It’s Election Day in Florida! Some people are saying that the results from Florida may give the Republican race a degree of “clarity.” Wow. How bad have things gotten when America turns to Florida for definitive election results? Let Florida’s motto be “Hey, We Can’t Possibly Do Any Worse Than Iowa!” I guarantee you, we will have a winner.
Mitt Romney has hit some very sour notes already in this campaign—now he’s doing it literally. If you thought there was nothing more painful than listening to Mitt Romney reciting the lyrics to “America the Beautiful,” wait until you hear him try to sing it! Mitt Romney butchered “America the Beautiful” a lot worse than he butchered that poor roasted pig the other day.
This proves one thing—all the money in the world can’t buy you the ability to sing on key. I thought Mormons could sing. They’ve got that “Tabernacle Choir,” AND the Osmonds! Hell, even Jon Huntsman was in a prog-rock band when he was young. Great—we got the only Mormon who can’t sing! Mitt’s singing came during an appearance at a big retirement village. Thank God—at least the people in the audience had the option of turning off their hearing aids. The fact that Mitt is singing “America the Beautiful” just shows how devoid of ideas his campaign is. All of the Republicans are running campaigns that have no meaning… just a lot of meanness.
Mitt Romney said that he wishes he could “claim” he was Hispanic. Not that he wishes he was Hispanic, mind you—that would be going too far. On Fox News (where else?) Mitt said “You know, I wish I could claim I was Hispanic.” “Claim,” Mitt? What’s stopping you? You’re constantly claiming things that aren’t true. If you can say you’ve never been pro-choice, or pro-gay rights, then you might as well claim that you’re Hispanic. But then Mitt said WHY he wished he could claim he was Hispanic—because “it would help me with the Latino community here in Florida and around the country.” Ah! So you don’t want to BE Hispanic. You just want to pass for Hispanic whenever it would be useful to get votes. Sorry Mitt, but you can’t change you’re ethnicity the way you change your political beliefs. Actually, you can’t change your political beliefs the way that you do, but we’ve given up telling you that.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
President Obama hosted the first ever virtual town hall from the White House yesterday...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Sour Notes
Thom Hartmann: Why is election spending by outside groups up 1,600% this year in the GOP primary?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Mitt Surges
In Florida, Mitt Romney is surging ahead of Newt Gingrich in the polls. Florida may be dangling from the United States, but we’re not that far out there. Despite what it looks like on the map, South Carolina is way more out there than Florida. If Newt Gingrich is stopped here in Florida, that shows that South Carolina is crazier than Florida. Add the fact that Iowa showed this year that their elections are more poorly run than Florida elections, and Florida has beaten two negative stereotypes in one election! And if Newt Gingrich doesn’t win the nomination, it will break South Carolina’s streak of always picking the candidate who eventually wins the nomination in every Republican primary since 1980. What South Carolina did will just be an aberration that won’t affect what the more rational states do. Of course, that’s what people were hoping back in 1861, too.
Last week in South Carolina, Herman Cain said “We the people are still in charge of this country, and I am endorsing we the people.” Some endorsements don’t make sense politically—Herman Cain’s endorsements don’t even make sense grammatically. Herman evidently had a change of heart, and he endorsed Newt Gingrich on Saturday in Florida. Or maybe Herman wants to continue endorsing “we the people” while getting a little side action with Newt.
Sarah Palin says Florida voters should “rage against the machine” and vote for Newt. Sarah, both you and Newt are parts of the machine. Damaged, malfunctioning parts that make a lot of terrible noises... but still parts of the machine. Sarah said “both party machines” are trying to “crucify Newt Gingrich.” Sarah, the Democrats aren’t trying to crucify Newt. On the contrary, they want to see him be resurrected.
Finally, there’s a great photo of Mitt Romney carving up a roasted pig on the campaign trail in Florida. I’m pretty sure that photo op was for the Florida’s Hispanic community... and not for Florida’s Jewish community. Mitt looks like he’s enjoying it. But then we know from his work at Bain that Mitt likes carving up dead carcasses.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
New Rules: Bill Maher asks who the *bleep* is Saul Alinsky and why are the Republicans running against a fictional Obama (salty language - may not be safe for work)...
Thom Hartmann: The oligarchs openly talking about a coup d'état in America?
Friday, January 27, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Mitt Bite Back
It's Friday, ya bastids!
The last debate for a month is finally over! In a switch, last night Mitt Romney was on the offensive. And, as is par for the course, Newt Gingrich simply was offensive. Romney had spent most of this week really stepping in it. But for the most part last night, Mitt avoided getting anything nasty on his shoes—and that’s not easy to do when you’re kicking Newt Gingrich. If you’re a Republican looking for a credible candidate, you’re still out of luck. But if you just enjoy watching a couple of losers claw each other up, this has been the greatest primary ever!
