Stacy`s Soapbox

Randi Rhodes: Strange Crusade

2012-02-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

The Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa has warned that President Obama’s policy on having insurance pay for contraception is the work of “the Devil” and must be "violently opposed" (video below). Evidently Satan wants to relieve the suffering caused by unwanted children and overpopulation. I think he’s slipping.

Rush Limbaugh says the Constitution clearly prohibits having birth control covered by insurance companies. I knew the Founding Fathers were forward thinkers. I had no idea just how forward thinking they were. I wonder what they had to say about digital media, genetic engineering, and satellite technology. Rush goes on to say “If you don’t like the Catholic Church’s view on abortion, if you don’t like their view on contraception, don’t be Catholic.” Of course, you still have to follow their rules on those subjects! Rush says if people don’t agree with the Catholic Church on contraception, “They don’t have to sign up.” Not at all! They’re evidently automatically enrolled! If you want to obey the Catholic Church, you don’t have to sign up with them—all you have to do is live in the United States of America.

Where does all this stupidity come from? It turns out that there’s a scientific explanation. A recent study published in the journal Psychological Science concluded that people with less intelligence tend to be conservative. I’m sure it didn’t offend any of them. None of them would be reading the journal Psychological Science. Next time you have an argument with a conservative, you can tell them that conservatives are less intelligent, and that is just an empirical fact. Well, don’t use the word “empirical.” And talk really slowly. The study that concluded that conservatives are dumb was conducted using rigorous scientific testing methods. But they could have come to the same conclusion by just turning on Fox News.

There are some intelligent Republicans, but if they want to get anywhere in their own party, they have to keep their intelligence hidden. It’s kind of like how Republicans keep gay conservatives confined to the closet. I guess they keep intelligent conservatives confined to the library. And why would a reasonably intelligent person want to be with the Republicans? Well, it guarantees that whenever they’re at a conservative gathering, they’re always the smartest person in the room.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Thom Hartmann: Are the Oil Barons Brainwashing your Children?

2012-02-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

The environment is screwed. Big oil and coal want to brainwash your children. The Center for American Progress obtained a secret document produced by the Heartland Institute - a right wing, global warming-denying think tank funded by the Koch brothers - to teach children in K through 12th grade that global warming is a "major scientific controversy."

The document includes secret plans to re-write environmental curricula to downplay the effects of global warming. The man in charge of writing the new curricula is named Dr. David Wojick - who also works as a coal industry consultant. The Heartland Institute defended its reeducation effort by saying, "We hope that our efforts will restore sound science to climate change education and discourage the political propaganda that too often passes as 'education.'" In other words - they think big oil should be teaching kids - and not the scientific community.

This is exactly the sort of stuff that former Supreme Court justice Lewis Powell called for in his infamous 1971 memo to the Chamber of Commerce when he suggested rewriting school textbooks to advance more business-friendly attitudes. The billionaires are continuing their campaign of good old-fashioned brainwashing.

-Thom

(Will they get away with it? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Painful Courtship

2012-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is here, and the Republican Party can’t seem to decide who its sweetheart is going to be. They have their choice of four ardent suitors, none of whom really have the qualities they’re looking for. Most recently, there’s been Rick Santorum. He’s exciting and new, but still unknown. He looks so dashing in those sweater vests, but then every once in a while he says something that comes off as just plain weird. I’m afraid there may be some things going on under the surface there.

At least he’s not that awful Mitt Romney! Mitt is the guy their parents want them to marry. He comes from a good family, he’s got oodles of money, and he’s so handsome. So what it is it about this guy that just turns them off so much? Mitt just tries too hard. He actually scares them away when he comes on so strong. Back off a little, Mitt. They want some space. Mitt says all the right things, but somehow he never seems to mean it. I suspect that he doesn’t love the Republican Party for their policies. He just loves the idea of being the one they picked.

Then there’s Ron Paul, the older guy who likes to come off as an outsider. Ron is SOOOO intellectual! He’s always talking philosophy. He doesn’t give a damn what people think! Of course, they know that Ron Paul would be an absolute disaster in an actual relationship. But they flirt with him just because it pisses their parents off.

Of course, Newt Gingrich is the creepy ex who keeps hanging around. They had a thing in the 90’s, and it turned into a nightmare. Then, for some crazy reason, when Newt showed back up last year, they had another little dalliance with him in South Carolina. It didn’t take long to be reminded of just how crazy Newt can be, so they broke it off right away. But Newt doesn’t want to accept that. At this point, Newt doesn’t even want a relationship. He just hates the handsome rich boy Mitt so much that he wants to sabotage his chances.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the state of Washington has legalized gay marriage. Now on a visit to Washington, Rick Santorum called for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. For Rick, it was like visiting a disaster area. He was there to promise local homophobes that help was on the way.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Newt is asked about his Valentine's Day plans - we'll just assume the reporter meant with Callista...

Thom Hartmann: Who will you vote for this year: Big Oil, Big Casinos, or Wall Street?

2012-02-14T18:09:00.001-08:00

Billionaire hedge fund manager - and primary contributor to Rick Santorum's Red, White, and Blue SuperPAC - Foster Friess let the truth slip out about politics in this post-Citizens United age during an interview with Politico. Friess was among several billionaires who attended the Koch brothers secret meeting last month where over a hundred million dollars was pledged to beat President Obama.

Trying to get other oligarchs on the side of Rick Santorum - Friess said, "There isn't a person at the Koch brothers events who would not get a good return on their investment by investing in [Santorum] as president, because of what they believe about the free enterprise system." The key word there: investment. These aren't campaign contributions - these are investments that millionaires and billionaires are making to keep their tax breaks, their subsidies, and their lax regulations in place.

We no longer have actual people running for President - we have a few very, very rich people like Friess and the Kochs investing in stooges to do their bidding - and hoping to see major returns in their bank accounts. So who will you vote for this year? Big Oil, Big Casinos, or Wall Street?

-Thom

(Who will you vote for this year? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Game On!

2012-02-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

President Obama has unveiled the final annual budget for his first term. It’s the kind of budget that should go a long way toward ensuring a second term. The President has proposed a higher tax on unearned dividend income. If you’re not familiar with the term, that’s “Mitt Romney money.” This is good for everybody—if President Obama’s plan is adopted, then never again will Mitt Romney have to be politically embarrassed because he pays so much less in taxes than the average taxpayer. Mitt Romney attacked the President for not pursuing savings in entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. Mitt! There’s no reason to cut people’s Social Security if people like you pay their fair share of taxes, and this budget accomplishes that. This budget is a work of fiscal and political genius. It not only tackles our problems in an election year... it makes Mitt Romney one of the problems!

The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have rejected President Obama’s compromise on contraceptive coverage. It’s the 21st century, and we’re talking about birth control! They might as well have issued their statement in Latin. 59 percent of Catholic women support President Obama’s compromise. Some of these women should try to become Catholic bishops or priests. Oh, that’s right—no women allowed. You’re listening to advice on birth control from an institution that won’t allow women in their leadership. In fact, the only position they approve of for women is the missionary position.

Now Republicans want to allow any employer or insurance company the right to exclude birth control coverage! I knew American workers were more productive than ever. Now it seems that Republicans want them to be more reproductive as well. A Republican proposal from Senator Roy Blunt would allow employers or insurers to exclude any coverage that is contrary to their “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” Hello! They’re insurance companies! Their only “moral conviction” is to make money. Something tells me a lot if insurance companies are suddenly going to find preexisting conditions “morally objectionable.” When Jesus healed the blind, did he ask them first if their blindness was due to immoral behavior? “This blindness isn’t the result of masturbation, is it? Because if it is, you’re on your own.”

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Rest in peace, Ms. Houston...

Thom Hartmann: Are we a rapidly "undeveloping" superpower?

2012-02-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

President Obama unveils his vision for America today in the form of a 2013 federal budget. The President calls for $3.8 trillion in spending next year - including new investments in our roads and infrastructure, education, and manufacturing sector. Also included in the budget are a yearlong extension of emergency unemployment benefits, and of the payroll tax cut holiday for 160 million working Americans.

On the deficit-reduction side - the President's budget cuts the deficit by $4 trillion over the next ten years by raising taxes on corporations and the very wealthy - like letting the Bush tax cuts expire for top income earners. It also trims down federal entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid - and cuts the Defense Budget by 5% over the next decade. Of course - the President's budget with its massive investments in infrastructure, education, and manufacturing by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share in taxes will be just one vision laid out for the nation.

The Republicans will unveil their vision soon, which will likely call for even lower taxes for the super-rich - more investments in dirty oil rather than clean energy - and the destruction of Medicare as we know it. So which road should our nation take? The one that invests in creating a more competitive nation? Or the same one that, thanks to 30 years of Reagan, Bush, and Clintonomics, brought us to where we are today - becoming a rapidly "undeveloping" superpower?

-Thom

(Which way will America go? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: New Rule

2012-02-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, ya bastids!

President Obama has announced his compromise on the contraception coverage rule (video below). Compromise in this instance is risky by its very nature—you don’t want to anything half-assed when it comes to birth control. Under the compromise, religious employers would not have to offer the free contraceptive coverage to employees... the insurance company would have to. Yes, it’s absurd, but then so is anything that accommodates demands from the conservative fringe. Predictably, conservatives were unhappy. But then conservatives are always unhappy—it’s the only thing that makes them happy. Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski called the compromise “too little, too late.” Too late? This, from an organization that only recently pardoned Galileo for saying the earth revolves around the sun in the year 1600!

The Catholic leaders were looking for a fight. The last time they did that, we got the Crusades. And they were ready for this fight—on the day that the contraceptive decision was announced, Catholic bishops all over the country issued pre-written letters of condemnation. They were ready with their talking points... or preaching points, as the case may be. I wouldn’t be surprised if this all somehow traced back to Frank Luntz. Compromising does give President Obama a chance to look more reasonable than the Republicans. But then the shirtless drunks on the show “Cops” look more reasonable than the Republicans.

It’s CPAC time! If you don’t know what CPAC is, it’s when conservative nutbags gather to reinforce each other’s nutbaggery. CPAC is kind of like a Burning Man festival for people who want to burn witches. The attendees at CPAC don’t like the Republican presidential field. They are very disappointed in their choices. Hello! What do you expect from a gathering where everybody is anti-choice? Mitt Romney is at CPAC trying to prove his conservative credentials to leaders of the far right. But then it’s a daunting task for Mitt Romney to convince human beings in general that he is one of them.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Thom Hartmann: Education now only for the wealthy?

2012-02-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Low-income children are screwed when it comes to getting a good education. New studies show that a quality education in America is now increasingly only available to the very rich. A study out of Stanford shows that the gap in standardized testing scores between rich students and low-income students has increased 40% since the 1960's. And another study out of the University of Michigan shows that gap between rich and low-income students when it comes to college completion - which is the single biggest factor when it comes to succeeding in the economy - has grown 50% since the 1980's.

As the New York Times reports, "The changes are tectonic, a result of social and economic processes unfolding over many decades." Those social and economic processes are called Reagan, Clinton, and Bush-onomics. In the last 30 years, thanks to the Reagan Tax Cuts, Clinton's attack on welfare and embrace of Free Trade, and Bush's Great Depression - our economy only benefits the very rich.

And with public education budgets being slashed around the nation - and taxpayer dollars being diverted to for-profit schools - the one great equalizer in America - our education system is under attack.

-Thom

(How do you see the future for young Americans? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: War on Women

2012-02-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

So now we’re fighting over birth control? John Boehner said on the floor of the House that the rule requiring insurance to cover contraception is an attack on “religious freedom.” Easy for him to say—I think John Boehner’s preferred method of birth control is alcohol-induced erectile dysfunction. Hey, if you drink as much as John Boehner, alcohol not only functions as a contraceptive, it also effectively enforces chastity... unless you consider mumbling drunken apologies naked in bed to be a form of sex.

The Republican candidates love to flaunt their large numbers of offspring. What are they—presidential candidates... or hamsters? Rick Santorum has seven kids, while both Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have five each. That doesn’t tell you who is best to be president. It tells you who is best to repopulate the earth in case of a nuclear holocaust. The guy with the fecundity deficit is Newt Gingrich. Newt actually has more marriages than he has children... 3 to 2! Uh oh. Newt’s relatively low number of offspring indicates that he may have been practicing birth control. But then just the fact that he is Newt Gingrich is a form of birth control.

Dana Perino doesn’t think we should be giving free birth control to women because Dana sees “a lot of people out there able to buy a new pair of shoes.” Incredible! They used to want to keep you barefoot and pregnant. At least Dana Perino is giving you the choice—barefoot OR pregnant! Dana wants women to be forced to choose between motherhood and shoes… the two most sacred things to a woman!

Finally, Sean Hannity said that President Obama never would have gotten bin Laden if President Obama had “had his way.” What? Sean, what do you think President Obama said after he got bin Laden? “Oops”? He’s not Rick Perry, you know. Sean, if President Obama didn’t want to get bin Laden, all he had to do was put former President Bush in charge of tracking him down. That would have guaranteed that bin Laden would never be found, and it would have given George Bush something to do. Or not do, as the case may be.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Senate Dems put anti-women's healthcare Republicans on notice yesterday...

Thom Hartmann: Why is it that, in America, fewer young adults have a job than ever before?

2012-02-09T19:56:00.001-08:00

Young people are screwed. Only 54% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 are employed - that's the lowest number ever recorded since tracking began more than 60 years ago. There's now a 15% gap in employment between young people and all working Americans - that's also the largest gap ever recorded.

On top of that - they're drowning in over one trillion dollars worth of student loan debt. This is quickly becoming a lost generation of Americans - which might explain why there's an Occupy Wall Street movement out there. The choice is simple: live on the streets or take to the streets.

-Thom

(Who can bring back the jobs? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Suddenly Santorum

2012-02-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

Randi's taking one more day to recoup and thanks you for the well wishes! Nicole Sandler's in today; her guests include:

Andy Kroll of Mother Jones will recap last night's GOP contests, spanning Rick Santorum's sweep, Mitt Romney's failure to launch - or to even maintain his 2008 numbers - Newt Gingrich's non-showing, and Ron Paul's staying power.

