FiveThirtyEight: GOP Field Hasn’t Been This Split in 40 Years [Archive]

boutons_deux

03-31-2014, 05:23 AM

the "hopefuls" were out in Sin City this weekend, groveling for $Ms in the "Jewish primary"

2016 Republican Hopefuls Hope To Woo Jewish Donors

Long before voters begin paying attention to the 2016 presidential contest, the quiet race for the Republican party’s most elite donors was well under way in recent days as potential candidates made a pilgrimage west to court prolific spender Sheldon Adelson and other members of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

During speeches Saturday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all addressed the key concerns of Adelson and many group members — the threat of a nuclear Iran, their desire to strengthen U.S. ties with Israel, and what they view as waning prestige of the U.S. abroad. With varying degrees of deftness, the candidates each touched on their own ties to Israel and Jewish tradition.

For Christie, Saturday’s tryout showed the potential for missteps when governors wade into foreign policy at this early stage. During an otherwise warmly received speech, Christie’s mention of a helicopter flight over “occupied territories” — terminology used by Israel’s critics — during his trip to Israel sent murmurs and whispers of surprise through the conservative audience.

But the more important groundwork for the crop of potential candidates took place outside of the three-day, 400-person conference — in one-on-one meetings with Adelson, who poured nearly $100 million into the 2012 campaign, as well as other influential coalition members.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is being encouraged to run by many Republican donors, headlined a private VIP reception and dinner in Adelson’s airplane hangar Thursday night, where he made the case for immigration reform and demurred on questions about his presidential plans. The top billing for Bush at the more intimate event was an early signal of Adelson’s leanings at a time when no clear leader has emerged for the 2016 GOP nomination.

No thoughtful candidate would discount Adelson’s power as friend or foe after he demonstrated during the 2012 primary season how one GOP donor could scramble the Republican field. Adelson and his wife Miriam almost single-handedly kept the candidacy of Newt Gingrich alive — to the detriment of eventual nominee Mitt Romney — by pumping millions into a super PAC supporting him.

...

http://www.nationalmemo.com/2016-republican-hopefuls-hope-woo-jewish-donors/

boutons_deux

03-31-2014, 05:30 AM

Bow Down to Pharaoh

Both hilarious and amazing. At the Adelson audition this weekend in Vegas, Chris Christie used the utterly uncontroversial term "occupied territories" to basically argue that Israel should retain the territories for security reasons - not bad for appealing to hyper-Zionist maximalist right-wing Christians and their sprinkling of right-wing Jewish supporters.

But he then had to personally apologize to Adelson for using the term.

Like I said, amazing and comical and ridiculous. Both Adelson's power and the need for any Republican to kow-tow to the most extreme variant of right-wing pro-Israel opinion that all the land west of the Jordan is part of the Israeli state proper.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/bow-down-to-pharoah?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpm-news+%28TPMNews%29

These extreme right wing Zionist Israel supporters would be pushing "their purchased" President, in league with US neo-cons, to go to war both with Syria and Iran.

scott

03-31-2014, 07:15 AM

Also from 538:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/fivethirtyeight-senate-forecast/

FiveThirtyEight Senate Forecast: GOP Is Slight Favorite in Race for Senate Control

boutons_deux

03-31-2014, 10:50 AM

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/sheldon-adelson-vegas-580.jpg

SHELDON ADELSON SAYS NO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE WORTH BUYING

The casino billionaire and Republican kingmaker Sheldon Adelson met several 2016 G.O.P. candidates available for purchase over the weekend, but decided to buy none of them, Adelson confirmed today.

After hearing speeches by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and several others who were for sale, Mr. Adelson concluded that none of them are worth owning.

“I don’t want to spend millions on another loser,” said Adelson, who purchased both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney in 2012.

The casino magnate was scathing in his assessment of the candidates he declined to buy, calling them “a third-rate grab bag of has-beens and dimwits.”

“I guess the Republican Party is thinking, Here comes crazy old Sheldon, he’ll blow his money on the first washed-out wingnut we throw out there,” Adelson said. “Well, guess again.”

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2014/03/sheldon-adelson-says-no-republican-candidate-worth-buying.html?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_Borowitz%20(53)

Winehole23

03-31-2014, 10:56 AM

I wonder if Boutons sees the satirical frame or takes it as literal truth.

Winehole23

03-31-2014, 10:56 AM

my money's on the latter

boutons_deux

03-31-2014, 11:00 AM

my money's on the latter

that's why you're a loser

Winehole23

03-31-2014, 11:05 AM

the bolded strongly resembles what you say here everyday

boutons_deux

03-31-2014, 11:09 AM

the bolded strongly resembles what you say here everyday

only I say it funnier.

Winehole23

03-31-2014, 11:27 AM

glad to see your self-regard is uninjured from the daily pounding you take here

Winehole23

01-12-2015, 11:33 AM

Romney 2016?

He’s back… .

Like Richard Nixon or Freddy Krueger, it seems impossible to keep Mitt Romney down. According to the Wall Street Journal (http://www.wsj.com/articles/romney-tells-donors-he-is-considering-2016-white-house-bid-1420839312),the 2012 Republican nominee for President told donors in New York on Friday that he was considering yet another run for the White House in 2016.

While Romney, who also ran for President in 2008, was scorned by many Republicans during his campaign as a flip-flopper with no real base in his party, many in the GOP have embraced him after his loss. After all, with the initial failures of the health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act and the Russian invasion of Crimea, many controversial statements by the former Massachusetts governor now seem omniscient.

He’s also been humanized thanks to a well-received documentary that showed an authentic side to a candidate who, at times, seemed battery-operated.

Romney, who last year denied he was running again several times, still has not made a firm decision on whether he throws his hat into the ring.

Instead, the former Massachusetts governor’s statement seems as much as a way to slow the momentum coalescing around former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and prop the door open for Romney to make a decision in the coming months.

boutons_deux

01-12-2015, 02:17 PM

The Best-Positioned Rival to Jeb Bush May Not Be the Best Known

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/01/13/upshot/13UP-Walker/13UP-Walker-articleLarge.jpg

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/upshot/scott-walker-shows-promise-heading-into-2016.html

:lol

Kock Bros Monster, governor of Kockistan, for Pres! yes, Do It! :lol

boutons_deux

01-12-2015, 02:40 PM

Poll: Most Americans Now Consider Romney a Stalker

In a possible setback for Mitt Romney’s latest Presidential ambitions, a new poll reveals that a majority of Americans now regard the former Massachusetts governor as a stalker.

The poll results suggest that Romney’s presence in every Presidential campaign in recent memory has taken its toll on the American people, who have expressed disbelief that he would return after being repeatedly told in no uncertain terms that he was not wanted.

Additionally, many of those surveyed said that they previously felt harassed by the Massachusetts governor’s relentless e-mails and phone calls, and favored some form of intervention to keep Romney from contacting them in the future.

In an indication of how much Romney’s serial candidacies have traumatized the American people, more than fifty per cent said that they would support a restraining order to keep the former nominee five hundred feet from the United States until the 2016 election had safely passed.

In an interview on Monday, Romney said that the inauspicious poll results would not discourage him from seeking the White House for a third time. “I know that I’m the right man for the American people, and nothing they say or do will stop me,” he said.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/poll-americans-now-consider-romney-stalker?intcid=mod-latest&mbid=nl_011215_Borowitz&CNDID=&spMailingID=7415495&spUserID=MjczNzc0Njk0NDAS1&spJobID=601496682&spReportId=NjAxNDk2NjgyS0

CosmicCowboy

01-12-2015, 02:42 PM

Do people really consider that stuff funny?

boutons_deux

01-12-2015, 02:48 PM

Do people really consider that stuff funny?

hits and misses, like your target practice

spursncowboys

01-13-2015, 09:56 AM

“The money that funds the party,” he says, comes from individuals who may be fiscally conservative and hawkish on issues of national security but who live on the coasts and have largely abandoned socially conservative causes. “The money that supports the Republican party overwhelmingly comes from places we lose,” -Rick Santorum

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/396182/santorum-blue-collar-brawler-eliana-johnson

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 10:22 AM

Santorum, yet another extreme right winger Repug who is Catholic.

"largely abandoned socially conservative causes." :lol InSaneTorum, they very probably NEVER supported your conservative causes.

hater

01-13-2015, 10:25 AM

The presidency is right there for the GOP to take it. It's right there. Unfortunately, they will parade the clows again (palin, bush, romney, paul, the idiot texan, the elephant) and make a mockery of the US elections once again :lol

this will be once again a very comptetitive national election due to that fact :lol

Th'Pusher

01-13-2015, 11:31 AM

CosmicCowboy

01-13-2015, 11:53 AM

It will come down to Romney and Bush. Those are your heavyweight fundraisers. The rest of the field will get starved out after the first few primaries. Perry and Huckabee might as well throw in the towel now.

ElNono

01-13-2015, 11:53 AM

-Rick Santorum

[/FONT][/COLOR]http://www.nationalreview.com/article/396182/santorum-blue-collar-brawler-eliana-johnson

Rick is not wrong. He now understands what it takes to win the general election. Unfortunately, he's unlikely able to win the nomination with that message. It's somewhat the same conundrum Jeb is in.

The presidency is right there for the GOP to take it. It's right there. Unfortunately, they will parade the clows again (palin, bush, romney, paul, the idiot texan, the elephant) and make a mockery of the US elections once again :lol

this will be once again a very comptetitive national election due to that fact :lol

Yep. Surviving the primaries seems to be the name of the game for the GOP.

hater

01-13-2015, 11:54 AM

And who would hater recommend the GOP nominate to take the presidency?

If they can unite behind a guy that can finish a sentence, it would be a start :lmao

Rubio, Jindal or even a rebooted Jeb Bush would do. Too bad IMO as I said they will parade the clowns and ruin it :lmao

ElNono

01-13-2015, 11:56 AM

:lol Rubio is a terrible candidate, IMO. Latinos absolutely hate him and of course...

BP1z0MiAvx0

I'm actually more curious on what's going to happen with Rand Paul...

hater

01-13-2015, 11:58 AM

ElNono

01-13-2015, 12:01 PM

:rolleyes doens't matter if he's good or not. compare him to the clowns I listed and he's suddenly Thomas Jefferson :lol

as I said the presidency is there for the taking if GOP could unite behind a guy that can finish a sentence.

and :lol who cares if the wetbacks like him or not? the wetbacks will just do what their community leaders tell them like always.

