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Republican Governors Association exploits its pawn in Maine
10/28/14 04:07 PM—UPDATED 10/28/14 04:21 PM
By Steve Benen
There’s no shortage of interesting campaigns this year, but there’s no race in the nation quite like Maine’s gubernatorial race.
If you haven’t been following it, Tea Partying Gov. Paul LePage (R), who won with less than 38% of the vote in a three-way race in 2010, is effectively tied in most recent polls with Rep. Mike Machaud (D). LePage would probably get crushed in a head-to-head contest, but the mainstream vote is being split between Machaud and Independent Eliot Cutler, who also ran four years ago.
LePage, well aware of the circumstances, last week referred to Cutler’s candidacy as “an early Christmas present.” Today, Chris Christie’s RGA went even further.
On Tuesday, the Republican Governor’s Association released its latest ad, which attacks Michaud and not-so-discreetly props up Cutler.
The RGA spot explains that a vote Michaud cast when he was in the Legislature would have imposed a new tax on Social Security. “It was such a bad idea that then-Gov. Angus King vetoed it,” the ad voiceover said. “No wonder independent King now endorses Eliot Cutler.”
Yep, the Republican Governors Association has taken the extraordinary step of creating an ad touting a popular figure endorsing an independent candidate. The independent candidate is running against a Republican incumbent, but the RGA doesn’t care – if it can boost support for Cutler, those are votes coming from Maine’s mainstream, not the Republican base.
In other words, the Republican Governors Association is sending a not-so-subtle message to Cutler’s supporters: it’s time to use you as a pawn in the Republican machine.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republican-governors-association-exploits-its-pawn-maine
McConnell finally comes clean on health care plans
10/28/14 12:58 PM—UPDATED 10/28/14 01:28 PM
By Steve Benen
When recent polling showed Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race tied, and the race became competitive enough for national Democrats to re-invest after walking away, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and his team said they were wholly unconcerned. In fact, last week, McConnell aides started passing around an internal poll showing the longtime incumbent ahead by eight points over Alison Lundergan Grimes (D).
But against the backdrop of public confidence, McConnell is so concerned, he wrote a $1.8 million check “out of his own bank account.” The Republican can afford it – McConnell’s minimum net worth is nearly $12 million – but it was the kind of move a candidate makes at the end of a race when he’s worried about the outcome.
It’s not yet clear exactly what McConnell intends to do with the $1.8 million, but it probably won’t be devoted to health care.
Two weeks ago, the Kentucky senator said he hopes to destroy the current federal health care system, including the state-based system called Kynect, which is working quite well. McConnell said it’s “fine to have a website” for a Kentucky-based marketplace, but everything else would be scrapped.
As a substantive matter, this was gibberish, and it prompted Sam Stein to press Team McConnell for an explanation.
[I]f McConnell was fine keeping the website, would he also be willing to let people keep the federal assistance that helps them purchase coverage offered on that website?
The Huffington Post asked the McConnell campaign that very question the day after the debate. We asked the campaign the same question twice more that day. Then, we posed the question to them seven more times over the subsequent nine days. We also called the campaign twice. The campaign never responded.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mcconnell-finally-comes-clean-health-care-plans
https://twitter.com/AndyRose12/status/527187101004333057
Hey, everyone!
I took a break and went to sit on the steps and here comes the kitten. She crawled on my back to my shoulders and then went to sit on top of my head. What a sight! I wish I had taken a pic. LOL!
The kitten felt your LOVE. She was drawn to your aura of love. Too precious!
:)
She’s a cutie and so spoiled.
Sounds so cute
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/527089721068236800/photo/1
Intra-party ‘feud’ complicates Walker’s race in Wisconsin
10/28/14 09:18 AM
By Steve Benen
No gubernatorial race in the country is as competitive as Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) re-election bid in Wisconsin. The last four publicly released polls have shown the race either tied or within one percentage point.
And with just a week until Election Day, the incumbent governor isn’t convinced the Republican Machine is rallying to his defense to the degree he’d prefer.