Attorney Christopher Dusseault, one of the co-council for the winning side in the Prop. 8 ruling in California, will discuss what the ruling actually means, where the battle goes next, and when ALL Californians might be able to get married once again.

And Sara Robinson, strategic planner, social futurist, and Senior Editor at Alternet, will address the false rumors coming from the right about Occupy taking over a major conservative event in DC this weekend. She'll also cover ten ways that people who believe in the Occupy movement's message of closing the economic inequality gap can spark REAL change in a post-Occupy world.

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

George Carlin on the 'love the fetus, hate the child' crowd (warning: there's a little salty language)...

Thom Hartmann: Rick Santorum won all three primaries last night, what does this mean for Mitt Romney and the GOP?

2012-02-08T16:02:00.001-08:00

There are bad nights, then there are REALLY bad nights, and then there are nights like the one Mitt Romney had last night. Three states held caucuses and primaries Tuesday night to pick a Republican nominee for President - including Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota - and it was a clean sweep for Rick Santorum.

In Missouri - Santorum got 55% of the vote with Romney coming in second at 25% - oddly though there were no delegates at stake. In Minnesota - Santorum cleaned up with 45% of the vote - while Romney came in third behind Ron Paul with 17%. And later in the night - in Colorado - a state Romney expected to win and DID win in 2008 - Santorum came out on top - beating Romney 40 to 35%.

So what does this mean? It means Conservatives can still play around with the idea of nominating someone who isn't named Mitt Romney for at least a few more weeks. But the millionaires and billionaires have decided Mitt Romney is their guy - and thanks to Citizens United - they can speak louder than anyone else in the country so it would be shocking if Mitt weren't the guy on stage accepting the nomination later in the year down in Tampa.

-Thom

(Who do you think will the Republican Party's candidate? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: GOP Freak Out

2012-02-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Republican punditocracy seems to think that the Super Bowl car industry ad with Clint Eastwood was an ad for President Obama. Hey, the ad was upbeat, optimistic, and hopeful—it sure didn’t have anything to do with the Republicans. Republicans, you’re the ones who have turned your back on everything that’s good about America. So don’t complain when such things are automatically associated with your opposition. Incidentally, Clint Eastwood himself said the ad had nothing to do with Obama. Clint said “It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America... I thought the spirit was OK.” Sorry, Clint, but anything about growth is definitely not OK for Republicans while Obama is still president.

Karen Handel, the Susan G. Komen VP who spearheaded the move to oust Planned Parenthood, has resigned. Good riddance—it’s kind of like Komen has had a tumor removed. Let’s hope they recover. So long, Karen! I’m sure you have a bright and prosperous future at some Koch brothers-funded think tank.

DEVELOPING: California's same-sex marriage ban ruled unconstitutional

It’s Election Day in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri—kind of. Seventy delegates are up for grabs. You can grab them, but you can’t take them with you The RNC sent out a memo reminding reporters that all of today’s contests are “non-binding.” Hey, if those were the candidates of my party, I wouldn’t want to be bound to any of them either.

The Republican Secretary of State in Indiana has been convicted of voter fraud. This guy shouldn’t be working for the state of Indiana—he should be working for a Republican election campaign! Republicans have spent so much time crying “voter fraud” when there was no voter fraud, I guess they figured they would have to create some on their own. Under Indiana law, any public officer convicted of a felony must be removed from office. So... how are there any Republicans in office in Indiana at all? Governor Mitch Daniels said he would put the convicted Secretary of State back in office if a court reduces his conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor. Amazing! Mitch Daniels is actually looking for a technicality so he can allow a convicted criminal to serve as Indiana’s Secretary of State! Really, Mitch? Wouldn’t it be easier to find a Republican who isn’t guilty of a crime? Oh, maybe not.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Mitt Romney went on rightwing radio yesterday to make it clear that he's fully on board with the GOP's war on women...

Thom Hartmann: Why does a routine FAA spending bill include harsh anti-union language, making it harder for transportation workers to organize?

2012-02-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

The Republican strategy on Capitol Hill of legislating through hostage taking worked yesterday - and now unions are screwed. House Republicans demanded that a routine FAA spending bill include harsh anti-union language that makes it harder for transportation workers to organize. The change raises the threshold for seeking a union from 35% to 50% for transportation workers - and Republican basically said if Democrats don't agree to it then they'll shut down the FAA again - just like they did last year.

Yesterday - despite 19 labor organizations writing a letter to Democrats calling on them to oppose the bill - Democrats caved. A majority of Senate Democrats helped pass the bill and new anti-union law for transportation workers by a 75-20 vote. As a letter from the Communication Workers of America read, "Rewarding the House Republican Leadership's desire to rewrite decades of long standing labor law in a flash by inserting an unrelated and controversial labor provision...sets an extremely dangerous precedent."

Indeed it does - unfortunately - it's been all too common in this 112th Congress - paid for by over $300 million dollars in corporate spending.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Winners & Losers

2012-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

Another good Super Bowl! If you wanted to see a blowout this weekend, you had to go to Nevada. Mitt Romney won big in Nevada, perhaps thanks to the state’s large Mormon population. On the other hand, Nevada also has a lot of whores, scorpions, and snakes, and that didn’t help Newt Gingrich. I don’t know what’s more fun—watching Newt Gingrich lose, or watching Bill Belichick lose. I guess Newt is more fun to watch lose—you know all of his fans are nutcases. Some perfectly nice people are New England Patriots fans.

That was the greatest Super Bowl I’ve ever seen in terms of physicality and sheer athleticism—and I’m talking about Madonna. The woman is 53 years old. I want to be able to do what Madonna did! And I don’t mean the dancing—I mean being pulled everywhere by hundreds of muscle men in Roman centurions’ outfits. OK, now we’ve had Super Bowl halftime performances from Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen. OK—stop with the 80’s performers before we have a halftime show with Air Supply.

During Madonna’s performance, the singer M.I.A. flipped the bird on TV. Shameful! I hope Madonna gave M.I.A. a stern lecture about using manufactured controversy to generate publicity. As controversy goes, it wasn’t exactly Janet Jackson’s nipple. A little advice to M.I.A.—if you’re going to do something like that, you at least have to top the last time. So you’re looking at a minimum of two nipples.

Incidentally, a 30-second Super Bowl ad spot costs 3.5 million dollars, or as Mitt Romney calls it, 'a paycheck'. GM and Chrysler both aired high-profile ads during the Super Bowl. Mitt Romney wanted to let the auto industry go bankrupt! If it were up to Mitt, GM and Chrysler wouldn’t even exist. You would have been watching ads for job search websites aimed at all the people thrown of out of work when the auto industry collapsed. Some people say the auto industry ads came off as ads for Obama’s reelection. It’s not that the car companies were telling people to vote for Obama. Just the fact that they’re still around tells people to vote for Obama.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Chrysler scored big again this year with Clint Eastwood's 'It's Halftime in America' ad...

Thom Hartmann: Will all 50 Attorneys General waive their right to pursue criminal investigations on Wall Street?

2012-02-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

All 50 Attorneys General across the nation have until today to decide if they're going to sign on to a settlement with the nation's biggest banks to let banksters off the criminal hook for widespread fraud committed on Wall Street during the financial crisis. The settlement - which is against the biggest of the big banks like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo - is worth $25 billion - which is chump change compared to the real damage they've done to the American middle class - where over $7 trillion in wealth has vanished.

By agreeing to the settlement, Attorneys General will waive their right to pursue further criminal investigations on Wall Street - meaning no banksters will see a jail cell. George Goehl, the executive director of National People's Action, slammed the deal saying, "People are very disappointed in ... this ...We're giving away the store."

While most states want to take the settlement - California is still holding out and reserving the right to launch its own investigations. And in New York, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed suit last week against JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo over improper foreclosure practices. "We the people" need to make sure any deal that doesn't include jail time for Wall Street's criminals and doesn't force the banks to refinance the exploding mortgages they bilked customers into buying - is rejected outright.

-Thom

(Will any banksters see the inside of a jail cell? Tell us here.)

Thom Hartmann: How ALEC is turning our Democracy into a Corporatocracy...

2012-02-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

Our democracy is screwed. It's been long speculated that Republican state lawmakers are taking their orders from the shadowy right-wing think tank funded by the Koch Brothers and known as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) - and now there's proof. It was discovered in Florida - when Republican State Representative Rachel Burgin introduced legislation in the state House back in November that - oops - still included ALEC's mission statement at the top of the bill, reading: "Whereas it is the mission of the American Legislative Exchange Council to advance Jeffersonian principles..."

ALEC gathers lawmakers and corporate interests together to draft model legislation, which is then sent back to state legislatures to be passed. But usually, the lawmakers remember to strip out the ALEC branding from it. Everything from stricter drug laws that help the private prison industry - to anti-EPA laws that help the big oil industry - to voter ID laws that help the Republican Party are produced by ALEC. It's become increasingly clear what's going on: we elect representatives - and they represent corporations.

That's how ALEC is turning our Democracy into a Corporatocracy.

-Thom

(What do you think can be done about this? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Jobs!

2012-02-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

Randi's out sick today, but fully expects to return live tomorrow (Friday, ya bastids!). Nicole Sandler will guest host today; her guests include:

Lalo Alcaraz, cartoonist, activist, and originator of the concept of 'self-deportation' on Mitt Romney's use of that hoax solution as a real idea. He'll also dig into how both the right & left are handling immigration issues in this election year.

Steve Benen, formerly of Washington Monthly, now with The Rachel Maddow Show, will discuss the fall out and failings of the Susan G. Komen Foundation in their relationship with Planned Parenthood - and what role former Senator David "HookerGate" Vitter may have had in the whole thing.

Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State will delve into this morning's National Prayer Breakfast - including President Obama's inclusion of non-believers – and why Rev. Lynn decided NOT to go to the breakfast today.

Finally, Robert Crowe, Political Director of Brave New Foundation, on the dual announcements that both the U.S. and NATO will be ending the combat mission in Afghanistan a year earlier than expected.

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

President Obama, at the National Prayer Breakfast, on being both the POTUS and his brother's keeper...

Randi Rhodes; Getting Out

2012-02-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Thom Hartmann: You now have the right-to-work-FOR-LESS in Indiana

2012-02-02T15:29:00.001-08:00

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels took his state backwards on Wednesday - signing legislation to make Indiana the 23rd "right-to-work" state in the nation. It's the first state in ten years to go right-to-work and also the first state in the nation's manufacturing belt to adopt a right-to-work law, which starves labor unions of much-needed funding.

So what can workers in Indiana expect now? First off - lower wages. It's really right-to-work FOR LESS - as the average worker makes more than $5,000 less in wages a year in right-to-work-for-less states versus free-bargaining states. They can also expect less healthcare - as 21% fewer workers on average receive employee-sponsored healthcare in right-to-work-for-less states.

And finally - workers can expect more workplace injuries. Without unions to ensure safe working conditions - right-to-work-FOR-LESS states experience 51% more workplace injuries and deaths. So the only winners here are transnational CEOs who don't give a damn about their workers - and don't give a damn about democracy. That's what unions are - democracy in the workplace - and they are just as essential to creating a stable middle class as democracy in our government. So Republican Governor Mitch Daniels didn't just declare war on unions in Indiana - he also declared war on the middle class.

-Thom

(Do you think will happen in more states? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: America's Wang

2012-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well, Mitt won Florida, but he didn’t win all of Florida. Look at the results on a map. Mitt won the dangle. Newt won most of the Florida panhandle—the part where Florida’s testicles would be, if it had any. If you look at a map of last night’s electoral results, the dangle and the panhandle are completely different colors. It looks like Florida is wearing a condom. So how did the Keys get there? There is a section right in the middle of the dangle that went for Newt—pretty much where the Everglades are. I guess Newt won the alligator vote, which makes perfect sense. The alligators are going to vote for the vicious, swamp-dwelling reptile in the race.

Newt was defiant during his concession speech. How defiant? Well for starters, there was no concession. The crowd at Newt’s speech was waving signs that said “46 states to go!” I’m not surprised. Well, I’m a little surprised that they got the math right. Newt vowed that he is going all the way to the Republican convention. That sound you heard was the Republican convention changing all the locks. It’s going to be fun watching Newt lose. And on those occasions when he pulls out another win, it’ll be fun watching Mitt lose. It’s a win-win! I know—in every state, either Newt or Mitt is actually winning. But I try to just concentrate on the fact that the other one lost. I like to look on the bright side. Does Newt Gingrich have the sheer brass it takes to keep on going? Look at this way—here is a guy who wakes up every morning, realizes that he is Newt Gingrich, and still goes out to meet the world.

Mitt and Newt simply do not like each other. Statistically speaking, that would be most likely—nobody likes either one of these guys. What are the odds that they would like each other? Both Mitt and Newt know a hypocritical phony when they see one... unless, of course, if they see one in the mirror. According to a media study group, this Republican primary in Florida was the most negative campaign ever. The ads run by the Romney campaign were 100 percent negative! Think about that. Mitt Romney literally didn’t have a single positive thing to say about himself. The super-PAC backing Newt Gingrich actually ran ads that were only 53 percent negative. Look at that, Mitt! Newt managed to say positive things about himself... and there are no positive things about him!

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Mittens stepped in it again today, declaring that he has no interest in helping the poor because they have a safety net...

Thom Hartmann: Mitt Romney say's he's "Not concerned with the very poor?"

2012-02-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

No surprises - Mitt Romney on the Florida primary last night by 15 points over Newt Gingrich. The Romney campaign - with the help of SuperPACs funded by Wall Street billionaires - carpet-bombed the state with TV ads - airing 13,000 TV ads, compared to Newt Gingrich who only aired 200.

