Tag Archives: democratic

America… Yet!

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

I remember the special feeling that came over me as I watched a very special women's gymnastic team. They were the 1996 Olympic champions from America. They had come from a very special land that was different in many ways. Such a land must be special in that anyone can possess an opportunity to plant the seeds of their potential and bring to harvest that talent into the realm of an appreciative humanity. Their faces could only have come from America. I was so very proud for my country that all of these people had been given a chance to demonstrate that they could be a team, and that they could grow together to become winners under our flag. ***************************************************************************************************** I also recall a man named Martin Luther King who in one day, the day that did go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation, had this to say: I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! **************************************************************************************************** I recall the eyes of my own mother, who I did not regard as the greatest champion of the civil rights movement. As a small child I had asked her about the KKK, and in her response I could see the tears well up in her eyes as she described to me the racist acts that had gone on for many years. She described to me how some people had received unjust punishments, and that there had been a procession of targets through they years. They were the Irish-Americans, the were the Jewish-Americans, they were the blacks, and the browns, and the peoples of all colors and races and religions and previous homelands. For me, when I see our proud flag, I see the country that has overcome more and more of its problems and has progressed to a nation that stands for this freedom without reservation for color of skin, or religion we were born under. What matters today is that we stand united and true, with the love of freedom and the love of standing united. Still today there are American people who must be given only the back rows and catch freedom as it becomes available to them. When it comes to Ground Zero they must worship God from a distance. Their holy books are burned and it is debated whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. I was reminded yesterday, that some of America is not truly allowed to become theirs as well as ours even though our own rhetoric expresses that as much it should. When one can advance political gain by denying those rights, greed takes over, the usual forces of division are applied, and the minority loses its right to become fully free Americans. The rest of America sleeps while rights disappear, and acts of offense are questioned, but the questions are turned away. Should all of America be allowed into our hearts without regard for where they come? I am reminded of my own experience. I had once asked the Democratic National Convention if this band that I knew could be considered for their convention. I provided them with links. This band could present to America the lighter, brighter side of the world in which Barack Obama once lived. They hailed from a city that neighbors Jakarta where Barack Obama had gone to school. The DNC seemed pleased and replied optimistically to me. I forwarded that response to the band, and they responded optimistically, wanting to know more. I asked later, in one liberal forum, when they were not called, and a reply came to me that this band was not American, and did not deserve to be in the Denver show. The responder failed to notice that Bono and Shakira were given invitations and did appear. It became painfully obvious here, that Bono and Shakira had entered their hearts as Americans and given special status because the media would allow it. People from Muslim countries could not gain this status because… well… they could not become Americans in their heart, or the hearts of the people. VERBOTEN! Is this America yet? I know that America is just beginning, and the ideals, and the hopes, and the values will spread to other lands when the world looks to America and can see the real thing. I still believe we are dawning, but now is the time to look and see the sun rising over the horizon. I have a dream that all God's children will one day live in nations where they will be judged by the content of their character. I love America. This is our time to let it dawn. added by: thedirtman

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hot Stuff

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

George Stephanopoulos Derides John Boehner’s ‘Deep Tan,’ Wonders If He Will ‘Overcome’ It