One very important question about these candidates came up during this debate—“quien es mas anti-immigrant?” As far as I’m concerned, the correct answer is “Todos los Republicanos.” Actually—for once—the Republicans were fighting over who was the least anti-immigrant. You see, Florida has a significant Latino population—time to brush up on your Spanish, guys. OK, not all of you. I just can’t picture Rick Santorum speaking Spanish. And I’m sure Spanish speakers don’t want to hear Rick talking about “hombre en sexo de perro.”
Wolf Blitzer asked Mitt about an ad of his that says Newt Gingrich called Spanish the “language of the ghetto.” That sounds exactly like an ad Mitt would run—and exactly like something Newt would say. And it was, in both cases. Mitt said “I doubt that’s my ad, but we’ll take a look and find out.” Mitt says he doesn’t watch all of the ads! But he does tack on that statement at the end saying “I’m Mitt Romney, and I approve this ad.” He’s such a banker that Mitt Romney is actually robo-signing his own political ads! A little later, Wolf said they double-checked, and it was a Mitt campaign ad “and at the end you say, ‘I’m Mitt Romney, and I approved this ad.’” In the immortal word of Rick Perry: “Oops.”
For his part, Newt said the ad took his comments “out of context. Yet, Newt apologized for it, so he must have said it! Newt Gingrich doesn’t apologize for things he didn’t do! Heck, Newt doesn’t apologize for 99 percent of the things he does do. Oh, and Newt apologized... in Spanish! Maybe that’s why Newt was willing to apologize—he didn’t know what he was saying!
Today’s Homework | Discuss
President Obama sat with Diane Sawyer yesterday. Topics included the GOP candidates, the 'food stamp president' nonsense, Gov. Jan Brewer, etc...
Thom Hartmann: An Impartial Judiciary is now just a Myth...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
'Red State Socialism' graphic says GOP-leaning states get lion's share of federal dollars
This graphic has been circulating on the Internet since 2008. We check how accurate it is.
Many GOP-leaning states get more in federal funding than they contribute in federal taxes.
That's the point made by a graphic that’s circulating on the Internet, titled "Red State Socialism." A reader recently pointed us to it and asked us to check it out. The chart suggests that Republicans are hypocritical for bashing the federal government and federal spending, when Republican-leaning states are reaping the lion’s share of federal dollars.
The graphic emphasizes this point by showing two tables side by side. States that send more money to the federal government than they receive in federal spending are on the left, and they are primarily blue (or Democratic) states. The table on the right shows states that receive more in federal spending than they contribute in taxes. This table is predominantly red (or Republican).
The graphic says: "Of the 32 states which receive more than they contribute, 27 states (84%) are REPUBLICAN. Of the 18 states which contribute more than they receive, 14 states (78%) are DEMOCRATIC."
The source cited is a report by the Tax Foundation, a business-backed group. We checked with the Tax Foundation to see whether the data was legitimate and confirmed that it is. Spokesman Richard Morrison said that the chart uses 2005 data that was published in 2007.
So the graphic is solidly grounded in reality. But we see two reasons for caution when using this chart.
How do you define red and blue states?
The graphic defines Republican states as those "that have voted Republican in a previous presidential election." Because the data is from 2005, that means states that voted for George W. Bush in 2004, which is a larger number than voted Republican in 2008.
But the definition of states as Republican or Democratic isn't immutable. Just four years later, in the 2008 election, six states in the right-hand chart and three states in the left-hand chart switched from Republican to Democratic, making both charts more heavily blue.
We should also note that some of the margins of victory were quite narrow. In fact, a dozen or more states can be characterized in most elections as swing states, which might be more appropriately shaded in purple.
The data is seven years old
As we noted, the data is for 2005. To the author’s credit, this is disclosed prominently, and because it’s the most recent data of its type available, we can hardly fault the creator of the graphic for using it. Still, since the data has almost certainly shifted in the interim, particularly with the 2009 stimulus and the general increase in deficit spending, those patterns could have shifted as well.
"Because of the high deficit spending we’re seeing at the federal level, it’s likely that every state is currently receiving more in federal spending than its population paid in federal income taxes," the Tax Foundation's Morrison said.
We tracked down the creator of the graphic, Jesse Erlbaum. Erlbaum said he was inspired to create the graphic after watching a presidential debate scene from the television show The West Wing, in which fictional Democratic President Jed Bartlet needles his Republican opponent, the governor of Florida, for seeming to diminish the importance of federal funds that his state receives.
Erlbaum said he created the graphic "for fun" in October 2008, just before Barack Obama won the presidency. "Based on that, I selected the most recent previous presidential election cycle, namely 2004." That explains the chart’s use of older electoral data; it simply hasn’t been updated by subsequent posters. Erlbaum conceded the concerns we laid out.
