aardvark droppings

Channel Description:

Latest Articles in this Channel:

11/17/11--13:11: OWS shows class (chan 1633733)

But when a couple of Daily Caller employees were at Occupy Wall Street this morning, it was the very protesters they had been demonizing who ended up helping them out.

... SNIP ...

both claim they were attacked by the New York Police Department (NYPD) while covering the raucous protests in the Financial District today.

Think Progress

“Direna had a camera in her hand and I had a microphone, and we were being hit,” she said. “When I fell to the ground I said at one point, ‘I’m just covering this! I’m covering this!’ And the officer just said, ‘Come on, get up, get up,’ before pulling me up by my jacket.’” “The protesters came up to me right away and asked if I needed any medical assistance. They were actually very kind and helpful. It was the police officers who were very aggressive,” Fields added.

Fields is the same Daily Caller reporter who faced off with Matt Damon earlier this year and got her head handed to her (righteous video below the Orange Squiggle of Power).

This is how you win, Occupiers. When the police start smacking right-wing-rag reporters around, and the Occupiers come to the rescue ... the memes shift, and sympathy increases.




11/18/11--11:24: CERN "reconfirms" FTL neutrinos (chan 1633733)

This story has gone back and forth, but CERN thinks they have confirmed their original results - and yes, neutrinos are faster than light.

“One key test was to repeat the measurement with very short beam pulses from CERN,” the agency noted in a press release on its website. “This allowed the extraction time of the protons, that ultimately lead to the neutrino beam, to be measured more precisely…The new measurements do not change the initial conclusion.”

TPM

The initial experiment, carried out using CERN’s OPERA instrument in Gran Sasso, Italy, involved firing longer beams of neutrinos from CERN’s facility near Geneva, Switzerland, which each lasted 10 microseconds (10 millionths of a second) some 454 miles away to the facility in Gran Sasso.

The new experiment altered this model by firing 20 new, shorter pulses, each lasting 3 nanoseconds (3 billionths of a second), separated by intervals of 524 nanoseconds, in an effort to overcome the margin of error in the first experiment.

They are still not quite ready to declare General Relativity dead.

Elburg argued persuasively in a scientific paper published online in October that the satellites’ timing was affected by their motion in orbit relative to the neutrino beams and the two particle laboratories down on Earth. From the perspective of the satellites, the neutrinos were moving away from one laboratory and toward the other, but the laboratories were also moving, with the receiving laboratory in Grand Sasso appearing to move toward and into the neutrino stream fired by the laboratory in Geneva, thus accounting for the faster-than-light result.

CERN writes in its press release that “This test confirms the accuracy of OPERA’s timing measurement, ruling out one potential source of systematic error,” however, it leaves the door opent to the fact that GPS relativistic timing could produce an error. As such, CERN may test OPERA again without relying GPS for timing.

And of course science requires independent corroboration of any result.

In addition, the results also need to be re-run independently by other particle physics laboratories, and plans are currently underway for this to occur at the only other two institutions in the world capable of performing the experiment: Japan’s T2K laboratory and America’s Fermilab MINOS experiment in Minnesota. Fermilab previously told TPM that its results were expected in early 2012.

Soon we will know. General Relativity may be about to be tweaked.




11/21/11--10:44: Some News Leaves People Knowing Less (chan 1633733)

Not my title - it's the title of a study by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In the most recent study, the poll asked New Jerseyans about current events at home and abroad, and from what sources – if any – they get their information. The conclusion:
Sunday morning news shows do the most to help people learn about current events, while some outlets, especially Fox News, lead people to be even less informed than those who they don’t watch any news at all.

I am reminded of the maxim that just because a result is obvious doesn't mean it is not worth studying. After all, quantification of the magnitude of an effect is worth doing.

But the real finding is that the results depend on what media sources people turn to for their news. For example, people who watch Fox News, the most popular of the 24-hour cable news networks, are 18-points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government than those who watch no news at all (after controlling for other news sources, partisanship, education and other demographic factors). Fox News watchers are also 6-points less likely to know that Syrians have not yet overthrown their government than those who watch no news.

"Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News ...

More below the Orange Squiggle of Power.




11/28/11--08:23: Poll Position: Gingrich 32%, Romney 23% (chan 1633733)

Link

Found via Taegard Goddard's Political Wire.

In the first national scientific public opinion poll since Gingrich garnered a key New Hampshire newspaper endorsement, likely 2012 Republican primary and caucus voters favored Gingrich over Romney by a 32%-23% margin, with Herman Cain at 14%, Ron Paul at 6%, Rick Perry 5%, Michele Bachmann 4%, Jon Huntsman 3%, someone else at 4%, and no opinion at 11%.

Conducted last night, the poll of 499 registered voters nationwide who said they’d vote in their state’s Republican primary or caucus has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Crosstabs.

Interestingly, Cain gets twice the support (18.3) from men as he does from women (9.5). I wonder what could possibly account for that?

Cain also leads among registered Democrats who plan on voting in the GOP primary - which is possible in some states. Since he also leads among black voters, I surmise that a fair number of black Democrats are willing to vote for Herman in the GOP primary - possibly to cause head explosions.

Surprising to me, Gingrich gets more support as the voter gets older - does this mean that people who are old enough to remember his tenure as Speaker have fond memories? I will never ever understand Republicans.




11/28/11--12:34: Nov. 14th - outline anti-OWS smear campaign to banksters. Dec. 14th - hold Romney fundraiser (chan 1633733)

Two weeks ago, a leaked secret memo written by a Republican lobbying firm, Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford, outlined an $850,000 plan for the American Bankers Association (ABA) to combat the growing resonance of the Occupy Wall Street movement’s message ...

SNIP

...
Today, Politico Influence reports that one of the four masterminds of the proposed smear campaign, Republican lobbyist Sam Gelduldig, will be co-hosting a Young Professionals for Mitt Romney fundraiser in Washington D.C on December 14.

Mastermind of $850000 Smear Campaign Against Occupy Wall Street co-hosting Mitt Romney Fundraiser

And Mr. Gelduldig has an interesting resume.

Before becoming a lobbyist Geduldig was a top adviser to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). This year, Geduldig has lobbied on behalf of various finance industry clients, including the ABA, Financial Services Roundtable, Financial Services Forum, MasterCard, American Insurance Association, and Koch Industries (which engages in significant commodities trading activities).




11/29/11--08:16: Newt rising: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina (chan 1633733)

Gleaned from Politician Wire,  twice.

A new Insider Advantage poll in New Hampshire shows Mitt Romney just ahead of Newt Gingrich in the first presidential primary state, 31% to 27%.

Newt leads in South Carolina:

A new Insider Advantage poll in South Carolina shows Newt Gingrich running away from the GOP presidential field with 38%, followed by Mitt Romney at 15%, Herman Cain at 13%, Ron Paul at 7%, Rick Perry at 4%, Michele Bachmann at 3% and Rick Santorum at 2%.

A new American Research Group poll finds Gingrich leading with 33%, followed by Romney at 22% and Cain at 10%.


Newt leads in Iowa.

