Archive for National
Responding To The Pearl Clutchers
Posted by: | CommentsAll the fuss over Newark, NJ Mayor Corey Booker’s comments about Obama’s “nauseating” campaign ad slamming Mitt Romney’s experience with Bain Capital has Booker backtracking, the White House scolding and Republicans clutching their pearls. How dare he slam the private equity firms for maximizing profits at the expense of workers? No business-friendly politician would do that, would they?
Think Progress reminds us of pearl-clutching, anti-capitalist Republicans who did:
Here are the top 10 comments about Bain from Romney’s Republican rivals:
1) “The idea that you’ve got private equity companies that come in and take companies apart so they can make profits and have people lose their jobs, that’s not what the Republican Party’s about.” — Rick Perry [New York Times, 1/12/12]2) “The Bain model is to go in at a very low price, borrow an immense amount of money, pay Bain an immense amount of money and leave. I’ll let you decide if that’s really good capitalism. I think that’s exploitation.” — Newt Gingrich [New York Times, 1/17/12]
3) “Instead of trying to work with them to try to find a way to keep the jobs and to get them back on their feet, it’s all about how much money can we make, how quick can we make it, and then get out of town and find the next carcass to feed upon” — Rick Perry [National Journal, 1/10/12]
4) “We find it pretty hard to justify rich people figuring out clever legal ways to loot a company, leaving behind 1,700 families without a job.” — Newt Gingrich [Globe and Mail, 1/9/12]
Six more at Think Progress. How rude, Digby observes.
Obama at Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security
Posted by: | CommentsThis landed in my email inbox. I’ve shortened it some.
Ronald Reagan Building
Washington, D.C.
May 18, 2012, 10:08 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much [...] We were originally going to convene, along with the G8, in Chicago. But since we’re not doing this in my hometown, I wanted to bring a little bit of Chicago to Washington. (Laughter.) It is wonderful to see all of you. It is great to see quite a few young people here as well. And I want to acknowledge a good friend. We were just talking backstage — he was my inspiration for singing at the Apollo — (laughter) — Bono is here, and it is good to see him. (Applause.)
Now, this weekend at the G8, we’ll be represented by many of the world’s largest economies. We face urgent challenges — creating jobs, addressing the situation in the eurozone, sustaining the global economic recovery. But even as we deal with these issues, I felt it was also important, also critical to focus on the urgent challenge that confronts some 1 billion men, women and children around the world — the injustice of chronic hunger; the need for long-term food security.
So tomorrow at the G8, we’re going to devote a special session to this challenge. We’re launching a major new partnership to reduce hunger and lift tens of millions of people from poverty. And we’ll be joined by leaders from across Africa, including the first three nations to undertake this effort and who join us here today — I want to acknowledge them: Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia — (applause) — President Mills of Ghana — (applause) — and President Kikwete of Tanzania. (Applause.) Welcome.
‘But I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was’
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The TED Talk You Weren’t Supposed To See
Posted by: | CommentsSo says Adam Mordecai:
Nick Hanauer, self-described “super-rich” entrepreneur, gave a pretty compelling TED Talk about how the middle class—not the super-rich—are the real job creators. But TED, which has released over 100 different political videos in the past, thought this one was too partisan and chose not to release it.
Under pressure, they eventually did. Here it is anyway. Enjoy.
We Do – Update and Appeal
Posted by: | CommentsThis morning, we’re in Asheboro, N.C. At 9:30 a.m., we’ll stand with Barb and Angela as they request – and are denied – a marriage license in their home town, surrounded by friends, family and clergy.
Not Your Garden Variety 501(c)3
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After finding that two of Thom Tillis’ staff members were literally in bed with lobbyists, it makes perfect sense to investigate whether ALEC is in flagrante delicto with legislators. News and Observer:
An advocacy group is asking Attorney General Roy Cooper to investigate the tax status of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group that counts House Speaker Thom Tillis as one of its top members.
Common Cause sent the letter Tuesday just weeks after it filed a whistleblower complaint against ALEC with the IRS, saying it is operating as a tax-exempt nonprofit while lobbying state legislatures across the country.
