February 16, 2012

Cartoon: can you spot the Job Creator?

February 16, 2012

Democratic Women Boycott House Contraception Hearing After Republicans Prevent Women From Testifying

Democratic Women Boycott House Contraception Hearing After Republicans Prevent Women From Testifying

By Igor Volsky on Feb 16, 2012 at 10:52 am

This morning, Democrats tore into House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) for preventing women and minorities from testifying before a hearing examining the Obama administration’s new regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide contraception coverage to their employees. Republicans oppose the administration’s rule and have sponsored legislation that would allow employers to limit the availability of birth control to women.

Ranking committee member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) had asked Issa to include a female witness at the hearing, but the Chairman refused, arguing that “As the hearing is not about reproductive rights and contraception but instead about the Administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience, he believes that Ms. Fluke is not an appropriate witness.”

And so Cummings, along with the Democratic women on the panel, took their request to the hearing room, demanding that Issa consider the testimony of a female college student. But the California congressman insisted that the hearing should focus on the rules’ alleged infringement on “religious liberty,” not contraception coverage, and denied the request. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) walked out of the hearing in protest of his decision, citing frustration over the fact that the first panel of witnesses consisted only of male religious leaders against the rule. Holmes Norton said she will not return, calling Issa’s chairmanship an “autocratic regime.”

More:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/02/16/426850/democratic-women-boycott-issas-contraception-hearing-for-preventing-women-from-testifying/


Those allowed to testify today make up the tables and immediately behind, the rest of the room is made up of those NOT ALLOWED to testify.

Notice any particular "gender" difference?
http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-republican-darrell-issa-runs.html

February 16, 2012

arf, arf, arf, roo, roo, roo

I WIN
I have the best rescue dog in the world!!!

ROO

I dare ANY dog to compete with her!

so there, Westminster...

February 16, 2012

Oops! Mitt Romney's new Michigan ad uses picture of him in New York to prove he grew up in Detroit

THU FEB 16, 2012 AT 07:15 AM PST
Oops! Mitt Romney's new Michigan ad uses picture of him in New York to prove he grew up in Detroit
byJed Lewison

Mitt Romney's new Michigan primary ad has a simple message: that he's a native son. It opens with Romney behind the wheel of a Chrysler, waxing poetic about his love for the state. "I grew up in Michigan," he says. "It was exciting to be here."

"I remember going to the Detroit auto show with my dad," he recalls, the ad simultaneously cutting to a photograph of Mitt Romney and his father, standing on a roof, looking down on the unwashed masses milling about at what voters are supposed to believe is the Detroit auto show.


Still image from new Mitt Romney ad as he says "I remember going to the Detroit
auto show with my dad." The image is of the 1964 World's Fair in New York.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/16/1065344/-Oops-Mitt-Romney-s-new-Michigan-ad-uses-picture-of-him-in-New-York-to-prove-he-grew-up-in-Detroit?via=blog_1

February 16, 2012

Bill to privatize prisons dies in Senate

Bill to privatize prisons dies in Senate

After the Senate vote, the state will not undertake what would’ve been the greatest expansion of prison privatization in U.S. history.

BY STEVE BOUSQUET
TALLAHASSEE -- A massive expansion of private prisons in Florida collapsed in the Senate Tuesday as nine Republicans joined a dozen Democrats in handing a setback to Senate leaders and a victory to state workers.

As a result, the state will not undertake what would have been the single greatest expansion of prison privatization in U.S. history, affecting 27 prisons and work camps in 18 counties and displacing more than 3,500 correctional officers.

Senate leaders immediately said they would have to cut education and healthcare programs by $16.5 million, the amount privatization would have saved in the first year.

The 21-19 Senate vote reinforced the chamber’s long-standing reputation for independence, as it has shown over the years on many issues, from abortion rights to immigration to the Terri Schiavo case.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/14/2642075/bill-to-privatize-prisons-dies.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

February 16, 2012

Explosives found in pickup near Kansas Statehouse

Explosives found in pickup near Kansas Statehouse

Explosives found in pickup parked outside of capitol

..................................

Officers arrested the pickup’s owner inside a tunnel used by legislators, state officials, lobbyists, and others to go between the State House and a state office building. Saleh said the man claimed to have an appointment in the building, but none was verified. Saleh did not have information about the man’s identity.

..................

The truck had a specialty Florida license plate issued only to qualified paratroopers. It also had a Special Forces sticker on its bumper and stickers on its back window saying, “Welcome to America. Now speak English’’ and “Does my American flag offend you? Call 1 800 LEAVE THE USA

...............

