Politico: Romney finishes first, but battered

Politico:

But if the past three days are any indication, there will be rough sledding ahead.

Under fire, the normally disciplined Romney committed verbal gaffes on back-to-back days, saying both that he knows what it’s like to fear losing a job and, in a potentially more damaging remark clipped from a comment about his support for the ability to choose an insurance company, that he likes “being able to fire people.”

And in a measure of what may become a problem as Romney’s rivals continue to pursue him, his campaign didn’t immediately realize how the comment was reverberating as opposing forces slammed the Ivy League-educated multimillionaire for talking about sharing the fears of job loss. Aides waited hours before offering an explanation, and Romney on Monday morning asserted that he worked his way up from entry-level jobs at the Boston Consulting Group.

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Mitt Romney 1st, Ron Paul 2nd, Jon Huntsman 3rd in NH, ABC Projects

And that's that. Read the rest of this post...

Republicans upset that White House threw Halloween party for servicemembers’ kids in 2009

Why are Republicans upset that the White House threw a Halloween party for the kids of US servicemembers? Because the party was just too darn nice for "those" kids, apparently.

This is the same thing Republicans pulled regarding the White House Christmas decorations - they were "too" Christmasy.

The Republicans are trying to put President Obama between a rock and a hard place - if he doesn't throw a good enough party for the kids, or decorate the White House nicely enough, then he hates both the military and Christmas. But seriously, Republicans think the American public is going to get upset because the President just did too much for the kids of our servicemembers risking their lives for us around the world. And the public is going to get upset that President Obama is apparently too Christian.

With GOP attacks like this, re-election might not be so hard after all. Read the rest of this post...

Tonight in NH should be kind of a yawner

As Matt Browner-Hamlin over at AMERICAblog Elections reports, tonight's New Hampshire GOP primary isn't expected to yield any surprises - Romney is expected to win, and even the "anti-Romney" vote isn't expected to be much of a contest:

The undercard fight of which Anti-Romney is showing strength could be interesting, but the only other candidate to dedicate serious time to NH is Huntsman. Gingrich and Santorum have spent a lot of time there of late as well, but the reality is that New Hampshire is Romney country and will do little, if anything, to change the narratives of the race.

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Study shows marijuana use not as bad as tobacco

Ron Paul voters are jumping for joy (or MaryJane). From Bloomberg:

Occasional pot smoking doesn’t appear to harm users’ lungs the way regular tobacco use does, according to a 20-year study.

Patients who smoked only tobacco had 24 fewer milliliters of volume in the first second of an exhalation than an average nonsmoker; marijuana smokers who didn’t smoke tobacco had 0.7 more milliliters. The pot-only smokers also had 8.2 milliliters more air exhaled after a full inhalation, compared with those who smoked nothing, and the tobacco-only smokers had 19 milliliters less.

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Can SOPA/PIPA be used to shut down the Vatican?

The Vatican did just steal a bunch of pages off of Wikipedia without attribution, and sent them to journalists (presumably by email). That's using the Internet to in essence steal intellectual property, isn't it?

From the Guardian:

[E]yebrows were raised when the Vatican resorted to Wikipedia when it released potted biographies of 22 new cardinals who were appointed on 6 January.

The biographies, sent to journalists, were cut and pasted from Wikipedia's Italian language site without attribution.

How is that any different than a blogger stealing an entire New York Times article and republishing it without attribution?  Or copying someone's music and sending it to a number of colleagues without attribution?

So could Wikipedia, under PIPA and SOPA, shut down the Vatican's Internet connection, Web site, and freeze its bank accounts?

A girl can dream. Read the rest of this post...

Supreme Court hears Texas redistricting case; minority representation & maybe Voting Rights Act at stake

We're coming into court season, and the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to change the world on a number of fronts, or at least try. (I'll have more about the whole court problem shortly — it's not just the Supreme Court that's at issue.)