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday quizzed House Minority Leader John Boehner about his tan, dismissing, “…I have to note that if you do win and you do become Speaker, you will probably have the deepest tan of any Speaker in American history.” He also wondered if this was something the Republican would have to “overcome.” The former Democratic operative turned journalist cited PPP , a Democratic polling firm, that queried voters about Boehner’s tan: “And there’s actually been a poll out in your state of Ohio, saying 30 percent of the voters think you spend too much time on your tan. And 27 percent don’t like it. Is this something you have to overcome?” [MP3 audio here .] However, when World News’ Claire Shipman interviewed Nancy Pelosi on October 26, 2006 , just prior to the Democratic take over of the House, the reporter mused, “Do you let yourself think, for example, maybe before you go to sleep at night, ‘Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi?” Stephanopoulos on Wednesday asked the same question, but minus the flowery language: “Mr. Leader, how confident are you that you’re going to be Speaker of the House next year?” The host also pressed Boehner to condemn Terry Jones, a pastor in Florida who will be burning Korans on 9/11: “What is your message to Pastor Jones?” Boehner responded by asserting that just because someone can do something, doesn’t mean they should. That, apparently, wasn’t enough for Stephanopoulos. He challenged, “So, you’re telling him not to do it? Sir? Are you telling him not to do it?” Yet, on the August 4 GMA , Stephanopoulos declared to conservative Laura Ingraham, “This is a country founded on the notion of religious freedom. What better way to say they [the terrorists] haven’t won?” A transcript of the September 8 segment, which aired at 7:11am EDT, follows: 7:11 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: As we said, the President will deliver what he hopes will be a tide-turning speech on the economy in Cleveland. And he is taking direct aim again at our next guest, top House Republican John Boehner. BARACK OBAMA: And the Republican who thinks he’s going to take over as Speaker- [Audience boos.] I’m just saying, that’s his opinion. He’s entitled to his opinion. But, but when he was asked about this, he dismissed those jobs, as government jobs that weren’t worth saving. STEPHANOPOULOS: And House Republican leader John Boehner, joins us now. Thank you, sir, for coming in this morning. You seem to be the President’s new punching bag. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JOHN BOEHNER: Well, George, I think it just shows how out of touch the White House is. You know, the American people are asking the question, where are the jobs? And yet, here’s the White House worrying about what I’ve got to say instead of working together to get our economy going again and to get jobs back in America. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, the President is outlining proposals that Republicans have supported in the past. This permanent extension of the Research and Development Tax Credit. This expensing proposal, the small business tax cut of about $100 billion. Those are proposals Republicans have supported in the past. Will you support them now? BOEHNER: George, I’m open to the President’s ideas. But I think the President’s missing the bigger point here. And that is, with all of the spending in Washington, and all the uncertainty facing small businesses, including the coming tax hikes on January the first, until this uncertainty and spending is under control, I don’t think these are going to have much impact. And, so, today, what I’d like to do is work on a bipartisan basis to do two things: First, instead of waiting until after the election to put together some big omnibus spending bill, with a bunch of wasteful spending, why wouldn’t we do this? Why don’t we pass a bill this month at 2008 spending levels. You know, before the TARP, before the bailout, before the stimulus. And let’s put some certainty in the economy. That in and of itself would save about $100 billion this year alone. And then, secondly, why wouldn’t we work together to make it clear that all current tax rates will be extended for the next two years? What that will do- STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re open- BOEHNER: What that will do is help small businesses who have no clue what the coming tax rates are going to be, gives them some certainty. And if we’re able to do this together, I think we’ll show the American people that we understand what’s going on in the country. And we’ll be able to get our economy moving again and get jobs growing in America. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re open to the President’s ideas. You’re also making these two proposals of your own for the President. You talked about the two year extension of the Bush tax cuts. As you know, the President is against, right now, the extension for the wealthy. But his former budget director, Peter Orszag, made a similar proposal about the two year extension. But he said, but they have to expire in two years so we can reduce the deficit. Are you open to that part of it as well? BOEHNER: George, we can’t deal with the deficit until we’re willing to get our arms around spending and have a strong economy. And you can’t have a strong economy if you’re raising taxes on the very people you expect to invest in our economy to begin hiring people again. STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. Leader, how confident are you that you’re going to be Speaker of the House next year? BOEHNER: Well, certainly, George, it’s possible. We’ve got a steep hill to climb. We have got a lot of work to do. But when I travel the country and I travel my district, I’ve never seen the American people more engaged in this election and any election in my lifetime. And, so, we’ve got a lot of work to do. That’s our goal, though. To earn back the majority so we can renew our efforts to drive for a smaller, lest-costly and more accountable government in Washington, D.C. STEPHANOPOULOS: If you win, you will be third in line for the White House. Obviously, the eyes of the world will be on you. I wanted you to weigh in on an issue of national security implications, as well. We’ve seen this Pastor Terry Jones down in Florida, threatening to burn the Koran this weekend. This weekend, General Petraeus has spoken out against it. Secretary of State Clinton has spoken out against it. What is your message to Pastor Jones? BOEHNER: To Pastor Jones and those who want to build a mosque, just because you have a right to do something in America, does not mean it is the right thing to do. We’re a nation of religious freedom. We’re also a nation of tolerance. And I think, in the name of tolerance, people ought to really think about the kind of actions they’re taking. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re telling him not to do it? Sir? Are you telling him not to do it? BOEHNER: Well, listen. I just think that it’s not wise to do this in the face of what our country really represents. And over some, you know, 234 years. STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay. Before you go, I have to note that if you do win and you do become Speaker, you will probably have the deepest tan of any Speaker in American history. And there’s actually been a poll out in your state of Ohio, saying 30 percent of the voters think you spend too much time on your tan. And 27 percent don’t like it. Is this something you have to overcome? BOEHNER: Well, hey probably weren’t there yesterday, when I was out cutting my grass or when I was out riding my mountain bike. All right? STEPHANOPOULOS: So, no worries there? BOEHNER: Thanks, George. STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay. Thank you, Mr. Leader. No comment at all.

Read more here:
George Stephanopoulos Derides John Boehner’s ‘Deep Tan,’ Wonders If He Will ‘Overcome’ It

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Time Editor to Obama: Don’t Go to Church! It’s a ‘Piety Trap’!

