Kansas Republicans Just Admitted That Cutting Taxes to “Boost the Economy” is a Scam
"Since the dawn of trickle-down economics during the Reagan administration, the only thing these tax cuts have done is made the rich more wealthy than they’ve ever been while leaving 98 percent of Americans further and further behind."
May 31, 2015
Robert Reich: Corporate Welfare Is Destroying Our Economy (VIDEO) | Alternet
Robert Reich: Corporate Welfare Is Destroying Our Economy (VIDEO) | Alternet
"Corporations aren’t people, despite what the Supreme Court says, and they don’t need or deserve handouts."
"Corporations aren’t people, despite what the Supreme Court says, and they don’t need or deserve handouts."
Joe Biden: “By focusing on my sons, I found my redemption”
http://www.vox.com/2015/5/30/8692893/biden-speech-sons
"As Vice President Joe Biden's son was dying of brain cancer this spring, he delivered a speech at Yale that addressed to his own losses and talked about how important his bond with his children was to him."
"As Vice President Joe Biden's son was dying of brain cancer this spring, he delivered a speech at Yale that addressed to his own losses and talked about how important his bond with his children was to him."
What Beau Biden Wanted Everyone To Know About The Issue That Defined His Career
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/05/31/3664478/beau-biden-crusaded-end-sexual-abuse-children/
"Beau Biden, son of the vice president, died tragically at the age of 46 from brain cancer on Saturday, but some may not realize that a cause Biden devoted himself to was trying to raise awareness about child sexual abuse."
"Beau Biden, son of the vice president, died tragically at the age of 46 from brain cancer on Saturday, but some may not realize that a cause Biden devoted himself to was trying to raise awareness about child sexual abuse."
May 30, 2015
Beau Biden, Son Of Vice President, Dies Of Brain Cancer At 46
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/30/3664472/beau-biden-son-vice-president-dies-brain-cancer-46/
"Beau Biden served as attorney general of Delaware and joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008, the same year his father ran for vice president. It was at the 2008 Democratic Convention he delivered an impassioned speech to introduce his father." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
"Beau Biden served as attorney general of Delaware and joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008, the same year his father ran for vice president. It was at the 2008 Democratic Convention he delivered an impassioned speech to introduce his father." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
Vice President Joe Biden’s son Beau dies after battle with brain cancer
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/vice-president-joe-bidens-son-beau-dies-after-battle-brain-cancer
"Beau Biden, 46, was hospitalized this week at Walter Reed Medical Center. He died Saturday evening surrounded by his family, the vice president’s office said." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
"Beau Biden, 46, was hospitalized this week at Walter Reed Medical Center. He died Saturday evening surrounded by his family, the vice president’s office said." Very sad news. Our thoughts are with his family tonight.
ALEC: Paying For Corporate Lobbying With Our Tax Dollars
ALEC: Paying For Corporate Lobbying With Our Tax Dollars
"corporate special interest money will always find plenty of ways to influence legislators. Here's the deal, though: you and I should not have to subsidize that special interest lobbying and influence peddling. The IRS needs to investigate ALEC and stop this sleazy charade now."
"corporate special interest money will always find plenty of ways to influence legislators. Here's the deal, though: you and I should not have to subsidize that special interest lobbying and influence peddling. The IRS needs to investigate ALEC and stop this sleazy charade now."
Kansas Republicans Finally Admit That Their Tax Cuts For The Wealthy Have Failed
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/30/kansas-republicans-finally-admit-tax-cuts-wealthy-failed.html
"Republican Governor Sam Brownback and his Tea Party sycophants in the Kansas legislature have insisted for the past several years that tax cuts for the rich would usher in an economic utopia. They envisioned businesses flocking to the state to take advantage of low taxes spurring an economic boom. Instead, the state has fallen on hard times, with massive budget shortfalls triggering savage cuts to education and social services. Even many Republicans are now acknowledging that their policy has been an economic disaster." Trickle Down fails again.
"Republican Governor Sam Brownback and his Tea Party sycophants in the Kansas legislature have insisted for the past several years that tax cuts for the rich would usher in an economic utopia. They envisioned businesses flocking to the state to take advantage of low taxes spurring an economic boom. Instead, the state has fallen on hard times, with massive budget shortfalls triggering savage cuts to education and social services. Even many Republicans are now acknowledging that their policy has been an economic disaster." Trickle Down fails again.
Bobby Jindal And Grover Norquist Wreck Louisiana
Bobby Jindal And Grover Norquist Wreck Louisiana
"One reason everything’s hitting the fan is there’s not much left. Gone are $800 million from the Medicaid Trust Fund for the Elderly and $450 million for providing development incentives, and the rainy day fund has dropped from $730 million to $460 million on his watch.
Republicans like state Rep. Jay Morris, who, after hearing Jindal’s vow to veto any measure that didn’t have Grover Norquist’s blessing, declared the approach “insane"."
"One reason everything’s hitting the fan is there’s not much left. Gone are $800 million from the Medicaid Trust Fund for the Elderly and $450 million for providing development incentives, and the rainy day fund has dropped from $730 million to $460 million on his watch.
Republicans like state Rep. Jay Morris, who, after hearing Jindal’s vow to veto any measure that didn’t have Grover Norquist’s blessing, declared the approach “insane"."
Devastating Walker Budget to Be Finalized
Devastating Walker Budget to Be Finalized
"Walker has also proposed another $127 million in direct cuts to the state’s K-12 public schools in next year’s education budget, after $1 billion in cuts in his first budget. The legislature will likely shrink the K-12 cut in response to public outrage.
In the continuing effort to weaken the state's public schools, the budget would also allow Wisconsin schools to hire people without bachelor's degrees to teach subjects like math, science, technology, and engineering."
"Walker has also proposed another $127 million in direct cuts to the state’s K-12 public schools in next year’s education budget, after $1 billion in cuts in his first budget. The legislature will likely shrink the K-12 cut in response to public outrage.
In the continuing effort to weaken the state's public schools, the budget would also allow Wisconsin schools to hire people without bachelor's degrees to teach subjects like math, science, technology, and engineering."
Obama Rescues Arrogant and Ungrateful Texas Republicans With Federal Disaster Declaration
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/30/obama-rescues-arrogant-ungrateful-texas-republicans-federal-disaster-declaration.html
"Arrogant Republicans like Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz won’t thank the President for literally rescuing their state with prompt action in a time of disaster. Cruz and Abbott are ignoring basic civility because they think it is good politics to ignore Obama while begging for a federal handout.
If Texas were capable of going it alone, they could handle their own natural disaster, but they can’t. What’s even worse is that many Texas Republicans lack the basic decency to thank the President for quicking being there for them in their time of dire need."
"Arrogant Republicans like Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz won’t thank the President for literally rescuing their state with prompt action in a time of disaster. Cruz and Abbott are ignoring basic civility because they think it is good politics to ignore Obama while begging for a federal handout.
If Texas were capable of going it alone, they could handle their own natural disaster, but they can’t. What’s even worse is that many Texas Republicans lack the basic decency to thank the President for quicking being there for them in their time of dire need."
Huckster And Hypocrite: Ted Cruz Voted Against Sandy Relief, Now Demands It For Texas
http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/05/29/huckster-and-hypocrite-ted-cruz-voted-against-sandy-relief-now-demands-it-for-texas/
"I do not in any way, shape, or form begrudge the victims of the Texas floods all the federal relief money they may need to put their lives back together. Not for a moment. But I object to people like Ted Cruz preaching their version of economic theory and then reversing themselves when it serves their purposes or helps get them reelected.
Mark my words: When Cruz runs for reelection to the Senate 2018, he will have images of the flooding and taglines saying that he personally led the fight to secure relief funds for his constituents."
"I do not in any way, shape, or form begrudge the victims of the Texas floods all the federal relief money they may need to put their lives back together. Not for a moment. But I object to people like Ted Cruz preaching their version of economic theory and then reversing themselves when it serves their purposes or helps get them reelected.
Mark my words: When Cruz runs for reelection to the Senate 2018, he will have images of the flooding and taglines saying that he personally led the fight to secure relief funds for his constituents."
Watch: Hypocrite Ted Cruz BEGS For Federal Relief Money For Houston Flooding After Voting Against Sandy Aid
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-hypocrite-ted-cruz-begs-for-federal-relief-money-for-houston-flooding/
"It turns out that Texas is the biggest recipient of federal disaster relief money in the country, as 46 counties are in a state of emergency. For all the railing that Ted Cruz does against “big government” and “wasteful spending”, he sure is quick to change his tune. The disaster in Texas is an absolute tragedy, but it’s equally appalling to see Cruz flip-flop after attempting to deny critical disaster relief to other Americans for partisan brownie points. This is a re-occurring theme with Republicans, who lack the empathy and compassion to spend federal money on disaster relief for other Americans but clamor for it when bad times hit their own states."
"It turns out that Texas is the biggest recipient of federal disaster relief money in the country, as 46 counties are in a state of emergency. For all the railing that Ted Cruz does against “big government” and “wasteful spending”, he sure is quick to change his tune. The disaster in Texas is an absolute tragedy, but it’s equally appalling to see Cruz flip-flop after attempting to deny critical disaster relief to other Americans for partisan brownie points. This is a re-occurring theme with Republicans, who lack the empathy and compassion to spend federal money on disaster relief for other Americans but clamor for it when bad times hit their own states."
Ted Cruz Backs Big Government For Texans – The Hell With The Everyone Else!
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/05/ted-cruz-backs-big-government-for-texans/
"In fact, Cruz’s state, Texas as well as Oklahoma were the top two states on the FEMA handout list having accounted for more than a quarter of the Agency’s declared disasters since 2009.
So Cruz is the Senator of a state that single-handedly receives more disaster relief money than nearly any state in the Union, with the possible exception of Oklahoma, and he voted against relief to victims of a storm that nearly wiped out the coast of New Jersey and New York because he’s against big government and thinks that it should just stay out of the way."
"In fact, Cruz’s state, Texas as well as Oklahoma were the top two states on the FEMA handout list having accounted for more than a quarter of the Agency’s declared disasters since 2009.
So Cruz is the Senator of a state that single-handedly receives more disaster relief money than nearly any state in the Union, with the possible exception of Oklahoma, and he voted against relief to victims of a storm that nearly wiped out the coast of New Jersey and New York because he’s against big government and thinks that it should just stay out of the way."
Ted Cruz’s Mind Blowing Hypocrisy on Texas Floods Shows Idiocy of Republican Philosophy
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/05/ted-cruzs-mind-blowing-hypocrisy-on-texas-floods-shows-idiocy-of-republican-philosophy/
"Cruz’s mind blowing hypocrisy was made all the more obscene when you take into account that this was the same Tea Party Senator who voted against federal aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy because he deemed much of the spending to be ‘wasteful’. The lesson is clear – screw the rest of the country when they need help, but rescue Texas. And to be sure, Texas needs rescuing a lot, being the number one recipient of federal disaster relief aid.
Don’t expect any of these inconvenient ‘facts’ to trouble Cruz and the radical anti government loons in Texas – hypocrisy is now an inbuilt facet of Republican ideology, so much so that no one pays it much attention any more. Just as Mitt Romney was able to campaign on an anti Obamacare platform in 2012 despite rolling out the exact same program in Massachusetts, Republicans couldn’t give a damn what the public thinks. As long as they are hurling enough mud at Democrats for being socialists, no one seems to notice their constant raids on public money."
"Cruz’s mind blowing hypocrisy was made all the more obscene when you take into account that this was the same Tea Party Senator who voted against federal aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy because he deemed much of the spending to be ‘wasteful’. The lesson is clear – screw the rest of the country when they need help, but rescue Texas. And to be sure, Texas needs rescuing a lot, being the number one recipient of federal disaster relief aid.
Don’t expect any of these inconvenient ‘facts’ to trouble Cruz and the radical anti government loons in Texas – hypocrisy is now an inbuilt facet of Republican ideology, so much so that no one pays it much attention any more. Just as Mitt Romney was able to campaign on an anti Obamacare platform in 2012 despite rolling out the exact same program in Massachusetts, Republicans couldn’t give a damn what the public thinks. As long as they are hurling enough mud at Democrats for being socialists, no one seems to notice their constant raids on public money."
Once Again, Mike Huckabee Proves That Republicans Don’t Know Anything About the Constitution
Once Again, Mike Huckabee Proves That Republicans Don’t Know Anything About the Constitution
"when you go back in history and look at the states that supported:
Slavery
Denying women the right to vote
Segregation
Bans on interracial marriage
The opposition to the Civil Rights Act
They’re almost all states that have always been “conservative” and are almost all “strongly Republican” today. States like South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Mississippi – all on the wrong side of history during each of those times in our history and all very Republican states today.
Yet, despite that overwhelming evidence showing that conservatives almost always end up on the wrong side of history, millions of them will look you straight in the eye and swear that they’re the ones “standing for Constitutional values"."
"when you go back in history and look at the states that supported:
Slavery
Denying women the right to vote
Segregation
Bans on interracial marriage
The opposition to the Civil Rights Act
They’re almost all states that have always been “conservative” and are almost all “strongly Republican” today. States like South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Mississippi – all on the wrong side of history during each of those times in our history and all very Republican states today.
Yet, despite that overwhelming evidence showing that conservatives almost always end up on the wrong side of history, millions of them will look you straight in the eye and swear that they’re the ones “standing for Constitutional values"."
Ted Cruz’s rainy day socialism: How a right-wing fanatic learned to stop worrying and love redistribution
Ted Cruz’s rainy day socialism: How a right-wing fanatic learned to stop worrying and love redistribution
"Overall, and disaster relief funds aside, more than 33 percent of Texas’ revenue comes from the federal government. One third of all the money Texas spends on its people during a typical year is, in fact, redistributed from taxpayers in Chicago, Manhattan, Hollywood, San Francisco (home of the terrifying “San Francisco Values”) and, of course, Honolulu, the not-real-America birthplace of our “profoundly dangerous” socialist president. Rewinding to the Great Recession, Texas received $6.4 billion in funding, as requested by former Gov. Rick Perry, from the Recovery Act; which, by the way, has been referred to as the “failed stimulus” by Cruz and others. The redistributed stimulus money balanced the Texas budget and preserved its rainy day fund. In total, Texas was the third-highest recipient of stimulus funds, totaling more the $33 billion.
If Cruz, Abbott and other conservative Texans plan to comport themselves as members of the party of personal responsibility, the least they could do is to man-up and own their socialism."
"Overall, and disaster relief funds aside, more than 33 percent of Texas’ revenue comes from the federal government. One third of all the money Texas spends on its people during a typical year is, in fact, redistributed from taxpayers in Chicago, Manhattan, Hollywood, San Francisco (home of the terrifying “San Francisco Values”) and, of course, Honolulu, the not-real-America birthplace of our “profoundly dangerous” socialist president. Rewinding to the Great Recession, Texas received $6.4 billion in funding, as requested by former Gov. Rick Perry, from the Recovery Act; which, by the way, has been referred to as the “failed stimulus” by Cruz and others. The redistributed stimulus money balanced the Texas budget and preserved its rainy day fund. In total, Texas was the third-highest recipient of stimulus funds, totaling more the $33 billion.
