More Eagles… Their lyrics were words of ACTION. Enjoy your day and soar!
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Six Little Babies
Fatherhood
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Even though 3Chics Politico is written and curated by three women: Ametia, Rikyrah, and SouthernGirl2, I must nominate this as one of the most engaging blogs I've found. Devoted to politics and culture, these three shine a light on contemporary life with humor and spirit.
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https://twitter.com/Mooncatadams/status/517083423371165697/photo/1
https://twitter.com/hkdemonow/status/517084748909260800/photo/1
Keith Boykin @keithboykin
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America’s highest-paid actor made $75 million last year. The top 25 hedge fund managers made a billion dollars each. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/opinion/paul-krugman-our-invisible-rich.html …
10:33 AM – 29 Sep 2014
Imani ABL @AngryBlackLady
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It’s always white guys complaining that patriarchy, misogyny, racism are loaded words. White men created the concepts. Suck it the fuck up.
10:57 AM – 30 Sep 2014
https://twitter.com/msnbc/status/516970781696196608/photo/1
Meet 24 Black TV Writers Who Are Changing the Face of Television
Even when diversity was lacking on-screen, these writers were working behind the scenes at some of TV’s most popular shows and making moves to get shows of their own.
By: Erin E. Evans
Posted: Sept. 29 2014 3:00 AM
This year’s TV season is being touted as the most diverse in years. But before this year, there were still black TV writers toiling behind the scenes on some of America’s most popular shows as they worked their way up to getting their own shows, launching their own projects or forming their own production companies.
A 2011 article on The Root pointed to the “Shonda Rhimes Effect,” a nod to the phenomenal success of the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, as a contributing factor in TV’s increased diversity—on-screen and in the writers’ room. Here are some of the top black TV-show writers working today.
http://www.theroot.com/photos/2014/09/top_black_tv_writers_working_today.html?wpisrc=topstories
you’re the muthaphuckin’ Secret Service. Someone doesn’t do what you tell them to do, you get that muthaphucka on the ground and away from the President. How hard is this?
…………………………
Armed former convict was on elevator with Obama in Atlanta
By Carol D. Leonnig September 30 at 5:14 PM
A security contractor with a gun and three prior convictions for assault and battery was allowed on an elevator with President Obama during a Sept. 16 trip to Atlanta, violating Secret Service protocols, according to three people with familiarity of the incident.
The incident occurred as Obama appeared at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss the U.S. response to the Ebola crisis.
The contractor did not comply when Secret Service agents asked him to stop using a phone camera to videotape the president in the elevator, according to the people familiar with the incident.
Agents questioned him, and used a database check to learn of his criminal history.
When a supervisor from the private security firm approached and learned of the agents’ concern, the contractor was fired on the spot and agreed to turn over his gun — surprising agents, who had not realized he was armed during his encounter with Obama.
http://linkis.com/washingtonpost.com/bsMTE
What have we gotten here–the Keystone Cops?
WHAT THE FUCK?
Scary!
They tickle me trying to pump up Willard. From the NYTimes article:
And what is wrong with listening to First Lady Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett?
Because in Mitt Romney’s racist, condescending and contemptuous mind, “Michelle Obama” unlike Anne Romney and other women, should not have the rights as his and any other wife and partner, to her husband’s confidence. The Princeton & Harvard educated First Lady who’s infinitely better educated and smarter than Mitt’s own wife; this black woman who didn’t marry into wealth or power, but who’s toiled, sacrificed and built a life from scratch with the love of her life, is somehow not entitled to respect, or her own unique place of intimacy, deep bond, decision-making, sharing and partnership in her husband’s life. Only white women get to have and hold that sacred place and honor in their husband’s life. The nerve of ‘Michelle Obama’!!
Speak!
Breaking News
CDC: First case of Ebola in Dallas Texas.
The news story I read said he got home on 9/20 and hospitalized on 9/24.
SG2, do you live near there? I am praying.
4 1/2 hours away.
Live streaming tonight in Ferguson:
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/9035483/events/3271930
Isabel Wilkerson @Isabelwilkerson
Gut-wrenching scene as mob in India attacks 3 black men at metro station as police look on. http://scroll.in/article/681590/%5BVideo%5D-Cops-look-on-as-mob-attacks-black-men-in-Delhi-metro-station …
Retweeted by PragmaticObotsUnite
Federal Judge Rules Against Obamacare Subsidies
BySahil KapurPublishedSeptember 30, 2014, 2:04 PM EDT 1041 views
A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled Tuesday that Obamacare subsidies provided on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange are invalid, agreeing with a ruling by a three-judge D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel against the subsidies.
