Rethug Crime Blotter - Sex for Meth Edition

Former Arapahoe County, Colorado, Rethuglican Sheriff Patrick J. Sullivan has been busted for providing meth in return for sex with a former male inmate he bonded out of jail, one of several he apparently had this "arrangement" with. We've stopped counting at about 153 the number of law-and-order, family values, ostensibly homophobic closeted gay Rethugs that have ended up with their kissers on the front page. If anyone out there has a running count, let us know.

The kicker to this? Patrick J. Sullivan is being held at the eponymous Patrick J. Sullivan Detention Facility. You can't make this stuff up.

(Photo: The mug shot.)

The Rethugs' Cartoon Candidates, Cont.

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(Pat Oliphant, via gocomics.com)

Hair Doesn't Grow On A Busy Brain

Not that anyone gives Rethuglican candidate Gov. Rick "Hair" Perry credit for brains, but his latest goof demonstrates that he doesn't even know when the next Presidential election is. . .or what the voting age is, either. Speaking at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, the Texas twit told the student audience:

“Those who are going to be over 21 on November 12th, I ask for your support”

First, the voting age is 18, not 21. Second, Election Day in 2012 is November 6, not the 12th. Third, uh...third is....wait...uh...can't remember...OOPS.

"Hair Perry for President: Because Idiots Need Representation, Too"

"Reassessing"

Polls are showing that supporters of fading Rethuglican Presidential candidate and accused adulterer Herman "Horndog Herb" Cain, who is "reassessing his campaign," are shifting to serial adulterer and Freddie Mac "historian" Newt "Poot" Gingrich. That tells you something about the self-righteous, smug right wing voter. They need to manufacture "scandals" about progressives (birtherism, Marxist/Socialist/arugula-loving Obama, etc.) but have no problem averting their eyes when it comes to their poo-flinging heroes on the right. Horndog Herb, who keeps "denyin' denyin' denyin'", clearly can't continue to claim that several women are lying, especially when they face ugly smears from Herb's campaign and the wingnut Wurlitzer once they step forward.

(photo: How can any woman resist that sly smile and that penetrating gaze?)

Mid-Week Song

Dick Clark, America's oldest teenager, turns 82 today. Clark was the host of "American Bandstand" from 1956 to 1989, from its early days at WFIL in Philadelphia to the ABC network in LA starting in 1964. One of the premier acts that appeared on AB often was The Four Seasons. "Walk Like A Man" was one of their #1 hits from the '60s.

Reviewing the Rethug Bidding

Let's do a quick review of the main Rethuglican candidates for president, November 29, 2011. We have:

-- an ego-bloated, admitted adulterer (Newtie);

-- an accused adulterer, sexual assaulter and harasser (Horndog Herb Cain);

-- a woman who thinks gays need to be re-programmed (Bachmann);

-- a dimwit yahoo who can't keep more than two thoughts (or numbers) in his empty head (Perry);

-- and an odd, robotic man whose name is rarely coupled with the word "principles" (Willard/ Mendacious Mitt Romney).

I'm so glad I'm not a Rethuglican.

Oops, He Did It Again

This time, it's alleged Rethug paragon and part-time presidential candidate Herman "Horndog Herb" Cain had a loooooong 13-year-long affair with Ginger White that ended only recently. Horndog! It might be time for you to withdraw from the race... "to spend more time with the family," of course. (You should get a good divorce lawyer, too.)

Rep. Barney Frank to Retire

According to sources, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) will announce that he's not seeking reelection in 2012. He's been a strong progressive voice in Congress since 1980, and he will be sorely missed. We obviously wish him the best and hope he continues to play a positive role in the political arena.

UPDATE: And the right-wing homophobe nitwits are already snickering.

On a "Centrist" Third Party

Some of the Beltway Kool Kids have recently been plumping for a third party candidate to run for president in 2012. The argument generally goes like this: we need a middle-of-the-road/ centrist who will bring the country back to a less polarized place, because the left and right are making a mess of things! Here are two takes on this "thinking," the first by Jonathan Chait:

"What... are we to make of third-party activists like [NY Times columnist and "Mustache of Understanding"] Thomas L. Friedman or Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz? They have a president who supports virtually everything they want—short-term stimulus, long-term deficit reduction through a mix of taxes and entitlement cuts, clean energy, education reform, and social liberalism. Yet they are agitating for a third party in order to carry out an agenda that is virtually identical to Obama’s. In a column touting the third-party Americans Elect, the closest Friedman comes to explaining why we should have a third party, rather than reelect the politician who already represents their values, is to say that such a party 'would have offered a grand bargain on the deficit two years ago, not on the eve of a Treasury default.' He agrees with Obama’s plan, in other words, but proposes to form a new party because he disagrees with his legislative sequencing."

Now from E.J. Dionne:

"Some of my middle-of-the-road columnist friends keep ascribing our difficulties to structural problems in our politics. A few call for a centrist third party. But the problem we face isn’t about structures or the party system. It’s about ideology — specifically a right-wing ideology that has temporarily taken over the Republican Party and needs to be defeated before we can have a reasonable debate between moderate conservatives and moderate progressives about our country’s future...

In the meantime, a broad range of economists agree that America’s sputtering jobs machine needs a sharp and quick jolt. It is unconscionable that in the face of mass unemployment, Republicans continue to foil measures to spur employment, including an extension of the payroll tax holiday. How can conservatives declare simultaneously that (1) it would be a terrible crime to raise taxes on the rich in the long term, and (2) it is an act of virtue to raise taxes on the middle class immediately? Has class warfare ever been so naked?