If Cruz, Abbott and other conservative Texans plan to comport themselves as members of the party of personal responsibility, the least they could do is to man-up and own their socialism."
May 29, 2015
Koch Brothers Credibility Shot After $15 Minimum Wage Slashes Unemployment
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/29/15-hr-unemployment/
"The result of these moves has been that King County, where Seatac and Seattle are, now has hit an unemployment rate of only 3.3%, a rate not seen since early 2008. While a pizza chain did close shop under the threat of having to pay a living wage, otherwise, business is booming. Rather than being able to claim victory by Seattle losing jobs, instead we find an increase in demand for everything from plumbers to car rental, and an increase of employment as a result.
Indeed, instead of closed businesses, we are witnessing business opportunity expanding across the region."
"The result of these moves has been that King County, where Seatac and Seattle are, now has hit an unemployment rate of only 3.3%, a rate not seen since early 2008. While a pizza chain did close shop under the threat of having to pay a living wage, otherwise, business is booming. Rather than being able to claim victory by Seattle losing jobs, instead we find an increase in demand for everything from plumbers to car rental, and an increase of employment as a result.
Indeed, instead of closed businesses, we are witnessing business opportunity expanding across the region."
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush's 4 Percent Fraud
PERRspectives: Jeb Bush's 4 Percent Fraud
"As the historical record shows, the economy almost always does better with a Democrat in the Oval Office. (As the Washington Post noted in 2012, it does better still when Democrats control Congress, too.) In general, the economy has grown faster, job creation increased more quickly, incomes expanded more rapidly, and stock market returns accelerated when the country voted blue. In their 2014 paper, economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson chalked up the Democrats' success to "mostly 'good luck,' with perhaps a touch of 'good policy.'"
But for would-be President Jeb Bush to ring the bell at 4 percent growth annually, he'll have to be better lucky than good. It's possible that he could inherit a booming economy from President Obama, who despite unending Republican obstructionism, rescued the American economy from the brink where George W. Bush left it. But history is working against Jeb in more ways than one. His economic team includes such right-wing luminaries as Glenn Hubbard, Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Larry Kudlow, the men who helped Dubya deliver the worst 8-year economic performance since VJ Day. And James Glassman, the man credited as the inspiration for Jeb's "Four Percent Solution" was the author of a 2000 book that sounds like the punch line of another Monty Python joke."
"As the historical record shows, the economy almost always does better with a Democrat in the Oval Office. (As the Washington Post noted in 2012, it does better still when Democrats control Congress, too.) In general, the economy has grown faster, job creation increased more quickly, incomes expanded more rapidly, and stock market returns accelerated when the country voted blue. In their 2014 paper, economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson chalked up the Democrats' success to "mostly 'good luck,' with perhaps a touch of 'good policy.'"
But for would-be President Jeb Bush to ring the bell at 4 percent growth annually, he'll have to be better lucky than good. It's possible that he could inherit a booming economy from President Obama, who despite unending Republican obstructionism, rescued the American economy from the brink where George W. Bush left it. But history is working against Jeb in more ways than one. His economic team includes such right-wing luminaries as Glenn Hubbard, Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Larry Kudlow, the men who helped Dubya deliver the worst 8-year economic performance since VJ Day. And James Glassman, the man credited as the inspiration for Jeb's "Four Percent Solution" was the author of a 2000 book that sounds like the punch line of another Monty Python joke."
GOP’s diabolical health care scheme: What their Obamacare “fix” is really all about
GOP’s diabolical health care scheme: What their Obamacare “fix” is really all about
"A new paper explains why the Senate GOP's Obamacare "fix" wouldn't fix anything. That's the point."
"A new paper explains why the Senate GOP's Obamacare "fix" wouldn't fix anything. That's the point."
Another Fox News Talking Point Implodes: Illegal Immigration Lowest In 20 Years Under Obama
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/29/another-fox-news-talking-point-implodes-illegal-immigration-lowest-in-20-years-under-obama/
"As you go about your day, won’t you take a moment to feel sorry for the beleaguered Republican Talking Point? By all measures, the talking points to attack President Obama being used relentlessly on Fox News and right-wing websites are having a really, really rough year. There was the “Obamacare will fail on its own” one. Remember that? It flamed out so spectacularly that now even Tea Party politicians are publicly giving up on the idea of ever repealing Obama’s signature healthcare law. And there was the “Obama has botched the Ebola outbreak.” How’d that go? Younger readers may have to Google that one, because nobody is talking about it any more. But surely the one about Obama’s failures on illegal immigration will stand."
"As you go about your day, won’t you take a moment to feel sorry for the beleaguered Republican Talking Point? By all measures, the talking points to attack President Obama being used relentlessly on Fox News and right-wing websites are having a really, really rough year. There was the “Obamacare will fail on its own” one. Remember that? It flamed out so spectacularly that now even Tea Party politicians are publicly giving up on the idea of ever repealing Obama’s signature healthcare law. And there was the “Obama has botched the Ebola outbreak.” How’d that go? Younger readers may have to Google that one, because nobody is talking about it any more. But surely the one about Obama’s failures on illegal immigration will stand."
What Happened To The First Children Being Off-Limits? Conservatives’ Renew Attacks On Malia
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/28/what-happened-to-the-first-children-being-off-limits-conservatives-renew-attacks-on-malia/
"As we’ve seen for the last seven years, there aren’t many places conservatives won’t go when attacking Obama. From racist accusations that he isn’t an American citizen to a staggering number of threats against the president’s life keeping the Secret Service busy, it’s hard to think of a U.S. president who has had to endure more ugliness from people who disagree with him.
Michelle Obama, as First Lady, has also endured a sickening amount of vitriol hurled at her over the years. Because of her interest in keeping kids healthy and eating well, conservatives have taken to constantly attacking her body. Fox News, for example, can’t stop calling the First Lady fat in the most disgusting segments imaginable.
The attacks on the Obamas may be disgusting, but on a certain level they are understandable. Racists and the right-wing fringe hate what they represent, hate that they are in the White House, and – worst of all – hate that Obama has actually had a massively successful presidency. Being first and being great are two things that have historically led to intense backlash from the people who preferred the status quo."
"As we’ve seen for the last seven years, there aren’t many places conservatives won’t go when attacking Obama. From racist accusations that he isn’t an American citizen to a staggering number of threats against the president’s life keeping the Secret Service busy, it’s hard to think of a U.S. president who has had to endure more ugliness from people who disagree with him.
Michelle Obama, as First Lady, has also endured a sickening amount of vitriol hurled at her over the years. Because of her interest in keeping kids healthy and eating well, conservatives have taken to constantly attacking her body. Fox News, for example, can’t stop calling the First Lady fat in the most disgusting segments imaginable.
The attacks on the Obamas may be disgusting, but on a certain level they are understandable. Racists and the right-wing fringe hate what they represent, hate that they are in the White House, and – worst of all – hate that Obama has actually had a massively successful presidency. Being first and being great are two things that have historically led to intense backlash from the people who preferred the status quo."
How the hell can Ted Cruz support Texas flood relief after telling Hurricane Sandy victims to rot?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/28/1388510/-How-the-hell-can-Ted-Cruz-support-Texas-flood-relief-after-telling-Hurricane-Sandy-victims-to-rot
"Cruz voted against Sandy aid, of course, but now that it's his own backyard that's under water—and not some wretched blue states half a country away—he's all for federal disaster assistance. There's absolutely no way to reconcile these two stances, even if you were to violate the laws of physics.
It just means that Cruz, in addition to being a dystopian extremist, is also that worst sort of political creature: a brazen, two-faced hypocrite who has no compunction about spouting off blatant contradictions whenever they suit his political purposes. And as he tours the nation running for president, it's on us to expose this pernicious brand of deceit."
"Cruz voted against Sandy aid, of course, but now that it's his own backyard that's under water—and not some wretched blue states half a country away—he's all for federal disaster assistance. There's absolutely no way to reconcile these two stances, even if you were to violate the laws of physics.
It just means that Cruz, in addition to being a dystopian extremist, is also that worst sort of political creature: a brazen, two-faced hypocrite who has no compunction about spouting off blatant contradictions whenever they suit his political purposes. And as he tours the nation running for president, it's on us to expose this pernicious brand of deceit."
CNN Glosses Over Harmful GOP Policies To Ask Why Republicans Aren't Considered Feminists
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/05/27/cnn-glosses-over-harmful-gop-policies-to-ask-wh/203770
"Such a conversation on feminism and conservatism misses an opportunity to examine why conservative women are not generally labeled as feminists in the first place -- their policies and legislation often hurt women. Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, whom Costello cited as an example, is roundly in support of policies that are detrimental to women, opposing legislation to address the gender pay gap, access to reproductive health services, and the Affordable Care Act which "greatly improves women's access" to health care. Republicans more broadly have spent years in a concentrated effort to roll back women's access to reproductive health care, general health care and equal pay."
"Such a conversation on feminism and conservatism misses an opportunity to examine why conservative women are not generally labeled as feminists in the first place -- their policies and legislation often hurt women. Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, whom Costello cited as an example, is roundly in support of policies that are detrimental to women, opposing legislation to address the gender pay gap, access to reproductive health services, and the Affordable Care Act which "greatly improves women's access" to health care. Republicans more broadly have spent years in a concentrated effort to roll back women's access to reproductive health care, general health care and equal pay."
Scott Walker is a giant fraud: Reagan worship, bizarre religious beliefs, and the real story of his long crusade for 2016
Scott Walker is a giant fraud: Reagan worship, bizarre religious beliefs, and the real story of his long crusade for 2016
"Union busting, corruption charges, unfettered ambition -- Walker won in blue-state Wisconsin but he's no moderate"
"Union busting, corruption charges, unfettered ambition -- Walker won in blue-state Wisconsin but he's no moderate"
Scott Walker Just Bungled Women’s Rights So Bad, He Might Have Blown His 2016 Chances
Scott Walker Just Bungled Women’s Rights So Bad, He Might Have Blown His 2016 Chances
"most women who come across his remarks will be completely disgusted by them."
"most women who come across his remarks will be completely disgusted by them."
Jade Helm conspiracy theorists are kind of dumb. Who knew?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/27/1387860/-Jade-Helm-conspiracy-theorists-are-kind-of-dumb-Who-knew
"It's particularly interesting that this national conviction among conservatives that they are being terribly oppressed comes immediately after a period of wartime rhetoric in which non-conservatives were, literally, called traitors to the country; one change of presidents later and the Texas governor makes noises about his state leaving the country altogether if that same can-do-no-wrong government starts doing things he isn't fond of. These people don't do nuance. When they are in power they proclaim themselves the only true Americans; when they lose an election they are convinced it is precursor to America collapsing entirely."
"It's particularly interesting that this national conviction among conservatives that they are being terribly oppressed comes immediately after a period of wartime rhetoric in which non-conservatives were, literally, called traitors to the country; one change of presidents later and the Texas governor makes noises about his state leaving the country altogether if that same can-do-no-wrong government starts doing things he isn't fond of. These people don't do nuance. When they are in power they proclaim themselves the only true Americans; when they lose an election they are convinced it is precursor to America collapsing entirely."
Former Tea Party Candidate Who Vowed To 'Protect Our Children' Arrested For Child Porn
Former Tea Party Candidate Who Vowed To 'Protect Our Children' Arrested For Child Porn
"The 2012 Republican candidate for District 41 of the state Assembly, who lost against incumbent Helene Weinstein, made written statements where he admits to owning the email address, viewing and sharing "children engaged in sexual conduct," according to the criminal complaint."
"The 2012 Republican candidate for District 41 of the state Assembly, who lost against incumbent Helene Weinstein, made written statements where he admits to owning the email address, viewing and sharing "children engaged in sexual conduct," according to the criminal complaint."
Pedophile Ex-State Trooper: Jim Bob Duggar Lied, Said Josh Only Molested One Kid
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/27/pedophile-ex-state-trooper-jim-bob-duggar-lied-said-josh-only-molested-one-kid/
"Remember the tales of Jim Bob Duggar reporting his son’s crimes to a friend who was a state trooper (and is currently serving 56 years in prison for child pornography)? Well, that friend has now weighed in on Josh Duggar’s horrific abuses against four of his siblings and one unidentified victim — and what he has to say is not in any way good news for the Duggar cult."
"Remember the tales of Jim Bob Duggar reporting his son’s crimes to a friend who was a state trooper (and is currently serving 56 years in prison for child pornography)? Well, that friend has now weighed in on Josh Duggar’s horrific abuses against four of his siblings and one unidentified victim — and what he has to say is not in any way good news for the Duggar cult."
Guess how much time Fox News has spent covering the Duggar scandal
Guess how much time Fox News has spent covering the Duggar scandal
"Essentially, Fox News is cool with former Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee being intimately involved with the Duggars when they were fighting LGBT rights, but when one of them actually turns out to be a child molester we can just pretend their relationship was an unhappy memory?"
"Essentially, Fox News is cool with former Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee being intimately involved with the Duggars when they were fighting LGBT rights, but when one of them actually turns out to be a child molester we can just pretend their relationship was an unhappy memory?"
Here are 5 Reasons Why Rick Santorum is Too Radical to be President
Here are 5 Reasons Why Rick Santorum is Too Radical to be President
"1) He once suggested an idea so ridiculous that it would have opened the door to banning science in our schools and our government. No, that’s not a joke."
"1) He once suggested an idea so ridiculous that it would have opened the door to banning science in our schools and our government. No, that’s not a joke."
Dems Back Debt-Free College as Issue Moves Into Election Spotlight
Dems Back Debt-Free College as Issue Moves Into Election Spotlight
"Nine additional Democratic senators on Wednesday came out in support of a resolution calling for debt-free public college, bringing to 20 the total number of Senate Dems who support the measure, introduced only a month ago by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The resolution (pdf) calls on federal and state governments, along with higher education institutions, to work in concert to lower tuition costs, increase financial aid, and reduce the burden of existing student debt."
"Nine additional Democratic senators on Wednesday came out in support of a resolution calling for debt-free public college, bringing to 20 the total number of Senate Dems who support the measure, introduced only a month ago by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The resolution (pdf) calls on federal and state governments, along with higher education institutions, to work in concert to lower tuition costs, increase financial aid, and reduce the burden of existing student debt."
Bernie Sanders to Billionaires: ‘You Can’t Have It All!’ | The Nation
Bernie Sanders to Billionaires: ‘You Can’t Have It All!’ | The Nation
"The senator attracted more than 100,000 contributions in the average amount of $42, along with hundreds of thousands of volunteer commitments, in his first days as a contender."
"The senator attracted more than 100,000 contributions in the average amount of $42, along with hundreds of thousands of volunteer commitments, in his first days as a contender."
20 Big Ideas From Bernie Sanders to Reverse Inequality, Expand Safety Nets and Stop America's Plutocrats | Alternet
20 Big Ideas From Bernie Sanders to Reverse Inequality, Expand Safety Nets and Stop America's Plutocrats | Alternet
"On Tuesday, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders gave a major speech in Burlington, Vemont, where his political career began three decades ago when he was elected mayor of his state’s largest city. Sanders, who is seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, described 20 ideas that will be the hallmarks of his campaign."