The ruling, along with the fallout from the D.C. Circuit decision, could be a potentially significant defeat for the Obama administration.
“The court holds that the IRS Rule is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law … in excess of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations, or short of statutory right … or otherwise is an invalid implementation of the ACA, and is hereby vacated,” U.S. District Court Judge Ronald A. White wrote in his opinion.
White, appointed by George W. Bush in 2003, put his ruling on hold pending an expected appeal at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals by the Obama administration. That means Obamacare subsidies will continue to flow, for now.
The ruling in Pruitt v. Burwell marks the first victory for the challengers in a district court; two other federal judges sided with the government. The administration won the case at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and is preparing for a full court hearing on Halbig v. Burwell at the D.C. Circuit (which vacated the three-judge panel’s ruling) in December, where the White House has an edge.
The opponents of the law have asked the Supreme Court to review the case, which would happen if four justices agree to hear it. If the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals also rules against the federal subsidies, it would set up a split in circuit courts, which typically makes the Supreme Court likelier to hear a case.
If the lawsuit ultimately succeeds, it would strike a potentially crippling blow to Obamacare as the federal exchange serves residents of 36 states which declined to build their own. The Obamacare statute is less than iron-clad on the question of whether premium tax credits are allowed through the federal exchange, but the Democratic authors roundly insist that was always their intention and say the law as a whole makes that clear.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/judge-ronald-white-rules-against-obamacare-subsidies
What kind of people put this much effort into denying healthcare to other people who cannot afford it?
Children of the DEVIL, that’s who.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Some good news about the midterms
Over the last few days we’ve been inundated with bad news about the midterms when it comes to polls. Yesterday Nate Silver wondered if it was time for the Democrats to panic. I say a resounding “NO!” to that one. Instead, Democrats need to do what Derek Willis documents that they’re doing.
With a strong possibility that Democrats could lose control of the Senate in the midterm elections, they are investing heavily in voter turnout efforts.
In states too close to call like Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and North Carolina, Democrats are making much greater investments in the ground game than Republicans.
So while Republicans continue to spend their money on television ads and direct mail, Democrats are focusing on getting voters to the polls. The difference in expenditures on staff and voter contact operations is dramatic.
According to the Upshot’s tallies, Dem outside groups, parties and candidates are outspending their GOP counterparts in Alaska ($1.9 million to $224,800); Colorado ($4.4 million to $556,100); Iowa ($1.4 million to $105,000); Michigan ($1.4 million to $767,400); and North Carolina ($3.2 million to $835,000).
Greg Sargent points out the critical issue.
The crucial thing here to watch is whether Democrats have success in registering — or inducing early voting by — people who might otherwise not be inclined to vote. In a year when core Dem voter groups appear less inclined to vote than core GOP voters do, anything that can marginally shift the electorate in a Democratic direction could conceivably make a difference.
Basically, if the electorate in 2014 mirrors the electorate of 2010 (in other words, if the status quo is maintained), Democrats will likely lose. The only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is if more women, young voters and people of color show up in November. And the way to do that is to invest heavily in the ground game.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2014/09/some-good-news-about-midterms.html?spref=tw
https://twitter.com/Miss_Facetious/status/517013267181744129/photo/1
Beautiful.
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/517013027628265472/photo/1
Fantastic photo!!!
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/516990892935479296/photo/1
The Scott Brown case study
09/30/14 11:32 AM—UPDATED 09/30/14 01:57 PM
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By Steve Benen
Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), running in New Hampshire after losing in Massachusetts two years ago, has decided the national security is an issue that he can exploit. He may be losing to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (R-N.H.), but Brown thinks public fears over Islamic State militants have created an opportunity.
In his latest television ad, the Republican argues that radical Islamic terrorists are “threatening to cause the collapse of our country” – a claim that seems a little hyperbolic given reality – adding that Shaheen and President Obama “seem confused about the nature of the threat. Not me.”
Right. Because if there’s one politician who never “seems confused,” it’s Scott Brown.