...We need moderation all right, but a moderate third party is the one way to guarantee we won’t get it. If moderates really want to move the conversation to the center, they should devote their energies to confronting those who are blocking the way. And at this moment, the obstruction is coming from a radicalized right."

Class Warfare Quote of the Day

Floyd Norris tells us why the Occupy/ 99% movement has it right. (Low-wage) "Job Creators," my ass!

"In the eight decades before the recent recession, there was never a period when as much as 9 percent of American gross domestic product went to companies in the form of after-tax profits. Now the figure is over 10 percent.

During the same period, there never was a quarter when wage and salary income amounted to less than 45 percent of the economy. Now the figure is below 44 percent.

For companies, these are boom times. For workers, the opposite is true."

Good Sign For the Economy?

Black Friday sales were up 7 percent over 2010, shattering hopes and storylines for Rethuglicans everywhere.

Class Warfare and Mendacious Mitt Sunday Cartoons

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(Clay Bennett and Mike Luckovich cartoons via gocomics.com)

Letters We Wish We'd Written Dept.

"In the Nov. 22 front-page article 'Inertia weighs on the markets,' in a discussion of whether to extend the payroll tax cuts, we are informed, 'Many Republicans are resistant to measures that would widen the deficit further.' However, at last check, Republicans in both houses support renewing the George W. Bush tax cuts for 2013, deficits be damned.

"In the spirit of The Post's dedication to correcting errors quickly, the statement should be amended to read: 'Many Republicans are resistant to measures that would widen the deficit further and through which the benefits do not accrue primarily to the wealthy and large corporations.'" -- letter from Robert Hamberger, Vienna, VA, in today's Kaplan Daily, challenging another instance of the paper's practice of serving as an uncritical purveyor of Rethuglican talking points. Bravo, Mr. Hamberger!

Weekend Song

It's Why We Call Them Rethugs, Cont'd.

Far right-wing Kansas Gov. Sam "Brown Shirt" Brownback is apparently thuggish enough that he had his State employee press secretary track down a high school senior, Emma Sullivan, that tweeted a critical comment about him, and had the student reprimanded by her gutless principal. How's that for jackbooted behavior wasting taxpayer resources while violating the student's First Amendment rights? Why does Brown Shirt feel criticism of him has to be suppressed? Hopefully, Ms. Sullivan will sue and win.

Time and again, the first recourse of wingnuts like Brown Shirt is to shut criticism down through demagoguery or force. And yet, they'd have you believe that they hold the Constitution's Bill of Rights sacred. Thugs.

Black Friday Class Warfare Op/Ed

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman talks about "We are the 99%," and how that slogan might be aiming too low. In fact, Krugman argues it's the top 0.1% of earners that Madoff like bandits in recent years (couldn't resist the pun). That makes "us" the 99.9%! As far as the Rethuglican "job creators" smokescreen? Krugman pops that balloon, too (I'm not afraid to mix my metaphors).

Quote of the Day

"Moderator Wolf Blitzer opened Tuesday’s Republican debate by introducing himself and adding, for some reason, 'Yes, that’s my real name.' A few moments later, the party’s most plausible nominee for president said the following: 'I’m Mitt Romney, and yes, Wolf, that’s also my first name.'

But it’s not. Mitt is the candidate’s middle name. His first name is Willard.

And people wonder why this guy has an authenticity problem?" -- Eugene Robinson in today's Kaplan Daily.

Will the American people vote for someone so dishonest that he lies about his own name? Stranger things have happened.

Happy Thanksgiving

We'll celebrate today and be back tomorrow!

Cartoon of the Day

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For years, the corporate front group "Americans for Tax Reform" has held Rethuglican politicians to its pledge to never, ever, no way raise taxes (on the wealthy, that is). The head of the group, Grover Norquist, is well known for threatening Rethugs to hold the line, or face primary challenges. This article on Arizona Sen. Jon "Kill It" Kyl's destructive role on the "Super Committee" reflects Norquist's influence on Kill It and the rest of the Rethug apparatus.

Welcome To Our Show!

There's a bit of a kerfuffle over Monday night's appearance by far-right Minnesota loon Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann on Jimmy Fallon's late night show. Fallon's band, the Roots, are known for picking snarky or ironic songs that are played while guests walk on stage (e.g., they played Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" when facelift fan Joan Rivers walked on). The walk-on music for Crazy Eyes? Fishbone's "Lyin' A-- B----" was the selection. Well, harsh perhaps, but they weren't too far off the mark on the lying part. Here's the clip:



UPDATE: And, as if on cue, unhinged hate radio clown Glenn "Boo Hoo" Beck chimes in. Where was he when Michele Obama was booed at the NASCAR event?

Mid-Week Song

In 2006, musicians (and off-screen couple) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred in "Once," a movie set in Dublin, Ireland about a couple and their love of music. Their song, "Falling Slowly," won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song. A new documentary, "The Swell Season," tells the poignant story about their post-Oscar relationship which was changed by their success.

Limpballs' Latest Racial Slur

We're not sure whether hate radio poo-flinger Pills Limpballs is on or off his Oxycontin this week, but we do know that he's a racist, 24/7. When Michele Obama went to Florida to welcome home wounded war veterans at a NASCAR event, some mouthbreathers booed her. Sensing an opportunity for a racial slur, the piggish Pills swung his lard-filled ass into action, claiming the the First Lady was booed for displaying "uppity-ism," a word used by racists for generations to suggest that African Americans need to know "their place."

