Political Ruminations

Picture of the Day

Via Newsweek

Sitting Out the Vote is Not Reasonable, Honorable or Moral

For me to write a lengthy screed on what I consider the stupidity of the notion that it’s a reasonable  thing to sit out the vote because you refuse to vote for a president because you hate the drones (I mean, don’t we all hate the drones?) would be impossible because as a human being who tries to think through to the heart of the matter, I’m incapable of giving any merit to half-assed idealistic reasoning when I know that there is at least one good reason to do the thing that would be right. And that reason, regardless of however you feel about President Obama, is that Romney would be very much worse, and we absolutely do have an obligation to consider the collective good.

There are people such as the very naïve Conor Friedersdorf who think that among other reasons he won’t vote for Obama, the immorality of using drones is so awful that any president who would use drones is a moral fucktard and should be banished from (voted out of) the kingdom. He believes that it’s one’s moral obligation not to vote for what he considers an “immoral president” regardless of the harm that the other candidate would certainly do if elected. Many who consider themselves beyond liberal, i.e., distinguish themselves from liberals with the term “leftist”, believe that sitting out the vote for such a reason is both honorable and moral. But it really isn’t. It is an abdication of your own responsibility.

It is an excuse not to be a part of whatever decisions the elected president makes. In a refusal to vote for the best person, you are simply abdicating your part in the decision making process which determines who will be in charge of this country. If you sit out the vote and a president is elected who is far worse than the one you are protesting, you are every bit as much responsible as those who actually voted for that person.

If you abdicate your obligation to vote for the best person, you do not get to tell yourself that you are making a moral, honorable, or even reasonable choice, because you are also refusing to contribute to the collective good.

Another Romney Tax Avoidance Scheme Revealed

Current TV’s Cenk Uygur on the “I dig it” tax avoidance scheme:

Bloody damn plutocrats.

Morning Quote: Ann Romney

During a campaign stop in Reno, Nevada on Thursday, Ann Romney sat down for an interview with KTVN, and expressed concern about her husband’s mental health should he be elected, emphasis mine:

“I think my biggest concern, obviously, would just be for his mental well-being. I have all the confidence in the world in his ability, in his decisiveness and his leadership skills, in his understanding of the economy, in his understanding of what’s missing right now in the economy – you know, pieces that are missing to get this jump-started. So for me I think it would just be the emotional part of it.”

h/t Raw Story

Image is a screenshot by Political Ruminations

Fight! The View Ladies Smack Down Ann Coulter

That hag doesn't deserve any air time, but since they gave it to her, it was great to see all (except Elizabeth, natch) of the ladies of The View smack down Coulter as she babbled on and on about her latest piece of trash book. Watch:

Hey Elizabeth, you are an exceptionally ignorant human being.

Quote of the Day: Bill Maher on Paul Ryan

In a clip released by Larry King’s online-only-show, Bill Maher talked to King about Paul Ryan, painting Ryan as a bigger liar than Romney. Watch:

“Paul Ryan is certainly an interesting man. He has the the moral core of the pimp from ‘Taxi Driver’. This is a guy who will just say anything, I mean…wow. I thought Mitt Romney was a facile liar. This guy, you know, he even lies about his marathon times, you know….He’s just one of those people who when he’s speaking, he’s lying.”

The "moral core of a pimp from 'Taxi Driver'.....HAHAHA............

Obama’s Second Term Agenda

“ It’s time for a new economic patriotism. ”

Watch:

Morning Quote: Claire McCaskill

On Morning Joe today, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) discussed how far to the right her challenger, Todd Akin (R), actually is by noting that in contrast, Michele Bachmann, with her odd assortment of completely crazy-ass views, looks like a “hippie”:

“I mean, this is somebody who kind of makes Michele Bachmann look like a hippie.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Todd Akin, he’s the guy who differentiates between “rape” and “legitimate rape”. Akin is a certified member of the He-Man Woman Haters Club, so ladies, if you have a few bucks to spare, help Sen. McCaskill beat this guy by donating to her re-election fund!

Adding…yesterday, Akin accused Sen. McCaskill of not being as “ladylike” as she was in 2006. Republicans, after insisting that Akin drop out of the race at the time he made his controversial comments about women and their ladyparts, they are back on board with supporting this woman hating Neanderthal. Yet another reason why we can not allow McCaskill to lose.