I agree with you that it's their election to lose. And wetbacks are a segment they can't ignore anymore anyways, due to the Florida EC votes. Bush Jr carried hispanics by 50% or more and won comfortably.

Romney started talking about "self-deportation" and basically gave away all the votes crofl

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 12:06 PM

I agree with you that it's their election to lose. And wetbacks are a segment they can't ignore anymore anyways, due to the Florida EC votes. Bush Jr carried hispanics by 50% or more and won comfortably.

Romney started talking about "self-deportation" and basically gave away all the votes crofl

TX Repugs plan to repeal the dream act for TX, which is huge reachout to the Hispanic vote. :)

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 12:07 PM

more Hispanic reachout by Repugs:

House GOP Pushes Extreme Deportation-Focused Immigration Proposal

http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/01/13/house-gop-pushes-extreme-deportation-focused-immigration-proposal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rhrealitycheck+%28RH+Reality+ Check%29

ElNono

01-13-2015, 12:08 PM

I suspect Hillary is getting the nomination for the Dems?

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 12:10 PM

hater

01-13-2015, 12:11 PM

I suspect Hillary is getting the nomination for the Dems?

which would make the dems even more vulnerable. she was a terrible sec of state. When John Kerry looks better at your job you know you screwed up :lmao

ElNono

01-13-2015, 12:14 PM

Yeah, I don't really care who wins, but this is shaping up to be another "pick turd red or blue" election...

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 12:17 PM

I suspect Hillary is getting the nomination for the Dems?

her fans are rabid, but her favorability numbers are pretty high and stable.

CosmicCowboy

01-13-2015, 12:21 PM

Conservatives Are Already Raising Money to Derail Jeb Bush's 2016 Bid

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/01/end-jeb-bush-2016-hillary

objections to Jeb: pro-immigration reform, pro-Common Core, both ideologically contrary to Repugs.

Boo, sometimes you are just funny as hell and don't even realize it. MotherJones? Constitutional Rights PAC?

In 2013 and 2014, it pulled in $36,282 from small donors and other PACs and devoted most of that haul to paying for direct mail and online fundraising and digital consulting. In other words, the group raised money to be spent on running its website, generating petitions, and—you guessed it—raising more money and gathering up more email addresses.

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 12:31 PM

Boo, sometimes you are just funny as hell and don't even realize it. MotherJones? Constitutional Rights PAC?

Jeb's pro-immigration, pro-Common Core positions are HATED by the tea baggers, the Repug base.

CosmicCowboy

01-13-2015, 12:42 PM

Jeb's pro-immigration, pro-Common Core positions are HATED by the tea baggers, the Repug minority.

Fixed it for you.

CosmicCowboy

01-13-2015, 12:53 PM

Bottom line, the Tea Party can't get a Tea Party Presidential candidate elected. Even further bottom line, they will vote for any Republican over Hillary.

hater

01-13-2015, 12:56 PM

Bottom line, the Tea Party can't get a Tea Party Presidential candidate elected. Even further bottom line, they will vote for any Republican over Hillary.

not before sabotaging their own party by parading their clows for 6-7 months :lol

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 01:20 PM

Bottom line, the Tea Party can't get a Tea Party Presidential candidate elected. Even further bottom line, they will vote for any Republican over Hillary.

tea baggers and the rest of the redneck, evangelical/End Timer Repug base will primary any Repug candidat so far to the right that he'll lose the moderates, the center, and the election.

It looks like you haven't noticed that tea baggers now run nearly all of the red and rural states.

boutons_deux

01-13-2015, 04:22 PM

Mitt’s weird excuse for why he lost in 2012 — and how it totally undermines his hopes for 2016

Romney says that a good economy doomed his White House hopes. So how does he win next year when it's even better?

http://www.salon.com/2015/01/13/mitts_weird_excuse_for_why_he_lost_in_2012_and_how _it_totally_undermines_his_hopes_for_2016/

RandomGuy

01-13-2015, 06:33 PM

Fixed it for you.

Official Texas GOP platform:
http://www.texasgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-Platform-Final.pdf

pp38 and top of pp39

I would not say it is a "minority" of the GOP that are hysterical about immigration.

From an economic standpoint, the US will need more immigration over the next 20 years, not less, and anything even remotely seen as less than hardline on immigrants, legal/illegal is seen as undesirable.

As Lawmakers Focus On Repeal Of The State’s Dream Act, Where Do These Children Of Texas Go?

Several lawmakers have already filed bills to repeal the Texas Dream Act. Texas’ incoming lieutenant governor, Sen. Dan Patrick, has vowed to repeal it during the 84th legislative session, which begins Tuesday. And Governor-elect Gregg Abbott has said if one of the bills lands on his desk, he would not veto it.
http://tpr.org/post/lawmakers-focus-repeal-state-s-dream-act-where-do-these-children-texas-go

These kids aren't really gettin' any real handout, merely in-state tuition, and the kid they talked to is studying to be an engineer.

These kids are real, tangible, economic assets. Pissing them away is stupid, and getting them into OUR economy is something of a no-brainer IMO.

boutons_deux

01-14-2015, 11:46 AM

There was a guy last night that said Repugs really didn't want Bishop Gecko in '12, and it took him nearly the entire primary season to beat the other absurdist clowns.

That's explained by clownish "madness" of the Repug base voting for clowns rather than Mr 47%, the private equity vulture.

boutons_deux

01-15-2015, 01:45 PM

Giuliani Knows How Romney Can Win A Third Presidential Run: Benghazi

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/giuliani-mitt-romney-benghazi?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpm-news+%28TPMNews%29

boutons_deux

01-17-2015, 09:00 PM

Texas Is Sending You a Present

Rick Perry!

The man who has been governor of Texas since pterodactyls roamed the
plains took his leave at the State Capitol this week. He is not saying anything
for sure about running for president. Mum’s the word until springtime.

However, he recently told a reporter that if voters want to break from the
Obama era, “I am a very clear and compelling individual to support.” :lol

Wow, the Republican race is getting to be like one of those crime shows
where the detectives have to paste pictures all over the wall so they can keep
the suspects straight. So many old friends popping up this month — Mitt
Romney and now Rick Perry. The man who drove to Canada with the family
dog strapped to the car roof and the man who claims he shot a coyote while
jogging. The animal lobby had better get out there and see how Jeb Bush feels
about wolf hunting.

Almost everybody has a Rick Perry favorite moment. For 99 percent, it’s
probably the dreaded “oops” debate when he announced that as president he
was going to shutter three federal agencies — and then could only think of two.

And, yeah, that one was pretty good. However, I still cherish a television
interview Perry did a few years earlier with Evan Smith of The Texas Tribune
in which he defended abstinence*only sex education despite the state’s
astronomical rates of teenage pregnancy.

“It works,” Perry said defiantly and totally erroneously.

“Can you give me a statistic suggesting it works?” asked Smith.

“I’m going to tell you from my own personal life. Abstinence works,” :lol Perry
replied. Smith was too discreet to press for details, but let’s hope it comes up
during the campaign.

Perry had been governor of Texas for more than 14 years, an all* time
record. In his farewell speech to the State Legislature, he reminded the
lawmakers of all they’d been through together, including hurricanes, wildfires
and

the tragic disintegration of the Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas in
2003, although Perry called it “Space Shuttle Challenger,” which blew up in
1986. :lol

No mention of his pending felony indictment for abuse of power. Perry
tried to force a county district attorney to resign by threatening to veto the
money for an office she runs that investigates public corruption. It’s a
complicated story. First you learn that the D.A. in question had been arrested
in a rather spectacular drunken*driving case, and you tilt a little toward Perry.

Then you discover that two other county D.A.’s were charged with drunken
driving during the Perry administration without attracting the wrath of the
governor.

Then you sort of get distracted by wondering what’s going on with
Texas district attorneys.

We’ve got ages to work it out.

Perry bragged about the state’s economy, which he often refers to as “the
Texas Miracle.” Really, we have not heard so much about miracles since Our
Lady of Fatima.

The state’s record of job creation is his big calling card to the
presidential league, and once he starts harping on it again we’re going to
wonder: Has Texas been growing so many jobs because Perry cut taxes and
regulations? Or is it because Texas happens to be a state with warm weather,
lots of space for cheap housing, a huge border with Mexico and massive oil and
gas deposits? Is Perry a great leader or just conveniently located?

Eventually, someone will repeat the old joke about being born on third base and thinking
you hit a triple.

Perry’s signature job*building initiative is something called the Texas
Enterprise Fund, which aims to persuade out*of*state companies to move to
Texas, or expand there.

One of its beneficiaries, Texas Institute for Genomic
Medicine, got $50 million in return for creating what Perry said were more
than 12,000 jobs. An investigation by The Wall Street Journal revealed the
fund folk had been counting every single biotech job created anywhere in the
state for the previous six years. Actually the number was more like 10. :lol

But it’s great that the governor’s ambitions are forcing us to think a lot
about Texas, a state that deserves more attention, having been home to only
three of the last eight elected chief executives. Not even half! And although
lawmakers from Texas currently lead six of the committees in the House of
Representatives, that’s still under a third.

There’s also United States Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, making all the prepresidential
*campaign stops and offering an option to all of us who are
yearning for a vision to the right of Rick Perry.

I once threw out the possibility
of an entire Republican ticket from the Lone Star State, and many readers
desperately wrote to argue that that was unconstitutional. It might be fairer to
say that the Constitution isn’t crazy about the idea.

We can figure that out down the line. Meanwhile, Perry and Cruz could
both be in the presidential debates.

Let’s see who’s better at counting to three.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/opinion/gail-collins-texas-is-sending-you-a-present.html

boutons_deux

01-18-2015, 09:27 AM

Private equity predator, asset stripper, job killer faking his concern for the working class: :lol

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/246505/slide_246505_1421303_free.jpg

With the shake of an Etch-A-Sketch (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/romney-etch-a-sketch-santorum-gingrich_n_1370639.html), Mitt Romney reintroduced himself to the Republican Party on Friday as a man interested in running for president because of his desire to address poverty and income inequality. One only wonders why the former governor of Massachusetts neglected to focus on the growing problems the last time he held the title of GOP standard bearer.

"It's a tragedy, a human tragedy, that the middle class in this country by and large doesn't believe that the future will be better than the past," he said. "We haven't seen rising incomes over decades."

"The rich have gotten richer, income inequality has gotten worse and there are more people in poverty than ever before under this president," :lol

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/17/mitt-romney-poverty-2016_n_6492894.html

I, for one, AM TOTALLY CONVINCED that Bishop Gecko is sincerely concerned about wealth/income inequality.