The pickup incident and the phoned-in threat to Brownback’s office came the same day a Kansas House committee opened three days of hearings on several bills designed to crack down on illegal immigration, backed by Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a former law professor who helped draft tough laws in Alabama and Arizona.

http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/02/16/explosives-found-pickup-near-kansas-statehouse/RfgtlpnGbeDLPWIZMtVsJP/story.html

February 16, 2012

GREEK DEFAULT EXCLUSIVE: SENIOR US BANKERS GIVEN EXPLICIT TIMETABLE FOR ATHENS DEFAULT

GREEK DEFAULT EXCLUSIVE: SENIOR US BANKERS GIVEN EXPLICIT TIMETABLE FOR ATHENS DEFAULT

DOCUMENTS RAISE AWKWARD QUESTIONS FOR WASHINGTON, IMF & BERLIN
A written document giving firm dates and detailed actions for a planned Greek default has been in the possession of two top Wall Street bank currency trading bosses since the second week in January. The Slog has separate but corroborative sources affirming the existence of the document, and a conviction among senior bank staff that – at least at the time – the plan represented “a timetable, not a contingency”. The plan gives a firm date of March 23rd for default to be announced after the close of business.

Senior bankers on Wall Street have been given detailed documentation setting out a timetable to Greek default, including firm dates and technical ‘orders’ about last use of the euro as a currency there. The revelation arrived at Slogger’s Roost last Monday, since when I have been trying to obtain corroboration. This arrived in the early hours of today (Thursday). One of the banks is Barclays Capital (Barcap) run by controversial figure Bob Diamond. The other must remain anonymous for the time being, in order to protect sources.

The document asserts that Greece will officially be declared in default by all the ratings agencies after the close of business on Friday march 23rd . At the weekend all Greek bank accounts will be frozen, with emergency measures detailed to prevent the flight of capital. Included in the paperwork is a list of very limited exceptions to the ‘no withdrawals’ order. All major banks ‘are instructed not to deal with euro exchange as of open of business in Greece on Monday 25th march. All Greek markets will close for one day ‘at least’.

As yet, I have been unable to establish the source of the documents. But one of my informants admitted, “I have strongly suggested to Greek business friends and clients that they sell up fast, do a sale and leaseback on property, empty bank accounts, and change to a hard currency.”

...................

http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/greek-default-exclusive-senior-us-bankers-given-explicit-timetable-for-athens-default/

February 16, 2012

BIG LOL: Politico SO Eager To Smear Obama-They Leaped & Ended Up In A Pile Of Foolishness!!!

Wisconsin Local 1848
Yup, they mistook the Wisconsin state flag as being the flag of Wisconsin Local 1848.

The right wing propaganda site Politico was so eager to try to do a smear job on President Barack Obama and his visit to Milwaukee today that they failed to look before they leaped and ended up landing into a pile of foolishness with both feet:



http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2012/02/wisconsin-local-1848.html

Once they realized how stupid they looked, they deleted the post (which appears to be a common thing for Republicans).

But thanks to the power of Google Cache, you can see it for yourself.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=cache:http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/02/wh-flies-labor-flag-in-milwaukee-114554.html&pbx=1&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf

February 16, 2012

The System Makes Me Sick

February 16, 2012

Obama up big in Michigan

Michigan is looking more and more like it won't be in the swing state column this fall. PPP's newest poll there finds Barack Obama leading the entire Republican field by double digits.


The biggest surprise in the numbers might be how badly Obama is beating Mitt Romney- he leads him by 16 points at 54-38. That's a major departure from PPP's previous 3 Michigan President polls, which found Obama ahead by only 4-7 points. Romney's seen a major decline in his personal favorability in the state over the last 6 months from 39/43 to now 29/58. His numbers have dropped across the board but the most striking shift is with independents. He's gone from a +14 spread with them at 48/34 to a -20 one at 32/52.

52% of Michigan voters support the bailout of the auto industry when they look back on it to 36% opposed. With that majority who support it, Romney's favorability is 19/75 and he trails Obama 81-15. 62% of Republican voters oppose the bailout to only 24% supportive so that issue may not hurt Romney too much in the primary, but his stance could take the state off the board for him in November.

The strongest Republican candidate in Michigan is actually Rick Santorum, who trails Obama by only 11 points at 50-39. Our recent polling has been punching some holes in Romney's electability argument. National numbers we released yesterday showed Santorum a couple points stronger than Romney, and when you average out our last 5 battleground state polls in Michigan, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, and Minnesota there's no difference between Romney and Santorum's strength against Obama.

.............
MORE:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/obama-up-big-in-michigan.html