But if Romney thought the race would be over soon - he thought wrong. Last night, Gingrich gave a speech to supporters in front of a sign reading "46 states to go." And thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision - Newt CAN keep running until the end of the primary race - as long as he has casino millionaires cutting him checks.

Meanwhile - in a victory interview with CNN last night, Romney admitted that he's "not concerned with the very poor" in America because they have a "safety net there." Of course, it's a safety net that Romney and Republicans in Congress are trying to get rid of. Currently - almost half the nation is in poverty or low-income - meaning the Republican front-runner for President just admitted he's not considered with half of all Americans.

-Thom

(Do you think will any of the other candidates are bettter? Tell us here.

LISTEN LIVE NOW!!!!!

2012-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Randi Rhodes: Sour Notes

2012-01-31T18:22:00.000-08:00

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...

Thom Hartmann: Why is election spending by outside groups up 1,600% this year in the GOP primary?

2012-01-31T18:21:00.001-08:00

Today the Republican primary race for the White House hits Florida. Polls indicate that Mitt Romney is headed for a victory in the sunshine state - but are voters this year really choosing candidates - or special interest groups? Research shows that election spending by outside groups is up 1,600% this year in the Republican primary compared to 2008 - and about half of all the political ads on the air are paid for by Super PACs - those corporate front groups that came into existence thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.

Most of the 13,000 television ads running in Florida on behalf of Mitt Romney are not paid for by the Romney campaign at all - but instead by pro-Romney Super PACs. Because of Citizens United - we no longer have candidates running for office, we have INTEREST GROUPS promoting the candidates they like running for office. Interest groups like Wall Street - big oil - and the for-profit health insurance industry that now have free reign to buy our elections this way.

So even though Mitt Romney will likely win Florida tonight by double-digits - the real winner will be Wall Street, which has already handed $3.6 million to the Romney camp.

-Thom

(Will they keep on winning? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Mitt Surges

2012-01-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

Multi-millionaire lobbyist Grover Norquist is calling for the impeachment of President Obama. In an interview with the right-wing National Journal - Norquist warned that if President Obama wins re-election and decides to let the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire at the end of the year - then Republicans will "have enough votes in the Senate in 2014 to impeach [him]."

What does that mean? It means that the super rich in America - and their political operatives like Norquist in Washington, DC - have now compared a tiny tax increase on the wealthy to high crimes and treason - the only Constitutional basis Congress can use to impeach a President. It sounds like the oligarchs are now openly talking about a coup d'état in America.

-Thom

(Do you think will try it? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Mitt Bite Back

2012-01-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

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...

video platform
video management
video solutions
video player

Thom Hartmann: An Impartial Judiciary is now just a Myth...

2012-01-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation - 75% of Americans believe the Supreme Court is driven by ideological views rather than objective legal analysis. Of course - the justices themselves have done one heck of a job advancing this notion. Scalia, Alito, and Thomas have attended and spoken at right-wing gatherings - gone hunting with prominent Republicans like Dick Cheney - accepted gifts from right-wing organizations - and been educated through right-wing legal think tanks like the Federalist Society. And in the process - have been one of the friendliest courts to corporate interests in recent history.

The Supreme Court has dropped the ball when it comes to objectively analyzing the rule of law in America - and it's time Congress fulfill it's Constitutional obligation and hold these corrupt justices accountable.

-Thom

(Do you think Congress will? Tell us here.)

'Red State Socialism' graphic says GOP-leaning states get lion's share of federal dollars

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

Indiana is screwed as it crept one step closer to becoming the 23rd state in the nation to pass a right-to-work FOR LESS law. The State House passed legislation that was passed by the Senate earlier in the week to bring right-to-work-for-less to the state - putting an end to closed union shops and pitting workers against workers across Indiana, thus killing off the union movement in that state

The bill now awaits Governor Mitch Daniels' signature who took a break from his war on unions this week to deliver the Republican response to the President's State of the Union address. Indiana will become the first state in the nation's manufacturing belt to pass a right-to-work-for-less law - which has been proven to lead to lower wages, less healthcare coverage, and more workplace accidents.

-Thom

(Do you have experience of right to work for less? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: SOTU Smackdown

2012-01-25T15:58:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-25T15:57:00.001-08:00

President Obama declared the state of the union is "Getting stronger" last night before a joint-session of Congress. But to ensure the nation continues to get better - the President laid out a series of proposals he's challenging a Republican Congress to pass and send to his desk.

One is encouraging "insourcing" of jobs - meaning giving tax breaks to companies that bring jobs back to America - while cutting off tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. That proposal didn't draw any applause from the Republican side of the chamber, which seems to favor outsourcing American jobs as it makes more money for the big corporations that fund their Party.

The President also called for a minimum tax to be paid by multinational corporations - many of which have paid their CEOs more than they've paid in taxes over the last 3 years. Again, no Republican applause. He also called on these same corporations to ask themselves what it is they can do for their country. The Buffett Rule also made an appearance in last night's speech - as the President pressed Congress to change that tax code to ensure that millionaires and billionaires like Mitt Romney don't get by paying a lower tax rate than most middle class Americans. In fact - he called for a 30% minimum tax on millionaires - again, no applause from the Republican side, which prefers the status quo of massive wealth inequality and unfair taxation.

Republicans aside, though, it appears the President's message resonated with the American people last night. A CBS poll of speech watchers found that 91% of Americans approved of the proposals put forward by the President - and 83% approved of the economic plans laid out - a jump from 53% before the speech. Now what will be interesting to watch is how much money is thrown at Republicans by Wall Street billionaires and transnational corporations to block all of these initiatives from the President.

-Thom

(What do you think ? Tell us here.)

Thom Hartmann: The President is set to deliver his State of the Union address tonight - What will he talk about?

2012-01-24T17:53:00.001-08:00

Early reports indicate the President will focus on the issues that are absent from most Republicans debates, which are help for the middle class, ways to reduce wealth inequality, and a plan for renewable energy. Despite 22 straight months of private sector job creations, glimmers of hope in an economic recovery, and one fewer war abroad since the President took office three years ago - the state of our union is still weak.

There's massive inequality - rivaling that of third world nations. There are still 5 million homeowners on the verge of foreclosure. There are 49 million Americans living in poverty, including 1-out-of-5 children. There's instability in the Middle East as a result of our addiction to foreign oil. The list goes on.

We need revolutionary change in America as the millions who've taken to the streets since the 99% Movement began have demanded. Unfortunately - until we get money out of politics, end corporate personhood, and say that money is property, not speech - real change will be hard to come by. And sadly - it's unlikely the President will call for a Constitutional Amendment tonight to end the great sell-off of our democracy. But we can still keep the pressure on him - go to MoveToAmend.org.

-Thom

(What do you think President Obama will say? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Dueling Dumpers

2012-01-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

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

Randi Rhodes: Newt-Mentum!

2012-01-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

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.

2012-01-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

Newt shocked the establishment on Saturday night crushing Mitt Romney in a landslide victory in the South Carolina Primary. By referring to President Obama as the "Food Stamp President" as often as he could - and characterizing the poor, and in particular minorities, as lazy - Newt proved that race baiting in the South is still a winning strategy...at least when only Republicans are voting.

That means after three contests so far - and three different winners - this race is wide open - and Gingrich might have a real shot at becoming the nominee - Florida polls are showing him ahead there today. And with that - there's already speculation that leaders within the Republican Party might push for a brokered convention - in which the nominee - who might not even be in the race today - is picked behind closed doors at the Republican National Convention later this year with little regard to what the actual voters across the nation wanted.

Stay tuned - this thing is just getting started.

-Thom

(Do you think he would be a problem for the Democrats? Tell us here.)

Thom Hartmann: Occupy the Courts! Today - in over 100 cities across America...

2012-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

Occupy the Courts! Today - in over 100 cities across America - demonstrators are rallying in front of federal courthouses - and in front of the Supreme Court here in Washington, DC - to protest the two-year anniversary of the Citizens United decision. The grassroots organization Move To Amend is spearheading the day of action to raise awareness and encourage people to fight back against the radical ruling of the Supreme Court that declared corporations are people and money is speech - and put our democracy up for sale to the highest bidder.

This week - Portland, Maine became the latest city in America to pass a resolution calling on Congress to amend the Constitution to overturn Citizens United and declare that corporations are not people. We saw the effects of Citizens United in the 2010 midterms when over $300 million in secret, corporate cashed was dumped into our elections - that's more than 4 times more money than was spent in the last midterm in 2006 - and is why a wave of millionaire corporate shills saying they represent the Tea Party were elected to the House of Representatives. If we don't do something about this - 2012 will be even worse.

So get out there, get active, and occupy the courts! Go to MoveToAmend.org for more information.

-Thom

(Did you occupy a court? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: GOP Game Show

2012-01-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

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...

Randi Rhodes: Perry Retreats

2012-01-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

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...

video platform
video management
video solutions
video player

Thom Hartmann: President Obama said NO! to the Oil Barons...

2012-01-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

The State Department officially rejected the Keystone XL pipeline - that would have transported highly toxic Canadian tar sands 1,600 miles across America, on top of the nation's largest aquifer, down to Texas where transnational oil corporations could ship it off to Asia, South America, and Europe. Canada says it will now look into sending the tar sands to China.

I say Canada should leave all that dangerous carbon in the ground. Despite enormous pressure - including tens of millions of dollars in lobbying and advertising - and even an explicit threat made against the President by the largest oil special interest group - the American Petroleum Institute - the oil barons lost. The environmental movement - and 1,200 patriots who were willing to get arrested in front of the White House last year to protest the pipeline won...at least for now.

Let's keep up the pressure on our lawmakers - and really begin to heal our planet.

-Thom

(Do you think there will be a pipeline eventually? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Mr. Loophole

2012-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-01-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

A good portion of the web is blacked out today in protest of two online piracy bills being considered in Congress: The Stop Online Piracy Act - or SOPA - in the House, and the Protect IP Act - or PIPA - in the Senate. Both bills are being heavily lobbied for by giant corporate media outlets and thus have been ignored in the mainstream news they own.

Wikipedia went dark at midnight last night - and has since been joined by over 10,000 other websites - making this the largest online protest in the history of the Internet. Sponsors of the anti-piracy legislation in both chambers are still pushing forward with their bills - but more and more Members of Congress are dropping their support amid increasing criticism from their constituents and online activists.

The White House has also come out against the bills. This is arguably the first major web-based, grass-roots, citizen lobbying effort in history, and if it doesn't succeed our internet may well look more like Iran's.

-Thom

(Do you think SOPA and PIPA will be passed? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes; The Dog Whistler

2012-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Democrats are expected to turn in a truckload of signatures today in their recall Governor Scott Walker effort. While the exact number of signatures collected is still uncertain - organizers claim they have collected far more than the needed 540,000 signatures to trigger a recall against both Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. In fact - the number of actual petitions being turned in today weighs over a ton according Wisconsin Democratic Party officials. This all started because Governor Walker decided to attack working people last year - triggering a national backlash against Conservative anti-union policies that's led to two Republican state senators in Wisconsin being recalled - a radical anti-union law in Ohio being repealed - and now a pending recall election against Walker himself. But don't expect this to be easy - Walker has been out of the state raising money from millionaires and billionaires to keep his job. And this recall election will undoubtedly be the most expensive one ever as those same corporate millionaires and billionaires are determined to win this proxy war against the middle class.

-Thom

(Do you think they will be recalled? Tell us here.)

Thom Hartmann: Stephen Colbert highlights how Citizens United has made a mockery of our democracy

2012-01-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

Comedian Stephen Colbert is taking the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision to its logical conclusion. As Colbert flirts with the idea of running for President in South Carolina - his SuperPAC just launched it's first negative attack ad - going after front-runner Mitt Romney. Noting that Romney believes corporations are people and that Romney made a living slicing up and killing off corporations - Colbert's SuperPAC called Romney a "serial killer." Colbert is actually registering - albeit in the single-digits - in South Carolina Republican polls. Similar SuperPACs are outspending candidate campaign in South Carolina by a 2-to-1 margin. Citizens United has made a mockery out of our democracy - even before Stephen Colbert highlighted it - and the only way to prevent our democracy from being sold to the highest secret, billionaire or corporate bidder is to pass a constitutional amendment that says corporations are not people and money is not speech. Go to movetoamend.org.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Van Jones on MLK

2012-01-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

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...

Randi Rhodes: Newt Dusting Off The Classics

2012-01-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

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...

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Thom Hartmann: Is Government by "Hostage Taking" Over?

2012-01-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

The days of the Tea Party controlling Congress may be numbered. Congressional aides are suggesting that Speaker of the House John Boehner is planning to work around his Tea Party members and negotiate with Democrats on a deal to extend the payroll tax cut when Congress reconvenes later this month.

Afraid of another payroll tax cut embarrassment - and afraid of a long debate that could distract Republicans trying to defeat President Obama in the next election - Boehner is uneasy about giving Tea Partiers a say in the upcoming debate.

As one aide to a member of the House Republican leadership team said, ""I think Boehner will seek a more accommodating approach to get a good percentage of Democrats to vote for it - even if it costs him a lot of House Republican freshmen...His instincts will be, not to be so reliant on House Republican freshmen." Let's hope this means an end to government by hostage-takers.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Hell Hath No Fury

2012-01-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

More Americans think the nation is in the grips of class warfare than ever before. According to a new Pew Research Center survey - two-thirds of the nation believes there are "strong" conflicts between the rich and the poor in America - that's an increase of 19-points since 2009. Across all demographics - white, black, Hispanic - and across all political affiliations - Republican, Democrat, and Independents - as well as across all classes - poor, middle class, and rich - majorities of Americans believe there's a strong conflict between classes. That might have something to do with wealth inequality in America - which now rivals a lot of third-world nations - and the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has brought many of these inequalities to the forefront. Even billionaire Warren Buffet admitted there's class warfare in America - and he said that it's his class - the rich class - that's winning.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Mitt Wins

2012-01-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

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%?

