 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
and when I say "go," I mean go:  Jenny Sanford, the wife of embattled South Carolina's Governor Mark "Appalachian Trail" Sanford, announced in a tersely worded statement that she will be filing for divorce. “As so many of us know, the dissolution of any marriage is a sad and painful process," Jenny Sanford wrote. "Indeed, I know it will soon become known so I choose to release this brief notice that I am now filing for divorce... This came after many unsuccessful efforts at reconciliation, yet I am still dedicated to keeping the process that lies ahead peaceful for our family." "I remain thankful to so many across this state and nation for their words of encouragement and prayers during this difficult time," she continued. "Please know the boys and I are doing well and are blessed with the incredible support of friends and family and bolstered by our faith and the unfailing love of our God above." Governor Sanford, 49, disappeared for almost a week in late June to see his Argentine lover, Maria Belen Chapur, leaving his staff, his wife and the rest of the state in the dark about his whereabouts. Initially, his staff told reporters he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Jenny learned about the affair last January when she came across a copy of a lusty letter her husband wrote to Chapur. In the months following, her husband asked several times to visit the other woman, she said. "It's one thing to forgive adultery; it's another thing to condone it," she told the AP during an exclusive interview two days after Sanford's news conference during which he revealed the affair. "He was told in no uncertain terms not to see her," she said. "I was hoping he was on the Appalachian Trail... I was hoping he was doing some real soul searching somewhere and devastated to find out it was Argentina. It's tragic." Days later, after the governor told AP he was "relying on religious faith" to help salvage his marriage "even though the love of his life was in Argentina," Jenny said it was up to the people of South Carolina whether they wanted to give their governor a second chance... Sadly, a state legislature subcommittee did just that earlier this week. I'm glad she didn't. Out with the trash. Best wishes to you & your children, madam. Tags: cheating, family values, lying liars, marriage, republican hypocrisy, republican sex scandals
From: Chicago
Mood:  Pay The Piper
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hey, Mittens - when you're finished pissing & moaning about the President "not protecting our troops" in Afghanistan, please drop me a line and let us know when even one of your five brave sons will be headed over there to join the battle. You know, just like you served your country when called...  Oh, wait. You didn't serve, either. You received a deferment from the draft as a Mormon "minister of religion" in France for two and a half years, then wriggled out nearly three more years of deferments for your "academic studies." I'd say Axelrod's got your number, asshole. By the way, where was your "outrage" when Bush, Cheney and your fellow Republican leaders all but abandoned the troops in Afghanistan to wage a phony war in Iraq, hm? Tags: afghanistan, asshole, chickenhawks, mitt romney, phony soldiers, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well I'll be damned.... it looks like Senator Spineless is good for something, after all...  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today announced that the merged health care bill will include a public option allowing states to opt-out. "Under this concept, states will be able to determine whether the public option works best for them," Reid told reporters, adding that it was the "fairest" way to go. Reid said after "countless hours" of talking to his caucus, there is a "strong consensus" for this plan. "As we've gone through this process, I've concluded, with the support of the White House and Senators. Dodd and Baucus, that the best way to move forward is to include a public option with an opt-out provision for states," Reid said. In the next several hours, he will send the CBO a draft bill with alternative provisions on certain issues, to get a range of cost estimates on the plan he'll bring to the floor. * * *Y'know, if this thing actually passes, I can't wait to see which of the Red States opt out first: Texas? Arizona? Oklahoma? South Carolina? Personally, I hope they all do. They'd only put a drain on the public option insurance that I want to be able to afford, anyway. Of course, as letstatdelc points out, the chances are none of them will — just like when they "refused" to accept federal stimulus funds, then folded like cheap card tables in the end. Just imagine being a Governor or state legislator and trying to sell to your constituents that you're limiting their choice in insurance when other states have more (and better) options. It's an instant political third rail. Step lightly, wingnuts. ☺P.S. I'll also be looking forward to seeing all those GOP congress members opposed to a public option give up their own government-run plans. McConnell? Kyl? Chambliss? McCain? Inhofe? Hatch? Let's go, fellas! ETA: More here.Tags: harry reid, health care, human rights, republican hypocrisy, right-wing lunatics
From: Chicago
Mood:  Getting There