One case before the Court this season involves the redistricting map for (ready?) Texas. You can guess what happened: The population grew by a lot; most of that growth was Hispanic; Republicans own the legislature; the legislature has a map; and Washington has a Voting Rights Act.

It's a sure-fire party mix. Here's Slate's Dahlia Lithwick with the details (my emphasis and paragraphing):

The good folks of Texas have an election looming. Specifically, on April 4 (already pushed back from March 6) they are meant to go to the polls to vote in a primary. That’s problematic because they currently have no districting maps.

Or, to be more precise, they currently have three. They have the map that was used 10 years ago, before the population expanded by 4.3 million voters (of whom 65 percent are Hispanic), thus requiring that legislative lines be redrawn to reflect that minority voting will not be diluted under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. (That will mean four more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.)

Then we have the redistricting map drawn by the GOP-dominated Texas legislature, which is also obsolete, because under Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, states with a history of discrimination in voting must be “precleared” by either the U.S. Justice Department or a federal court in Washington, D.C., before any election-related modifications can be put into place. A federal court in Washington is set to decide whether the Texas redistricting plan will be precleared, but possibly seconds before the April primary.

Enter the third set of maps, cooked up by a federal court in Texas—in part at the behest of the federal court in D.C., and several minority groups who say the new maps drawn up by the legislature in no way reflect the minority growth in the state. The Texas court thus drew up a set of “interim maps” to get Texas through this election crisis.

One might think that with two federal courts working off three sets of maps, over two dueling sections of the Voting Rights Act, all on a ticking deadline, the worst possible decision would be for yet another court to step in.

One would be mistaken. And so last December the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the interim maps and agreed to hear a challenge from Texas Republicans who don’t think the Texas courts were sufficiently deferential to the Texas legislatures’ maps in drawing up the new maps. The whole heap of it was argued this afternoon [January 9] at 1 p.m., and by the time the lawyers sat down at 2:20, it was clear that the justices had done little more than get us 80 minutes closer to an April deadline without much hope of solving the problem, much less solving it yesterday.

Got that? Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires that minority voting not be diluted. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires that states with a history of voting discrimination have their redistricting maps precleared in Washington. Those precleared maps may not be available in time for the election (and in fact, may not be cleared, given the propensities of Texas Republicans).

Which brings us to the actual problem for Republicans — the existence of a "voting rights act." The state of Texas is arguing that the legislature's map be given automatic "deference," something that Justice Sotomayor says would amount to "turning Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act on its head."

As you can see, there are clearly two targets here. One is the redistricting map. Will Texas Republicans successfully blunt the voting power of almost 3 million Hispanics for the next decade?

The other target is the Voting Rights Act itself, especially Section 5. From Lithwick's report:

Justice Anthony Kennedy says, in a manner likely to strike terror into the hearts of anyone who thinks this case will spell the death of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, “Isn’t it odd that this is a Section 2 suit but Section 5 seems to be driving it?” In case you’re wondering whether he thinks it’s unfair that the states with a history of racial discrimination bear extra burdens under Section 5, he then adds, “Texas is at a tremendous disadvantage here!”

Will the nakedly partisan Republicans on the Supreme Court (which chose this case on its own, remember) find a way to achieve either or both of these goals?

It will be a hard slog no matter what they do — three maps (none of which passes full legal muster); three courts (Supreme Court, a D.C. district court and its preclearing decision, a Texas lower court with its interim map); and a very tight deadline.

It's not certain the Gang of Five will succeed; but they're sure putting on a wonderful show of trying. A good clear article, and a good case to keep an eye on. (Additional analysis here if you're so inclined.)

GP Read the rest of this post...

Reuters poll: Romney beats other GOP, but still trails Obama by 5

New poll from Reuters.

Boston Globe on Romney's stumbling the past few days.

