Governing through Reason
Open Mic May 4
Osama bin Laden interviewed for Daily Pakistan in 1997; behind him on the wall is an AK-47 carbine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We found out this week that Osama bin Laden worried about his legacy. French president Nickolas Sarkozy is fighting for his political life. Mitt Romney, with the Republican field to himself, may have little margin for error. Newt Gingrich was, at best lukewarm about Romney’s candidacy. We’ve seen the dark side of football. There are new clues about Roanoke (there’s an obscure reference). One of our staff has a birthday today.
What did you find interesting this week? Speak up and speak out.
Don’t see an article on a particular topic, but want to talk about it somewhere? This is Open Mic. Talk about whatever you want, but stay respectful.
We create a new Open Mic every week to give a clean slate, but feel free to add to this topic at any time.
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#2 written by rgbact 1 year ago
So he’s spent 11 million is is still in a statistical tie w/Barrett
Well, he only beat him by 5% last time. But I am curious how all the “campaign finance reform” folks feel about this recall. Clearly, Walker wouldn’t have to raise the money if he wasn’t faced with people wanting to invalidate his victory in 2010 and have an endless campaign. So. I’m not sure how you ultimately have campaign finance reform if people want to run endless campaigns. With blogs like this and the fantasy football aspect of politics, I don’t see how you can reform campaigns. -
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ie if Walker wasn’t pissing off WI voters so badly, they would never have got close to a million recall petition signatures to recall him.
Walker’s problem is the same as McDonnell in VA, Snyder in MI, Kasich in OH, Brewer in AZ, Corbett in PA, Rick Scott in FL … overreach er extreme conservatism as they kowtow to evangelicals and big business/major corporations.
Coincidentally, Obama is doing fairly well in the “battle ground” states mentioned above ~ go figure! Thank you newly elected Republican governors!
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#5 written by DrFunguy 1 year ago
“Arctic sea-ice retreat… shows a strong, physically plausible correlation with the increasing greenhouse gas concentration”
Where is Bart to explain the error in the thinking of these climatologists? -
#6 written by Mainer 1 year ago
Thank you Citizens United. Walker can at least say he isn’t a cheap whore.
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/david-blackey-super-rich-are-funding-walker-s-campaign/article_e3154dec-949b-11e1-a952-001a4bcf887a.html -
Where is Bart …
He’s at an undisclosed teabagger bunker w/his tar/feather/rails getting ready for Obama’s re-election. Roughing it like Erick Robert Rudolph!
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btw rgbact, 2010 truly was a low turnout, wave Republican election. So Walker has to worry about tepid, now disappointed, 2010 supporters and highly motivated, 2012 anti-Walker WI voters.
As again, it’s very hard for millions of dollars to equal a grassroot campaign er grassroot support. The WI recall is all about Walker and very little to do w/his opponent.
Much like the CA recall was all about Davis and not so much Auuunold the Terminator!
Also, the new WI Republican minority voter disinfranchise laws will not be in effect for the recall election.
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#9 written by mclever 1 year ago
@DrFunguy
Allow me to play the Bart role. Ahem.…
Clearly, with Antarctic ice expanding while Arctic ice retreats, there can’t be any “greenhouse effect” causing these changes in the ice formations, or both would be behaving the same way. The so-called scientists are obviously victims of confirmation bias, and seeing only what they want to see.
How’s that? I just ignored the completely divergent systemic conditions at the two poles, as explained in detail by the scientists in the article you cited. As long as I willfully ignore any countervailing evidence, I can continue in whatever ideological fixation I choose. So there.
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#11 written by mclever 1 year ago
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#12 written by rgbact 1 year ago
Wow, looks like Dick Lugar is gonna be out as senator. Down by 10% and primary is Tuesday. I guess Dems have a chance for a pickup. Hopefully the new guy is less scary then Sharon Angle.
Also enjoying the horrible week for Lizzy Warren in MA. Been waiting for her to have her “Marsha Coakley moment”. Looks like Dem insiders are getting concerned. Saw her on Morning Joe–she’s definitely the anti-Obama (won’t be winning the race on her charisma and likability) -
#13 written by mclever 1 year ago
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#14 written by rgbact 1 year ago
Who’s Lugar’s Republican opponent? I confess I haven’t been following developments in Indiana that closely. Who’s the likely Dem?
Guy named Murdock. State treasurer. Donelly is the Dem. Blue Dog from a GOP leaning district, so no Elizabeth Warren. Murdock was on Hannity this week. Seems fairly sane, just a dork, like you’d expect from a state treasurer. Seemed fairly disciplined at least. Sean asked him if he was a TP’er and he just said he had a broad level of support. Not sure what his big issues are.
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#15 written by DrFunguy 1 year ago
re. Mourdock:
“he’s been endorsed over Lugar bySarah Palin, influential conservative blogger Erick Erickson, Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, D.C. conservative groups FreedomWorks and the Club for Growth, the American Conservative Union, the National Rifle Association, Citizens United, Tea Party Express, and Grover Norquist.“
Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck… seems pretty teapish to me. -
mclever,
Who’s Lugar’s Republican opponent?