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In a yet another rich example of Republican hypocrisy, the GOP congressman leading the fight to have Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) ousted as chair of the House's top tax-writing body turns out to have a few rather glaring ethics problems of his own...  Rep. John Carter (R-TX) had nearly $300,000 in unreported profits from oil stock sales in 2006 and 2007, Roll Call reported yesterday. It was Carter who earlier this month introduced the failed resolution to have Rangel removed from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means committee. Carter told Fox News that Rangel had been getting "special treatment from the IRS," and that his problems were "embarrassing to the Congress." But in 2006, Carter made $199,000 in profits through the sale of Exxon stock. He made another $97,000 the following year. And in neither case did he list the profit on his financial disclosure form. Not to defend Rangel here (i.e., I say if he's guilty of ethics violations and/or breaking the law, throw the book at him), but I find it absolutely delicious that the GOP chose a weasel to chase a ferret. Kinda reminds me of Gingrich leading the war cry to impeach Clinton while he was cheating on his second wife (whom he married after cheating on his first wife). The implosion continues. And I'm loving it. Tags: loathsome people, republican corruption, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood:  Amused
Now Playing: Girls Making Brownies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You just can't make make this shit up...  The wingnuts who attended last Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington have found yet another reason to kick and scream: Apparently, they're unhappy with the level of government-subsidized service provided by the DC subway system. Yes, really. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) has called for a government investigation (presumably to be funded by taxpayers) into whether the public subway system "adequately prepared" for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services. Brady released a letter he sent to Washington’s Metro system complaining that the taxpayer-funded subway system was unable to properly transport protesters to the rally to protest government spending and expansion. “These individuals came all the way from Southeast Texas to protest the excessive spending and growing government intrusion by the 111th Congress and the new Obama administration,” Brady wrote. “These participants, whose tax dollars were used to create and maintain this public transit system, were frustrated and disappointed that our nation’s capital did not make a great effort to simply provide a basic level of transit for them.” A spokesman for Brady says that “there weren’t enough cars and there weren’t enough trains.” Brady tweeted as much from the Saturday march: “METRO did not prepare for Tea Party March! More stories. People couldn’t get on, missed start of march. I will demand answers from Metro.” Included in Brady's hissy fit was the allegation that "overcrowding forced an 80-year-old woman and elderly veterans in wheelchairs to pay for cabs," concluding that "it appears that Metro added no additional capacity to its regular weekend schedule.” So let me get this straight: A pack of 70,000 slack-jawed pinheads - led by Glenn Beck (who didn't even show up) - swarm Washington to protest “socialism,” then turn around and bellyache that the (already underfunded) Metro isn’t providing them enough government service... I thought tea-baggers were all about self-sufficiency and personal responsibility... so why on Earth should little old ladies and disabled veterans be looked after by The State? Tags: communism, dumb americans, glenn beck, rednecks, republican hypocrisy, republican implosion, right-wing lunatics, tea bagging
From: Chicago
Mood:  Please Secede
Now Playing: 'Crash' - The Primitives
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yet another Republican "family values" jackass, forced to choke on his own hypocrisy...  South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, whose mysterious disappearance last Thursday prompted national headlines, acknowledged this afternoon that he had an extramarital affair. "I've been unfaithful to my wife, and I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina," he said, breaking down in tears, and telling reporters that he would resign as chair of the Republican Governor's Association. Asked if he was separated from his wife, Sanford said, "I guess in a formal sense we're not," adding that he and his wife Jenny were trying to "work through" the situation, and that Jenny has known about the affair for about five months. No word on whether his four boys were aware of it, too (must have been one hell of a Father's Day for them, eh?). "I've let down a lot of people," Sanford added. "That's the bottom line." Sanford's office initially explained his sudden, unannounced disappearance from the state by saying the governor was "hiking on the Appalachian Trail." This morning, however, the Sanford told the press he had considered going hiking as a break after the state legislative session, but then "changed his mind at the last minute." "Don't call me," he reportedly told his staff, explaining that he planned to turn off his cellphone, "I'll call you." Sanford asked this afternoon for a "zone of privacy" around himself and his family. Privacy? Why certainly, guv... just soon as you stop trying to force your "family values" into other people's lives. Asshole. Tags: asshole, gop meltdown, lying liars, marriage, republican hypocrisy, republican implosion, republican sex scandals