With this in mind, the former senator delivered a “major foreign policy speech” in his adopted home state last week, billed by his aides as an address in which Brown would present his vision of international affairs. We’ll get to the content of the speech in a moment, but what I found especially interesting was what happened immediately after Brown’s remarks. The Boston Globe’s Scot Lehigh reported:
As it happens, there’s an important issue at hand that provides a decent clue on that front: Does he think, as per the US Constitution, that President Obama should have to come to Congress for authorization for the multi-year military effort he wants against the Islamic State? After all, a senator can’t exercise much independent judgment if he concedes war-waging authority to the president without either a debate or a vote.
As Brown exited the hall, I posed that question to him.
He ignored me.
Lehigh asked aides to the former senator if Brown would be speaking with reporters about his “major foreign policy speech.” They replied, “No.” Did they know Brown’s position on congressional authorization? They did not. Could they find out? The Republican’s press secretary told Lehigh she’d look into it, but as best as I can tell, Team Brown hasn’t yet answered the question.
For her part, Jeanne Shaheen, the incumbent, isn’t afraid to have an opinion on this and told Lehigh, “I think Congress should debate an authorization for use of military force. I have called on the president to do that, and I’ve said if he doesn’t, we should do it without him.”
Remember, Brown is the one who wants to leverage ISIS as a campaign tool. He wants to talk about how “confused” Democrats are about national security, but when asked to talk about the most basic of aspects of the debate – should Congress authorize military intervention? – Brown seems to have literally nothing to say.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-scott-brown-case-study
Eric Boehlert @EricBoehlert
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FIXED: if radical/political Muslim-American shot two cops, eluded FBI manhunt, that’s the ONLY story Fox would cover; http://bit.ly/10kiZKb
10:34 AM – 30 Sep 2014
Variety ✔ @Variety
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ABC’s ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ Premiere Sets DVR Playback Record http://on.variety.com/YHRRUh
12:12 PM – 30 Sep 2014
https://twitter.com/NoShock/status/516999373511983104/photo/1
Amen.
https://twitter.com/peoplemag/status/516955694734802944/photo/1
Nerdy Wonka@NerdyWonka
Weird how the GOP is more outraged about the White House or as they keep calling it, “an icon” than the occupants being attacked.
Allan Brauer @allanbrauer
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@NerdyWonka That’s how they’re threading the needle to attack the SS as a surrogate for Obama without actually saying they want Obama safe.
11:37 AM – 30 Sep 2014
Koch group faces investigation in N.C. over bogus voting info
09/30/14 10:58 AM—UPDATED 09/30/14 11:17 AM
By Steve Benen
Last week, the public learned that the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity created quite a mess sending out incorrect voting materials to many North Carolina voters. This week, the group finds itself under investigation.
To briefly recap, the far-right organization provided voters with contradictory information about the registration schedule, mislabeled envelopes, incorrect contact information for the state Board of Elections, and incorrect information about county-clerk notifications. The AFP’s materials encouraged North Carolinians to refer questions to the Secretary of State’s elections division. In North Carolina, the Secretary of State’s office doesn’t have an elections division.
Zack Roth reported yesterday that the mailings have prompted a state investigation.
Joshua Lawson, a spokesman for the state board of elections, said his office opened the probe Monday after receiving a formal sworn complaint from the state Democratic Party about the mailers, which were sent recently by Americans for Prosperity (AFP). Lawson said state law requires the board to open an investigation if it receives a sworn complaint.
In the complaint, Casey Mann, the state Democratic Party’s executive director, accused AFP of an “attempt to utilize misleading, incorrect, and confusing voter registration mailers as a means of discouraging or intimidating voters in the 2014 general election.”
AFP concedes it made “a few minor administrative errors,” and it will have to hope that investigators believe the Koch-financed group was simply incompetent – the alternative explanation is that AFP tried to mislead voters on purpose, which would be a felony.
We still don’t know exactly how many North Carolina households received the bogus information from the conservative group, or if AFP intends to mitigate the damage by sending accurate information to the voters who were sent incorrect materials.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/koch-group-faces-investigation-nc-over-bogus-voting-info
FCC Sacks NFL Blackout Rule in Unanimous Vote
8:03 AM PST 09/30/2014 by Alex Ben Block
This ends FCC-sanctioned authority for pro football to black out football games if the local venue is not sold out
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday punted the 39-year-old sports blackout rule to the sidelines of broadcast history with a unanimous 5-0 vote.
The action was taken despite stiff opposition from the National Football League, which has argued that the rule has served the interest of the teams and the fans and should not be changed.