At a morning campaign stop in Mayville, Wisconsin, Walker openly groused that the outside spending supporting his campaign “pales” in comparison to the Democratic effort to defeat him. He spoke dismissively of an upcoming campaign visit from [New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie], telling reporters that the Garden Stater was visiting because “he asked if he could come and we weren’t going to say no.”
Ouch.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/intra-party-feud-complicates-walkers-race-wisconsin
Love this photo!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1BZEI4CcAI-44c.jpg
Spectacular! HAIR YOU GO!
It was tweeted by
PostBadMelanin @melaninmatters · 8h 8 hours ago
Love your natural hair
Here is the twitter page:
https://twitter.com/melaninmatters/media
Beautiful.
LOVE THIS!!
Pretty, pretty!
Father of 4 Cancels His Life Insurance, Goes on Vacation, and then Dies
By Yolanda Spivey
A father of four mysteriously died while vacationing with his family in Mexico last month. And to make matters worse, he canceled his life insurance policies before he went on vacation.
John Perricone, a Home Depot department manager was only 29 years old.
He was the sole breadwinner for the family.
His wife Brittany, told the Chicago Tribune that the family had been struggling to make ends meet, so her husband canceled his life insurance policies assuming that little could go wrong—as he was only 29 years old.
Mr. Perricone, who was in school at night studying to be an accountant, was in great health.
His father in law told the Chicago Tribune, “he [Mr. Perricone] started convulsing real bad and looked at my daughter with the biggest “I’m sorry” eyes, and he went limp.”
Mr. Perricone’s sister, Katie, who was also on the cruise, told NBC Chicago her brother had been tired on the vacation and sleeping more than usual.
His body was examined in New Orleans before it was sent to his hometown in Chicago, and Carnival cruise reports of no other illnesses, nor do they suspect foul play.
For now, a fund-raiser has been set up in his memory to help with the funeral arrangements and to help with his children. So far, the family received over $22,000 in donations.
I cannot stress the importance of life insurance. If your loved ones depend on your financial support for their livelihood, then life insurance is a must have. Not only does it replace your income when you die, it sustains your family by providing money to cover their living expenses. It also saves the family the unfortunate task of asking for handouts from the public and other family members to pay for funeral expenses.
http://www.blackinsurancenews.com/uncategorized/father-of-4-cancels-his-life-insurance-goes-on-vacation-and-then-dies/
OH NO!
when I heard about this, I thought ‘ this is crazy as phuck!’
……………………
Tiny’s new eye surgery may blind you
Posted on October 28, 2014 by staff
By Yolanda Spivey
Social media outlets were abuzz at the recent news that Tameka “Tiny” Harris permanently changed her eye color from dark brown to ice-gray.
The pint sized singer, and wife of rapper TI, confirmed the news on Instagram, thanking her doctor. She stated:
……………….
They also report the following complications that can occur:
•Reduced vision or blindness
•Elevated pressure inside the eye that can lead to glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease
•Cataract (clouding of the eye’s naturally clear lens)
•Injury to the cornea, the clear outer area of the eye that focuses light and makes vision possible. If severe enough, a corneal transplant may be needed
•Inflammation of the iris or areas around it, leading to pain, blurred vision and tearing
•When complications occur, the implants often must be removed via additional surgery, which carries its own risks of damaging the eye. In one study, nine of 14 patients needed their implants removed.
In 2009, a student from London by the name of Shenise Farrell, underwent the same type of surgery to change her eye color. Unfortunately, she went to an unregulated medical facility in Panama, spent $8000 (UK dollars) on the operation, and the procedure almost blinded her.
She ended up removing the implants after complications.
Doctors are strongly advising people against the surgery.
http://www.blackinsurancenews.com/uncategorized/tinys-new-eye-surgery-may-blind-you/
All these physical enhances are crazy. Why do we put so much emphasis on how we look when there are so many other issues with ourselves that need correcting.
ICAM, SHO.