"On Tuesday, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders gave a major speech in Burlington, Vemont, where his political career began three decades ago when he was elected mayor of his state’s largest city. Sanders, who is seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, described 20 ideas that will be the hallmarks of his campaign."
Indicted GOP Speaker’s Lengthy Record Of Shady Ethics
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/29/3663961/fbi-claims-gop-icon-dennis-hastert-lied-paid-millions-hush-money/
"Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker in the history of the U.S. Congress was indicted this week by a federal grand jury for lying to the FBI and paying millions of dollars in hush-money to cover up a yet-to-be-revealed past crime."
"Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker in the history of the U.S. Congress was indicted this week by a federal grand jury for lying to the FBI and paying millions of dollars in hush-money to cover up a yet-to-be-revealed past crime."
Dennis Hastert Was Just Indicted on Federal Charges. Read the Full Indictment.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/denny-hastert-indicted
"Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been indicted for illegally transferring funds to dodge the IRS and lying to the FBI"
"Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been indicted for illegally transferring funds to dodge the IRS and lying to the FBI"
Former GOP Speaker Hastert Indicted On Federal Charges
Former GOP Speaker Hastert Indicted On Federal Charges
"The Justice Department has indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on reporting evasion charges and lying to the FBI as part of an effort to pay off victims of “prior bad acts"."
"The Justice Department has indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on reporting evasion charges and lying to the FBI as part of an effort to pay off victims of “prior bad acts"."
May 27, 2015
Ted Cruz Demands Federal Money For Texas Floods After Blocking Hurricane Sandy Relief
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/27/ted-cruz-demands-federal-money-texas-floods-blocking-hurricane-sandy-relief.html
"Hypocrisy and Ted Cruz are longtime companions, but the larger hypocrisy is bound to come from Republicans who will likely speed a disaster relief bill for Texas and Oklahoma through Congress.
Ted Cruz’s position is clear. Disaster relief is only vital when it is for his state. Red state need is the only real need that counts. Sen. Cruz is demanding disaster relief for Texas. If there were any justice, he would be forced to wait just like he made the people impacted by Hurricane Sandy suffer, but since Democrats have compassion for all Americans in need, Texas will be given a luxury that wasn’t offered to the victims of Sandy."
"Hypocrisy and Ted Cruz are longtime companions, but the larger hypocrisy is bound to come from Republicans who will likely speed a disaster relief bill for Texas and Oklahoma through Congress.
Ted Cruz’s position is clear. Disaster relief is only vital when it is for his state. Red state need is the only real need that counts. Sen. Cruz is demanding disaster relief for Texas. If there were any justice, he would be forced to wait just like he made the people impacted by Hurricane Sandy suffer, but since Democrats have compassion for all Americans in need, Texas will be given a luxury that wasn’t offered to the victims of Sandy."
America will die old and broke: The systematic right-wing plot to ransack the middle-class nest egg
America will die old and broke: The systematic right-wing plot to ransack the middle-class nest egg
"Libertarians and conservatives will not rest until they have unmade the last century of progress and the entire New Deal. They will destroy and dismantle, vilify and divide, because it’s easier to make people resent one another than to make society better. They want to not only halt progress, but to turn back the hands of time. It’s not just pensions, but overtime pay, weekends and the forty-hour workweek that are all in danger."
"Libertarians and conservatives will not rest until they have unmade the last century of progress and the entire New Deal. They will destroy and dismantle, vilify and divide, because it’s easier to make people resent one another than to make society better. They want to not only halt progress, but to turn back the hands of time. It’s not just pensions, but overtime pay, weekends and the forty-hour workweek that are all in danger."
ALEC Exposed
http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
"ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through the secretive meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council, corporate lobbyists and state legislators vote as equals on ‘model bills’ to change our rights that often benefit the corporations’ bottom line at public expense. ALEC is a pay-to-play operation where corporations buy a seat and a vote on ‘task forces’ to advance their legislative wish lists and can get a tax break for donations, effectively passing these lobbying costs on to taxpayers.
Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations.
Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills."
"ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through the secretive meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council, corporate lobbyists and state legislators vote as equals on ‘model bills’ to change our rights that often benefit the corporations’ bottom line at public expense. ALEC is a pay-to-play operation where corporations buy a seat and a vote on ‘task forces’ to advance their legislative wish lists and can get a tax break for donations, effectively passing these lobbying costs on to taxpayers.
Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations.
Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills."
Watch: Lawmakers and Koch Lobbyists Caught Red-Handed Writing Bills In Secret Backrooms
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-lawmakers-and-koch-lobbyists-caught-red-handed-writing-bills-in-secret-backrooms/
"The curtain is pulled back on the shadow government that really decides which laws are passed in this country. In this clip, Georgia news station investigates the closed-door meetings between corporate members of the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and state legislators, where laws are written in backroom events at fancy hotels by corporate lobbyists themselves.
Armed guards stand in front of a conference room at a resort hotel in Savannah, Georgia as the reporter is turned away from what a former ALEC member describes as a “Bill Mill”, where lobbyists write bills, leaving only blanks for the legislators to fill in their state’s name. A great example is the Georgia Asbestos Bill, which prevents victims of asbestos exposure from suing the corporations responsible- the ALEC bill and the version passed in the state house are word for word identical.
It’s an eye-opening look into how our laws are really made and how much of a disconnect there is between the opinions of the public and the way our country is actually governed. We have a choice in choosing who to elect, but after that, politicians in Republican states serve a darker power- the almighty dollar and the interests of big corporations, the billionaire class, and the Koch Brothers."
"The curtain is pulled back on the shadow government that really decides which laws are passed in this country. In this clip, Georgia news station investigates the closed-door meetings between corporate members of the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and state legislators, where laws are written in backroom events at fancy hotels by corporate lobbyists themselves.
Armed guards stand in front of a conference room at a resort hotel in Savannah, Georgia as the reporter is turned away from what a former ALEC member describes as a “Bill Mill”, where lobbyists write bills, leaving only blanks for the legislators to fill in their state’s name. A great example is the Georgia Asbestos Bill, which prevents victims of asbestos exposure from suing the corporations responsible- the ALEC bill and the version passed in the state house are word for word identical.
It’s an eye-opening look into how our laws are really made and how much of a disconnect there is between the opinions of the public and the way our country is actually governed. We have a choice in choosing who to elect, but after that, politicians in Republican states serve a darker power- the almighty dollar and the interests of big corporations, the billionaire class, and the Koch Brothers."
This report blows the cover of secretive conservative shop pushing right-wing legislation
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/26/1387897/-Atlanta-Georgia-station-exposes-ALEC-sausage-making#
"None of this is news to people who have been following ALEC closely over the years, but it is monumentally instructive for a local news organization to walk its viewers through the process and to show them how much of the governing in their state is done with voters left completely in the dark. It demonstrates starkly just how much control ALEC's corporate bosses have over what happens in state houses across the country."
"None of this is news to people who have been following ALEC closely over the years, but it is monumentally instructive for a local news organization to walk its viewers through the process and to show them how much of the governing in their state is done with voters left completely in the dark. It demonstrates starkly just how much control ALEC's corporate bosses have over what happens in state houses across the country."
Police ILLEGALLY ‘Escort’ Reporter From Secretive Right-Wing Lobbyist-Lawmaker Schmoozefest (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/26/alec-gets-reporter-thrown-out/
"That’s right. those deputies escorted a reporter away from an event involving lawmakers, which he was legally allowed to attend, and threw him out of a hotel room he had paid for. They did this illegally to protect ALEC, an organization that not only lobbies for corporations but actually writes the laws, and they did it on the taxpayers’ dime. And this isn’t just happening in Savannah, Georgia, it’s happening all over the country at all levels of government."
"That’s right. those deputies escorted a reporter away from an event involving lawmakers, which he was legally allowed to attend, and threw him out of a hotel room he had paid for. They did this illegally to protect ALEC, an organization that not only lobbies for corporations but actually writes the laws, and they did it on the taxpayers’ dime. And this isn’t just happening in Savannah, Georgia, it’s happening all over the country at all levels of government."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Thinks Obama’s Invading One Day, Begs Him For Help The Next
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Thinks Obama’s Invading One Day, Begs Him For Help The Next
"Sadly, no matter how much help the president sends Texas to help it recover from these devastating floods, nothing is going to change. Republicans in this state will still try to vilify the federal government and many of the conservatives in the state will still insist that “they don’t need the government to do anything for them.” That is, until the next disaster strikes, then they’ll be some of the first people looking to the federal government to come in and bail them out of whatever mess their state might be in."
"Sadly, no matter how much help the president sends Texas to help it recover from these devastating floods, nothing is going to change. Republicans in this state will still try to vilify the federal government and many of the conservatives in the state will still insist that “they don’t need the government to do anything for them.” That is, until the next disaster strikes, then they’ll be some of the first people looking to the federal government to come in and bail them out of whatever mess their state might be in."
WATCH: Elizabeth Warren Gives Amazing Two-Minute Explanation of How Government Has Been Taken Over by the Rich | Alternet
WATCH: Elizabeth Warren Gives Amazing Two-Minute Explanation of How Government Has Been Taken Over by the Rich | Alternet
"During a question and answer session, a voter asked why politicians aren't building infrastructure or implementing other policy that respects the will of the people."
"During a question and answer session, a voter asked why politicians aren't building infrastructure or implementing other policy that respects the will of the people."
Bernie Sanders kicks off 2016 campaign by opening can of whoopass on Wall Street — and it’s awesome
Bernie Sanders kicks off 2016 campaign by opening can of whoopass on Wall Street — and it’s awesome
"Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders officially announced his presidential campaign on Tuesday, vowing to fight not only political cynicism, but efforts by billionaires like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers to influence elections."
"Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders officially announced his presidential campaign on Tuesday, vowing to fight not only political cynicism, but efforts by billionaires like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers to influence elections."
Rand Paul Tries To Fool Students Into Thinking He's A Democrat
Rand Paul Tries To Fool Students Into Thinking He's A Democrat
"Baby Paul's obligatory "I wanna be President so I wrote a book" book is out. Huzzah! In it, he brands himself as a "crunchy treehugger" who says "the Republican party sucks."
He's really hoping that will appeal to college students so he can peel a few away, I suppose, but first he'd like to destroy those campuses they all attend and rid them of stinky liberals before indoctrinating them into the Cult of Koch."
"Baby Paul's obligatory "I wanna be President so I wrote a book" book is out. Huzzah! In it, he brands himself as a "crunchy treehugger" who says "the Republican party sucks."
He's really hoping that will appeal to college students so he can peel a few away, I suppose, but first he'd like to destroy those campuses they all attend and rid them of stinky liberals before indoctrinating them into the Cult of Koch."
Watch: Ex-Reagan Advisor Accuses FOXNews of ‘Brainwashing’ Republicans and Making them Dumber
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-ex-reagan-advisor-accuses-foxnews-of-brainwashing-republicans-and-making-them-dumber/
"This Sunday, economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, accused the conservative propaganda machine known as Fox “News” of “brainwashing” Republicans “bubble” of misinformation that is making conservatives more misinformed"
"This Sunday, economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, accused the conservative propaganda machine known as Fox “News” of “brainwashing” Republicans “bubble” of misinformation that is making conservatives more misinformed"
Congressional Republicans are outraged that the EPA wants to protect our drinking water
Congressional Republicans are <i>outraged</i> that the EPA wants to protect our drinking water
"Those in favor of the rule, on the other hand? Aside from the usual groups interested in protecting the environment, which are all pretty thrilled, it’s backed, per one poll, by 80 percent of voters and, per McCarthy, 80 percent of small business owners. Craft breweries are also big fans: “Beer is about 90 percent water, making local water supply quality and its characteristics, such as pH and mineral content, critical to brewing,” a coalition of beer companies wrote to the EPA in 2014."
"Those in favor of the rule, on the other hand? Aside from the usual groups interested in protecting the environment, which are all pretty thrilled, it’s backed, per one poll, by 80 percent of voters and, per McCarthy, 80 percent of small business owners. Craft breweries are also big fans: “Beer is about 90 percent water, making local water supply quality and its characteristics, such as pH and mineral content, critical to brewing,” a coalition of beer companies wrote to the EPA in 2014."
Obama Takes Bold Executive Action To Protect America’s Drinking Water From Corporate Polluters
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/27/obama-takes-bold-executive-action-protect-americas-drinking-water-corporate-polluters.html
"When Republicans claim that this rule is harming the economy, what they really mean is that these changes aren’t going to allow agribusiness and corporations to destroy the clean water supply for 33% of the country. Republicans are literally advocating for one-third of the country to potentially lose access to clean drinking water."
"When Republicans claim that this rule is harming the economy, what they really mean is that these changes aren’t going to allow agribusiness and corporations to destroy the clean water supply for 33% of the country. Republicans are literally advocating for one-third of the country to potentially lose access to clean drinking water."
Search the 935 Iraq War Lies By Bush And Top Officials
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/05/search-935-iraq-war-lies/
"In fact, according to an interactive database released by the Center for Public Integrity, Bush lied 232 times about weapons of mass destruction and 28 times about Iraq’s ties to Al Qaeda. He’s the winner by the way with those 260 lies. Colin Powell is runner up with a total of 254 lies.
The database contains 935 false statements made by President Bush and seven top officials"
"In fact, according to an interactive database released by the Center for Public Integrity, Bush lied 232 times about weapons of mass destruction and 28 times about Iraq’s ties to Al Qaeda. He’s the winner by the way with those 260 lies. Colin Powell is runner up with a total of 254 lies.
The database contains 935 false statements made by President Bush and seven top officials"
Jeb Bush Says His Brother Was Misled Into War by Faulty Intelligence. That's Not What Happened.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/jeb-bush-marco-rubio-iraq-war-intelligence
"Bush and Cheney did not invade Iraq because they had been hoodwinked by bad intelligence. They claimed the intelligence was solid—when it wasn't. And they made stuff up."
"Bush and Cheney did not invade Iraq because they had been hoodwinked by bad intelligence. They claimed the intelligence was solid—when it wasn't. And they made stuff up."
We Keep Pretending Soldiers Died In Iraq Over An Intelligence Failure– When Will We Stop?
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/24/we-keep-pretending-soldiers-died-in-iraq-over-an-intelligence-failure-when-will-we-stop/
"Now, Republicans, the media, and everyone who doesn’t want to believe that we invaded Iraq on a flat-out lie, continue to sell the idea that thousands of American soldiers died because of an intelligence failure. It’s easier to believe that we invaded a sovereign nation on faulty intelligence than it is to believe we perpetrated a massive hoax in which too many people died, and caused an entire region to be torn apart."
"Now, Republicans, the media, and everyone who doesn’t want to believe that we invaded Iraq on a flat-out lie, continue to sell the idea that thousands of American soldiers died because of an intelligence failure. It’s easier to believe that we invaded a sovereign nation on faulty intelligence than it is to believe we perpetrated a massive hoax in which too many people died, and caused an entire region to be torn apart."