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Time executive editor Nancy Gibbs, the writer of many ridiculously gooey leg-thrill sentences about Democratic politicians, is now begging President Obama to avoid going to church — it’s “The Piety Trap.” Her headline continues: “Sure, we want to know what a president believes in…but that doesn’t always mean he should tell us.” Obama is much more likely to end up in a sand trap than a piety trap on Sundays, but Gibbs doesn’t want him to go to church anyway: Many a pundit has predicted that we are sure to see the Obamas attending some nice, safe church one day soon, the girls in their Sunday best, Obama with a big Bill Clinton Bible under his arm or explaining what Glenn Beck calls Obama’s “version of Christianity.” I devoutly hope the President resists this advice or, if  he feels the call to worship, that he finds a way to do it that meets his private needs rather than his political ones. This is a funny passage coming from Gibbs, who found some poetic equivalence two years ago between the birth of Jesus Christ and the birth of hopes for Obama after the election: “Some princes are born in palaces. Some are born in mangers. But a few are born in the imagination, out of scraps of history and hope.” It won our “Obamagasm Award” as the gushiest pro-Obama quote of the election year.   Sentences like this should be kept in mind when Time’s top editor Rick Stengel declares “No one personifies TIME more than Nancy Gibbs…As a journalist, Nancy is timely and timeless.”   Gibbs also won our “Carve Clinton Into Mount Rushmore Award” in 1998 for her infamous “naked in a sharp dark suit” tribute to Bill Clinton:  He invited his exhausted audience to take a holiday from Lewinsky and spend a refreshing hour and 12 minutes feeling like a country again. For once the talk on the screen was not of oral sex, but of our lives and fortunes and sacred happiness. He had become all human nature, the best and the worst, standing there naked in a sharp, dark suit, behind the TelePrompTer. That which does not kill him only makes him stronger, and his poll numbers went through the roof….That may have been a miracle, but it was no accident: Americans are less puritanical and more forgiving than the cartoon version suggests, and this President is never better than in his worst moments.” — Time magazine Senior Editor Nancy Gibbs, February 9, 1998 issue. Gibbs clearly doesn’t like her presidents to be overtly religious. She declared “We’ve seen what happens when it serves a president’s interest to flaunt his faith — which is almost inevitably does, since every poll affirms that Americans want their leader to submit to some higher power.” So what happens? She never elaborated. She lamented “Religious tests, a constitutional taboo, are a political tradition.”  Her liberal hero, naturally, is John F. Kennedy, who declared in 1960 that he came to Protestant pastors to talk about “now what kind of church I believe in , for that should be important only to me — but what kind of America I believe in.” She insisted “That was an America where church and state were absolutely separate and priests and preachers did not tell parishioners how to vote.” Clearly, Gibbs doesn’t really mean that progressive Reverends like Jesse Jackson (or even Reverend Wright) can’t tell their parishioners how to vote. She simply doesn’t like it when priests and preachers tell parishioners not to vote straight-ticket Democrat, like most well-coached Time magazine staffers.  

Link:
Time Editor to Obama: Don’t Go to Church! It’s a ‘Piety Trap’!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REPORT: Conservative Groups Gearing Up To Spend $400 Million On Midterm Election

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

http://www.newdeal20.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/picture-21.png In the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, corporations and special interest groups now enjoy the ability to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. Now, with less than 10 weeks until November, it’s clear just how far conservative groups are willing to go to try to influence the midterm elections. According to a new report from ThinkProgress, conservative organizations have committed (or already spent) $400 MILLION to advance their conservative agenda at the ballot box this year. For comparison’s sake, this outside money alone is more than the Democratic campaign committees http://bit.ly/ahWQxY spent combined when they took back both houses of Congress in the last midterm election. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal notes that special interest groups have already spent three times as much in 2010 than they had in 2006 http://bit.ly/aKSlIP . Among the outside groups that plan to spend hundreds of MILLIONs of dollars electing conservatives are some familiar faces and some new ones as well. While the NRA and the Chamber of Commerce have long supported conservative causes, the former plans to double its spending from $10 MILLION in 2006 http://bit.ly/dmz7Gt to $20 MILLION http://bit.ly/bZHEsw now and the latter will triple its commitment http://http ://bit.ly/aKSlIP to $75 MILLION this year http://bit.ly/9v6ClV . Many new groups are also entering the scene in a big way, including Karl Rove’s American Crossroads group with $52 MILLION http://politi.co/awScg7 and Norm Coleman’s American Action Network with $25 MILLION http://bit.ly/aslsCg . Those conservative groups trying to use $400 MILLION in outside spending to tip the midterm election include: > – *Chamber of Commerce* has pledged to spend > – $75 MILLION http://http ://bit.ly/9v6ClV > – *American Crossroads* has pledged to spend > – $52 MILLION http://http ://politi.co/awScg7 > – *Americans for Prosperity* has pledged to spend > – $45 MILLION http://nyti.ms/a8gWtX > – *Republican State Leadership Committee* has pledged to spend > – $40 MILLION http://http ://bit.ly/aslsCg > – *American Action Network* has pledged to spend > – $25 MILLION http://bit.ly/aslsCg > – *American Future Fund* has pledged to spend up to > – $25 MILLION http://bit.ly/dywWzx > – *Club for Growth* has pledged to spend AT LEAST > – $24 MILLION http://bit.ly/cCKOS5 > – *National Republican Trust PAC* has pledged to spend AT LEAST > – $20 MILLION http://bit.ly/aKSlIP > – **An unnamed** *Health Insurance Industry Coalition* has pledged to spend > – $20 MILLION http://bit.ly/bST4bX > – *National Rifle Association* has pledged to spend > – $20 MILLION http://http ://bit.ly/bZHEsw > – *Faith and Freedom Coalition* has pledged to spend > – $11 MILLION http://bit.ly/ddcqhn > – *FreedomWorks* has pledged to spend > – $10 MILLION http://http ://nyti.ms/a8gWtX > – *Americans for Job Security* has pledged to spend > – $10 MILLION http://politi.co/cSUiQa > – *Susan B. Anthony List* has pledged to spend > – $6 MILLION http://bit.ly/9T5PLf > – *Our Country Deserves Better (Tea Party Express)* has ALREADY SPENT > – $5 MILLION http://bit.ly/ajFcGU > – *Tax Relief Coalition* has already spent > – $4 MILLION http://bit.ly/a0V4p2 > – *Republican Majority Campaign* has pledged to spend > – $3 MILLION http://bit.ly/avk0QQ > – *Campaign for Working Families* has pledged to spend > – $2 MILLION http://bit.ly/cpP6Bv > – *Heritage Action for America* has pledged to spend > – $1 MILLION http://bit.ly/9Wb55b > – *Financial Services Roundtable* has already spent > – $0.5 MILLION http://bit.ly/aQ4pNR > – *Family Research Council* FRC has raised > – $0.5 MILLION http://bit.ly/dx5RWf > – *Citizens United Political Victory Fund* has pledged to spend > – $0.2 MILLION http://bit.ly/caDIWO – ** TOTAL: $399.2 MILLION or $399,200,000 ** – Given the number of progressive accomplishments in the 111th Congress, including health care reform, the economic stimulus bill, and Wall Street reform, it’s no wonder that conservative groups are fighting tooth-and-nail to prevent a repeat next term. Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist who has also been involved in many independent-expenditure campaigns, told Politico, “If there is a time for independent groups to step up, this is it. This is the year for independent groups to put up or shut up.” http://politi.co/cSUiQa Indeed, with conservative special interest groups putting it all on the line this November, their $400 MILLION pledge may even increase before long. added by: toyotabedzrock

