May 21, 2012 - Pensito

Tea Party Partisanship

May 21, 2012May 22, 2012 Buck Banks

O, the Tea Party’s unnerved by the GOP’s plight.
They worry Mitt Romney won’t put up much of a fight.
They’re not quite neo-Nazis
Or jack-booted crazies,
But they do think Alan West ain’t far enough to the right …

Hillary Clinton Remains Impressively Popular

May 21, 2012 Buck Banks

66%

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s favorable rating, which is within one percentage point of her highest since Gallup began rating her 20 years ago. Her unfavorable rating of 29% ties her lowest since 1993.

Obama: Unless You’re a Crook, Don’t Fear Wall Street Reform

May 21, 2012 Buck Banks

Unless you run a financial institution whose business model is built on cheating consumers, or making risky bets that could damage the whole economy, you have nothing to fear from Wall Street reform.

— President Obama, in his weekly address, calling for stricter reform after J.P. Morgan’s multibillion-dollar loss.

Was Crist Blackmailed for Placeholder Senate Seat?

May 21, 2012 Trish

There’s a lot more to this story that someday may be told, but I’m not ready yet to tell it.

Jim Greer, former head of the Republican Party of Florida, confirming reports that George LeMieux was not Gov. Charlie Crist’s first pick for the U.S. Senate set vacated by Mel Martinez in 2009. According to Greer, whose criminal trial over mismanagement of funds promises to expose skeletons in the closets of Sen. Marco Rubio, Crist, and other top Florida Republicans, LeMieux, “strategized how to get the interview and how to get the appointment, and that strategy included direct pressure on the governor.” Rumors that Crist is gay and has been protected by those around him have long surrounded the former governor, whose first choice for the seat was reportedly his lieutenant governor Jeff Kottkamp.

Rubio: Obama Most Divisive Figure in Modern American History

May 21, 2012 Buck Banks

For all the policy disagreements that we may have with the president, it is hard to understate how much he inspired people across this country four years ago, with his promises to unite America and lift it up. The man who today occupies the White House and is running for president is a very different person. We have not seen such a divisive figure in modern American history as we have over the last three and a half years.

— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), quoted by ABC News, at a South Carolina Republican dinner.

How Would America Be Without the Filibuster?

May 21, 2012 Buck Banks

Let’s take only the Obama presidency. Had the filibuster not applied, the United States would have a market-based system to control carbon emissions, which would limit the damage from global warming, vitalize the clean technology sector, and challenge other large polluters like China and India to do the same. The new health care law would have a public option. Children of undocumented immigrants who served two years in the military or went to college could become US citizens. Women paid less than their male colleagues because of their gender would have broader legal recourse against their employers. Billionaires would not be able to manipulate the political system from behind a veil of anonymity.

Day: May 21, 2012

Tea Party Partisanship

Hillary Clinton Remains Impressively Popular

66%

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s favorable rating, which is within one percentage point of her highest since Gallup began rating her 20 years ago. Her unfavorable rating of 29% ties her lowest since 1993.

Obama: Unless You’re a Crook, Don’t Fear Wall Street Reform

Unless you run a financial institution whose business model is built on cheating consumers, or making risky bets that could damage the whole economy, you have nothing to fear from Wall Street reform.

— President Obama, in his weekly address, calling for stricter reform after J.P. Morgan’s multibillion-dollar loss.

Was Crist Blackmailed for Placeholder Senate Seat?

There’s a lot more to this story that someday may be told, but I’m not ready yet to tell it.

Rubio: Obama Most Divisive Figure in Modern American History

— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), quoted by ABC News, at a South Carolina Republican dinner.

How Would America Be Without the Filibuster?

— Joshua Green, writing in the Boston Globe.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“They’ve invested heavily in AI labs. They’ve invested heavily in data centers. So, the first family has a financial stake in this industry, and as a result, the president of the United States is compromised.”

— “Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Monday said President Trump will likely not heed calls from technology leaders to implement guardrails on the development of artificial intelligence because of his family’s investments in the industry,” NewsNation reports.

— Jane Haman

“We’re working through some political issues in Israel. I think we agree with them on the end state. They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards.”

— Jared Kushner, quoted by CBS News, on the lack of progress in Gaza.

Numerati

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.

$184 million

50%

38%

31%