"It's definitely true that choosing a different election cycle and basis for assigning red versus blue will produce different results," he said. As for the age of the data, Erlbaum said, "I would love to see an update of this report."
Erlbaum added, "I've listened to feedback about this chart for a few years now, and folks who don't like the insinuation it makes will always come up with some explanation. Popular ones are that there are more military jobs, more retirees, more farmers, and fewer cities in red states. I don't buy it. Whatever the excuse, the data is clear: These states receive more than they pay in. Everything else is just a rationalization based on someone deciding that one reason for spending money is good, and another is bad. This chart makes no such distinction. I say, ‘Deal with it!’ The facts are the facts."
Our ruling
The graphic’s data uses data from the 2004 election rather than 2008, and the figures on taxes and spending date back to 2005. There are fewer states that would be labeled Republican based on the 2008 election, and there’s a strong likelihood that tax and spending data would have changed as well. Because of this likelihood, we downgrade the accuracy of this generally accurate chart to Mostly True.
Randi Rhodes: Mitt's People
Mitt Romney staged an event outside of a Fannie Mae-foreclosed home so he could embarrass Newt Gingrich over Newt's ties to Freddie Mac. Unfortunately, Mitt spoke, and that means he ended up embarrassing himself. Mitt said “The banks aren’t bad people. They’re just overwhelmed right now.” The poor banks! So little time, and so many dreams to crush! This foreclosure crisis has been hell for the banks— they’re totally exhausted from the robo-signing alone. And “The banks aren’t bad people?” Mitt! Get it through your head! The banks aren’t people at all!
Later, Mitt doubled down on the gaffe, telling distressed homeowners “The banks are scared to death, of course.” Yeah, right now they’re scared to death that you’re going to keep on talking. And he did! Mitt told foreclosure victims that the banks “are feeling the same thing that you’re feeling.” Really? They’re feeling ripped-off by heartless bankers? Mitt, one more time—banks can’t feel anything. If they did, then they would feel shame and remorse, and they would cease being banks. Florida right now is actually the perfect time and place to go after Newt Gingrich over Freddie Mac. But Mitt Romney is absolutely the worst person to try and do it... outside of Freddie Mac himself, right, Mitt?
Now Mitt is saying that he actually pays a tax rate of 40 to 50 percent. Keep picking at the scab, Mitt—that’ll make it heal faster.
Mitt claims that capital gains are taxed at a 35 percent rate when the company earns them, and then at 15 percent when the profits are distributed as dividends, so he’s really paying a total of 50 percent. Wow. No wonder Newt Gingrich wants to give him a giant tax break. Mitt is essentially saying that companies would give shareholders a lot more if they didn’t have to pay taxes. I have news for you, Mitt—a lot of the biggest companies don’t pay any taxes at all. Mitt, if you’re going to try and tell us that Bain was actually paying a corporate tax rate of 35 percent, then you’re going to have to release Bain’s tax returns. And I really don’t think you want to do that.
I guess Arizona Governor Jan Brewer gave President Obama a piece of her mind. Careful, Jan—there aren’t a lot of pieces left intact. Brewer accosted the President as he got off of Air Force One. I’m shocked. Mostly I’m shocked that a nut like Jan Brewer got past security. He should have patted her arm and said “That’s nice, Jan. I’ve got to get back to planet Earth. Have another Red Bull.”
And it looks like the rightwing is uniting around Newt Gingrich... no wait, they’re not uniting around him... they’re trying to surround him! Politico is reporting that the rightwing is acting in concert to try and derail Newt’s campaign before he blows everything. Well, it looks like Republicans have finally found a leader who can bring the party together.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
Thom Hartmann: Is Indiana the new front line for the war on the working class?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Randi Rhodes: SOTU Smackdown
That was quite a State of the Union speech. What kind of corner have the Republicans painted themselves into? Now they have to sit on their hands every time good news gets mentioned. The President reported that the state of our union was strong and getting better. But from the looks on their faces, the Republicans in Congress have little interest in being part of that Union. The Republicans looked like they were sitting through the funeral speech for a loved one. In a sense they were—it was a funeral speech for the recession that meant so much to Republicans. The more things come together for America, the more the Republicans’ plans fall apart.
The President sketched out a plan for economic growth, borrowing the phrase “built to last” from the auto industry that he saved... the same industry that Mitt Romney wanted to let go under. The phrase “Built to last” means nothing to a vulture capitalist like Mitt Romney. His slogan should be “Killed for profit.” Obama also called for Congress to pass the “Buffet rule” which would make sure that those making over a million dollars pay at least 30 percent in taxes. Too bad it’s already called the “Buffet rule,” because it would be just too perfect to call it the “Romney rule.” To illustrate his point, Obama had Warren Buffet’s actual secretary in the audience! Psyche! Hey Republicans, I think you just got “Buffeted.” The President also said he will have the Attorney General go after those who engage in deceptive and abusive lending practices, or as conservatives call it, “banking.”
