Month: January 2013
Taibbi Not Happy with Obama’s Choice for SEC Chair
I thought to myself: Couldn’t they have found someone who wasn’t a key figure in one of the most notorious scandals to hit the SEC in the past two decades? And couldn’t they have found someone who isn’t a perfect symbol of the revolving-door culture under which regulators go soft on suspected Wall Street criminals, knowing they have million-dollar jobs waiting for them at hotshot defense firms as long as they play nice with the banks while still in office?
— Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi, expressing his displeasure with President Obama’s pick of former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White to head the SEC.
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A Quote That Proves How Clueless the GOP Really Is
It’s not the platform of the party that’s the issue. In many cases, it’s how we communicate about it.
— RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, quoted by Politico.
Obama: The Press are ‘Incorrigible’
You know, Steve, I gotta tell you, the — you guys in the press are incorrigible. I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you’re talking about elections four years from now.
— President Obama, in an interview with 60 Minutes, responding to a question about the “date of expiration” of his endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s job as secretary of state.
Fox News Paid Sarah Palin $16 Per Word Uttered On Air
$15.85
Monetary value of a word uttered by Sarah Palin. A Smart Politics review of the more than 150 Fox News broadcasts in which Sarah Palin appeared as a paid commentator from 2010 through 2012 finds that she spoke 189,221 words on air during this span, for an average pay rate of $15.85 per word and a total salary of $2,999,152.
Chris Hughes, One of the Four Facebook Founders, Speaks Out on Mark Zuckerberg – Chris Christie Pairing
For those of you scratching your head about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recently announced fundraiser for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, you are not alone. Yes, Christie openly appreciated the Obama administration’s help after super storm Sandy, and the great job done by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) in supplying assistance that the local community could not provide for itself. And he did blast Republicans in the U.S. House who voted against aid to Sandy victims.
But Christie also gave his full voice to helping elect Mitt Romney for president, in addition to numerous other odious Republican stances. At base, he’s a Republican, pure and simple, and he supports the party’s platform.
All of it.
Which is why Chris Hughes, editor and publisher of the New Republic, and a Facebook founder, does not agree with his former partner, Zuckerberg, on Christie. Hughes is gay, and he and his then boyfriend and now husband were guests at the very first Obama state dinner. Republicans, in case you missed it, aren’t much into being gay, at least not publicly. Here’s Hughes on ABC’s “This Week.”
I, for one, have a lot of questions about Chris Christie, particularly because less than a year ago he vetoed a marriage equality bill in the New Jersey state legislature. Which for me personally, I got married to my husband last June, [it] was just really personally frustrating. I mean, there are tens of thousands of couples in New Jersey that can’t share their love and be recognized under the law because of that decision. I’m not a single issue voter, and I think most people aren’t either, but for me personally, it would raise serious concerns about supporting someone like him.
It does for us all, Chris.
Rick Scott Bribing Florida Teachers
We’re surprised he didn’t throw in a promise of dark chocolate, red wine and foot massages.
— Orlando Sentinel editorial writers, noting the amazing about-face by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (GOP/Tea), who announced this week a $2,500 across the board bonus for teachers. The editorial, titled, “Teacher Pay Proposal Smacks of Political Bribe,” reminds readers that Scott slashed teacher pay and school funding when he came to office, and is only increasing it now because that move and others have lead to his record low popularity. Scott will seek re-election in 2014, with what stands now at a 36% positive approval rating.
Obama Tied Bush on Polarization Scale
86%
Of Democrats and 10% of Republicans approved of the job Barack Obama did as president during his fourth year in office. The 76-point gap ties George W. Bush’s fourth year as the most polarized year in Gallup records.
Pay It Back!
House Republicans have gotten clever with their “No Budget, No Pay.”
But we the people are calling for no more games, we want our say.
You guys can just can that jive —
You’re the worst Congress since 1995!
Looking at your legislative record, YOU OWE US a couple years’ pay!
Secretary Clinton Tears into Tea Bagger Senator in Benghazi Hearings
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest, or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make? It our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator.”