Per Insider Advantage and We Ask America.

Candidate	Insider Advantage	We Ask America
Gingrich	28.1	29
Paul	13.3	11
Romney	11.5	13
Bachmann	11.5	13
Cain	9.8	7
Perry	6.6	5
Santorum	3.3	5
Someone else	3.2	4




11/29/11--08:43: New Hampshire State ADA locks self in office fearing assault by "birther" state Representatives (chan 1633733)

And yes, Orly Taitz is involved.

In a mostly overlooked episode earlier this month, the so-called “Birther Queen” Orly Taitz appeared before the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission to call for the removal of President Obama from the state’s presidential ballot. Taitz, the Soviet-born lawyer-dentist-real estate agent, has been on a multi-year mission to prove Obama is secretly Kenyan, and no amount of evidence will dissuade her. But she’s not alone – nine members of the NH state house signed on to her complaint.

... SNIP ...

Afterwards, Mavrogeorge and Assistant Secretary of State Karen Ladd locked themselves in an office “out of fear for their safety due to the aggressive behavior of the crowd that included several legislators.” Later, Attorney General Michael Delaney said, “No state employee should find himself in this situation, and I am asking the General Court to take whatever steps it deems appropriate concerning the standards of conduct exhibited by these elected officials.”

Right Wing Watch (found via Wonkette)

3 videos embedded and you can hear the outburst of anger in the last one. You can also hear that Orly Taitz still has her Moldavian accent going. Why can't these foreigners learn to speak English properly? /snark




11/30/11--10:38: House Republicans agree to meet with random person (chan 1633733)

The "random person" House Speaker John Boehner dismissed for his lack of influence over congressional Repulicans will be on Capitol Hill Thursday to speak to GOP lawmakers on messaging skills.

Grover Norquist, the Americans for Tax Reform president blamed by Democrats for helping scuttle a supercommittee deal this month, will address the House GOP "Theme Team" this week. Norquist is the same person whom Boehner called a "random person" earlier this month.

First Read

The House GOP would probably get a lot closer to possessing a clue if they picked a random citizen each month and let them talk to them for an hour.

Who decided that a 13 year old - that is the age when Grover conceived his "no taxes" pledge - should have the ear of an entire political party?

A GOP aide close to the "Theme Team" tells NBC News that Norquist is invited to speak to them once a year. He will be on hand this week to talk about tax policy and the best way to message it etc.

A "random person" speaks to the Theme Team once a year? On a not-very-random topic.

The Republican Party needs to choose between loyalty to Grover Norquist, and to America. Oh, and not that it really needs repeating, but John Boehner is a liar.




12/01/11--08:09: Dog bites man; GOP Sheriff trades meth for sex (chan 1633733)

Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick Sullivan was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of trying to trade drugs to a man for sex, as investigators monitored the deal.

Drug task-force officers were "visually monitoring" the deal when the 68-year-old former national Sheriff of the Year delivered methamphetamine to an Aurora home and sought sex in return, said current Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson.

Denver Post

Patrick Sullivan was the kind of lawman Coloradoans loved: a straight-shooting Republican sheriff who once crashed a Jeep through a fence to rescue two deputies from a gunman and pleaded with legislators to keep assault weapons off the street lest any more citizens get shot.

NYT

The ex-Colorado sheriff was known for his no-nonsense style, his heroism in saving two deputies and for his concern about teenage drug use. He was even named the nation’s sheriff of the year.

Patrick Sullivan, 68, found himself on Wednesday in a jail that was named for him, facing charges of offering methamphetamine in exchange for sex from a male acquaintance.

WaPo




12/01/11--08:26: Dog bites man: Michele Bachmann achieves fail (chan 1633733)

According to a tweet from NBC News’ Jamie Novogrod, Bachmann responded to the recent raiding of the British embassy in Iran, by saying that if she was President, she would close down the U.S. embassy there.

There’s just one problem: The U.S. has not had an embassy in Iran ever since the Iranian hostage crisis, when revolutionaries from the budding Islamic state held 52 Americans for 444 days. Indeed, frustration over this helped bring down Bachmann’s bete noire Jimmy Carter by defining his presidency as weak. The two countries have not had official diplomatic relations since that time.

TPM

Yes, I know Michele is about to go back to being a sideshow act in the GOP House Caucus Circus, just as soon as she fails to win Iowa. But it still says something terrible about the state of politics in the United States that a person so fundamentally ignorant of basic facts can make even a half-assed attempt at becoming President.

And why is everyone looking at Herman Cain? Because Sarah Palin isn't around?




12/01/11--11:37: Use the right tool for the job: Democratic Party versus Occupy (chan 1633733)

This eventually gets around to Occupy Wall Street versus the Democratic Party, and to the purist / pragmatist divide, and says good things about everyone involved. So it ought to be low meta. But first, I must set the stage.

The Lady Aardvark has recently taken up gardening. Since it gets cold here in Denver in the winter, she has moved her gardening inside with some hydroponics equipment. Fresh greens and veggies coming soon, courtesy of some tubs in the family room.

To grow veggies in the tubs, it was necessary to cut holes in the top the size of the grow pots - about 3" in diameter. So off to the hardware store I trekked, and acquired a 3" hole drill bit. Imagine these

but 3" wide.

And there lies the problem. My longtime drill is a Dewalt DW236, like this.



But I've used this drill a lot, and that handle thingy has broken. And that causes a problem when using a 3" drill bit. When drilling through something like a tub lid the surface tends to flex, and thus bind the bit. And when the bit stops all the angular momentum of the bit gets transferred back up into the drill, and then into my hands.

And the angular momentum of a 3" drill bit is 9 times that of a 1" drill bit - the radius is 3x as great, and the mass is also at least 3x as great. So when that 3" bit would bind, the resulting torque would rip the drill from my hands. Which was rather painful even though the drill didn't actually hit me.

So, not being able to quickly replace the handle, I bought a new drill. Off to the hardware store I trekked, and bought the cheapest drill with a handle they had - a Porter-Cable something or other. BTW, I have since learned that Porter-Cable has been bought out by Black and Decker, so their brand name is now worth exactly zippo to me.

Brought it home, tried it out, and discovered that the binding torque was sufficient to rotate the drill within the handle coupling, which was a ring tightened about the front of the drill housing. Still painful and still dangerous.

Back to the store again, and got a Hitachi D13VF with a handle that actually threads into the drill housing, rather than coupling using a tight ring. BINGO! Holes appeared as if by magic - and, since the Hitachi was also a 9 amp motor, it powered through tub flexing that might have bound up the Porter-Cable 6 amp tool.

The moral of this story is that by using the right tool for the job I was able to change a difficult and dangerous job into an easy one. And the application of that moral to politics is below the Orange Squiggle of Power.




12/01/11--14:55: Massachussetts to sue big banks for foreclosure fraud (chan 1633733)

The Massachusetts attorney general has filed a lawsuit against five large U.S. banks accusing them of deceptive foreclosure practices, a signal of ebbing confidence that a multi-state agreement can be worked out.

Yahoo!

