February 2013 - Page 7 of 12

Rubio’s ‘Shaky And Sweaty’ Performance Was the Worst GOP Rebuttal Since Gov. Jindal Channeled Kenneth the Page

February 13, 2013 Jon Ponder

In his rebuttal to Pres. Obama’s State of the Union speech last night, Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio delivered the worst political performance on the national stage since, well, Oct. 3 — and the worst GOP rebuttal since Louisiana GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal unintentionally imitated Kenneth the Page on “30 Rock” when he delivered the rebuttal to the president’s first address to Congress in February 2009.

[…]

Joe Scarborough is ‘Ron Burgundy Come to Life’

February 13, 2013 Buck Banks

What makes Joe Scarborough such an enjoyable figure is his combination of affability, good intentions, high self-regard, low self-awareness, and total lack of analytical reasoning skills. He is not remotely dislikable. He is Ron Burgundy come to life. … The nerd is the natural enemy of Joe Scarborough, as nerds defy everything Scarborough has come to believe about the expected order of things.

— Jonathan Chait, in New York Magazine.

Most Who Watched It Liked Obama’s SOTU Speech

February 13, 2013 Buck Banks

77%

Of those watching President Obama’s State of the Union had a somewhat or very positive view of the address, while 22% had a negative response, a new CNN/ORC instant poll found. However, Obama was speaking to a relatively friendly audience. Of those who watched the speech, 44% were Democrats and 17% were Republicans.

Nugent Proves Yet Again What His Brains Are Made of

February 13, 2013 Buck Banks

He probably has shit for brains. I couldn’t be more proud of myself, what I stand for, and for this pompous ass to claim that he cares more about a family that lost a child than I do is a perfect example of the brain-dead critics of Ted Nugent.

— Ted Nugent, quoted by Politico, when Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) questioned Nugent’s presence at the State of the Union. Langevin is in a wheelchair and paralyzed from a shooting accident when he was a teenager.

Menendez’ Daughter Offers Scandal Advice to ‘Generic Politician’

February 13, 2013 Buck Banks

So you’ve found yourself embroiled in a scandal, huh? In a perfect world we’d rewind to before this ever happened, when you were just some up and comer who was running for city council or state assembly. I’d tell you to make a list of your real, true friends. No big donors. No one who trades your name like a baseball card. No one who is more invested in you, the mighty and powerful than in the real you. My instinct is to tell you that that person is someone from your childhood, someone who knew you when you were still wearing bad suits and actually eating the chicken dinners they serve at political functions.

— Alicia Menendez, daughter of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who is embroiled in a burgeoning scandal involving a donor. She wrote this advice in 2011 “to a generic embattled politician brought down by scandal,” as discovered by Roll Call.

Rubio Says Water Grab Was Part of God’s Plan

February 13, 2013February 13, 2013 Trish

God has a funny way of reminding us we’re human.

— Sen. Marco Rubio (GOP/Tea – Fla.), citing divine intervention as the reason for his bizarre grab for water in the middle of the Republican response to the recent State of the Union address.

Water You Doing?

February 13, 2013June 23, 2015 Buck Banks

The GOP’s grooming Marco Rubio to be its prez candidate,
But we have to wonder if the lad is ready for that yet.
In his response to the SOTU
He didn’t quite shine through,
Succumbing instead to panic, cottonmouth and flop sweat.

Mississippi Most Religious, Vermont Least Religious State

February 13, 2013 Buck Banks

58%

Of Mississippi residents were classified as very religious, and the state remained the most religious in the union in 2012, according to Gallup. Vermont remained the least religious state, with 19% very religious residents.

The Rubio Water Bottle Moment

February 12, 2013February 13, 2013 Trish

No wonder this move by Sen. Marco Rubio (GOP/Tea – Fla.) blew up Twitter, and according to Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczynski has inspired 15 parody accounts, and counting. Seriously, what the heck was that all about?

From the Twitter:

@Mediaite – Historic Thirst: Marco Rubio Becomes His Own State Of The Union Drinking Game
@BeachPeanuts – #Rubio’s SOTU Rebuttal Tough To Swallow
@JimmyFavors – Fun fact: Lying makes you thirsty.
@politico – Marco Rubio’s drinking problem
@ryanaclarke – Stay thirsty, my friends.
@ProgressFlorida – Tonight’s biggest loser? Zephyrhills bottled water, dissed by their own senator for a Maine brand.
@rudepundit – ha I thought he was going to pull Ted Nugent up on stage
@LOLGOP – I’m been more impressed if Marco Rubio kept talking as Jeb Bush sipped water.

And finally, the tweet that really mattered:

@NickKristof – Marco Rubio could make a more credible response to Obama if he hadn’t voted today against Violence Against Women Act.

Indicted Former Chair of the Republican Party of Florida Pleads Guilty

February 11, 2013 Jon Ponder

photo-jim-greer-mugshot — Greer’s mug shot

Big news out of Florida today:

Ousted former Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer Monday abruptly ended what was expected to be a painful unpeeling of state party secrets by entering a surprise guilty plea to five criminal charges.

Greer, 50, of Oviedo, was facing a possible 75 years in prison for fraud, money laundering and theft. Now he faces a possible maximum sentence of 35 years.

If Circuit Judge Marc Lubet hands down a recommended sentence, spelled out by state guidelines, he’ll give Greer 3 1/2 years in prison.

The deal Greer cut did not include an agreement on his sentence, a likely mix of prison time and probation. That’s to be decided at a March 27 hearing.

He’ll remain free until then…

A lot of top Republicans in Florida politics are breathing sighs of release tonight:

[…]

Month: February 2013

Rubio’s ‘Shaky And Sweaty’ Performance Was the Worst GOP Rebuttal Since Gov. Jindal Channeled Kenneth the Page

Joe Scarborough is ‘Ron Burgundy Come to Life’

— Jonathan Chait, in New York Magazine.

Most Who Watched It Liked Obama’s SOTU Speech

77%

Nugent Proves Yet Again What His Brains Are Made of

He probably has shit for brains. I couldn’t be more proud of myself, what I stand for, and for this pompous ass to claim that he cares more about a family that lost a child than I do is a perfect example of the brain-dead critics of Ted Nugent.

— Ted Nugent, quoted by Politico, when Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) questioned Nugent’s presence at the State of the Union. Langevin is in a wheelchair and paralyzed from a shooting accident when he was a teenager.

Menendez’ Daughter Offers Scandal Advice to ‘Generic Politician’

— Alicia Menendez, daughter of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who is embroiled in a burgeoning scandal involving a donor. She wrote this advice in 2011 “to a generic embattled politician brought down by scandal,” as discovered by Roll Call.

Rubio Says Water Grab Was Part of God’s Plan

God has a funny way of reminding us we’re human.

— Sen. Marco Rubio (GOP/Tea – Fla.), citing divine intervention as the reason for his bizarre grab for water in the middle of the Republican response to the recent State of the Union address.

Water You Doing?

Mississippi Most Religious, Vermont Least Religious State

58%

Of Mississippi residents were classified as very religious, and the state remained the most religious in the union in 2012, according to Gallup. Vermont remained the least religious state, with 19% very religious residents.

The Rubio Water Bottle Moment

Indicted Former Chair of the Republican Party of Florida Pleads Guilty

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”