And I fully expect his campaign to be based on raising the federal minimum wage to $15, moving the cap on SS to $500K/year on ALL income, closing corporate tax loopholes like "carried interest", passing a federal law for one year of maternity leave, taxpayer funded day care and pre-schoo, etc, etc.

but, as always, Bishop Gecko, just another Repug plutocrat,

1) doesn't give a shit about anyone other than BigCorp and his own class of the 1%.

and

2) counts on the reliable, Gruber-ish "stupidity of the American people (certainly of the Repug voters)

boutons_deux

01-18-2015, 09:39 AM

Univision, Biggest Spanish-Language Network, Shut Out Of Republican 2016 Debates
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/17/univision-republican_n_6489898.html

Winehole23

01-18-2015, 12:57 PM

Seems there was a question about whether Univision would show proper gratitude for access. Adelante, Telemundo!

boutons_deux

01-18-2015, 02:47 PM

Poll: Hillary Clinton Comfortably Leads Mitt Romney And Crushes Jeb Bush

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/18/poll-hillary-clinton-comfortably-leads-mitt-romney-crushes-jeb-bush.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29

boutons_deux

01-18-2015, 04:07 PM

the brainless brain surgeon

Ben Carson Gives ISIS Credit

The Tea Party-aligned potential presidential candidate spoke on Thursday at the RNC’s winter meeting, declaring that America has lost the commitment to principles that drove us through the Revolutionary War — while by contrast, he says, the radical Islamic jihadists of ISIS actually believe in something worth fighting for.

http://www.nationalmemo.com/endorse-this-ben-carson-gives-isis-credit/

boutons_deux

01-18-2015, 10:15 PM

the Repug Klown Kar could be crowded, again. Man-on-dog Catholic Santorum up next?

South Carolina’s Graham Considers Presidential Run

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/us/lindsey-graham-considers-2016-presidential-run.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Wild Cobra

01-18-2015, 11:02 PM

boutons_deux

01-19-2015, 06:45 AM

Eyeing A Third Run, Romney Faces Skeptical Voters And Doubtful Allies

Mitt Romney’s announcement that he is pondering a third run for the White House with a focus on fighting income inequality and poverty presents challenges that would appear to be particularly difficult for Romney to surmount.

Even some Romney aides found it difficult to explain how his new focus on poverty — one of three principles Romney laid out to Republican leaders Friday night in San Diego, without adding specific policy details — would mesh with his previous messages.

Advisers to Romney said that if he runs, he plans to counter criticism of his approach by emphasizing his years as a leader in his Mormon church — work that Romney highlighted Friday.He cited his wife, Ann, as testifying to his intent. :lol

( Well, if Queen "You People" Ann supports her hubby, that's good enough for me! :lol Go Willard! )

public emphasis on his religious background is new. In 2008, concerned about some evangelical voters’ hostility to Mormonism, Romney rarely spoke of it.

Romney faces the additional job of convincing Republicans anxious for a fresh face that the best visage is that of a political veteran and two-time presidential loser.

little organic groundswell for Romney appeared to be developing.

“I don’t think it is good for the party,” he said of a third Romney run. “They need some new blood and new ideas ( :lol but they won't get them! :lol ) … He can’t just switch and say, ‘I’m the new Romney’ and get away with it.”

http://www.nationalmemo.com/analysis-eyeing-third-run-romney-faces-skeptical-voters-doubtful-allies/

Bishop Gecko is a two-time loser and the Bush family is a two-time loser, Pappy "winning" the Gulf War but losing reelection, and dubya being so toxic that the Repug campaigns and candidates kept him invisible in '08 and '12.

boutons_deux

01-20-2015, 12:43 AM

Christie Sinks To Embarrassing New Low In 2016 Poll

Republicans are intrigued by several potential candidates.

They agree 59 to 26 percent that Mitt Romney should launch a third presidential bid — a much warmer reception than he’s received (http://www.nationalmemo.com/analysis-eyeing-third-run-romney-faces-skeptical-voters-doubtful-allies/) from party insiders —

and 50 to 27 percent that former Florida governor Jeb Bush should try to become the third member of his family to win the White House.

Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee also polls well, with 40 percent wanting him to run and 29 percent hoping he declines.

But Republicans are much more sour on Christie: Just 29 percent want to see him join the race, while 44 percent disagree.

Only former Alaska governor Sarah Palin polls worse, with 59 percent urging her to stay out of the race and 30 percent hoping she jumps in. :lol

http://www.nationalmemo.com/christie-sinks-embarrassing-new-low-2016-poll/

boutons_deux

01-20-2015, 03:49 PM

http://www.nationalmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/mitt-2016-again-1024x792.jpg

boutons_deux

01-30-2015, 04:59 PM

Christie, a HUGE grease bag, and supreme athlete (videos of him falling on his stomach and ass)

http://www.nationalmemo.com/endorse-this-chris-christie-vs-chair-christie-0-chair-1/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Endorse_This_Sign_Up&utm_campaign=Endorse%20This%20-2015-01-30

boutons_deux

01-31-2015, 02:12 PM

Jeb Bush's Former Classmates Say He Was A Hash-Smoking Bully

Thanks to the Boston Globe, we know what it's like to get high with Jeb Bush.

The newspaper spoke with several of Bush's former classmates (http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/02/01/tumultuous-four-years-phillips-academy-helped-shape-jeb-bush/q6ccyHNOtP1n6kqDokMBfK/story.html?event=event25) from the elite Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., who portrayed the former Florida governor as a stoner and a bit of a bully.

Former classmate Peter Tibbetts told the Globe that he smoked marijuana for the first time with Bush and other classmates in the woods outside their dorm building. He recalled another time when he smoked hashish, or cannabis resin, in Bush's dorm room to the tune of Steppenwolf's 1968 hit "Magic Carpet Ride."

Other former classmates described Bush as "physically imposing" and said he sometimes bullied smaller students. Tibbetts told the Globe that he regretted a bullying incident where he and Bush sewed a short classmate's pajama bottoms shut.

The potential Republican presidential candidate has previously copped to youthful marijuana use and since opposed pot legalization efforts.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jeb-bush-andover-marijuana?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpm-news+%28TPMNews%29

Jeb "the smart one", a wealthy, entitled prick, Wall St's ideal candidate.

Kock Bros will probably support their Kockenstein monster Scott Walker in the primaries.

boutons_deux

01-31-2015, 04:36 PM

...

unleashbaynes

01-31-2015, 08:08 PM

abbott is >>>>>>>>> perry so far

boutons_deux

01-31-2015, 08:44 PM

abbott is >>>>>>>>> perry so far

Lt Gov really runs the govt and the legislature. Plenty of years remaing for TX Repugs to (to continue to ) fuck up the TX 99%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Governor_of_Texas

boutons_deux

02-01-2015, 11:19 PM

abbott is >>>>>>>>> perry so far

http://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/201501-sargent-loon-star-state-reservations-755x475.jpg

boutons_deux

02-05-2015, 10:18 PM

NJ Gov. Chris Christie could face federal investigation over prosecutor’s firing

Federal law enforcement officials have launched a criminal investigation of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and members of his administration, pursuing allegations the governor and his staff broke the law when they quashed grand jury indictments against Christie supporters, International Business Times has learned.

Two criminal investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday interviewed the man who leveled those charges, Bennett Barlyn. He was fired from the Hunterdon County prosecutor's office in August 2010, and subsequently brought a whistleblower lawsuit against the Christie administration, claiming he had been punished for objecting to the dismissal of the indictments of the governor's supporters for a range of corrupt activities.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/nj-gov-chris-christie-could-face-federal-investigation-over-prosecutors-firing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

boutons_deux

02-09-2015, 08:58 PM

Jeb Bush’s new web chief scrambles to erase embarrassing tweets about gays and women

The founder of Hipster.com scrubbed more than 40 tweets denigrating the gay community and women after being hired by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s (R) budding presidential campaign, Buzzfeed reported. (http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/new-jeb-bush-chief-technology-officer-deleting-old?utm_term=.aqoa6OJ0n#.av4k13pvd)

Ethan Czahor’s Twitter account went from 177 posts to 132 after Bush hired him to serve as his chief technology officer.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/jeb-bushs-new-web-chief-scrambles-to-erase-embarrassing-tweets-about-gays-and-women/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

boutons_deux

02-10-2015, 10:10 AM

Jeb praising what a wonderful Pres dubya was. Let's go back for 8 Years of Bushisms

"Jeb Bush’s praise of his big brother’s presidency (http://www.nationalmemo.com/big-government-doesnt-help-poor-jeb-bush-says/) has got us thinking — back to the actual memories of the George W. Bush years. And if a Bush is about to hit the campaign trail again, it’s worth taking a look back at the last time one of the family was frequently speaking in public.

Click above to watch a clip reel of the best (and/or worst) of George W. Bush’s various bloopers and malapropisms — then watch this video!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AioJbNL1JS8

http://www.nationalmemo.com/endorse-this-back-to-the-bush-isms/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Endorse_This_Sign_Up&utm_campaign=Endorse%20This%20-%202015-02-06

boutons_deux

02-10-2015, 09:33 PM

Jeb Bush releases eight years' worth of emails: Is that legal?

But some messages were personal appeals that included intimate details of people’s lives, medical and employment information, and even Social Security (http://www.csmonitor.com/csmlists/topic/Social+Security) numbers – none of which were redacted,

Social Security numbers in particular are matters of public record only in very specific instances, such as when it is required by state or federal law or a court order.
In one of the emails Bush released, a man who served in the US Navy included his mother’s name and Social Security number in a plea to have his mother’s record expunged after she made a mistake while service “in the medical field as an Assistant

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0210/Jeb-Bush-releases-eight-years-worth-of-emails-Is-that-legal

CosmicCowboy

02-11-2015, 09:15 AM

boutons_deux

02-11-2015, 09:30 AM

Boo would have whined like a 4 year old if Bush had redacted any of his emails.

You Lie

boutons_deux

02-11-2015, 02:23 PM

Jeb Bush was the key player in the Terry Schiavo fiasco. Michael Schiavo hasn't forgiven him. (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/10/1363601/-Jeb-Bush-was-the-key-player-in-the-Terry-Schiavo-fiasco-Michael-Schiavo-hasn-t-forgiven-him)

“It was such an abuse of authority,” [a lawyer for Schiavo] said. “I think that really raises red flags about his character and his fitness to be president. Jeb didn’t get his way in the Schiavo case. I think he tried to take it out on Michael.”That, Michael Schiavo said this month, is what makes Jeb Bush “vindictive.” “Knowing that he had no standing in this, he made it worse for everybody,” he said. “He made life, for a lot of people—the nursing home people, the local police, lawyers—he made everybody miserable.”
What makes him “untrustworthy,” he said, is that he fought the courts as long as he did just because he didn’t like the decisions they kept making. “I wouldn’t trust him in any type of political office,” he said.