U.S. is paying the price for not investing in trains, and it's stupid
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/25/1386228/-U-S-is-paying-the-price-for-not-investing-in-trains-and-it-s-stupid
"We're looking at a consequence of Republican refusal to invest in American infrastructure. It's played out not just in less safe trains but in slower trains and fewer trains. If Republicans hadn't stood in the way all these years, we could have had a speedy, energy-efficient, safe rail network and thousands of jobs creating and maintaining it. Instead, we have a desperately underfunded, inadequate rail system and John Boehner saying it's stupid to see the facts for what they are."
"We're looking at a consequence of Republican refusal to invest in American infrastructure. It's played out not just in less safe trains but in slower trains and fewer trains. If Republicans hadn't stood in the way all these years, we could have had a speedy, energy-efficient, safe rail network and thousands of jobs creating and maintaining it. Instead, we have a desperately underfunded, inadequate rail system and John Boehner saying it's stupid to see the facts for what they are."
Fox Runs Fluff Piece On GOP's Supposed 'Hispanic Outreach' Program
Fox Runs Fluff Piece On GOP's Supposed 'Hispanic Outreach' Program
"Sorry Fox, but a few candidates who can speak Spanish do not make up for the countless hours those voters have heard and watched of members of the Republican party (and your network) demonizing immigrants. And Ted Cruz sending his crazy wingnut father out on the campaign trail for him is not good news for Ted Cruz or for the party's prospects with the Latino vote."
"Sorry Fox, but a few candidates who can speak Spanish do not make up for the countless hours those voters have heard and watched of members of the Republican party (and your network) demonizing immigrants. And Ted Cruz sending his crazy wingnut father out on the campaign trail for him is not good news for Ted Cruz or for the party's prospects with the Latino vote."
The Uncomfortable Truth About The Political Nature Of Fox News
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/05/27/the-uncomfortable-truth-about-the-political-nat/203768
"It's built to be the marketing arm for the Republican Party, as it hurdles further and further towards the radical right."
"It's built to be the marketing arm for the Republican Party, as it hurdles further and further towards the radical right."
Ex-Reagan adviser: Fox News is ‘self-brainwashing’ Republicans into a radical fringe party
Ex-Reagan adviser: Fox News is ‘self-brainwashing’ Republicans into a radical fringe party
"Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged the Republican Party by creating a bubble for conservatives to brainwash themselves."
"Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged the Republican Party by creating a bubble for conservatives to brainwash themselves."
CNN Highlights How Fox News Is Brainwashing The Republican Party
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/24/cnn-highlights-fox-news-brainwashing-republican-party.html
"Republicans are living in a media bubble that allows them to create a false reality. In the conservative media bubble, facts are bent to fit their ideology. Anything that isn’t sunshine and rainbows for the Republican Party is immediately discredited as “liberal bias.”
The conservative media bubble plays a role in the hyper-partisan nature of Congress."
"Republicans are living in a media bubble that allows them to create a false reality. In the conservative media bubble, facts are bent to fit their ideology. Anything that isn’t sunshine and rainbows for the Republican Party is immediately discredited as “liberal bias.”
The conservative media bubble plays a role in the hyper-partisan nature of Congress."
Top Reagan Staffer: Fox Is A ‘Self-Brainwashing Bubble’ That’s Destroying The GOP (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/25/bruce-bartlett-fox-brainwashing-cnn/
"Bartlett explains how his research led him to believe Fox “makes people less educated"."
"Bartlett explains how his research led him to believe Fox “makes people less educated"."
Whoops, Yet Another Republican Benghazi Fantasy Just Evaporated
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/05/whoops-yet-another-republican-benghazi-fantasy-just-evaporated/
"Right wingers are of course too invested in this Benghazi thing to drop it, even though years of investigations and hearings have failed to come up with any evidence that Obama administration staffers were involved in any wrongdoing during the incident."
"Right wingers are of course too invested in this Benghazi thing to drop it, even though years of investigations and hearings have failed to come up with any evidence that Obama administration staffers were involved in any wrongdoing during the incident."
Former Reagan Adviser: Fox News Is A 'Self-brainwashing' Bubble That Is Destroying The GOP
Former Reagan Adviser: Fox News Is A 'Self-brainwashing' Bubble That Is Destroying The GOP
"Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged the Republican Party by creating a bubble for conservatives to brainwash themselves."
"Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged the Republican Party by creating a bubble for conservatives to brainwash themselves."
Walker Fills Open Judge Seats With Political Appointees
Walker Fills Open Judge Seats With Political Appointees
"Besides hiring Troupis for drawing up the Republicans' gerrymandering scheme, and the subsequent legal battle, Walker also hired Troupis to defend his Act 10, the introduction of right to work to Wisconsin. And yes, Troupis got paid very well for these things.
In Walker's Wisconsin, Lady Justice is still blind, but only because Walker poked her eyes out."
"Besides hiring Troupis for drawing up the Republicans' gerrymandering scheme, and the subsequent legal battle, Walker also hired Troupis to defend his Act 10, the introduction of right to work to Wisconsin. And yes, Troupis got paid very well for these things.
In Walker's Wisconsin, Lady Justice is still blind, but only because Walker poked her eyes out."
They’re all still lying about Iraq: The real story about the biggest blunder in American history — and the right wing’s obsessive need to cover it up
They’re all still lying about Iraq: The real story about the biggest blunder in American history — and the right wing’s obsessive need to cover it up
"Republicans’ verbal gyrations over the Iraq War should not be dismissed as the usual rhetorical jabberwocky of an election season. Their stumblings and justifications provide an important window into a larger, crucial story. They reveal that Movement Conservatives remain rooted in a worldview that has been outdated for so long it is now delusional."
"Republicans’ verbal gyrations over the Iraq War should not be dismissed as the usual rhetorical jabberwocky of an election season. Their stumblings and justifications provide an important window into a larger, crucial story. They reveal that Movement Conservatives remain rooted in a worldview that has been outdated for so long it is now delusional."
Former CIA Official Calls Out Fox News' Latest "Benghazi Myth"
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/05/26/former-cia-official-calls-out-fox-news-latest-b/203756
"Fox News has similarly continuously seized on every available opportunity to scandalize the attacks on the diplomatic compound at Benghazi. In the 20 months between September 2012 to May 2014, the network aired an astounding 1,098 evening and primetime segments dedicated to Benghazi. Despite numerous reports debunking the network's false narratives surrounding the attack, Fox has relentlessly continued to promote them."
"Fox News has similarly continuously seized on every available opportunity to scandalize the attacks on the diplomatic compound at Benghazi. In the 20 months between September 2012 to May 2014, the network aired an astounding 1,098 evening and primetime segments dedicated to Benghazi. Despite numerous reports debunking the network's false narratives surrounding the attack, Fox has relentlessly continued to promote them."
CIA’s #2 Debunks Fox News And The Benghazisteria Once And For All
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/26/cias-2-debunks-fox-news-and-the-benghazisteria-once-and-for-all/
"Fox News and the minions of madness the right-wing adores have been harping on a single incident in Libya to keep the low-information voters that are their base focused on anything but Republican policies."
"Fox News and the minions of madness the right-wing adores have been harping on a single incident in Libya to keep the low-information voters that are their base focused on anything but Republican policies."
Lead GOP Benghazi Investigator Tries To Invent Another Conspiracy, Gets Busted Lying Through His Teeth
Lead GOP Benghazi Investigator Tries To Invent Another Conspiracy, Gets Busted Lying Through His Teeth
"First you push the idea that any and all other media sources are part of some conspiracy to hide the truth, then all you have to do is sit back and report whatever lies and misinformation you feel like, because your sheepish viewers will never doubt anything you say or trust anyone who debunks your lies. It’s the foundation on which every cult is formed."
"First you push the idea that any and all other media sources are part of some conspiracy to hide the truth, then all you have to do is sit back and report whatever lies and misinformation you feel like, because your sheepish viewers will never doubt anything you say or trust anyone who debunks your lies. It’s the foundation on which every cult is formed."
Rand Paul, serial panderer: 5 major flip-flops that reveal his brazen hypocrisy
Rand Paul, serial panderer: 5 major flip-flops that reveal his brazen hypocrisy
"Paul’s flip-flops are very easily explained. Rand Paul is a serial panderer. In less conservative circles, he’ll repeat various moderate, if not liberal, views. But as soon as he’s confronted by Fox News Channel, or by an AM radio talk show host, such as when he’s appeared as a guest of “The Alex Jones Show,” where he’s dabbled in 9/11 trutherism, he reverses those less conservative views and embraces more hawkish positions. At the very least, it’s obvious that Paul has very few core convictions and, more so than many other career politicians, will simply blurt whatever is necessary to extricate himself from tight spots, while taking full advantage of the epistemically closed, fish-bowl nature of modern American politics. He’s cynical enough to believe that no one will reference his previous remarks, and when they do, opponents can simply be shushed or scolded, as was the case on both CNBC and with “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie last month."
"Paul’s flip-flops are very easily explained. Rand Paul is a serial panderer. In less conservative circles, he’ll repeat various moderate, if not liberal, views. But as soon as he’s confronted by Fox News Channel, or by an AM radio talk show host, such as when he’s appeared as a guest of “The Alex Jones Show,” where he’s dabbled in 9/11 trutherism, he reverses those less conservative views and embraces more hawkish positions. At the very least, it’s obvious that Paul has very few core convictions and, more so than many other career politicians, will simply blurt whatever is necessary to extricate himself from tight spots, while taking full advantage of the epistemically closed, fish-bowl nature of modern American politics. He’s cynical enough to believe that no one will reference his previous remarks, and when they do, opponents can simply be shushed or scolded, as was the case on both CNBC and with “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie last month."
Rand Paul’s Fake ‘Filibuster’ Was Nothing More Than a Sad Political Con Job
Rand Paul’s Fake ‘Filibuster’ Was Nothing More Than a Sad Political Con Job
"Let me say it again, this was not a filibuster - it was just a speech that went on for nearly 11 hours. For him to call it a filibuster is a flat-out lie. For what he did to be considered a true filibuster, he would have had to talk all night and through the scheduled vote on the Patriot Act. For something to be considered a “filibuster” it has to block or delay something – which Paul’s speech didn’t do. All it did was get him the attention he so desperately wanted. People have to understand that he never intended for it to block the Patriot Act. This was nothing but an elaborate campaign ploy to raise money and gain some publicity pretending to oppose something that he never had any intention of blocking in the first place."
"Let me say it again, this was not a filibuster - it was just a speech that went on for nearly 11 hours. For him to call it a filibuster is a flat-out lie. For what he did to be considered a true filibuster, he would have had to talk all night and through the scheduled vote on the Patriot Act. For something to be considered a “filibuster” it has to block or delay something – which Paul’s speech didn’t do. All it did was get him the attention he so desperately wanted. People have to understand that he never intended for it to block the Patriot Act. This was nothing but an elaborate campaign ploy to raise money and gain some publicity pretending to oppose something that he never had any intention of blocking in the first place."
May 25, 2015
Koch-Republicans Remember Soldiers’ Sacrifice With A Veterans Healthcare Coupon Scam
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/25/koch-republicans-remember-soldiers-sacrifice-veterans-healthcare-coupon-scam.html
"While Republicans envision punishing over 8 million veterans enrolled to receive a wide range of services through the VA with a coupon and higher out-of-pocket expenses, the Kochs see potential profits from privateers."
"While Republicans envision punishing over 8 million veterans enrolled to receive a wide range of services through the VA with a coupon and higher out-of-pocket expenses, the Kochs see potential profits from privateers."
Fox's Pete Hegseth Uses Memorial Day To Push For Privatizing The VA
Fox's Pete Hegseth Uses Memorial Day To Push For Privatizing The VA
"If there's one thing you can say for these people, it's that they're persistent. The Koch brothers and their allies are never going to give up until they see the Veterans Administration done away with and turned over to the private sector."
"If there's one thing you can say for these people, it's that they're persistent. The Koch brothers and their allies are never going to give up until they see the Veterans Administration done away with and turned over to the private sector."
May 24, 2015
More Bad News for GOP: New Survey Shows Americans Really Like Their Obamacare
More Bad News for GOP: New Survey Shows Americans Really Like Their Obamacare
"While Republicans will go on endless rants about all the “horrors” they claim are going to happen as a result of the Affordable Care Act, what they’re really afraid of is what’s actually starting to happen: Americans are realizing that they like it – a lot."
"While Republicans will go on endless rants about all the “horrors” they claim are going to happen as a result of the Affordable Care Act, what they’re really afraid of is what’s actually starting to happen: Americans are realizing that they like it – a lot."
How Scott Walker and His Allies Hijacked the Wisconsin Supreme Court
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/scott-walker-wisconsin-supreme-court
"Prosecutors allege that Walker and his aides illegally coordinated with conservative groups that were raising money and running ads to support Walker and his Republican allies. At least one group at the center of the probe, the Wisconsin Club for Growth, has gone to court to stop the investigation. Its fate now rests with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which will rule any day now on whether the inquiry can proceed.
But there's a rub. Two key targets of the investigation—the Wisconsin Club for Growth and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the state's leading business group—have spent over $10 million since 2007 to elect a conservative majority to Wisconsin's top court."
"Prosecutors allege that Walker and his aides illegally coordinated with conservative groups that were raising money and running ads to support Walker and his Republican allies. At least one group at the center of the probe, the Wisconsin Club for Growth, has gone to court to stop the investigation. Its fate now rests with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which will rule any day now on whether the inquiry can proceed.
But there's a rub. Two key targets of the investigation—the Wisconsin Club for Growth and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the state's leading business group—have spent over $10 million since 2007 to elect a conservative majority to Wisconsin's top court."
Kansas keeps on bleeding: Sam Brownback’s tax-cut miracle still hasn’t arrived, and won’t any time soon
Kansas keeps on bleeding: Sam Brownback’s tax-cut miracle still hasn’t arrived, and won’t any time soon
"This is what Sam Brownback, Art Laffer and the state Republican Party have turned Kansas into: an economic policy trash fire that channels all the benefits to the top, produces no shared prosperity, is bankrupting the state, and deliberately makes the lives of the less fortunate even more difficult."
"This is what Sam Brownback, Art Laffer and the state Republican Party have turned Kansas into: an economic policy trash fire that channels all the benefits to the top, produces no shared prosperity, is bankrupting the state, and deliberately makes the lives of the less fortunate even more difficult."
BOMBSHELL: FEC Can’t Enforce Federal Election Law, Thanks To Republicans
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/23/bombshell-fec-cant-enforce-federal-election-law-thanks-to-republicans/
"It’s sad, but not surprising, that Republicans would want the FEC gridlocked; it’s how they get their Koch-backed bankrolls."
"It’s sad, but not surprising, that Republicans would want the FEC gridlocked; it’s how they get their Koch-backed bankrolls."
