Today's edition of quick hits:
* Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned yesterday that Spain is "facing an economic situation of extreme difficulty, I repeat, of extreme difficulty.... Anyone who doesn't understand that is fooling themselves."
* Closer to home, U.S. retailers' sales picked up steam in March, exceeding analysts' expectations.
* Two signing ceremonies in one week: President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act today, surrounded by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
* Not surprisingly, assurances from the Assad government about a cease-fire plan appear to have been meaningless: "Spasms of fierce new fighting, some just miles from Syria's capital, were reported on Thursday, and the leader of the United Nations said the conflict was getting worse."
* Slowly but surely, the Murdoch media scandal is not only getting worse, it's also spreading into Britain's television broadcasting.
* The "Buffett Rule" will get a vote in the Senate in about 10 days, but it won't be the last we hear of the policy in 2012.
* Rush Limbaugh believes he and 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jerry Smith are part of the same "team." That won't help the judiciary's reputation.
* President Obama opposes the gender-discrimination policy at the Augusta National Golf Club. Soon after, Mitt Romney said he agrees with the president's position.
* And it appears that Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is not at all fond of vegetarians.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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Retail sales picked up steam? Employment picking up. I'll say it again Obama is going to cream Romney. Even if the economy held steady he would but it's getting better. That's one of the reasons Mitt threw all the spaghetti against the wall with all the smears and lies directed against Obama yesterday.
They (R's) will have to rely on hatred only because a referendum simply isn't going to work and I don't think they're capable of a positive campaign.
Point on target. The Republicans have succeeded to divide our government since "Newt" was Speaker. He systematically divided the House, between Democrats and Republicans and now we cannot even have civilized discussion in the entire Country about our Politics. Our Country has been divided for more than twenty years. Unfortunately, the womens' health issues at the forefront? of our politics is forging us back together. It had better because we should not even be debating this twelve years into the Millenium. Hopefully it has served to "wake up" the voting public and stop accepting what candidates place into the media as "fact." Research these clowns before electing them to Government offices. These old, white men from the old money need to move over (including the uneducated, career politician John McCain) and allow those dedicated to public service to take over. There are learned minds without ego interested in transforming our current toxic political climate.
With all the GOP legislation against women, 36% in today's poll still are supporting the GOP, with 10% undecided. If people continue to be partisan even when it goes against their own interests, Romney has a chance.
Amazing, baffling...and extremely scary.
I fully expect one quarter to one third of all women to be firmly in the Republican camp, no matter what. Today's GOP caters exclusively to the most highly authoritarian personalities, and that groups is about one quarter to one third of any population. That is why, for example, even at the nadir of his popularity GWB's approval never got much lower than 25%. So, really, poll results showing that the percentage of women who support Republicans is under 40% are actually good results, not baffling, scary, or in any other way bad.
"President Obama opposes the gender-discrimination policy at the Augusta National Golf Club. Soon after, Mitt Romney said he agrees with the president's position."
At least until the rest of the GOP chime in Mittens - don't worry I didn't believe those words you said anyway.....
Mitt Romney's statements are subject to whim, weather, crowd demographics, political breezes, expediency, geography, deliberate or inadvertent etch a sketch vibrations, criticism from Rush Limbaugh, barometric pressure and fluctuations in Mitt's blood sugar caused by yummy glazed doughnuts.
Mitt's statements have not been evaluated nearly enough. Do not take Mitt if you are on anti depressants or are not taking a stupidity inhibitor. Do not take Mitt if consistency is important to you. Mitts constant changes in position may cause dizziness, irritation, frustration, confusion, anger, sexual dysfunction, loss of political appetite, "restless brain" syndrome and insomnia. Ask your doctor if any of these symptoms develop, or if you believe that spinning around like the metal chicken on a weathervane in a windstorm might be a problem for you.
Steve King (R-Iowa) is not at all fond of vegetarians.
Or the truth.
It's a terrible assault on freedom when those evil vegetarians try to "force their views" (by expressing them) on everyone else, but it is apparently the essence of freedom itself when Republicans try to force their own rather 16th century views on religion, taxes, abortion, sex, reproduction and the role of women (barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen) on everyone else.
Having said that, I've experimented with vegetarianism off and on over the years, and as long as I don't replace the missing meat with something like Doritos or cookies, I have to say that I tend to feel a lot better.
King has also recently said that gays in the workplace should be closeted. He chastises gays for "wear[ing] their sexuality on their sleeves." As Marty McFly said of 'Mad Dog' Tannen, "The guy's an @!$%#." And he's a hypocrite. From my point of view, straight people 'flaunt' their sexuality in a far more unrestrained (and unthinking) way than any gay person I know of. Also, I wonder how long King could go in a gay bar before feeling the need to out himself? He's basically insisting that people different from himself do not have the same rights and personal liberties that he has.