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hot Stuff

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WaPo’s Givhan: Americans in Their Sloppy Vacation Wear Should Learn from Chic Mrs. Obama

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Washington Post fashion reporter Robin Givhan, best known to many as Michelle Obama’s worshipful accessory to fashion, lectured Sunday to the dumpy masses of America. As most U.S. citizens have “blighted” the landscape in horrid summer clothes, they should really honor the First Lady for knowing how to dress on vacation — even if Mrs. Obama is wearing a French-designer top that most likely cost upwards of $500 as she took taxpayers for a ride with a fancy Spanish vacation. There is no populism in the fashionista world. The headline on E6 in the Sunday Post read “Tourists, take some tips from an always photo-ready first lady: Don’t be slobs”. And so the lecture began: First lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House last week after spending her summer vacation walking the fine fashion line between comfortably casual and utterly camera-ready. Her travel attire served as a wake-up call to all those American tourists who have blighted the national landscape with their ill-fitting shorts, sad-sack T-shirts and aggressively revealing tank tops: You can do better. More than her cocktail dresses, evening gowns and the rest of her official wardrobe, which all draw boisterous analysis, Obama’s vacation clothes are positioned to have the most widespread impact. Please, let it be so . In a society where public attire has grown increasingly pajama-fied, the first lady offered proof that informal doesn’t mean sloppy and pulled-together doesn’t have to be stuffy. As usual, Givhan found Michelle struck a perfect balance, classy without being snobbishly elite: Through her vacation apparel, with its mix of Banana Republic and Narciso Rodriguez , Obama threw down the gauntlet, providing folks with a high-profile lesson on how to be a well-dressed tourist who does not cause the locals to flinch in dismay. Yet she still managed to convey a middle-of-the-road Americanness. She represented the populace in a manner that was approachable but savvy. In the most prominent photograph from her trip to Spain, she was wearing a black and white one-shoulder top by designer Jean Paul Gaultier . Certainly, Gaultier doesn’t come cheap, but the blouse wasn’t ostentatious and, paired with black trousers, it was a fine example of how to be bare without baring all. Notice that Givhan doesn’t labor to give us a specific price for the French top on the pricey Spanish trip, or compare that to the aura of failure left by a 9.6 unemployment rate and a failed Obama “stimulus” spending binge. Instead, in full worship mode, Givhan found that Mrs. Obama is a real-life fantasy for fashionistas who can’t stand the awful casual clothes choices of the lumpenproletariat: Obama also tapped into a fantasy that the fashion industry has been desperately selling for years. Designers have long imagined a world in which women and men are thoughtfully polished and even chic as they go about their daily activities. Stylists constantly counsel clients to keep aesthetics in mind, as well as comfort, when they choose their weekend wear. In fashion-land, no one ever wears skimpy jogging shorts when they bike; they wear charming clam diggers. They don’t wear lumpy basketball shoes, instead they choose laceless, retro sneakers. The images of Obama cycling along the paths of Martha’s Vineyard called these fantasies to mind. She proved that they can be made real. She reassured designers that no, they are not off their rocker. American vacation sloppiness is not inevitable; it’s willful. Givhan at least had to admit that she was at the front of the line attacking Mrs. Obama’s choice last summer to wear one of those awful, sloppy summer outfits as she disembarked a plane to visit the Grand Canyon. Apparently, this is Givhan’s way of letting the reader know that Mrs. Obama is paying attention to her critiques. Does Givhan thinks she’s doing Obama or the Democrats any favors with this kind of lecturing to Middle America? Get with it, and get out of your ghastly J.C. Penney togs! Get thee to Bergdorf Goodman! But Givhan she concluded the whole piece with another lecture, about how gauche Americans traveling abroad send all the wrong fashion signals: [W]hen regular folks travel abroad, they represent both themselves and the collective American identity. Must we continue to be perceived as the most poorly dressed of all tourists? And for those who remain in the States during the final long weekend of the summer, as you visit national parks and local beaches, remember: We are all part of the landscape. We are part of the postcard image, the memory that’s tucked into a scrapbook. We should do our best not to mar this country’s natural beauty.