May 23, 2015
Three New Polls Prove To Be An Absolute Nightmare For The Republican Party
Three New Polls Prove To Be An Absolute Nightmare For The Republican Party
"The first poll comes from Gallup and shows a record number of Americans now support legalizing same-sex marriage. At 60 percent, the highest rating Gallup has ever seen on the topic of same-sex marriage, Americans now overwhelmingly support marriage equality. Not only that, but acceptance is up among all three major political groups (Democrats: 76 percent, Republicans: 37 percent, Independents: 64 percent). What’s most striking is the 37 percent of Republicans who support marriage equality, a number that’s up 15 points from 2012 – and has steadily been increasing for most of the last decade. In other words, fools like Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee are pandering to a section of Americans that’s shrinking, not growing.
Another poll by Gallup also shows that President Obama’s favorability rating is at its highest level since 2013 at 53 percent. That’s up 11 points from what it was last fall. It seems Republicans having a majority in Congress is making Americans realize just how terrible they actually are.
Which brings me to the next poll, this time from Pew, showing congressional favorability is at an all-time low. According to Pew, only 22 percent of Americans view Congress “favorably” while an eye-popping 72 percent view Congress “unfavorably.” While this poll isn’t brand new (it’s a few weeks old) they don’t run these polls as often as Gallup so these are still very fresh numbers from them."
"The first poll comes from Gallup and shows a record number of Americans now support legalizing same-sex marriage. At 60 percent, the highest rating Gallup has ever seen on the topic of same-sex marriage, Americans now overwhelmingly support marriage equality. Not only that, but acceptance is up among all three major political groups (Democrats: 76 percent, Republicans: 37 percent, Independents: 64 percent). What’s most striking is the 37 percent of Republicans who support marriage equality, a number that’s up 15 points from 2012 – and has steadily been increasing for most of the last decade. In other words, fools like Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee are pandering to a section of Americans that’s shrinking, not growing.
Another poll by Gallup also shows that President Obama’s favorability rating is at its highest level since 2013 at 53 percent. That’s up 11 points from what it was last fall. It seems Republicans having a majority in Congress is making Americans realize just how terrible they actually are.
Which brings me to the next poll, this time from Pew, showing congressional favorability is at an all-time low. According to Pew, only 22 percent of Americans view Congress “favorably” while an eye-popping 72 percent view Congress “unfavorably.” While this poll isn’t brand new (it’s a few weeks old) they don’t run these polls as often as Gallup so these are still very fresh numbers from them."
Jobless Claims In America Recently Reached 15-Year Low (IMAGES)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/21/jobless-claims-in-america-recently-reached-15-year-low-images/
"At the end of 2014, it was reported that 248,000 new jobs had been created and that unemployment rates were the lowest they’d been in six years. Unemployment rates decreased in every single state last year — something that hadn’t happened in three decades. In March of this year, Obama set a new record with 60 consecutive months of private sector job growth. And now with this report’s release, it’s obvious that the president shows no signs of stopping. Republicans can blast him all they want, but the proof is in the stats."
"At the end of 2014, it was reported that 248,000 new jobs had been created and that unemployment rates were the lowest they’d been in six years. Unemployment rates decreased in every single state last year — something that hadn’t happened in three decades. In March of this year, Obama set a new record with 60 consecutive months of private sector job growth. And now with this report’s release, it’s obvious that the president shows no signs of stopping. Republicans can blast him all they want, but the proof is in the stats."
Jeb’s voodoo math: 2016 hopeful promises to wreck the budget — just like his brother did
Jeb’s voodoo math: 2016 hopeful promises to wreck the budget — just like his brother did
"Republicans like Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush are such huge fans of dynamic scoring because it enables them to reconcile two otherwise irreconcilable tenets of Republican economic policy: tax cuts are great, and deficits are bad. Cutting taxes reduces revenues and runs up the deficit – it happened when Reagan cut taxes, it happened when George W. Bush cut taxes, and it’s happening right now with Sam Brownback’s tax cut experiment in Kansas."
"Republicans like Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush are such huge fans of dynamic scoring because it enables them to reconcile two otherwise irreconcilable tenets of Republican economic policy: tax cuts are great, and deficits are bad. Cutting taxes reduces revenues and runs up the deficit – it happened when Reagan cut taxes, it happened when George W. Bush cut taxes, and it’s happening right now with Sam Brownback’s tax cut experiment in Kansas."
Robert Reich: Bernie Sanders Is Right—We Need Free College for All | Alternet
Robert Reich: Bernie Sanders Is Right—We Need Free College for All | Alternet
"Higher education isn’t just a personal investment. It’s a public good that pays off in a more competitive workforce and better-informed and engaged citizens."
"Higher education isn’t just a personal investment. It’s a public good that pays off in a more competitive workforce and better-informed and engaged citizens."
May 22, 2015
Elizabeth Warren Issues Her Best Speech Yet, Blasts GOP Frontrunners For Attacking Middle Class America
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/20/elizabeth-warren-issues-her-best-speech-yet-blasts-gop-frontrunners-for-attacking-middle-class-america/
"Stop the people who want to continue 30 more years of the failed trickle-down economic philosophy."
"Stop the people who want to continue 30 more years of the failed trickle-down economic philosophy."
America Is A Liberal Nation: For The First Time Social Liberals Outnumber Conservatives
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/22/america-liberal-nation-time-social-liberals-outnumber-conservatives.html
"One of the main issues within the Republican Party is that candidates continue to pander to an increasing out of touch and shrinking base of social conservatives."
"One of the main issues within the Republican Party is that candidates continue to pander to an increasing out of touch and shrinking base of social conservatives."
So PA Sen. Pat Toomey Was Trying To Delay The Amtrak Safety System
So PA Sen. Pat Toomey Was Trying To Delay The Amtrak Safety System
"For years, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey has campaigned to delay a multibillion-dollar railroad safety technology, calling it an “exorbitantly expensive unfunded mandate.”
But safety officials say the technology would have prevented last week’s deadly train crash in Philadelphia. And Democrats argue that the railroads were starved of the money necessary to finish it."
"For years, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey has campaigned to delay a multibillion-dollar railroad safety technology, calling it an “exorbitantly expensive unfunded mandate.”
But safety officials say the technology would have prevented last week’s deadly train crash in Philadelphia. And Democrats argue that the railroads were starved of the money necessary to finish it."
Don’t buy the GOP’s birth control bullsh*t: Why Cory Gardner’s over-the-counter contraception bill is a giant fraud
Don’t buy the GOP’s birth control bullsh*t: Why Cory Gardner’s over-the-counter contraception bill is a giant fraud
"Gardner may be striking a feminist pose about expanding access, but he’s selling a bill of goods. Women aren’t buying."
"Gardner may be striking a feminist pose about expanding access, but he’s selling a bill of goods. Women aren’t buying."
Fox News Mostly Ignores Josh Duggar’s Molestation Story, Readers Disgustingly Defend His Actions
Fox News Mostly Ignores Josh Duggar’s Molestation Story, Readers Disgustingly Defend His Actions
"Well, after scrolling and scrolling down their Twitter feed I finally found where they had mentioned this story - once. Which just so happened to be the exact amount of tweets they sent out regarding the status of the Olsen twins potentially appearing in Fuller House, the Netflix followup to the popular 90′s show Full House."
"Well, after scrolling and scrolling down their Twitter feed I finally found where they had mentioned this story - once. Which just so happened to be the exact amount of tweets they sent out regarding the status of the Olsen twins potentially appearing in Fuller House, the Netflix followup to the popular 90′s show Full House."
TLC pulls ’19 Kids and Counting’ off the air over molestation claims against Josh Duggar
TLC pulls ’19 Kids and Counting’ off the air over molestation claims against Josh Duggar
"TLC has pulled the plug on its long-running reality show, “19 Kids and Counting,” over revelations that stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar covered up their son’s molestation of his sisters and other girls."
"TLC has pulled the plug on its long-running reality show, “19 Kids and Counting,” over revelations that stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar covered up their son’s molestation of his sisters and other girls."
“Family values” creeps have a tough week: Josh Duggar, Bill O’Reilly & the sickening hypocrisy of the sanctimonious right
“Family values” creeps have a tough week: Josh Duggar, Bill O’Reilly & the sickening hypocrisy of the sanctimonious right
"This comes on the heels of court transcripts revealing that bullying patriarch Bill O’Reilly, another purveyor of right-wing family values, used to return to his family and “go ballistic,” in his words, once dragging ex-wife down the stairs by the neck in front of his daughter. The daughter called his outbursts “scary and demeaning,” but also told a counselor she didn’t have much of a relationship with him because he was “never around.”
Of course, that didn’t stop O’Reilly from lecturing African Americans on how to raise their families, blaming black community troubles on “no supervision, kids with no fathers.” Now we know that instead of taking care of their own children, O’Reilly and the Duggars were out telling other people how to take care of theirs."
"This comes on the heels of court transcripts revealing that bullying patriarch Bill O’Reilly, another purveyor of right-wing family values, used to return to his family and “go ballistic,” in his words, once dragging ex-wife down the stairs by the neck in front of his daughter. The daughter called his outbursts “scary and demeaning,” but also told a counselor she didn’t have much of a relationship with him because he was “never around.”
Of course, that didn’t stop O’Reilly from lecturing African Americans on how to raise their families, blaming black community troubles on “no supervision, kids with no fathers.” Now we know that instead of taking care of their own children, O’Reilly and the Duggars were out telling other people how to take care of theirs."
Bill O’Reilly & Josh Duggar’s shame is America’s shame: How abusive and violent men get away with it
Bill O’Reilly & Josh Duggar’s shame is America’s shame: How abusive and violent men get away with it
"Bill O’Reilly is alleged to have choked his wife and dragged her down a set of stairs. He also sexually harassed a former producer at his network and allegedly threatened retaliation when she complained. He is still a marquee name at Fox News. Josh Duggar sexually abused at least five underage girls, and his abuse was known to his family and his church. Until this week, he was the head of the political arm of the Family Research Council, cozying up with Republican presidential hopefuls."
"Bill O’Reilly is alleged to have choked his wife and dragged her down a set of stairs. He also sexually harassed a former producer at his network and allegedly threatened retaliation when she complained. He is still a marquee name at Fox News. Josh Duggar sexually abused at least five underage girls, and his abuse was known to his family and his church. Until this week, he was the head of the political arm of the Family Research Council, cozying up with Republican presidential hopefuls."
The Family Research Council’s Strange Statement On Josh Duggar’s Child Molestation Confession
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/05/22/3661999/frc-josh-duggar/
"For the past few years, Josh Duggar, eldest son of the 19 in the Duggar clan, has been the face of the Family Research Council (FRC) at rallies against LGBT equality across the country. As executive director of FRC Action, the organization’s political arm, he helped fundraise for the organization, hobnob with Republican presidential contenders, and promote its anti-LGBT talking points"
"For the past few years, Josh Duggar, eldest son of the 19 in the Duggar clan, has been the face of the Family Research Council (FRC) at rallies against LGBT equality across the country. As executive director of FRC Action, the organization’s political arm, he helped fundraise for the organization, hobnob with Republican presidential contenders, and promote its anti-LGBT talking points"
Bill O’Reilly will never pay: Why domestic abuse allegations won’t faze Fox News
Bill O’Reilly will never pay: Why domestic abuse allegations won’t faze Fox News
"But why would Ailes care about any of that? His audience probably doesn’t care. Fox’s over-65, predominantly male viewers probably see both sexual harassment and domestic violence as issues hyped by feminazis and the liberal news media.
Ailes’s entire news operation is built on a central fiction – and the fiction is that it’s a news organization at all. So why would it be a problem if it’s fronted by a family values hypocrite who’s actually a serial abuser of women?"
"But why would Ailes care about any of that? His audience probably doesn’t care. Fox’s over-65, predominantly male viewers probably see both sexual harassment and domestic violence as issues hyped by feminazis and the liberal news media.
Ailes’s entire news operation is built on a central fiction – and the fiction is that it’s a news organization at all. So why would it be a problem if it’s fronted by a family values hypocrite who’s actually a serial abuser of women?"
Bill O’Reilly’s Daughter Testifies He Dragged Her Mom Down A Staircase By The Neck (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/18/bill-oreillys-daughter-testifies-he-dragged-her-mom-down-a-staircase-by-the-neck-video/
"O’Reilly may suddenly have much bigger problems than his serial lying issues."
"O’Reilly may suddenly have much bigger problems than his serial lying issues."
Josh Duggar quits anti-LGBT religious group as demand grows for family’s TLC show cancellation
Josh Duggar quits anti-LGBT religious group as demand grows for family’s TLC show cancellation
"Reality star and conservative activist Josh Duggar has resigned from his position at the Family Research Council amid allegations that he molested underage girls as a teenager"
"Reality star and conservative activist Josh Duggar has resigned from his position at the Family Research Council amid allegations that he molested underage girls as a teenager"
Meet the Christian right’s new doomsday prophet — and his insane, apocalyptic “blood moon” theory
Meet the Christian right’s new doomsday prophet — and his insane, apocalyptic “blood moon” theory
"In 2015, there is a United States congressman who believes that the so-called blood moon prophecy determines the fate of the Middle East and, because of some more prophecy, the fate of the world, of all of us. In 2015. Common Era.
“Blood moons,” which is a gussied-up way of naming your garden-variety lunar eclipse, “have preceded world-changing, shaking-type events,” says Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia, a man constitutionally permitted to vote in one of the world’s most powerful legislative bodies. Legislation, accords, Security Council Resolutions, military aid packages — why consider this mere terrestrial ephemera when you can just go out into your backyard and consult the moon?
While the prophecy may seem fringe — like something a hooded Nostradamus type from the Dark Ages would wheeze in dim and flickering firelight — it’s gaining surprising traction in conservative media, and is being adopted as legitimate by prominent figures, including Hice in Congress and the Family Research Council, the powerful social conservative lobbying group in Washington. Mega-pastor John Hagee, the leading purveyor of blood moon prophecy talk, is powerful in Washington, able to command the attendance of influential conservative politicians to his events."
"In 2015, there is a United States congressman who believes that the so-called blood moon prophecy determines the fate of the Middle East and, because of some more prophecy, the fate of the world, of all of us. In 2015. Common Era.
“Blood moons,” which is a gussied-up way of naming your garden-variety lunar eclipse, “have preceded world-changing, shaking-type events,” says Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia, a man constitutionally permitted to vote in one of the world’s most powerful legislative bodies. Legislation, accords, Security Council Resolutions, military aid packages — why consider this mere terrestrial ephemera when you can just go out into your backyard and consult the moon?
While the prophecy may seem fringe — like something a hooded Nostradamus type from the Dark Ages would wheeze in dim and flickering firelight — it’s gaining surprising traction in conservative media, and is being adopted as legitimate by prominent figures, including Hice in Congress and the Family Research Council, the powerful social conservative lobbying group in Washington. Mega-pastor John Hagee, the leading purveyor of blood moon prophecy talk, is powerful in Washington, able to command the attendance of influential conservative politicians to his events."