Of special note in the Schiavo case is that all of the advocates of legislative intervention Jeb included either knew that they were on clearly unconstitutional grounds or should have quickly figured that out after the courts repeatedly told them so. The Florida law demanding single-case intervention was unconstitutional on its face, as was the later bill passed by a Republican Congress and signed in dramatic fashion by Jeb's more important but much stupider brother. A lot of people remain concerned that someone who uses their office to fight for clearly unconstitutional laws based on their own religious theories of what they'd like to see happen instead does not have the stuff of a good president (http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/jeb-bush-terri-schiavo-114730_Page6.html).

“Trying to write laws that clearly are outside the constitutionality of his state, trying to override the entire judicial system, that’s very, very dangerous,” said Arthur Caplan, a New York University bioethicist who edited a book about the Schiavo case. “When you’re willing to do that, you’re willing to break the back of the country.”“It was appalling,” said Jon Eisenberg, one of Michael Schiavo’s attorneys and the author of The Right vs. the Right to Die. “And I think it’s important for people to understand what Jeb Bush is willing to do. It’s important for people to know who Jeb Bush is, and the Terri Schiavo case tells us a great deal about who Jeb Bush is.”

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/10/1363601/-Jeb-Bush-was-the-key-player-in-the-Terry-Schiavo-fiasco-Michael-Schiavo-hasn-t-forgiven-him?detail=email#

boutons_deux

02-13-2015, 12:28 PM

Jeb Bush's email cache held another surprise: Viruses
http://www.itworld.com/article/2884075/jeb-bushs-email-cache-held-another-surprise-viruses.html?phint=newt%3Ditworld_today&phint=idg_eid%3De9a1bab1fadac3242d97a6dde939315b#t k.ITWNLE_nlt_today_2015-02-13

boutons_deux

02-13-2015, 01:11 PM

Same with Texans and JimmyRicky

Majority of New Jersey voters view Christie unfavorably: poll

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/13/us-usa-politics-christie-poll-idUSKBN0LH0BR20150213?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

boutons_deux

02-14-2015, 11:59 AM

Jeb Bush On Iraq And Afghanistan Wars: 'I Won't Talk About The Past' :lol

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jeb-bush-wars-afghanistan-iraq?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpm-news+%28TPMNews%29

Repugs STILL distancing themselves their won dubya/dickhead Reign of Error :lol

Will dubya campaign for his bro?

Aztecfan03

02-14-2015, 06:55 PM

Boutons, you know most conservatives want Jeb as far away from the white house as possible, right? Same with Christie.

boutons_deux

02-14-2015, 09:07 PM

Boutons, you know most conservatives want Jeb as far away from the white house as possible, right? Same with Christie.

azhole, do you know that JebBoy is the Repug establishment pick and the Wall St preference?

boutons_deux

02-14-2015, 09:16 PM

Kockenstein monster gets ridiculed by an excellent ridiculeuse

Scott Walker Needs an Eraser

Lately, the big star in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has been Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin. He gave a rip-roaring speech at a conservative confab in Iowa last month, and it’s been his moment ever since.

Unless the moment ended this week when Walker went to London on an alleged trade mission and refused to say whether he believes in evolution. Or pretty much anything.
“For me, commenting on foreign policy or, in this case, economic policy in a country where you’re a visitor is not the politest of things,” he told a BBC journalist.

Who knows how that will fly with the Republican base? Maybe they’re dying for a president who’ll go on an international trip and confine his remarks to the virtues of Wisconsin cheese.

But about that Iowa speech: It was really a rouser. Basically, Walker talked about the “comprehensive conservative common-sense conservative agenda” he’s imposed on Wisconsin.

His common-sense examples included making it easier for people to carry lethal weapons around the state and defunding the main organization that helps low-income Wisconsin women with family planning.

Mainly, though, The Speech was about waging war on public employee unions, particularly the ones for teachers. “In 2010, there was a young woman named Megan Sampson who was honored as the outstanding teacher of the year in my state. And not long after she got that distinction, she was laid off by her school district,” said Walker, lacing into teacher contracts that require layoffs be done by seniority.

All of that came as a distinct surprise to Claudia Felske, a member of the faculty at East Troy High School who actually was named a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year in 2010. In a phone interview, Felske said she still remembers when she got the news at a “surprise pep assembly at my school.” As well as the fact that those layoffs happened because Walker cut state aid to education.

Actually, Wisconsin names four teachers of the year, none of which has ever been Megan Sampson, who won an award for first-year English teachers given by a nonprofit group. But do not blame any of this on Sampson, poor woman, who was happily working at a new school in 2011 when Walker made her the star victim in an anti-union opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. At the time, she expressed a strong desire not to be used as a “poster child for this political agenda,” and you would think that after that the governor would leave her alone. Or at least stop saying she was teacher of the year.

When it comes to education, Walker seems prone toward this sort of intellectual hiccup. Just recently, he released a proposed budget that would have changed the University of Wisconsin’s mission statement by eliminating the bits about “the search for truth,” educating people and serving society, in favor of the educational goal of meeting “the state’s work force needs.” When all hell broke loose, Walker blamed that one on a drafting error.

“Is this a pattern?” teacher-of-the-year Felske wondered.

That budget also contains another interesting education idea that Walker has yet to blame on inept typists. He wants to change the way teachers are licensed. Basically, the plan would be to let people with “real-life experience” just take a test to demonstrate that they knew their subject matter. It appears to require no training whatsoever in the actual art of teaching.

“Teaching is more than just knowing stuff,” protested Tony Evers, the state superintendent of public instruction. “It is an extraordinarily complex skill.” You may not be surprised to hear that in Wisconsin, the superintendent of education is not appointed by the governor. Evers was elected on his own, and his office is extremely unhappy about Walker’s new plan.

“We don’t know the origins of this idea. It wasn’t discussed,” said John Johnson, a spokesman for the superintendent. “We’re requiring more rigor of our students, but this certainly seems like a decrease in the rigor we require of our teachers.”

The idea could very well become law, whether the educators like it or not, since the Wisconsin Legislature often makes policy changes as part of the budget. We will have to let Wisconsinites worry about that.

But it gives us a fresh look at the wave of attacks on teachers’ unions around the country. We definitely do not want to protect incompetent or lazy teachers. On the other hand, if you believe that teaching is a skill that it takes years of practice to master, you also do not want to encourage politicians to save money by canning the most expensive and most experienced teachers.

Not a problem for Scott Walker. His view of teaching is apparently that anybody can do it. Just the way anybody can be president. As long as they don’t make you talk about evolution.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/02/14/opinion/gail-collins-scott-walker-needs-an-eraser.html

You Repugs, all y'all got some real gems leading y'all's Kock-owned party.

boutons_deux

02-15-2015, 11:01 AM

As Scott Walker mulls White House bid, a spotlight on his jobs agency

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, a public-private body set up by Walker shortly after he took office in January 2011, was supposed to help the state climb out of recession by shedding bureaucratic rules and drawing on private-sector expertise.

But the WEDC has fallen short of its own goals by tens of thousands of jobs and failed to keep track of millions of dollars it has handed out.

One reason for the agency's disappointing performance: Walker's overhaul of the state bureaucracy drove away seasoned development workers, economic development experts who work closely with the agency told Reuters.

Critics say the WEDC's struggles highlight a significant gap in Walker's resume as he lays the groundwork for a likely Republican presidential bid in the 2016 election: his middling record on job creation.

"Essentially we've been surfing on the national recovery," said Marc Levine, a senior fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Economic Development.

"The idea was that Wisconsin policies are better than the national policies and we were going to move ahead of the national rate. That clearly hasn't happened."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/15/us-usa-politics-walker-idUSKBN0LJ0R320150215?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Governments by Kockenstein monsters are "job creators" :lol

boutons_deux

02-18-2015, 11:48 AM

Jeb, "the smart brother", in geopolitical strategy speech

http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Borowitz-Bush-Says-He-Will-Harm-Nation-Differently-Than-His-Brother-1200.jpg

CHICAGO — In an effort to distance himself from the legacy of his brother, George W. Bush, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will use a major foreign-policy speech on Wednesday to assert that, if elected President, he would harm the nation in completely different ways.

“A lot of people are looking at me and thinking that I’m just going to be a rerun of my brother,” Bush told reporters before the speech. “They are greatly underestimating my ability to create chaos and destruction in ways that are uniquely mine.”

As an example, Bush said, he was unlikely to invade Iraq for a third time, calling such an action “too derivative.”

“George already did it, and Dad did it before him,” he said. “Call it my independent streak, if you will, but I want to spawn some disasters of my own.”

To that end, Bush said that he and his foreign-policy team were already scanning the globe for “new and different places” where the United States could become involved in open-ended and pointless quagmires.

“I see boundless opportunities for the reckless and totally optional insertion of American military force,” he said. “No offense to my brother, but there were a few spots that George missed.”

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/bush-says-will-harm-nation-differently-brother?mbid=nl_021815_Borowitz&CNDID=&spMailingID=7514943&spUserID=MjczNzc0Njk0NDAS1&spJobID=621808610&spReportId=NjIxODA4NjEwS0

Cry Havoc

02-18-2015, 01:20 PM

RandomGuy

02-18-2015, 06:08 PM

It's going to be hilarious to see the bloodbath that are the Republican primaries this year. They're going to fight tooth and nail, tear each other limb from limb and then have to turn around and support each other.

... and they will still lose, and lose horribly.

schadenfreude:

9TwuR0jCavk

I expect a replay of that.

RandomGuy

02-18-2015, 06:13 PM

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/every-nba-teams-chance-of-winning-in-every-minute-across-every-game/

WOWSers.... should post that in the club.

Every NBA Team’s Chance Of Winning In Every Minute Across Every Game

boutons_deux

02-23-2015, 10:20 AM

FUCKING Kockinistan Texans! :lol

UT/TT Poll: In Texas, Walker Ties Cruz; Clinton Soaring
http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/20/UT-TT-Polls-02232015.001_jpg_312x1000_q100.jpg

and Texas' Smart Brother not mo' betta than a n!gg@ in n!gg@ loving TX? :lol

and only 1% ahead of Texas' disfavorite clown JimmyRicky?

boutons_deux

02-23-2015, 12:48 PM

Texans love this guy

Scott Walker's Political Record of Lies, Deceit, Corruption and Revenge

“Walker basically operates on issues by asking himself three questions,” said Ross.