VIDEO: President Obama Answers Hasselbeck Question Unlike in HuffPost's Selectively Edited Version

You can watch the full episode of The View from September 25 which includes an appearance by the President and First Lady here.

You can also take a look at Huffington Post’s selectively edited version (and Conan’s response to Hasselbeck) here. You should know that the Huffington Post has yet to pull the edited version even though it presents a completely different version than the actual segment does, a fact which their commenters have yet to realize. #HuffpostPropaganda

And you can watch the clip below as Elizabeth Hasselbeck asks President Obama a question during his appearance on The View on Tuesday (and despite Huffpost's apparent desire to lead you to believe otherwise, yes, he did answer the question):

Quote of the Day

Booman on Ohio’s lean to the left:

“If you think white working class guys in Ohio are lining up to vote for the "plutocrat married to a known equestrian," you are quite mistaken. Ask them who is better on the economy and they will tell you 'Obama.' This is evidence that the GOP is no longer a national party. Ohio is supposed to be a right-leaning state that Democrats can occasionally win. But, right now, it is a left-leaning state. And it will probably stay that way, just like Michigan and Pennsylvania.”

Morning Quote: Nancy Pelosi

In a Maddow Show segment on Wednesday night, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke out about the threat Republicans pose to the Medicare program and to seniors:

“We cannot lose the debate about Medicare because if we do--forget Democrats, forget Republicans--Medicare is gone. We'll be back to a time before Lyndon Johnson. We will be putting seniors at the mercy of insurance companies by giving them a voucher but not a guarantee.

And the severing of that guarantee, the architect of that, is Paul Ryan.”

Information for Voters on Michigan Ballot Proposals 1-6

Early voting is already underway in Michigan via absentee ballot.
Meanwhile, misleading ads, most of which are being run by dark money PACS, have sought to confuse voters so that many of us don’t have any idea as to how to vote on these proposals, or in some cases, what the issues are behind the proposals.

This is my small effort to explain the proposals and the possible outcomes. It’s up to you to cast your vote appropriately.

Michigan PROPOSAL 1

Proposal 1 is a petition which "seeks to invoke the right of referendum for the Emergency Manager Law" enacted in 2011, and known as (Public Act 4 or PA 4). As you probably noted, the wording of the proposal is confusing (which is no doubt, intentional).

Nevertheless, if enough Michigan Voters choose "NO" on Proposal 1, the hated, undemocratic, Public Act 4, also known as the Emergency Manager Law, will be repealed in its entirety.

If you vote “yes” on Proposal 1, you are voting to provide the legitimacy of “public approval” to PA 4 (the Emergency Manager Law), and it will be invoked in it’s entirety. I don’t personally know anyone who would want that.

My recommendation is to vote “NO”.

Michigan PROPOSAL 2

The purpose of Proposal 2 is to allow for an amendment to the Michigan Constitution which would make collective bargaining a right in Michigan.

This proposal is backed by both unions and workers, and is essential to protect our jobs and standard of living. The negative ads are being paid for by right wing anti-union sources, and I urge you strongly not to fall for their outright lies.

If a majority of Michigan voters vote “yes” on Proposal 2, the ability to organize and collectively bargain will become a right in Michigan, something that lawmakers can not toss aside as they have done in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and yes, Michigan, as well as in many other states.

My recommendation is to vote “YES”.

Michigan PROPOSAL 3

The purpose of Proposal 3 is to create an amendment to the Michigan Constitution which would require Michigan’s public utility companies to obtain at least 25 percent of their electricity from clean and renewable energy sources by 2025.

Current Michigan law requires that Michigan public utility companies obtain at least 10 percent of their electricity  from renewable sources. Proposal 3 would increase this requirement by an additional 25% by 2025.

Despite the misleading ads you may have seen, the language in the amendment created by Proposal 3 would prevent the utility companies from increasing rates to consumers by more than 1% annually to pay for the changes.  I’m sure you’ve now figured out that the utility companies are behind the push to vote “no” on this proposal.

Proponents of Proposal 3 cite the passage of the amendment as a significant boon to Michigan’s economy, that it would create more than 90,000 jobs, and reduce air pollution.