Sadly, Rethuglican officials view Pills as someone to fear and cater to. Whenever they run afoul of the Drugster, they soon make a pilgrimage to his program to ask forgiveness. With this latest racial slur, Pills again went way beyond what's acceptable, which has become a familiar place for him and for America's far right.

(photo: Limpballs knows his place.)

Flip-Flop Mitt's Dishonest Ad -- And The Response

Willard "Muff/ Mittens/ Flip-Flop Mitt" Romney's campaign released its first ad ("Approved by Mitt Romney"), and as one would expect from a Rethug, it's a misleading and mendacious pile of poo. Among the cherry picked quotes and nonsensical "facts," it shows an edited snippet of President Obama in 2008 quoting his then-opponent Sen. John "Walnuts" McCain saying "If we talk about the economy, we're going to lose." But the dishonest little squats in the Romney campaign want you to think they're Obama's words. When called on it, they've responded to criticism by saying the ad is not "out of bounds." Well, two can play that tune, homey. Here's the Flip-Flop ad, followed by one Think Progress put together to show how easy it is to mislead when playing by Flip-Flop Mitt's standards:





Believe in America, yes; in Flip-Flop Mitt? Not so much.

Would You Like Pepper Spray With Your Turkey?

The Fux Channel, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rethuglican / New Confederate Party, has staked out its position on the Occupy movement: it's with the 1%, of course. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that last night on Bill O'Liely's awful show, a Fux Channel fake newsperson, Megyn "Machine Dumb" Kelly, claimed that the pepper spray used by UC-Davis campus police on nonviolent student demonstrators was "a food product, essentially." Sort of like "water is a beverage, so water boarding must be OK."

With Thanksgiving near, maybe Machine Dumb would enjoy a strong, lengthy dose of military-grade "food product" right in her smug kisser as she's enjoying her turkey and stuffing. Now that would be something to be thankful for.

Air Poot: Ready to Crash and Burn?

Rethuglican Presidential candidate and "classic rental politician" Newt "Poot" Gingrich is clearly enjoying his moment in the spotlight as this week's Rethug front-runner. He shouldn't get too comfy in his front-runner position, though. Why?

In just a few days, Poot has

-- said a secular America was the root of all evil;

-- said Occupy demonstrators should "take a bath" and "get a job";

-- expressed his disdain for child labor laws, calling them "stupid";

-- called for private retirement accounts as an alternative to Social Security (reviving a Dumbya non-starter); and

-- tried to b.s. around the fact that he was a well-paid lobbyist ("historian") for Freddie Mac -- the bane of wingnuts - as well as for the drug companies.

Looks like Air Poot is taking on more baggage the more he opens his fat mouth. As was recently remarked, Poot is a stupid man's idea of what a smart man sounds like.

Woebegon Bachmann

"In [Michele] Bachmann’s new book “Core of Conviction” (out today), she writes of her fellow Anoka High School alum, 'His politics are very different from mine, but I love his gentle, knowing humor. [Garrison] Keillor understands Minnesota, from Lutherans to lutefisk, and his ability to squeeze laughs out of serious-minded midwesterners makes him a legend.'

"The proud son of Anoka does not hold Bachmann in such high regard. In September, Keillor wrote a letter of support for her Democratic opponent in Minnesota’s 6th district, Tarryl Clark, in which he called Bachmann an embarrassment to citizens of the state." -- Ben Smith in Politico. Our late mother, also an Anoka High School alum, would wholeheartedly agree with Keillor.

At the Risk of Piling On...

These are pretty funny takes on the UC-Davis pepper-spraying by Bobo-Cop (h/t Rising Hegemon and Jesus' General):

Tens of Thousands Rally Against Walker

Yesterday, a crowd estimated at between 20 and 30 thousand rallied in Madison, Wisconsin, boosting the petition drive to recall overreaching Rethug/ Koch-head Gov. Scott "Take a Walk" Walker. Organizers need over 500,000 valid signatures by January 15 to trigger a recall election. As supporters chanted, "Run, Russ, Run!," former Sen. Russ Feingold spoke at the rally, saying, "It's not about me... It's about restoring civility and some kind of sense of unity to the state." (Feingold has said he won't run against Walker in a recall election.)

Let's get this destructive clown and tool of the Koch brothers' social Darwinist political movement out of office!

Quote of the Day

"Gingrich's is an amazingly efficient candidacy in that it embodies everything that is disagreeable about modern Washington. He's the classic rental politician." -- Thesaurus-thumbing right wing pundit George "Quill" Will, speaking on "This Week With Christiane Amanpour." Casual observers of Quill know that he dislikes Poot intensely. He was also dismissive of Horndog Herb Cain's chances.

The Rethugs' Cartoon Candidates

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(Ben Sargent, via gocomics.com)

The American Taliban's Newest Candidate

That would be none other than adulterer and thrice-married Newt "Poot" Gingrich, who joined fellow wingers at a "Thanksgiving Family Forum" sponsored by a coalition of right-wing fundamentalist groups in Iowa yesterday, and proclaimed that a secular state was the root of all evil in America. Alternatively, Poot might want to consider hypocrisy and extremism as the root. Also personal greed and lying.

