November 11, 2015

Hilarious memes clown GOP after debate

More at link: http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Social-media-erupts-with-hilarious-GOP-memes-6623833.php

November 11, 2015

Friendly reminder #1 about the GOP debate

Discussions about the Republican candidates, primary and the debate tonight should be posted in the General Discussion forum rather than the General Discussion: Primaries forum.

Enjoy the laughs if you watch the debate and know your limit if you are playing any drinking games.

Thank you for your assistance.

November 10, 2015

I-35 in Austin Named the Most Congested Roadway in Texas

Austin drivers who complain about Interstate Highway 35 have been validated.

A new report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute named the stretch of I-35 between U.S. 290 N and SH 71 as the most congested roadway in Texas.

The annual report of the top 100 congested roadways in the state — commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation — called a stretch of Houston's I-610 the second-most congested roadway (it was No. 1 last year and I-35 in Austin was No. 2). Two separate sections of U.S. 59 in Houston and a portion of I-35 E in Dallas round out this year's top five.

"The state’s worsening traffic gridlock is driven largely by a rapid growth in population without a corresponding growth in roadway space," the institute said in a news release.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/10/top-10-most-congested-roadways-texas/

November 10, 2015

Cornyn: Move Forward on Pick for Ambassador to Mexico

Although U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has concerns about re-establishing ties with Cuba, he said Tuesday that the diplomat who has played a key role in talks with the Castro regime should still be confirmed as the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday voted 12-7 to advance the nomination of Roberta Jacobson to the full Senate. She currently serves as the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Jacobson was nominated in July, but her confirmation has been stalled by senators who have criticized her for advancing President Obama’s policy toward Cuba that seeks to normalize relations after more than 50 years of tension between the two countries.

Cornyn, the Senate majority whip, said that Jacobson was merely serving the role she was hired for.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/10/cornyn-jacobsons-confirmation-needs-happen/

November 10, 2015

State Sen. Don Huffines takes to Twitter to attack Dallas’ transgender protections

Since the Dallas City Council voted to amend the ordinance, state Sen. Don Huffines, a first-term Republican, has been tweeting that it was a “Obama & Pelosi style sneak-attack governance” that needs to be repealed. Among his tweets:

Dallas City Council member Philip Kingston is not impressed:



Read more: http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2015/11/dallas-city-council-unanimously-oks-adding-transgender-protections-to-anti-bias-ordinance.html/

November 10, 2015

Sean Elliott Drew a Big Ol' Dick on National Television

Why, hey there, Sean Elliott! Is that a telestrator in your pocket, or are you just happy to see us?

Basketball commentator and former Spur Sean Elliott inadvertently drew what many saw as a penis on the audience's television screens during the Spurs 114-94 win against the Charlotte Hornets. Don't believe us? Check it out yourself.

(video will not embed): https://cdn.streamable.com/video/mp4/35zq.mp4



Why, yes, Perfect Internet Gif For the Situation, that is a penis — head, shaft, balls, and everything. It even has a thick white stream of ... um ... something spewing from the tip. Thank you, Sean Elliott. We all needed that.

http://www.sacurrent.com/Blogs/archives/2015/11/09/sean-elliott-drew-a-big-ol-dick-on-national-television

November 10, 2015

What to expect in John Bel Edwards-David Vitter televised debate Tuesday night: 'The gloves will be

David Vitter and John Bel Edwards will go toe to toe Tuesday night in the first televised debate during their runoff election for governor, with clearly drawn battle lines.

All signs indicate that Sen. Vitter will focus on Rep. Edwards’ Democratic voting record during his eight years in the state House while Edwards will want to keep attention squarely faced on questions about Vitter’s character, including the prostitution scandal.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting will air the one-hour event live at 7 p.m. statewide.

Following the format from the 2003 runoff debate — the last time gubernatorial candidates went head-to-head — the two men will ask some questions directly of each other. It’s quite possible the candidates will be forced to go off script in a decisive fashion, as has happened in past LPB runoff debates.