A “YES” vote on Proposal 3 would amend the Michigan Constitution
to require that 25% of electric energy be obtained from clean and renewable sources (solar, wind power, and so forth).

UPDATE on Prop 3: You can view the supporters of the opposition ad campaign here. As you might expect, it is primarily the utility companies, other businesses and the various Chambers of Commerce that are funding the opposition.'

UPDATE 2 on Prop 3:  Bill Clinton has now given his support to Prop 3.

My recommendation is to vote “YES”.

Michigan PROPOSAL 4

Proposal 4 would also amend the Michigan Constitution to create security for Michigan home care workers, and thus preserve the right of Michigan citizens to remain in their homes rather than in a nursing home or other institution  if they so choose. The language of the proposal as follows, emphasis mine:

This proposal would:

• Allow in-home care workers to bargain collectively with the Michigan Quality Home Care Council (MQHCC). Continue the current exclusive representative of in-home care workers until modified in accordance with labor laws.

• Require MQHCC to provide training for in-home care workers, create a registry of workers who pass background checks, and provide financial services to patients to manage the cost of in-home care.

• Preserve patients’ rights to hire in-home care workers who are not referred from the MQHCC registry who are bargaining unit members.

• Authorize the MQHCC to set minimum compensation standards and terms and conditions of employment.

The anti-union forces are against Proposal 4 and include the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and Gov. Rick Snyder.

My recommendation is to vote “YES”.

Michigan PROPOSAL 5

Prop 5 is yet another proposed constitutional amendment which would essentially fulfill Grover Norquist’s “No New Taxes” pledge. It would prevent the state from levying any new taxes on citizens, as well as preventing an expansion of the tax base unless a 2/3 majority of the members of both the Michigan House and the Michigan Senate approve or unless a majority of citizens approve, after a statewide vote has been held.

In simple terms it would mean that only 13 Michigan legislators could prevent any tax increase, even if 135 legislators vote for it. This would, in effect, give lobbyists and others (such as billionaire Matty Maroun) reason to celebrate.

Proposal 5’s spot on the ballot was financed by billionaire Matty Maroun, and is backed by Grover Norquist, Mr. Anti-Tax Conservative himself. In fact, Norquist has caused all kinds of problems in the U.S. House and Senate, so it would be wise to keep him out of our state politics.

A “NO” vote by Michigan citizens would ensure that tax revenues could be raised as circumstances warrant. A “Yes” vote plays into the hands of Republicans such as Grover Norquist, and essentially prevents taxes from being raised when needed.

My recommendation is to vote “NO”.

Michigan PROPOSAL 6

Proposal 6 is a proposed constitutional amendment. With enough "Yes" votes from Michigan citizens, the State of Michigan would be required to hold a statewide vote before expending state funds “or resources for acquiring land, designing, soliciting bids for, constructing, financing, or promoting new international bridges or tunnels”.

This is once again about billionaire Matty Maroun and the Ambassador Bridge, owned and managed by Maroun’s company:

The Detroit International Bridge Co. filed the measure in response to a proposed project aimed at constructing a new international bridge increasing the number of lanes connecting Detroit to Windsor in Canada. The project, called the New International Trade Crossing (NITC), would compete for traffic with the Detroit International Bridge Co.'s current bridge, the Ambassador Bridge.

My recommendation is to vote “NO”.

Sen. Roy Blunt Flip-Flops on Akin

On Tuesday, Missouri’s Republican Senator Roy Blunt released a statement in support of Todd Akin, aka the “legitimate rape” guy, contradicting his stance on Akin last August:

“Congressman Akin and I don’t agree on everything, but he and I agree the Senate majority must change. From Governor Romney to the county courthouse, I’ll be working for the Republican ticket in Missouri, and that includes Todd Akin.”

But, geez, back in August, Sen. Blunt was just so eager to get Akin out of government:

“Todd needs to get out of this race…it’s not helpful.”

Today, it seems, Republicans are more concerned about their determination to win a majority in the Senate. According to Nate Silver, that likelihood is pretty slim.