The religious wingers never seem to question just which public officials would write the prayers that would be said in public schools, etc. The founding fathers created a nation that separated church and state, having seen the problems of combining the two. Poot and the other Talibangelists running for the Rethug nomination should also see Iran as a cautionary tale: when you mix Government and religion (particularly the fundamentalist type), you end up with tyranny.

Acorn Found, Then Lost By Blind Squirrel

Wherein, in this morning's Kaplan Daily, blind squirrel Kathleen Parker finds an acorn:

"It takes courage to swim against the tide of know-nothingness that has become de rigueur among the anti-elite, anti-intellectual Republican base. Call it the Palinization of the GOP, in which the least informed earns the loudest applause. The latest to this spectacle is Herman Cain, who has figured out how to turn his liabilities into assets. After fumbling for an answer during an editorial board meeting to a simple question about his position on Libya, a lead news item since February, Cain blamed — who else? — the media."

Then promptly forgets where it is:

"Even so, there are signs that the GOP is recognizing its weaknesses and is ready to play smarter. To wit: The sudden surge of Gingrich, who, whatever his flaws and despite the weight of his considerable baggage, is no intellectual slouch. Whether he can pull off a victory in Iowa remains to be seen, but a populist professor — a bombastic smarty-pants Republicans can call their own — may be just the ticket."

Yes, "Air Poot" is the ticket, though there may be an extra charge for the weight of all that "baggage," and some fellow nuts are not on board yet.

P.S. - If your concern is about the know-nothings in your party, and the liars and cranks that work overtime to misinform them, here's something you might want to look into.

(Image: Kathleen Parker, in search of an acorn - or was it "the ticket?")

Photo of the Week

(Photo: Lieutenant of Police John Pike, University of California-Davis, nonchalantly pepper spraying non-violent Occupy demonstrators, November 18, 2011, "as one would weeds on a lawn." As a result of this gross over-reaction, there are calls for the UC-Davis Chancellor's resignation. How about sacking Lt. Pike and his commander?)

(UPDATE: This sadistic sociopath, plus another, plus the campus police chief, are all suspended. We await their dismissal at the soonest opportunity.)

Class Warfare Weekend Cartoon

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(Matt Wuerker, via gocomics.com)

Would-Be Assassin a Would-Be "Christian"

It turns out Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the dimbulb who was recently arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate President Obama, wasn't an Occupy demonstrator (as Fox "News" and others in the right-wing propaganda machine wanted you to believe). Turns out he wasn't associated with Occupy at all; he just wanted to kill Obama because he thought the President was "the anti-Christ."

We'll no doubt be learning from whence Ortega-Hernandez was getting this "revelation." We won't be terribly surprised if his inspiration didn't come, in part at least, from the voices on right-wing hate radio or a crackpot holy-roller "preacher" who set up shop out in the Idaho sticks.

(Photo: Ortega-Hernandez -- praise Jeebus and lock-and-load!)

Don't Know Much 'Bout Libya, Cont'd.

It's Friday, and Rethuglican Presidential candidate and ladies man Herman "Horndog Herb" Cain is still ignorant on basic foreign affairs. Today, he suggested that the Taliban is a threat in Libya, apparently not realizing that home for the Taliban is in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- thousands of miles away from Libya.

Stuff must still be swirling around in Horndog Herb's head.

Weekend Somethin' Else to Think Over

For your listening enjoyment, we go back to two rock and roll legends who, unfortunately, died young -- Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran -- for two of their less-often played songs. (BTW, the high-octane, pneumatic Cochran was a native of Albert Lea, Minnesota - props to our Minnesota roots!)

Hairy Situation

Gaffe machine Gov. Rick "Hair" Perry (R-Oops) is fast sinking in the polls, after numerous unforced errors and a general consensus that he's not ready for prime time. Now, as a further sign that Hair's "sell by" date has passed, his financial donors are finding ways of hiding when he comes around, hat in hand for donations.

The Houston Chronicle reports that,

"Perry's campaign fundraising has gone into a tailspin as a result of poor debate performances and plunging poll numbers, jeopardizing his position as the best-funded Republican presidential candidate of 2012."

In a show of desperation, Hair's campaign released an attack video that was so dishonest in claiming that President Obama was a socialist and that he called Americans "lazy", that it became the talk of cable news and media fact checkers nationwide. Hair has three things going against him: 1. he's stupid, 2. he's an extremist, and 3. uhhh, wait a second, we just had it....ummmm...oh yeah, OOPS!

(photo: It's Alamo time for Hair)

Rethug Attempt To Rig Elections Fails

As we noted on November 5, Arizona Rethuglican Gov. (and poster child for avoiding overexposure to the sun) Jan "Witch's" Brewer removed the head of the Arizona commission empowered to oversee Congressional redistricting. Witch's Brewer's move came after she and the Rethug state legislature were displeased that the independent commission wasn't rigging the redistricting to favor Rethuglicans.

Now, in a major defeat, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected the Governor's banana republic action, and reinstated the commission's chairwoman. The commission will now be able to complete their redistricting task before the 2012 elections (unless Witch's Brewer calls out the National Guard, declares martial law, and names herself Queen of Arizona).

(photo: Half-baked, but still overdone)

Colbert on Newt Gingrich's "All-You-Can-Research Booze Cruise"

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Newt Gingrich's Greek Cruise
www.colbertnation.com
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Cartoon of the Day

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Underlying the horrific child rape story at Penn State is the theme that, from Wall Street to athletics and everywhere in between, powerful people and institutions try to insulate themselves from the consequences of their actions, passing them on to their victims. That has to change.

