:59","slug":"open-thread352016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/03\/05\/open-thread352016\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–3\/5\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lu was here this morning.  She cut my hair, spotted me while I walked around my hallways using a walker, stopping twice to sit and rest, and she helped me shower, leaving me as a perfumed puddy tat with soft, glowing fur.  I\u2019m feeling tired, but I have two articles today.<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 3:18 (average 5:13).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

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

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>Marco Rubio has lost Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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[T]his alliance now seems to be over. According to three Fox sources, Fox chief Roger Ailes has told people he’s lost confidence in Rubio’s ability to win. "We’re finished with Rubio," Ailes recently told a Fox host. "We can’t do the Rubio thing anymore."<\/p>\n

Which is bad news for Rubio, since his entire base of support is establishment and press Republicans who are willing to inexplicably pump up Marco Rubio. Apparently, though, Ailes has seen the writing on the wall; Rubio can’t win, and Fox News is only going to humiliate themselves pretending otherwise.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This leaves America’s Worst Network in an even bigger bind than before. The network that is used to playing kingmaker has no potential king to make\u2014and the current front-runner, Donald Trump, is openly dismissive of the network and eager<\/a> to pit his supporters against them. None of the corporate-friendly Republicans that Fox News would usually be hitching their wagon to, from Scott Walker to Chris Christie to Jeb Bush to, now, Marco Rubio, have gone anywhere. Suddenly rallying to podium barnacle John Kasich would be more humiliating than standing behind Rubio.<\/p>\n

That leaves Ted Cruz, and while Ted Cruz is certainly a model of the sort of extremist burn-down-the-government type that Fox News has endlessly promoted, Nobody Likes Ted Cruz. <\/p>\n

What will the Republican Reichsministry of propaganda do? I think Faux Noise<\/em> will goose-step behind the Republican nominee, whoever or whatever that is.<\/font><\/p>\n

From PRWatch<\/a>: <\/font>Hold onto your Prius!<\/p>\n

The Kochs and their fossil-fuel-fed political network are reportedly gunning for the electric car.<\/p>\n

According to an anonymous industry source who spoke to journalist Peter Stone<\/a>, a new advocacy group will "make the public aware of all the benefits of petroleum-based transportation fuels."<\/p>\n

If you think this sounds a bit nutty, you have to remember Koch front groups have also fought the implementation of street cars in city after city<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If the group follows the usual Koch playbook<\/a>, expect bogus "research" studies by Koch-funded "think tanks," well-placed op-eds that repeat Koch talking points without disclosing ties to the network, and fear-mongering ads that hide their fossil fuel funding behind bland names like "Americans for Energy Freedom." (The group’s actual name has yet to be announced.)<\/p>\n

The primary benefits of burning petroleum fuels are obscene profits for Big Polluters and the RepubliCare Death Benefit for everyone else<\/font>.<\/p>\n

From Crooks and Liars<\/a>: <\/font>This is a really fascinating video. Governor Kate Brown shows that real people have a need for increasing the minimum wage. She also shows how listening to the needs of various stakeholders gets things done. OregonLive<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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The bill gives Oregon the highest statewide minimum wage rates in the nation, to $14.75 inside Portland’s urban growth boundary, $13.50 in midsize counties and $12.50 in rural areas by 2022.<\/p>\n

President Barack Obama lauded Brown, saying in a statement: "I commend the Oregon Legislature and Governor Kate Brown for taking action to raise their state’s minimum wage…Congress needs to keep up with the rest of the country. They need to act, and finally give America a raise. And until they do, I’ll continue to encourage states, cities, counties and companies to act on their own to support hardworking families."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n