RELATED POSTS:

+ Todd Akin and Paul Ryan in the He-Man Woman Haters Club
+ Republican War on Women

+ Paul Ryan + Todd Akin Sympatico on Women's Reproductive Rights

+ Quote of the Day: Steve King
+ Morning Quote: Todd Akin

Morning Quote: Mitt Romney Hates Teachers Unions

In an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams on Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told Williams that he doesn’t like the idea of money from the teachers' unions going to political campaigns, emphasis mine:

“I think it's a mistake. I think we have to get the money out of the teachers' unions going into campaigns. It's the wrong way for us to go. We've got to separate that.”

Romney doesn’t like it because teachers' unions support Democrats. Period. Steve Benen, emphasis mine:

I realize Romney's developed an allergy to pre-election details, but it'd be great if he could flesh this out a little. It seems that Romney -- who's expressed support for unlimited contributions -- is fully comfortable with lobbyists, corporations (which are people, my friend), and hedge fund managers donating to their hearts' content, no matter what their dealings with government might be.

But school teachers? For Romney, their involvement in elections must be curtailed.

Just how stupid does Mr. Romney think we are?

Mitt Romney’s Dismal Record on Public Education as the Governor of Massachusetts

In 2002 during his campaign for Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney told the people of that great state that he wouldn’t make cuts to public education:

“The services delivered to our children in schools….we’re not gonna cut that.”

In his very first budget after being elected, Gov. Romney cut $248.7 million from K-12 education.

Watch:

As you heard, in 2011 Romney had this to say about class size:

“All the talk about ‘we need smaller classroom size’…….look, that’s promoted by the teachers unions to hire more teachers.”

And in 2012, Romney said that in Massachusetts, they found that there’s no relationship between class size and how kids perform. A pumpkin head could tear that one apart.

So then, do you trust him with your precious kids? I wouldn’t.

Mitt Romney on Tax Fairness

Included in this latest ad from Obama-Biden, is a small portion of Mitt Romney’s interview with 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley, focused on Romney’s idea of tax fairness (broadcast on Sunday, September 23, 2012). Watch:

Morning Quote: Mitt Romney

During another $50,000 a plate fundraiser (not private, thus no incriminating revelations…..sadly), this time in Beverly Hills, Mitt Romney talked about an incident involving Ann Romney whose airplane made an emergency landing on Friday due to an electrical malfunction, emphasis mine:

“I appreciate the fact that she is on the ground, safe and sound. And I don’t think she knows just how worried some of us were. When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous. And she was choking and rubbing her eyes. Fortunately, there was enough oxygen for the pilot and copilot to make a safe landing in Denver. But she’s safe and sound.”

So, um, Romney doesn’t understand why aircraft windows don’t open… Smart.

H/T Bob Cesca

UPDATE: The Sorry Conclusion to Mitt Romney’s Plane-Windows-Gate

Morning Quote: Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney defends the competence of his presidential campaign during an interview on 60 Minutes last night:

“Well, it doesn't need a turnaround. I've got a very effective campaign. It's doing a very good job.”

Quote of the Day: 60 Minutes on Mitt Romney

Scott Pelley talks about Mitt Romney to Mitt Romney for 60 Minutes on September 23, 2012, emphasis mine:

“Ten years ago, when you were running for governor of Massachusetts, you were solidly pro-choice on abortion. Now you're against abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or the health of the mother. When you were running for governor, you ridiculed the idea of signing a "no new taxes" pledge, and yet now you've signed one. Some people, Governor, have an uneasy feeling that you're not constant, that you say whatever you have to say in a particular moment.”

Now there’s a true understatement.

Flashback Quote of the Day: Mitt Romney

I missed posting this quote the first time around (January 2012), and felt it was even more relevant now since Mitt Romney has become the GOP’s presidential candidate and has even nominated another plutocrat to govern with him. Enjoy.

Asked for his opinion on the growing concern of Americans re income inequality, Mitt Romney says it’s all about envy:

“You know, I think it's about envy. I think it's about class warfare.”

Oh, there is certainly a class war going on, but it’s being waged by the 1% against the poor and the middle class. But I digress.

When Romney was asked if it’s ever okay to have a discussion about wealth inequality, Romney said it was fine to do so in “quiet rooms”:

“It's fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms and discussions about tax policy and the like.”

In other words, keep such matters from gaining wide attention or as Mitt might privately say, “We certainly don’t want the servant class to learn that they’re terribly taken advantage of in order to benefit us (the 1%), so STFU!”.