Better work on the intangible virtues like, compassion, humility, patience, etc. but that’s way to much work, for some of us.
Better to cover up in jewels and clothing with other folks watermark on it.
It’s a distraction, it’s sad, and it’s also the reason why our country is going to HELL in a HANDBASKET!
Midterms: Ultraconservative Experiments Are Put to the Test
By Pema Levy
Filed: 10/27/14 at 5:03 PM
On a stormy Friday night last month, the local Democratic headquarters in High Point, North Carolina was overflowing. As rain pounded outside, more than a hundred packed into a small industrial-park office space for a chance to shake hands and take their picture with Democratic Senator Kay Hagan.
A freshman Senator, Hagan is in the fight of her life this year against Republican challenger Thom Tillis, the speaker of the state House. Her race was supposed to be a prime chance for Republicans to pick up a seat on their way to gaining control of the U.S. Senate.
But it’s not going as well as Republicans had hoped.
Hagan’s remarks were half pep talk, half stump speech, with her supporters murmuring approval when she urged them to vote early and booing when she mentioned her opponent’s record. When she stopped speaking, chants of “Go Kay! Go Kay!” filled the room.
Among her most devoted supporters, Hagan is a star. But the genius of her campaign is that it’s not actually about her, it’s all about her opponent. By keeping the spotlight firmly on Tillis, Hagan is poised to buck national trends and win in a solidly conservative state while fellow Democrats around the country appear headed to defeat.
What sets North Carolina apart is what Tillis himself dubs the state’s “conservative revolution.” With inadequate budgets and shrinking tax revenue, Republicans over the past three years have turned North Carolina into a laboratory of libertarian economics and social conservativism. As the National Journal reported last year, North Carolina is “where the GOP’s wonderland is real.”
A little too real perhaps. While the state’s economy is improving—as it is nationwide—North Carolinians are beginning to see what happens when you slash state revenues and state spending: While the rich get a tax cut, the state runs out of money for important things like education.
“You cannot shrink the size and scope of government to a point where you starve your public school system,” Democratic consultant Brad Crone told Newsweek. “We don’t want to become Kansas.”
He mentions Kansas because its ultraconservative fiscal experiment isn’t going so well there, either.
http://www.newsweek.com/midterms-ultraconservative-experiments-are-put-test-280333
Gov who reversed his decision says, ‘I didn’t reverse any decision’
10/28/14 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
Nurse Kaci Hickox was, as promised, released from a mandatory quarantine in New Jersey yesterday, and was allowed to return home to Maine. Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) defense for his curious actions still needs some work.
“I didn’t reverse any decision,” Mr. Christie said from the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Fla., where he was campaigning for that state’s governor, Rick Scott, a fellow Republican. “She hadn’t had any symptoms for 24 hours. And she tested negative for Ebola. So there was no reason to keep her. The reason she was put into the hospital in the first place was because she was running a high fever and was symptomatic.”
I can appreciate why the governor may feel defensive about his clumsy handling of the situation, but that’s no reason to deny what is plainly true.
On Friday, Christie endorsed a new policy, one whole day in the making, imposing a mandatory, 21-day quarantine on those who may have been in contact with Ebola patients in West Africa. Hours later, the Christie administration detained Hickox, despite evidence she wasn’t actually symptomatic.
On Sunday morning, the governor boasted that he had “absolutely … no second thoughts” about his policy, only to announce later in the day that his policy would now allow home quarantines. By Monday morning, Christie’s 21-day quarantine on Hickox was reduced to three.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gov-who-reversed-his-decision-says-i-didnt-reverse-any-decision
Chris Christie need to be run out of politics.
Barabbas, Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. Invoked to Get Out the Vote
By Pema Levy
Filed: 10/27/14 at 11:48 AM
With the November midterm elections next week, this past Sunday was the first time Reverend Samuel’s congregation could go to the polls on a Sunday. Located in the town of Stone Mountain in DeKalb County, an Atlanta suburb with a high concentration of Democratic voters, Samuel’s sermon built up to a call to head straight to the local polling place and vote right after church — a turnout effort known as Souls to the Polls.