But the last few days of the campaign found the Republican frontrunner on the defensive over the job-cutting side of Bain Capital -- and committing unforced errors with an ill-timed, if innocently intended, comment about liking to fire people, a ham-handed attempt to strike a common chord, and an agitated exchange with a protester. On Monday, the tightly controlled campaign canceled several TV interviews to stanch the bleeding from the self-inflicted wounds.

(FYI, the Globe calls this an "opinion" piece but then, oddly, doesn't explain who the writer is - you have to create a subscription (free) to read the guy's bio apparently (if it's even there). Which is odd, and not very good journalistic practice. Time for a blogger ethics panel.) Read the rest of this post...

Video: This golden retriever seriously likes to jam to guitar

Great video, though I'm slightly troubled by a nagging suspicion that this is really a sneaky beer placement (which would be a brilliant marketing move, sneaking products into seemingly innocuous videos on YouTube intended to go viral).

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New DNC video mocking Romney for "liking" to fire people - it’s awfully good

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Wash Post fact-checker: Romney claim to have created 100k job does "not pass the laugh test"

Washington Post fact checker:

Romney certainly has a good story to tell about knowing how to manage a business, spotting opportunities and understanding high finance. But if he is to continue to make claims about job creation, the Romney campaign needs to provide a real accounting of how many jobs were gained or lost through Bain Capital investments while the firm managed these companies — and while Romney was chief executive. Any jobs counted after either of those data points simply do not pass the laugh test.

The Mormons have a thing called "Lying for the Lord." It's a tenet of the church that basically permits you to lie, encourages you to lie, if you're doing it for the Lord. Feel free to define "the Lord" loosely.  Is this influencing Romney's thinking on all the lies he's telling of late, from his ever-changing position on gay rights, to the auto bailout, or his preposterous claim to have created 100,000 jobs? Read the rest of this post...

Should Obama make Hillary VP and give Biden State?

Anthony Correia /
Shutterstock.com

It's an interesting proposition, that's now being proposed by the former editor of the New York Times, Biller Keller. Make Hillary VP and give Biden the job of Secretary of State, something he's always coveted.

[T]he arguments in favor are as simple as one-two-three. One: it does more to guarantee Obama’s re-election than anything else the Democrats can do. Two: it improves the chances that, come next January, he will not be a lame duck with a gridlocked Congress but a rejuvenated president with a mandate and a Congress that may be a little less forbidding. Three: it makes Hillary the party’s heir apparent in 2016. If she sits out politics for the next four years, other Democrats (yes, Governor Cuomo, we see your hand up) will fill the void.

Keller's got a point. It's not terribly clear what Biden brings Obama as VP. Yes, Obama may have needed Biden in 08 to shore up his foreign policy credentials, but not any more (with Bin Laden and Qaddafi both dead, and the US out of Iraq, the President can stand on his own credentials now). The only reason to leave Biden on the ticket is to help Biden have a shot a president in 2016, and that's not really what the 2012 election is about. This election is about Obama winning, not Biden, and the best way for him to do that would be to get Hillary on board as VP.  It's not a bad way to re-energize at least part of the base. Read the rest of this post...

Our ten most-read posts of 2011 on AMERICAblog

As the new year rings in, it's ten-best time the world over. And here at AMERICAblog we have a pretty good list of our own. These are the posts that have garnered the most interest in the previous 12 months.

In a very real sense, these posts are your favorites, chosen by your clicks. In some cases, you considered the topic important; in others, it was the news itself.

Either way, here they are. AMERICAblog's top ten posts, selected by your clicks. Thanks for each of those!  Here's the list, starting with the most-read post of 2011.

1. Did Romney adopt KKK slogan: "Keep America American"?

By far our most-read post in 2011. This sparked quite a controversy, with follow-ups here — after Chris Matthews apologized to Romney for MSNBC simply mentioning the controversy. And here — where the New York Times weighs in.

There were others as well; amazing the convulsions this caused. Good catch by John.