The Massachusetts lawsuit, filed in state court in Boston, accuses Bank of America Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co Inc, Citigroup Inc, Wells Fargo & Co and GMAC of deceptive foreclosure practices, such as using robo-signers and false documents.

Chase is the largest US bank. Bank of America is 2nd. Citigroup is 3rd. Wells Fargo is fourth. GMAC is part of Ally Financial, which is #16.

Justice may yet be served. Oh, and the AG filing this suit? One Martha Coakley.

Oh, and MERS gets served as well.

The Massachusetts complaint accuses the banks of using fraudulent documents when processing foreclosures; of foreclosing on properties without holding the actual mortgage; and of failing to uphold promises to modify loans for the state's homeowners.

It also names the banks' private mortgage registry, MERS, as a defendant, accusing it of dodging fees and corrupting the state's land recording system.

MERS is the clearing house that makes securitization of mortgages possible. Without MERS there are no more CDO based on mortgages.




12/02/11--08:48: Women for Cain (chan 1633733)

New Section of Cain's Website

You thought his ad with Block smoking and Cain leering was weird? Check this page out, all done up in feminine purple.

Mr. Cain has been a strong advocate for women throughout his lifetime, defending and promoting the issues of quality health care, family, education, equality in the workplace and many other concerns so important to American women.

Once again, the clueless is so strong with Herman that he achieves self-parody without being conscious of doing so.

And please go read the comments posted. They are a peek into the mind of Republican women.

Oh, and BTW, Cain is using the threat of dropping out as a fundraising ploy.

TPM

As I assess the future of my campaign, I need to gauge the support of the people of this great nation,” the email says.  “In today’s political environment, the only way we can gauge true support is by the willingness of our supporters to invest in this effort.




12/02/11--12:43: Huntsman not ruling out 3rd party candidate; CT Whitman encourages him (chan 1633733)

In an interview with the Boston Globe earlier this week, John Huntsman refused to rule out a 3rd party bid for the Presidency.

Asked, “Is there any situation in which you would run for president as an independent?” Huntsman told The Boston Globe, “I don’t think so.”

Told that anything but a flat denial could perpetuate speculation about the possibility, Huntsman replied: “I’m a lifelong Republican. I’m running as a Republican, and I fully anticipate that that’s where we’re going to be.”

The former Utah governor has faced persistent speculation about an independent candidacy.

OK, so that's not much to go on. But this adds a little fuel to the fire.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, who is leading a group to draft a third-party presidential candidate, is encouraging Jon Huntsman to make an independent bid for the White House.

“I would hope he would do it, frankly. He’s someone that I would support,” Whitman said Friday in an interview with POLITICO.

Politico

Found via Political Wire

Thoughts below the Orange Squiggle of Power.




12/05/11--18:13: Mitt Romney spent $100k of state money for a coverup (chan 1633733)

Remember the news about Mitt Romney replacing all the computers and deleting all the emails when he left office? It turns out that cost Massachusetts taxpayers $100,000.00.

Mitt Romney spent nearly $100,000 in state funds to replace computers in his office at the end of his term as governor of Massachusetts in 2007 as part of an unprecedented effort to keep his records secret, Reuters has learned.

Reuters. Found via Political Wire.

The cleanup of records by Romney's staff before his term ended included spending $205,000 for a three-year lease on new computers for the governor's office, according to official documents and state officials.

In signing the lease, Romney aides broke an earlier three-year lease that provided the same number of computers for about half the cost - $108,000. Lease documents obtained by Reuters under the state's freedom of information law indicate that the broken lease still had 18 months to run.

As a result of the change in leases, the cost to the state for computers in the governor's office was an additional $97,000.




12/06/11--08:18: In Europe, a coup d'etat by the 1% is proposed (chan 1633733)

The European commission could be empowered to impose austerity measures on eurozone countries being bailed out, usurping the functions of government in countries such as Greece, Ireland, or Portugal. Bailed-out countries could also be stripped of their voting rights in the EU, under radical proposals being discussed at the highest level in Brussels before this week's crucial EU summit on the sovereign debt crisis.

Guardian

This is a coup. This is a coup by the 1% - or, more precisely, the 0.01%.

A confidential paper circulated to EU leaders on Tuesday by Herman Van Rompuy, the EU council president who will chair the summit on Thursday and Friday, says that eurobonds or the pooling of eurozone debt would be a powerful tool in resolving the crisis, despite fierce German resistance to the idea.

It calls for "more intrusive control of national budgetary policies by the EU" and lays out various options for enforcing fiscal discipline supra-nationally.

As Krugman and many others have demonstrated over and over, this problem was not caused by deficit spending. It. just. wasn't. This is not an attempt to resolve the Euro crisis, which is not being driven by high debts but by high interest rates. This is not an attempt to prevent another Euro crisis, which was not brought on by high debts. This is an attempt to set up a body which answers to the voters in no country which can decree austerity and deprive the victims of any further voice in Eurozone affairs.

This is a coup. This is what happens when you have supranational governmental authorities that don't actually answer to the voters of the member countries.

As part of a German-led drive for a eurozone "fiscal union", Van Rompuy highlights the potential for harmonising pension reforms, social security systems, labour market policy, and financial regulation: "Consideration could be given to use legislation to define minimum common features."

The 0.01% are after the European social net. They are not willing to miss the opportunity presented by the crisis caused by capital flows to the Eurozone periphery, which benefited the 0.01%, to cut taxes on themselves.

I hope the people of Europe rise up and cry "Halt!".




12/07/11--09:28: Rick Perry's new strategy: Reinstate DADT (chan 1633733)

His new ad attacks the new law allowing gays to serve openly in the military and it's a sign, among other things, of his liberation from being a national candidate: This isn't a popular national stance, but there's a slice of the Iowa electorate, still up for grabs, that has traditionally been organized and driven by socially conservative church leaders.

This is Perry making his bid for that Huckabee vote.

Ben Smith @ Politco

Found via Political Wire.

Going out with a whiny little whimper, Rick. If someone is voting based on anti-gay views, they have already painted their entire house to resemble a Santorum bumper sticker - or maybe a Bachmann flyer.




12/07/11--12:57: Quintessential Newtonian Arrogance (chan 1633733)

In Washington Wednesday, Gingrich told a crowd at the Republican Jewish Coalition forum that he’d nominate former Bush administration UN envoy John Bolton as Secretary of State.

TPM #1

It gets worse.

Asked by TPM to respond to Gingrich’s speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition Candidate Forum in Washington where he said flatly that Bolton would be his choice to run the nation’s foreign policy, Bolton’s office declined to say if he’d accept the appointment, if he’s discussed it with Gingrich or whether or not he’s endorsing Gingrich.

TPM #2

Chutzpah is announcing your secretary of state nominee before you are even nominated.

Extra chutzpah is nominating someone manifestly unfit for the position by reason of a lack of self-control.

But it takes Newt to announce that someone will fill a cabinet post in his somewhat improbable administration ... without even discussing the possibility with that person.