Read the original here:
WaPo’s Givhan: Americans in Their Sloppy Vacation Wear Should Learn from Chic Mrs. Obama

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AP’s Sidoti Laments Dems’ Prospects in Ohio, Is Convincing as HuffPo Zealot

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

In a post at National Review Online’s Battle ’10 blog last night , Mytheos Holt commented on a report seen at the Huffington Post: HuffPo Panics about GOP Sweep of Ohio Looks like the Huffington Post is buying into the “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation” meme this election cycle, based on a story out today. The HuffPo item is by Liz Sidoti. But Sidoti is a national politics writer for the Associated Press, and what Holt really read was what AP would like us to believe is a supposedly “objective” analysis of the electoral situation in Ohio right off the wire. Word for word, the item at HuffPo is the same dispatch as found  at the AP’s main site . The only clue as to its origin, which Holt missed (and it’s easy to see how), is the teeny-tiny AP logo where Sidoti’s byline appears. In other words, Sidoti’s stridency and Democrat-sympathetic viewpoint are so obvious that she passes the HuffPo zealotry test. Here are some examples of how Sidoti “successfully” came off as a  budding HuffPo pundit: Dems’ prospects threatened by economic woes Frustrated, discouraged and just plain mad , a lot of people who have lost jobs – or know someone who has – now want to see the names of Democrats on pink slips. And that’s jeopardizing the party’s chances in Ohio and all across the country in November’s elections. In this big swing-voting state alone, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland is in a dogfight for re-election. Senate candidate Lee Fisher may be even worse off. As many as six House Democrats could lose their jobs this fall. Recession-fueled animosity is dominating every race, giving Republicans hope of huge victories. … In Ohio, like almost everywhere else, voters don’t much care for Washington, Wall Street or anything resembling the establishment. They grouse about every politician, including President Barack Obama, whom Ohioans played a critical role in electing. They fume over the nation’s teetering finances. … Republicans are hoping to capitalize on voters’ economic disillusionment, frustration with Obama and tea party-generated enthusiasm. Democrats are relying on a financial advantage, a robust get-out-the-vote operation and, mostly, the ghost of George W. Bush to curb an expected Nov. 2 shellacking. … at Suzzie’s Beechwold Diner, Steve Reither epitomizes the Democrats’ other big challenge: a fired-up electorate tilting toward the GOP. A Republican-turned-independent, Reither is sick of both parties and says: “They all talk about change and nothing changes.” But he saves his harshest words for Obama, whom he calls a socialist and a liar. This year, he says he’ll probably vote largely with the GOP in November – “I’ll hold my nose” – simply to fire Democrats. “This administration and his cronies are running this country into the ground,” Reither, 55, says as he finishes his breakfast. The owner of a small auto restoration business, he says he’s been struggling for the past two years, and he blames Obama’s policies that “hurt the little guy.” Democrats at all levels are sounding a populist tone, casting their races as helping voters on Main Street vs. Republican policies intended to help Wall Street. Republicans, in turn, argue that Democrats – led by Obama – are making a tough economic situation worse with a free-spending, big-government agenda. Of course Sidoti’s work looks like HuffPo punditry, as it’s all from the Democrats’ “woe is us, these terrible things are happening” perspective. Republicans are seen as the unworthies upsetting the apple cart. And voters? Well, they’re just “mad” and full of “animosity.” It’s quite instructive to see how an AP report is correctly interpreted as left-leaning output. And sad to say, Liz Sidoti isn’t anywhere near the wire service’s worst offender. Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com .

Here is the original post:
AP’s Sidoti Laments Dems’ Prospects in Ohio, Is Convincing as HuffPo Zealot

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthews: Obama Should Replace Rahm Emanuel With Bloomberg, Gates With Hillary

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Chris Matthews must really be getting tired of watching the man that used to give him tingles up his leg continue to get crushed in the polls, for on Friday he recommended a serious shakeup in the Obama administration. First, he want’s Defense Secretary Robert Gates to be replaced by Hillary Clinton. “With her at the Pentagon, he would forge confidence in Middle East policy,” said the “Hardball” host. But the real surprise was Matthews calling for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to either replace Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner or Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (video follows with transcript and commentary): CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Let me finish with tonight with a plan to strengthen America’s ability to solve its problems. It’s tough and it’s water tight. President Obama has many strengths as this country’s head of state. He’s clear minded, gifted in intellect, artful in presenting issues and his vision of leadership. However, these past two years have been a shakedown cruise. We have seen the weaknesses in this ship of state. It’s come time to shake up. This president needs to put a firm Democratic brand on his defense policy. He was smart to keep Robert Gates in the Pentagon, but Gates is a holdover from the Bush era. There’s no real connection between what the country voted for in 2008 and what we’re getting in terms of security policy. Obama needs to bridge that gap, and he needs to pick a Democratic ally as defense chief. That Democratic ally is Hillary Clinton. With her at the Pentagon, he would forge confidence in Middle East policy. Friends of Israel would know we have someone in charge of America’s military forces who has an instinctive concern for the Jewish state. A proven track record of support, it will help get the deal cooked over there and getting that deal is the very stuff of American greatness. Now to the tough one, the economy. There’s one person in this country with a track record, the communications pizzazz to help make, carry out and market the historic recovery program still needed. His name is Michael Bloomberg. Look, you can say this is outlandish that he would never take the job at Treasury or as White House chief of staff, but there is a precedent. James Baker. He made Reagan a success and Barack Obama needs a Jim Baker, someone to focus the energies of this administration on economic reconstruction, period. Someone to lay down the same strong chain of command on domestic policy that Hillary Clinton will define on the national security front. This is the answer. Enough of the solo act. President Obama needs to build a team, a phalanx, a political policy power that takes his idealism and makes it deliver in strength abroad, jobs and renewed economic confidence at home. Makes you wonder what’s happened to Matthews since Tuesday. After all, on that evening’s “Hardball,” he called Obama “almost pluperfect.” How can someone so spectacular on Tuesday need a shakeup in his administration three days later?