Source

30,000 Pro-America Protesters in Libya Attack Islamist Militia Compound

This makes my heart sing.

Via Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs comes a story of 30,000 pro-America Libyan protesters who attacked an Islamist militia compound in Benghazi on Friday, and took it apart, chanting things such as “We want justice for [Ambassador] Stevens" and "No more al-Qaida!",emphasis mine:

An amazing story from Libya today, where pro-America protesters staged a huge demonstration, and stormed and ransacked the base of the main radical Islamist militia: Libyan Demonstrators Wreck Militia Compound in Benghazi.

Hundreds of Libyan protesters forced members of the main Salafist militia out of their base in the second city of Benghazi Friday, setting fire to and wrecking the military compound.

The assault came as an estimated 30,000 people rallied against the influence of the militias in the city, drowning out a protest by radical Salafists angry over a film and cartoons deemed offensive to Islam.

“No to armed formations” and “Yes to the Libya army” read banners raised by protesters gathered at the city’s Tibesti Hotel before marching to Al-Kish Square, close to the barracks of several militia brigades.

“Our law is God’s law, not the law of the jungle,” women chanted.

Banners also paid tribute to U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed along with three Americans on September 11 in what the White House now calls a terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

“Libya lost a friend” and “We want justice for Stevens,” signs read.

Make no mistake. This has happened because of President Obama’s foreign policy acuity. This is the kind of leadership we need not only in this country, but in the world at large.

The image is of “an armed Libyan man flashes the victory sign in front of a fire at the hardline Islamist group Ansar el-Sharia headquarters in Benghazi”, and the photo credit goes to Abdullah Doma-AFP.

Morning Quote: Mitt Romney Hates the Unions

In yet another controversial quote from the secretly taped video (filmed at the Plutocrat fundraiser) that keeps on giving, Plutocrat in Chief Mitt Romney talked about how he’d like to fire masses of federal workers, and his anti-union sentiments:

“I wish we weren’t unionized so we could go a lot deeper than you’re actually allowed to go.”

I have a high degree of doubt that union contracts would stop him.

The AFL-CIO Blog chimed in, emphasis mine :

Romney teases his high-value, campaign cash-cow audience with this: “But we can find a way.” Maybe he would dust off his old Bain Capital playbook.

Here’s a question for Romney. If it weren’t for those darned union contracts, how many job safety or food inspectors, border patrol agents, air traffic controllers, Veterans Affairs doctors and nurses and other hardworking federal employees would you fire?

FULL VIDEO: Letterman Interviews President Obama

Watch:

For those of you who landed on this and found that the Letterman video was a cooking video, my apologies. CBS has a VERY wonky video deal, and I really did post the Letterman video, but at some point “it switched” itself to the food video.

Anyway, I found a better clip, so please enjoy.

Flashback Quote of the Day: Ann Romney During the Olympics

According to an article in The Washington Post, this is how Ann Romney “privately reacted to Democratic attacks on her dressage-competing” horse:

“My horse has more style and more class in its hoof than they do in their whole deal.”

aww…..and it only has one hoof? Or is all the “style and class” in one hoof only? 

The Big Banks Are Big Tax Moochers

Jesse Eisinger on the big banks as the big tax moochers:

Thanks to a leaked video, we know that Mitt Romney divides the country into those who pay taxes and those who don't, the makers and the moochers.

There is one perhaps surprising group you can put in the latter category: the nation's banks. Sure, banks pay taxes, but they pay a lot less thanks to a giant and underappreciated distortion in our nation's tax code. Moreover, this tax code distortion makes the financial system and the economy more fragile, prone to bankruptcies and runs. Banks profit, and the economy teeters. Great bargain, huh?

Shades of Ayn Rand….

Morning Quote: Elizabeth Warren

Democratic Massachusetts senate candidate Elizabeth Warren on Romney’s remarks about 47 percent of Americans in the now infamous, secretly taped video :

“Romney just wrote off half the people in Massachusetts and half the people in America as deadbeats. This is a separate category of contempt for half of our fellow citizens.”

Morning Quote: President Obama Remarks on the Letterman Show

On the Letterman show last night, Letterman asked President Obama for his take on Romney’s remarks in the recently released, secretly taped video. President Obama didn’t address it directly, but he made a number of comments which clearly outlined the differences between the two men:

“This is a big country. And people disagree a lot, but one thing I’ve never tried to do, and I think none of us can do in public office is suggest that because someone doesn’t agree with me that they’re victims or they’re unpatriotic.”