So, below the Orange Squiggle of Power, I hereby announce my cabinet appointees for the forthcoming blue aardvark administration, as America recovers from her long nightmare and realizes that only a sapient termite-eating quadruped can save us from our problems.




12/08/11--06:59: Warren leads Brown by 7 (chan 1633733)

Boston Herald (found via political wire)

Democrat Elizabeth Warren has opened up a lead against Republican incumbent Scott Brown for the first time in their U.S. Senate showdown, but a barrage of attack ads appears to have damaged Warren and Brown’s standing among Massachusetts voters, a new University of Massachusetts at Lowell/Boston Herald poll shows.

... SNIP ...

A UMass-Lowell/Boston Herald poll taken in late September showed Brown ahead by a 41-38 percent margin, so the new poll represents a 10-point swing in Warren’s favor in less than two months.

Occupy is essentially a wash.

Warren’s support for Occupy Wall Street is having some negative effect on her campaign, but not a very significant one right now. Just 23 percent of voters say they are less likely to back her because of her OWS position, while 16 percent say it makes them more likely to support her.

But the Occupy movement appears to be unpopular, even in heavily liberal Massachusetts. One third of voters say they oppose the Occupy movement, with just 26 percent voicing support. The poll also shows the Tea Party movement continues to be extremely unpopular in Massachusetts.

Attack ads by both sides are taking a toll on the candidate's positive / negative opinion scores. But there's no question who has the momentum. I predict that a lot of Boston Bankers (State Street et al) took some antacids with their morning coffee.




12/08/11--14:18: ACTION. Contact Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO). Tell him his petition sucks the scum off of rocks (chan 1633733)

And not in the good way, either. Here it is:

I support a balanced budget amendment that:

Requires that the federal budget be balanced each year unless 3/5ths of each House (60 votes in the Senate) vote to waive.
Requires the President to submit a budget each year that is balanced.
Would be waived when the U.S. is in a declared time of war.
Would create a Social Security lockbox that protects the revenue and outlays of Social Security from any balanced budget requirement.
Would prohibit Congress from providing income tax breaks for people earning over $1 million a year, unless we are running surpluses (those surpluses must also not be eliminated if such a tax break were enacted).

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No more ways for the GOP to hold the budget hostage. No super-majorities in the House. And what about Medicare? No, no, no.

Every hear of Keynes, Sen. Udall? He was way smarter than you about these matters.

Here is the contact page. Let him have it.

Be gentle - he did lead the fight against indefinite detention of Americans in the recent Defense budget bill.




12/09/11--16:37: When is "An Astonishing Failure" also "Appropriate"? (chan 1633733)

You've have one guess who used both terms to refer to the withdrawal from Iraq.

Yes, Mitt Romney. No points awarded as it's too easy.

Think Progress

In October Mitt said

President Obama’s astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women.

Yesterday Mitt said

With regards to Iraq, of course we’re following the Bush timeline with one exception and that is the [blank space] President Bush and I believe others anticipated that we would have an ongoing force, somewhere between 10 and 20 and 30,000 there to help with the transition. President Obama’s own Secretary of Defense suggested that would be the case and they were unable to negotiate a status of forces agreement to allow the 10 to 20 to 30,000 troops to remain which I think was a failure on the part of the administration. But is the wind down in Iraq appropriate? Yes.

I'm sure Mitt will say that the failure to negotiate permission for 10 to 30 thousand troops to remain behind is what he meant by "failure secure an orderly transition". But the real question is whether or not we want to acknowledge Iraq has a sovereign government. If they do, and they decide we aren't helping to secure much of anything that they want secure, what does Mitt suggest we do? Re-invade? If the Iraqis don't think those troops are needed, exactly what does Mitt know that they don't?

I think I know where the "naked political opportunism" is here, Mitt, and it's not on the part of the President.




12/12/11--08:30: SCOTUS agrees to review AZ SB1070 (chan 1633733)

NYT

Justice Elena Kagan will not take part in the Arizona case, presumably because of her work on the issue when she served in the Justice Department.

Arguments probably will take place in late April, which would give the court roughly two months to decide the case.

Not too much more to say except I wish I had any confidence that at least 4 of these justices gave a rat's tail about either the Constitution or justice.




12/13/11--06:18: Newt Gingrich working on pro-Climate Change book (chan 1633733)

To be released AFTER the election, in 2013.


A sequel to Newt Gingrich’s 2007 book Contract with the Earth is in the works, though not until after the 2012 elections.


Think Progress

Newt evidently has a thing about Contracts with Some Entity Incapable of Signing One. He doesn't do so well at marriage contracts, of course.

One of the essayists is climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, asked by Maple to provide “a good opening chapter that lays out the facts on global climate change.” Hayhoe is a Texas Tech climate scientist and conservative evangelical Christian, who has written A Climate for Change, calling on her fellow evangelicals to stand up to the climate crisis.

This particular evangelical scientist is doing God's work!

But I'm not here to discuss religion vis-a-vis climate change. I'm here to discuss what this implies for the career path of the odious Newt.

First, this suggests that Gingrich still believes in the science of Climate Change. Which he has denied in order to woo the reality-denying wing of the Republican electorate, which is only 250 times the size of the reality-accepting wing. Hypocrisy, no doubt. And it suggests that the Koch brothers et cetera don't mind what a candidate says so long as the things done don't interfere with their greed.

Second, it suggests that a hypothetical President Gingrich would either have to take action to match his book, or continue further yet down the path of hypocrisy, actively taking actions he believes will destroy the planet for political gain. I think the four-letter word to describe that sort of behavior is "evil". I'm betting on evil.

Third, it means that a Newt defeated will once again go back to being an advocate of Climate Change science, and might make yet another PSA with Nancy Pelosi. And in turn that means that being a blatant opportunist and hypocrite, not to mention publicly wrong, won't cost Newt any of his gravitas on the talking head pundit circuit. In other words, this is another nugget of evidence that the MSM does not care about truth in the slightest - it's all "he said, she said".

Fourth, it means that the odious Newt either thought this book could be kept a secret, or never really thought his campaign would have this level of success. It will be interesting to see if any of the other candidates makes Newt pay a price for this heresy.




12/15/11--09:51: Gingrich is the inventor of gridlock (chan 1633733)

The odious Newt has been a mean-spirited and arrogant little man for as long as he has been on the national scene. Among his signature accomplishments was the transformation of the Republican Party from a group which tried to govern according to conservative principles into a group which tried to seize power by any means necessary with actual governing a nasty little detail best overlooked.

I acknowledge that Republicans were questioning other people's patriotism as far back as Nixon and McCarthy. Their devolution from a party of ideas into a party of nasty poo-flingers has been a long time in the making. However, Gingrich was the person most responsible from changing the party from one which contained poo-flingers into a party focused primarily on the flinging of poo.

I have evidence. Follow below the Orange Squiggle of Power.




12/15/11--10:52: DoJ releases report on Sheriff Arpaio: "Culture of Bias" (chan 1633733)

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has “promoted a culture of bias” against Latinos in his Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and communicated to officers that “biased policing would not only be tolerated, but encouraged,” according to a just-released report by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.