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A few questions for you, if I may:  • How can gay marriage (which you so vigorously oppose) be a "threat" to your marriage, but cheating on your wife (which you slammed Bill Clinton and Larry Craig on, going as far as to suggest they both resign) make your marriage stronger? • Are you going to follow your own lead and resign from the Senate? • Are you going to remain active in the Promise Keepers (you know - "Men of Integrity") now that you've been outed as an adulterer and a hypocrite? • How's that 2012 run for the run for the White House shaping up? P.S. Ooh... bummer, dude. Tags: asshole, cheating, gays, hypocrisy, lying liars, marriage, republican hypocrisy, republican sex scandals
From: Chicago
Mood:  Asshole
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While secessionist Governor Rick Perry of Texas continues his idiotic rants against Washington bailouts, state lawmakers are in the process of spending $11 million in federal stimulus money to help rebuild the Texas Governor's Mansion, which was damaged in an arson fire last summer...  Approximately $10 million in state tax money will also be spent on a renovation, which is expected to cost about $20 million. A House-Senate committee agreed on the expenditures late Wednesday night. Perry has railed against federal bailouts and what he called the free-spending, power-hungry ways of Washington. In January, he said Texas was endangered by Uncle Sam's "audacity." The governor is currently living in a three-story, limestone home with a heated pool, an outdoor cabana and a guest house. Texas taxpayers are shelling out the $9,900/month rent while the mansion undergoes renovations. "Audacity," indeed. ( More Texas Fun Facts )Tags: asshole, dumb americans, loathsome people, republican hypocrisy, texas
From: Chicago
Mood: Rednecks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inspired by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) theklute...  How is it that a big, strappin' anti-tax secessionist like you goes a-railin' against the evils of Big Government and "socialized medicine" one day, then — just 'cause of a li'l ol' Mexican flu bug — goes a-beggin' for federal help the next? Unless I'm mistaken, partner, the U.S. Constitution doesn't mention anything about the Centers for Disease Control (much less hard-workin' 'Mericans funding it!). I mean, really—shouldn't you be flippin' that dirty socialist Hussein Obama the ol' Texas bird and tellin' him you don't need his stupid pork-barrel vaccine, and that Texas's Free Market will handle the problem on its own? Or better yet, why not create an army of faith healers to travel the Lone Star State and pray away the virus? After all, you god-fearin', shit-kickin' cowpokes don't have any use for those damned yankee-doodle doctors and their fancy-pants "science," do ya? /stupid Texas drawl Tags: asshole, disease, dumb americans, epidemic, rednecks, republican hypocrisy, texas
From: Chicago
Mood: Secede Already
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You just knew it was coming...  Last Friday, Wingnutistan's Sweetheart Sarah Palin — the mother of a Down Syndrome child — blasted President Obama's "Special Olympics" remark, which she deemed offensive to people with special needs. Said Palin: "I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics. This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world." The irony, of course, is that Palin's indignant little tirade came on the very same day that she refused to accept over 30% of the federal economic stimulus money being offered to Alaska, the biggest chunk of which is $170 million for education, including sorely-needed funding to — you guessed it — help special needs students.Note to Yukon Barbie: I volunteer for a national charity that grants wishes to seriously ill and disabled children, and I can tell you that the kids I've worked with do not wish to be patronized by self-serving ghouls like you with terms like "precious" and "unique." That in mind, I suggest you pour yourself a big, steaming mug of Shut The Fuck Up and concentrate on your own problems. Tags: alaska, children, economy, education, gop lizard queens, loathsome people, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More GOP "family values" in action...  Police say former Cook County Republican Chairman Gary Skoien admitted having two prostitutes in his children’s playroom when his wife walked in on him early Sunday morning. The allegation is in a domestic battery report from Skoien against his 5' 4', 110-pound wife Eni, whom Skoien claims beat him with her fists and an electric guitar. Skoien says the police report "inaccurately" stated that he had prostitutes in his home and that, in fact, he was merely talking in the playroom with "a friend" when his wife came down and began beating him. Mrs. Skoien spent two nights in a lock-up before being released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond. The police report said Skoien “told [the responding officer] he did in fact have prostitutes with him in the playroom when his wife caught him.” The playroom looked like “a struggle of some kind took place there...There were items turned and tossed around the room,” the report said, adding that Skoien had cuts and blood on his hands and there was blood on the walls and stairs near the playroom. “That’s how it was reported to us,” Barrington/Inverness Police Deputy Chief Jerry Libit said. Skoien is no stranger to stupidity. As Cook County GOP chair four years ago, he offered a $10,000 “bounty” for information leading to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s conviction on corruption charges. The remark got him fired from his real estate job, cost him a seat on the Metra board and prompted calls for his ouster as party chairman. Tags: family values, prostitution, republican hypocrisy, republican sex scandals