Read more: http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/13933256-123/what-to-expect-in-john

November 10, 2015

Prostitution scandal, surveillance, campaign ads all come up at David Vitter, John Bel Edwards’ firs

Prostitution scandal, surveillance, campaign ads all come up at David Vitter, John Bel Edwards’ first face-to-face exchange

The first face-to-face meeting between runoff opponents David Vitter and John Bel Edwards before the Baton Rouge Press Club lived up to its billing. The two tangled over character as much as policy, and the exchange got particularly heated when they were asked about the role of surveillance -- from public "tracking" to private investigating.

Vitter came closest to making news on this front, when he linked his suspicions about John Cummings, the wealthy trial lawyer and Edwards donor taped by a Vitter p.i. at a Metairie coffee shop, to Danny DeNoux, a private investigator who was also at the table along with Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand. DeNoux has admitted he found a source for a blogger who's been investigating Vitter's past, and at the forum Monday, Vitter said Denoux also was a target of the Vitter campaign's surveillance, which he deemed neither illegal nor improper.

"That person was researching what I believe is an illegal scheme" to "pay for false testimony for witnesses against me," Vitter said. He said he had already contacted federal authorities over the matter.

Vitter also suggested his investigator is no different from a standard campaign tracker, someone who follows candidates and records their conversation without attempting to hide. He also likened the man's actions to those of a news reporter. He said he's been a victim of tracking for years and finds it obnoxious; that prompted Edwards to point out a tracker hired by Vitter's Super PAC, someone who's been so ubiquitous on the campaign trail that he called him by his name, Joshua.

Read more: http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/13930778-123/stephanie-grace-quick-take-prostitution

November 10, 2015

After confirming FBI probe, Martinez voices disdain for ‘cheap shots’

Gov. Susana Martinez on Monday confirmed a federal investigation into her top political advisor, Jay McCleskey, adding that she is “confident” he has done nothing wrong.

Asked during a public appearance in Albuquerque on Monday if she could confirm the federal probe into McCleskey, Martinez said “sure” and told reporters that federal agents have questioned her and members of her administration. In a statement issued to news organizations, Martinez said complaints that sparked the investigation “are obviously coming from the same people with axes to grind.”

“They failed against me, and now it appears they’ve moved on to people who work for me,” she said. “They’ll fail there too, and I am confident that neither Jay, nor anyone else, has done anything wrong. They can’t beat him, so they try to smear him. As a former prosecutor myself, I trust the system to look into and then reject these types of political cheap shots.”

Chris Sanchez, a Martinez spokesman, didn’t clarify later who the governor meant by “they” or what types of questions federal agents asked her in relation to the probe.

Read more: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/after-confirming-probe-martinez-voices-disdain-for-cheap-shots/article_66434942-7a99-5304-8376-6271ad1d3f34.html

November 10, 2015

Alabama Education Official Warns Of 'Homosexualist' Common Core Takeover

An Alabama Board of Education member is drawing criticism for making a number of outlandish claims about the Common Core during a recent GOP luncheon.

Betty Peters, the state school board member for District 2, in the southeast part of the state, spoke at a meeting of the Republican Women of Coffee County Oct. 21 during which she espoused views on the Common Core, "transgender values" and the "homosexualist" takeover of education in Southern states.

Peters tore into the Common Core standards as an example of federal overreach and claimed the program allows "homosexualists" to influence schoolchildren, The Southeast Sun, a newspaper based in Enterprise, Alabama, reported this week.

“I understand Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi are the three Southern states targeted by the radical, left, homosexualists to change our students’ perspective,” Peters said, according to the Sun. “We have gone past gay, lesbian and bisexual and we're now into gender fluid spectrum.”

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/betty-peters-common-core_563e2a82e4b0307f2cadb27e?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay%2BVoices&section=gay-voices&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000050