Porky the Pundit
We’re not ones to be easily amused,
But we admit we got really enthused,
When we learned that the Muppets
Are more than just puppets
When Miss Piggy said Fox News isn’t news.
Day: January 31, 2012
Gingrich Calls Romney Campaign ‘Pathetic’
What a pathetic situation to be running for the President of the United States with nothing positive to say. All you got to do is try to tear your opponent down to where they get smaller than you are, that’s the Romney model.
— Newt Gingrich, quoted by NBC News, criticizing GOP rival Mitt Romney.
Intraparty Smears Hurting GOP with Independents
The traditional rationalization about intraparty smears is that it’s too early to dismiss the GOP’s chances; that it’s healthy for the party to battle with mud-flinging; that all this will be forgiven in the heat of August when the party embraces the man who would be king. However, the recklessness of Gingrich’s assault on Romney as Long John Silver, and the ruthlessness of the party’s Romney chorus screeching at Gingrich as the Undead, all this does reinforce doubts already in place with the independent voters, as well as creating a YouTube bonanza of clips for the Obama re-elect ops in Chicago.
— John Batchelor, writing in the Daily Beast.
Majority View Gingrich’s Consulting Work Negatively
54% to 24%
Of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of Newt Gingrich’s work as a consultant for companies with an interest in federal policymaking after he left elective office, according to an ABC News–Washington Post poll. The division on Romney is much closer: 40% see his work experience negatively vs. 35% positively.
Gingrich’s Megalomania Is Deepening
You mean those who said I was dead in June? Those who said I was dead in December? They are about as accurate as they were the last two times they were wrong.
— Newt Gingrich, quoted by ABC News, refuting predictions the presidential race would be effectively over if he lost in Florida. He said the race would go on for “six or eight months” and then added: “unless Romney drops out earlier.”
Occupy Miami Camp to Be Raided at Sunset
I received this press release today:
Miami, FL, Jan. 31, 2012 – Miami-Dade County has issued a memo to Occupy Miami demanding that the West Lawn of Government Center be vacated and cleared of all personal property by sunset Tuesday, January 31, 2012.
Anyone remaining beyond this deadline will be “subject to arrest for trespassing.” This comes three days after a permit to occupy the space was denied, on grounds of “current site conditions and unsafe activities.” These memos follow one issued January 5 by County Commissioner Joe A. Martinez to Mayor Carlos Gimenez, urging the Mayor to declare those staying overnight at Government Center be considered “trespassing” and noting that some activities occurring there were being monitored by an unspecified federal agency.
Since Oct. 15, 2011, the 24/7 Occupy Miami “Peace City” encampment has been a highly visible symbol of the Occupy Miami movement. An overnight encampment based at the heart of politics in Miami-Dade County was employed to congregate and energize activists, serve as a hub of learning and activism, and garner an undeniable, unrelenting community presence.
However, Occupy Miami is much more than simply a camp. It is a fluid, ever-evolving movement, which has matured much since its beginnings. Tuesday’s eviction does not signal its demise, but rather the tangible shift to an exciting, new phase in a movement continually growing stronger, larger, and more powerful. Occupy Miami could never be encompassed by a camp, since its efforts are as diverse and flexible as the occupants of Miami itself. While the County may try to evict the camp, they can never evict the idea.