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conservative media hack Ann Coulter has become the target of a formal probe by Connecticut’s Elections Enforcement Commission, moving her one step closer to being charged with fraud...  The commission is now conducting a "thorough investigation" into whether Coulter broke the law by voting in Connecticut while living in New York City, a spokeswoman for the commission told the New York Daily News. Apparently, the GOP's favorite lizard queen cast her ballots in the Constitution State in 2002 and 2004 (even though she was living in New York City at the time), claiming on her voting forms that she lived with her parents in Connecticut at the same time. Connecticut officials are responding to a formal complaint filed by conservative Coulterwatch.com blogger Dan Borchers: “For over 10 years, Ann Coulter has gotten away with illegal, immoral and unethical behavior, ranging from plagiarism to defamation, perjury to voter fraud,” Borchers said. According to state staff attorney Theodore Bromley, Connecticut law requires that voters must list “a residence address in the state where you actually live. It is not enough to claim a relative’s house where you may visit.” Coulter has so far declined to comment on the charges, but doesn’t deny living in New York City during the period in question. P.S. "Toxic Annie" is no stranger to voter falsification and fraud charges, having been investigated on similar charges in Florida back in 2006. In that case (punishable by fines up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment for up to five years as a third degree felony), she was suddenly cleared after an FBI agent (who just happened to be an ex-boyfriend of hers) interceded. Tags: ann coulter, crime, gop lizard queens, lying liars, republican hypocrisy, right-wing hack, scandal
From: Chicago
Mood:  Live By The Sword...
Now Playing: 'Let The Good Times Roll' - The Cars
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Hat-tip maxomai)The McCain campaign is working feverishly to get a videotape of Obama at the same party as American college professor and Palestinian rights activist Rashid Khalidi, hoping that it might help them in their frantic attempt to paint Obama as a terrorist. McCain has just one problem, however. He funded Khalidi's work. "During the 1990s, while he served as chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), McCain distributed several grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, including one worth half a million dollars.
A 1998 tax filing for the McCain-led group shows a $448,873 grant to Khalidi's Center for Palestine Research and Studies for work in the West Bank." You'd think that - even as desperate as they are - Crusty's caretakers would do a little research before launching another worthless smear. Idiots. Tags: '08 elections, john mccain, republican hypocrisy, republican smear, swiftboat
From: Chicago
Mood: *chuckle*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More dirty laundry from Crusty's Closet... 
(Hat-tip Murray Waas)William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who Republican John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime. The two lobbyists who Timmons worked closely with over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government. During the same period beginning in 1992, Timmons worked directly with lobbyists Samir Vincent and Tongsun Park on a previously unreported prospective deal with the Iraqis in which they hoped to be awarded a contract to purchase and resell Iraqi oil. Timmons, Vincent, and Park stood to share at least $45 million if the business deal went through. Timmons' activities occurred in the years following the first Gulf War, when Washington considered Iraq to be a rogue enemy state and a sponsor of terrorism. His dealings on behalf of the deceased Iraqi leader stand in stark contrast to the views his current employer held at the time... Dirty, dirty details...Guilt by association... or just plain ol' shitty judgment? We report. You decide. P.S. Crusty has vowed to confront Obama about Bill Ayers during tomorrow night's debate. I can hardly wait. ☺ Tags: '08 elections, john mccain, oil, republican hypocrisy, republican implosion, republican scandal, saddam hussein, swiftboat
From: Chicago
Mood:  Gleeful
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hat-tip Jed Lewison... When the time came to fight terror against abortion clinics, Republican John McCain put his radical "pro-life" politics first — putting American citizens and their doctors in mortal danger: Here's a summary of the vital, anti-terror legislation John McCain voted against (not just once, but twice): The Senate voted overwhelmingly today for a Federal law to prohibit bombings, arson and blockades at abortion clinics, and shootings and threats of violence against doctors and nurses who perform abortions.