“First, how will my position reward my donors?

Then, how will it punish my enemies?

Finally, he asks himself, how it help me move up the political food chain?”

http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/scott-walkers-political-record-lies-deceit-corruption-and-revenge?akid=12817.187590.9_IWwU&rd=1&src=newsletter1032277&t=3

a slime ball, like Rick Scott in FL

boutons_deux

02-23-2015, 05:05 PM

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B-jFEgMIYAAjs7n.png (http://twitter.com/JebBush/status/569922034697961472/photo/1)

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/552479558629212160/IgEPyjxM_normal.pngJeb Bush ✔ @JebBush (https://twitter.com/JebBush)
Follow (https://twitter.com/JebBush)
Happy anniversary to my beautiful wife of 41 years, Columba.
12:09 PM - 23 Feb 2015 (https://twitter.com/JebBush/status/569922034697961472)

boutons_deux

02-23-2015, 05:08 PM

Mrs. Jeb Bush Will Buy ALL THE THINGS

So, uh, Jeb Bush’s wife has a problem. And it’s kind of a serious problem. You see, Columba Bush cannot stop buying ALL THE THINGS: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/documents-show-the-expensive-tastes-of-jeb-bushs-low-key-wife/2015/02/22/5bb480da-b9f4-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html)

, she took out a loan to buy $42,311.70 worth of jewelry on a single day, according to records filed with the state of Florida by Mayors Jewelers.
That purchase was part of a pattern by Columba Bush of borrowing to buy tens of thousands of dollars of jewelry at a time from the South Florida store over a 14-year period. Documentation available online, which does not include the details of two transactions made less than six weeks apart in 1995, shows that she spent a total of more than $90,000 at the store.

Turns out, Mrs. Bush was fond of seeking loans from her favorite store to buy herself a metric fuckton of baubles. And instead of having the paperwork sent to the governor’s mansion, where she lived with her husband the governor, she had it sent to a postal box instead. Hmmm, wonder why? Maybe because she didn’t want her husband the governor to open the mail and find out that she had purchased:

[A] $25,600 pair of diamond stud earrings set in platinum; an 18-karat white-gold and diamond bracelet by the Italian designer Bulgari, priced at $10,500; an 18-karat white-gold and diamond necklace, costing $3,200; and another pair of diamond earrings, for $3,300. The records indicate that she received discounts and price adjustments totalling $2,780 and paid $2,491.70 in sales tax.
That was one of at least five such loans made by the store to Columba Bush between 1995 and 2009. The most recent was for an $11,700 Rolex watch and a $5,900 pair of earrings.

See, Mrs. Bush also has a history of trying to keep these things from her husband, even at the risk of violating the law. Oh yeah, it’s [I]that bad. In 1999, she was detained at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport by customs officials “for misrepresenting the amount of clothing and jewelry she had bought while on a solo five-day shopping spree in Paris.”

Columba had spent $19,000 on that solo shopping spree, but according to her husband, the reason she “misled” customs officials — you know, by lying — was that she didn’t want her husband to find out how much she spent. After she was busted and forced to pay $4,100, she said she felt “ashamed” — which didn’t stop her from continuing to buy ALL THE THINGS, with the paperwork conveniently sent somewhere her husband hopefully wouldn’t find it. Sounds like they have a great and open relationship, not that it’s any of our business.

Now far be it from us to mock some rich-as-fuck lady for wanting to buy super-expensive rich-as-fuck stuff. Like Ann Romney and her hideous angry eagle shirt for which she paid $990 (http://wonkette.com/471598/angry-eagle-eats-ann-romneys-nipple) because she has that kind of money and also that kind of really poor taste.

(http://wonkette.com/471598/angry-eagle-eats-ann-romneys-nipple)Rich people can spend all their rich-people money on whatever they want, because it’s America, and that’s why Jesus died on the cross, or whatever. And yeah yeah, Columba is not running for president, her husband is, so really, we respect her privacy and will not make all the jokes for the next year and a half about how she has a seriously bad shopping addiction, and oh god, will she try to pawn the White House silver just to buy herself some more shoes? Hahaha, no, let’s not make those jokes, that would be so tacky and mean, and nobody should ever make fun of a candidate’s family unless the candidate is a Democrat, and then it’s all good.

Instead, we’ll just concern troll aloud about how exactly Jeb Bush plans to run for president in 2016 with a straight face, on a platform of being The Guy who best understands (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/02/04/jeb-bush-decries-opportunity-gap-in-first-big-policy-speech/) that “the opportunity gap is the defining issue of our time.” Somehow, Jeb thinks he’s going to sell himself to the American people as a reg’lar American, just like the rest of us reg’lar schmucks, who really understands the lives and struggles of the middle-class. Even though he is both the son and brother of former U.S. presidents. And a former governor. And a millionaire. And a guy whose wife can’t stop BUYING ALL THE STUFF, to which his answer is — or at least was, but maybe his advisers are working on something better — “It is a lot of money. But look, that’s between her and me.”

Gee, you think dropping 40 grand on jewelry, in one day, counts as a lot of money? Maybe that’s what Jeb means by an opportunity gap. When he is president, everyone will have the opportunity to buy out jewelry stores on the regular. Actually, that sounds great. Jeb for president!

Read more at http://wonkette.com/577181/mrs-jeb-bush-will-buy-all-the-things#v9vSIq8I58pAryOr.99

Aztecfan03

02-23-2015, 05:21 PM

It's going to be hilarious to see the bloodbath that are the Republican primaries this year. They're going to fight tooth and nail, tear each other limb from limb and then have to turn around and support each other.
I just hope it's rand, jeb, christie, huckabee, rubio doing all the fighting and leaving the others out so the others can win.

boutons_deux

02-23-2015, 05:26 PM

I just hope it's rand, jeb, christie, huckabee, rubio doing all the fighting and leaving the others out so the others can win.

The economy is looking good, Barry gonna kick Repugs' sociopathic asses with multiple VETOes which will enthuse the Dems and indies.

Repugs will still try to stall, if not crater, the economy by cutting federal and red state spending.

Cry Havoc

02-23-2015, 06:43 PM

I just hope it's rand, jeb, christie, huckabee, rubio doing all the fighting and leaving the others out so the others can win.

Snyder is going to be a major player. His "working class families can't stop me from destroying them" rhetoric is going to get a lot of play in the GOP right now. Of course it'll be disguised as "what's necessary for the economy". He would get absolutely eviscerated in the general election though. I just don't see anyone who doesn't have a scandal or three on their heels that could potentially win the republican primary. Whomever they choose is either A) going to have some black marks on their resume or B) not have the chops to compete with Hillary (presumptively).

I'm not at all a fan of Hillary, either. But realistically she's got to be licking her chops. Unless a real savant emerges from the GOP field, this presidency is nearly a lock for her.

Aztecfan03

02-23-2015, 06:53 PM

Snyder is going to be a major player. His "working class families can't stop me from destroying them" rhetoric is going to get a lot of play in the GOP right now. Of course it'll be disguised as "what's necessary for the economy". He would get absolutely eviscerated in the general election though. I just don't see anyone who doesn't have a scandal or three on their heels that could potentially win the republican primary. Whomever they choose is either A) going to have some black marks on their resume or B) not have the chops to compete with Hillary (presumptively).

I'm not at all a fan of Hillary, either. But realistically she's got to be licking her chops. Unless a real savant emerges from the GOP field, this presidency is nearly a lock for her.
Hillary probably has more black marks than anyone.

Aztecfan03

02-24-2015, 08:31 PM

DOn't want to start a new thread so this is the most relevant one i think.

The way liberals are going after Walker for absolutely nothing, i think i should pay more attention to him and maybe vote for him.

Th'Pusher

02-24-2015, 08:33 PM

Aztecfan03

02-24-2015, 08:41 PM

I prefer my president to have a college degrees.

Not all intelligent people have degrees and not all people with degrees are intelligent. More the most part intelligent people i today's society have degrees, but not to the point that I would dismiss someone who didn't have one. He can be educated without going to college.

boutons_deux

02-27-2015, 03:45 PM

Jeb Bush Gets Boos At CPAC, Pleads Unfamiliarity On 'Ways Of Washington'

http://a2.img.talkingpointsmemo.com/image/upload/c_fill,fl_keep_iptc,g_faces,h_365,w_652/hdnitrkclgt5zv1gsfxq.jpg

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jeb-bush-cpac-booed-hannity?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpm-news+%28TPMNews%29

Jeb is too moderate, is 1 too many shrubs, Christie is too fat, too nasty,

Will Kock Bros buy their Kockenstein monster from WI into THE Repug candidate?

boutons_deux

02-27-2015, 04:30 PM

Scott Walker, God's Gift to the Democratic Party
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/scott-walker-gods-gift-to-the-democratic-party-20150227#ixzz3Sz1oLkdR

boutons_deux

03-25-2015, 02:31 PM

Unhappy With a Moderate Jeb Bush, Conservatives Aim to Unite Behind an Alternative

OSKALOOSA, Iowa — Fearing that Republicans will ultimately nominate an establishment presidential candidate like Jeb Bush (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/jeb_bush/index.html?inline=nyt-per), leaders of the nation’s Christian right have mounted an ambitious effort to coalesce their support behind a single social-conservative contender months before the first primary votes are cast.
In secret straw polls and exclusive meetings from Iowa to California, the leaders are weighing the relative appeal and liabilities :lol of potential standard-bearers like

Senator Ted Cruz (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/ted_cruz/index.html?inline=nyt-per) of Texas, :lol

Gov. Bobby Jindal (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/bobby_jindal/index.html?inline=nyt-per) of Louisiana :lol

and the former governors Rick Perry, of Texas, :lol

and Mike Huckabee (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/mike_huckabee/index.html?inline=nyt-per), of Arkansas. :lol

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/us/politics/2016-elections-conservatives-jeb-bush.html

liabilities? as in UNELECTABLE? :lol

boutons_deux

03-27-2015, 09:12 AM

This Year's Hottest Destination for GOP Candidates Is the Mexican Border

http://www.motherjones.com/files/perryboat.jpg:lol

http://www.motherjones.com/files/perrysoon.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsMeEZ2CMAAeAcC.jpg:lol

http://www.motherjones.com/files/rubioborder.jpg

http://www.motherjones.com/files/jindalboarder.jpg

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/03/mexican-border-scott-walker-2016

Pandering to the xenophobes, but if the candidates really want some xenophobe cred, they need to kill some rock throwing kids.

pgardn

03-27-2015, 09:25 AM

^

Look at those grim determined faces.
Old Mad White Guy vote secured...

pgardn

03-27-2015, 09:34 AM

boutons_deux

03-27-2015, 09:36 AM

This split for conservatives is healthy ideologically imo, but has not worked out so well for governing. The pure form of the early Tparty was a boots-like rejection of the cozy affiliation between the political parties and big business. It's not surprising that the Tparty morphed as individual leaders from the grassroots got bought or quit.

the right-wing, esp the Kock Bros affiliates known as bogus Tea Baggers, Repugs, etc aren't interested in governing "so well", or governing at all.

pgardn

03-27-2015, 09:54 AM

the right-wing, esp the Kock Bros affiliates known as bogus Tea Baggers, Repugs, etc aren't interested in governing "so well", or governing at all.