“There are not a lot of people out there who think they’re victims. There are not a lot of people who think they’re entitled to something.”

“The other thing you discover as you travel around the country is, the American people, they work so hard.”

“One of the things I've learned as president, is you represent the entire country. And, when I meet Republicans, as I'm traveling around the country, they are hard working family people who care deeply about this country, and, my expectation is that if you want to be president, you gotta work for everybody. Not just for some.”

“All of us make mistakes. What people want to know though is you’re not writing off a big chunk of the country.”

Image credit (Carolyn Kaster/ Associated Press )

Mitt Romney Loves Him Some Outsourcing

Mitt Romney brags to his fellow plutocrats about outsourcing his campaign at the now infamous private fundraiser last May:

“I have a very good team of extraordinarily experienced, highly successful consultants, a couple of people in particular who have done races around the world. I didn't realize it. These guys in the US—the Karl Rove equivalents—they do races all over the world: in Armenia, in Africa, in Israel. I mean, they work for Bibi Netanyahu in his race. So they do these races and they see which ads work, and which processes work best, and we have ideas about what we do over the course of the campaign. I'd tell them to you, but I'd have to shoot you.”

Morning Quote: Mitt Romney Hates on Half of America

In a secretly taped video, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney calls half of America parasitic freeloaders during a private fundraiser last May, emphasis mine:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.”

Watch:

A majority of that 47 percent Romney is hating on, lives in red states, and, that number is not really even half the story.

Full series of video clips from the May fundraiser.

Karl Rove's New Anti-Obama Ad Rendered Toothless

Karl Rove’s new ad is a mish-mash of boldfaced, audacious lies and pandering to racism  utilized by Republicans in their out-of-touch effort to paint the president as a “lazy, shiftless black man” in service to the GOP’s famous ‘Southern Strategy’.

Elsewhere, Bob Cesca awesomely debunks the ad, leading up to it with a discussion of the Romney Campaign’s use of the Southern Strategy since April 2012:

In conjunction with the April roll-out of the campaign’s first major foray into the Southern Strategy, Romney said, “I must say I scratch my head at the capacity of the president to take four hours off on such a regular basis to go golfing. I would think you could kind of suck it up for four years, particularly when the American people are out of work.” He continued, “I know prior Presidents have gone to Camp David and have been able to get a little rest and get away from the demands of Washington, bring some of their key advisers there and focus on solving tough issues. I would not be jetting around the world and using four years in office to see the world, but instead I would consider the four to eight years in office as a time to get America back on track.”

Romney, who famously capped off his dismal nominating convention by cruising around on his yacht for a long weekend, spoke those words on the Bill Cunningham radio show. You might recall Cunningham from 2008 when he spoke at a McCain event and repeatedly emphasized the president’s middle name — another shameless use of Southern Strategy politics. To his credit, McCain repudiated Cunningham and never invited him back.

Elsewhere, conservatives have taken to calling the president a “vacationer-in-chief.” Even golf enthusiast John Boehner once said, “This is the biggest job in the world and I’ve never seen a president make it smaller.”

Cesca then goes on to slay the specifics of Rove’s (American Crossroads) new ad with a discussion of presidential vacations:

act: during his first 31 months in office, Rove’s former boss spent 180 days on vacation. President Obama, on the other hand, only spent 61 days on vacation in his first 31 months. By the way, it’s important to note what was happening during Bush’s first 31 months: two wars of his own choosing, a catastrophic terrorist attack, corporate scandals and a recession. Yet Bush enjoyed three times as many vacation days as the current president. According to his presidential library, Bush took a total of 1,021 days off during his eight years as president. That’s nearly as many days as JFK’s entire presidency, which lasted 1,036 days. FDR took 958 days off, but he was president for 12 years. In 2005, with three more years left in his presidency, Bush surpassed Reagan for total vacation days. Stacked end-to-end that’s nearly three years out of eight for Bush 43. Of the last seven presidents, Obama, Clinton and Carter spent the fewest days on vacation, with Clinton winning the workaholic competition.

