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

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!

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...

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

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

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

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Thom Hartmann: Education now only for the wealthy?

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

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...

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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...

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

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.)