The NFL has also warned that if the blackout rule is ended, it could mean even more games will move from free broadcast TV to pay TV. But opponents of the rule point out that pro football games on broadcast remain highly rated, and the licensing rights are extremely lucrative for the league and its 32 teams.
Daniel Durbin, director of the Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media & Society, says the NFL fears that if there are empty seats in a stadium during a game, it will harm the image of the sport. “It’s sold as a huge event, and it’s packaged that way…. If you’re trying to create this sense this is a monumental event, its going to diminish the feel of the event to have all those empty seats in the stadium,” he said.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fcc-sacks-nfl-blackout-rule-736697
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was arrested early today in Maryland on a DUI charge, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Phelps was arrested about 1:40 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines within the Fort McHenry Tunnel on I-95 in Baltimore. He was later released.
A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer was operating a stationary radar on southbound I-395 leaving Baltimore when a white 2014 Land Rover passed, traveling at 84 mph in a 45-mph zone, police said.
http://twitter.com/IvanCNN/status/516914301345341442/photo/1
LOL No way to stop this Juggernaut
This is absolutely amazing, an absolute sea of humanity. But we had to expect that Hong Kong and China would sooner or later have problems. I don’t think China has changed much since the Tiananmen Square massacre. And I surely hope that we do not see history repeat itself.
I wasn’t a huge Eagles fan outside of their biggest hits. But my sister recently gave me a best of compilation. As it turns out some group members were also Philly soul fans.
“Wasted Time” is their attempt at that genre.
House GOP Issues Subpoena Aimed At Toppling Obamacare In Court
SEPTEMBER 30, 2014, 10:19 AM EDT
House Oversight Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) has subpoenaed the Obama administration for documents in an apparent attempt to boost a flailing lawsuit which seeks to cripple Obamacare.
Dubbed the “Halbig subpoena” by Michael Cannon, who helped craft the lawsuit, the Republican chairman demands documents from the IRS and Treasury Department connected to the decision to provide Obamacare subsidies on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange.
Issa points to the lawsuit, which alleges that the Affordable Care Act statute confines the subsidies to “an Exchange established by the State” and not the federal exchange, built on behalf of 36 states which didn’t build their own. The Obama administration is winning in lower courts so far, and the challengers have appealed directly to the Supreme Court.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/darrell-issa-halbig-subpoena
I’m convinced that Darrell Issa hates America and everyone in it. His actions are those of a madmen bent on destroying peoples lives any way that he can.
Conservatives Are Furious Over the New A.P. History Curriculum They want less bashing of America, more hailing of American ideals
By Jonathan Cohn @citizencohn
There’s a new fight over the curriculum in American high schools, and this time it’s not about evolution or new math. The issue is U.S. History—specifically, advanced placement U.S. history.
Earlier this year, the College Board announced that it was modifying its model curriculum for the course. Conservatives are not at all happy about the changes. The new curriculum, they say, emphasizes negative aspects of U.S. history while giving short shrift to the nation’s triumphs. While the College Board has no formal power over what schools teach, it writes the test that A.P. students will take at the end of the year. For that reason, school systems tend to pay attention to what the College Board says. But in some more conservative parts of the country, authorities are resisting.
Earlier this month, the state Board of Education in Texas ordered school districts to use a statewide curriculum, rather than the College Board’s. In the western suburbs of Denver, the Jefferson County School Board is weighing a proposal to create a special committee for reviewing the history curriculum and notifying the board of objectionable material. What would qualify as “objectionable”? According to the proposal,
Materials should promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights. Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law. Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage.
That proposal has sparked a backlash. Last week, dozens of students from one Denver-area school walked out of class and took carpools over to the district headquarters, in order to protest what they said was an attempt to censor their educations. The kids organized the protest on Facebook and had several parents alongside them, as a show of support.
If you want to learn more about the merits of the debate, Stanley Kurtz of National Review has written the definitive conservative critique, while Jamelle Bouie of Slate written a liberal rejoinder. I can’t say I’ve spent enough time with the curriculum to offer an informed judgment of my own. But it occurs to me that this controversy is part of a familiar divide in American politics. Just last week, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released a study on the different priorities liberals and conservatives have for education. Conservatives want schools to emphasize faith and obedience, while liberals are more likely to care about teaching tolerance and curiosity. You can guess how each group would react to a curriculum that asked some hard questions about U.S. history.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119624/conservatives-are-screaming-about-revisions-ap-us-history
These mofos will NEVER change America’s foul history, not as long as they’re apart of it.
