March 23, 2011 - Pensito

An Extraordinary Woman

March 23, 2011March 23, 2011 Jon Ponder

My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.

– Michael Wilding, on the passing of his mother, the Academy Award-winning actress and pioneering AIDS activist, Elizabeth Taylor

Gov. Brown Makes the Case for Extending Tax Hikes to Prevent Billions in Cuts

March 23, 2011March 23, 2011 Jon Ponder

Post-Convention Wrap-Up: California GOP Said to Be on the Verge of Extinction

March 23, 2011March 23, 2011 Jon Ponder

GOP Fate? A mammoth faces instinction in the La Brea Tar Pits

“Like a herd of wooly mammoths at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, the California Republican Party is on the verge of extinction,” writes CalBuzz, one of the best and most irreverent political websites in the Golden State.

That assessment came after CalBuzz spent the weekend covering the state GOP’s biannual convention.

A former Republican leader agreed. “It’s on life support,” he said.

But why is the California GOP in decline at the same time that the tea party has invigorated the the party just about everywhere else? CalBuzz suggests that the root of the party’s problem is its self-delusion — they think their candidates have not been conservative enough — as well as their dim view of, well, people:

The prevailing attitude at the convention seemed to be the Republicans lost every major statewide race and have been reduced to a strident minority because Republican candidates were too weak on conservative principles and besides, people are lazy and stupid.

The convention was notable for a couple of things that did not happen:

[…]

Scott Don’t Email

March 23, 2011 Buck Banks

It’s easier if I never get emailed. I get embarrassed by it that way.

— Florida Gov. Rick Scott (TP). The St. Petersburg Times noted that at the end of a speech, Scott, “the governor who wants to run the state ‘like a business,’ asked people with suggestions to write a letter and send it to the Capitol through the U.S. Postal Service — because he doesn’t use email.

Day: March 23, 2011

An Extraordinary Woman

– Michael Wilding, on the passing of his mother, the Academy Award-winning actress and pioneering AIDS activist, Elizabeth Taylor

Gov. Brown Makes the Case for Extending Tax Hikes to Prevent Billions in Cuts

Post-Convention Wrap-Up: California GOP Said to Be on the Verge of Extinction

Scott Don’t Email

It’s easier if I never get emailed. I get embarrassed by it that way.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“The man is afraid of the voice of the people and that the people understand and know what he’s doing. He’s trying to stifle the ability of journalists to let the people of America know what’s really going on with their government.”

— “Kamala Harris called President Donald Trump’s ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House ‘absolutely abhorrent,’” The Wrap reports.

“Not one of them is trained in technical skills. Not one research PhD, as opposed to China, where half the cabinet is science and technology PhDs. We’re led by grifters and fools.”

— Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, on X, on President Trump’s 35-person cabinet.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far… The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

— Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), breaking with President Trump in a direct-to-camera video.

Numerati

1,000

10%

“The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study,” the Associated Press reports.

71%

A new Fox News Poll finds 71% of voters think the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the Iran War, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 43% of Republicans. Sixty percent say U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, while just 37% say it was right.

$9.5 billion

“The Trump administration last year spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers as part of its plan to shrink the government and save taxpayers money, according to a new estimate by a congressional watchdog,” CNN reports.

470

Reuters has documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.