Bobby Jindal doubles down on Mike Pence's antigay strategies for success
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/20/1386324/--Bobby-Jindal-doubles-down-on-Mike-Pence-s-antigay-strategies-for-success
"When only 4.6 percent of your state thinks you're doing an "excellent job," you can pretty much do anything, which is exactly what GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal is doing."
"When only 4.6 percent of your state thinks you're doing an "excellent job," you can pretty much do anything, which is exactly what GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal is doing."
Host Of Rubio Fundraiser Was Foreign Agent For Dictator Who Endorses Gay Beheadings
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/19/3660502/marco-rubio-lobbyist-gay-beheading/
"One of the lobbyists co-hosting the event (and helping to raise money for Rubio) is BGR Group principal Jennifer Lukawski. She recently served as the registered foreign agent for a western African regime known for its human rights abuses, including repeated threats to behead gay people."
"One of the lobbyists co-hosting the event (and helping to raise money for Rubio) is BGR Group principal Jennifer Lukawski. She recently served as the registered foreign agent for a western African regime known for its human rights abuses, including repeated threats to behead gay people."
Study: Lawmakers Assume Voters Are Way More Conservative Than They Are
Study: Lawmakers Assume Voters Are Way More Conservative Than They Are
"On three issues — universal healthcare, same-sex marriage, and welfare — lawmakers' assumptions about what their constituents believed were "15-20 percent more conservative, on average," than the actual base of public support for such issues."
"On three issues — universal healthcare, same-sex marriage, and welfare — lawmakers' assumptions about what their constituents believed were "15-20 percent more conservative, on average," than the actual base of public support for such issues."
The Republican Party Is Literally Dying Off Before Our Eyes
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/18/the-republican-party-is-literally-dying-off-before-our-eyes/
"And it isn’t just age.
Republicans aren’t just really old, they’re also really white. America is diversifying, but you wouldn’t know it by attending the 2016 Republican National Convention. The Grand Old Party has become the textbook definition of putting all your eggs in one basket. If they lose the only real demographic they appeal to – older white conservatives – they have nobody else that wants anything to do with them."
"And it isn’t just age.
Republicans aren’t just really old, they’re also really white. America is diversifying, but you wouldn’t know it by attending the 2016 Republican National Convention. The Grand Old Party has become the textbook definition of putting all your eggs in one basket. If they lose the only real demographic they appeal to – older white conservatives – they have nobody else that wants anything to do with them."
Everyone, Even Republican Voters, Think GOP Leaders In Congress Are Doing A Lousy Job
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/21/everyone-republican-voters-gop-leaders-congress-lousy-job.html
"A Pew Research Poll released on May 21, 2015, finds that Americans are unhappy with the Republican leadership in Congress. 72 percent of Americans disapprove of the job the current GOP leadership in Congress is doing, to just 22 percent who approve of their job performance."
"A Pew Research Poll released on May 21, 2015, finds that Americans are unhappy with the Republican leadership in Congress. 72 percent of Americans disapprove of the job the current GOP leadership in Congress is doing, to just 22 percent who approve of their job performance."
New Study Finds That Fox News Is Brainwashing Viewers And Hurting The Republican Party
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/19/study-finds-fox-news-brainwashing-viewers-hurting-republican-party.html
"Bartlett described what the founding of Fox News first meant to conservatives, and how it shifted into an act of self-brain washing, “Like someone dying of thirst in the desert, conservatives drank heavily from the Fox waters. Soon, it became the dominant -and in many cases, virtually the only – major news source for millions of Americans. This has had profound political implications that are only starting to be appreciated. Indeed, it can almost be called self-brainwashing – many conservatives now refuse to even listen to any news or opinion not vetted through Fox, and to believe whatever appears on it as the gospel truth.”
Mr. Bartlett documented Fox News’ extreme rightward shift after 9/11 and how the network went from tilting conservative to flat out misinformation and propaganda."
"Bartlett described what the founding of Fox News first meant to conservatives, and how it shifted into an act of self-brain washing, “Like someone dying of thirst in the desert, conservatives drank heavily from the Fox waters. Soon, it became the dominant -and in many cases, virtually the only – major news source for millions of Americans. This has had profound political implications that are only starting to be appreciated. Indeed, it can almost be called self-brainwashing – many conservatives now refuse to even listen to any news or opinion not vetted through Fox, and to believe whatever appears on it as the gospel truth.”
Mr. Bartlett documented Fox News’ extreme rightward shift after 9/11 and how the network went from tilting conservative to flat out misinformation and propaganda."
Just Like Fox News, The Republican Party Is Literally Dying Off
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/18/fox-news-republican-party-literally-dying.html
"McGraw found that Millennials are becoming a solidly Democratic voting bloc, and younger voters outnumber Baby Boomers. The net result is that if Republicans don’t attract a larger percentage younger voters, they could be looking at a deficit of 2.5 million votes on Election Day 2016. The Republican base is older white rural voters, and these voters pass on; they aren’t being replaced in the party with young voters.
If this trend were to continue over the long-term, the Republican Party would shrink.
For years, Fox News’ ratings with younger viewers have been plummeting. Fox News is the top cable news network in a declining genre because they have cornered the market on white, mostly male, Republican viewers at or over 65 years old. Fox News has lost 30% of their younger viewers. Fox News’ median audience has shrunk to 1.1 million. As their older viewers have died off, Fox News has been unable to replace them with younger viewers. Fox’s big move to combat this was to move Sean Hannity’s angry Republican senior center hour to 10 PM and give Megyn Kelly the timeslot after Bill O’Reilly. It hasn’t worked.
Fox News has already found out what the Republican Party is going to learn. Throwing a younger face on the same old ideas of opposing gay marriage, immigration reform, climate change, and making college less affordable while promoting income inequality is not going to fool younger voters.
The ideas matter. If Fox News and the Republican Party don’t get a clue, both will go extinct."
"McGraw found that Millennials are becoming a solidly Democratic voting bloc, and younger voters outnumber Baby Boomers. The net result is that if Republicans don’t attract a larger percentage younger voters, they could be looking at a deficit of 2.5 million votes on Election Day 2016. The Republican base is older white rural voters, and these voters pass on; they aren’t being replaced in the party with young voters.
If this trend were to continue over the long-term, the Republican Party would shrink.
For years, Fox News’ ratings with younger viewers have been plummeting. Fox News is the top cable news network in a declining genre because they have cornered the market on white, mostly male, Republican viewers at or over 65 years old. Fox News has lost 30% of their younger viewers. Fox News’ median audience has shrunk to 1.1 million. As their older viewers have died off, Fox News has been unable to replace them with younger viewers. Fox’s big move to combat this was to move Sean Hannity’s angry Republican senior center hour to 10 PM and give Megyn Kelly the timeslot after Bill O’Reilly. It hasn’t worked.
Fox News has already found out what the Republican Party is going to learn. Throwing a younger face on the same old ideas of opposing gay marriage, immigration reform, climate change, and making college less affordable while promoting income inequality is not going to fool younger voters.
The ideas matter. If Fox News and the Republican Party don’t get a clue, both will go extinct."
2015 Is Crushing It For Hottest Year On Record
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/22/3662117/2015-hottest-year-record-so-far/
"Last week NASA reported that this has been the Earth’s hottest January-April on record. This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that finding with its latest monthly report on global temperatures.
Separately, NOAA released its monthly report on “Global Ocean Heat.” It makes clear that the ocean’s heat content down to 2000 meters (1.24 miles) has been soaring this century — and nearly gone off the charts this year"
"Last week NASA reported that this has been the Earth’s hottest January-April on record. This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that finding with its latest monthly report on global temperatures.
Separately, NOAA released its monthly report on “Global Ocean Heat.” It makes clear that the ocean’s heat content down to 2000 meters (1.24 miles) has been soaring this century — and nearly gone off the charts this year"
Huge Insurance Company Cites Climate Change As Reason For Divesting From Coal
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/22/3662053/axa-insurance-coal-divestment/
"Citing climate change as a major threat, one of the world’s largest insurance companies has pledged to drop its remaining investment in coal assets while tripling its investment in green technologies."
"Citing climate change as a major threat, one of the world’s largest insurance companies has pledged to drop its remaining investment in coal assets while tripling its investment in green technologies."
The California Oil Spill Is Even Worse Than We Thought
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/22/3661684/the-santa-barbara-oil-spill-is-awful/
"Federal records show that the Plains All American Pipeline has had 175 safety and maintenance infractions since 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Times’ analysis found that “Plains’ rate of incidents per mile of pipe is more than three times the national average"."
"Federal records show that the Plains All American Pipeline has had 175 safety and maintenance infractions since 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Times’ analysis found that “Plains’ rate of incidents per mile of pipe is more than three times the national average"."
Report: Fossil Fuels Receive $5.3 Trillion A Year In Subsidies Worldwide
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/22/3662148/we-pay-what-for-fossil-fuels/
"The world pays $5.3 trillion a year in hidden costs to keep burning fossil fuels, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is in addition to the $492 billion in direct subsidies offered by governments around the world — write-offs and write-downs and land-use loopholes."
"The world pays $5.3 trillion a year in hidden costs to keep burning fossil fuels, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is in addition to the $492 billion in direct subsidies offered by governments around the world — write-offs and write-downs and land-use loopholes."
May 21, 2015
Broad-Based Wage Growth Is a Key Tool in the Fight Against Poverty | Economic Policy Institute
Broad-Based Wage Growth Is a Key Tool in the Fight Against Poverty | Economic Policy Institute
"That the poverty rate has remained stubbornly elevated over the last three-and-a-half decades is simply a symptom of an increasingly unequal economy, marked by nearly stagnant hourly wages for the vast majority of the American workforce. The elevated poverty rates we have seen since the 1980s are not the sad outcome of inevitable and irreversible changes in the economy, but of policy choices that have weakened the position of low- and moderate-wage workers while putting more leverage in the hands of those with the most economic power."
"That the poverty rate has remained stubbornly elevated over the last three-and-a-half decades is simply a symptom of an increasingly unequal economy, marked by nearly stagnant hourly wages for the vast majority of the American workforce. The elevated poverty rates we have seen since the 1980s are not the sad outcome of inevitable and irreversible changes in the economy, but of policy choices that have weakened the position of low- and moderate-wage workers while putting more leverage in the hands of those with the most economic power."
So a Lobbyist and an ALEC Legislator Walk into a Bar . . . Caught on Tape by NBC
So a Lobbyist and an ALEC Legislator Walk into a Bar . . . Caught on Tape by NBC
"A lobbyist and a legislator got caught on tape explaining how corporations subsidize lawmakers' resort trips through the American Legislative Exchange Counsel (ALEC), the controversial corporate bill mill."
"A lobbyist and a legislator got caught on tape explaining how corporations subsidize lawmakers' resort trips through the American Legislative Exchange Counsel (ALEC), the controversial corporate bill mill."
George W. Bush's CIA Briefer: Bush and Cheney Falsely Presented WMD Intelligence to Public
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/michael-morell-bush-cheney-iraq-war
"There's the indictment, issued by the intelligence officer who briefed Bush and Cheney: The Bush White House made a "false presentation" on "some aspects" of the case for war."
"There's the indictment, issued by the intelligence officer who briefed Bush and Cheney: The Bush White House made a "false presentation" on "some aspects" of the case for war."
Ex-CIA briefer: Bush administration presented false 'intelligence' to the nation
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/21/1386314/-Ex-CIA-briefer-Bush-administration-presented-false-intelligence-to-the-nation
"In the much-needed pile-on lambasting the most recent round of Iraq War whitewashing, Ex-CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell appeared on the TV to say that yes, the Bush administration lied to the public about the intelligence presented to them. He was the one briefing the White House on that intelligence at the time, and so he is among the most very qualified people on earth to make that assertion."
"In the much-needed pile-on lambasting the most recent round of Iraq War whitewashing, Ex-CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell appeared on the TV to say that yes, the Bush administration lied to the public about the intelligence presented to them. He was the one briefing the White House on that intelligence at the time, and so he is among the most very qualified people on earth to make that assertion."
Bernie Sanders: “Too Big To Fail Banks Are Too Big To Exist”
Bernie Sanders: “Too Big To Fail Banks Are Too Big To Exist”
"after six big banks just admitted to manipulating lending and foreign exchange rates, he wants the largest of the financial institutions to be broken up."
"after six big banks just admitted to manipulating lending and foreign exchange rates, he wants the largest of the financial institutions to be broken up."
Washington State Is In A Drought ‘Unlike Any We’ve Ever Experienced’
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/18/3659911/washington-drought-emergency-declared/
"Sectors that rely heavily on melting snowpack, like agriculture and wildlife, are expected to be hit hardest by the drought, with the Washington Department of Agriculture anticipating $1.2 billion in crop losses this year.
Statewide, snowpack levels are currently 16 percent of normal, ten percent lower than the last time a statewide drought emergency was declared in 2005. Of 98 snow sites measured at the beginning of the month by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 66 were snow free — 11 of them for the first time in history. Along with record low snowpack, the NRCS found that 17 of 34 long-term measuring sites recorded their earliest peak on record, occurring on average 48 days earlier than normal."
"Sectors that rely heavily on melting snowpack, like agriculture and wildlife, are expected to be hit hardest by the drought, with the Washington Department of Agriculture anticipating $1.2 billion in crop losses this year.
Statewide, snowpack levels are currently 16 percent of normal, ten percent lower than the last time a statewide drought emergency was declared in 2005. Of 98 snow sites measured at the beginning of the month by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 66 were snow free — 11 of them for the first time in history. Along with record low snowpack, the NRCS found that 17 of 34 long-term measuring sites recorded their earliest peak on record, occurring on average 48 days earlier than normal."
Fox Attacks Obama For Calling Climate Change An Immediate National Security Threat
http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/05/20/fox-attacks-obama-for-calling-climate-change-an/203722
"But Military Professionals Agree That Climate Change Poses A Significant National Security Threat
Center For Naval Analyses (CNA): Climate Change Poses "Severe Risks [To] Our National Security." In May 2014, the Center for Naval Analyses published a report titled National Security and the Accelerating Risk Of Climate Change. The report detailed the effects of global climate change on national and international security"
"But Military Professionals Agree That Climate Change Poses A Significant National Security Threat
Center For Naval Analyses (CNA): Climate Change Poses "Severe Risks [To] Our National Security." In May 2014, the Center for Naval Analyses published a report titled National Security and the Accelerating Risk Of Climate Change. The report detailed the effects of global climate change on national and international security"
4 Reasons Climate Change Affects National Security | Alternet
4 Reasons Climate Change Affects National Security | Alternet
"The report argues that climate change will affect the various missions of the Department of Defense, including overseas disaster and humanitarian relief, Arctic response and instability within and between foreign nations."
"The report argues that climate change will affect the various missions of the Department of Defense, including overseas disaster and humanitarian relief, Arctic response and instability within and between foreign nations."
As Chipotle Goes GMO-free, Monsanto's Worst Fear Is Coming True | Alternet
As Chipotle Goes GMO-free, Monsanto's Worst Fear Is Coming True | Alternet
"The decision of the Chipotle restaurant chain to make its product lines GMO-free is not most people's idea of a world-historic event. Especially since Chipotle, by US standards, is not a huge operation.