Mitt Romney released his tax returns yesterday in the hope that they would be overshadowed by the State of the Union speech. It turns out that they were highlighted by the speech. You couldn’t help but think of Mitt when the President was talking about leveling the playing field—Mitt Romney is like a giant 50-foot rock jutting out right in the middle of the playing field. Obama was referencing Romney again when he said “When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich.” I’m sure Mitt Romney heard that and thought “He’s just jealous!” Thanks for the material, Mitt. If speeches had writer’s credits, they would have to list a “special thanks” to Mitt Romney on this one.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
President Obama explains the 'Buffett Rule'...
Thom Hartmann: What do you think of President Obama's State of The Union speech?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thom Hartmann: The President is set to deliver his State of the Union address tonight - What will he talk about?
Randi Rhodes: Dueling Dumpers
Down and dirty debates, and dueling document dumps! The State of the Union Address can’t come soon enough. Yes there was yet another debate last night. I want one of these losers to win just so we can end these debates once and for all. Last night Romney attacked Gingrich as a slimy influence peddler, and Newt attacked Mitt as a desperate hypocrite. Gentlemen, please! You’re both right! Mitt was trying to regain the offensive. Good luck with that—Newt IS the offensive.
Both Newt and Mitt have performed a massive dump of documents in the past 24 hours. And that’s not the first time either of those guys has been associated with the phrase “massive dump.” Newt Gingrich released his lobbying contract with Freddie Mac. Of course, Newt would tell you he released his “consulting” contract with Freddie Mac, but a glance at the contract confirms otherwise. During the time Newt says he wasn’t lobbying for Freddie Mac, he was reporting to the person in charge of lobbying at Freddie Mac. If Newt was really there just to provide advice, his first piece of advice should have been to point out that they had him reporting to the wrong person. Newt only released a one-year contract of his with Freddie Mac. He worked for them for eight years and made $1.8 million. One lousy year? Newt, are you trying to pull a “Mitt” on us?
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney released his 2010 tax returns and an estimate for 2011. This will just make people hungry for more, but they won’t be hungry until they’re through being sick over what they see on these returns. Mitt made $12.6 million in capital gains, $4.9 million in dividends, and $3.3 million in interest. How do I get that job? Oh that’s right—it’s not a job at all. In 2010, Mitt paid an effective tax rate of about 13.9 percent. That’s not very “effective” at all. Next year, Mitt’s estimates show that he will pay a tax rate of 15.4 percent. And that’s the number he manipulated to look good on this release! Mitt Romney literally can’t pay a fair tax rate if he tries to! Mitt said his tax bill is “entirely legal and fair.” Well, he’s half right.
Ugh! What a pair Newt and Mitt are! These two deserve everything they hit each other with. And the Republican Party deserves to end up getting stuck with one of them.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
Monday, January 23, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Newt-Mentum!
What a weekend! The sounds coming out of South Carolina were almost as bad as the sounds coming out of Steven Tyler. Newt Gingrich shocked the political world with his big comeback in South Carolina. OK, the crazy rightwing extremist candidate won the crazy rightwing extremist state. Why should anybody be shocked? Now it looks like Newt Gingrich has come back from the dead! But then that’s how Newt Gingrich always looks. It was fun watching Mitt squirm after South Carolina, but it always disturbing to see Newt in his triumphant mode. That’s the only problem with these Republican primaries—somebody has to win them. People are saying “now, anything can happen!” Let’s get real. Only two things can happen—Mitt Romney, or Newt Gingrich. So nothing good can happen.
South Carolina is full of lunatics who love to cause trouble. It was always a perfect match for Newt Gingrich. Floridians don’t have as much in common with Newt... other than the alligators, that is. If you look at the polls for Florida, Newt Gingrich’s line shows radical swings up and down... kind of like Newt Gingrich himself. Can Florida possibly vote for a scary rightwing extremist with a history of terrible ethics problems? I can answer that in four words: “Florida Governor Rick Scott.”
Mitt Romney is only releasing his tax returns from last year, along with an estimate for his taxes this year. Those returns are the ones that were prepared with an eye to running for the presidency. They’ve been sanitized... for Mitt’s protection. Mitt, release returns from the years before you were running for president! It’s a lot easier if you just rip the band-aid off in one quick yank. Unless what we’re dealing with here is a lot more than a band-aid. You can’t yank off a full-body cast.