TPM

DOJ investigators found during a three year probe that there was reasonable cause to believe that Arpaio, who fancies himself America’s Toughest Sheriff, and the Maricopa County’s Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) have engaged “in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing” and “engages in racial profiling of Latinos; unlawfully stops, detains, and arrests Latinos; and unlawfully retaliates against individuals who complain about or criticize MCSO’s policies or practices.”

This is the CIVIL investigation. The CRIMINAL investigation is ongoing. And this investigation was definitely delayed by Arpaio and his cronies.

Perez said he is hopeful that despite Arpaio’s lack of cooperation in the probe they can settle the civil matter without litigation. A separate criminal investigation of MCSO, being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona, is ongoing.

“The stakes are high for the community, the stakes are high for MCSO,” Perez told reporters. “If we have to litigate, we’ll litigate. I’d much rather cooperate and solve the problem that way.”

In any halfway sane city or state, this thug would be GONE. Citizens of Maricopa County, you have a national embarrassment as your sheriff, and you have the power to relieve the rest of us. Make him go away. Please?




12/21/11--07:00: Thanks! and guilt (chan 1633733)

I would like to thank the anonymous donor(s) who provided me with a lifetime gift subscription to Daily Kos. Whoever you are, I thank you. You rock; you rule; many blessings on your camels; may your bharns increase like unto to Mitt Romney flip-flops.

I also feel guilty. I read many stories on Daily Kos of people who are in despair, even on the verge of suicide, because of money troubles, and I know that I am blessed financially well beyond many of my fellow Kossacks. And I read a lot hereabouts and I know that a lot of the people with little money are better writers than I. As I once told Ministry of Truth, I have a gift for one liners, but he has a gift for beautiful paragraphs. IMNHO, his is the greater and more useful gift. Out of all the voices here there is almost certainly someone with greater utility to the site and also less money still waiting for their gift subscription.

Now that I've exorcised a little of my WASP guilt over receiving charity - again, thank you. It is nice to feel appreciated. This site is an island of kindness in a cruel and unforgiving Internet. I suspect it's because Kos is actually a nice guy behind his fearsome demeanor. [It wouldn't be a blue aardvark diary without at least some snark, now would it?]

Hugs to you all. Here's to us; there are none others like us.




01/03/12--07:23: Space Alien Considers Third Party Run (chan 1633733)

Qrrrthzl, a Xanth from the planet Ochroid (picture below the Orange Squiggle of Power), has been placed on the ballot in Texas for a 3rd party Presidential run. Using the vocal apparatus of a has-been businessman and media figure whose name does not merit mention, Qrrrthzl expressed approval of the effort while speaking to a simulacrum of a media news person.




01/04/12--07:26: Rick Santorum: Birth Control should be illegal (chan 1633733)

This. is. not. snark.

Think Progress

But found by reading Krugthulhu's blog.

Rick Santorum reiterated his belief that states should have the right to outlaw contraception during an interview with ABC News yesterday, saying, “The state has a right to do that, I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that. It is not a constitutional right, the state has the right to pass whatever statues they have.”

Santorum has long opposed the Supreme Court’s 1965 ruling “that invalidated a Connecticut law banning contraception” and has also pledged to completely defund federal funding for contraception if elected president. As he told CaffeinatedThoughts.com editor Shane Vander Hart in October, “One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country,” the former Pennsylvania senator explained. “It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”




01/09/12--08:30: Billionaire pal of Gingrich to drop $5M for a Swift-Boat style attack against Romney (chan 1633733)

Preview of video below the Orange Squiggle of Power.

A casino billionaire named Sheldon Aldeson (TPM) has given $5M to a pro-Newt Super PAC which will run "Swift-Boat" style ads against Mitt Romney. Swift-boat refers to the general style and tone and ad hominem nature, not to the level of accuracy, BTW.

From the NYT:

The advertisements, a counterpunch to a campaign waged against Mr. Gingrich by a group backing Mr. Romney, will be built on excerpts from a scathing movie about Bain Capital, the private equity firm Mr. Romney once ran. The movie, financed by a Republican operative opposed to Mr. Romney, includes emotional interviews with people who lost jobs at companies that Bain bought and later sold.

... SNIP ...

The group said it would spend $3.4 million initially on radio and TV advertisements starting Wednesday in South Carolina, where the campaign will move after New Hampshire. Mr. Gingrich, who held the lead in the polls in South Carolina last month before falling back, attributes his fade there and earlier in Iowa, where he finished fourth in the caucuses last week, to a deluge of attack advertisements from a super PAC supporting Mr. Romney, Restore Our Future.

For comparison, the total amount spent in Iowa by all candidates on media buys was approximately $15M. The population of Iowa is 3M; the population of South Carolina is 4.5M.

The last-week attack ads against Newt Gingrich were judged to be largely responsible for his poll decline in Iowa (of about 2/3 of his support) - and remember, the odious Newt has very high name recognition and is regarded as a known quantity. This decline in Newt's support turned the Iowa caucuses into a frothy mixture that allowed Santorum to rise to the top. It is not impossible that a barrage of ads about Mitt's reign at Bain, which caused much pain, could resonate and bring Mitt's support down in South Carolina. After all, a company that made billions while bankrupting nearly 1/4th of the companies it invested in does sound pretty Wall Street insiderish to me.




01/10/12--14:53: OK, this disgusts me. (chan 1633733)



As Digbysays: "Wow."




01/11/12--08:44: Thermally Expanded Maize Kernels (chan 1633733)

As the campaign moves on to South Carolina, the assorted not-Romneys are getting more and more desperate to stop the Autobot Decepticon. And the attack ads are beginning.

And this is good news for ... popcorn farmers!


A Ron Paul Super PAC has an ad up about Mitt's support of bailouts.






01/12/12--09:55: Romney Endorser McCain slams Romney over Bain (chan 1633733)

No, this isn't McCain getting confused again. It's just a matter of timing.

Yesterday: John McCain defends Romney's record at bain

These attacks on, quote, Bain Capital is really kind of anathema to everything that we believe in," said McCain. "We believe in job creation, and the record of Bain Captial is to take companies that would otherwise fail and restore them to some kind of viability, and sometimes that doesn't work, but, you know, when it always works is a thing called communism, where you keep everybody in business.

Four years ago: McCain and Romney trade sharp attacks

Mr. McCain also went after Mr. Romney for his work as head of Bain Capital, a leveraged-buyout firm. “As head of his investment company he presided over the acquisition of companies that laid off thousands of workers.”

Ooops. I guess that Mr. Maverick confused communism and capitalism four years ago, in a very maverick-y fashion.




01/12/12--12:10: Handful of hedge funds "scupper" Greek bailout (chan 1633733)

A nation of 11 million people is about to be subjected to quite a bit more pain and suffering because a handful of super-rich people need more money. And the consequences may lead to the end of the Euro and financial chaos throughout the world (population 6 billion, of whom 300 million are in the Euro zone).