Go here to read the rest:
Matthews: Obama Should Replace Rahm Emanuel With Bloomberg, Gates With Hillary

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthews to Dem Candidate: I Hope Your Party Gets Organized and Wins This Thing!

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

It’s no secret that Chris Matthews once flirted with the idea of  running for Senate in Pennsylvania , but since he didn’t throw his hat into that race, the Hardball host, on Thursday night, did everything he could to help Joe Sestak beat Republican Pat Toomey, as he urged: “I hope your party gets organized up there, because the Democratic Party of Ed Rendell and you and all those other guys ought to get together with Brady and win this thing!” And even before Matthews invited viewers to “Meet Joe Sestak” in an interview segment, the MSNBCer began cheerleading for him in a preview as he teased: “Up next, Joe Sestak from my home state of Pennsylvania, he’s fighting hard, the good fight against Pat Toomey, the Club for Growther of the far right.” The following exchanges were aired on the September 2 edition of Hardball: CHRIS MATTHEWS: Congressman Joe Sestak pulled off a big upset back in May when he beat Arlen Specter, he had been senator forever in Pennsylvania, in that primary. Sestak may need another upset come November. He faces a tough political climate up there. Pat Toomey, the Club for Growther of the far right is averaging a six-point gain on him right now in the latest pollsters average poll. Congressman Sestak joins right now us now. You know Pennsylvania, as you know, I’m talking to an expert, it’s a purple state. It’s somewhere in the middle. It’s a John Wayne state. It’s not a far right or far left state. How come Toomey is doing well when he’s on the far right side? What is going on? Isn’t he a [Rick] Santorum type? … MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about the support from the establishment up there. You beat the heck out of these people. You took the money people in big Philly. You took the machine, such as it was, on that day, it could be more interested, I think, on general election day and you beat the heck out of them. You pulled the biggest upset. Are those guys still mad at you for beating, the underdog, for beating their guy Specter? JOE SESTAK: I’m told they’re all gonna be there. A lot of them are gone for pre-Labor Day. And they’re gonna be there right after Labor Day. Look, I’m not going to depend upon that. You know we raised close to $2 million in four weeks, right after the election. We’re out there working every day. But more than that, I am going to help leverage those centers of excellence. I also have over 25 offices open, 25,000 phone calls a day since 1 January. We’re gonna build a warfare coalition just like those 30 ships I had when I was a Navy admiral, doing the retaliatory strikes off Afghanistan, working together. But I also want you to know this Chris. I’m also focused on moderate Republicans and independents. I think when they find how extreme Congressman Toomey is, I mean if you liked Rick Santorum, you’re gonna love Pat Toomey. MATTHEWS: How is he extreme? Give me some examples! I know I asked about the steel industry a while ago and he said basically he’s a free marketer, “Let it rot! Don’t do anything. The government has no responsibility to save industries that are in trouble.” What’s your view and what’s wrong with his? SESTAK: Well let me tell you, in his book he calls it “creative destruction.” It’s okay that we have China subsidizing their exports because it’ll have creative destruction in America where people will be unemployed, but they’ll find a job somewhere else. You know zero, zero taxes for corporations where you don’t have to pay for it. Look when he was in Hong Kong, working for a Hong Kong billionaire, he actually worked on those currency swaps that helped China keep down over the years those, the, the value of, of the, the wan. And so we have, as someone who believes “benefit big business, benefit Wall Street and wealth might trickle down.” Look he actually believed, when he was on the Small Business committee, he slashed in half the small business budget. He voted against studies for women to find out why are they’re only getting two percent of all federal contracts supposed to go to small businesses? He just voted against that. Time after time, whether its education. Here’s Philadelphia, you talk about a challenge in Philadelphia? Only about 28 percent of African-American males are graduating from high school there. And Chris it’s only 33 percent of whites. And so I’m on the Education committee. This is about the common good. And he helped slash the education budget by $3 billion and voted against Pell Grants. He, what he did when he was president and this is the worst, I think. When he was president of Club for Growth — and I like Pat, I’ve had a beer with him — but when he was president of Club for Growth which John McCain called “a grab bag for the ultra rich,”when he was president he actually had as his principle mission purging the Republican Party of moderates and went after Senator Lincoln Chafee and others. MATTHEWS: I know. SESTAK: In my mind we don’t need an ideology, we need someone who is willing to work. MATTHEWS: Is he a right winger? Is he a right winger? Is he a right winger? SESTAK: He, he’s farther from the right wing. Yes he’s much, he’s extreme. Look… MATTHEWS: Okay let me ask you, let’s talk, let’s talk turkey, Admiral, Congressman. I mean you deserve both titles. You’ve earned them. Let me ask you this. Are you gonna get Bill Clinton in there? It seems to me that if you look at Southwestern Pennsylvania, if you look at anywhere in that state, among the African-American community, which has been hammered with unemployment. They, if they had the jobs that the Irish guys had, in the neighborhoods I grew up in today, they’d be unbelievably middle class. They’d be in such a great shape. Those jobs are gone, those steel jobs. Let me ask you. Are you gonna bring Bill Clinton in there? Because, it seems to me, he would be even better than the President, to help you in Pennsylvania? SESTAK: Yes. Yeah he’s already come in for Scranton. Great rally. Unfortunately I was down in Washington for the good business of voting for that EFNEP bill that Congressman Toomey opposed and would have had 12,000 Pennsylvanians… MATTHEWS: Well you gonna bring him back? SESTAK: …if we hadn’t passed it. Absolutely. Actually I was talking with them the other day and they just wanted to know what days. They tell me I’m their top priority and I’m gonna keep working on that. So, I hope to see him out there a lot. MATTHEWS: Well I hope your party, I hope your party gets organized up there, because the Democratic Party of Ed Rendell and you and all those other guys ought to get together with Brady and win this thing! Anyway, thank you Congressman Joe Sestak, running for Pennsylvania senator.