When you weren’t listening to South Carolinians howl for Newt over the weekend, you could listen to Steven Tyler howl. If you didn’t see it, Steven’s rendition of the National Anthem was even more off target than the Baltimore Ravens’ field goal attempt at the end of the game. Back to American Idol, Steven. They say that those who can’t do, teach. And those that really can’t do, judge. ”
Today’s Homework | Discuss
Thom Hartmann: The Republican Party has a serious problem on its hands - and its name is Newt Gingrich.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thom Hartmann: Occupy the Courts! Today - in over 100 cities across America...
Randi Rhodes: GOP Game Show
It's Friday, ya bastids!
If you look at last night’s debate as a game show, Newt Gingrich won the grand prize display package right at the beginning of the show. Newt really unloaded. And when Newt Gingrich unloads, we’re talking a very big load. John King started off by asking Newt about his ex-wife’s claims that he had asked her for an open marriage. King didn’t attack Newt, he teed him up! Newt launched into a tirade about how the media make “it harder to govern this country.” Exactly! I bet there are thrice-married family values hypocrites out there who won’t even run because they’re afraid of what the media would do to them. Newt thundered “I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.” Yes, appalled! Appalled, and eternally grateful! Come on, John King! You don’t think that Newt was waiting for that one like a cat under the bird feeder? The bottom line is that you know that Newt would be totally prepared for an infidelity question, just like you know that Mitt Romney would be completely prepared to deal with any income tax question. Oh... OK, bad example.
Mitt Romney always seems to be caught totally unprepared by these questions about his taxes. Odd, considering how incredibly well-prepared I’m sure he always is to DO his taxes. When Romney was asked about his taxes, he said that people were criticizing him for “being successful.” Not exactly, Mitt—they’re criticizing you for being successful at avoiding taxes. John King beautifully used Mitt’s father George Romney’s release of 12 years of his tax returns as an example. If King stepped in it at the beginning with Newt Gingrich, he later wiped his shoes on Mitt Romney. When asked if he would release multiple years of taxes like his father did, Mitt awkwardly blurted out “Maybe.” Mitt, “maybe” isn’t a definitive answer any more than the vote count from the Iowa caucus is a definitive result.
Romney attacked Newt for always talking about all the things he supposedly did with Ronald Reagan. It’s true. To listen to Newt, he and Ronald Reagan sound more like Starsky & Hutch. You know that Newt Gingrich wasn’t that close to Ronald Reagan. If he was that intimate with Reagan, he would have cheated on him. Heck, Newt would have asked Reagan if he could see other Republican icons. “I want an open mentoring relationship. Jack Kemp doesn’t care what I do, neither should you.”
Today’s Homework | Discuss
President Obama belted out a couple of bars of Al Green last night in NYC - it's even better if you can imagine Romney attempting the same feat...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Perry Retreats
Rick Perry announced today that he is leaving the race. You know what that means—tomorrow Rick Perry will announce that he is staying in the race. Rick Perry’s campaign has been so full of mistakes and flubs that, frankly, I’m a little worried about whether or not he’s going to be able to find his way home. We’re going to miss you, Rick. If dead campaigns had gravestones, this one’s would just read “Oops!”
Perry has endorsed Newt Gingrich. Newt stands a good chance of picking up Rick Perry’s supporters... both of them, if he’s lucky. The amazing thing when you look at it is that Gingrich seems to be in big trouble... and Romney also seems to be in big trouble. The candidates can’t ALL be in big trouble. I mean, somebody has to win, right? Well, maybe not...
The Republicans have finally picked their winner in Iowa... and they say that it’s nobody. I think they got it right—given what we’ve seen of the candidates in the Republican field, the only truly correct choice is to throw your hands in the air and give up. Republican officials in Iowa have announced that they can’t determine an actual winner because results from eight precincts cannot be located. Cannot be located? Rule number one in counting votes—when you’re done, keep the votes, at least for a little while. Oh, and it’s nice if you make a note of where you put them.
After counting the votes that they managed to hang on to, it turns out that Rick Santorum is 34 votes ahead. Rick Santorum moved quickly to declare victory. Can you blame him? It’s the only chance he’s going to have to declare victory for the rest of his life. But there is no official winner in Iowa. That’s appropriate. In the long run, it was just an election to choose a loser anyway. Bottom line—Iowans can’t count for crap, and Republicans don’t count for crap.
As a Floridian, I’m gratified that somebody finally showed they can screw up an election even worse than we did. Yes, we had those crazy butterfly ballots. But we did manage to hang on to them, even after election night. At least in Florida in 2000, after all the fuss, we had a clear cut winner—and then the Supreme Court picked the other guy. But that wasn’t our doing.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
A good day for Newt; a bad day for Romney - which makes it even a better day for Newt! And then this happened...