"Confess!" --Sounds like a Monty Python routine.
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
King is a joke.
What is Faux news saying about their owner's problems in England? Is somehow Pres. Obama's doing?
The scandal is spreading to other, actual news outlets. This has been pretty much Fox's take on the matter, at least on this side of the pond:
Cricket Chirping Sound Effects - YouTube
Why does Fox "News" still get to call themselves "News"? I think a class action lawsuit for Libel/Slander is in order.
King...what a clever fkstick!
What...an...ass.
I thought he ate (and spewed) recycled talking points from culture wars of long ago?
This is one of your leaders Iowa, better up your Abilify!
what IS it with King? Does he think he's cute, or intelligent or played a 'gotcha' moment? Who the hell CARES if they're vegetarian? HUH?
What a shame that Obama signed the JOBS bill. (Though he probably didn't have much choice, given the votes in the House and Senate.) Just because someone comes up with "JOBS" as an acronym, doesn't necessarily mean that the bill will do much to improve the employment picture.
This is a veritable Christmas tree of small but meaningful Republican legislative dreams. It rolls back the protections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Con artists will have a field day defrauding investors in new, small firms. Hold onto your wallet.
Given the ability the unscrupulous will now have to separate the naive from their money, the bill's acronym could stand for organizers of nascent businesses saying to potential investors, "Join One Big Scam."
American women, stand your ground against all the crazed, misogynistic, bible-thumping Republicans out to plant you and your rights under the ground, using the ballot not bullets to stop the Republicans in their tracks, at the federal, state and local levels of our democratic government.
American women today seemingly are in an abusive relationship with the Republican Party, and either American women stand up, speak out and divorce themselves from the Republican Party (working hard at getting a restraining order to keep Republicans away from their vagina and their rights), or they'll continue meekly putting up with the abuse, letting the bully, misogynistic Republican Party walk all over them and their inherent rights as an American citizen.
And regarding caterpillars, caterpillars become beautiful butterflies, unless the EPA isn't allowed to regulate pesticides that might kill caterpillars, thus killing the beginning part of the beautiful butterfly and pollination chain. (Oh wait, Republicans are against the EPA, against regulations, so in a sense the Republican Party is waging a War on Caterpillars).
The Dems should produce a campaign ad showing a caterpillar morphing into a woman, in which they describe all of the ways Republicans have constrained (or want to constrain) women's choices and opportunities in the areas of health care, employment, and other aspects of life.
bah ha ha..Gosh I would have loved to see Steve King at this gathering, but it looks like it was packed. Well except for all the empty chairs...Republicans should not try to do comedy EVER....
Also in my opinion fox news is the modern day national gazette of the United States..I just wonder who is infiltrating the Obama administration to give them ideas? Who is the Thomas Jefferson of this administration? Hillary Clinton is his Secretary of state, and her hubby is William (JEFFERSON) Clinton..Now to find out who their translator is. Oh wait they are just a fake news station who spews propaganda for the benefit of their supported party even though anything, and everything they say is a complete lie...It's a whole different kind of conspiracy over there.
I'm glad Steve got the confessions! So good for the soul to unburden. Cutest little (tediously familiar) joke at the end there.
Rachel, excellent segment and investigative work on what Michigan Republicans are doing.
1) Why hasn't the Obama administration and the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ looked into this and filed federal charges against Michigan Republicans over voting rights violations?
2) One year after Hurricane Katrina in late 2006, Republicans on Capitol Hill (with GW Bush signing) enacted a law stripping all 50 state governors of state control over the emergency response during and after disasters in their state, something that goes into effect the moment whoever is president declares a disaster in any state.
IOW, a disaster is occurring in Michigan, one that Michigan Republicans say requires Republican-appointed "emergency managers" to address, but I just wonder what would happen if President Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan, taking charge, and essentially side-lined Gov. Snyder and all the Republicans in the Michigan legislature? According to the 2006 law Republicans enacted, it is left open-ended in describing what is or is not a "disaster" in a state. Therefore, a president (Republican or Democrat) can implement and enforce this law, over the impotent objections of state officials, elected or otherwise, in that state, as soon as the president declares a state of emergency in a state (which sounds exactly what our democracy is facing in Michigan, because if Republicans can get away with this in Michigan, is any other state safe?). And is ALEC behind this in Michigan, like it is behind so much else Republicans are doing in one state after another?
Of course, Rachel, I don't really think that President Obama would actually implement and enforce this Bush Era law from 2006, but I'm just curious if he could if he decided to take on the blatantly criminal, anti-voter actions by Michigan Republicans.
The Oracle had the same thought I did. The Justice Department needs to look into this and take action if legislators' (and, more broadly, citizens') rights have been violated.
This is no time for meekness. Get bold, Justice Department.
I confess that I am a Republican. I vote for concentrated recycled enhanced common-sense Republican ideas by voting for Barack Obama.