LOLGOP @LOLGOP
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FYI: America has a 200+ year history of people being denied the right to vote by people who said they were protecting democracy by doing so.
9:45 AM – 29 Sep 2014
The Racial Gap On Global Warming
7:00 AMSep 23
By Harry Enten
Before the big climate march in New York on Sunday, New York magazine’s Tim Murphy asked, “Can Sunday’s climate march expand the movement beyond wonky white men?” After the march, Sally Kohn at The Daily Beast had an answer: Yes.
But zoom out beyond the march’s organizers and participants, and you’ll see the portion of the American public in favor of action to combat climate change has long been diverse. Since 2007, Pew Research Center has asked people what areas, including global warming, should be a top priority for the president and Congress. Given the talk about the need for diversity in the global warming movement, you might expect that the people who say fighting global warming should a top priority would be overwhelmingly white. You’d be wrong.
Every time the question has been asked, a lower percentage of whites have said it should be a top priority than non-whites. In fact, the gap between whites and non-whites has widened. The share of non-whites viewing climate change as a top priority hasn’t changed much; that same share of whites, meanwhile, has dropped more than 10 percentage points.
Is this just a partisan thing (i.e. Democrats are more in favor of the government developing a plan to combat global warming, and more minorities are Democrats)? This makes sense, but the racial gap exists even when controlling for political party.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/the-racial-gap-on-global-warming/
http://twitter.com/DianeHowell11/status/516350330570018816/photo/1
W.E.B.B.I.E DuBois @fivefifths
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this is an interesting bit of info: minorities think climate change is more of a priority than do whites http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/the-racial-gap-on-global-warming/ …
7:25 PM – 28 Sep 2014
Dan Pfeiffer ✔ @pfeiffer44
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Obama on CBS:”When trouble comes up anywhere in the world, they don’t call Beijing, they don’t call Moscow. They call us…that’s how we roll”
6:21 PM – 28 Sep 2014
Screw the national anthem
After what happened in Ferguson, I can’t pretend the promise of that song extends to a black man like me
D. Watkins
I hit a basketball game the other day. Hundreds packed into the stands and around the court as the DJ silenced the music. A bouncy, colorful dude approached center-court and requested that we stand for the national anthem. A delicate teenage Whitney Houston type approached the mic.
Everyone popped up ⎯ blacks and whites alike, all with straight backs and erect necks ⎯ their right palms Velcroed to their hearts. Military silence blanketed the crowd as the little girl blessed us all with her voice.
I stayed seated and just played on my iPhone during her entire performance. Some people looked at me, I yawned in their direction, stretched in my seat and looked back at them. I was itching for someone to say something stupid like, “Pay some respect. Stand for the anthem.” So I could’ve broke my mug down and yelled, “Man, fuck you and the anthem!”
I would’ve proudly hollered that at the top of my lungs because obviously I don’t fit the mold. Even though I was born in America and my ancestors built its infrastructure for free ⎯ I’m not a part of the “Our” when they sing, “Our flag was still there!” I feel like the “Our” doesn’t include blacks, most women, gays, trans and poor people of all colors.
And sadly our nation reminds us every day.
Some may reject the anthem because Francis Scott Key sang for freedom while enslaving blacks. His hatred even bled into the lyrics of the elongated version of “The Star Spangled Banner” you won’t hear at a sporting event. The third stanza reads …
“No refuge could save the hireling and slave, From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave”
That line was basically a shot at the slaves who agreed to fight with the British in exchange for their freedom. Who wouldn’t want freedom, and how could he not understand them opting out for a better life?
A life free of mass whippings, rape and unpaid labor. Andrew Jackson caught wind of slaves agreeing to fight with the British in exchange for freedom and made a similar promise to thousands of slaves in Louisiana. He told them if they protected Louisiana, they could be free after the war. Well, we won the war, and then Jackson reneged on the deal. He went on to be president while the brave Africans who fought with honor went back into servitude.