2. Mubarak ordered Tiananmen-style massacre of demonstrators, Army refused

One of my favorites, not for what it did, but for what it didn't do.  It got over 1000 retweets and nearly 4000 Facebook likes. It's sourced to respected, long-time Middle East reporter Robert Fisk. And yet the underlying story failed utterly to attract any mainstream media coverage at all. As near as I could find, not one big-media outlet picked up Fisk's explosive discovery.

And the underlying story is explosive. It was Mubarak's Tiananmen Square moment, the hour that Mubarak lost control of his army at the enlisted-man level. (For a discussion of aspects of the Egyptian army, try this, "A portrait of the Egyptian military"; my best shot at teasing out those layers.)

For my money, this was the biggest non-story story of the year, and a complete surprise to me how it played out.

3. OMG Cops pepper-spray UC Davis students, point blank in face, who are just sitting there doing nothing

Another very big deal, this time domestic, with many follow-ups. But I think one reminder is all you need; perhaps this one:


There's more at the link, including video, but that image is iconic and pretty much tells the tale. Occupy indeed.

4. Deaf, disabled senior citizen on bicycle deemed threat by police, tased to death for not hearing cop

This is one of many "I can't believe they did that; I can't believe America allows this" stories that got sprinkled through the year. Maybe the UC Davis pepper-spray story (above) made us more aware of gratuitous police violence. Hope so.

And this post allowed me space for one of my favorite rants — on rule of America by Rightwing Nation, and rule of Rightwing Nation by "Where's my daddy?"

I've never met a country more in need of Daddy's protection than Right Wing Nation, the country that writes the rules for how America is governed.

There's more of that at the link, if you care, along with a simply amazing story. Rest in peace, Mr. Anthony.

5. Att Gen asks Americans to report IP violations on their neighbors but not 1 prosecution of Wall Street

A beautiful catch by Chris in Paris:

Not a single prosecution against Wall Street for the collapse of 2008 but [Attorney General Holder] wants people to give a damn about IP violations for Hollywood and the recording industry

This is a prelude to all the PIPA and SOPA stories you're going to be reading as the billionaire-begging season resumes. Stay seriously tuned.

6. Law firm, that held Halloween party mocking people who lost their homes, to close

Myrddin wrote this one, but it comes straight from Karma Central. Kind of like if the guy who invented "Bumvertising" ended up drinking with the Sterno crowd. Great catch.

7. Next time...

This is a Scott Olsen OWS story, one of many. It's short; I'll let you click and read Daily Kos' David Waldman's immortal tweet. Heart-breaking.

8. Iceland arrests failed bank CEO and top trader; America arrests those who protest bank CEOs, traders

Another great catch by Chris in Paris.

Iceland's special prosecutor has taken Larus Welding, the former head of the failed Glitnir Bank, into custody, Reuters reports.

Glitnir Bank was the first of the top three Icelandic commercial banks to fail in 2008.

As Chris points out, only in not-America.

9. BREAKING: Obama to address nation soon. Rumors that Bin Laden is dead

Without question, one of the top stories of the year. Lots of updates, and quite a few questions.

10. US cable providers eye 'usage-based' billing

Another great find from Chris in Paris. Lots of good info in this post. For example:

Here's another industry that is bloated and worthless, thanks to the political class. As expensive as things can be here in Europe, people choke when they hear how much Americans pay for internet/cable/phone services. At home in Paris, our fiber optic 100MB connection also includes free phone calls to 100 countries around the world, plus 140 TV channels for €33.90 per month (around US$45). No limits. Other countries in Europe have faster speeds and better prices.

And more. As John says, "Fleecing the customers." Indeed.

All in all, a rough year for news, and not likely to get better. But interesting, very interesting.

We learned a lot last year. If nothing else, we learned how to Occupy, and for me, that made the year very sweet indeed.

More of that please?

GP Read the rest of this post...