Excerpt from:
Matthews to Dem Candidate: I Hope Your Party Gets Organized and Wins This Thing!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hardball: Beck’s ‘Bandwagon of Bigotry and Fear’ Kind of Like KKK

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Tuesday, NewsBusters identified the media’s emerging strategy of discrediting Glenn Beck by pitting his religious beliefs against other Christians. Mere hours later, as if on cue, MSNBC was all over it. “Hardball” host Chris Matthews invited on liberal Salon editor Joan Walsh and Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, two people who are something less than experts on the religious right, to help him psychoanalyze conservatives. Their conclusion was all too predictable: Beck’s rhetoric is harmful to Catholics and smacks of anti-Papal Klan rallies. It has now been established by the media that Mormons like Beck are anti-evangelical, anti-Catholic, and possibly just plain anti-Christian. Prepare yourself for liberals who bash conservative Christians at every turn to suddenly care about Christians getting bashed (video below with partial transcript): BOB SHRUM, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes, that used to be the rule. But Beck himself clearly is riding a bandwagon of bigotry and fear to gather millions of followers and millions of dollars. He`s made anti-Muslim remarks. He`s made remarks about the president that are certainly tinged with racial overtones. So why wouldn`t he associate with an anti-Catholic? CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: OK, let me get to the roots of this because a lot of this stuff going on on the right has its roots, Joan — and you know, Bob, well — back in the old roots, way back with the “no nothings,” the KKK, the nativists. There`s a smell to this commentary by Hagee, which is anybody that has their religious vaguely from Europe or somewhere else or from Rome, that somehow, it`s bad, it`s un-American. It`s the old nativist cry against the newcomer. But we thought this was sort of dying off somewhere during World War II, when, you know, several million Catholics were fighting the bad guys. We thought this was over with, you and I and Bob. Apparently, it`s still going on with Hagee and his new buddy, Glenn Beck. JOAN WALSH, SALON: Well, you know, I`ve seen this in the mosque debate, as well. We know that, you know, our ancestors, and not very far back, Chris, our very right to participate in public life was questioned because we were supposedly, you know, the subjects of a foreign power, the pope. And so, you know, there`s been a lot of this in right-wing politics for a long time. There have been a lot of battles, and many Catholics have felt, frankly, unwelcome in the Christian right. The other thing, though, that Beck is trying to do here is to unite the Tea Party with the Christian right — MATTHEWS: Right. WALSH: — which has felt a little bit excluded by the Tea Party. If you look at polls, Tea Partiers are less into the Christian right than they are into, say, big business. And it`s been — MATTHEWS: Yes. WALSH: There`s been a little bit of waning of their power, so that`s the other thing that went on on Saturday. It was a dark day when Catholics were discouraged from civil activity because of religious beliefs, and liberals like Walsh will be sure to explain that while attacking civil activists over their religious beliefs. Would that pro-life Catholics were treated with such kid gloves at MSNBC. Or does religious sensitivity only apply to the liberal variety?

Excerpt from:
Hardball: Beck’s ‘Bandwagon of Bigotry and Fear’ Kind of Like KKK

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

On Hardball: It’s the Year of the Woman But It’s Not the ‘Compassionate’ Woman We Like