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/30/screw_the_national_anthem/
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/What_Could_Have_Been
The great failing of the Democratic party over the past three-and-a-half decades has been the party’s failure to take political advantage of the obvious prion disease that has afflicted the Republican party since it first ate all the monkey-brains in the mid-1970’s. Whether this was out of cowardice, incompetence, or an overly optimistic view of the inherent sanity of the electorate, is no longer an issue. The failure to make the Republican crazee the Republican party’s standing public identity has encouraged the increased spread, and the increased virulence of the prion disease, with disastrous consequences for the rest of us. Why, in the name of god, would you not call Michele Bachmann crazy? Because it might offend the people who vote for her? It’s supposed to offend those people. Those people beg to be offended, and, by doing so, you at least inject into the discussion the notion that the Republican party has thrown its marbles gleefully to the four winds. A few elections later, that may become the general opinion. After all, the Permanent Republican Majority wasn’t built in a day.
Brownback’s ‘experiment’ gone wrong
09/30/14 08:00 AM—UPDATED 09/30/14 08:24 AM
By Steve Benen
In June 2012, soon after approving sweeping tax cuts his state clearly couldn’t afford, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) appeared on msnbc and described his agenda in a curious way. “We’ll see how it works,” the Republican governor said. “We’ll have a real-live experiment.”
More than two years later, Kansans have had a chance to see the results of this experiment first hand – and Brownback now appears to be losing his bid for a second term.
But as Rachel noted on the show last night, among the governor’s problems is an ability to justify his failures in office. Brownback talked to PBS’s Jeff Greenfield the other day and regretted his use of the word “experiment” to describe his economic plan, conceding that people are often uncomfortable with change.
GREENFIELD: [A]bout that experiment word?
BROWNBACK: Yeah, I shouldn’t have used that word. But the good news is, it’s working well. We’re growing. We’ve got record employment in Kansas.
GREENFIELD: Then after a brief discussion with an aide.
BROWNBACK: The things we’re doing are not anything new. Going to, getting your incomes taxes down, we got nine states without an income tax. That’s not new. So nothing we’re doing is new. Now it’s new that we’re doing it but nothing that we’re doing is different than what’s done before.
Well, that’s certainly a compelling explanation, isn’t it? “Nothing we’re doing is new,” followed immediately by “it’s new that we’re doing it.” I have no idea what Brownback’s aide whispered in the governor’s ear during the interview, but it wasn’t sound rhetorical advice.
Of course, this is about more than a clumsy governor struggling to defend his record. Brownback’s more pressing concern is that his “experiment” hasn’t worked at all. As we discussed in early August, Brownback’s economic plan – slash tax rates more than the state can afford and watch a miracle unfold – has failed miserably on every possible front. The state’s bond rating was downgraded in part due to these reckless tax breaks, and soon after, Kansas suffered another downgrade.
What’s more, this isn’t the only trouble for Kansas Republicans.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Koback (R) is still trying to force state Democrats to nominate a U.S. Senate candidate to water down the opposition for struggling incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts (R). GOP officials needed a plaintiff for a lawsuit, and relied on a Brownback aide’s dad.
It’s not going well.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/brownbacks-experiment-gone-wrong
Lamborn starts losing allies over military controversy
09/30/14 08:37 AM—UPDATED 09/30/14 08:56 AM
By Steve Benen
For any politician facing a political controversy, there’s one sure sign of trouble: the loss of political allies. Most political figures are accustomed to criticism from the other side of the aisle, and they expect scrutiny from journalists, but when members of their own party start turning on them, it’s a real problem.
Which brings us back to Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, who boasted last week that he’s urged active-duty U.S. generals to resign, during a war, in order to undermine the Obama administration.
The Colorado Springs’ newspaper, The Gazette, reports today that Lamborn is now facing rebukes from two high-profile Republicans from Colorado’s congressional delegation.
To be sure, these aren’t sweeping condemnations, but let’s not overlook the context: with 35 days to go before Election Day, Coffman is in the middle of one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. House races, while Gardner is running in one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. Senate races. They’re both Republicans, but neither one of these congressmen are prepared to offer even a halfhearted defense for Lamborn’s controversial remarks.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/lamborn-starts-losing-allies-over-military-controversy
Supreme Court blocks Ohio early voting on eve of balloting
09/29/14 04:50 PM—UPDATED 09/29/14 04:51 PM
By Steve Benen
For voting-rights advocates in Ohio, everything looked like it was going well. A few weeks ago, a federal district court reversed Republican-imposed voting restrictions in the Buckeye State, restoring early-voting opportunities. Last week, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in a unanimous order, clearing the way for Ohio voters to cast early ballots if they choose.