Before urging his congregants at the Victory for the World church in Stone Mountain to join him at the polls, Samuel preached to them about the importance of voting — even if you’re on the losing side.
In Samuel’s sermon, the point of the Barabbas story was not that the crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus. It was that Jesus’s followers did not speak up for him. For Samuel’s mostly black congregation of about 2,000, the lesson was that every vote counts and that dissent matters…
Today, all eyes are on Georgia. With only eight days to go to the midterms, the state’s razor tight Senate race between Democrat Michelle Nunn and Republican David Perdue could ultimately decide which party controls the U.S. Senate in January. Nunn and Perdue are virtually tied in the polls, with the race currently expected to result in a runoff. (If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second ballot takes place in two months time.) Alongside the vote for senator, Georgians will also choose their next governor — incumbent Republican Nathan Deal or his challenger, Democratic state Senator Jason Carter.
The only reason Nunn and Carter have a chance in a state that has consistently elected Republicans to federal and statewide offices in the last decade is the growth of African American, Latino and Asian voters in the state. This year, the minority leader in the state House, Democratic Rep. Stacey Abrams, has lead a vigorous effort to register minority voters, collecting about 85,000 applications. Similar registration efforts collected another 120,000 forms, substantially growing the number of minority voters in Georgia.
These efforts have made Republicans nervous…
“What’s really fired up voters is overt attempts to suppress the vote,” Samuels told Newsweek at the polling station. He had mentioned both Senator Millar and Secretary Kemp in his sermon Sunday…
Election officials in DeKalb County are noticing more turnout this year than the last midterms. Maxine Daniels, Director of Registration and Elections in the county, said nearly 2,000 people voted in the first two hours of early voting Sunday. Daniels believes the closeness of the races at the top of the ballot is getting people to the polls because they believe this time they can make a difference…
http://www.newsweek.com/barabbas-jesus-martin-luther-king-jr-invoked-get-out-vote-279998?piano_t=1
The Beltway balks at No-Drama Obama
10/27/14 04:39 PM
By Steve Benen
In June 2009, President Obama was hosting a press conference and much of the White House press corps was focused on Iranian leaders cracking down on reform-minded protestors. NBC’s Chuck Todd urged Obama to “spell out the consequences” for Iran if the violence continued.
The president didn’t take the bait, and clearly saw no value in making ultimatums. “We don’t know yet how this thing is going to play out,” Obama said. Pressed further, the president delivered 13 memorable words: “I know everybody here is on a 24-hour news cycle. I’m not.”
As far as I know, no one in the Beltway has ever explicitly said so, but I’ve often wondered how many of the president’s media critics were tempted to respond, “Why not?”
Matt Yglesias published a much-discussed piece the other day on the president’s even-keeled temperament, even during crises, which much of the media just doesn’t like. Matt referenced this piece from Josh Green, who was critical of Obama’s technocratic approach that denies “the public’s emotional needs” and neglects “the performative aspects” of the presidency.
The trouble, as Yglesias’ piece makes clear, is that Obama’s style actually works pretty well.
[A]n aversion to purely symbolic action has genuinely served Obama well at critical moments. Less cool heads would have abandoned Obamacare in January 2010. Obama persevered and it’s worked. Obama’s approach to the economy has been far from flawless, but it’s not a coincidence that the USA has performed better since 2008 than Europe or the United Kingdom and weathered its financial crisis far better than Japan did in the 1990s.
The Deepwater Horizon crisis passed. The American Ebola crisis will also pass. HealthCare.gov got fixed. The Russian economy is reeling in the face of sanctions. Osama bin Laden is dead. The economy is growing. Obama hasn’t always been a very effective pundit-in-chief (acute crisis moments aside, his inability to articulate public anger at Wall Street has been remarkable) but that’s not actually his job. On the big stuff, he’s been effective. And that’s not a coincidence.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-beltway-balks-no-drama-obama
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good morning.