Thom Hartmann: President Obama said NO! to the Oil Barons...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Mr. Loophole
It turns out that the thing that could do in Mitt Romney isn’t his association with the 1 percent, it’s his association with the 15 percent—the 15 percent tax bracket, that is. I have no doubt that everything Mitt does to make his tax rates lower is strictly legal. That’s actually the most disturbing part. Saying something is legal doesn’t make it right, especially when the rich essentially say what will be legal. The tax laws have been written for the rich. What’s worse—a person who breaks the tax laws for their own benefit, or the person who makes the tax laws for their own benefit?
Mitt seems determined to only release his tax returns for last year come April—the taxes he hasn’t even done yet. I’m sure that every year prior to this, Mitt had an army of accountants go over his tax returns before he turns them in. This year, he’s going to have an army of political consultants go over his tax returns before he turns them over. Mitt wants to stall until April so he can just release the latest returns. That’s like getting pulled over for drunk driving and telling the cop that you will supply a breath sample a week from Tuesday. I don’t know what’s more insulting, that Mitt Romney thinks we’re so stupid that we would allow him to get away with that, or that he thinks he’s so privileged that he should be allowed to get away with that.
Mitt also might be using fancy offshore strategies to avoid taxes. Voters will certainly have no problem with that—as long as Mitt is running for President of the Cayman Islands. Mitt might also be taking advantage of a loophole called the “carried interest loophole.” If that sounds like something you would have a hard time understanding... well, that’s intentional. You’re not supposed to understand things like offshore strategies and carried interest. Heck, you’re not supposed to even know about those things. Don’t worry your middle-class head about the tax strategies that rich people like Mitt use. Just shut up and pay your 35 percent, little man!
No matter how disgusted you may be with Mitt Romney, you can always be even more disgusted by Newt Gingrich. Newt has put out an ad trying to capitalize on his racially inflammatory statements during the debate. You see, Newt doesn’t just say the wrong things—he works hard to reap benefits from saying the wrong things!
Today’s Homework | Discuss
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is asked why Romney should release his tax records; Carney notes that Mitt's father released 12 years worth of tax records in 1968...
Thom Hartmann: In Solidarity Thom Hartmann is blacked out - with a few candles....Watch Now!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Randi Rhodes; The Dog Whistler
Last night the Republicans held their first of two South Carolina debates. Holding a Republican debate in South Carolina on Martin Luther King Day is like organizing a bunny hunt for Easter Sunday. But then I’m sure Martin Luther King Day means about as much to conservatives as Labor Day means for Mitt Romney. These are the people who insisted that President Obama reschedule an address to a joint session of Congress so that Rick Perry could make his debate debut. Of course they wouldn’t think twice about scheduling their debate for Martin Luther King Day. Actually, Martin Luther King Day would be totally appropriate for a thoughtful examination of the issues confronting this country. But that’s the last thing you’re going to see at a Republican debate.
This being South Carolina, the candidates served up huge helpings of raw meat, and of course Newt Gingrich was the head butcher. Juan Williams confronted Newt over comments that were insulting to minorities (video below). Naturally, Newt responded with comments that were insulting to minorities. He literally sneered and rolled his eyes as he responded to Williams, saying “First of all, Juan...” The way Newt said “Juan,” you could almost see him making air quotes with his hands. It was like he was saying “Why don’t you call yourself John like a real American?” (Incidentally Juan, how’s that job at Fox News working out for you? Remember, when he’s not running for President, Newt also works at Fox News. It’s going to be very awkward next time he runs into Juan Williams in the break room.)
Mitt called the super-PAC attacks on his record at Bain “probably the biggest hoax since Bigfoot.” I guess Mitt just lost all the voters who believe in Bigfoot. But then, odds are, those people are already confirmed Ron Paul supporters. When asked if he had been hunting recently, Mitt said that yes, he had been in Montana hunting moose. Then he corrected himself and said he had actually been hunting elk. They’re all the same. You know—the really big varmints. What does Mitt Romney do if he takes down an elk? Does he extract all of its assets and force the elk into bankruptcy?
Today’s Homework | Discuss
Happy MLK Day, South Carolina! Newt doubles down on child labor for poor kids and continues to demonize people receiving food assistance...
Thom Hartmann: Let The Recall Begin
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thom Hartmann: Stephen Colbert highlights how Citizens United has made a mockery of our democracy
Randi Rhodes: Van Jones on MLK
It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Randi will be back live tomorrow (1/17), Nicole Sandler is filling in today; her guests incude:
Environmental and civil rights activist, co-founder of Color of Change and Rebuild The Dream, and former Obama Administration advisor, Van Jones will discuss Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Rebuild The Dream has organized hundreds of meetups today to celebrate Dr. King and President Obama's call to service and the goal of making our economy work for all Americans.
Jeff Clements, author of Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It on the upcoming second anniversary of the Citizens United decision.
Comedian/activist Lee Camp - who may be best known for calling Fox News a "festival of ignorance" ON Fox News - on the 'We The People' campaign and the viral effort to continue pushing to get money out of politics.
Finally, comedian and actress Maysoon Zayid will talk with Nicole about the role of Arab Americans in America on MLK Day, as the newest large minority group that still has to deal with some of the same issues Dr. King was fighting fifty years ago.
Call Nicole at 866-87-RANDI (866-877-2634)
Nicole’s blog
Today’s Randi Rhodes homework
Randi’s message board
Randi’s comedy bit archive
Randi on Facebook & Twitter
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on NBC's 'Meet The Press' from March 28, 1965 - just days after the Selma to Montgomery marches...
Friday, January 13, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Newt Dusting Off The Classics
It’s Friday the 13th, ya bastids!
And its 2012! Today, the superstitious and the Mayans are combining to create the perfect storm of Doom Prophecy. If we can just find a way to link today to the Book of Revelations, we’ve got the Apocalypse Trifecta! This year, there are actually three Friday the 13ths, all occurring within exactly 13 weeks. For the superstitious, it’s the worst thing this side of having to walk through a parade of black cats. The clinical term for fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia. Who comes up with these phobia names? They should just call it Fridaythe13thphobia. That’s actually shorter and easy to remember.
Newt Gingrich has begun airing anti-Romney ads that show Mitt in various awkward moments. In one clip Mitt says “I’ve always been a rodent and rabbit hunter, small varmints, if you will.” Varmints, Mitt? You sound like the banker Mr. Drysdale on an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies. Here’s a little advice, Mitt—the term “varmints” doesn’t mesh well with the phrase “if you will.” It’s like saying “pass the grits, my good fellow.” Mitt says “I began when I was 15 and hunted those kind of varmints more than two times.” Wow, more than two times! Since you were 15? Why, that’s almost once every 25 years. What happens, Mitt? Every two-and-a-half decades or so, you just wake up itchin’ to shoot yourself a nice fat muskrat for the stewpot?
Another clip Newt is using shows Romney talking about the infamous “family dog on the roof of the car” story. Well, you knew that one was going to hit the fan... or the windshield, as the case may be. Mitt, you may have managed to hose down the dog and the car back when the incident happened, but poor Seamus is still going to crap all over your presidential run in 2012. Imagine how that poor dog felt on the roof of the car. That’s how each one of us is going to feel if Mitt Romney is at the wheel of the United States. What I’m saying is, if Mitt Romney is elected president, don’t bother putting on clean underwear. They’re going to get ruined anyway.
Finally, Rick Perry is imploring his supporters not to “quit” on him. Sad. Rick couldn’t look more desperate if he was holding a boombox playing “In Your Eyes” over his head.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
Stephen Colbert may run for President of the United States of South Carolina, thanks to Citizens' United and a little help from his pal Jon Stewart...
Thom Hartmann: Is Government by "Hostage Taking" Over?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Hell Hath No Fury
Wow, things are already getting very ugly, and we’re just getting started in South Carolina—which is the environment where ugly thrives. South Carolina is known for its whisper campaigns, where terrible things are said in hushed tones. Well, this time, all those terrible things are going to be said over the airwaves in millions of dollars of purchased airtime. South Carolina is where they spread the vicious lie that John McCain had an illegitimate black baby. They’re going to be saying even meaner things about Mitt Romney. And the worst part is that the things they’re going to say about Romney are all true. This year they’re going to be saying that Mitt Romney has an illegitimate, black heart.
Defending his attacks, Newt Gingrich said he was concerned about the rules of capitalism: “Are they fair to the American people, or are the deals being cut on behalf of Wall Street institutions and very rich people?” Wow. Is Newt angling to become the Republican nominee, or the next head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?
The reason for all of this comes down to the fact that Mitt really went after Newt Gingrich in Iowa, and it made Newt crazy. Really, Mitt, why go after Newt as viciously as you did? Did you have any doubt that Newt Gingrich would quickly implode on his own? Think about it—Newt Gingrich is dangerous, erratic, and unpredictable. Mitt Romney unnecessarily provoked him, and now Mitt has a lunatic attacking him. Do you really want Mitt Romney to be dealing with North Korea? Republican bigwigs say they want to try and talk Newt “off the ledge.” The problem is that Newt isn’t on the ledge. Mitt Romney is on the ledge, and Newt is standing behind him.
Mitt Romney’s talking point has been that all the attacks on how he made his money are being driven by “envy.” Of course, Envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Mitt Romney really shouldn’t be bringing up one of them—some of the other Seven Deadly Sins are Greed, Pride, and Vanity. And those are three terms that definitely appear in all opposition research about Mitt Romney. Mitt said “I think it’s about envy.” Essentially, that’s the 8th-grade response to every argument—“Well, you’re just jealous!”
Today’s Homework | Discuss
Conservative messaging guru Frank Luntz is warning Republicans not to defend 'capitalism' by name because it only has 18% support...
Thom Hartmann: Is America a nation in the midst of a class war?
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Mitt Wins
Mitt Romney won New Hampshire. I guess that means now he’s going to extract all of its cash, break it up, and sell it off in pieces. Of course Mitt was forecast to win New Hampshire. For Republicans, a forecast of Mitt Romney winning is like getting a forecast of heavy clouds, bitter cold, and a mixture of sleet and snow—they don’t freak out like they would for a hurricane like Newt Gingrich—they just shrug their shoulders and deal with it. Mitt Romney may have gotten 39 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, but he only got a pathetic 25 percent among voters younger than 30. So you better get the nomination this time, Mitt, because the future doesn’t look good. Heck, that’s probably one reason some Republicans are voting for Mitt Romney. They just want him to get the nomination so that he’ll finally stop running.
Ron Paul came in second with 23 percent of the vote. Ron Paul is big among the younger voters. You know what else is really big with young people? Tattoos. Neither of those is a very good indication of strong decision-making skills. Jon Huntsman came in third with 17 percent. He said “third place is a ticket to ride.” If it is, it’s definitely a ticket to ride in coach. And no baggage, please. Newt Gingrich only got 9.4 percent. But Newt won’t stop. He wants to get a lot more than 10 percent—he wants to get revenge. Oh, and Rick Perry got 0.7 percent. That certainly validates Rick’s decision… to quit the race. Too bad he didn’t stick with it. 0.7 percent! Do you know how low of a number that is? If you do, please explain it to Rick Perry.
Republican power brokers are rallying around Mitt Romney. They realize they have to embrace Mitt Romney with all of his flaws... if only because all of his flaws are their flaws. Is this whole process just going to expose and ruin Mitt Romney the way the exposure of his past ruined Herman Cain? Herman Cain was forcing himself on women. At Bain Capital, Mitt Romney was forcing himself on whole companies. At least after an encounter with Herman Cain, a woman could put her life back together with therapy and emotional support. After an encounter with Mitt Romney, companies had no recourse except bankruptcy. And Herman Cain never extracted all of the women’s money, cut them into parts, and sold them off. Well, if he did, that hasn’t come out yet.
Today’s Homework | Discuss
If you always wondered what it would be like if President Obama performed Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way', today is your day...
Thom Hartmann: Are Republicans redistributing massive amounts of money to the top 1%?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Randi Rhodes: Roasting Romney
Today is Election Day if you live in New Hampshire. And if you live in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, today already was Election Day. Tiny Dixville Notch traditionally opens its polls at midnight on Election Day and closes them moments later after everyone has voted. That’s perfect for this year’s Republican primary—everyone just wants to get it over with. In the Notch, among 6 Republican votes cast, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman tied for first with two votes each. Those are the numbers, unless someone demands a recount.
Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul each got one vote. I bet all the voters in Dixville Notch went to a diner after voting, sat around the table, and said “OK... who voted for Ron Paul?” Actually, it would be easy to tell who voted for Ron Paul. When the bill for the meal came, they were the one who wanted to pay in gold. And they could easily tell the Mitt Romney voters—they were the ones who wanted to go to Denny’s, maybe get some bean dip.
Mitt Romney will undoubtedly emerge the winner from New Hampshire. He’s also likely to emerge as a job-killing corporate raider. Republicans are portraying Mitt Romney as a soulless, greedy capitalist. That’s right—Republicans are portraying Mitt Romney as a Republican... to convince Republicans that he’s not right for the Republican Party. Not that any of them would have done anything differently from the way Mitt did it. Mitt just had the opportunity to do it better. And they can’t even complain that Mitt had an unfair advantage. The reason Mitt had the opportunity to do it better was because he was born into wealth and privilege... and that is also pure Republican! I just love seeing Republicans debating business ethics. Up until now, the only debate among Republicans about business ethics was about the best way to eliminate them.
Mitt likes to say that he created a net of 100,000 in his work in the private sector. He must be counting all the illegal immigrant landscapers that he hired using the money he made from laying off American workers. Mitt’s claims about creating 100,000 jobs are “unproven,” which is another term for “made up out of thin air.” Hey Mitt, why don’t you claim credit for something you really did, Mitt... like Romneycare?
Today’s Homework | Discuss
When even Rick Perry is scoring off of you, you know you're having a bad day...
Thom Hartmann: What will be the results of the New Hampshire primary?