The vote was 69 to 30. Twenty-eight senators who voted against Federal financing of abortions six weeks ago supported the measure, seeing it as a law-and-order matter rather than as an abortion issue. As you can see, McCain was one of a distinct minority of radical "pro-life" senators. Even a number of senators who opposed abortion iteself had the human decency to vote for the legislation in order to protect women and their doctors. It was only the extremists — like Republican McCain — who opposed it. It should be noted that this was a standalone bill, i.e. McCain can't hide behind the old saw that he opposed it for some unrelated reason. Now clearly, this isn't the most pressing issue in the campaign — the economy is. But since Republican McCain has decided he's going to spending the rest of the campaign talking about anything and everything but the economy, it's useful to have issues like this, the Keating Five, and the Alaska Independence Party to throw back in his scurrilous face. If we don't put these kind of issues out there, the campaign will be dominated by whatever attaque du jour McCain decides to dump on the American people. By putting things like this out there, we deprive him of the opportunity to throw yet another sucker punch. And depriving him of that is one of the most important tactical considerations of the next 29 days. Call and e-mail your friends and family. Put up a sign. Volunteer to
work the phones banks. Spread the word. Don't let up. We can
destroy this dirty, lying bastard on November 4th.
http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, abortion, john mccain, republican hypocrisy, terrorism
From: Chicago
Mood: Ready
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Q: Which nominee for President of the United States — despite his opposition to gay marriage, equal benefits for same-sex couples, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination against GLBT Americans, expanding the hate crimes act to include sexual orientation and gender identity and his support for military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy — has a gay chief of staff at his Senate office in Washington? A. John McCain B. Barack Obama Someone get President Palin on the phone, stat!P.S. As a "concerned Christian conservative," I just called Focus on the Family (1-800-232-6459) to ask about this, and was told it's being 'investigated." You may want to do the same. ☺ Tags: gays, human rights, john mccain, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Mischievous
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nice to see that at least one woman in the MSM (albeit local) hasn't forgotten...  Let's suppose for just one minute that Barack Obama had dumped a crippled wife and married a beer heiress one month after leaving her. It's no big reach to speculate that the McCain's camp would throw a blood-soaked public orgy mocking his character. So why is McCain's cruel, tawdry personal history rarely mentioned? Carol, McCain's first wife, wasn't even a comma in the video presentation about his "heroic" life shown to millions of viewers during the Republican convention. But it was Carol who was left behind to take care of the couple's three children while McCain served his country. And it was Carol who stuck with McCain during his long incarceration in a Vietnam prison camp. When McCain returned from Vietnam, he discovered that his wife, a former swimsuit model, had been seriously injured in an automobile accident. "My accident is well-recorded," Carol said in a rare interview with the Daily Mail. "I had 23 operations. I am 5 inches shorter than I used to be, and I was in the hospital for six months. It was just awful..." she said. "My marriage ended because John McCain didn't want to be 40; he wanted to be 25. You know that happens... it just does." Under normal circumstances, I'd say you shouldn't hold something that happened 35 years ago against someone. Except, McCain has argued his case for leading the nation based in part on heroic acts that took place four decades ago.It is worth noting that the same man who endured suffering in a Hanoi prison is the same man who dumped his crippled wife and ran off with an heiress 17 years his junior. Now, he's being packaged as an authentic American hero. But what hero could stand to see the wife of his youth and the mother of three of his children written out of his life's narrative as McCain has done? Worse yet, now that the white female vote is proving to be pivotal, McCain has suddenly had a change of heart. After 20 months of ignoring his ex-wife's role in shaping his narrative, McCain actually thanked Floridians last week for "looking after" Carol while he was a POW. "I hope you know that in the years I was away in prison, the people of Orange Park, Florida, took care of my wife and family," he said in Jacksonville on Monday. "My children had about 50,000 parents while I was gone, and I'm very grateful." Though sentimental, his words were clearly and coldly calculated to woo female voters. But it may be too late for that, for many of these women have walked in Carol's shoes. They have loved men when their lives were low, only to be cast aside when their spouses' stars began to rise. A lot of voters may not be aware that McCain was married before. Like Cindy McCain's drug addiction, theft and run-in with the DEA, McCain's abandonment of his first marriage has been shrouded in secrecy. Part of the reason for that is Carol McCain keeps a low profile and is not bitter. "He is a good guy," she told the Mail. "We are still good friends. He is the best man for president." But Ross Perot, a family friend and the man who paid Carol's medical bills, has a somewhat different take. "McCain is the classic opportunist," he told the interviewer. ''After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona." Ironically, McCain is now desperately depending on middle class women (much like his first wife) to put him over the top in this election... I hope those women will remember Carol. You know what to do.
http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, cheating, disgrace, john mccain, loathsome people, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood:  Vote
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ol' Straight Talk for the win...