2012-01-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

Between all the debates, the interviews, and the campaign ads - doesn't it seem like the Republicans candidates only care about helping rich people? That's because that IS all they care about. According to a report by the Citizens for Tax Justice - which examined all the tax cut plans proposed by the candidates - the average tax cut for the 1% is 270 times greater than the tax cuts being proposed for the middle class. Not only that - by redistributing massive amounts of money to the very top - Republicans will add enormous amounts of money to our national debt - ranging between $6.6 trillion and $18 trillion over the next decade. In other words - the Republicans are proposing an economic plan that will bankrupt this nation just so millionaires and billionaires can get even wealthier.

-Thom

(Do you think they will get away with it? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Roasting Romney

2012-01-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

It's primary day in New Hampshire - and the votes are already being counted. Two New Hampshire communities - Dixville Notch and Hart's Location - have a tradition of casting ballots at midnight - and out of 22 votes cast - Mitt Romney has a very, very early lead with 7 votes - Ron Paul has 5 - and Jon Huntsman has 4. Romney is expected to win big in New Hampshire - or at least he was before he inexplicably went on a tirade yesterday about how he loves to fire people. Jon Huntsman - who has staked his whole campaign on New Hampshire - said that after making those comments about firing people, Romney is, "completely unelectable." We'll see if that's the case tonight.

-Thom

(Who do you think will win? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: My Baloney Has a First Name

2012-01-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

If you like football, it was on pretty much continuously this weekend. If you like Republican debates, they were on continuously too. The only difference is that the football teams that were playing changed every half-day or so. The Republican candidates had a debate on Saturday night, and then another first thing on Sunday morning. I’ve heard of continuous debate, but this is ridiculous. It was more of an endurance test than anything else. But then when you think about it, so is being President of the United States. Hey, maybe we should determine who would handle that “3 a.m. phone call” by holding a debate at 3 a.m. and seeing how they handle it. Oh, and don’t let them know when the 3 a.m. debate is going to be—just wake them up with a phone call and throw them all in front of the cameras.

The best moment on Saturday came when Rick Perry actually said he would send troops back into Iraq! So Rick’s going to re-do George Bush’s biggest mistake. Typical Perry—he can’t even come up with an original disaster. Reality check, Rick—the Iraqis don’t want us there. If you “send troops back” at this point, I believe the term for what you are doing is “invading.” You can’t just “send troops back”! First you have to lie about weapons of mass destruction, fix the intelligence, fool the American people, and send Colin Powell to the UN with a vial of anthrax.

The best moment on Sunday came when Newt Gingrich told Mitt Romney to “drop the pious baloney.” Classic! “My baloney has a first name, and it’s M-i-t-t.” Newt, you should know that Mitt would never touch baloney. You should have told him to drop the aged prosciutto. How appropriate—first Newt called out Mitt’s “baloney,” and then Newt ate Mitt for lunch! I’m glad somebody finally called out Romney for being such an insufferable ass. Too bad it was another insufferable ass like Newt Gingrich.

But hey, Mitt is one of you! Romney told a crowd in New Hampshire “I know what it’s like to worry whether you’re going to get fired.” Mitt! Stop trying to be everyman. Frankly, you’re not convincing as any man.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

The pro-Gingrich PAC 'Winning Our Future' has released a trailer for their new mini-flick 'When Mitt Romney Came To Town'...

Thom Hartmann: Will Mitt Romney sweep the Primaries?

2012-01-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, Mitt Romney had just two hurdles to jump before he cruises to a victory in tomorrow night's New Hampshire Primary - and those were back-to-back debates on Saturday night and Sunday morning. After escaping the first debate completely unscathed - Romney was attacked in the second debate for being a career politician, making a living killing jobs, and being far too moderate to represent the Republican Party. Romney himself fueled criticism when he seemed to suggest that only rich people should run for office, quoting advice that his dad gave him saying, "never get involved in politics if you have to win an election to pay a mortgage." But despite the attacks in Sunday's debate - polls out of New Hampshire show Romney with a sizeable lead. According to the latest poll out of the University of New Hampshire - Romney is sitting pretty at 41% - with Ron Paul in second at 17%. Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman are tied at 11%. A win for Romney in New Hampshire will be historic - making him the first non-incumbent Republican candidate to win in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Romney is also leading in South Carolina and in Florida - two primaries that will be held later this month. So, there's a good chance this race could be wrapped up fairly early if he pulls off the January sweep.

-Thom

(Who would you like to see beat him? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes; Jobs!

2012-01-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, ya bastids!

The new jobs numbers are out. It seems that President Obama is beating the recession a lot more convincingly than Mitt Romney is beating any of his opponents. The private sector added 212,000 jobs last month. That beat the economic experts’ forecasts by 50,000 jobs. We’re doing better than the experts expected, and much better than the Republicans hoped. For all of 2011, government employment fell by 280,000, but the private sector added 1.9 million jobs. Republicans can shrink the size of government, but they can’t shrink the size of America!

If you thought that Rick Santorum’s statement about giving money to “black people” was the most racist thing you have recently heard from a GOP candidate, you haven’t heard Newt Gingrich recently. Newt said he would tell the NAACP, quote, “...the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.” A little advice, Newt—when you give that speech to the NAACP, don’t wait for applause after you deliver that line. Newt might have outdone Santorum. Newt! This isn’t a contest to see who can be the most racist. Wait! This is the Republican primary—maybe it IS a contest to see who can be the most racist. The sad thing is that Newt Gingrich says things like this. The sadder thing is that, on a certain level, he doesn’t realize that it’s racist. And the saddest thing is that, on another level, he does know just how racist it is.

Rick Santorum’s coalminer grandfather had dirt under his fingernails. And that’s not the only dirt in Rich Santorum’s past. Rick likes to talk about growing up in a working class environment. Well, after his time in the Senate, Santorum made millions of dollars in ways that had nothing to do with working... or with class. Like any Republican, Santorum cashed in on his years in the Senate, as detailed in the article in Bloomberg. Santorum says “I come from a little different background than most Republicans.” But he ended up in the same place—in the pockets of the big corporations.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

President Obama addresses today's jobs report...

Thom Hartmann: Republicans Don't Care about Voter Fraud....

2012-01-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

Iowa Republicans are trying to dismiss claims that the vote count in Tuesday's Iowa Caucus was wrong. An Iowa voter told a local TV station yesterday that he noticed a 20-vote discrepancy in the count - and that Rick Santorum was the real winner of the Caucuses. Republican Party officials, though, are sticking to their first count - showing Mitt Romney as the winner by 8-votes - and there will be no recount.

The Republican Party has launched a war on voters around the nation this year with strict new laws that will disenfranchise over 5 million Americans. They claim these laws are necessary to combat so-called voter fraud. Yet in Iowa - where there are no such laws - and where a very, very close and questionable election was just held - Republicans don't seem to care at all about getting it right.

Clearly - the war on voters isn't about making sure the people's voices are represented accurately - it's about making sure poor people, young people, and minorities who tend to vote for Democrats - can't vote at all.

-Thom

(Who do you think won? Tell us here.)

What Race Leads in Welfare? Questions & Answers Via ChaCha.com

2012-01-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

Q: What race has the highest percentage of people on welfare in the u.s?

A: Statistics say that whites form the largest racial group on welfare; half of all welfare recipients leave in the first two years.

Stop Being Cynical About Corporate Money in Politics and Start Being Angry

2012-01-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Citizens United handed our country over to corporations. Time to take it back.

—By Bill McKibben

Whose Money? Whose Washington?

I don't want to be hopelessly naïve. I want to be hopefully naïve. It would be relatively easy to change this: you could provide public financing for campaigns instead of letting corporations pay. It's the equivalent of having the National Football League hire referees instead of asking the teams to provide them.

Public financing of campaigns would cost a little money, but endlessly less than paying for the presents these guys give their masters. And it would let you watch what was happening in Washington without feeling as disgusted. Even legislators, once they got the hang of it, might enjoy neither raising money nor having to pretend it doesn't affect them.

To make this happen, however, we may have to change the Constitution, as we've done 27 times before. This time, we'd need to specify that corporations aren't people, that money isn't speech, and that it doesn't abridge the First Amendment to tell people they can't spend whatever they want getting elected. Winning a change like that would require hard political organizing, since big banks and big oil companies and big drug-makers will surely rally to protect their privilege.

Still, there's a chance. The Occupy movement opened the door to this sort of change by reminding us all that the system is rigged, that its outcomes are unfair, that there's reason to think people from across the political spectrum are tired of what we've got, and that getting angry and acting on that anger in the political arena is what being a citizen is all about.

It's fertile ground for action. After all, Congress's approval rating is now at 9 percent, which is another way of saying that everyone who's not a lobbyist hates them and what they're doing. The big boys are, of course, counting on us simmering down; they're counting on us being cynical, on figuring there's no hope or benefit in fighting city hall. But if we're naïve enough to demand a country more like the one we were promised in high school civics class, then we have a shot.

A good time to take an initial stand comes later this month, when rallies outside every federal courthouse will mark the second anniversary of the Citizens United decision. That's the one where the Supreme Court ruled that corporations had the right to spend whatever they wanted on campaigns.

To me, that decision was, in essence, corporate America saying, "We're not going to bother pretending any more. This country belongs to us."

We need to say, loud and clear: "Sorry. Time to give it back."

Bill McKibben is Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College, founder of the global climate campaign 350.org, a TomDispatch regular, and the author, most recently, of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. To catch Timothy MacBain's first Tomcast audio interview of the new year in which McKibben discusses how the rest of us can compete with a system in which money talks, click here, or download it to your iPod here. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com here.

Randi Rhodes: Awkward Pairing

2012-01-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

Mitt Romney’s big event after his victory in Iowa was to fly to New Hampshire and have John McCain endorse him. It was a very pathetic post-victory event, but then it was a very pathetic victory in the first place. What does it say about Mitt Romney when his big post-Iowa endorsement is somebody that everyone knows hates Mitt Romney? Of course, what is Mitt going to do? Find someone who personally likes him to endorse him? Even Mitt Romney doesn’t have the time, money, or staff to do that!

John McCain may actually be the perfect endorser for Mitt Romney. It’s like McCain is telling other Republicans “look, if I can stomach this jerk, you can too.” John McCain endured torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese. So he’s one of the few people who can get up on a stage with Mitt Romney and endorse him without cracking under the pressure. Still, I suspect that if you look carefully at the video, while he’s giving his endorsement to Romney, John McCain is blinking Morse code for S-O-S.

The visuals for the event were horrible. I would blame the planners, but then they were working with Mitt Romney and John McCain. It would be like trying to design a Super Bowl halftime show featuring William Huang. With grandpa McCain and plastic-man Romney on stage, it looked like a retirement party for a boss nobody liked, thrown by his successor, who is even more unpopular. And that is exactly what it was. McCain actually checked his watch while he was onstage and Romney was speaking! In a sense, every Republican is checking their watch when they see Mitt Romney. They’re thinking “Crap! Is 2012 over yet?”

While he was on Bill O’Reilly (ahem), Rick Santorum defended his out-of-nowhere comments that he didn’t want to “make black people’s lives better” with other people’s money. Rick claims he wasn’t saying “blacks.” He said he started saying something, and it came out “blrrrgghhh…” So who were you talking about, Rick? Blue people? You don’t want to spend welfare dollars on all those lazy Smurfs? Let’s not go there! Next thing you know, Newt Gingrich will want to have young Smurfs cleaning the toilets at the elementary schools.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson summed out Santorum perfectly last night: "He's not a little weird, he's realy weird..."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

thom hartmann: Is the Corporate Media acknowledging the death of the American Dream?

2012-01-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

The New York Times is finally catching on to the fact that the American Dream is dead. An article running in the paper today points out the disturbing fact that the United States is one of the least socially mobile nations in the developed world. As in - it's harder for someone born poor to become rich - or even just join the middle class throughout their life. Only 8% of Americans born in the poorest fifth of the population - ever make it to the top fifth, which is an income a bit over $100,000. The Times goes on to cite persistently high poverty rates, which "leave poor children starting especially far behind" as one of the reason for low social mobility. So much for the idea that America is a class-less society. Every day, millions of Americans are living a real life version of The Christmas Story - complete with corporate Scrooges and fully a quarter of American children living in poverty like Tiny Tim.

-Thom

(Will this change anything? Tell us here.)

LISTEN LIVE NOW!

2012-01-05T12:02:00.001-08:00

Crackpots Do Not Make Good Messengers —By Kevin Drum

2012-01-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

So then: Ron Paul. Should we lefties be happy he's in the presidential race, giving non-interventionism a voice, even if he has other beliefs we find less agreeable? Should we be happy that his non-mainstream positions are finally getting a public hearing? This is a depressingly common view. For example:

Can we talk? Ron Paul is not a charming oddball with a few peculiar notions. He's not merely "out of the mainstream." Ron Paul is a full-bore crank. In fact he's practically the dictionary definition of a crank: a person who has a single obsessive, all-encompassing idea for how the world should work and is utterly blinded to the value of any competing ideas or competing interests.

This obsessive idea has, at various times in his career, led him to: denounce the Civil Rights Act because it infringed the free-market right of a monolithic white establishment to immiserate blacks; dabble in gold buggery and advocate the elimination of the Federal Reserve, apparently because the global economy worked so well back in the era before central banks; suggest that the border fence is being built to keep Americans from leaving the country; claim that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional and should be dismantled; mount repeated warnings that hyperinflation is right around the corner; insist that global warming is a gigantic hoax; hint that maybe the CIA helped to coordinate the 9/11 attacks; oppose government-sponsored flu shots; and allege that the UN wants to confiscate our guns.

This isn't the biography of a person with one or two unusual hobbyhorses. It's not something you can pretend doesn't matter. This is Grade A crankery, and all by itself it's reason enough to want nothing to do with Ron Paul. But of course, that's not all. As we've all known for the past four years, you can layer on top of this Paul's now infamous newsletters, in which he condoned a political strategy consciously designed to appeal to the worst strains of American homophobia, racial paranoia, militia hucksterism, and new-world-order fear-mongering. And on top of that, you can layer on the fact that Paul is plainly lying about these newsletters and his role in them.

