Stretching Our Credulity
Grover Norquist exhibits nothing if not temerity,
But his remarks on the economic recovery inspire hilarity.
In Grover’s world,
The recovery’s unfurled,
Not due to Obama’s policies, but to Republican austerity.
Day: December 30, 2014
There Goes Webb’s Prez Run!
$100,000
Amount Jim Webb’s (D) “Born Fighting PAC” paid to his wife and daughter, according to Business Insider. Webb launched a 2016 presidential exploratory committee last month. “Records show his committee essentially ceased political activities once Webb revealed his decision to depart Congress. However, Born Fighting PAC continued to contribute to Webb’s family long after it stopped giving to the candidates and groups it was ostensibly established to support … The majority of the money Webb’s wife and daughter received from the committee came after it stopped giving money to politicians and political groups.”
Bush Leads Everyone but Romney
23%
Percentage of Republicans who support Jeb Bush’s candidacy for president, 10 points higher than his nearest rival, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a new CNN/ORC poll finds. However, notes Byron York: “But amid all those names — 14 in all — CNN left one off: Mitt Romney. The 2012 Republican nominee has been leading the GOP field in surveys that include his name — indeed, he led CNN’s November poll, with 20 percent to Bush’s 9 percent. Did Romney’s support disappear in the space of a month, even as Bush announced he is ‘actively exploring’ a presidential run?”
Giuliani Has de Blasio’s Back
The mayor is not in any way to be treated with people turning their backs. It doesn’t matter whether you like the mayor or you don’t like the mayor, you have to respect the mayor’s position.
— Rudy Giuliani, quoted by Newsday, after New York City police turned their backs to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) speaking at a police officer’s funeral.
Demographics Might Not Be Destiny After All
The notion of demographics as destiny is overblown. Just like Karl Rove was wrong with that ‘permanent majority’ talk, Democrats have to remember that the pendulum is always swinging.
— Republican pollster and strategist Wes Anderson, quoted by the Associated Press.
Millennials Have Checked Out of U.S. Politics
Whether it is entertainment, consumer goods or almost anything else that can be purchased, viewed or clicked on, Millennials are the most coveted demographic. There are about 80 million Americans between the ages of 18-34 and next year they are expected to spend $2.45 trillion. But when it comes to politics and national policy they have relatively little clout because most of them don’t reliably vote and aren’t major political contributors. These young adults have voluntarily checked out of a political system they consider corrupt and dysfunctional.
— Linda Killian, writing in the Daily Beast.
GOP House Leader Says He Doesn’t Recall Addressing Neo-Confederate Group
When House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., lost his seat in the Republican primary last summer, Rep. Peter Roskam, R- Ill., was next in line to move into the House leadership, joining House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.
Obama Has Now Added More Than Twice as Many Jobs Than Bush Did by His Sixth Year in Office
Despite the Republicans’ determination to stall the economic recovery for purely partisan reasons, signs abound that the U.S. economy is on the mend. In his New York Times column, Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman credits Pres. Obama’s steadfast opposition to the GOP’s so-called “austerity” policies — the same policies that have slowed recovery from the 2008 crash in Europe — as a major factor in boosting the turnaround:
