A dose of reality for Rick Perry’s Texas in reference to unemployment. Kevin Drum posts this chart at Mother Jones, and it shows the present unemployment rate of Texas, as it relates to the unemployment rate of the 11 states immediately surrounding Texas. Drum points out that Texas only beat 4 states, while the other 7 have better employment rates.
Seems Rick Perry’s policies aren’t so special after all!
Just another dumb statement to add to Michele Bachmann’s growing list of lies and misinformation.
This time, Mrs. Bachmann, one of the eleven (and counting) contenders for the Republican nomination to take on Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election, is attempting to scare Americans by trying to change history… again!
The Presidential hopeful went on the Jay Sekulow conservative radio show and proclaimed that Americans are worried about the rise of the Soviet Union. Yes, the very same Soviet Union that was dismantled over 20 years ago. Bachmann said;
“What people recognize is that there’s a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward.”
We all know that this is not the first time Bachmann showed her lack of basic knowledge for American or world history. She has even demonstrated a total lack of basic common knowledge when earlier this week, she celebrated Elvis Presley’s birthday on the day he died.
And the sad part of all this is, Michele Bachmann really believes the nonsense. Although her baseless claims can be easily reputed by any 8th grader, Bachmann tells her tall tales with conviction. At least that’s more than we could say about the other 10 misfits trying to become the president of the greatest nation on earth!
How did it happen? That’s the question some were asking as they showed up to work in a southern town where a 12 foot mural, showing the face of Ronald Reagan, got a make-over. During the night, someone painted a Hitler mustache on the Republican god. The mural covers the wall of the County Republican Party headquarters in downtown Cookeville, Tennessee. All that was left behind was a folding chair.
County chairman Curtis Shinsky expressed his dismay at the site when he arrived to work Monday morning;
“Ronald Reagan is really beloved by the Republican party, he’s our guy… I just think this is people who have it in for us. There’s a lot of folks who don’t like us being up here on the square because we really have a lot of visibility.
“They had to be pretty tall because that chair was not tall, just a regular folding chair.”
Just saying…
“Ezra,” Dad would say, “work hard, and work to the best of your ability. And be mindful of those who will willfully and intentionally put obstacles in your way. Their intent is your failure, and they will watch you fall then accuse you of being incapable of doing your job. So you must work even harder and you must work smarter, and in the end, the truth will come to light.”
Over the last three years, the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States has proved many things, some good, some bad. But one thing his presidency will leave in the minds of the world is this: The job of a black man is always hard, but it is even more difficult when obstacles are willfully and intentionally put in his way with one objective in mind – to make sure he fails, then to accuse him of being incapable of doing the job.
My father told this to me on many occasions and at times, I thought he was just rambling off at what he thought was some form of injustice in the world. I heard him say it so many times, I even finished his sentences in my head. I felt as though I heard the same thing one time too many.
Dad wasn’t a radical man, in fact, he was a caring person who gave and gave often. He believed if you have the physical and/or mental capability to work, then you should, and you should do it to the best of your ability. But this is where his skepticism showed, because he would always warn about those forces that will try to undercut your ability, causing you to not be as productive as your true potential would allow.
I never really understood this, or maybe I chose not to. I was young and easily distracted by anything shiny. But as I grew older and matured, and began absorbing and observing the world around me, Dad’s words rang true in my ears, sometimes, too loud. In my own professional life, I can point to many occasions where Dad was right and I could randomly ask any black American and get life stories where they too felt as though their abilities were intentionally crushed and suppressed, far beyond its limit.
But nowhere are Dad’s words more true, than here and now. What we’re witnessing in the American political system, with the election of Mr. Barack Obama as the first black President of this great nation, is the willful and intentional effort by some – particularly those elected officials in the Republican party – to make sure this black President fails.
We’ve heard it all when they talk about Mr. Obama, “he doesn’t love America,” and the infamous, “he’s not one of us.” We’ve heard Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann described Obama’s presidency as “a gangster government.” All these and more are code words meant to portray a certain vision to the average American, but today, Republican Congressman Tom Coburn tossed the code words out the window when he attempted to answer an audience’s question about if he believes Obama wants to destroy America. Coburn answered;
“His intent isn’t to destroy. It’s to create dependency because it worked so well for him. I don’t say that critically. Look at people for what they are. Don’t assume ulterior motives. I don’t think he doesn’t love our country. I think he does.
“As an African American male, coming through the progress of everything he experienced, he got tremendous benefit through a lot of these programs. So he believes in them. I just don’t believe they work overall and in the long run they don’t help our country. But he doesn’t know that because his life experience is something different.
So it’s very important not to get mad at the man. And I understand, his philosophy — there’s nothing wrong with his philosophy other than it’s goofy and wrong [laughter] — but that doesn’t make him a bad person.”
The President has also been referred to as a “tar baby” and “your boy,” in addition to the countless racists emails, one showing the White House lawn filled with watermelons, and another Republican generated email showing a family of apes with Mr. Obama’s face super-imposed on a chimpanzee’s.
Tom Coburn and his fellow Congressional Republican officials have joined together and voted against every policy initiative President Obama tried to implement. They’ve even voted against bills they originally wrote, just because President Obama began supporting those bills. And in the process of creating these obstacles for this particular president, Republicans are successfully dismantling the American economy, and they’re casting blame on the President on a daily basis.
Of course, the opposing party will always strive to gain control of the White House, and they would say and do almost anything to achieve that goal. But when the race of the occupant of the White House plays into your political decision making processes and you willfully and intentionally create unnecessary obstacles with the intent to ensure that the incumbent president’s administration is a failure, then you’ve just proved my Dad was right, and in this case, that’s an unfortunate claim for me to make.
Not even a week after formally announcing his intentions to run for President of the United States, Rick Perry is already getting his share of protesters, and questions about Social Security caught Perry so off guard, that he stuffed his mouth with food to avoid answering.
Twenty four hours after arriving in New Hampshire, Perry and his group went to grab a bite to eat. Outside, a group of seniors from the New Hampshire Alliance For Retired Americans gathered on the sidewalk outside the Popovers on the Square restaurant, holding signs with slogans like “Another Texas idiot for sale,”
ABC reports what happened next:
As the presidential candidate from Texas walked into a local restaurant, Popovers on the Square, he was forced to shake hands with voters amid shouts of “Hands off Social Security and Medicare!” and “You’re a threat to America” from the anti-Perry forces who gathered just a few feet away from him. It was the first organized protest of this kind since Perry arrived in the Granite State.
Inside the café, Gail Mitchell and a companion grilled him: “You said Social Security was unconstitutional.”
“Social Security’s going to be there for those folks,” Perry answered his inquisitors, making reference to the elderly.
“But you said Social Security is unconstitutional,” Mitchell repeated.
“I don’t think I — I’m sorry, you must have,” Perry said before stopping himself.
Instead of elaborating, Perry stuffed a generous piece of popover in his mouth. (Perry called them “pop ups.”)
“I’ve got a big mouthful,” Perry said and then ordering a glass of water. He later tripped over one of the women standing at his side pressing him on Social Security.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Perry said to her.
It’s only the beginning Perry, hope you stocked up on the popovers!
Large donors to the Rick Perry campaign for governor of Texas are beginning to reap the benefits of their donations, or more appropriately, investments. Reports have shown that numerous individuals and couples who’ve invested in Perry, are getting multi-million dollar contracts and subsidies from the state of Texas, and some even get jobs in the Perry administration.
The LA Times reports that over the last 10 years, Rick Perry received $37 million from just 150 people, and of these “donors,” nearly half have received “hefty business contracts, tax breaks or appointments under Perry, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.” The Times investigation found “donors” like billionaire Harald Simmons, who invested $1.2 million dollars in Perry. Simmons was rewarded with “permission to build a low-level radioactive waste disposal site in Texas, a project that promises to generate hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Auto magnate B.J. “Red” McCombs, who contributed nearly $400,000 to the governor, is the primary financial backer for a Formula One racetrack to be built near Austin. The state has pledged $25 million a year in subsidies to support the project.
The Houston-based engineering firm of James Dannenbaum, who gave more than $320,000 to Perry, received multiple transportation contracts from the state. In 2007, Perry appointed Dannenbaum to a coveted post on the University of Texas’ board of regents.
A Mississippi-based poultry company run by Joe Sanderson, who gave $165,000 to Perry, received a $500,000 grant from a state business incentive fund championed by Perry to open a chicken hatchery and processing plant in Waco.
With its mix of big-money industries like oil and campaign finance rules that allow unlimited political donations, Texas has a reputation for monied campaigns. And its elected officials have long sought to elevate their political patrons.
Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said donors had benefited more under Perry’s administration than they did under recent governors such as Democrat Ann Richards and Republican George W. Bush, Perry’s predecessor.
Now, Rick Perry is trying to take his investment company called the Rick Perry Presidential Campaign, nationwide, but in order for him to succeed, he must come to the little people to get their votes. Vote for Perry, the millionaires and billionaires need more hand-outs!
Seems like a commendable thing to do, right? Wrong!
“We played you a little bit of ‘Promised Land’ when we pulled up. You can’t do better than Elvis Presley, and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started celebrating taking our country back to work!”
That was Bachmann’s opening statement in Spartanburg, S.C yesterday, as she addressed the crowd gathered at one of her presidential campaign events. The problem with her celebrating Presley’s birthday yesterday was a little fact that happened to be that August 16th was the day Presley died. Elvis Presley was actually born on January 8th.
But have no fear, this is Michele Bachmann after all. What would really be surprising would be if she even knew what day of the week it was!
Carry on Michele, do you!
Rick Perry wants to be president of the United States, and in order for that to happen, he must not only gain the votes of independents, but also the votes of the Religious conservative base. That’s why last Saturday Perry led a “Prayer Session”, pandering to this sect. Turns out though, that there was more pandering needed to win over the this group, so admitting that he made a major mistake in Texas, was as good a place as any to start.
The mistake Perry is now regretting, was a mandate he set up in 2007, requiring all sixth grade girls in Texas to get the HPV vaccine. HPV – Human Papillomavirus – is the cause of, among other things, cervical cancer. Although this decision to have girls be vaccinated seemed like a good idea, conservatives have been getting down on Perry for making this decision. They claim this mandate is “too much government involvement.” At the time of his decision, Perry explained it this way;
“I understand some of the concern some of my good friends have about requiring this vaccine, which is why parents can opt out if they so choose. But I refuse to look a young woman in the eye 10 years from now who suffers from this form of cancer and tell her we could have stopped it, but we didn’t.”
“Others may focus on the cause of this cancer, but I am going to stay focused on the cure. And if I err, I’m going to err on the side of protecting life.”
That was his decision in 2007. The issue even followed him up to the 2010 Texas election, when his Republican primary rival Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, said this in an interview;
“[Perry] mandates 12-year-old girls to be vaccinated with an executive order for heaven’s sakes. “Didn’t even ask; didn’t even ask for an expert opinion; didn’t even ask the legislature for their approval. That is dictatorial.”
Now, realizing he’s on the national stage, Perry feels the need to flip-flop and explained his decision as “a mistake.” This is his new position, as he explained Saturday in New Hampshire;
“The fact of the matter is, I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry.”
It should also be noted that the drug Perry was mandating for the HPV vaccine, was made by Merck. Perry’s former chief of staff was a top lobbyist in Texas for Merck.
Call him a flip-flopper, call him a panderer. Just don’t call him a man of conviction.
So far, so good. Rick Perry just announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination for President in 2012, so the main stream media is falling all over him, praising his “job creation skills” in Texas, his “rigid good looks,” his “Texas slang,” the ease at which he collects massive donations, and his “Bush mannerisms.”
And although these “traits” in themselves may be considered a plus by some, they have no bearings on his actual governing and presidential capabilities. Take for example this story that is, so far, ignored by the media; Rick Perry’s Texas has a projected budget shortfall of over $25 billion over the next two years.
This month the state’s part-time legislature goes back into session, and the state is starting at potentially a $25 billion deficit on a two-year budget of around $95 billion. That’s enormous. And there’s not much fat to cut. The whole budget is basically education and healthcare spending. Cutting everything else wouldn’t do the trick. And though raising this kind of money would be easy on an economy of $1.2 trillion, the new GOP mega-majority in Congress is firmly against raising any revenue.
So the bi-ennial legislature, which convenes this month, faces some hard cuts. Some in the Texas GDP have advocated dropping Medicaid altogether to save money.
Yep. Cutting education and dropping medicaid to save money… that’s the Republican way!
President Obama has always called for civility in this ugly, sometimes racially motivated environment called the American political system. And on his most recent engagement with the American people in an open-air town hall meeting in Iowa, the Tea Party used the president’s call for civility as an opportunity to show how uncivil they really are, shouting accusations from the audience to Mr. Obama and engaging the President in what is being described as a “sparing match.”
This report from Yahoo.
US President Barack Obama went head-to-head with a prominent conservative Tea Party activist, in a microcosm of a political clash that will play out in the 2012 election.
Ryan Rhodes, a leader of the group in Iowa, took on Obama during an open-air town hall meeting, which marked a moment of new intensity in the president’s campaign for a second term.
Rhodes shouted out that the president’s calls for more civility in politics had little chance of coming to pass after “your vice president is calling people like me, a Tea Party member, a ‘terrorist.'”
His question referred to media reports that Vice President Joe Biden made such a remark in a private meeting with House of Representatives Democrats at the height of a debt showdown earlier this month.
The clash came as Obama was intent on wrapping up the meeting in the shadow of a red country barn draped with an American flag, as the sun set on a rural corner of Iowa.
“I know it’s not going to work, if you stand up, and I asked everybody to raise their hand… I didn’t see you, I wasn’t avoiding you,” the president said, but later circled back to answer Rhodes’s question.
“I absolutely agree that everybody needs to try to tone down the rhetoric,” he said, before going on to detail some of the more explosive charges that conservatives have laid against him.
“In fairness, since I have been called a socialist who wasn’t born in this country, who is destroying America and taking away its freedoms because I passed a health care bill, I am all for lowering the rhetoric.”
Obama and Rhodes later engaged in an animated conversation as he greeted supporters on a rope line after the event, and the activist later told reporters that he believed that Obama was indeed a socialist.
Remember when Scott Walker promised that the only way to get Wisconsin working again was to take collective bargaining away from public employees? Well apparently, even that was a lie, as Wisconsin isn’t working, they’re loosing jobs and Walker’s policies are to blame.
The Associated Press reports;
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s statewide teachers union is laying off 40 percent of its workers as a result of the law pushed by Gov. Scott Walker and passed by the Legislature curbing collective bargaining rights.
Wisconsin Education Association Council executive director Dan Burkhalter announced the layoffs of 42 workers on Monday, saying it was a result of what he called Walker’s “union-busting” bill.
Burkhalter says budget cuts are also being made as a result of the new law, which opponents said was designed to weaken the power of unions like WEAC.
Thanks Walker!
For whatever reason, this story is big today, with both Liberals and Conservatives joining together and speaking as one voice. I, a self-prescribed liberal, beg to differ with the majority, and I’m taking Fareed Zakaria’s side on this one.
What’s all the fuss about?
On his CNN show, Fareed Zakaria said these words: ” I think liberals need to grow up!” He was referring to the criticism Liberals have hauled on President Obama over the last few weeks, in response to his compromising with Republicans to keep the nation from going into default. Zakaria points out that Liberals seem to think the President’s soaring speeches alone are enough to pass legislation. And also, that because President Obama finds himself compromising with the Republicans, he is to be blamed for the way Washington works.
Both sides of the political spectrum apparently disagree with Fareed. The Conservative Newsbusters said, “Maybe this “recurring liberal fantasy” was fostered by folks like Zakaria that presented Barack Obama to the American people as a messiah. If the public has a Hollywood-like view of this president, it’s because the media put him on a pedestal like nobody before him.”
And the liberal leaning site Crooks And Liars said;
No, Liberals aren’t upset that he doesn’t make more heartwarming speeches. Liberals are upset that Obama’s tactics to negotiate in the conditions Zakaria describes is to start out giving the other side more than 50% of what they want and move further to the right from there. But that’s a much harder position to defend, so Chait and Zakaria create a strawman to make liberals look unreasonable. Further, there is no indication–as Zakaria asserts–that Americans are concerned with jobs AND deficit spending. Americans care about their jobs and the economy vis a vis whether they’ll have a job in the foreseeable future.
And even Mediaite started their piece about the story by saying, “Hey, Fareed, so’s yer face!”
Well, sometimes the truth hurts. No one is expecting a full endorsement to everything this president does, but what these Liberals don’t understand is that the constant beating up on the president when it’s unwarranted serves one purpose only – it legitimizes the daily criticism from the Conservatives, whether they be true or not. President Obama is not a one-man team, and the Constitution did not grant him the authority to make policies. Those powers are given to Congress, and right now, that Congress is divided with one side determined to go against everything the President is for.
So preach on Fareed, someone has to point out to these Liberals that what they’re doing amounts to shooting themselves in the foot.