Good News For Dems?

The New York Times has a report on various Senate races that indicates that Dems have a good chance of reelection in several swing states, due to Rethug in-fighting or incompetence. The in-fighting, of course, is between corporate/establishment Rethugs and teabagger extremists. As we saw in 2010, when the Rethug Senate candidate is a far right nutcase (e.g., Sharron "Right" Angle, Christine "Witchy Woman" O'Donnell, etc.), the Rethugs lose.

So we hope that the Rethugs continue to veer off to the far right, nominate unelectable candidates who voice extreme positions, and go down to a solid defeat.

As We Were Saying...

A new poll by Public Policy Polling shows opposition mounting to the Occupy Wall Street movement. The new PPP poll shows 33% support OWS, while 45% oppose it. A month ago, those numbers were 35% support and 36% oppose. The poll also finds the public now has a lower opinion of OWS than the tea baggers. Ouch.

As we noted the other day, the OWS movement needs to reassess its strategy and what it's trying to accomplish. This is part of the analysis accompanying the poll (emphasis ours):

"I don’t think the bad poll numbers for Occupy Wall Street reflect Americans being unconcerned with wealth inequality. Polling we did in some key swing states earlier this year found overwhelming support for raising taxes on people who make over $150,000 a year. In late September we found that 73% of voters supported the ‘Buffett rule’ with only 16% opposed. And in October we found that Senators resistant to raising taxes on those who make more than a million dollars a year could pay a price at the polls. I don’t think any of that has changed- what the downturn in Occupy Wall Street’s image suggests is that voters are seeing the movement as more about the ‘Occupy’ than the ‘Wall Street.’ The controversy over the protests is starting to drown out the actual message."

Mid-Week Song

Balladeer Gordon Lightfoot turns 73 tomorrow. He had a string of hits in the '70s, one of which was "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," a ballad about an ore freighter that sank in a storm on Lake Superior 36 years ago last week.

Poot Rewrites History

Now that right-wing gasbag Newt "Poot" Gingrich is temporarily rising in the polls, he's going to have to answer some questions about his connection with Freddie Mac starting from 1999. The Pootster would have us believe that Freddie Mac spent at least $1.6 milllion to have his advice as a "historian" (of what, sleazy politics?). Officials at Freddie Mac beg to differ with Poot the Historian. According to them, Poot was hired to lobby his former Rethug colleagues so that they would be more sympathetic to the company. Poot's story that he warned them about risky loans and a housing "bubble" looks shaky, too. We all know that the far right considers Freddie Mac (and sister company Fannie Mae) as causing everything from the housing market collapse to psoriasis, so Poot's connection with either one is potentially deadly.

Now for a walk down memory lane, here are some of Poot's greatest hits from the past, courtesy of Mother Jones.

Elizabeth Warren's "Who I Am"

Of all the Dem candidates running in 2012, the Rethuglicans are the most terrified of Elizabeth Warren in the Massachusetts Senate race. They've been trying to portray her as an out of touch elitist. Here's her video response, and it's a beauty. No wonder they're terrified.

Walker Recall Petition Kicks Off

Midnight marked the beginning of the recall movement to remove Wisconsin's Koch-head Gov. Scott "Take A Walk" Walker from office. All over Wisconsin, there were petiton-signing parties and events to kick off the effort to collect roughly 540,000 signatures in the next 60 days.

Meanwhile, Take A Walk and his corporate string-pullers have launched a large ad campaign to try to deceive the voters (again) about his record and agenda. But now that Wisconsin voters have seen what their corrupt Governor is up to, he'll have a harder time convincing them of his good intentions. Let this be a lesson to the overreaching right-wingers who snuck into office on the strength of teabagger turnout: you're not the majority that you think you are.

Rethug Flavors of the Month

Speaking of "Horndog Herb" Cain (see below), he was recently asked in GQ magazine how he would name his Rethuglican opponents if they were ice cream. Horndog Herb's responses?

Flip-Flop Mitt Romney: "Plain vanilla."

Rick "Number 3" Perry: "Rocky Road."

Michelle "I See Commies, But Not That My Husband is Gay" Bachmann: "Tutti-Frutti."

Well done, Horndog! Now, if we could just come up with an ice cream name for you...hmmm... how about "Double Nut Fudge" or "Lemon."

Don't Know Much 'Bout Libya, Etc., Etc.

Former inedible pizza mogul and Rethuglican Presidential candidate Herman "Herb" Cain thought he was going on a book tour at the outset of his improbable run for the Rethug nomination. But, as one wingnut after another fell by the wayside, Herb's poll numbers crawled upward and he was no longer flying under the radar. His pronouncements were getting more scrutiny, as were claims of sexual harassment and sexual battery from several women.

Herb's "Uzbeki beki beki beki stan stan" moment was the first hint that he was a blank slate on foreign affairs. Ditto when he suggested that China had yet to develop nuclear weapons. Then yesterday, when asked by the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal editorial board about Libya, he drew a blank, then bumbled around with "things twirling around in my head" for a few minutes before finally spitting out some nonsense. Here's Think Progress' useful compilation of Herb's pratfalls.

(hat tip to P.E.C.)

(image: "If elected, I will demand that the Soviets tear down the Brooklyn wall.")