Well then a trip to Yemen is in order.

CosmicCowboy

03-28-2015, 10:15 AM

Those yellowfins are some badass patrol boats. They run them in the bays/intercoastal too. If I was going to take the financial hit to be in law enforcement that's the job I would want.

DarrinS

03-28-2015, 10:31 AM

Why is the desire for secure borders considered xenophobic?

boutons_deux

03-28-2015, 11:29 AM

Why is the desire for secure borders considered xenophobic?

you got it backwards, naturally.

Xenophobes, nativists, jingoists, white supremacists, gun fellators obsess about securing the MX border because that plays into, justifies their prejudice.

DarrinS

03-28-2015, 07:31 PM

you got it backwards, naturally.

Xenophobes, nativists, jingoists, white supremacists, gun fellators obsess about securing the MX border because that plays into, justifies their prejudice.

Well, if the Canadians start coming down here in droves, we'd probably be more concerned about that border, too.

boutons_deux

03-28-2015, 09:04 PM

Well, if the Canadians start coming down here in droves, we'd probably be more concerned about that border, too.

yeah, there's LOTS of non-Euro-Americans in CA.

boutons_deux

04-01-2015, 02:34 PM

Architect Of George W. Bush’s Tax Cuts For The Rich Advising Jeb Bush On Inequality (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/04/01/3641596/architect-george-w-bushs-tax-cuts-rich-advising-jeb-bush-inequality/)

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is promising to chart a new course focused on addressing economic inequality (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/09/jeb-bush-is-the-new-elizabeth-warren/), as he nears a long-expected announcement that he’s running for president in 2016. At the same time, he is bringing on more policy advisers (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/04/01/3641596/architect-george-w-bushs-tax-cuts-rich-advising-jeb-bush-inequality/thinkprogress.org/election/2015/02/18/3624114/people-lied-iraq-now-charge-jeb-bushs-foreign-policy/)from his family’s administrations who supported policies that contributed to that wealth gap.

Since expressing interest in the nation’s highest office, Jeb Bush has repeatedly lamented (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/09/jeb-bush-is-the-new-elizabeth-warren/)the growing gap between the wealthy and the poor and vowed (http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich/2015/0120/Jeb-Mitt-zero-in-on-inequality.-Can-Republicans-get-it-right-this-time) to make closing that gap a central part of his campaign.

“We’re moving to a world that is sticky in the ends, where it’s harder for people in poverty to move up and where the rich are doing really well and the middle is getting squeezed,” he said in a recent speech (http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/03/17/3634877/jeb-bush-minimum-wage/).

The mainstream media has cited such statements (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/us/politics/in-detroit-jeb-bush-tests-campaign-message-on-economy.html) as signs Bush “intends to position himself on economic issues like income inequality in a way that diverges from the approach traditionally championed by the Republican Party.”

But this week, Jeb Bush’s team brought on economist Glenn Hubbard — the lead architect of President George W. Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy (http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/01/616741/over-the-last-nine-years-bush-tax-cuts-have-delivered-1-million-in-tax-breaks-to-the-average-millionaire/). Hubbard also crafted Mitt Romney’s economic plan (http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443687504577562842656362660), which involved de-regulating Wall Street, further slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy and turn Medicaid into a block grant program in which states could “experiment” with health funding for the poor. He claimed (http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443687504577562842656362660) the plan would create 12 million jobs in Romney’s first term alone.

When Romney failed to win the presidency, Hubbard went on to advocate on behalf of subprime loan companies (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/glenn-hubbard-leading-academic-and-mitt-romney-advisor-took-1200-an-hour-to-be-countrywides-expert-witness-20121220) that were illegally defrauding customers (http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/07/05/511314/countrywide-report-facts/) and misleading investors. Countrywide Loans paid him $1,200 an hour to testify on their behalf.

Hubbard, like Jeb Bush, also opposes raising the minimum wage (http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/03/17/3634877/jeb-bush-minimum-wage/).

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/04/01/3641596/architect-george-w-bushs-tax-cuts-rich-advising-jeb-bush-inequality/

as TB :lol sez, actions > words! :lol

TeyshaBlue

04-01-2015, 03:54 PM

Let's see what is developed. Until then actions>words.
lol thinkprogress.

boutons_deux

04-01-2015, 04:07 PM

Let's see what is developed. Until then actions>words.
lol thinkprogress.

this asshole's action already speak volumes.

TB :lol

Cry Havoc

04-02-2015, 08:34 AM

Scott Walker for prez! :lmao

boutons_deux

04-02-2015, 08:37 AM

Krazy Kruze has rallied, er, suckered his Klownz, is now 1% behind JEB and Kockenstein.

:lol

boutons_deux

04-02-2015, 01:07 PM

How America's Leading Conspiracy Theorist Helped Launch Rand Paul's Career

A fringe right-wing radio host who believes the government was behind 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and several other catastrophes, has been a key figure in the political rise of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who will reportedly announce (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/03/17/rand-paul-presidential-race-announcement/24928177/) a run for president on April 7.

Paul has credited Alex Jones, who heads conspiracy website Infowars.com and an eponymous radio program, for being a vital part of his 2010 Senate campaign. Jones endorsed Paul, turned out followers to his events, and partnered with Paul for fundraising, at one point crashing his website. Since Paul's election to the Senate, Jones has continued to serve as a key Paul booster, including endorsing (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/alex-jones-envisions-paul-cruz-dream-ticket-rand-paul-best) him for 2016.

The fringe nature of Jones' program is apparent during the introduction (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m7iz__PJ5Y) of one of Jones' YouTube videos featuring Paul. The video begins with images of Nazi soldiers (http://mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2015/03/31/alexjonesrandpaul-naziimagery.jpg) goose-stepping next to a Nazi flag-draped White House, and a poster claiming (http://mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2015/03/31/alexjonesrandpaul-911coverup.jpg) the government covered up 9/11. Such material is regular fodder for Jones, who is (http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/trutherism/2011/09/where_did_911_conspiracies_come_from.html) "one of the earliest and most influential 9/11 conspiracy theorists."

Paul has been a longtime guest on The Alex Jones Show, originating from Jones' friendship (http://nymag.com/print/?/news/media/alex-jones-2011-4/index1.html) with Rand's father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). Jones said (http://mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2015/03/19/39169/stansberry-porter-20140515-alexjones) last year (https://www.stansberryradio.com/Porter-Stansberry/Latest-Episodes/Episode/564/0/Ep-154-Alex-Jones-Interview-Part-II) he first interviewed Rand in 1996 and was "probably one of the first people to ever interview" him.

Jones hosted Paul several times during his 2010 Senate race, telling listeners that he "can't stress enough how important this race for the Kentucky Senate is." Jones called Paul the "real McCoy" who will fight "against theNew World Order (http://nymag.com/news/features/conspiracy-theories/new-world-order/)" and "stop the thieving, stop the gang raping" in Washington. Jones said (http://mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2015/03/23/39206/gcn-alexjones-20150126-randpaul) on his January 26, 2015, broadcast that he privately encouraged Paul to run for Senate.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/04/02/how-americas-leading-conspiracy-theorist-helped/203016

Ayn Rand Paul! :lol

KY jelly brains! :lol

Alex Jones! :lol

boutons_deux

04-03-2015, 11:03 AM

Jeb Bush Pressed Pension Officials On Behalf of Donor's Firm

Jeb Bush received the request from one of his campaign contributors, a man who made his living managing money: Could the then-governor of Florida make an introduction to state pension overseers? The donor was angling to gain some of the state’s investment for his private fund.

It was 2003, still a few years before regulators would begin prosecuting public officials for directing pension investment deals to political allies.

Bush obliged, putting the donor, Jon Kislak, in touch with the Florida pension agency’s executive director.

Then he followed up personally, according to emails (https://www.scribd.com/doc/260551786/Bush-Pension-Email-1) reviewed by the International Business Times, ensuring that Kislak’s proposal was considered by state decision makers.

Here was a moment that at once underscored Jeb Bush’s personal attention to political allies and his embrace of the financial industry, which has delivered large donations to his campaigns.

Email records show it was one of a series of such conversations Bush facilitated between pension staff and private companies at a time when his administration was shifting billions of dollars of state pension money -- the retirement savings for teachers, firefighters and cops -- into the control of financial firms.

http://www.ibtimes.com/jeb-bush-pressed-pension-officials-behalf-donors-firm-1865946

boutons_deux

04-06-2015, 03:54 PM

Scott Walker, Feeling Kinship With Ronald Reagan, Claims His Legacyhttp://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/us/politics/2016-elections-scott-walker-ronald-reagan.html?_r=0

:lol

And the Repug base will for this bullshit.

boutons_deux

04-15-2015, 01:46 PM

David Letterman’s perfect GOP jab: “Which one of these men can lead the Republicans to another crushing defeat?”

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/15/which_one_of_these_men_can_lead_the_republicans_to _another_crushing_defeat_david_letterman_perfectly _lampoons_presidential_candidates/

boutons_deux

04-26-2015, 07:43 AM

Republican governors have tanked the GOP brand

Walker, Christie and Jindal were supposed to show off GOP's deep bench. They highlighted incompetence instead

What do Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal all have in common? They’re all sitting governors who’d like to be president, sure. But what else?

How about being embarrassingly bad at job creation? That’s right.

From January 2011 (http://web.archive.org/web/20110509090635/http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t05.htm) through January 2015 (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t05.htm),

Louisiana under Jindal ranked 32nd in job creation with 5.4 percent growth over four years.

