I’ve got real empathy for those who are unemployed, as most of you know I’ve got 11 brothers and sisters. I know that three of my brothers lost their jobs, I’m not sure whether they’ve found jobs, yet, so I’ve got a lot of empathy for those caught in this economic downturn.
– House Speaker-in-Waiting John Boehner (R-Ohio), trying to explain why he opposes extending benefits to the unemployed
So many of the elected politicians in Washington seem to be shackled by the fear of a primary. It’s liberating. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m convinced it’s what the people want.
— Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I), in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, on no longer having to worry about the most ideological voters as an independent candidate.
I’ll be the only one that hasn’t run as a Republican in the past.
–Florida Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, commenting on his competition in the race: former Florida House Speaker and Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio, Gov. Charlie Crist, who recently went NPA, and millionaire Jeff Greene, who has been a Florida resident and a Democrat for less than two years.
— Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, whose endorsement of President Bush’s 2001 tax cuts helped persuade Congress to pass them, telling Bloomberg that lawmakers should allow the cuts to expire at the end of the year.
Because he was smart enough to die in 2010, there is zero tax liability on the estate tax. If he had died in 2009, or 2011, there would have been a $500 million tax liability to his estate in 2009, and in 2011 — under the proposal that we have — there would have been a $600 million liability.
— Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY), quoted by The Hill, providing some badly needed perspective on the passing of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
I think I will be part of a nucleus with Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn, who are unafraid to stand up. If we get another loud voice in there, like Mike Lee from Utah or Sharron Angle from Nevada, there will be a new nucleus.
— Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul (R), in an interview with the National Review, on what type of Senator he would be if elected.
Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives.
Sarah and Todd Palin’s ghost-writers, in a statement on the announced re-betrothal of Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston. Bristol’s statement was slightly different: “We got engaged two weeks ago. It felt right, even though we don’t have the approval of our parents.”
Marco is the only candidate in this race that provides a true alternative to what is going on in Washington D.C. right now. We are at a crucial, pivotal point in our nation’s history and we are poised to go down a road of expanded government that could lead to socialism if left unchecked. I know Marco has the courage and conviction to stand up to those in Washington who say that America’s best days are behind us and he will instead help to restore America’s image as a shining city on a hill.
— Alex de la Portilla, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, endorsing Marco Rubio (R) for U.S. Senate.
To hear Trump talk, he’s the only one
Who’s ever stood trial for crimes he’s done.
But instead of courtroom drama,
We get Trump in his pajamas,
That’s how he earned his new nickname: Don Snoreleone.
“In America today‚ 2024, women have fewer rights than their mothers or their grandmothers had, because of Donald Trump. I don’t think we’re going to let him get away with it, do you?”
— President Biden at a campaign stop in Tampa, reported by Tampa Bay Times.
“Some of the 49 migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by the state of Florida are now able to legally work in the United States and have temporary protections from deportation — because they are considered victims of a potential crime. … The migrants are eligible for these protections because they applied for a special kind of visa meant for crime victims who are helping law enforcement, after they said they were tricked into taking charter flights from San Antonio to Massachusetts with false promises of jobs and other aid.”
“We care more about the safety of our staff than a name attached to an article.”
In its panning of Taylor Swift’s new album (3.6/10 rating), Paste Magazine chose to put “Paste Staff” as the piece’s author instead of the individual who wrote it. That’s because following Paste’s negative review of Swift’s Lover album in 2019, the reviewer received threats of violence from fans who disagreed. As for its critique of The Tortured Poets Department, Paste Staff said its “mid-ness” was the result of “when the artist making it no longer feels challenged, where she strikes out looking.”
“The House is a rough and rowdy place, but Mike Johnson is gonna be just fine. I served 20 years in the military, it’s my absolute honor to be in Congress. But I serve with some real scumbags. Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
“Joe Biden will land a major union endorsement Wednesday from North America’s Building Trades Unions, whose leaders say the president has his infrastructure bill largely to thank for it,” CNN reports. “In making one of their earliest ever presidential endorsements, NABTU leaders are kickstarting an eight-figure organizing program to try to deliver their 250,000 members in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin for Biden.”
A new Siena poll finds that by a 54% to 30% margin, New Yorkers say Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial is “legitimate” — the view of 77% of Democrats and 44% of independents — rather than a “witch hunt,” the view of 66% of Republicans.
A new Marist poll finds Joe Biden leading Donald Trump nationally among registered voters, 51% to 48%. In a multi-candidate field, Biden is up by five percentage points against Trump, 43% to 38% among registered voters, followed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 14%, Cornel West at 2%, and Jill Stein at 2%.Among those who definitely plan to vote, Biden leads Trump 46% to 39% in this same multi-candidate field.
NBC News poll: “‘Protecting democracy’ is a salient issue for voters. There’s a difference between what voters identify as the ‘most important issue facing the country’ (on that, “inflation and the cost of living’ registers 23%, followed by immigration/the border, at 22%) and what they identify as the issue most important in determining their own vote (on that, ‘protecting democracy or constitutional rights’ was on top with 28%, followed by immigration/the border at 20% and abortion at 19%).”