2014 - Page 35 of 98

Ginsburg Ain’t Retiring. Period.

September 24, 2014 Buck Banks

Who do you think President Obama could appoint at this very day, given the boundaries that we have? If I resign any time this year, he could not successfully appoint anyone I would like to see on the court… So anybody who thinks that if I step down, Obama could appoint someone like me, they’re misguided. As long as I can do the job full steam…. I think I’ll recognize when the time comes that I can’t any longer. But now I can.

— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, telling Elle magazine that says she’s not going to retire.

Romney’s 47 Percent Is True — and Bigger!

September 24, 2014 Buck Banks

Can I say that without getting in trouble like Gov. Romney. The 47 percent is true. It’s bigger now.

— Nevada congressional candidate Crescent Hardy (R), quoted by TPM.

Roberts: We’re Heading Toward National Socialism

September 24, 2014 Buck Banks

We have to change course because our country is heading for national socialism. That’s not right. It’s changing our culture. It’s changing what we’re all about.

— Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), quoted by TPM.

D’Souza Sentenced for Violating Campaign Finance Laws

September 24, 2014 Buck Banks

5 years and $30,000

Sentence handed down by a federal judge to conservative writer/filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, who was spared prison time but received five years’ probation for violating campaign finance laws, The Smoking Gun reports. For the first eight months of his probation, D’Souza will have to live in a “community confinement center” in San Diego. He will also have to pay a $30,000 fine, undergo “therapeutic counseling” and perform one day of community service per week during probation.

Newt Tweets Twaddle

September 23, 2014 Buck Banks

Newt Gingrich was up in arms over “courtesy.”
He says bombing ISIS with courtesy’s heresy.
But CNN got it wrong,
And Newt’s tweet was a bomb.
So sheepishly, he tweeted a retraction, for accuracy.

Warren: ‘Washington Actually Works Really Well’

September 23, 2014 Buck Banks

I think Washington actually works really well for those who have lots of money, lots of lobbyists, lots of lawyers,” she said in a First Draft interview. “It just doesn’t work very well for regular families.

— Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), in a First Draft interview, says she thinks the deck is stacked against ordinary Americans in the way Washington does business.

Biden Explains What’s Wrong with Washington in Five Words

September 23, 2014 Buck Banks

Politics has become too personal.

— Vice President Joe Biden, quoted by the New York Times, on why Washington doesn’t work well anymore.

Most Americans Say It Matters Which party Controls Congress

September 23, 2014 Buck Banks

40%

Of Americans say the specific party that controls Congress matters a great deal to them, while 29% say it matters a moderate amount and another 30% say it generally doesn’t matter to them, according to a new Gallup Poll.

A Quarter of U.S. Hispanics Say Immigration Is Most Important Issue

September 22, 2014 Buck Banks

25%

Of U.S. Hispanics name immigration as the top problem facing the U.S., assigning more importance to the issue than the general public does, according to Gallup. Among all adults, Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to say immigration is the number-one issue.

GOP Has Intensity Edge for Midterms

September 22, 2014 Buck Banks

54%

Of Republicans say they’re highly interested in the upcoming elections, compared to 44% of Democrats who say the same, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll shows.

— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, telling Elle magazine that says she’s not going to retire.

Can I say that without getting in trouble like Gov. Romney. The 47 percent is true. It’s bigger now.

— Nevada congressional candidate Crescent Hardy (R), quoted by TPM.

We have to change course because our country is heading for national socialism. That’s not right. It’s changing our culture. It’s changing what we’re all about.

— Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), quoted by TPM.

5 years and $30,000

I think Washington actually works really well for those who have lots of money, lots of lobbyists, lots of lawyers,” she said in a First Draft interview. “It just doesn’t work very well for regular families.

— Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), in a First Draft interview, says she thinks the deck is stacked against ordinary Americans in the way Washington does business.

Politics has become too personal.

— Vice President Joe Biden, quoted by the New York Times, on why Washington doesn’t work well anymore.

40%

Of Americans say the specific party that controls Congress matters a great deal to them, while 29% say it matters a moderate amount and another 30% say it generally doesn’t matter to them, according to a new Gallup Poll.

25%

Of U.S. Hispanics name immigration as the top problem facing the U.S., assigning more importance to the issue than the general public does, according to Gallup. Among all adults, Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to say immigration is the number-one issue.

54%

Of Republicans say they’re highly interested in the upcoming elections, compared to 44% of Democrats who say the same, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll shows.

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%

$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.