Voting was all set to begin in Ohio – literally tomorrow morning – right up until the Supreme Court intervened this afternoon. Lyle Denniston reported:
With just sixteen hours before polling stations open in Ohio, the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon blocked voters from beginning tomorrow to cast their ballots in this year’s general election. By a vote of five to four, the Justices put on hold a federal judge’s order providing new opportunities for voting before election day, beyond what state leaders wanted.
The order will remain in effect until the Court acts on an appeal by state officials. If that is denied, then the order lapses. It is unclear when that scenario will unfold.
Remember, Republican officials in Ohio have been trying to cut early voting, while also making it harder for voters to cast ballots on weekends and during evening hours. These changes prompted a lawsuit from civil-rights proponents, arguing that the GOP-imposed restrictions, approved for no good reason, disproportionately affected low-income and African-American voters – who, you guessed it, might be more inclined to vote Democratic.
The Supreme Court’s announcement wasn’t on the merits of the case, and there haven’t been oral arguments. Rather, this was in response to an emergency appeal from Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R), who’s invested considerable energy in recent years in approving new restrictions on voting.
The Supreme Court was divided 5-to-4, with – wait for it – Roberts, Alito, Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas siding with Ohio Republicans trying to limit access. These are the same five justices appointed by Republican presidents.
So what happens now?
The court fight challenging the legality of Ohio’s efforts to curtail voting will continue, but in the meantime, those who hoped to cast ballots tomorrow will have to wait until Oct. 7.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/supreme-court-blocks-ohio-early-voting-eve-balloting
I’m going to say this again about Abbie and Jenny’s mom on Sleepy Hollow. I will NEVER believe that she was crazy. I believe that she was a warrior against evil , but didn’t understand it. She didn’t have someone to help her like Jenny & the Sheriff, and Abbie & Ichabod.
And, the Horseman can have Katrina.
Ichy – you better listen to that son of yours….he’s already told you he’s dead and working for the forces of Evil….believe him.
oh, and the new Sheriff?
she’s either gonna become a believer, or she’ll be killed. no middle ground.
John Green ✔ @realjohngreen
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Gates Foundation gives $50,000,000 to fight ebola in West Africa. We need similarly aggressive responses from gov’ts. http://news.yahoo.com/americas-richest-man-thinks-ebola-164500111.html …
7:21 AM – 30 Sep 2014
https://twitter.com/owillis/status/516918154451517440
Police Link 2nd Case to Missing Va. Student Arrest
RICHMOND, Va. — Sep 29, 2014, 6:00 PM ET
By LARRY O’DELL Associated Press Writer
A forensic clue uncovered in the investigation of a missing University of Virginia student has led investigators to believe they have “a significant break” in the unsolved death of another young woman who had vanished from the campus five years ago, police said Monday, and perhaps an unsolved rape from years before.
Jesse L. Matthew Jr., 32, was charged last week with abduction with intent to defile in the case of 18-year-old Hannah Graham, who was last seen on Sept. 13 after she attended a party.
Leading up to Matthew’s arrest, police had searched his car and home and removed items, including clothing, that they consider evidence, though they have not been specific. On Monday, Virginia State Police said in a statement that the arrest “provided a significant break in this case with a new forensic link for state police investigators to pursue” in the death of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington, who, like Graham, vanished from the Charlottesville campus.
The Virginia Tech student from Roanoke had gone to John Paul Jones Arena for a Metallica concert on Oct. 17, 2009. A farmer found her remains three months later in an Albemarle County hayfield, which was among the places searched shortly after Graham disappeared, police have said.
The state police statement provided no specifics about what sort of forensic evidence led to the connection in the cases.
State police said they would have no further comment on the new lead, and neither Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo nor Capt. Gary Pleasants returned telephone messages. Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman and Matthew’s attorney, James Camblos, also did not respond to messages.
The latest development may also help solve a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax City, since the FBI previously said DNA from Harrington’s attacker matched that of the person who committed the sexual assault. On Monday, police spokeswoman Natalie Hinesley said that in order to maintain the integrity of their investigation, they are not going to comment on whether the developments in the Graham and Harrington cases affect their case.
Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler, said he was not surprised by the new evidence.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-report-lead-missing-uva-student-case-25841759
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ETA:
Fapp Williams @ReekSkeezy 8m 8 minutes ago
Greatest durag of all time “@DosRivers: #duraghistoryweek https://vine.co/v/blUQuHWgg9I “
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Good Morning, Rikyrah & Everyone!