Reuters

York Capital, the $14 billion fund part-owned by Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse (VTX:CSGN.VX - News), New York-listed Och Ziff (NYSE:OZM - News), and $10 billion-strong Marathon Asset Management are among those who collectively may have built up sufficiently large positions to scupper the bailout deal, several sources close to the debt restructuring told Reuters.

The deal asks creditors to voluntarily write down 50 percent of the notional value of their bond holdings. But hedge funds may opt out, hoping that Athens will let them get away with it to save itself political embarassment.

What happens if the bailout fails?

The stakes for Greece are high. Without the deal, the international lenders will not bail Athens out a second time, which means it will likely default around March 20, when a 14.5 billion euro bond falls due.

And things are not likely to go well for Europe as a whole if Greece defaults. Rates for debt issued by other nations (Italy, Spain, Ireland) may go up even though their straits are less dire than that of Greece.

What makes it worse is that Greek debt has been selling at a steep discount for months now, as everyone saw this coming. So the hedge funds are not trying to avoid a loss; they are trying to maximize their profit - at whatever cost to the Greeks.

Funds who have bought Greek debt in the last few months are likely to have paid anywhere between 20 and 45 cents on the euro, depending on the maturity.

By signing up to the deal, which is for a 50 percent haircut, they would still make a profit.

They are destroying the cradle of European civilization so that the uber-rich can be yet more uber. In case you were unaware, most hedge funds require a minimum investment of $500,000. And most investors don't put all their money in one fund.

In case the people of Greece want to know where to send the helots with torches and sarissa - Credit Suisse, Och Ziff, and Marathon Assets (ironically named) may deserve your attentions.

I wonder if Mitt Romney thinks that hedge funds are people?
I wonder if Mitt Romney thinks that Greeks are people?




01/13/12--11:41: Breaking: S&P downgrades French debt (chan 1633733)

From AAA to AA.

France's loss of its AAA-rating deals a heavy blow to the eurozone's ability to fight off its debt crisis. The country is the second-largest contributor to the currency union's bailout fund.

S&P in December put 15 eurozone countries on creditwatch and other downgrades were expected later Friday.

Le Euro c'est fini.




01/13/12--12:17: Rick Perry hits new low (chan 1633733)

LA Times

After Perry left, walking by a mannequin wearing a Squat N’ Gobble T-shirt whose hand was raised above her head – a hand Perry tried to call on during a question-and-answer period  ...

Also, what sort of depraved civilization has a restaurant chain named Squat and Gobble?




01/14/12--12:45: Evangelicals chose Santorum at their confab (chan 1633733)

TPM

The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins announced that evangelical conservatives who met in Texas recently endorsed Rick Santorum, CNN’s Sam Feist reports.

Perkins said there was “strong consensus” in the room for Santorum, according to Dave Weigel. Perkins said Santorum got support from over two-thirds of the 150 conservative leaders present, according to Felicia Sonmez.

“It’s not news that there’s not strong support among conservatives for Mitt Romney,” Perkins said, according to Sonmez.


So now we get to find out how strong a voice the evangelicals have in the Republican Party. Compared to the donors to Mitt's SuperPac and Newt's SuperPac, not to mention the loyal legions of Paulbots, my guess is "not strong enough".





01/16/12--15:44: Santorum smears Romney (chan 1633733)

New ad up in South Carolina embedded below the Orange Squiggle of Power. Found via Political Wire.

Two line summary: Mitt Romney is the same as Barack Obama on Wall Street bailouts, health care, and social issues, so you don't want to support him. Instead, unite behind Rick Santorum.

Of course, today Nate Silver guesstimated that Mitt has a better than 90% chance of being his party's nominee. So all Rick is doing is making certain someone takes a shot at Mitt from the right and further debilitates him with the social conservatives.

Unlike the Bain ads, Obama won't quote this ad in his own anti-Romney ads. Also unlike the Bain ads, this one will resonate with the GOP base, and diminish enthusiasm therein.

Popcorn joke / picture incorporated by reference here.




01/17/12--08:59: When Religious Right "voted" to support Santorum - the vote was rigged (chan 1633733)

On Friday and Saturday, about 150 religious conservatives gathered in Texas to see if they could coalesce behind an alternative to Mitt Romney.
... SNIP ...
Some attendees, though, say the process was rigged in Santorum’s favor. “I’m trying to correct the record,” former congressman J. C. Watts, a Newt Gingrich supporter, told me. “There wasn’t a consensus.”

Daily Beast

There were 3 ballots.
First ballot: Santorum 57, Gingrich 48, Perry 13, Romney 3!, and Paul 1. Total: 122.
Per process, everyone but Santorum and Gingrich was eliminated.
Second ballot: Santorum 70, Gingrich 49. Total 119. Maybe they stoned the 3 Romney voters.
AND NOW SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENS.


t’s what happened next, before the third ballot, that’s the subject of contention. “It’s my understanding that there were probably six or eight votes for Newt that left for the airport that did not vote in the final tally,” says Watts. They weren’t allowed to use proxy voters. Santorum voters, he believes, were. “No Newt supporter who went into that meeting came out of that meeting against him,” Watts insists.

And of course the Ron Paul supporter has a conspiracy theory, because the sanity is weak with those guys. Although this time he may be correct.

He’s not the only one making such claims. Doug Wead, an evangelical outreach official in the Bush administration, was the meeting’s lone Ron Paul supporter. According to the Washington Times, he voiced suspicions that “organizers ‘manipulated’ the gathering and may even have stuffed the ballot to produce an endorsement” of Santorum. “By the time the weekend was over, it was clear that this had been definitely planned all along as a Rick Santorum event,” Wead told the paper.

Interesting that the Newt supporters were unwavering. Both men are Catholics so these differences are not theological. I suspect we're looking at a difference based on either economics or electability.




01/18/12--09:25: Mitt: "I'm basically in the investors Hall of Fame" (chan 1633733)

PDF courtesy of namelessgenexer.

This is very idiosyncratic, but paging through John McCain's 200 page PDF on Mitt Romney these are the ones that made me go "Oh boy that's not going to help Mitt with most voters". These are not the ones that were so appalling they made me want to track Mitt Romney down and force him to listen to Sarah Palin singing.

1. Romney lied about his experience that changed his mind on abortion - and continued to support abortion rights after his supposed conversion
   
2. Flip flop on gays with children
   
3. Lies about guns
   
4. Killed hi-tech jobs in Massachusetts
   
5. Left his successor a $1B deficit - while the economy nationwide was still doing OK
   
6. Wouldn't endorse Bush tax cuts in 2003 but now supports them
   
7. Didn't think Osama bin Laden was worth much effort
   
8. Climate Change Weasel
   
9. Brags about himself as "investor"
   
10. Romney sat on the board of a company fined $100M for Medicare fraud
    
11. The "Romneycare" bill set aside one of 12 board positions to be appointed by Planned Parenthood - which Romney later denied
    

I think overall #9 is likely to be the most damaging. Just appalling hubris.