 First, there's this gem: "The point is, I was chairman of the commerce committee. Every part of America's economy, I oversighted. I have a long record, certainly far more extensive of being involved in our economy than Senator Obama does." Um, is he seriously taking credit for "oversighting every part" of the economy? Ah, but it gets better: "I think maybe we ought to have a 9/11 commission type thing." Hey Crusty, here's a little clue for you: There's absolutely no need for you to piss away even more of my tax money on an “honorary panel of investigators.” The FBI and the SEC are already supposed to be pursuing (and punishing) banking, finance and mortgage industry corruption, remember? What say you cut the symbolism crap and show us a real plan — you know, like standing behind prosecution? Perhaps your reluctance has something to do with your own, tainted past? God-damned phony. http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, economy, john mccain, republican hypocrisy, republican scandal, taxpayer money
From: Chicago
Mood: Disgruntled
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The old saying is true... you learn something new every day: Governor Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.
The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife. [...]
In separate filings, the state was billed about $25,000 for Palin's daughters' expenses and $19,000 for her husband's. Flights topped the list for the most expensive items, and the daughter whose bill was the highest was Piper, 7, whose flights cost nearly $11,000, while Willow, 14, claimed about $6,000 and Bristol, 17, accounted for about $3,400. [...]
Asked Monday about the official policy on charging for children's travel expenses, state finance director Kim Garnero said: "We cover the expenses of anyone who's conducting state business. I can't imagine kids could be doing that."
In 2007, Willow Palin was flown to Juneau to join her family on a tour of the Hub Juneau Christian Teen Center (where Palin and her family worship when they are in Juneau). The state gave the center $25,000, according to a May 2008 memo.
The family also charged for flights around the state, including trips to Alaska events such as the start of the Iditarod dog-sled race and the Iron Dog snowmobile race, a contest that Todd Palin won.
Meanwhile, Todd Palin spent $725 to fly to Edmonton, Alberta, for "information gathering and planning meeting with Northern Alberta Institute of Technology," according to an expense report. During the three-day trip, he charged the state $291 for his per diem. A notation said "costs paid by Dept. of Labor." He also billed the state $1,371 for a flight to Washington to attend a National Governors Association meeting with his wife... P.S. Why does this sound strangely familiar?Tags: '08 elections, hypocrisy, john mccain, republican corruption, republican hypocrisy, taxpayer money
Mood:  Curious
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, it was a mighty close call between this Prince Charming and our weekly winner, but the award goes to... Newt Gingrich, who dumped his cancer-stricken first wife, Jackie Battley (while she was in the hospital undergoing treatment) for a sucker named Marianne Ginther. When his own pastor criticized him for not supporting his two kids, Gingrich simply left the church. Not too long after, Newt dumped Ginther for 34-year-old congressional aide Callista Bisek (who is now his 3rd wife)... My fellow Americans, meet the tanned, rest & ready Defender of Traditional Marriage:
Two words (one wish): Bone cancer.Related: http://www.washblade.com/2008/9-5/news/national/13198.cfmTags: asshole, family values, gays, hypocrisy, loathsome people, marriage, newt gingrich, republican hypocrisy, youtube
From: Chicago
Mood: STFU
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Someone oughta tell Todd Palin's Yupik Eskimo relations to give back the $3.3 million they've received in Alaskan state aid to shore up the structural supports of their villages because, according to Sarah Palin, the jury is still out on man-made global warming...  Fox News: "The bulk of the $3.3 million will go toward the design and possible partial construction of a road from the barge landing to a planned evacuation center.
'It will boost the village site and speed up the relocation process,' said tribal administrator Stanley Tom.
The Yupik Eskimo community of 400 is among six remote villages tapped by the state for immediate attention because they are highly vulnerable to escalating erosion, storms and flooding linked to global warming. The state is investing nearly $13 million to protect the villages in the coming year. [...]
Erosion and flooding now affect 86% of Alaska's 213 Alaska Native villages to some degree, according to a 2003 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. A handful are facing imminent relocations. In Newtok, relentless erosion is heightened by melting and sinking permafrost, which further subjects the area to severe flooding from intensifying storms. [...]