A clear sign that the move is significant, however, is that Chipotle's decision was met with a tidal-wave of establishment media abuse."
"The decision of the Chipotle restaurant chain to make its product lines GMO-free is not most people's idea of a world-historic event. Especially since Chipotle, by US standards, is not a huge operation.
A clear sign that the move is significant, however, is that Chipotle's decision was met with a tidal-wave of establishment media abuse."
Kayaktivists Vs. A Massive Oil Rig: Inside Seattle’s Fight Against Shell’s Arctic Drilling Plans
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/21/3660630/kayaktivists-seattle-shell-continued-action/
"On Saturday, they came by sea: hundreds of “kayaktivists” gathering around a newly-arrived, massive offshore oil drilling rig in Seattle’s Elliot Bay."
"On Saturday, they came by sea: hundreds of “kayaktivists” gathering around a newly-arrived, massive offshore oil drilling rig in Seattle’s Elliot Bay."
Texas Governor Signs Bill That Makes Local Fracking Bans Illegal
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/19/3660369/texas-prohibits-local-fracking-bans/
"On Monday, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed legislation that prohibits cities across Texas from banning hydraulic fracturing from their home turf. In what was a major agenda item for Texas lawmakers this session, towns like Denton, Texas — which passed the state’s first local fracking ban last November — will no longer be able to exercise local control over the oil and gas industry when it comes to nearby extraction."
"On Monday, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed legislation that prohibits cities across Texas from banning hydraulic fracturing from their home turf. In what was a major agenda item for Texas lawmakers this session, towns like Denton, Texas — which passed the state’s first local fracking ban last November — will no longer be able to exercise local control over the oil and gas industry when it comes to nearby extraction."
By Banning Fracking Bans, Texas Picks Gas Drillers over Local Democracy
By Banning Fracking Bans, Texas Picks Gas Drillers over Local Democracy
"In what environmental campaigners and the people of the small town of Denton, Texas are calling a clear example of fossil fuel interests trumping the will of local residents, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed HB 40 into law thereby undermining a local ordinance, approved overwhelmingly by voters during last year's election, which banned fracking in the community."
"In what environmental campaigners and the people of the small town of Denton, Texas are calling a clear example of fossil fuel interests trumping the will of local residents, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed HB 40 into law thereby undermining a local ordinance, approved overwhelmingly by voters during last year's election, which banned fracking in the community."
Governments Giving Fossil Fuel Companies $10 Million a Minute: IMF
Governments Giving Fossil Fuel Companies $10 Million a Minute: IMF
"Energy companies receive $5.3 trillion a year in funding from governments worldwide"
"Energy companies receive $5.3 trillion a year in funding from governments worldwide"
Oil Billionaire Demands University of Oklahoma Fire Scientists for Exposing Fracking Risks
Oil Billionaire Demands University of Oklahoma Fire Scientists for Exposing Fracking Risks
"In today’s world we’re literally at a point where scientific experts are under attack because the facts they’re finding via the scientific process by which scientific facts are determined aren’t exactly revelations that big oil wants the public to know about. Especially when it comes to fracking."
"In today’s world we’re literally at a point where scientific experts are under attack because the facts they’re finding via the scientific process by which scientific facts are determined aren’t exactly revelations that big oil wants the public to know about. Especially when it comes to fracking."
Robert Reich: 10 Ideas to Save the Economy #4: Bust Up Wall Street | Alternet
Robert Reich: 10 Ideas to Save the Economy #4: Bust Up Wall Street | Alternet
"When the Wall Street bubble burst in 2008 because of excessive risk-taking, millions of working Americans lost their jobs, health insurance, savings, and homes.
But The Street is back to many of its old tricks. And its lobbyists are busily rolling back the Dodd-Frank Act, intended to prevent another crash.
The biggest Wall Street banks are also much larger. In 1990, the five biggest banks had 10 percent of all of the nation's banking assets. Now, they have 44 percent - more than they had at the time of the 2008 crash."
"When the Wall Street bubble burst in 2008 because of excessive risk-taking, millions of working Americans lost their jobs, health insurance, savings, and homes.
But The Street is back to many of its old tricks. And its lobbyists are busily rolling back the Dodd-Frank Act, intended to prevent another crash.
The biggest Wall Street banks are also much larger. In 1990, the five biggest banks had 10 percent of all of the nation's banking assets. Now, they have 44 percent - more than they had at the time of the 2008 crash."
May 20, 2015
How the System Favors Corporations Who Break the Rules Over the Working-Class | Alternet
How the System Favors Corporations Who Break the Rules Over the Working-Class | Alternet
"They’ll laugh all the way to the, well, to the bank. Just like oil companies snicker as they grab government subsidies [welfare] even though they’re among the most profitable corporations in the world. Just like hedge fund operators chuckle while luxuriating in their special, super-low tax rate.
Over the past 35 years, the rules have been written to facilitate trickle-up economics. The theory was that in a financial structure that guaranteed the rich received all income gains in the economy, millionaires and billionaires might let a couple of nickels slip out of their bulging pockets for workers to try to catch.
Unfortunately for workers, Brooks Brothers suits have really deep pockets. Almost nothing fell out of those pouches for workers. Their wages stagnated for decades while the rules facilitated the pinstriped boys getting richer and richer.
Last year, the pay gap between CEOs and typical workers widened to 373-to-1. That means for every $1 a worker earned, the CEO took $373. In just 7 minutes of slurping coffee or gazing out his penthouse office window, the typical CEO was handed more money than the average worker earned for 40 hours of labor.
Those numbers were very different before the dawn of trickle up. In 1965, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1. For every $1 a worker earned, the CEO got $20. And still, corporations made profits! And lots of people wanted to be CEOs! It was a time when the economic rules enabled workers to receive a larger share of the wealth that their labor helped create.
After trickle up, CEO compensation skyrocketed while worker pay languished. From 1978 to 2013, CEO compensation increased 937 percent, while the typical worker’s pay rose 10.2 percent. That trend continued last year, when CEO pay jumped up 16 percent while worker wages inched up 2.9 percent, which is hardly at all considering the 2.1 percent inflation rate."
"They’ll laugh all the way to the, well, to the bank. Just like oil companies snicker as they grab government subsidies [welfare] even though they’re among the most profitable corporations in the world. Just like hedge fund operators chuckle while luxuriating in their special, super-low tax rate.
Over the past 35 years, the rules have been written to facilitate trickle-up economics. The theory was that in a financial structure that guaranteed the rich received all income gains in the economy, millionaires and billionaires might let a couple of nickels slip out of their bulging pockets for workers to try to catch.
Unfortunately for workers, Brooks Brothers suits have really deep pockets. Almost nothing fell out of those pouches for workers. Their wages stagnated for decades while the rules facilitated the pinstriped boys getting richer and richer.
Last year, the pay gap between CEOs and typical workers widened to 373-to-1. That means for every $1 a worker earned, the CEO took $373. In just 7 minutes of slurping coffee or gazing out his penthouse office window, the typical CEO was handed more money than the average worker earned for 40 hours of labor.
Those numbers were very different before the dawn of trickle up. In 1965, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1. For every $1 a worker earned, the CEO got $20. And still, corporations made profits! And lots of people wanted to be CEOs! It was a time when the economic rules enabled workers to receive a larger share of the wealth that their labor helped create.
After trickle up, CEO compensation skyrocketed while worker pay languished. From 1978 to 2013, CEO compensation increased 937 percent, while the typical worker’s pay rose 10.2 percent. That trend continued last year, when CEO pay jumped up 16 percent while worker wages inched up 2.9 percent, which is hardly at all considering the 2.1 percent inflation rate."
The Value of Effective Government
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/05/18/the-value-of-effective-government/
"In the United States these trends are exacerbated by two other factors. One is growing economic inequality, with an expanding divide between the large numbers who must rely on the commons, including public schools and mass transportation, and a smaller number who have other options.
The increased concentration of wealth at the very top makes the private jet option a reality and not just a theoretical discussion point. And in a post-Citizens United world, the opportunities for the very wealthy to manipulate political perceptions in a way that blurs the meaning of the divide is greater than ever.
The other exacerbating factor is the prevalence in the United States of the ideologically driven belief that anything government does is ipso facto bad and that what the private sector does is by contrast good. This attitude ignores how, although markets do many things very well, there are many other important things that by their very nature markets cannot do well.
It also ignores the fact that the private sector does not equate with free markets and that sometimes more, not less, governmental involvement is necessary to have a truly competitive free market (antitrust enforcement being an obvious but by no means the only example)."
"In the United States these trends are exacerbated by two other factors. One is growing economic inequality, with an expanding divide between the large numbers who must rely on the commons, including public schools and mass transportation, and a smaller number who have other options.
The increased concentration of wealth at the very top makes the private jet option a reality and not just a theoretical discussion point. And in a post-Citizens United world, the opportunities for the very wealthy to manipulate political perceptions in a way that blurs the meaning of the divide is greater than ever.
The other exacerbating factor is the prevalence in the United States of the ideologically driven belief that anything government does is ipso facto bad and that what the private sector does is by contrast good. This attitude ignores how, although markets do many things very well, there are many other important things that by their very nature markets cannot do well.
It also ignores the fact that the private sector does not equate with free markets and that sometimes more, not less, governmental involvement is necessary to have a truly competitive free market (antitrust enforcement being an obvious but by no means the only example)."
America First — The United States Of Koch Brothers, And Why It’s Wrong For America
http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/05/19/america-first-koch-brothers/
"The Supreme Court decision in 2010 to allow unfettered amounts of dark money into our political process has enabled the Koch Brothers to be like a “kid in a candy store.” It has allowed the Kochs and other billionaires like them to set up they’re own political mechanism separate from the political parties. They [Koch Brothers] started providing massive sums of money directly to a candidate of their choice and creating their media campaigns to sway public opinion toward their views.
In the 2014 election cycle, “Americans For Prosperity,” a Koch Brothers political front group, aired more than 17,000 broadcast TV ads, compared with only 2,100 aired by Republican Party groups. What this reveals to us is the overall influence these brothers had in the 2014 Mid-Term Election. Under Citizens United, the Koch Brothers, Super-Pacs, and Corporations can lie because they are not held to any standard. They can bold-faced lie on a television ad without any recompense."
"The Supreme Court decision in 2010 to allow unfettered amounts of dark money into our political process has enabled the Koch Brothers to be like a “kid in a candy store.” It has allowed the Kochs and other billionaires like them to set up they’re own political mechanism separate from the political parties. They [Koch Brothers] started providing massive sums of money directly to a candidate of their choice and creating their media campaigns to sway public opinion toward their views.
In the 2014 election cycle, “Americans For Prosperity,” a Koch Brothers political front group, aired more than 17,000 broadcast TV ads, compared with only 2,100 aired by Republican Party groups. What this reveals to us is the overall influence these brothers had in the 2014 Mid-Term Election. Under Citizens United, the Koch Brothers, Super-Pacs, and Corporations can lie because they are not held to any standard. They can bold-faced lie on a television ad without any recompense."
Obamacare is great for family values
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/19/1385923/-Obamacare-is-great-for-family-values
"Based on these findings it appears that Obamacare has allowed many young parents the opportunity to work at part-time jobs so that they could spend more time with their kids. Back in the old days we might have thought this was an outcome that family-values conservatives would have welcomed."
"Based on these findings it appears that Obamacare has allowed many young parents the opportunity to work at part-time jobs so that they could spend more time with their kids. Back in the old days we might have thought this was an outcome that family-values conservatives would have welcomed."
Democrat Busts Republican Scheme to Screw With Medicare To Benefit Corporations
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/19/democrat-calls-republican-plan-put-halt-existing-medicare-plan.html
"During a Health Subcommittee Hearing on Competition in Medicare, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) busted Republicans for trying to elimate competition in a Medicare program to raise prices on consumers to benefit corporations."
"During a Health Subcommittee Hearing on Competition in Medicare, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) busted Republicans for trying to elimate competition in a Medicare program to raise prices on consumers to benefit corporations."
Myth Busting: Medicaid and Low-Income Pool Facts
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/report/2015/05/14/113047/myth-busting-medicaid-and-low-income-pool-facts/
"Lawmakers in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and Kansas continue to play politics with their citizens’ health care by demanding federal funding for the low-income pool while refusing to expand Medicaid."
"Lawmakers in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and Kansas continue to play politics with their citizens’ health care by demanding federal funding for the low-income pool while refusing to expand Medicaid."
Another Huge Obama Win: 12 Million Have Chosen Private Policies Through Obamacare Exchanges
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/20/huge-obama-win-12-million-chosen-private-policies-obamacare-exchanges.html
"Another day, another Republican fail. Suddenly Republicans aren’t calling it Obamacare so much. But it was Obamacare when they slammed it and it is Obamacare now that they have been thoroughly proven wrong as they trolled the free market solution to our healthcare crisis."
"Another day, another Republican fail. Suddenly Republicans aren’t calling it Obamacare so much. But it was Obamacare when they slammed it and it is Obamacare now that they have been thoroughly proven wrong as they trolled the free market solution to our healthcare crisis."
Scott Walker Lets Billionaire Donors Know the Outrageous Sum It'll Take to Buy Him Off | Alternet
Scott Walker Lets Billionaire Donors Know the Outrageous Sum It'll Take to Buy Him Off | Alternet
"Big money's take over of our democracy has never been more blatant.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has put a pricetag on how much it will cost to join his inner circle, where you can meet with the 2016 GOP presidential candidate and have “dedicated staff contact” to ensure that your agenda will heard and noted.
On Monday, while Walker was making the rounds on Capitol Hill in Washington, his super PAC—the latest campaign finance loophole-contorting tactic—was handing out formal printed invitations to join at the $1 million, $500,000 and $250,000 level that described just what political investors would get for their money.
The million-dollar ticket, making one “an executive board member,” would gain entrance to “Bi-Annual Retreats (Summer 2015 & Date TBA), MEMBERS ONLY briefings, Weekly Email Updates, Bi-Monthly MEMBERS ONLY Conference Calls, Dedicated Staff Time, 2 Private Dinners with VIP Special Guest(s), Inclusion in all public/regional fundraising events,” and an “Exclusive Executive Board Pin.”
The bottom of the invitation said it was “Paid for by Unintimidated PAC, Inc.,” which was followed by “Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee” and had the PAC’s website, UnintimidatedPAC.com. The $500,000 donors get one private dinner with the candidate and the $250,000 donors get none."
"Big money's take over of our democracy has never been more blatant.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has put a pricetag on how much it will cost to join his inner circle, where you can meet with the 2016 GOP presidential candidate and have “dedicated staff contact” to ensure that your agenda will heard and noted.
On Monday, while Walker was making the rounds on Capitol Hill in Washington, his super PAC—the latest campaign finance loophole-contorting tactic—was handing out formal printed invitations to join at the $1 million, $500,000 and $250,000 level that described just what political investors would get for their money.