Now, balanced against that you have the fact that Paul opposes the War on Drugs and supports a non-interventionist foreign policy. But guess what? Even there, he's a crank. Even if you're a hard-core non-interventionist yourself, you probably think World War II was a war worth fighting. But not Ron Paul. He thinks we should have just minded our own damn business. And even if you're a hardcore opponent of our current drug policy — if you think not just that marijuana should be legalized, not just that hard drugs should be decriminalized, but that all illicit drugs should be fully legalized — I'll bet you still think that maybe we should retain some regulations on a few of the worst drugs. They're pretty dangerous, after all, and no matter how much you hate the War on Drugs you might have a few qualms about a global marketing behemoth like RJ Reynolds having free rein to advertise and sell anything it wants, anywhere it wants, in any way it wants. But not Ron Paul. As near as I can tell, he just wants everything legalized, full stop.

Bottom line: Ron Paul is not merely a "flawed messenger" for these views. He's an absolutely toxic, far-right, crackpot messenger for these views. This is, granted, not Mussolini-made-the-trains-run-on-time levels of toxic, but still: if you truly support civil liberties at home and non-interventionism abroad, you should run, not walk, as fast as you can to keep your distance from Ron Paul. He's not the first or only person opposed to pre-emptive wars, after all, and his occasional denouncements of interventionism are hardly making this a hot topic of conversation among the masses. In fact, to the extent that his foreign policy views aren't simply being ignored, I'd guess that the only thing he's accomplishing is to make non-interventionism even more of a fringe view in American politics than it already is. Crackpots don't make good messengers.

Now, if you literally think that Ron Paul's views on drugs and national security are so important that they outweigh all of this — multiple decades of unmitigated crackpottery, cynical fear-mongering, and attitudes toward social welfare so retrograde they make Rick Perry look progressive — and if you've somehow convinced yourself that non-interventionism has no other significant voices except Ron Paul — well, if that's the case, then maybe you should be happy to count Paul as an ally. But the truth is that you don't need to. Ron Paul is not a major candidate for president. He's never even been a significant presence as a congressman. In a couple of months he'll disappear back into the obscurity he so richly deserves. So why get in bed with him? All you'll do is wake up in March with a mountain of fleas. Find other allies. Make your arguments without bothering to mention him. And remember: Ron Paul has never once done any of his causes any good. There's a good reason for that.

Randi Rhodes: And the Winner Is... Nobody

2012-01-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Amazing! We still don’t have a winner in Iowa. Not that it was too close to call. It was incredibly close, but Mitt Romney did get a few more votes. I’m just saying there is no winner in Iowa. Romney, the GOP establishment-anointed candidate, barely squeaked past Rick Santorum—a guy who couldn’t get re-elected to his own Senate seat. And Mitt “beat” Rick Santorum by 8 votes. You could deliver a more convincing beating with a feather duster.

HOUR TWO GUEST: Frank Rich of New York Magazine will ruminate on Iowa and discuss his latest essay, “The Molotov Party: For the new GOP, conservative isn’t nearly radical enough”

Rick Santorum reacted to the results by declaring “Game on!” Face it Rick, when it comes down to it, you couldn’t even beat Mitt Romney—and 75 percent of Republicans are begging for someone to beat Mitt Romney. I have a great idea for Rick Santorum. If he wants to win the rest of the primaries, he should just change his name to “Rick Not-Mitt-Romney.”

Ron Paul came in a very close third. People aren’t talking about Ron Paul’s performance as much because he isn’t viewed as a serious candidate—which immediately brings up the question “And Rick Santorum IS?” Ron Paul made all those arguably racist statements years ago… unlike Rick Santorum, who made a very arguably racist statement this last weekend.

Newt Gingrich came in an embarrassing forth place. He boarded a plane out of Iowa before the clock even struck midnight. Nice try, Cinderella, but you can’t escape the fact that your time is up. Newt was in a very bad mood on that flight out of Iowa. The only thing that could have made him more angry is if Bill Clinton had appeared at the airport and told Newt he couldn’t sit in the front of the plane. Still, Newt isn’t quitting the race. Hey, don’t give up your amateur paleontology.

Michele Bachmann came in last place (if you don’t count Jon Huntsman, and we don’t). That’s absolutely perfect, but then it would have been perfect if any of these losers came in last. It’s just a shame that only one of them could do it. It seems that even she couldn’t convince herself that she still had a chance... and this is a woman who has convinced herself for 43 years that her husband is heterosexual. Come on, Michele—stay in the race. It can’t be any more difficult or delusional than staying in that marriage of yours.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Earlier today President Obama steamrolled obstructionist Senate Repubs with a recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the post of director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...

Thom Hartmann: Why the German economy is surging

2012-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

Even though a debt crisis is gripping the European continent - the German economy is surging. According to the latest economic data - German unemployment fell in the month of December - bringing the average number of unemployed people in that nation to a two-decade low. Economists are now openly wondering just how long the German economy can be immune from the chaos surrounding it in places like Greece where unemployment is at 18% and Spain where unemployment just topped 23%. But the better question is why their economy is doing so well. The answer is they do what we used to do. They protect domestic manufacturing with high barriers to imports, and they encourage labor unions. In fact, nearly the entire German auto industry is unionized, allowing the nation to produce twice as many cars as the United States - while at the same time paying their workers more than $60 on average and still make healthy profits. On top of that - the German government has recession-proof programs like the "short-week" that pays businesses to cut back on the hours of workers rather than lay them off during economic downturns. Plus, Germany's constitution gives the labor force a say in everything from pay to working conditions in the factories they work for. All in all - Germany has given more power and protection to workers in their economy - and as a result their economy is growing. We should be taking some notes over here.

-Thom

(Do you think the United States will learn from Germany? Tell us here.)

Thom Hartmann: Will the Occupy Iowa Caucus be successful?

2012-01-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

It's Iowa Caucus day!

Despite endless debating, campaign ads, and TV punditry over the last few months - the Republican race to the White House officially begins this evening as Iowans gather to choose which Republican they'd like to see run against President Obama this year.

Polls show a dead heat at the top between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul - with a surging Rick Santorum in third and a collapsing Newt Gingrich in fourth. And considering Iowans have a history of choosing oddball candidates - like Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Michele Bachmann in last year's straw poll - it's anyone's guess who might come out on top in the Hawkeye state at the end of the night.

One thing that is certain is that Republicans are temporarily putting a hold on their war against voters. Iowa is just one of nine states in the nation that allows for same-day voter registration, meaning people can go to the polls, register to vote, and then immediately vote all at the same time.

Studies show that same-day voter registration boosts voter participation by as much as 7%. Also - Iowa will not be checking any voter photo IDs as so many other right-wing states are now demanding. So whoever does come out on top - will be there thanks to the voice of the people. That is unless the Republican Party - using the excuse of a threat of an Anonymous hack attack - sabotages the caucus to prevent Ron Paul from winning.

Or - if the Occupy Iowa Caucus movement is successful in catapulting "uncommitted" to the top of the Republican field for the win. Either way - it should be an interesting night - stay tuned.

-Thom

(Who do you think will win? Tell us here.)

Randi`s Back!

2012-01-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! It’s already taking place at full speed—the Iowa caucuses are today! Some polls from Iowa show Mitt Romney back in the lead. After all this time, we’re back to square one—and there is no better description of Mitt Romney than “Square One.” Maybe the secret to Mitt’s success is that he is so wooden. Wood doesn’t sink. It just floats on the top.

Other polls show a Santorum surge. A Santorum surge? Isn’t that what wiped out Pompeii? Until this last week, Santorum has been pretty much mired at the bottom of the polls. Some candidates try to remain above the fray. I guess you could say that Rick Santorum has survived this long by remaining below the fray.

Ron Paul also has a share of the lead in Iowa. Ron Paul has two problems—he doesn’t appeal to mainstream Republicans, and he has a long history of arguable racist and homophobic statements. And if that doesn’t make him appeal to mainstream Republicans, nothing will.

Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has tweeted her support for Ron Paul. Kelly seems unconcerned about racist and homophobic comments in Paul’s past. But then if having something ugly in your past disqualified a person in her eyes, her own career would have stopped after the movie “From Justin to Kelly.” Endorsing Ron Paul says one of several possible things about the person doing the endorsing, the least damning of which is “I have no idea what Ron Paul is really about.” Kelly Clarkson has a very lucrative career, but she must not be in the top 1 percent, or I assume she would be endorsing Mitt Romney.

Finally, former Senator Arlen Specter recently did standup comedy at a club in Philadelphia. Overall, he performed a lot better than he did in his last Senate race, but then that’s not a very high bar. I would do the obvious jokes about a politician doing standup, but Senator Specter pretty much covered those. Arlen Specter is very old, but not as old as some of his material. Still, not bad, Arlen—as former Pennsylvania Senators who lost their seat go, I would say you have a brighter future than, say, Rick Santorum.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Trying to prove that he's got what the freaks want, Rick Santorum whipped out a dog-whistle the size of a pickup truck in Iowa...

How to break up with a woman By Kimberly Dawn Neumann

2011-12-31T09:28:00.000-08:00

Breakups are horrible. There’s no other way to put it. But keep in mind that what happens in the moments before, during and after you deliver those three little words (“this isn’t working”) will forever determine how you’re remembered by the person left behind. Will you be that great guy she remembers wistfully… or the jerk she can’t believe she ever dated?

Unless there has been some egregious violation of the dating code — i.e., she did something so unforgivable you get a free pass to behave badly in return — most women would ask for just one thing: end it with dignity for the sake of everyone involved. “Dumping someone is never fun, but if you’re clear about why your relationship has to end and you know that it’s time, you owe it to the woman to make the break,” says dating coach David Wygant. “Just be kind, honest within reason, and brief.”

With that in mind, we decided to gather input from women and experts about the best way to let her go; here are their tips for making a clean break:

Don’t just pull a disappearing act on her
Sadly, this is an all too common tactic with men, but listen up: it’s just not cool at all. “My friends and I agree that there’s nothing worse than fading away into oblivion!” says 29-year-old Stacey from Pensacola, FL. “Then the girl is left just wondering and waiting.” Women need some sort of closure, and you owe her some kind of explanation before you decide to vanish from her life.

Consider the timing before breaking the bad news to her
Though it’s not totally your responsibility to see how she survives the breakup, you can help ease the transition by carefully considering when to break the bad news to her. “It’s thoughtful and courteous to be aware of what is going on in her life,” says JoAnn Magdoff, Ph.D., a psychotherapist in New York City. In other words, don’t be an extra-special jerk by delivering the news when she’s already going through a rough patch. If she lost her job yesterday, give her a little time to adjust before having the big talk.

Don’t rely on technology to do the deed
We live in a world of cell phones, BlackBerries and IMs, which means it’s easier than ever to get in touch with each other... but please don’t use it as a way to escape confrontation. “Using technology to break up is a cowardly act — it means you don’t have the nerve to face me,” says Kerry, 37, from Portsmouth, NH. “If you liked me enough to kiss me, spend time with me, and have a romance with me, then I think the very least you can do is honor that connection by ending it in person.”

Give her adequate face time
You may be tempted to deliver the news and then get the heck out of there, but there’s nothing worse than bringing up the subject when you don’t have adequate time to discuss it. Yes, that means you will have to talk to her and you might have to witness some tears, but it’s the right thing to do. “My ex broke up with me by meeting me for coffee, and we had a very open and civilized conversation,” says Gigi, 39, from New York, NY. “Yes, it still hurt... but because of the classy way he handled it, we didn’t lose our friendship, too.”

Choose your breakup location wisely
There’s no reason to break the news behind closed doors — but a bit of privacy can be a good thing. What you shouldn’t do is deliver the news anywhere that she’ll lose her dignity. “If you’re at a party surrounded by friends where everyone will see her if she bursts into tears, that’s not a good call,” says Wygant. “This is between the two of you, not your whole posse.” Wygant also suggests staying away from your favorite haunt or the place where you had your first date (or anywhere that could evoke painful memories). Think neutral, semi-private, and let her save face if she becomes overwhelmed with emotion.

Don’t be cruel in the name of honesty
Women need “reasons” so they can accept the breakup and move on. But there’s one big caveat… don’t be spiteful or hurtful when you give them to her. “Getting broken up with is insulting at some level and just being rejected feels bad enough. So why make the person feel worse?” offers Laurie Puhn, J.D., author of Instant Persuasion: How to Change Your Words to Change Your Life. No woman wants to hear that you’re dumping her because she has bad breath, or that she’s no longer attractive to you, or you’re insanely attracted to her best friend. These kinds of reflections shouldn’t be shared: “You’re no longer entitled to give advice or criticism because you aren’t her boyfriend anymore,” says Puhn. Instead, your reasons for the split should focus on how you two aren’t good matches for each other. Try saying something like, “Both of us are good people, but I don’t think we’re the right fit together romantically.”

Stay strong in your assertion that it’s time to end things
You start to deliver the news; you see her lip start to quiver and you think, Oh no, she’s going to cry. Should you attempt to soften the blow by saying, “Well, there might be a chance for us in the future but right now the timing isn’t good” or “Maybe when things quiet down at work” or “I think I just need a break” (or whatever will quieten her down)? No, no, no! Giving a woman a false sense of hope will not help her heal. “If you know it’s over, spare her the agony of pretending that you might call her sometime when you won’t,” says Magdoff. “If you really aren’t certain about the future, you can say ‘I’m not sure, but please don’t hold your breath…’”

Don’t freak out if she gets emotional afterward
We’re reputed to be the more sensitive gender, remember? So yes, there’s a chance that she might start sobbing or screaming or otherwise emoting (and you need to let her do whatever it is instead of trying to quieten her down). “If she gets hostile or weepy, stay calm and let her get angry or hysterical for a little while; remember, you’ve been thinking about the breakup for weeks, she heard about it 10 seconds ago,” says Puhn. If she gets more and more worked up as the minutes pass, however, take your leave and give her some down time to adjust to this new information. “Before walking away, however, set a specific time to talk later to give her security that you’re willing to explain yourself and listen to what she has to say when she’s calmed down,” Puhn adds.