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing a $20 million road and evacuation center at Mertarvik that later could be turned into a community center or tribal offices. Officials hope the state's funding will give that and other Alaska projects a higher priority for federal funding..." "Federal funding?" WTF? If man-made global warming is a "hoax," then this is just another example of wasteful, pork-barrel welfare spending by a Republican state administration. These villagers should either pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get off that naturally-flooded land on their own, or be left to drown. You know... like polar bears. Ain't that right, Sarah?Tags: alaska, climate change, environment, global warming, global warming deniers, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Assholes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...is now complete.  Former officials of John McCain's 2000 campaign expressed shock and disbelief to learn than the GOP presidential nominee had hired South Carolina political consultant Tucker Eskew. Eskew, a key member of Bush's South Carolina team during the 2000 primaries, was seen by McCain and his staff, as largely responsible for the various smears against McCain and his family in South Carolina during that contentious contest, including the now-infamous " out-of-wedlock black baby" debacle. Eskew was suddenly (and quietly) brought aboard the "Straight Talk Express" yesterday to help prepare VP nominee Sarah Palin for her role as McCain running mate; he will reportedly help her prepare for her Wednesday night acceptance speech, her stump speech as she hits the road, brief her on policy matters, and help her handle media scrutiny. "He's one of the best and most collaborative talents in Republican politics," McCain senior adviser Nicolle Wallace told Politico, speaking of Eskew. "He also has a wit and an ability to turn a phrase like no one I've ever met before." Eskew’s talent notwithstanding, he is generally loathed by McCain’s 2000 campaign team. When the media first reported push-poll phone calls from Voter/Consumer Research (a company hired by he Bush campaign) asking South Carolinians if they knew about McCain’s role in the S&L crisis and his scandal as a member of the Keating Five, it was Eskew — Bush’s South Carolina attack dog — who acknowledged, then defended, the calls. “Show me a baseless comment in those questions” about McCain, Eskew told the Charleston Post and Courier in February 2000. At the time, McCain ally Lindsey Graham (then a South Carolina congressman, now a senator) decried the tactics Eskew defended, holding a press conference along with two local Republican officials to denounce the phone calls. "What happened last weekend is the great minds apparently went to Austin, Texas and all they could think of for a game plan was trash out John McCain,” Graham said. “That's not where I want my party to go." The tactics used against McCain by Bush and his allies in South Carolina reportedly left a "deep scar" on both McCain and his wife Cindy. When then-Gov. Bush called upon Eskew to help him during the Florida recount, a senior McCain adviser told me that “when the going gets tough for Governor Bush, he turns to the darker side of our party. We saw that in South Carolina, and we see that today." Eight years later, with a tough fight of his own, McCain has turned to one of the same men that tried to crush him by any means necessary. Asked if the McCain campaign would have a comment about hiring Eskew, McCain 2008 spokesman Brian Rogers emailed, "No." This man is clearly desperate... and thoroughly despicable. http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, bush cronies, disgrace, john mccain, republican hypocrisy, republican smear, swiftboat
From: Chicago
Mood:  Surreal
Now Playing: "Streetfight" - David Essex
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Those $500 Ferragamos must taste like ambrosia, because The Cryptkeeper just can't keep 'em out of his mouth... 
(Hat-tip Kagro X)The money shot in McCain's new attack commercial: "Celebrities don't have to worry about family budgets, but we sure do."*facepalm* You'd think he'd have learned his lesson by now, wouldn't you? Yoo-hoo, Crusty... here's something most people with family budgets don't have to worry about, either: The McCains increased their budget for household employees from $184,000 in 2006 to $273,000 in 2007, according to John McCain’s tax returns... That's right. The McCains pay $270,000 per year for butlers and maids. That's 50 grand more than the median value of a single American home. Let's see his goon squad "straight talk" their way out of this latest blunder. Oh, wait... don't tell me — P.O.W., right?
http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, advertising, gop meltdown, john mccain, lying liars, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Astonished
Now Playing: 'Gasoline' - Seether
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
... and virtually every one of them a McCain supporter. 
(Hat-tip Carpetbagger)Earlier this year, the Senate approved a war supplemental spending bill which included the Webb/Hagel GI Bill, expanding educational benefits for veterans. It passed 92 to 6, with John McCain failing to show up to vote. The very next day, McCain bragged to an audience in Ohio that “ we … agreed to an increase in educational benefits for our veterans.” Yeah, right.Well — believe it or not — he's still trying to peddle this shit to our vets (and everyone else): Speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) once again tried to steal credit for the 21st Century G.I. Bill, which McCain had vigorously opposed, even submitting his own proposal to undermine the chances of success for the main bill. Today, McCain told the audience of veterans that he “sought a better bill” and declared the final passage of the GI bill “the result” of his efforts:
“As a political proposition, it would have much easier for me to have just signed on to what I considered flawed legislation. But the people of Arizona, and of all America, expect more from their representatives than that, and instead I sought a better bill. I’m proud to say that the result is a law that better serves our military, better serves military families, and better serves the interests of our country.” Let's play a little game I like to call "Bunk/Debunk"...First, McCain not only opposed the GI Bill expansion, he actively fought against it. Indeed, he bragged that his opposition to the bill was evidence of his "character." And he not only tried to strangle the bill, he did so for all the wrong reasons, going so far as to say the expansion would literally “ hurt the military.” And now, he’s gone from spuriously characterizing himself not only as a "supporter," but actually arguing that he, personally made the bill even better.Second, McCain’s argument flatly contradicts what the VFW knows to be true: VFW’s deputy director for legislative affairs Eric Hilleman: The Graham-Burr-McCain plan is “very partisan and is seen as a way to convolute the GI bill, or to slow the Webb-Hagel proposal down.”