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The news that it could be a good year for women electorally did not cheer up the likes of MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson and the Politico’s Jeanne Cummings, because it turns out it’s only going to be a good year for women on the Republican side like Nikki Haley, Meg Whitman, and Carly Fiorina or as Carlson put it: “It’s not a compassionate women year.” [ audio available here ] Matthews, on Monday’s Hardball, invited on Carlson and Cummings to take a look at “gender politics” and found that it could be a good year for women, just not the kind of women they like, in other words the more conservative momma grizzly types that Sarah Palin supports. Cummings even bemoaned that a loss of the House could result in “one giant blow to women” in that it “could take down the Speaker, Speaker Nancy Pelosi” who was “a real shining star for the achievements and the rise of women in government.” The following is the full segment as it was aired on the August 30 edition of Hardball: CHRIS MATTHEWS: Wow, we’re talking gender politics. We’re back. High profile victories this summer by Nikki Haley in South Carolina and Sharron Angle winning that nomination in Nevada for the Senate. Meg Whitman spending zillions out there running for the governorship of California. This could be the Year of the Woman, maybe. But will women gain ground in Congress this November? On Sunday the Los Angeles Times had a sobering outlook piece. Quote: “After the November election, Congress could end up with as many as 10 fewer female members, prognosticators now say. The first backslide in the uninterrupted march of women coming to Washington since 1978.” Joining us now is Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson and Politco’s Jeanne Cummings. Now I know we have to decipher between right and left, the big executive positions and the somewhat lowlier U.S. Congress positions. But look at this now. In the Congress there are a total of 90 women now, Senator and House members: 69 Democrats, 21 Republicans. Margaret, it looks like liberals are in trouble this year, progressives, if you will. That includes a lot of women.  MARGARET CARLSON, BLOOMBERG: Well, there are more Democratic women than, than Republicans, liberals. So you’re gonna have, this is like a final piece of equality for women where they can lose with men- MATTHEWS: Right. CARLSON: -when incumbents are in trouble. So women have finally achieved some kind of parity, and boom, it’s time to boot them out. But there’s a certain kind of woman that’s gonna do okay. I mean you have the momma grizzlies but it’s the grizzly part of it, not the momma part that’s working. You have to be a bear- MATTHEWS: Give me names, give names. CARLSON: You have to be a bear who’s gonna knock down the tent. MATTHEWS: Who are the heavyweight women? CARLSON: Linda McMahon? Can you imagine more of a bear. I mean it’s softcore wrestling- MATTHEWS: Of world heavyweight wrestling. CARLSON: -porn. MATTHEWS: And, and Meg Whitman in California. CARLSON: Yeah and it’s the corporate titan bear. Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman as you say. So that is the kind of woman. It is n ot the kind of – it’s not a compassionate women year. MATTHEWS: Right, it’s tough for women. Let me got to that, Jeanne Cummings is this, is this the upgrade to the tougher executive positions? I’ve always said, and it’s a tough line but you gotta get on, the on deck circle to really have lots of shots at the presidency. If women start winning these big governorships across the country like California knocking off Jerry Brown, it’d be a giant killer, things like that really – people tell me Meg wants to be, Meg Whitman wants to be president. Is this what’s going on here on the Republican side. JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO: Well absolutely. I mean women like any, all the different types of people before them are earning their way up the ladder, one rung at a time. And winning some of those big governor races is important. We certainly saw how Hillary Clinton was able to use her Senate position, and her prior role as First Lady, but largely her Senate position gave her- MATTHEWS: I agree. CUMMINGS: -the credentials to go out there and run on the campaign trail. And so I think this is clearly, that women have now gotten to the point where they are accepted by voters as competent executives, tough enough to run, smart enough to run governments, and those are great achievements for women. I would point out that if- MATTHEWS: These- CUMMINGS: Just one quick thought. MATTHEWS: Sure. CUMMINGS: That, that if the losses are as bad as they, as some believe they could be in the House, there could be one giant blow to women. And that is, it could take down the Speaker. Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Certainly she’s not gonna lose her House seat, but she could lose the Speakership itself. And that has been, for many women, particularly Democratic women, a real shining star for the achievements and the rise of women in government. MATTHEWS: We haven’t had a woman governor of New York, Pennsylvania, California, or probably Illinois. These are big, the big jobs. These are women coming out of industry with a proven executive record. CARLSON: And mixed, and mixed. MATTHEWS: You, you mentioned, Jeanne, you said they’re working their way one step at a time. Meg Whitman is not going one step at a time, she’s going right for governor. CARLSON: Yeah. MATTHEWS: Carly Fiorina is going right from HP for, for Senate. CARLSON: And by the way her reputation was mixed as a, as a corporate executive. MATTHEWS: So are things changing? Is the glass ceiling getting smashed at the top? CARLSON: Well no. I think there’s a certain kind of corporate woman that, that does look like she can run a big state because she’s run a big country, I mean, a big company. MATTHEWS: Could it be that men are blowing it? Just to be blunt, could it be that the quality of male candidates has declined. Women candidates have gone up and they’re passed them on the old vector there. CUMMINGS: Well I think that the women candidates can run in this year, the Year of the Outsider. They can run as genuine outsiders. And that is an asset when you have an anti-incumbent election. MATTHEWS: Wow! CUMMINGS: And the other thing, in terms of Fiorina and Meg Whitman, they, they both are shooting, going to, trying to go from the corporate boardroom right into the Governor’s office or the Senate office, it is true. However, their candidacies were made possible by the victories of women before them. MATTHEWS: Yeah that’s certainly true. Well what do you make of Momma Grizzly’s comment the other day? Sarah Palin’s, that her biggest accomplishment was that she produced a combat vet. It sounds like women are running what we used to call the Daddy Party, the right, you know the Macho Party? CARLSON: Yeah. MATTHEWS: Women are now openly saying, “I’m tougher than the men, I can produce as a mother a got vet, get out of my way.” Jeanne, this is strong, strong tea here, if you will? CUMMINGS: Absolutely. And I have to say, Sarah Palin, I think, has done something unprecedented when you look at gender politics. And that is, she is so influential. She is a king maker. MATTHEWS: That’s true. CUMMINGS: And we have not seen a female king maker in political history. She has really broken new ground. I mean, what does a Huckabee nomination get you? Page three on the local paper? But Palin’s nomination can be a complete game changer, as we have seen in these races. MATTHEWS: We’re looking at that picture as you’re speaking, Jeanne, of her endorsing Nikki Haley. Haley was at the back of the pack, she’s now probably gonna be the next governor of South Carolina. CARLSON: But wait Chris, she’s a king maker but she’s also a queen killer. She killed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texas in favor of the incumbent, Governor Perry. MATTHEWS: Yeah. CARLSON: And look what she did to Lisa Murkowski in Alaska. So let us, she is an equal opportunity maker and destroyer, and not always for the women. MATTHEWS: Yeah I also, I also think and I gotta be careful, she’s picking women candidates that men are ready to vote for too. CARLSON: Yes. MATTHEWS: This isn’t just women voting for women here. There’s a lot of, obviously a lot of those right-wing men love Sarah Palin. Let’s be honest here. Jeanne, thanks so much, Jeanne Cummings for joining us. Margaret Carlson, thank you.

Read this article:
On Hardball: It’s the Year of the Woman But It’s Not the ‘Compassionate’ Woman We Like

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,