Don’t use that “It’s not you, it’s me” line on her
Everyone knows that if someone leaves you, it’s because you’re not who this person wants to date — and that’s the bottom line. “Anyone on the receiving end of this line can see through it,” says Magdoff. She suggests that a better phrase to utter might be, “Who you are and what you want are absolutely terrific, but where I am right now is a very different place.”

End things properly with her before you start seeing someone else
Uh, hello? That’s called cheating! And if you intentionally stray in an effort to make her break up with you, you’re a coward and deserve whatever reaction you get. Also, forget about using the “I’ve met someone else” escape clause. Introducing a new love into a breakup discussion only tortures your soon-to-be ex. “After three years together, my boyfriend ended it with me over the phone by saying he’d met another woman on his trip to Europe,” says Jenny, 30, from Seattle, WA. “I spent the next two years wondering, What’s it like for them? Is it different from when he and I were together? Do they order the same kind of takeout? Do they listen to the same music we listened to? Do they laugh as much? Do they laugh more? And what makes her so much more appealing than me?” Get the point? Mentioning another woman really hurts and unnecessarily intensifies the pain.

It’s OK to agree to keep in touch (on special occasions only)
Calling just to check up on her in a week or even a month is not really helpful. It just confuses things and catapults you back into the forefront of her mind. There is one exception here, though… the special occasion. “If it’s her birthday or a holiday and you were very close, then it is sweet to call to wish her well,” says Puhn. However, don’t call to make plans, don’t call to discuss sensitive issues and don’t talk with her for longer than 10 minutes. “Be acquaintances and keep in mind that acquaintances rarely talk more than twice a year,” says Puhn.

Reassure her
One final point — let her know that she mattered to you. Puhn suggests saying something like “I enjoyed being with you, and I value the time we spent together, but we just aren’t right for the long run.” She needs to know that you didn’t consider her ‘a waste of time’ or unimportant. That will help her risk giving her heart to someone else in the future.

Kimberly Dawn Neumann is a New York City-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Maxim, and Marie Claire. For the other side of the story, read How to break up with a man.

Randi Rhodes: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, ya Bastids!

Randi's got one more day of vacation - she'll be back live on Monday (1/2). Today, guest host Nicole Sandler will wrap up the year with YOUR New Year's Resolutions, she'll conclude her year-in-review, and look forward to 2012 with some great guests:

Comedians Ralphie May (Last Comic Standing) and Hal Sparks (Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour) will take a humorous look back on 2011 and and offer up a preview of the laughs to come in 2012 - we miss you already, Herman Cain!

And the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wassermann Schultz of Florida, will discuss the wannabes lining up to challenge President Obama, the fight to regain the House and keep the Senate, pushing back against the forces driving the voter suppression agenda, and the DNC's latest online effort: ProtectingTheVote.org.

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

The A/V geeks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue take a somewhat lighter look back at year three of the Obama Presidency...

Koch Bros - It's the evil thing....sing along!

2011-12-30T09:35:00.001-08:00

Randi Rhodes: Saboteurs

2011-12-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

Randi's on vacation this week and will return live on Monday (1/2). Nicole Sandler will be filling in again today; she'll be winding down her year-in-review and looking ahead to 2012 with some great guests:

Cliff Schecter, political pundit, PR strategist, author, and political columnist for Al Jazeera-English will take a look back at how conservative policies damaged the economy in 2011 and why Newt Gingrich's surge is turning into a slump in Iowa.

Journalist, radio broadcaster, and political commentator Brad Friedman of The Brad Blog has his eye on the January 3 Iowa Caucuses as well as the voter suppression tactics the GOP is deploying for the 2012 elections. He'll talk with Nicole about why the Republicans are making it so hard for you to vote, but they'll let anyone caucus with no photo ID required.

Finally, if you're afraid the New Year's weekend will only be filled with re-runs of "Lockup" and college football, this weekend the award-winning singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked will be leading the next step in the Occupy movement. Occupy The Rose Parade will march and protest in Southern California on New Years Day. Michelle will join Nicole today to talk about Phase 3 of the Occupy Movement and what new directions Occupy might take next year.

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

Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer continues his hand-wringing over how the 'ridiculous' GOP Congress And 'embarrassing' candidates are playing right into Obama's hands...

Thom Hartmann: Are the days of a free and open internet over?

2011-12-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

There's a backlash underway against supporters of the Stop Online Privacy Act - known as SOPA. The legislation - which is currently stalled in Congress until next month - would give the federal government - working with major entertainment industries - the power to take down websites that may be displaying copyrighted material. Domain registrar GoDaddy.com publicly supported SOPA - and now has seen more than 120,000 domain names transferred from its services thanks to a groundswell of Internet activism calling for boycotts on GoDaddy. Meanwhile - two main proponents of the Internet censorship legislation - Republican Senator Bob Corker - and Republican Representative Paul Ryan are being target in an online campaign calling for people to dig up dirt on them and ruin their political careers. Sadly, the days of a free and open Internet will be numbered if SOPA becomes law.

-Thom

(What do you think will happen? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Cenk Uygur on Today

2011-12-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Randi's on vacation this week and will return live on Monday (1/2). Our good friend Nicole Sandler is in once again, with a great slate of guests and topics including:

Jeff Sharlet, professor, writer, and author of "C Street and the Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power" and "Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country In Between." He also organized 'Occupy Writers', an event to help organize some of America's top writers in support of the Occupy movement. Jeff will provide a look back at the Occupy movement and talk about where it may go in 2012.

Lisa Graves, executive director of the watchdog group Center for Media and Democracy and editor-in-chief of ALECexposed.org. Lisa will update us on the recall efforts against Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker, and she'll also cover the plan to use big money - like that of the Koch Brothers - plus voter ID laws to swing the elections in 2012.

Finally, Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks talks about the expanding his show onto Current TV, and he'll help Nicole both look back at 2011 and forward to a 2012 - a year that promises to be anything but boring.

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

With the Iowa caucuses just days away, the GOP candidates continue to try to out-freak one another at every turn. Here, Rick Perry explains how a DVD 'transformed' his views on rape & incest exemptions when it comes to a woman's choice...

Thom Hartmann: The world is clearly different now, post-Fukushima

2011-12-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

Scientists are trying to figure why scores of seals have washed ashore in Alaska this year either dead or suffering from a mysterious disease. The seals have lesions, irritated skin, and hair loss - often symptoms of radiation poisoning - and scientists worry it might have come from the Fukushima plant in Japan. So far - there's been no sign of elevated radiation in the waters in the Pacific Northwest - although the US government moved monitoring from daily to quarterly - but scientists are conducting tests to determine if indeed the seals have been poisoned by nuclear fallout making its way to US waters from Japan. Test results aren't expected for a few more weeks. A study conducted earlier this month suggested that as many as 14,000 premature deaths in the United States - mostly among infants - might be attributed to nuclear fallout from Fukushima. The world is clearly different now, post-Fukushima. No nukes.

-Thom

(How has the world changed for you? Tell us here.)

Thom Hartmann: Groped Over Christmas Holiday

2011-12-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

While Louise and I said "No" to the Chertoff Porno X-Ray Scanners this past weekend - and so were punished by waiting and getting groped - the TSA's "security theater" has hit the road. TSA Security teams are now roaming the country setting up shop at other transportation depots besides airports. Over 9,300 unannounced checkpoints were set up this year at places like train stations, subways, ferries, and other mass transit hubs - costing taxpayers 110 million bucks. While they left the Chertoff x-ray porno scanners back at the airports - the TSA teams do arm themselves with radiation detectors and dogs. There's no proof that the random checkpoints are working to prevent any sort of terrorist attack - but they are doing one heckuva job trampling on the rights of Americans to be presumed innocent for just wanting to get on a bus, train, or plane.

-Thom

(Do you feel safer because of the checkpoints? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Showdown 2012 / Countdown 2011

2011-12-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Joyous Kwanzaa!

Randi's on vacation this week and will return live on Monday (1/2). Our good friend Nicole Sandler is in once again, with a great slate of guests and topics including:

Joan Walsh of Salon.com to talk about the congressional battles shaping up in 2012 - including a just annouced blow to Senate Dems. Joan will also note how President Obama's chances keep looking better and better, while the Republican field keeps shooting itself in the foot with choices like Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.

Digby, the grand dame of progressive blogosphere, will check in and check off the most important political stories of the year. She'll also have her political predictions for next year and what progressive-minded voters can do to actually elect progressives to Congress in 2012.

Finally, John Fugelsang will join Nicole to brag about having the number one comedy album in the US: The Sexy Liberal Comedy Album. He'll also accompany Nicole for a countdown of the most humorous moments in politics in 2012.

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

The mainstream media is finally starting to catch on: Enriching yourself by laying others off from their jobs may not sit very well with the American people...

Randi Rhodes: Lt. Dan Choi & Year's Worst Predictions

2011-12-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Boxing Day!

Randi's on vacation this week and will return on Monday, January 2. Our good friend Nicole Sandler is sitting in today with an all new show featuring:

Army veteran and civil rights activist Lt. Dan Choi on the long battle against the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that was finally won this year, along with several other battles Americans have yet to win - including the fight to free Bradley Manning.

Dave Weigel of Slate.com on the topic of the day in the 2012 GOP race: the extremist tendencies of Rep. Ron Paul and how many in the media (including all of us) remember covering the same story four years ago. Plus, Dave will rundown the dumbest political preditions of the year - including his own.

Comedian Amy Simon of Sheshistory.com will recap the top women's events in 2011.

Plus, Nicole will continue her year-end review. Today, it's February, March, and April.

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

Randi Rhodes: Winding Down 2011

2011-12-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

Merry War on Christmas, ya bastids!

Randi's on vacation today, but our good friend Nicole Sandler is in to help get you into the holiday weekend, armed with the knowledge you'll need to survive the invasion of your tea party relatives. Nicole has guests and topics to help recap 2011, including:

Speaking of the annual phoney War on Christmas, this year has seen its share of fake rightwing outrages, infantile temper tantrums, and trumped-up pseudo-scandals, pushed by the conservative media propagandists. Joshua Holland of Alternet will count down the top 10 non-troversies of 2011.

On the more positive side of things, John Nichols of The Nation will update us on Wisconsin and help us look at who earned their way onto the Progressive Honor Roll for 2011 - the year the 99% finally stood up against the Wall Street bullies.

Finally, Team Randi - with Nicole's help - has dug into the audio archives and Nicole will start her Year End Recap, including the attack on Rep. Gabby Giffords and what many thought was the end of Keith Olbermann.

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

House Republicans Agree To Payroll Deal - By Major Garrett

2011-12-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

House Republicans on Thursday crumpled under the weight of White House and public pressure and have agreed to pass a two-month extension of the payroll-tax cut, Republican and Democratic sources told National Journal.

The House made the move after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., agreed to appoint conferees to a committee to resolve differences between the Senate's two-month, 2 percentage point, payroll-tax cut and the House's one-year alternative.

The House will pass the two-month extension with a technical correction to the language designed to minimize difficulties businesses might experience implementing the short-term, two-month tax cut extension.

Negotiators "found a path forward for a 2-month deal that provides a brief extension, that fixes the payroll problems in the Senate-passed bill, and that provides the ability to work toward a longer-term solution," said another House GOP aide with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The deal would remove some reporting requirements that Republicans argued added to the administrative burden caused by a short-term extension

Randi Rhodes: GOP's Braveheart Moment

2011-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

Developing: Possible deal on payroll tax

President Obama made a 10-minute phone call to John Boehner about the payroll tax fiasco. 10 minutes? How long does it take to ask “What the #@%&*& is wrong with you?” An aide said Boehner told the President that “we should not waste the next 10 days simply because it is an inconvenient time of year.” So THAT’s what Republicans really think of Christmas! Republicans don’t want to call Christmas “the holidays.” They want to call it what it is—the birthday of Jesus... and an inconvenient time of year! I’m not on many GOP Christmas card lists. Do their cards say things like “Wishing joy for you and your family during this inconvenient time of year!” I’ll tell you what, House Republicans—this time of year was never anywhere near this inconvenient until you started screwing around.

House Republicans are calling this their “Braveheart moment.” This fiasco does remind me of the name of a Mel Gibson movie, but it’s more like “Apocalypto,” “Edge of Darkness,” “Chicken Run,” “Payback,” or “The Year of Living Dangerously.” Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) said the House Republicans told Boehner that “this is a Braveheart moment. You, Mr. Speaker, are our William Wallace.” Ugh! Please, don’t encourage John Boehner! That’s what the booze is for. How exactly is John Boehner like Mel Gibson’s William Wallace character? Is it because he’s going to try and get his way by holding his breath until his face turns blue? Actually, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for John Boehner to paint his face bright blue—it would look more natural than his current bright orange shade. Why do these guys want to emulate Mel Gibson playing Scottish warrior William Wallace? We’re talking about a nasty, brutish man living in the 13th century—and that’s just Mel Gibson!

Finally, this holiday season, you might want to perform some random act of kindness for a stranger. People need to have something nice done for them. Remember, there are some 160 million people out there who stand to lose a thousand dollars from their paychecks next year. There are a lot of opportunities to help people because there are so many people in need. That’s the upside to having Republicans screwing up the economic recovery.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

President Obama hammers the payroll tax cut point home while nailing the House Republicans earlier today...

Thom Hartmann: Is it good to be rich?