Changing the Face of the Occupy Movement

We're continuing to see reports of violence at many of the Occupy movement camps around the country. It's a disturbing trend that needs to stop. In Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Albany, violence resulting from police actions to evict demonstrators or from random shootings (3 dead so far) is undercutting the purpose and effectiveness of the Occupy movement, IMHO.

For starters, if your permit has elapsed, leave. You've got the nation's attention; in fact, you've got the world's attention. The law of diminishing returns is kicking in with every video or photograph of someone in a confrontation with the cops, or of a body bag exiting an Occupy camp. Remember what this was all about to begin with: Income inequality and the excesses of the oligarchs in government and the financial system.

Second, if anyone likes to demonstrate wearing a Guy Fawkes mask or bandanna covering his/ her face, let them demonstrate somewhere else other than with the Occupy movement. (We should apply the "7-11" standard here: if someone comes into a 7-11 store wearing a mask, you figure they're up to no good. Same probably holds true for someone marching in a crowd -- chances are they're more interested in breaking windows and beaning a cop than income inequality.) Leave the costumes to the tea baggers.

If this is truly a movement and not a moment, the Occupiers need to move into more practical political action: get out and register voters; or help people who may need ID to vote (thanks to Rethuglican voter suppression) get it; or hold seminars for local media to get them to cover the substance of the movement, not just the surface. In short, move from political theater to political action.

(Image: Not Guy Fawkes.)

Flip-Floppin' Cartoon of the Day

(Click to enlarge slightly)

(Tom Tomorrow, via Daily Kos)

Quote of the Day

"Occupy Wall Street and its allied movements around the country are more than a walk in the park. They are most likely the start of a new era in America. Historians have noted that American politics moves in long swings. We are at the end of the 30-year Reagan era, a period that has culminated in soaring income for the top 1 percent and crushing unemployment or income stagnation for much of the rest. The overarching challenge of the coming years is to restore prosperity and power for the 99 percent." -- Jeffrey Sachs, writing in today's New York Times.

Read the whole column here.

Tax Policy, Plutocrat-Style

Here's an interesting fact about which industries have benefited the most from tax subsidies, and you probably won't be shocked: financial, utilities (electric and gas), telecommunications, and oil/gas pipelines get the lion's share of breaks.

When you hear Rethuglicans squeal about protecting "job creators," this is who they're really talking about. We bet there's a direct correlation of these industries to the biggest contributors to their campaigns.

Sunday Rethug Candidate Update

Steve Benen saves us a lot of time this morning. He's got pieces on three of the Rethuglican stooges running for preznit.

-- he's got Willard "Mittens/ Muff/ Flip Flop Mitt" Romney, "the guy who laid you off," here;

-- he's got Rick "Oops" Perry, the man who has a hard time keeping more than two thoughts in his head at any given time, here; and

-- he's got Michelle "I See Commies, But Not My Gay Husband" Bachmann, who has a hard time keeping any thought in her head, here.

Sorry, we'll let you find stuff on Herman "Horndog Herb" Cain on your own!

Weekend Song

Alternative rock group Filter had this hit in 2000, "Take A Picture." It references the incident where inebriated lead singer Richard Patrick stripped down to his boxers on a commercial flight (damn those long waits for the lavatory!). Some trivia: Patrick happens to be the brother of actor Robert Patrick, who played the liquid metal assassin cop chasing Arnold Schwarznegger in Terminator 2.

The Penn State Horror, Cont'd.

Matt Paknis was a graduate assistant coach at Penn State under former coach Joe Paterno from 1987 to 1988. He was also the victim of sexual abuse, but from a neighbor, long before he was at Penn State. Here he sums up his feelings in Mike Wise's Kaplan Daily column:

“The crux of the whole case isn’t protocol or right channels or who took the fall. There was no consideration from Joe Paterno, from anyone at Penn State, over how we can help this kid. That was the last thing in their minds.”

Looking at it another way, Paterno has had 46 years of adulation as Penn State's head coach; at age 84, his life is behind him. The boys that were abused have the rest of their lives to live in the pain caused by their rapist. If they live to 84, they'll never be able to look back on any "glory years" because no one cared about them when it mattered.

Veterans Day

Saluting our veterans today, from all wars. Composer Richard Rogers' Victory at Sea symphony seems a good choice. "Beneath the Southern Cross" is perhaps the most famous selection from the work, and one we've featured before. When Rogers' lyricist partner, Oscar Hammerstein added words, it became popular as "No Other Love" in the early '50s.

Cartoon of the Day

(click to enlarge)

(Stuart Carlson, via gocomics.com)

His plan also involves "smear, smear, smear." It didn't go unnoticed in the recent Rethug debate that cardboard pizza boss and ladies' man Herman "Herb" Cain referred to former Speaker of the House (and second in line to the Presidency) Nancy Pelosi as "Princess Nancy." For someone who is facing multiple, credible allegations of sexual misconduct -- including sexual assault -- he might want to tone down the overt misogyny so he doesn't totally blow his cover story. A-hole.

UPDATE: Need more proof? Check out Herb's joke about Anita Hill.

UPDATE 2: Guess Mike Tyson isn't in the horndog's corner ("Please insert a jellybean into my USB port..." hee-hee).

The Penn State Horror

The disgusting and still unfolding scandal at Penn State has resulted in the firing of long-time coach Joe Paterno, and the arrest of the accused molester, former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Penn State President Graham Spanier was also fired. There are at least 8 victims -- underage boys who were molested on the Penn State campus by Sandusky, who ran a youth camp. Paterno and several other officials at Penn State were made aware of Sandusky's abuse, but apparently decided that the school's image, recruiting and legacy were more important than protecting the molested boys and reporting the crimes.