01/18/12--12:40: Romney, Bain, record Medicare Fraud (chan 1633733)

From the delightful gift that is John McCain's opposition research on Mitt (courtesy of namelessgenxer) comes the sordid tale of Mitt's tenure on the board of Damon Clinical Laboratories, which plead guilty to charges of defrauding Medicare and agreed to pay what was at the time the largest health care criminal fraud fine in history - $35,300,000. They also agreed to larger civil fines which totaled $83,700,000.

The time line goes as follows.


• 1988: Damon begins a systemic practice of fraud. The government estimates later that the total cost to taxpayers of this fraud is around $40,000,000
  
• 1990: Bain Capital (CEO Mitt Romney) buys a minority stake in Damon. Mitt takes a seat on the board of directors
  
• 1990 to 1993: Mitt serves on the board of directors, earning ~$10,000 per year for doing so. He is on the company's "Strategic Planning" committee
  
• 1992: Romney said that [Damon’s then-CEO Robert] Rosen told the board in about 1992 ‘that all current practices at the company were now in conformity with government regulations and that in the past there may have been practices which would not be deemed appropriate.
  
• 1993: Damon is taken over by Corning, with Mitt Romney voting in favor of the acquisition
  
• 1993: Corning immediately closes Damon's Massachusetts plant and lays off 115 workers
  
• 1993: Corning uncovers the fraud and alerts authorities. The SEC filings made by Damon prior to the acquisition make no mention of any potential earnings write-downs or legal problems
  
• 1993: Mitt Romney's share of Bain's profit from the Damon investment: $473,000
  
• 1993: Bain's profit from its investment in Damon: $7,400,000, which represented a tripling of the initial investment
  
• 1994: Running for Senator, Mitt Romney says:

  I’m proud of the small part I played in the growth of Damon,’ Romney said yesterday. ‘It’s something that Ted Kennedy doesn’t have a clue about – creating real jobs in the private sector.

  
  
• 2002: While running for governor, Romney claims that he helped uncover the fraud by starting an investigation. This version of events is disputed by Corning and by the Federal Prosecutors. Mitt also says he never alerted the authorities, which no one disputes.
  

  So - Bain invests in a company. Mitt gets personally involved with managing said company. Company profits are significantly based upon Medicare Fraud. Bain & Romney never uncover the fraud in 4 years, Corning uncovers it immediately upon buying Damon. Despite the fraud, Bain triples its investment, and Romney's share of that profit is a cool half a million.

  And then Mitt says he's proud of "creating jobs in the real world" after 115 workers are laid off at the plant where fraud was rampant.

  And then Mitt claims he was responsible for finding the fraud, which is simply a lie.

  What a piece of work.




01/23/12--12:27: The Evitable Willard M. Romney (chan 1633733)

Per Gallup 5 day rolling average of their daily tracking poll, the nationwide GOP nomination race (polling limited to registered Republicans) now stands
rMoney: 29
Odious Newt: 28
That 70ish Guy: 13
Frothy: 11

Per 538, Gingrich now has an 84% chance of winning Florida, with a 44% to 30% lead over Willard.

The more numerate among you doubtless added those percentages in your heads and observed that there are 19 percentage points unallocated, presumably among "Don't know", "someone else", and "Dear God ANYONE else".

Also noted is that exit polls in South Carolina indicated that (per TPM) those primary voters who most valued the ability to beat Obama broke for the Odious Newt by a slight margin.

So, if Willard can't run on an aura of inevitability; and can't run on electability; what does he run on?

Job creation? Well, let's talk about your career at Bain Capital, Willard, and see how well you did that.

He's a guy like you who feels your pain? Somehow, I don't think that will work.

He's a guy you'd like to have a beer with? Setting the Mormon doctrines regarding alcohol aside, can you imagine relaxing with Willard with any sort of beverage?

He's a social conservative who will restore American values? No one trusts him, and at this moment we have to stop setting the whole Mormon question aside.

There's something wrong with Willard, and I don't think there's enough money in the world to fix it. Unless Newt manages to implode again (any ego that inflated is a constant implosion threat) Willard is done.

Time for Willard to drop out for the good of his party.




01/23/12--14:40: Newt's contracts with Freddie, Fannie to be released tonight (chan 1633733)

From First Read

Newt Gingrich's former consulting company will release his contracts with Freddie Mac this evening before the NBC debate, a spokeswoman confirmed. Gingrich was reportedly paid $1.6 million under the contracts and Romney had made disclosure of the contracts a major issue in the last day.

Romney complains, Newt complies.

Where's your tax returns, Willard?

For those who don't recall, these are the contracts where Gingrich claimed he was hired as a "historian" to provide advice on the business models of the GSEs. Actually, as anyone with two brain cells to rub together deduced immediately, he was hired for his contacts on Capitol Hill - a lobbyist de facto but perhaps not de jure.

It will be interesting to see if the word "historian" appears in the contracts - but unless Newt's lawyers are idiots, the word "lobbyist" will not.




01/23/12--16:33: Newt Gingrich, "kept man" (chan 1633733)

Some of you may be old enough to remember the phrase "kept woman". A "kept woman" was a mistress for a rich man whose lifestyle was mostly or entirely dependent upon the largess of the man.

As politicians go, Newt Gingrich is a "kept man". And his keeper is one Sheldon Adelson. Per TPM, Adelson has just given $5,000,000 to the pro-Gingrich Super PAC Winning Our Future for use in Florida. This is the same amount of money Adelson gave to WOF for use in South Carolina, enabling the Super PAC to bombard every sentient, semi-sentient, and nearly semi-sentient life form in the state with anti Romney advertising.

Per Open Secrets, the total amount Gingrich had raised as of 3Q 2011 was $3M. In other words, the total amount raised by Gingrich directly is likely less than half of what Adelson has given to his Super PAC.

So, let us consider the prospects of a Gingrich presidency. Stranger things have happened - or at least, been reported, although the reliability of the witnesses thereto is usually doubtful. What do you suppose would happen if Mr. Adelson called Newt Gingrich up. Would he get through? Yes. Would he have Newt's private number? Yes. Would he get anything he asked for, no matter how deleterious to the interests of the US populace as a whole? Almost certainly.

Who would, in fact, be the real President?




01/25/12--10:04: Willard M. Romney: "The economy is getting better" (chan 1633733)

[Laura] INGRAHAM: You’ve also noted that there are signs of improvement on the horizon in the economy. How do you answer the president’s argument that the economy is getting better in a general election campaign if you yourself are saying it’s getting better?

ROMNEY: Well, of course it’s getting better. The economy always gets better after a recession, there is always a recovery. […]

Wonkette

Willard responding to the SOTU:

Romney even said the president was sounding themes he’s been striking on the campaign trail, but that “he seems to think the country is on the right track and things are going well,” something Romney called “foreign” to people in Florida.”

First Read

Notice this is not a flip flop, because it's not a policy position per se. Romney is willing to admit things are getting better when he thinks the MSM aren't paying attention, but not when they are.

The Internet is watching you, Willard. And once again it notices that you are a big fat liar.




01/25/12--13:22: Rupert Murdoch slams Romney on Taxes (chan 1633733)

Not. a. joke.