“Common Cause has discovered compelling evidence that ALEC is a corporate lobby masquerading as a charity. ALEC’s compliance with state tax, gift, solicitation and lobbying laws should be reviewed by your office and/or appropriate state regulatory authorities,” the letter states. “As attorney general, you’re charged with responsibility for ensuring that North Carolina laws are properly applied and enforced. In view of the overwhelming evidence that ALEC is engaged in lobbying, I urge you to review its compliance with all applicable state laws or to refer this matter to the appropriate state regulatory authorities for their action.”
[...]
ALEC named Tillis, a Republican from the Charlotte area, as one of its state legislators of the year in 2011. The organization is holding a task force meeting in Charlotte on Friday and Saturday to consider “model legislation” for lawmakers to introduce.
Results
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Yes the NC Constitutional Amendment passed 61-39, but here in Buncombe it failed. There were a lot of interesting results here at home last night, most of which bode very well for Buncombe. Let’s get the results train rolling. (Buncombe results) (NC results)
On the 10th Congressional tip, Patsy Keever steamrolled Terry Bellamy 58-26, with also-ran Tim Murphy limping in with 15%. Keever’s excellent organization outpaced the other campaigns. People love them some Patsy Keever, there’s no getting around it. Whether she can translate that into victory against a seemingly bulletproof Patrick McHenry will depend on her campaign’s ability to activate voters who haven’t come out the last several cycles.
In the 11th, Hayden Rogers romped over his competition. With 56% of the vote, he beat Cecil Bothwell by 26, and Tom Hill pulled only 14%. Cecil was a liberal candidate in a conservative district, but it’s worth noting that he won the part of the district that’s in Buncombe County by 161 votes. Rogers now has to pivot to the general election in a district that has a very high number of registered Republicans. The contrast between the 10th and the 11th couldn’t be more stark in terms of who Democratic voters chose to be their standard bearer.
In Buncombe County Commissioner races, we saw a very high Democratic turnout. If the ratio of Democratic to Republican voters is similar in November, then look for a savory County Board majority to come into office.
The Day Before The Day
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What’s the CW on who’s going to win all these races? Have you already voted? What do you think the GOP Presidential primary vote will look like? I’m guessing Romney doesn’t break 58% and that Ron Paul has his best southern state showing.
This would also be a great place to let everyone know where the election night parties and gatherings are.
With 37 different ballot styles in Buncombe County (Thanks a lot, Tim Moffitt), the Board of Elections may take a little more time than usual to release results tomorrow, but you can watch for results at this link right here.
How’s That Austerity Plan Working For Ya?
Posted by: | CommentsJust in from Paris:
PARIS — Francois Hollande was elected France’s first Socialist president in nearly two decades on Sunday, dealing a humiliating defeat to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and shaking up European politics.[...]
The Socialist has vowed to renegotiate the hard-fought fiscal austerity pact signed by EU leaders in March and to make it focus more on growth, but is facing resistance from [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel. The French vote coincides with an election in Greece, where voters were also expected to punish the incumbent parties for landing the country in its bleak economic state. Anger over sputtering economies has brought down leaders from Ireland to Portugal since the debt crisis washed over the European continent.
Extraordinary
Posted by: | CommentsThe shareholders meetings for Duped Energy and Banks Over America are happening in Charlotte. Duke’s meeting is tomorrow and BOA on the 9th. Both are expected to bring some protests. As if.
Hooligan TJ alluded to it in comments, but I wanted to provide a space for folks to expand on the events themselves, the protests planned, and the “extraordinary circumstances” rules that are being put in place to try to dampen or diffuse the impact of peaceful protests, otherwise known as free speech.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
You would think that every attempt to stifle the will of “The People” through the imposition of laws designed to curb the above would be met with an equal and opposite escalation of action; force to meet force. Unfortunately the people are vastly outgunned, out tasered, out funded and out organized by the government that still claims to be responsive to said will of the people. In this particular instance they seem to have enacted legislation to protect one corporate citizen from being confronted by thousands of real live human citizens.
The government has yet to act to force change upon these Corporate citizens that would improve their moral and ethical standards of practice, and these rules seem to be made to insure that the citizenry doesn’t either.
How does that make you feel? Do you approve? Should or would Asheville do the same thing? Is this a dress rehearsal for the Democratic Convention, and does that heighten the chances of things going wrong and people getting hurt?