The million-dollar ticket, making one “an executive board member,” would gain entrance to “Bi-Annual Retreats (Summer 2015 & Date TBA), MEMBERS ONLY briefings, Weekly Email Updates, Bi-Monthly MEMBERS ONLY Conference Calls, Dedicated Staff Time, 2 Private Dinners with VIP Special Guest(s), Inclusion in all public/regional fundraising events,” and an “Exclusive Executive Board Pin.”
The bottom of the invitation said it was “Paid for by Unintimidated PAC, Inc.,” which was followed by “Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee” and had the PAC’s website, UnintimidatedPAC.com. The $500,000 donors get one private dinner with the candidate and the $250,000 donors get none."
Kansas’ Governor Destroyed The State Budget With Massive Tax Cuts And Now Kansans Are Paying The Price
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/19/3660279/kansas-extra-session-tax-cuts-repeal/
"The same tax cuts that provide too little return to free up a full year’s salary and benefits for a business owner also help deprive the state of resources it needs to make the idea of living and working in Kansas seem appealing to anyone. “You can make the environment worse for the gazelles if your tax cuts end up hurting the local schools, or the universities that help supply the workforce these companies need, or your local quality of life in general,” Leachman said.
Kansas’ public schools are almost criminally underfunded. Judges have ruled repeatedly in recent years that the state was providing such low levels of funding that school budgets were unconstitutional, and Brownback has responded by shuffling money around the system in ways that still produce overall cuts in per-pupil funding."
"The same tax cuts that provide too little return to free up a full year’s salary and benefits for a business owner also help deprive the state of resources it needs to make the idea of living and working in Kansas seem appealing to anyone. “You can make the environment worse for the gazelles if your tax cuts end up hurting the local schools, or the universities that help supply the workforce these companies need, or your local quality of life in general,” Leachman said.
Kansas’ public schools are almost criminally underfunded. Judges have ruled repeatedly in recent years that the state was providing such low levels of funding that school budgets were unconstitutional, and Brownback has responded by shuffling money around the system in ways that still produce overall cuts in per-pupil funding."
Kansas Legislature Threatens To Defund State Judiciary
Kansas Legislature Threatens To Defund State Judiciary
"Now that the Kochs have bought themselves the Kansas statehouse and governor's office, they're out for the state courts."
"Now that the Kochs have bought themselves the Kansas statehouse and governor's office, they're out for the state courts."
Bernie Sanders Wants Wall Street To Pay For Higher Education
Bernie Sanders Wants Wall Street To Pay For Higher Education
"when you consider the fact that Ted Cruz’s wife’s employer Goldman Sachs makes billions in profits annually and we bailed out the financial sector for $230 billion to avoid a complete economic collapse, it’s not unreasonable for them to invest in the future of America’s higher education."
"when you consider the fact that Ted Cruz’s wife’s employer Goldman Sachs makes billions in profits annually and we bailed out the financial sector for $230 billion to avoid a complete economic collapse, it’s not unreasonable for them to invest in the future of America’s higher education."
The Koch Brothers’ guide to 2016: How to win $1 billion for your Republican candidacy
The Koch Brothers’ guide to 2016: How to win $1 billion for your Republican candidacy
"This is exactly how Fred Koch and the John Birch Society operated in the sixties, calling everyone who they disagreed with a Communist operative. It seems character assassination is a Kochian tradition."
"This is exactly how Fred Koch and the John Birch Society operated in the sixties, calling everyone who they disagreed with a Communist operative. It seems character assassination is a Kochian tradition."
Pope Francis Makes Tea Party Heads Explode—Why Louie Gohmert and Steve King Have It in for the Pontiff | Alternet
Pope Francis Makes Tea Party Heads Explode—Why Louie Gohmert and Steve King Have It in for the Pontiff | Alternet
"It’s fascinating to see these members trying to impose constraints on what’s acceptable for the Holy See to say in his address to Congress."
"It’s fascinating to see these members trying to impose constraints on what’s acceptable for the Holy See to say in his address to Congress."
How Ridiculous is Fox News? Take a Look at This Mind-Boggling List of Absurdity
How Ridiculous is Fox News? Take a Look at This Mind-Boggling List of Absurdity
"Like a few weeks ago when Andrea Tantaros said that healthy school lunches were “causing mental problems.” To say something like that isn’t wrong, ignorant or misguided – it’s just stupid. Here’s a good one: Back in March, Bill O’Reilly tried to claim that Fox News isn’t conservative. To be able to say that with a straight face proves he’s perfected the art of lying to millions of people. Or what about that time the idea was pushed that schools making up “snow days” were really part of a much larger plot against Christianity and religion. No, seriously, that happened. We can’t ignore the time when Outnumbered co-host Kennedy Montgomery proclaimed that we should do away with public education because it just teaches “meaningless liberal crap.” Who remembers when Tucker Carlson proclaimed that Christianity ended slavery, or the time when John Stossel said that we don’t need FEMA because Walmart will come and save us whenever catastrophic disasters strike? Sadly, it gets worse. Not too long ago, Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy said that the massively popular children’s movie Frozen was actually a secret plot to emasculate men. Sadly, that’s not a joke."
"Like a few weeks ago when Andrea Tantaros said that healthy school lunches were “causing mental problems.” To say something like that isn’t wrong, ignorant or misguided – it’s just stupid. Here’s a good one: Back in March, Bill O’Reilly tried to claim that Fox News isn’t conservative. To be able to say that with a straight face proves he’s perfected the art of lying to millions of people. Or what about that time the idea was pushed that schools making up “snow days” were really part of a much larger plot against Christianity and religion. No, seriously, that happened. We can’t ignore the time when Outnumbered co-host Kennedy Montgomery proclaimed that we should do away with public education because it just teaches “meaningless liberal crap.” Who remembers when Tucker Carlson proclaimed that Christianity ended slavery, or the time when John Stossel said that we don’t need FEMA because Walmart will come and save us whenever catastrophic disasters strike? Sadly, it gets worse. Not too long ago, Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy said that the massively popular children’s movie Frozen was actually a secret plot to emasculate men. Sadly, that’s not a joke."
Bernie Sanders Turns The Tables On The Republican Plan To Cut Financial Aid For Students
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/17/bernie-sanders-turns-tables-republican-plan-cut-financial-aid-students.html
"Republicans are trying to make higher education less affordable. Their goal is to give people one less avenue for economic advancement. Sanders was correct. If the United States hopes to regain its status as the land of opportunity, a key piece to the puzzle is affordable higher education."
"Republicans are trying to make higher education less affordable. Their goal is to give people one less avenue for economic advancement. Sanders was correct. If the United States hopes to regain its status as the land of opportunity, a key piece to the puzzle is affordable higher education."
New Jersey Newspaper Pops Chris Christie’s Bubble Of Delusion That People Love Him (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/20/new-jersey-newspaper-pops-chris-christies-bubble-of-delusion-that-people-love-him-video/
"On Monday, Christie appeared on Fox News for an interview with Megyn Kelly, who asked him why he thinks he can win the presidency when 65 percent of his own constituents think he would be a terrible commander-in-chief.
Christie, a Republican, answered the question by claiming that New Jersey voters just love him too much to see him leave the state for the White House."
"On Monday, Christie appeared on Fox News for an interview with Megyn Kelly, who asked him why he thinks he can win the presidency when 65 percent of his own constituents think he would be a terrible commander-in-chief.
Christie, a Republican, answered the question by claiming that New Jersey voters just love him too much to see him leave the state for the White House."
Chris Christie Embarrasses Himself on Fox News Trying to Defend His Presidential Chances (Video)
Chris Christie Embarrasses Himself on Fox News Trying to Defend His Presidential Chances (Video)
"Christie embarrassed himself while trying to defend his presidential chances against a poll that showed 65 percent of New Jersey residents don’t think he’d make a good president."
"Christie embarrassed himself while trying to defend his presidential chances against a poll that showed 65 percent of New Jersey residents don’t think he’d make a good president."
The Truth: These Republican Candidates Are Just Too Stupid To Be President
The Truth: These Republican Candidates Are Just Too Stupid To Be President
"Sure, there are the far-right clowns like Sen. Ted Cruz or Mike Huckabee who seem to remind people of their absurdity practically every time they open their mouth, but there’s also candidates like Sen. Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush who have recently proven that they can’t even handle interviews on Fox News without making themselves look completely foolish. As a Republican, if you can’t handle Fox News interviews, you’re absolutely screwed."
"Sure, there are the far-right clowns like Sen. Ted Cruz or Mike Huckabee who seem to remind people of their absurdity practically every time they open their mouth, but there’s also candidates like Sen. Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush who have recently proven that they can’t even handle interviews on Fox News without making themselves look completely foolish. As a Republican, if you can’t handle Fox News interviews, you’re absolutely screwed."
The GOP’s despicable scheme to play dumb on Iraq: A history lesson for Rubio & Jeb
The GOP’s despicable scheme to play dumb on Iraq: A history lesson for Rubio & Jeb
"In fact, in one of the most famous examples of government propaganda of that era, Dick Cheney’s henchman Scooter Libby planted the “aluminum tubes” story in the New York Times, and then Cheney boldly went on “Meet the Press” to quote the article as if he’d just read it in the paper that morning over bacon and eggs. Again, they knew these tubes were not being used for nuclear weapons. Condi Rice’s office had dismissed the claims more than a year before. But it was this claim that led to the doomsaying about smoking guns and mushroom clouds which John Dickerson doesn’t seem to remember was utter nonsense.
The upshot of all this is that the GOP is working overtime to fit the Iraq debacle into their preferred narrative once and for all so they can move on and start ginning up the next military adventure. And the media, which has never fully accepted its responsibility in making that war possible, is either suffering from a severe memory lapse or sees it in its self-interest to help them do it.
The problem is that the American people do not seem inclined to go along. They, at least, have some memory of the epic disaster of the Iraq War and are not eager to repeat it. As of last year, 75 percent of Americans (including 63 percent of Republicans) believe that war was not worth it. That’s up from 66 percent in 2008. The last thing they want to hear is a bunch of excuses about how the Bush administration made a big boo-boo on account of bad information. Whether or not they know all the details, they do know that even George W. Bush isn’t that incompetent."
"In fact, in one of the most famous examples of government propaganda of that era, Dick Cheney’s henchman Scooter Libby planted the “aluminum tubes” story in the New York Times, and then Cheney boldly went on “Meet the Press” to quote the article as if he’d just read it in the paper that morning over bacon and eggs. Again, they knew these tubes were not being used for nuclear weapons. Condi Rice’s office had dismissed the claims more than a year before. But it was this claim that led to the doomsaying about smoking guns and mushroom clouds which John Dickerson doesn’t seem to remember was utter nonsense.
The upshot of all this is that the GOP is working overtime to fit the Iraq debacle into their preferred narrative once and for all so they can move on and start ginning up the next military adventure. And the media, which has never fully accepted its responsibility in making that war possible, is either suffering from a severe memory lapse or sees it in its self-interest to help them do it.
The problem is that the American people do not seem inclined to go along. They, at least, have some memory of the epic disaster of the Iraq War and are not eager to repeat it. As of last year, 75 percent of Americans (including 63 percent of Republicans) believe that war was not worth it. That’s up from 66 percent in 2008. The last thing they want to hear is a bunch of excuses about how the Bush administration made a big boo-boo on account of bad information. Whether or not they know all the details, they do know that even George W. Bush isn’t that incompetent."
The Dwight Eisenhower lesson America forgot
The Dwight Eisenhower lesson America forgot
"Five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower took pains in his farewell address in 1961 to remind us of it again. How did we as a people come to forget it? WTF, America?"
"Five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower took pains in his farewell address in 1961 to remind us of it again. How did we as a people come to forget it? WTF, America?"
6 instances where Jeb Bush definitively supported the war in Iraq
6 instances where Jeb Bush definitively supported the war in Iraq
"on the question of the biggest foreign policy blunder in a generation—a war of choice in Iraq—Jeb Bush clearly stands with his ex-president brother who decided to invade. That’s been his stance for years. The 2016 campaign trail doesn’t change it."
"on the question of the biggest foreign policy blunder in a generation—a war of choice in Iraq—Jeb Bush clearly stands with his ex-president brother who decided to invade. That’s been his stance for years. The 2016 campaign trail doesn’t change it."
Wall Street Is Corrupting Everything – Even University Commencements
http://wallstreetonparade.com/2015/05/wall-street-is-corrupting-everything-even-university-commencements/
"On April 28, Martin Lipton, Chairman of NYU, and its President, John Sexton, announced that hedge fund billionaire John Paulson would receive the “Albert Gallatin Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Society” at NYU’s 183rd Commencement ceremony, slated for next Wednesday. Albert Gallatin was one of the founders of NYU and a former Treasury Secretary under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Gallatin is buried in Trinity churchyard at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway – and he’s likely rolling over in his grave at the idea of having his name appended to John Paulson.
John Paulson is the founder and head of Paulson & Co., infamously known on Wall Street as the firm that conspired with Goldman Sachs to create Abacus 2007-AC1 – an investment Paulson & Co. assisted in designing to collapse in value. On April 16, 2010, the SEC brought charges against Goldman Sachs and one of its young vice presidents, Fabrice Tourre, for “defrauding investors” in the sale and marketing of Abacus. Paulson & Co. slipped through the net because it didn’t sell or market the product – it simply shorted it based on its inside information that it was designed to fail.
According to the SEC’s lawsuit, Paulson paid Goldman Sachs approximately $15 million for structuring Abacus. The deal closed on April 26, 2007. Nine months later says the SEC, “99 percent of the portfolio had been downgraded.” The SEC adds: “As a result, investors in the ABACUS 2007-AC1 CDO lost over $1 billion. Paulson’s opposite CDS positions yielded a profit of approximately $1 billion for Paulson"."
"On April 28, Martin Lipton, Chairman of NYU, and its President, John Sexton, announced that hedge fund billionaire John Paulson would receive the “Albert Gallatin Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Society” at NYU’s 183rd Commencement ceremony, slated for next Wednesday. Albert Gallatin was one of the founders of NYU and a former Treasury Secretary under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Gallatin is buried in Trinity churchyard at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway – and he’s likely rolling over in his grave at the idea of having his name appended to John Paulson.
John Paulson is the founder and head of Paulson & Co., infamously known on Wall Street as the firm that conspired with Goldman Sachs to create Abacus 2007-AC1 – an investment Paulson & Co. assisted in designing to collapse in value. On April 16, 2010, the SEC brought charges against Goldman Sachs and one of its young vice presidents, Fabrice Tourre, for “defrauding investors” in the sale and marketing of Abacus. Paulson & Co. slipped through the net because it didn’t sell or market the product – it simply shorted it based on its inside information that it was designed to fail.
According to the SEC’s lawsuit, Paulson paid Goldman Sachs approximately $15 million for structuring Abacus. The deal closed on April 26, 2007. Nine months later says the SEC, “99 percent of the portfolio had been downgraded.” The SEC adds: “As a result, investors in the ABACUS 2007-AC1 CDO lost over $1 billion. Paulson’s opposite CDS positions yielded a profit of approximately $1 billion for Paulson"."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)