January 16, 2013

Gun Makers’ NRA Lobby Releases Ad That Puts President’s Daughters in Crosshairs

January 16, 2013 Jon Ponder

In what may be the NRA’s most despicable action yet, the gun makers’ lobby has released an ad that focuses on Pres. Obama’s school-age daughters, thus raising the girls’ profile as a target for assassination among right-wing fringe dwellers.

The ad is made all the more atrocious by the fact that it promotes a lie. Here’s the transcript:

“Are the president’s kids more important than yours? Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school? Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. But he’s just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. Protection for their kids. And gun-free zones for ours.”

The president does not oppose improving security in schools. In fact, the proposals he released today for changing gun policies included beefing up school safety.

A Tale of Two Governors and Their Dogs

January 16, 2013January 17, 2013 Jon Ponder

photos-govs-brown-scott-dogs — Left: Sutter coaches Gov. Brown, 74, doing push-ups; right, Reagan used as a prop intended to humanize Gov. Scott

You can tell a lot about a person’s character by the way they treat animals. For millions of dog lovers, for example, learning that Mitt Romney had once decided to force his Irish setter Seamus to ride in a kennel strapped to the roof of his car on a 12-hour family vacation, even after Seamus got sick in the kennel, exposed a man whose life of privilege had left him with a deficit of compassion and common decency.

The revelations this week that Gov. Rick Scott, Florida’s Republican governor, got rid of a dog that appears to have been acquired in 2010 as a prop for his campaign for governor is similarly a window into Scott’s character. And it stands in stark contrast with the the story of another big-state governor elected in 2010, Jerry Brown, and his dog, Sutter, who has become an unofficial mascot in California since the governor took office.

[…]

Mindless Mind Control

January 16, 2013 Buck Banks

Rep. Michele Bachmann’s relationship with her debate coach was not casual.
Indeed, aides say his Rasputin-like thrall over her was unusual.
We contend, to be clear,
Though it was pretty weird,
It’s the relationship with her gay husband Marcus that’s “unnatural.”

Majority Favor Keeping Debt Ceiling Separate from Spending

January 16, 2013 Buck Banks

58%

Of Americans say the debt ceiling should be handled separately from the debate on spending cuts, while 36% favor linking the two, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.

Minority of Majority Passes House Hurricane Bill

January 16, 2013 Buck Banks

241-180

Vote by which the House passed legislation last night providing an additional $50 billion for Hurricane Sandy relief. Only 49 Republicans voted for the measure — just 20% of the caucus — while 179 Republicans voted against the measure. By comparison, 192 Democrats voted for the legislation, and just one (Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper) voted against. So for the second time in the last two weeks the House passed legislation by violating the Hastert rule.

Most Americans Do Not Want Roe v. Wade Overturned

January 16, 2013 Buck Banks

63%

Of Americans remain opposed to overturning the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision as the 40th anniversary of the historic ruling on abortion approaches, a new Pew Research poll finds, while just 29% want it reversed.

Stop Using Bottled Water — Now!

January 16, 2013 Buck Banks

Day: January 16, 2013

Gun Makers’ NRA Lobby Releases Ad That Puts President’s Daughters in Crosshairs

A Tale of Two Governors and Their Dogs

Mindless Mind Control

Majority Favor Keeping Debt Ceiling Separate from Spending

58%

Of Americans say the debt ceiling should be handled separately from the debate on spending cuts, while 36% favor linking the two, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.

Minority of Majority Passes House Hurricane Bill

241-180

Most Americans Do Not Want Roe v. Wade Overturned

63%

Of Americans remain opposed to overturning the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision as the 40th anniversary of the historic ruling on abortion approaches, a new Pew Research poll finds, while just 29% want it reversed.

Stop Using Bottled Water — Now!

167

Average number of plastic water bottles used annually per person according to a 2012 study done by the International Bottled Water Association.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”