On the intelligence briefings issue:

Now, what about this intelligence briefing issue that Rove brought up in the Crossroads commercial (also noted recently by Breitbart.com and Marc Thiessen)? Specifically, the ad repeats the notion that the president deliberately “skipped” nearly half of all the Presidential Daily Briefs (PDB). You know, because he’s so lazy and irresponsible.

Dana Milbank via Steve Benen debunked that one, “In reality, Obama didn’t ‘attend’ these meetings, because there were no meetings to attend: The oral briefings had been mostly replaced by daily exchanges in which Obama reads the materials and poses written questions and comments to intelligence officials. This is how it was done in the Clinton administration, before Bush decided he would prefer to read less. Bush’s results — Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and the failure to find Osama bin Laden — suggest this was not an obvious improvement.”

So it came down to Bush being too lazy to read stuff. Instead, Bush asked his intelligence people to read the PDBs to him. It’s frankly shocking that Rove would continue to open this can of worms knowing the ineptitude and incompetency of his former boss.

Read the full article.

Morning Quote: Rick Santorum

During a speech at the Value Voters Summit on Saturday, Rick Santorum attacked “smart people” and the media:

“We will never have the media on our side, ever, in this country. We will never have the elite, smart people on our side.”

Santorum then proceeded to attack members of his own party:

“When it comes to conservatism libertarian types can say, “oh, well you know, we don't want to talk about social issues”. Without the church and the family, there is no conservative movement, there is no basic values of America.”

Ambassador Susan Rice: U.S. Will Prevent Iran From Acquiring a Nuclear Weapon

On CNN's "State of the Union" this morning, Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice talked about the U.S. commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon:

“President Obama has been absolutely clear and on this there's absolutely no daylight between the United States and Israel, that we will do what it takes to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. We are not at that stage yet. They do not have a nuclear weapon. Our shared intelligence assessments is that there is still considerable time and space before they will have a nuclear weapon should they make the decision to go for that.”

Morning Quote: Bob Cesca

Bob Cesca on Mitt Romney’s pathetically un-presidential reaction to the events in Libya and Cairo on Wednesday:

“They [Republicans] confuse obnoxious loudness with foreign policy expertise.

The opposite of a foreign policy neophyte isn’t a scolding jerkass who pops off with saber-rattling platitudes and political attacks. Romney could have been a statesman about the events in Libya and Cairo and appeared dignified — perhaps qualified in the process, but instead he decided to be a braying dick. Anyone with a lapel pin and a pulse can do that. Braying dickishness doesn’t amount to anything resembling international leadership gravitas.”

Flashback Quote: Mitt Romney

In an op-ed published by the National Review on April 21, 2011, Mitt Romney criticized President Obama for his action in Libya, quoting neocon right wing reactionary (and former UN ambassador), John Bolton, who predicted the failure of the mission to remove Qaddafi from power even as the president had restricted the use of military force to “the limited objective of protecting civilians”:

“It is apparent that our military is engaged in much more than enforcing a no-fly zone. What we are watching in real time is another example of mission creep and mission muddle. In an op-ed in today’s Boston Herald, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton rightly notes that Obama has set himself up for “massive strategic failure” by demanding Qaddafi’s ouster “while restricting military force to the limited objective of protecting civilians.” Military action cannot be under-deliberated and ad hoc. The president owes it to the American people and Congress to immediately explain his new Libya mission and its strategic rationale.”

The neocons weren't upset about an action which could have cost American lives. No. They were upset because President Obama sought to prevent a genocide even as he restricted military action to defending civilians. Obama's refusal to jump into Libya and just take over by force was derided by every neocon in the warmongering Republican Party. Happily, Pres. Obama remained firm, and the Libyan action was a rousing success.

U.S. Diverts Warships to Libyan Coast

Via Politico:

WASHINGTON – U.S. officials say the Pentagon is moving two warships to the Libyan coast, in the aftermath of the attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three others.

Officials say one destroyer, the USS Laboon, moved to a position off the coast Wednesday, and the USS McFaul is en route and should be stationed off the coast within days. The officials say the ships, which carry Tomahawk missiles, do not have a specific mission. But they give commanders flexibility to respond to any mission ordered by the president.

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

President Obama to CBS News on Romney’s incredibly unknowledgeable and self-serving blunders into the foreign policy arena yesterday:

“There's a broader lesson to be learned here: Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later.”