Last night, some moronic Penn State "students" rioted in protest of Paterno's firing by Penn State. It's a shame that they were more concerned with the firing of the former coach than the victims of the crimes that were covered up by the school. No course can teach honor apparently. It's likely that the ramifications of this story will be with Penn State for years to come.

(h/t to AZ Gail)

More Thoughts on the Latest Rethug "Debate"

Here's Driftglass' take (caution: naughty word ahead):

"Perry is done. Toaster strudel. Being too much in the bag to remember how to count to three (no kidding) was apparently too much for even the meatsticks in the audience who applauded every bleeding 'Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!' gobbet they were thrown by the red-meat Pez dispensers on stage.

For intelligent citizens, this story long ago stopped being about the freaks and cult-hustlers who have risen to the top of one of America's two major political parties; the story is about the truly stunning depravity and pig-iron-ignorance of the millions of Pig People who put them there.

What you are witnessing is the apotheosis of the Southern Strategy crossing streams with Reaganomics. If you helped author this catastrophe, you should spend your days thanking God you haven't been put up against the fucking wall by now."

Can't argue with that.

OWS Clip of the Day - "Wealth Under Siege"

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Colbert Platinum - Wealth Under Siege
www.colbertnation.com
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Department of Lubricated Weathervanes

Check out this jaw-dropping quote last night from constant flip-flopper and man-with-no-core- beliefs, Willard "Mittens" Romney:

"I am a man of steadiness and constancy. I don't think you will have somebody who has more of those attributes than I do."

The main thing that Mittens has been steady and constant at is his impersonation of a perfectly lubricated weather vane. Imagine the straight-faced self-control that the other Rethug candidates had to exercise when Mittens made that statement, when most of us would have burst out laughing.

Three Reasons. . . .

...why Rethuglican Presidential candidate Gov. Rick "Hair" Perry will never be President:

1. The public won't buy his radical right-wing views (tear up the social safety net, consider seceding from the Union if you don't agree with Federal laws, etc.)

2. His crony capitalism record is exactly what the public is angry about (Occupy movement), and

3. Uh...wait, there's a third reason. Uh, we had it just a minute ago. We can't remember right now. Let's see, the third....can't do it, OOPS!

There's almost unanimous agreement that you can stick a fork in Hair, he's done after his epic brainfart last night. Admittedly, we didn't sit through last night's Rethuglican "debate," so here's a good recap of the hijinks and outright mendacity.

(photo: Uh...ummm...uh...)

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

“People didn’t like the tools we offered here.”-- Gov. John "Koch Machine" Kasich, offering his thoughts on the massive defeat of his reactionary union busting law by the good people of Ohio.

Yes, Governor, people usually don't like tools in public office. For example, you and your Rethuglican legislators.

Thanks for playing word association.

OWS Cartoon of the Day

(Ben Sargent, via gocomics.com)

Mid-Week Mykonos Song

Going back to this talented band from Seattle (h/t on the song - Shauna):

Arizona Bigot Defeated At Polls

The good election news continues. The architect of Arizona's "papers please" immigration law, Rethuglican state Sen. Russell "No Mas" Pearce was successfully recalled in a special election yesterday. His opponent, also a Rethug, won by 54% of the vote and promised to oppose the crackdown on immigration.

Since No Mas is so dedicated to stemming the flow of illegal immigrants, we'd like to see him stationed on a remote stretch of the border with Mexico, but with one caveat: he'd only be armed with a copy of his bill, S.B. 1070.

(photo: Hasta la vista, star spangled a-hole)

Tuesday's Smackdown

Voters delivered a smackdown to Rethuglican over-reachers in yesterday's voting in several states. Union rights were affirmed in Ohio, as were womens' rights yesterday in Mississippi, where voters rejected a fundamentalist right-wing referendum to define "personhood" as a fertilized egg, and virtually outlaw abortion. The right-wing Uterus Mullahs wanted to make Mississippi the flagship for an assault on womens' reproductive rights, and weeks ago it looked as though they were going to win. But, when voters considered the impact this "definition" would have on women seeking in vitro fertilization or on women suffering from rape, incest or miscarriage, they decisively rejected it.

Odd, isn't it, that these right-wing kooks want the government to force women to bear a child, regardless of the circumstances, but have no problem walking away once that child is born when they advocate cuts in Medicaid and school lunch programs that benefit poor mothers. "Pro-life" indeed.

Ohio Rejects Right-Wing Attack on Labor

Today, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected the Rethuglican state law that would have stripped public employees -- police, fire fighters, teachers, etc. -- of their collective bargaining rights. It's a major defeat for the unpopular Gov. John "Koch Machine" Kasich, who is reeling with the worst approval numbers of any governor.

Congratulations to the labor movement, who got the message out to the general public that this attack on the middle class was the opening salvo from the Rethugs, who were representing big corporate interests in trying to bust union rights. Now, if Wisconsin voters can follow suit and boot Gov. Scott "Too Much Johnnie" Walker and his merry band of Koch-heads, we'll pop the champagne.

It's Why We Call Them "Rethugs," Herman Cain Edition

As was expected, sleazy Rethuglican creep Herman "Herb" Cain is out there trashing the woman who's accused him of groping her, Sharon Bialek. As the linked story points out, the Cain campaign's desperate strategy of spreading red herrings far and wide is not going to fool anyone. It's only going to cause more pain to those this oozing pustule has already damaged.