Wisconsin under Walker ranked 35th, with 4.85 percent growth. New Jersey under Christie ranked 40th, with 4.15 percent growth.

This compares with a national average of 8.21 percent.

Even Ohio’s John Kasich, who’s worked more with Democrats—most notably byagreeing to Medicaid expansion (http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ohio-medicaid-expansion) under Obamacare—and thus tarnished his brand with conservative purists while puffing himself up with Beltway pundits — only ranked 23rd. He’s still under the national average, with Ohio’s 6.23 percent growth.

Ohio has yet to get back to 2007 employment levels (http://www.policymattersohio.org/jobwatch-march20-2015), “The nation and the majority of other states reached this benchmark in 2014,” said researcher Hannah Halbert, in a statement from Policy Matters Ohio.

And then there’s Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, once a 2016 hopeful cheered on by Grover Norquist (http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/371839/brownback-2016-norquist-bets-kansas-gov-betsy-woodruff%20) and supported by supply-side icon Arthur Laffer (http://www.kansas.com/news/article1097282.html) in his crusade to slash (and eventually abolish) Kansas state income tax—a sure-fired job-creation move, according to the promises of all concerned. Justly dubbed a “failed experiment (http://m.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/kansass-failed-experiment/389874/)” for themassive deficits (http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article5904450.html) it has generated, the experiment also produced only lackluster job growth of 5.95 percent, ranking 28th in the nation—better than Walker and Christie, sure, but lower than its neighbors in Nebraska (25th) and Oklahoma (14th).

It’s not just the embarrassing job-creation numbers, though that alone should be enough to disqualify the whole lot of them.

New Jersey has just experienced its ninth bond downgrade (http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/nj_credit_rating_cut_record_ninth_time_as_moodys_c .html) under Christie, who may end up looking for a bridge to hide under.

In Wisconsin, Walker, facing a two-year deficit that could go as high as $2 billion (http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2015/01/24/wisconsins-year-budget-hole-forecast-billion/22269873/), has responded with $300 million in cuts (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/02/02/3616140/scott-walker-university-students/) for higher education, on top of billions in previous education cuts.

Still, job creation was supposed to be Walker’s big thing—he promised to create 250,000 jobs in four years when he first ran in 2010, but came up short (http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/promises/walk-o-meter/promise/526/create-250000-new-jobs/) by more than 100,000 jobs.

Making matters worse are the neighborhood comparisons. Wisconsin ranked between 2 (http://host.madison.com/business/job-growth-state-rankings/html_94b31476-74a1-11e3-9597-0019bb2963f4.html)9th and 4 (http://host.madison.com/business/job-growth-state-rankings/html_94b31476-74a1-11e3-9597-0019bb2963f4.html)1st in job growth over the last four years, the worst in the Midwest three of those years, and second worst the other.

In fact, the state performed poorly (http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-24/scott-walker-s-lagging-indicators) on a whole host of indicators used by Bloomberg News, and suffers markedly in contrast (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/purple-wisconsin/280089862.html) with neighboring Minnesota, where progressive policies have that state’s economy recovering nicely.

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/23/scott_walker_forever_tarnished_republican_governor s_have_tanked_the_gop_brand/

Repug governance! :lol

boutons_deux

05-04-2015, 08:38 AM

Repug Klown Kar fillin up!

7 Ridiculous Things Ben Carson Believes (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/04/3646780/ben-carson-announcement/)

Anarchy could cancel the 2016 election

Carson warned in an interview in 2014 (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ben-carson-looming-anarchy-may-cancel-2016-elections) that if we “continue down this pathway that we are going down,” referring to “this pathway where everything is framed in a political sense and our representatives are not working for the people, they’re working for their party,” then the anarchy could lead to the 2016 election being called off (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/09/28/3573103/ben-carson-anarchy-election/). He claimed that the growing national debt, ISIS and the then-Democrat controlled U.S. senate’s refusal to consider legislation passed by the Republican House of Representatives all pointed toward the idea that the country is headed toward anarchy.

If Carson’s prediction proved to be true, he said, Obama could declare martial law (http://bluenationreview.com/ben-carson-warns-obama-declaring-martial-law-anarchy-cancels-2016-election/) and the 2016 election would not occur.

Congress should be able to remove judges for voting for marriage equality

In an interview (http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/01/28/3615989/ben-carson-equality-unconstitutional/) with a conservative radio host earlier this year, Carson said it was “unconstitutional” that judges have ruled in favor of equality despite statewide ballot initiatives that resulted in different outcomes. Carson said that when federal judges make rulings like this, “our Congress actually has the right to reprimand or remove them.”

Needless to say, Carson’s assertion is incorrect. Congress cannot simply remove a judge for ruling in a way the majority disagrees with. Judges may only be removed forimpeachable offenses (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleii), which the constitution defines as “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Being gay is a choice because prison turns people gay

Carson now infamously said in a CNN interview in March that homosexuality is a choice (http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/03/04/3629469/ben-carson-prison-sex/), citing people who “go into prison straight – and when they come out, they’re gay” as proof. He later attempted to apologize (http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/03/05/3630120/ben-carson-prison-homosexuality-apology-but-not-really/) for the remarks in which he addressed those who were offended, but reinforced his belief that sexual orientation is chosen.

Carson has also called marriage equality a “Marxist plot,” described marriage equality supporters as “enemies of America,” and compared homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality (http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/03/28/1790741/newest-darling-of-the-republican-party-compares-same-sex-marriage-to-nambla-bestiality/), another statement that led him to similarly “apologize” (http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/04/05/1829661/ben-carson-finally-apologizes-for-comparing-same-sex-marriage-to-pedophilia/) for his “poorly chosen words.”

There’s no such thing as a war crime

Carson also said earlier this year that the U.S. should not hesitate to send troops to defeat the Islamic State and should not fear (http://thinkprogress.org/security/2015/02/16/3623391/ben-carson-no-war-crimes-rules/) prosecution for its actions. In the Fox News interview, he said he would “not hesitate to put boots on the ground” and suggested that the military should not be subject to any war crimes law.
“If you’re gonna have rules for war, you should just have a rule that says no war,” he said. “Other than that, we have to win.”

Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery

Back in 2013, when Carson was still gaining recognition in the Republican Party, he said in a speech (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/10/11/ben-carson-obamacare-worst-thing-since-slavery/) that “Obamacare is really I think the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.”

“And it is in a way, it is slavery in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government, and it was never about health care,” he added. “It was about control.”
Carson has continued to speak out about Obama’s health care plan, saying (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/2/ben-carson-its-a-bunch-of-crap-that-obamacare-cant/) this year that it’s “a bunch of crap” that politicians say they can’t unravel the legislation.

Obama is depressing the economy to keep people on welfare

After appearing on The View last year and saying that Americans have become dependent on welfare, Carson elaborated on Fox News (http://video.foxnews.com/v/3583285787001/dr-carson-fires-up-the-view-over-welfare-comments/?playlist_id=2694949842001#sp=show-clips). “Do you think that people who are on welfare want to be on welfare?” Fox’s Megyn Kelly asked him.

“I think some people have that as a way of life,” Carson responded, later adding that “perhaps some of the things that are going on right now which could be easily remedied are not being remedied in order to keep the economy depressed because there would be no appetite for many of the social programs if people were doing well.”
When pressed by Kelly, Carson wouldn’t name Obama but said there are “some people” taking these actions.

Obama signed immigration reform to bring in government-dependent voters

After speaking out about welfare, Carson said in an interview (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ben-carson-obama-has-nefarious-agenda-bring-government-dependent-voters) months later that Obama’s executive action on immigration was part of a “nefarious agenda” to bring new voters into the United States who will be dependent on government.

“Is he just trying to instead of get out the vote, bring in the vote?” former Republican Congressman J.D. Hayworth asked Carson.“Is this all designed to have new voters — despite the fact he claims they’re not going to get citizenship — is the long-term goal to bring in a new class of voters dependent on government?”

“Of course it is,” Carson replied. He added that Republicans should respond to Obama’s action by shutting down the government, but only the parts that are “important to the president” and not any parts that will “hurt the American people.”

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/04/3646780/ben-carson-announcement/

================================================== ===

Ben Carson’s patients claim malpractice in star doctor’s path to politics

Yet even with a legacy as one of the world’s most-respected neurosurgeons, Maryland court records show Carson has been involved in at least a half-dozen malpractice cases, some of which remain pending, while others were either settled or dismissed for untold sums.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/ben-carsons-patients-claim-malpractice-in-star-doctors-path-to-politics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

boutons_deux

05-04-2015, 08:40 AM

and Demon-Sheep Lady and incarnation of the Peter Principle Gnarly Fiorina and her heavy plastic surgery are announcing today.

boutons_deux

05-24-2015, 08:44 AM

Republican hopeful Ben Carson wins Oklahoma straw poll

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32862662

Oklahoma rednecks!

red states! :lol

Ben Carson: Republicans have to stop letting progressives bully Christians

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/ben-carson-republicans-have-to-stop-letting-progressives-bully-christians/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

BC playing (lying) the "Christians are persecuted in their own Christian country!" card.

boutons_deux

05-24-2015, 10:23 AM

Confederate Christian supremacists still provoking nullification and secession

Mike Huckabee: Next president must obey ‘Supreme Being’ instead of Supreme Court on gay marriage

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/mike-huckabee-next-president-must-obey-supreme-being-instead-of-supreme-court-on-gay-marriage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29 (http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/mike-huckabee-next-president-must-obey-supreme-being-instead-of-supreme-court-on-gay-marriage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29)

yep, these assholes are True Patriots, totally perverting the FF/Constitutional laws, values, principles!

MultiTroll

05-24-2015, 12:02 PM

Unhappy With a Moderate Jeb Bush, Conservatives Aim to Unite Behind an Alternative

liabilities? as in UNELECTABLE? :lol
Garrison Keillor and crew of the Prairie Home Companion did a great spoof last night on Hillary contributing money to their campaigns because they suck so bad.

The skit amoung other things, had Hillary pay Guy Noir to convince Jeb to run.

Ignignokt

05-24-2015, 12:03 PM

Kike detected

boutons_deux

06-05-2015, 10:49 AM

Jon Stewart’s new name for the 2016 GOP clown car: “19 and Counting”

“Perry is running for president!” the “Daily Show” host squealed. “Wow, prayer really does work. Gimme more!”