For a reprise of the [political]events of yesterday, read “Mitt Romney Kneejerks Into Another Colossal Blunder”.

Romney Inserts Scary Foot in Foreign Policy

Yesterday, 4 Americans were killed in the attack on the American embassy in Libya. The GOP’s presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, released a statement in which he implied that the president is a terrorist sympathizer:

“ I'm outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi. It's disgraceful that the Obama Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks. ”

Of course, it isn’t true and Mitt Romney, the Lying Liar, should never have said such a thing, emphasis mine:

The assertion that the administration sympathized with attackers was derived from a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo — before the compound was breached — criticizing an anti-Muslim film that "hurt the religious feelings" of others. Even after coming under attack, the Embassy spent much of the day defending and reasserting the statement on Twitter.

Bob Cesca on the event and the  aftermath:

Romney, in his haste, attacked the president and a U.S. Embassy in Cairo statement about a crappy anti-Islamic movie released in the United States. Romney said the embassy statement apologized for America and implied that it was issued following the deadly attack and killing of four U.S. diplomats in Libya, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. In fact, the statement was released before the killings and the statement didn’t apologize for America or American values and, instead, literally defended American values.

Worse, Romney rushed to score political points on the attack before having all of the facts.

Romney said, “The embassy in Cairo put out a statement after their grounds had been breached, protesters were inside the grounds. They reiterated that statement after the breach. I think it’s a — a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values.” [….]

That’s simply not the case. And this kind of response it utterly baffling, especially given the lack of information regarding why the Libya attack occurred. Officials believe the Libya attack, unlike the movie-related attacks in Cairo, were motivated by revenge for the killing of a member of al-Qaeda.

“It’s bad,” said a former aide to Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. “Just on a factual level that the statement was not a response but preceding, or one could make the case precipitating. And just calling it a ‘disgrace’ doesn’t really cut it. Not ready for prime time.”

A third Republican, a former Bush State Department official, told BuzzFeed, “It wasn’t presidential of Romney to go political immediately — a tragedy of this magnitude should be something the nation collectively grieves before politics enters the conversation.”

Continue reading Cesca’s post….

UPDATE: 

A Timeline Of The Attacks In Libya And Egypt — And The Responses

Morning Quote: Tea Party Leader Attacks the Poor

Watch Dallas Tea Party leader, Ted Phillips, cry about the expiring Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and attack the unemployed and food stamp recipients:

Tea Party buffoon, Ted Phillips:

“I think it is a bad thing is they let those cuts expire, we’re in the middle of a deep, deep recession … Now is not the time to increase taxes to the dwindling producers in our country when we have a president who is trying to give more money away to the moochers and welfare. We need people working, not sitting back receiving food stamps and unemployment. It’s laughable.”

Read John Amato’s post…

POLLS: Obama vs. Romney

CNN and ABC have President Obama ahead of Mitt Romney by six points,  or 52-46%.

Gallup also has the president ahead by six points, or 50-44%.

Other recent polls…

Interesting ABC News Poll Results

Asked which candidate they would choose to take care of  them if they became ill:

By a 13 point margin — 49-36 percent — registered voters polled by ABC News chose the president over Mitt Romney to nurse them back to health.

Asked who would make a more loyal friend:

By a 50-36 percent count, respondents said Obama was more likely to stick with them through trying times.

When asked which candidate they would like to have visit their homes for dinner:

Fifty-two percent of registered voters polled by ABC News said they’d rather have Obama visit their homes for dinner. Just 33 percent said they’d prefer Romney at the table.

When asked which candidate they’d choose  “as the captain of a ship in a storm”:

On what ABC News poll chief Gary Langer calls the most instructive question — which candidate they’d rather have “as the captain of a ship in a storm” — Romney loses to Obama, but by just three points, 46-43 percent.

Finally……….

“Obama’s advantages, in turn, include a persistent lead over Romney in empathy; registered voters by 50-40 percent think Obama better understands the economic problems people are having, and continue to rate him as more personally likeable, by a broad and steady 61-27 percent,” Langer reports. “When the two views are tested against each other, empathy independently predicts vote preferences to a far greater degree than does likability.”

Reminder……this does not call for complacency from Obama supporters!

Source: ABC News