This is how a man without honor acts. What a liar. What a thug. What a coward.

D.C. Circuit Court: "Obamacare" Constitutional

In a split decision, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or "Obamacare" to the numbnuts out there) is constitutional. What makes this a significant decision is that the majority decision was written by Laurence Silberman, by all measures a right-wing judicial appointee of St. Ronnie of Hollywood. It now appears the preponderance of rulings on the ACA are in favor of its constitutionality, either in whole or in part. The suit that the Circuit Court was hearing was brought by "Rev." Pat Robertson, the squirrelly TV talibangelist and former Rethuglican candidate for President.

Will Cain Smear His Accuser?

Rethuglican wingnut and accused sexual assaulter Herman "Herb" Cain is holding a press conference in Phoenix this afternoon, at which he's expected to discuss the fourth and most serious allegation of sexual misconduct, which was made by a very credible Ms. Sharon Bialek yesterday. Somehow, we don't think Herb will come clean, as Ms. Bialek demanded yesterday, or answer questions frankly. We expect the same evasion and deflection of blame to the accuser, the media, libruls, Hair Perry, Martians, Murphy Brown, etc. that right-wingers engage in whenever caught with their pants down (literally). It's the main card in their deck.

We'll see how Herb spins this latest charge, and whether he'll try to smear his accuser.

Ohio Votes

Today, Ohio voters have a chance to turn back one of the most reactionary pieces of legislation passed by a Rethuglican state legislature and Governor. A "no" vote on Issue 2 on the ballot in Ohio today would repeal State Bill 5 which strips public employees of their collective bargaining rights, much as was done in Wisconsin. Backing the Rethugs are corporate interests -- prominently the Koch heads -- that want to chip away at unions in the public and private sectors, and who have pumped millions into dishonest ads.

Polls indicate that the public opposes the Rethug attempt in Ohio by almost a 2 to 1 margin, but turnout today is key and fortunately the weather across much of Ohio is good. We'll tune back in once the polls have closed in Ohio this evening.

Quote of the Day

"Tragically, the more entrenched the jobs shortage becomes, the more paralyzed Congress becomes, with Republicans committed to doing nothing in the hopes that the faltering economy will cost President Obama his job in 2012. Last week, for instance, Senate Republicans filibustered a $60 billion proposal by Mr. Obama to create jobs by repairing and upgrading the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. They were outraged that the bill would have been paid for by a 0.7 percent surtax on people making more than $1 million." -- New York Times editorial today. The next fight, over extension of unemployment benefits, will further sharpen the picture of the Rethugs as deliberately trying to tank the economy and protect the wealthiest among us.

UPDATE: And the American people have caught on.

Allred-dy Then

The unfolding sexual harassment scandal involving Koch puppet and former inedible pizza king Herman "Herb" Cain may get some wind in its sails. It's reported that Attorney Gloria Allred will be taking the case of a fourth Herb-accuser, and may introduce the woman in a news conference today.*

If the report's true, some of the accusations will have a face to them. It's a brave move, given the right-wing attack machine's ability to smear those that stand up to their "heroes" -- see Anita Hill, etc. Limpballs, the Fuxers, and the other attack monkeys on the right will be at their battle stations for any woman who accuses one of their own.

*UPDATE: Herb's accuser alleges inappropriate "touching." Better still, she's a registered Republican. To top it off, what Ms. Bialek is alleging goes beyond harassment to sexual assault.

Letters We Wish We'd Written Dept.

From the November 5 Kaplan Daily "Free for All," perceptive comments from a reader on the "he-said, she-said", let- the- truth- catch- up- later quality of mainstream media "reporting:"

"Two recent letters published in Free for All [Andi Drimmer, Oct. 22, and Liz Hobbins, Oct. 29] called upon The Post to relocate 'The Fact Checker' to the front page. As Hobbins rightly observed, 'It is the responsibility of The Post to provide that additional information (about candidate claims) and put it where people won’t miss it.'

But it seems to me that the place where people 'won’t miss it' is in the original reporting, not in a separate column or section. Why, one has to ask, are the easily verifiable misrepresentations of fact by a major candidate for the presidency not considered an integral part of the initial story? Could it be that the major media have become increasingly more concerned about evenhandedness than about the nobler mission of truth-telling? Victor A. Capece, Bowie"

Department of Rethuglican Hypocrisy

The so-called "Family Research Center" is a fundamentalist political organization working on behalf of the Rethuglican / New Confederate Party. Their right-wing leadership has a selective approach to Christianity, which doesn't involve aiding the poor, healing the sick, etc. It can better be described as a free-market, I've-got-mine perversion of "Christianity" which fits with the Rethug ethos perfectly.

Now, they've gone one better in giving Rethug Congressman Joe "Deadbeat" Walsh a 100% rating for being "pro-family." Not sure which family Deadbeat is pro, but it's not his ex-wife and two children, to whom he owes $100,000 in child support. Not that he's poor -- he earns $174,000 per year. Get this, in accepting the accolades, Deadbeat had this to say:

“Defending American values have (sic) always been one of my top priorities, and this reward reaffirms my dedication to that fight.”

Wow, the sheer hypocrisy of someone who talks about "American values" while stiffing his family of the financial support they are entitled to. A-hole.