VFW National Commander George Lisicki: “People are leaving after their first enlistment because they are tired of being shot at, and their families are tired of the frequent deployments… Whether they stay in four years or 20, we owe this newest, greatest generation the gift of education.” In context, McCain was admittedly in a tough spot. The VFW championed the Webb/Hagel bill, and made it one of their top legislative priorities, while McCain fought against them every step of the way. Ol' Straight Talk couldn’t exactly be honest (i.e. explain to the VFW why he proactively tried to deny veterans better educational benefits)... So he chose Door #2 — he lied to them (and us), and hoped they wouldn’t know the difference. The result is a situation in which McCain adds insult to injury — he fought against better benefits for veterans, then he misled veterans about his own efforts. Pretty much the exact opposite of “supporting the troops,” no? And, as long as we’re on the subject, McCain also used his speech to the VFW to: • Attack Obama’s "judgment" on Iraq, just one day after the NYT highlighted how spectacularly wrong his own judgment on Iraq was after 9/11. • Tout his plan for a “Veterans Care Access Card,” which, by all accounts, veterans completely oppose. • Repeat the claim that Obama is effectively committing treason, insisting that Obama wants the U.S. to "fail in Iraq because of his personal ambition.” Something Digby recently said continues to ring more clearly every day: “I am really starting to hate this unctuous, double-talking creep.”
http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, bush legacy, disgrace, dumb americans, iraq, john mccain, lies, phony soldiers, republican hypocrisy, support our troops, veterans
From: Chicago
Mood:  Disgusted
Now Playing: 'Cruel To Be Kind' - Nick Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Hat tip Steve Benen)... Here's Ol' Straight Talk, dispensing a little common-sense advice on energy conservation earlier this year: What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing really. In fact, McCain's suggestion is just as sensible as what Obama said about inflating our tires and getting regular tune-ups. The difference is, the Dems didn’t spend a wild-eyed week pummeling McCain on it, or using light bulbs as a political prop (and snidely calling them " McCain's Energy Plan"). McCain vs. McCain: Hypocrite, Heal Thyself. http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, energy, energy policy, gas prices, john mccain, oil, republican hypocrisy, republican scum
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
Now Playing: 'Kryptonite' - Neil Merryweather
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hat-tip Hunter... I think by now, we all realize that when the Republicans uniformly block each and every effort to deal with the rise in gasoline prices, then host a grand-standing circle-jerk on the floor of the recessed House in order to demand "something be done" about gasoline prices, they don't give a damn about gasoline prices. They apparently see it as another opportunity for a multi-billion dollar giveaway to the oil companies, and an opportunity to rail that Obama and NASCAR are in the pocket of Big Tire Gauge, but that's about it. But here's a thought. Since Congress is all about stimulus packages and tax breaks, let's give everyone a $200 rebate on tuning up their car! It'd stimulate the economy. It'll reduce gas consumption immediately, and significantly. A lot of people wouldn't otherwise do it, especially the people who tend to most need it. In other words, it would work. The only potential problem is that the Republicans don't give a rat's ass about blue collar commuters and auto mechanics, since the working class almost never plop down enormous campaign contributions like oil companies do — so that's not really the kind of "stimulus" they care about. But hey, I bet it'd have a big impact on the parts market, so maybe they can beg at GM's trough afterwards. (And - *cough* - many of those parts factories are in swing states.) Or, hell, we could just grind up some polar bears and call it a "gas additive." I bet you'd find sixty votes for that. http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, energy policy, gas prices, john mccain, oil, oil drilling, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Cynical
Now Playing: 'Mercedes Benz' - Janis Joplin
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Delighted
Confused
Previous