2011-12-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

When a poor guy robs a rich guy, he goes to prison. But when the mostly-white rich guys screw over poor minorities - no one goes to jail. Bailed out Bank of America will pay a $335 million "settlement" to the federal government - after it was found that a subsidiary of the bank - Countrywide Financial, "systemically discriminated against minority home-buyers at the peak of the U.S. Housing bubble." The banksters charged Blacks and Latinos much higher interest rates on homes than they did to whites of similar financial backgrounds. The investigation found that minorities were far more often conned into subprime exploding home mortgages - the stuff responsible for the Housing bubble and crash, and the foreclosure crisis. So now Bank of America will dish out a couple hundred million dollars to make the crime go away - and not one executive will go to jail for robbing poor people. It's good to be rich in America.

-Thom

(What do you think should happen to Bank of America and its CEOs? Tell us here.)

Elizabeth Warren: "There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own"

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

n August video of Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren on the campaign trail is heating up on the internet, and some commentators are pointing to the clip - in which Warren makes a case for progressive economic policies - as evidence that the newly minted Democratic candidate could give incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown a run for his money.

In the video (at left), which was filmed at an event in Andover, Mass., Warren rebuts the GOP-touted notion that raising taxes on the wealthy amounts to "class warfare," contending that "there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody."

Warren rejects the concept that it is possible for Americans to become wealthy in isolation.

"You built a factory out there? Good for you," she says. "But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did."

She continues: "Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."

Warren's entrance into the Massachusetts Senate race marks her first-ever political bid - and while the longtime consumer advocate is beloved by a number of liberals, some wondered if her lack of political experience would prove crippling in the contest.

The Washington Monthly's Steven Benen, however, points to the video as an explanation as to "why Warren has a strong base of supporters who adore her."

"If there are lingering concerns about whether Warren could be an effective speaker on the stump, I think those questions are being answered," Benen writes. "If more Democrats were able to make the case for the underlying social contract as effectively, our discourse would be vastly less mind-numbing."

Randi Rhodes: Boehner Skips Town

2011-12-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

The House has gone home for their Christmas break without extending the middle class payroll tax extension. They could have at least been honest about it, and passed a resolution saying “Bah, humbug!” before they left. The House Republicans just screwed over 160 million Americans out of around a thousand dollars a year. I hope they’re nicer to the other people on their Christmas gift list. Make no mistake, the House Republicans are kicking you in the teeth for the sole reason that there is a slight chance you will blame Barack Obama for it.

John Boehner released a letter he sent to the President urging him to order the Senate back from Christmas break to take part in more negotiations. No, John—you caused this fiasco, you fix it. All Boehner has to do is end this thing, but he’s asking President Obama to call the entire Senate back from vacation so that they can all start from scratch! The two-month extension was passed on a non-partisan vote by 89 Senators. No sane person would refuse to pass it. The problem is how few sane persons there are in the House.

Boehner has even appointed House Republican negotiators for a non-existent conference committee with an adjourned Senate. Where is this fantasy conference going to take place, John? Through the Looking Glass? One of Boehner’s House negotiators, Fred Upton of Michigan, says he has already told his wife he won’t be home for Christmas. I hope you didn’t tell her why, Fred, or she’s going to be mighty pissed off. “I can’t come home for Christmas, dear. I have to spend it sitting in a conference room with other Republicans, negotiating with nobody.”

Don’t fret that most of the public will blame Obama for this fiasco. Nobody is as dumb as Republicans think Americans are... not even Republicans. Heck, even the people who are on the side of the Republicans on this tax issue aren’t dumb enough to actually believe them. They just hate Obama enough to pretend to believe them. When it comes to “protecting the middle class,” polls show 50 percent trust Obama versus only 35 percent who trust the Republicans. Maybe that’s because the main thing that the middle class needs to be protected from is the Republicans.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Republicans cut off the C-Span cameras as Dems try again to get a vote on the payroll tax cut...

Thom Hartmann: John Boehner and his Tea Party zombies played the Grinch yesterday

2011-12-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

Congress is now taking their payroll tax cut fight to the media. Speaker of the House John Boehner and his Tea Party zombies played the Grinch yesterday - refusing to even hold a vote on the Senate's payroll tax cut extension bill - meaning in just 10 days - taxes will go up on 160 million Americans. You can call it the Tea Party Tax Increase. House Republicans left town last night to head home for the holidays - leaving behind a few members to stick around in DC to put pressure on the Senate to come back in session. House Democrats plan to stay in town, too - to put pressure on House Republicans to pass the Senate's bipartisan compromise bill on the payroll tax cut.

So now it comes down to who'll blink first. As House Republicans make it virtually impossible to pass a tax cut for working Americans - it's glaringly obvious why Congress has it's lowest approval rating ever of just 11%.

-Thom

(Who will blink first? Tell us here.)

PETITION: Help Sen. Bernie Sanders Get Money Out!

2011-12-21T10:47:00.000-08:00

PETITION: Help Sen. Bernie Sanders Get Money Out!

Find out what the 'Saving American Democracy Amendment' is about - then sign the petition to help get money out, and bring real democracy back!

Randi Rhodes: Economic Saboteurs

2011-12-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

House Republicans have prepared a measure that rejects the Senate tax cut extension bill while at the same time calling for a conference with the Senate to work out a new bill. That way, when the tax cut expires, they can claim they were trying to save it. They want it to look like they were performing CPR on the tax cut, when they were actually strangling it to death. They must think voters are stupid. Luckily for them, most Republican voters are. The House Republican plan doesn’t make a lot of sense. This seems like the kind of thing that John Boehner would come up with about two-thirds of the way through a bottle of merlot. Why do Republicans always have to play these games of political brinksmanship with everything? It’s a game of chicken being played by a bunch of turkeys.

The problem is that Speaker Boehner can’t control his troops. Boehner is being hung out to dry by his caucus. The good news for John is that it’s going to take a long, long time for him to dry out. Boehner isn’t leading his House Republicans. In fact, he’s doing a terrible job of even trying to follow them. Boehner claims that this is all part of his plan. John, if this is your plan, then that actually makes you look worse. Just admit that you can’t control your people. It’s better than saying you’re in control of them when they’re doing the kind of crap that they’re doing now.

Census figures show that now fully half of Americans are in poverty or are classified as low-income. If you’re wondering where the middle class went, in a word, it went down. Broken down by age, children are the group most likely to be low-income. And remember, children are the future. So, the future is going to be even more low-income.

Mitt Romney delivered the Top 10 List on David Letterman’s show last night. At least Mitt can poke fun at his wooden awkwardness... in a wooden, awkward kind of way. Watching Mitt Romney perform a comedy bit is about as awkward as watching Newt Gingrich performing Swan Lake... and almost as funny. The good news for Mitt is that he managed to get through the Top 10 without flip-flopping. It would have looked pretty bad if item number 3 was the total opposite of item number 6.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Michelle Obama gets asked to the Marine Corps Ball (story)...

video platform video management video solutions video player

Thom Hartmann: Has the Fukushima Meltdown caused 14,000 deaths here in America?

2011-12-20T16:08:00.001-08:00

You need to know this. Just a few days after the Japanese Prime Minister declared the nuclear crisis at Fukushima is over - there's shocking new evidence that the disaster may have led to the deaths of as many as 14,000 people...in the United States! According to a new peer-reviewed study published in the December edition of the International Journal of Health Services - researchers found that there were 14,000 excess deaths in America in the 14 weeks after the Fukushima meltdown - and they believe these deaths can be traced back to radioactive fallout.

Most of the deaths were infants - under the age of one - and studies show that despite infant death DECREASING by more than 8% this year in the weeks leading UP to Fukushima - infant death in American INCREASED this year by nearly 2% in the weeks AFTER Fukushima. A similar phenomenon was studied at Chernobyl in 1986 - where more than 16,000 excess deaths were reported weeks after the meltdown. Numbers by the Center for Disease Control back up this study - finding that deaths in America's biggest cities spiked 4-and-a-half percent from last year in the weeks after Fukushima.

Sadly - we're just scratching the surface when it comes to how dangerous nuclear power is - yet we keep subsidizing reactors with our tax dollars.

This is insanity.

-Thom

(What is your opinion of nuclear power? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Orange Grinch

2011-12-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

Tis the season... the Republicans just might be giving 160 million Americans a big tax increase as a holiday gift. I’m sure Republicans would dispute that—they prefer the term “Christmas gift” to “holiday gift.” The Republicans in the Senate would only agree to extend the middle-class payroll tax cut by two months. That was the most un-Christmas like action of the season... until the House balked at extending the tax cut at all. With the two-month extension idea, the Senate did this an incredibly half-assed way. Then the House stepped up and did it in a full-assed way. Classic, the Senate punted, and then the House fumbled. John Boehner is being a real Grinch—except that eventually, the Grinch’s heart grew by several sizes. That’s not going to happen with Boehner. Well, maybe his liver will grow by several sizes.

Newt Gingrich has begun to collapse under his own weight—and that’s a mighty big collapse. Newt’s numbers have been abnormally bloated. But then you could say the same thing about Newt himself. In two weeks, Newt’s poll numbers have gone from 27 to 22 to 14 percent. At this point, Newt is about as popular in Iowa as a surfboard shop. He’s definitely crashing to earth. And earth is not a place where Newt feels comfortable.

Gingrich is saying that as president, he would send federal officials to arrest “activist” judges and haul them in front of Congress to justify their rulings. I’m just surprised he even got Congress involved. I would think Newt would just have them dragged to his own Throne Room. Yes, vote to make Newt Gingrich president… especially if you’ve always wondered what the National Mall would look like with a guillotine on it. Newt is totally out of the mainstream. And that’s probably a good thing, since Newt would pollute any stream that he touched.

Finally, have you seen the picture of Mitt Romney and his colleagues at Bain Capital posing with a bunch of $20 bills? It’s available here, or you could probably find it by Googling the phrase “gifts to the Obama re-election campaign.”

Today’s Homework | Discuss

Kim Jong-Il's death as presented by North Korean television...

Thom Hartmann: OWS Celebrates Its Three Month Anniversary

2011-12-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend - the Occupy Wall Street movement recognized its 3-month anniversary. Demonstrators attempted to "re-occupy" another park in New York City - but were prevented from doing so by a Church that owned the land. As expected - the NYPD arrested 50 patriots during the day of action.

But the movement lives on in other ways after three months - from people moving their money from big banks on Wall Street to local credit unions - to helping families facing foreclosure - to fighting against student loan debt - the 99% of us are still being represented all across America.

Let's keep it up.

-Thom

(How do you think the movement will develop? Tell us here.)

Detective: ‘The McStay case will never be a cold case’

2011-12-17T14:37:00.002-08:00

Endless man-hours continue in search for missing family

Thursday, January 6^th, 2011
Issue 01, Volume 15.

Andrea Verdin

Staff Writer

To say that endless man-hours have been spent looking for the McStays – the family of four who disappeared seemingly without a trace from their Fallbrook home in February 2010 – would merely scratch the surface of the amount of time, energy and resources that has gone into searching for them.

Joseph McStay, 40, Summer McStay, 43, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph "Joey," 3, had moved to the Lake Rancho Viejo community on the Fallbrook/Bonsall boundary in November 2009, and were reported missing on February 4, 2010 by Michael McStay, Joseph’s brother, approximately two weeks from when they had last been seen.

On February 8, 2010, detectives examined the Mc Stay family’s 1996 Isuzu Trooper that had been discovered in an impound lot about four hours after they were believed to be seen on a video surveillance tape crossing into Mexico.

According to San Diego County Sheriff’s detective Troy DuGal, who has been heading up the case for the past 10 months, every lead and tip that could possibly point to the discovery of the family’s whereabouts has been carefully investigated.

"This missing persons case is open and active, and will remain mine for as ling as my career exists or until we find the family," said DuGal. "It wouldn’t make sense for this case to become a cold case, and it will remain so until we have found the location of the entire family. All four must be found, and we are still hoping for a good outcome."

Several theories of what may have happened to the young family have played through the minds of investigators.

"From the initial investigation, our biggest fear was that the family had been abducted," said DuGal. "We obtained a search warrant to either substantiate or alleviate that concern with physical evidence. Now, we know that they were not abducted in a vehicle, or physically abducted, but that does not rule out verbal abduction, in which someone told them they needed to be somewhere, fast."

DuGal also stated that the possibility of the family simply choosing to abandon their home has been looked at as well.

"We have looked at financial records, Summer’s bank accounts, Joseph and Summer’s joint account, and Joseph’s business account," said DuGal, who also said email and cell phone accounts have been completely inactive since the family’s disappearance. "All the accounts have been red-flagged and none of them have been touched since February 4. Prior to the family going missing, the account’s activity had been normal. There had been no major withdrawals or [an indication that they were] putting money under a pillow for a vacation."

Because the family’s finances have been red-flagged, the mortgage on the McStay family home has not been paid since March 2010, but it is not formally in the foreclosure process yet.

"When the finances were frozen, the ‘auto-pay’ on the mortgage also stopped," said DuGal. "It is protocol to free the account of missing persons."

According to Michael McStay, who lives in San Clemente, as of Monday, the home had not had a formal foreclosure notice posted on it.

Since the disappearance of his brother and family, Michael has been working hard to not only spread the word of their disappearance, but has shared tips that the public has brought forward with investigators.

"Two days within [Joseph’s] disappearance, my friend was able to help me develop www.theMcStayfamily.com, which was a way to help people know what was going on with the case," said Michael. "With a literal click of a button, people can download missing flier PDFs in English or Spanish, or drop a tip to an email account set up specifically for that reason. I oversee the site, and keep information available to the public and law enforcement."

According to both Michael and DuGal, the website has allowed detectives to investigate tips on an almost immediate level.

In October, the website received a tip about a family that looked like the McStays.

"We got a lead in Ensenada about a family, and within an hour and 15 minutes, the Mexican police had gone and questioned the family, who ended up being from Canada," said Michael. "People got into the field very quickly."

According to DuGal, the tip had reported a family of four on a sailboat in Ensenada that generally resembled the family.

"The police took a flier of the missing family with them to investigate, just in case Joseph and Summer had changed their names, but they were satisfied that the family was not the McStays," he stated. "Still, that tip was very good because it was very specific."