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/05/jon_stewarts_new_name_for_the_2016_gop_clown_car_1 9_and_counting/

boutons_deux

06-17-2015, 06:26 AM

Stewart: 'Batsh*t' Donald Trump Running Is A 'Gift From Heaven

Jon Stewart was not joking around on Wednesday when he called Donald Trump's presidential announcement "a gift from heaven."

"I'm just really happy," the host of "The Daily Show" said. "Come on, let's dance, Clownstick."

From Trump's escalator entrance (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-2016-announcement) to his ramblings about his wealth to his calling Mexican immigrants "rapists," Stewart savored every moment.

"This speech was so fucked up, that in the middle of it, all the liquid in his mouth tried to escape from the corner of his mouth," the host added.

Eventually, Stewart concluded that the "batshit billionaire" Trump was placing him in "some kind of comedy hospice" for his last six weeks hosting the show.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/stewart-trump-2016?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpm-news+%28TPMNews%29

As usual, the video is wonderful.

boutons_deux

06-23-2015, 01:31 PM

Like JimmyRicky down in TX, Kockenstin Monster Walker up in WI has had a slush fund (tax payer $100Ms), too

Chicago Tribune picks up big Walker corruption story w/ UPDATE (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/21/1395233/-Chicago-Tribune-picks-up-big-Walker-corruption-story)

On Friday afternoon, the Walker gang did a news dump, revealing that the corrupt Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which Walker created and has chaired, was responsible for handing out more than $124 million to Wisconsin businesses without any formal staff review. Please see the diary by Jake formerly of the UP (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/20/1394872/-Scott-Walker-s-jobs-agency-improperly-gave-out-124-mil-of-taxpayer) on this. Since hearing about this, I have had the feeling that this outrageous episode of incompetence and cronyism might just be the thing that finally exposes Scott Walker as the criminal he is.
But I have seen little follow-up to the Friday story in any major news outlet. But the Chicago Tribune did cover it in this story: "Scott Walker's Wisconsin jobs agency gave out $124 million without review" (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-scott-walker-jobs-agency-20150619-story.html)

Such blatant corruption is now there for all to see:

Documents detailing the awards were made public late Friday afternoon in advance of a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation board meeting on July 20 to discuss one troubled unsecured loan that went to a failing company owned by a Walker donor.The Republican Walker, who is expected to formally launch a presidential campaign in mid-July, has been hounded by troubles with the quasi-private jobs agency he created shortly after taking office in 2011.

An internal review released Friday showed that WEDC gave out 27 award contracts to 24 companies between July 2011 and June 2013 without staff review, which WEDC said was not required at the time. Those were discovered during a review of 371 awards WEDC made in its first two years of operation.

Keep in mind that this was all carried out under Walker's direct oversight:

Of the 27 awards, just over 6,100 jobs were expected to be created, but to date only about 2,100 have been. Nearly 8,900 jobs have been retained, according to WEDC. The projects made about $490 million in investment, the report said.One of the 27 unsecured awards was a $500,000 loan to the now-defunct Milwaukee construction company Building Committee Inc. that was collapsing at the time and created no jobs. That was among several loans questioned by state auditors that led Walker in May to call for scrapping the loan program.

Incredibly, the Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has nothing on the story, nothing since itsFriday story (http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/state-jobs-agency-gave-loans-credits-to-firms-without-financial-review-b99523031z1-308521291.html). The Sunday Wisconsin State Journal in Madison has nothing.The incompetence on display is incredible. One wonders if any of the other Republican nomination contenders will do what the Wisconsin media are not doing: grab on to this and bring fresh air and sunlight to the political cesspool that Scott Walker has created.

11:36 AM PT (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/21/1395233/-Chicago-Tribune-picks-up-big-Walker-corruption-story#20150621113632):I wrote this diary quickly to keep the story alive, and to help it spread. Didn't expect it to end up on the rec list, so thanks. But I have a commitment this afternoon and won't be able to respond. Please carry on!

UPDATE: Let's hope the momentum picks up on this: Green Bay Senator Hansen Calls for Closure of WEDC (http://www.newiprogressive.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5359%3Agreen-bay-senator-hansen-calls-for-closure-of-wedc&catid=38%3Athe-state-news&Itemid=56):

State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) called for the closure of the troubled Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) today after it was revealed that WEDC officials failed to perform critical underwriting for $124.4 million in taxpayer supported loans it made to 27 companies.
...
“WEDC has been an unmitigated disaster from the start. It has been one scandal after another, squandered millions of dollars and failed to produce any significant numbers of jobs,” said Hansen a longtime critic. “There is no way to justify its existence any longer. It is time to end WEDC. It is beyond repair and the taxpayers deserve better.”

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/21/1395233/-Chicago-Tribune-picks-up-big-Walker-corruption-story?detail=email

boutons_deux

06-24-2015, 10:27 AM

Number of G.O.P. Candidates Now Thirteen, Says C.D.C.

DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA (The Borowitz Report (http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report))—The number of official candidates for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination has risen to thirteen, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control.

The count had stood at twelve since the announcement last week by the reality-show host Donald Trump, leading many at the C.D.C. to privately hope that the epidemic was losing steam.

But with the entry of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal into the race on Wednesday, the C.D.C. was forced to hold a press conference to announce the worrisome news that the number of candidates had increased yet again.

“It might have been misplaced optimism on our part, but we had started to believe that this thing had been contained,” said the C.D.C. spokesman Dr. Harland Dorrinson. “Regrettably, it has not.”

While scientists disagree about how running for President spreads from person to person, most epidemiologists believe that a candidacy needs an environment rich in narcissism and delusion—plus a host to feed on, ideally a sociopathic billionaire.

The C.D.C. spokesman refused to address speculation that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would soon enter the race, bringing the number of candidates to fourteen. “I don’t want to say anything that might cause the public to panic,” he said.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/number-of-g-o-p-candidates-now-thirteen-says-c-d-c

boutons_deux

06-28-2015, 07:38 PM

Klown Kar nooz

What Fox News Still Isn’t Saying About Its GOP Debate (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-fox-news-still-isnt-saying-about-its-gop-debate/)

Fox News and CNN, which are separately sponsoring the first two Republican presidential debates, could be holding the fate of the GOP candidates in their hands.

Debates were important in both the 2008 and 2012 Republican primaries.

They sank the candidacy of Rick Perry four years ago (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/rick-perry-fell-harder-than-anyone-and-hes-the-first-to-try-again/) and gave life (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/huckabee-may-be-doomed-to-rerun-the-2008-campaign-in-2016/) to Mike Huckabee’s campaign in the 2008 contest.

That’s why there has been so much interest in knowing which of the GOP’s many candidates are likely to make it into these debates.

We have known for a few weeks (http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/the-gop-candidates-most-likely-to-be-left-out-of-the-debates/) that Fox News and CNN are going to invite the top 10 candidates based on a national polling average.1 (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-fox-news-still-isnt-saying-about-its-gop-debate/#fn-1)

We also have known that CNN is going to have a secondary debate for those candidates who missed the cut but hit at least 1 percent in the polls.

https://espnfivethirtyeight.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/enten-datalab-cnn-fox1.png?w=610&h=594

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-fox-news-still-isnt-saying-about-its-gop-debate/

Carson way ahead of TX' own JimmyRicky! :lol

boutons_deux

06-29-2015, 04:59 AM

http://images.dailykos.com/images/151148/large/FrumTrumpTweet.jpg?1435545057

boutons_deux

06-29-2015, 06:02 AM

More evidence, on the mountains of evidence, that you conservatives, Repugs, bubbas, rednecks, shit kickers, racists, xenophobes, jingoists are truly screwed up

Ben Carson gains surprising support in crowded GOP field

Ben Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon with no experience in the cutthroat world of Washington politics, is riding a surprising wave of support among conservatives that has placed him near the top of contenders for the Republican presidential nominee in 2016.

The soft-spoken 63-year-old Carson, an African-American who only officially became a Republican last year, has found an opening in the wide-open race in which 13 candidates are running for the White House. His resume of having performed 15,000 surgical operations is the most unusual of anyone in the field.

Carson told a crowd in Sioux Center, Iowa, last week that he didn’t really want to run for president, but there were so many people clamoring for him to get into the race that he felt the call.

“I started praying about it, asking God for guidance, and I finally concluded that ‘Lord, as long as you open the doors I’ll walk through them. And if you shut the doors, I’ll gladly sit down.’ Well, he has continually opened the doors,” Carson said.

there’s also an element of faith-healer optimism based on his life, from rebellious Detroit street youth who tried to stab a friend at age 14, to accomplished physician who in 1987 led a surgical team that successfully separated conjoined twins.

His staff is never quite sure what Carson is going to say publicly since he does not speak from a text, a stark difference from today’s carefully scripted candidates.

“It makes for some anxious moments for his staff, I can promise you that,” said Carson communications director Doug Watts. “But that’s his style.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/ben-carson-gains-surprising-support-in-crowded-gop-field/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

God told Carson to run for President! :lol

boutons_deux

07-14-2015, 05:16 AM

Rick Perry Is on the Payroll of His Super-PAC's Biggest Sugar Daddy
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/rick-perry-kelcy-warren-super-pac-energy-transfer-partners

Apparently, nearly all Jimmyricky's $Ms come from only 3 donors. How's that grass roots support working out fer ya, Jimmyricky? :lol

boutons_deux

07-14-2015, 09:47 AM

Poll: Palin Would Bring Much-Needed Dignity to Republican Field

http://www.newyorker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Borowitz-Sarah-Palin-690.jpg

WASHINGTON — The former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would bring much-needed dignity to the 2016 Republican field, a new poll shows.

According to the poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, Palin’s ability to articulate her positions on issues with precision and restraint is sorely lacking among other entrants in the G.O.P. race.

Additionally, voters said that the former governor’s breadth of knowledge in the fields of economics, foreign affairs, and American history would place her head and shoulders above the current crop of Republican hopefuls.

In the words of one voter who was surveyed, “When I hear some of these candidates talk, I sure do miss Sarah Palin.”

Despite the overwhelming sense that she would contribute gravitas and intellectual rigor that have been woefully missing from the G.O.P. contest, a Palin candidacy appears unlikely, a spokesman said.

“Governor Palin is very flattered by this poll, but she is concerned that being associated with this field of candidates could harm her stature,” he said.

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/poll-palin-would-bring-much-needed-dignity-to-republican-field?mbid=nl_Borowitz%20(25)&cndid=&mbid=nl_Borowitz%20(25)&CNDID=&spMailingID=7902206&spUserID=MjczNzc0Njk0NDAS1&spJobID=721752457&spReportId=NzIxNzUyNDU3S0