Another Dick: Richard Mourdock. He was a member of the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners for several years, during which he kept trying for a higher office. He lost every higher office election until 2006, when he was elected Indiana State Treasurer. He’s far more conservative than Lugar.
Who’s the likely Dem?
Representative Joe Donnelly (D-Granger, IN), representing IN2.
The race is perhaps closer to the 2010 Nevada election than any other in recent history. Nevada, though, had an incumbent in the general; if Mourdock wins, there will be no incumbent in the general in Indiana.
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#17 written by Max 1 year ago
A reminder for Romney concerning his speaking out or turn and out of ignorance (“If what I’m reading is true”) on the Chen débâcle“
Vito Corleone (to Santino) “Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again.”Mitt, some advice:
Good: “I am troubled by what I have read in the press”
Better: “I’m sure our State Department will handle this matter as best as possible”
Best: Keep you freaking mouth shut! Politics stops at the waters edge.
And we know what happened to Sonny for his breach of etiquette.
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mittens earlier today on fixednoise …
“We should be seeing numbers in the 500,000 jobs created per month“
Dutch monthly job creation in thousands:
1981
95
67
104
74
10
196
112
–36
–87
–100
–209
–2781982
–327
–6
–129
–281
–45
–243
–343
–158
–181
–277
–124
–141983
225
–78
173
276
277
378
418
–308
1114
271
352
3561984
447
479
275
363
308
379
312
241
311
286
349
1271985
266
124
346
195
274
145
189
193
204
187
209
1681986
123
107
93
188
125
–93
318
113
346
187
186
2041987
171
232
249
338
227
171
346
170
229
492
231
2941988
94
452
276
245
227
363
223
121
340
268
339
289>
>
>Bush 41:
1989
262
258
192
173
118
117
39
47
249
111
277
951990
338
249
214
40
150
17
–40
–208
–85
–159
–146
–591991
–122
–302
–161
–212
–127
88
–48
17
32
12
–58
231992
50
–66
52
157
126
60
70
141
35
178
139
212Bush 43’s job creation futility notwithstanding, bottom line, mittens can’t get out of his own way w/childish, inane, not ready for prime time political hyperbole!
Hard to believe Willard Walter Mitty Romney has been runnin’ for president his entire adult life!
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#20 written by WA7th 1 year ago
Re: Chen
While listening to an analysis on the radio a few days ago, the guy saying how this situation absolutely hurts Obama no matter what because there is no possible good solution to it, I kept thinking “If both sides can’t bond over the same pain in both sides’ asses that they’re both equally powerless to control, then what could they have ever possibly accomplished the first place?” I doubt either side really wanted to accomplish anything more than kicking the can down the road for another year anyway, and here the perfect opportunity to do that just ran into their laps.
My boss is Chinese, and he was talking about the Chinese perception of Gary Locke. He said “Officially Locke is dangerous and subversive because he rides the subway instead of a limo, but the people just think anyone who would willingly choose that way must be very stupid.”
The way I heard it previously is that offically he’s subversive because he carries his own luggage and is too greedy-cheap and selfish to spare any work for servants to do. I told my boss none of that matters here in the U.S. because most people here never have heard of him anyway, and those who have heard of him probably remember him as a state governor and would mostly agree he’s not bright enough to subvert anything, but none of that even matters because as long as his boss is Hillary Clinton, she will be blamed for every mistake he’ll ever make.
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#21 written by shortchain 1 year ago
Two items from Steve Benen’s God Machine this week:
1. Pew Research finds that the people in America most knowledgeable about religion are … atheists and agnostics.
2. Religious websites have more malware than porn websites.
(For the source, go to the maddow blog, which is where he hangs up his hat these days.
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The obvious:
Obama’s rousing 2012 presidential campaign kick-off speech at Ohio State earlier today was pithy and spot on as per usual, whereas no personality mittens inspires no one. Mainly because Obama can relate to “we the people” and understands their problems, whereas Romney is totally clueless re: the average citizen never/ever having to worry about $$$ in his lifetime.
Plus Obama believes what he’s sayin’ and mittens wishy/washy beliefs are evolving even as I type.
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McCain had to add a faux mama grizzly to draw a crowd. Where does Romney look to put a pulse in his campaign lol. It’s kinda ironic that yes Virginia, McCain was/is 100% more affable than mittens.
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What was noteworthy is everything left out of Obama’s speech he can use at a later date to bury Romney! Again, all the $$$ in the world can’t make mittens likable/trustworthy/presidential/spontaneous/astute etc.
Using silver spoon to describe Romney is an insult to Bush43 lol. Who at least had the country bumpkin persona in his favor.
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Just a few words re: my boy, Scott Walker … very few.
“Walker has raised more than $25 million since January 2011, and now has $4.9 million cash on hand. He has spent more than $11 million since mid-January. WisPolitics reports that $60,000 of Walker’s pre-primary money was transferred to his legal defense fund, which was set up to deal with a “John Doe” investigation of Walker’s time as Milwaukee county executive that has already ensnared several of his former staffers.”
So he’s spent 11 million and is still in a statistical tie w/Barrett.
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