Per TPM Sir Rupert sent out this Tweet:

Romney's tax returns might kill his chances. See Republican establishment panic now!

One of the more important stories that the MSM always fails to report, for obvious reasons, is the existence of the "Murdoch primary" for Republican Presidential primaries. The endorsement of Sir Rupert / Roger Ailes, and the resulting unfair and unbalanced coverage by Fox News can have a significant effect on Republican voters.

I would have guessed as of this morning that Willard was the anointed winner of the Fox Primary and was going to receive the benefits thereof. And then I read this tweet and I start to wonder.




01/26/12--09:52: Team Romney goes there: Newt's mental state (chan 1633733)

Newt Gingrich
Unethical. Erratic. Reckless.

TPM passes along a Greg Sargent column. The blockquote above is taken from the second page of a mailer sent out by the Romney campaign in Florida.

It also contains this delightful quote from Jennifer Rubin.

With Gingrich you never have the peace of mind that you've gotten to the bottom of his well of sleaze

The concept of a Gingrichian "well of sleaze" is almost as disturbing as that of a "Santorum surge".




01/26/12--13:55: Romney left foreign accounts off his financial disclosure forms (chan 1633733)

Mitt Romney could face new questions about his overseas investments after a campaign official acknowledged to NBC News that his campaign is revising his financial disclosure forms to report more than a half dozen offshore holdings, including income from a multi-million dollar Swiss bank account that were not disclosed last year.

First Read

Mitt Romney's campaign is amending the financial disclosure forms he filed in 2007 and 2011 to acknowledge that a Romney trust held a Swiss bank account, a detail that had been missing from both reports.

"An amendment is being filed to address this minor discrepancy," a campaign official told ABC News in an email Thursday in response to questions about the apparent omission.

ABC

Minor discrepancy?
Half a dozen accounts, at least one of which has multiple millions in it, and in both 2007 and 2011?

This is no minor discrepancy. This is Willard caught with his hand in the cookie jar, his pockets full of cookies, cookie crumbs piled 6" deep around his ankles, cookie residue smeared across his face like Santorum, and a 54' tractor-trailer rig delivering cookies backing into the driveway. I can't prove it, but I have no doubt that this is a deliberate omission to hide politically embarrassing investments.

More below the Orange Squiggle of Power.




01/27/12--08:26: Ron Paul proof-read racist newsletters (chan 1633733)

Ron Paul has claimed that he didn't know what was in the newsletters produced under his name which were full of some of the most vile stuff imaginable, such as "The Rodney King riots ended when the blacks had to pick up their welfare checks".

But people close to Paul’s operations said he was deeply involved in the company that produced the newsletters, Ron Paul & Associates, and closely monitored its operations, signing off on articles and speaking to staff members virtually every day.

“It was his newsletter, and it was under his name, so he always got to see the final product. . . . He would proof it,” said Renae Hathway, a former secretary in Paul’s company and a supporter of the Texas congressman.

TPM

But does this mean Ron Paul is a racist? No, actually, it means he's a greedy mofo.

In its digging, the Post doesn’t find any evidence that Paul actually believed the ugly stuff filling his newsletters. It’s suggested that something else may have driven them.

“A person involved in Paul’s businesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid criticizing a former employer, said Paul and his associates decided in the late 1980s to try to increase sales by making the newsletters more provocative,” the paper reports. “They discussed adding controversial material, including racial statements, to help the business, the person said.”

In other words, Ron Paul knew he'd make more money if his newsletters contained racist and anti-Semitic crap. So he pandered to the very worst people in America in order to line his own pockets and gain exposure for his other ideas.

In other other words, Ron Paul is not a principled conservative or a principled libertarian. He's a vile fraud with a slightly different flavor of snake oil to sell to the ignorant fools of the far right.

You don't want to try even a small taste of his snake oil, even if there's some anti-war stuff on the label. The side effects include sympathy for racism, worship of golden idols, and thinking property rights trump everything.

And of course Ron Paul's not the only purveyor of snake oil. The entire Republican Party consists of different brands of snake oil being sold as pure glacial water laid down by the Founding Fathers.




01/28/12--05:59: NC State Rep: Public Hangings for abortion providers (chan 1633733)

The last legal public hanging in America took place in 1936 in Owensboro, Kentucky. The “event” attracted 20,000 people and turned into such a sickening spectacle that many credit it with ending the practice in the U.S.

But one North Carolina Republican believes that as a country we’ve grown soft since banning public hangings and is calling for them to reinstated as a deterrent to crime. If Rep. Larry Pittman had his way, “abortionists, rapists, and kidnappers” would be first in line for the gallows

Think Progress

Rep. Pittman emailed all his fellow representatives the following gem:

We need to make the death penalty a real deterrent again by actually carrying it out. Every appeal that can be made should have to be made at one time, not in a serial manner,” Pittman wrote in the email. “If murderers (and I would include abortionists, rapists, and kidnappers, as well) are actually executed, it will at least have the deterrent effect upon them. For my money, we should go back to public hangings, which would be more of a deterrent to others, as well.

And that pretty much leaves me speechless with disgust. Why not add drawing and quartering?




01/28/12--12:59: A suggestion for Team Obama (chan 1633733)

I hope this reaches Axelrod et al, because I think it would work rather effectively.

Assumptions
Some independent voters still have some trust in Republican "leaders".
This will vary from state to state depending on the local voters.
Different lines of attack against Romney will resonate with the independent voters in different states.

Data mining of the GOP debates may pay large dividends (we're talking Willard M. Romney sized dividends!) later. That is:


1. Go through the debates. Observe all the times one of the other candidates criticizes Willard. Build a data base of "Candidate X said something about topic Y".
   
2. In the competitive states, conduct polls of independent voters to determine which of the not-Romney they find most trustworthy
   
3. In those same competitive states, conduct polls of independent voters to determine which of Willard's flaws they dislike most
   
4. Run targeted ads showing the not-Romney they trust most attacking Romney on the issue they most care about
   

E.G., if polling in North Carolina shows that independent voters there trust, Gingrich and Cain more than Bachmann and Santorum and Perry and Paul; and also shows that North Carolina independents care most about Romney flip-flopping; then go back to the debate footage, find clips of Gingrich and Cain attacking Willard M about his numerous inconsistencies, and run ads featuring those clips.

If in Colorado Paul and Bachmann are more trusted by independents, and Colorado independents care most about Romney being out of touch with ordinary Americans, find clips of Paul and Bachmann talking about Romney the Rich guy, and run ads featuring those clips.

With a little work and some polling dollars you can have a whole series of attack ads showing independent voters that even other Republicans say that Romney is a bad guy.

This has the potential to do more than help Obama in a few swing states, BTW. Romney's campaign has been very reactive thus far. Willard does not take criticism very well. A plausible response from Willard is to attack the not-Romney messengers in his own ads. This can make independent voters go "Wow. Even the Republican candidate for President says his party is full of loons. Maybe ... he's a loon too? But even if Romney's not loony, do I really want to vote for Republicans down-ballot?"

I hope that somehow these musings reach the ears of someone who can consider them.