However, not every tip is as useful.

"We get some very vague tips, such as people saying they think they saw a family that resembled the McStays two to ten days ago at a certain location," said DuGal. "To put that tip to rest, I have to hope the business has 24-hour video footage and then review 10 days’ worth of footage. Even then, it’s just impossible to work with that because the family could have been seen 11 or 12 days ago, as opposed to the 10 days ago."

Though no solid information has come in for months, Susan Blake, Joseph’s mother, who lives in Corona, stated that her entire family will continue to hold onto hope that their family members will be found "We will always have hope," said Blake. "Some days are hard, some are not, but you try to get involved and make an effort to help find them. I try to stay busy to help, but at the very beginning, it was absolutely devastating. Still, we are fighting, and not giving up. We are going to find those grandbabies and bring them home, whatever it takes."

Blake has become very involved working with Spanish news outlets to continue to spread the word of her missing family.

"I am currently working with Spanish radio stations on the Baja California peninsula and I place a monthly flier in several newspapers in the peninsula," said Blake. "It has become my full time job. I try to connect with charter boats and fishermen, newspapers, TV shows and now, radio personnel."

Michael and Blake, while working hard to do their part to find their family, wish there was more that they could do to help investigators.

"We would love to have a private investigation firm offer its support to DuGal and his team," said Michael. "We know that as part of San Diego’s homicide division, they have other cases to work on, and if we could afford to hire an investigator, we would."

Other family members, while not as entrenched as Michael and Blake, have actively followed the investigation, waiting to hear each new detail reported.

"My dad and great aunt, who are out of Houston, were devastated," said Michael. "We have a small family, and half of it has been missing. [My father’s] communication has been very good with law enforcement."

"Mr. McStay communicates with me quite a bit," said DuGal. "He doesn’t get to see local reports, so he depends on the family and me to get updates. Summer’s sister is also very involved and is constantly communicating with me. Summer’s mother has been torn up pretty badly by this, and has difficulty communicating with anyone. She just doesn’t want to talk about it, but wants her family back. There is nothing suspicious about her emotions; she just cannot handle it."

For DuGal, the missing McStays have become a top priority.

"Since I started working in homicide two years ago, no other case has taken up more time than this one," said DuGal. "This case has taken more time and man-hours than any other in my career. I also have three direct partners who I have tasked with interviews and investigating other search warrants. They have spent a considerable amount of time investigating the case. Outside of the Sheriff’s office, the FBI and Department of Justice have become invested, as have Immigration and Customs and the Mexican Federal Police. There is no simple way to answer how many man-hours have been spent on this case."

There is also no simple way to explain how the family of four disappeared into thin air.

"That’s the mystery," explained DuGal. "In my whole career, I have never seen anything like this. Usually when something bad happens, there’s a trail left behind. There is a witness or someone who has come forward. If the family had picked up and left Fallbrook, there would also be signs. But the case remains between both extremes, with neither side satisfied.

There is no trail supporting evidence of foul play, DuGal said. Telephone calls within a month of the McStays’ disappearance have all been identified. In summary, calls had been made to family members, business partners, and hair salons. Du Gal said none of the individuals he has interviewed that had been speaking to the McStay’s made him suspicious.

"Now we are just waiting for tips," he said.

Both DuGal and Michael believe that information regarding the family’s whereabouts from Feb. 4 to Feb. 8 would be crucial to helping find the family.

"Those four days are huge," said Michael. "To have no phones, money, anything… I don’t see it. The family in the footage had no suitcases, and just a purse at the border crossing. It was a cold night. If that was my family, they had no ‘do-over’ money or big, black bag."

"If we are going to believe that the family crossed the international border on Feb. 8, we have to think that it is probable that someone saw the McStays before they crossed," said DuGal. "We know for a fact that their vehicle did not cross the border, and that the family did not use their credit cards, cell phone, or accounts. After checking multiple times with various agencies, we are also 100 percent certain that the family is not in protective custody. So, where are they?"

On Monday and Tuesday (January 3 and 4), the family’s disappearance received national attention. Investigation Discovery’s "Disappeared" featured a one-hour program on the disappearance, and all involved in the case are hoping for the best.

"People have been emailing us if they have not seen an update on our website, and are really showing us that America does have a heart," said Michael. "Even in this tough time, we receive emails from families saying they are still wondering, still praying. We’ve gotten a lot of love and support that way, and we feel fortunate that in such a dark moment, we have a great lead detective and friends to keep us strong."

For more information on the McStay family, go to www.mcstayfamily.com, www.vimeo.com/18299846, or www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD6J-K74m-I&feature=fvst.

If anyone has information regarding the McStay family, they are asked to contact Detective Troy Dugal at (858) 974-2405 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (858) 974-2405 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email him at Troy.Dugal@sdsheriff.org.

Story Behind Fastball - The Way

2011-12-17T14:37:00.001-08:00

Disappearance

The couple left their home on the morning of Saturday, June 28, 1997. They were headed to the Pioneer Days Festival, a festival honoring longtime residents, in nearby Temple, a fifteen mile trip. They stopped at the neighborhood Wal-Mart for coffee, something they often did during the week.

About twelve hours after they initially left home, they were stopped in northern Arkansas near the town of Subiaco by Logan County sheriff's deputy Harold Cole because they were driving with no headlights. Cole radioed Lela's information in, but, unaware that the couple was lost or missing and having no reason to detain them, let them go.

Looking back on the incident, officer Cole later stated that there were warning signs that something might have been wrong. It took several miles of flashing his lights before Lela pulled over, she was fumbling a little when Cole instructed her to turn on her headlights, and though she said she was going to Texas, she was headed the wrong way. However this was not enough to warrant holding them.

"I feel terrible about it. I just wished I'd known more that night to give me a little suspicion. There was just nothing there out of the ordinary... I was impressed by the lady... She was polite. She was kind. She was gentle… I had no probable cause to detain them any longer. And I certainly had no probable cause to think they were wanted," Cole said.

Forty-five minutes later they were stopped again near the town of Plainview by a Yell County sheriff's deputy for driving with their high-beams on. Although by this time the couple had been reported as missing, unfortunately no computer checks were run, and again they were let go. This was the last time they were seen alive.

When the couple did not return home by 4 p.m. that day, Lela's son Hal Copeland called the Bell County sheriff's office to report them missing.^[4]

Several relatives of the Howards spent the July fourth weekend searching for them. They distributed fliers, drove back roads, and questioned law enforcement officials and storekeepers. The Howards' grandson James Stewart offered a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the couple.

Police were flooded with tips about the couple nationwide after a segment was aired on CBS's This Morning, however none of them led anywhere according to officer Wayne Jordan of the Arkansas State Police.^[5]

Death and discovery

Exactly two weeks after they disappeared, two teenagers on a hike through the Ouachita Mountains found the Howards' maroon Oldsmobile Delta 88 and the bodies of Lela and Raymond at the bottom of a 25-foot cliff. The highway they were driving on before the crash was known for being a treacherous, curvy road.^[6]

Although it was initially reported that Raymond was driving the car, when the full investigation's details were released, they showed that Lela had in fact been behind the wheel. Police estimated that Lela was driving about 50 miles per hour when she ran a stop sign and drove off the road and over the cliff, most likely due to a combination of the dark, winding road and mental fatigue. There were no skid marks, indicating Lela was unaware she had run the sign. The report stated that after the crash, Lela put the car in parking gear and removed the keys. She walked around to the passenger side door which she apparently opened, then walked about 20 feet away from the car before collapsing. Raymond never left the passenger seat.^[7] She was 83 years old. He was 88.

Aftermath

Because the disappearance of Lela and Raymond made national headlines, their eventual discovery raised concerns on whether or not the elderly need to undergo driver testing. Texas State Representative Tony Goolsby introduced a bill that would order the Department of Transportation to come up with some way to ensure that drivers 75 years of age and older could "exercise ordinary and reasonable control in the operation of a motor vehicle."

This fueled a national debate on whether or not such a bill would infringe on the rights of senior citizens. The American Association of Retired Persons strongly disapproved of any such legislation stating, "It is discriminatory in all senses of the word."

However others such as Homer Lear of the Silver-Haired Legislature disagreed and said the idea did have merit.^[8]

Thom Hartmann: Call Sen. Wyden's office & ask him to quit drinking the $300 bottles of wine with Paul Ryan...

2011-12-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

One day after Oregon's Democratic Senator Ron Wyden teamed up with Republican Congressman Paul Ryan to end Medicare as we know it - the Democratic backlash is underway. Several Democratic Members of Congress - and the President - have rejected the Wyden-Ryan plan, which turns Medicare into a public option - giving senior citizens a voucher to buy private health insurance instead of Medicare.

The President's Press Secretary Jay Carney called the plan "radical," although Republican Presidential candidates are praising the plan. That's when you know it is a really bad idea.

Time to call Senator Wyden's office - and ask him to quit drinking the $300 bottles of wine with Paul Ryan and his billionaire buddies. We can't afford it.

-Thom

(What response did you get when you called? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes: Liars, Whiners & Doves

2011-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, ya bastids!

Randi returns live on Monday (12/19). David Sirota from our Denver affiliate AM760 is filling in again today; some of the topics he'll be covering:

The GOP presidential candidates had their fourteenth debate last night in Sioux City (yet another two hours of our lives we'll never get back). David will recap the debate, including Mitt's new flip-floppery, Newt's new lies, Michele's whining, Rick Perry's football-related delusion, and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) flushing GOP doctrine in favor of sanity when it comes to Iran.

With the holidays upon us, the question of comparison shopping for gifts - especially in this economy - is always on our minds.However, what is the REAL cost of the item you bought online? Do companies like Amazon have a right to use your cell phone to put the local guys out of business?

And since Christmas is just a week away, you may have noticed a recent attempt by the Catholic church to get you to back into the fold. In light of the sexual abuse and scandals the Catholic religion has recently faced are their efforts misplaced or should they be forgiven?

Call David at 866-87-RANDI (866-877-2634)

Today’s Randi Rhodes homework

Randi’s message board

Randi’s comedy bit archive

Randi on Facebook & Twitter

WOW - I Think we ALL Need to go here & DANCE - DANCE I Say!

2011-12-15T18:36:00.000-08:00

A disgusting over-reach by federal goons at the Jefferson Memorial results in the mass arrests of innocent tourists, including a couple who were kissing. Adam Kokesh was also arrested for dancing.

Randi Rhodes: Rightwing Mormonphobes

2011-12-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

Randi's on vacation this week (back Mon, 12/19), but our good friend David Sirota is filling in from our Denver affiliate AM760. David has several topics boiling over today, including:

Mitt Romney still has a good chance of winning the 2012 GOP presidential nomination but many on the right still have major questions about Romney's Mormon faith. Is Mormonism a cult, as some on the right claim? Should it even matter?

With the fourteenth GOP primary debate coming up tonight, the polls keep shifting and Ron Paul keeps picking up momentum. What are the ramifications for the GOP (and for the rest of us) of such a hardcore anti-government libertarian is pulling ahead?

The NTSB released a statement in support of banning ALL cellphones and text device usage in vehicles - even handsfree devices. However, Americans are strongly in favor of keeping their mobile technology, no matter what the data says. How dangerous is it to talk and drive and does the NTSB have any real power to take your phone away from you?

Finally, David will also have journalist and writer Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com join the show to discuss the National Defense Authorization Act, that now appears to be headed for the President's desk for signature.

Call David at 866-87-RANDI (866-877-2634)

Today’s Randi Rhodes homework

Randi’s message board

Randi’s comedy bit archive

Randi on Facebook & Twitter

FLASHBACK: Randi interviewed Ron Paul back in February. She drilled down on his core beliefs and separated libertarian fantasy from real-world reality. Plus she got Ron Paul to weigh in on the corporatist-ownership of the Tea Party...

Thom Hartmann: Is The Middle Class an Endangered Species Now?

2011-12-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

The middle class is becoming an endangered species in America. According to the latest census data - half of the country is now living in poverty or just scraping by in a low-income lifestyle. And this problem is being made worse as conservative Governors cut funding to critical social welfare programs. A survey of 29 mayors around America found that 1-in-4 Americans in need of food assistance did not receive any help.

Since the banksters wrecked our economy - 4 million homes have been foreclosed on - and each year more than one-and-a-half million children end up homeless. Meanwhile corporate CEOs saw a 40% increase last year in their pay. And at 25 of our biggest corporations, CEOs were paid more than the entire corporation paid in taxes.

And the folks at GOP TV still can't understand why people are occupying the streets? It's the inequality, stupid!

-Thom

(What do you think it will take for them to get it? Tell us here.)

Randi Rhodes:Congressional Fraud

2011-12-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Randi's on vacation this week (back Mon, 12/19), but our good friend Nicole Sandler is in for Randi today. She made the cover of Time as "Person of the Year" for 2011 - and so did you if you've been involved with any protests this year. Nicole will recap the President's speech at Ft. Bragg today marking the end of the war in Iraq and she'll have some great guests too, including:

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, will talk with Nicole about the payroll tax extension and unemployment fight going on in the House - and how his GOP colleagues in the House may be purposely bringing legislation to the floor that they know will fail.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will talk with Nicole about the CPC's introduction of the Restore The Dream for the 99% Act. Rep. Ellison will also weigh in on the recent controversy over advertising being pulled from the television show 'All-American Muslim'.

Baher Azmy from the Center for Constitutional Rights on the National Defense Authorization Act. After FBI Director Robert Mueller's testimony this morning, the questions regarding the loopholes and the latest additions to the NDAA are more unclear than ever. It's still unknown whether President Obama will veto the bill or allow the possibility of indefinite detention of regular American citizens.

Shane Farnen, one of Nicole's fellow netcasters at RadioOrNot.com on the webradio Occuthon to support the Occupy movement that begins this Friday night.

Finally, Josh Gerstein, of Politico joins us to help straighten out and clarify the debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, and whether the President will veto the bill or not.

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