Tag Archives: democratic

MSNBC’s Matthews Openly Roots for Birther Candidate Taitz to ‘Bring Down’ California Republicans, ‘I Would Tie Her Up Like a Wit

Appearing on the 10:00 p.m. edition of MSNBC’s Countdown show on Tuesday to discuss the day’s primary election results, Chris Matthews expressed his delight that Orly Taitz – a prominent member of the birther movement that pushes the bizarre theory that President Obama was not really born in America – won the Republican nomination for secretary of state in California, and expressed his hope that the fringe candidate would drag down the Republican ticket in the state. Matthews celebrated what he termed a “malignancy” within the Republican party as he openly rooted for Taitz to hurt the GOP: Keith, we`ve got good news tonight. And that`s the probable nomination of Orly Taitz in California for secretary of state. This is a true malignancy on the Republican party. She will bring down the other two candidates for high office out there. She`ll probably bring down Carly Fiorina, and may well bring down Meg Whitman because she is unacceptable to any reasonable voter. Matthews went on to advise that California Democrats “tie her up like a witch at the stake”: It is tribalist, it`s malignant, and I believe if I were a Democratic officeholder out there or had anything to do with the Democratic party with Jerry Brown`s campaign, I would tie her to them like a fencepost. I would tie her up, I should say, like a witch at the stake. This is a malignancy. Matthews went on to reiterate that he thought that Taitz’s current success in California’s Republican party was “wonderful news”: CHRIS MATTHEWS: I think that`s wonderful news that she`s been included in the inner sanctum of the Republican ticket out there. KEITH OLBERMANN: Yes. MATTHEWS: She`s been attending their events. OLBERMANN: Karl Rove did not get up and walk out. Let me ask you about Arkansas. MATTHEWS: He should have.

Obama’s Knowing ‘Whose Ass to Kick’ Pledge Continues to Delight TV Network Journalists

More than 24 hours after NBC’s Matt Lauer prompted him to say it in an interview, the morning programs all showcased it – and even after day-long playback on the cable channels – CBS and NBC on Tuesday night delighted in again highlighting President Barack Obama’s boast that he’s gathering information on the oil leak “so I know whose ass to kick.” Katie Couric put the soundbite, from a competitor, at the top of the CBS Evening News: “In a TV interview aired today, the President said if BP’s CEO worked for him, he’d be fired. And Mr. Obama defended his handling of the disaster.” NBC Nightly News provided a re-run. A day after anchor Brian Williams trumpeted as “just into us” the bite illustrating how Obama “showed some anger on the topic of his handling of this spill so far,” reporter Anne Thompson touted: “Criticized for not conveying his anger over the nation’s greatest environmental disaster, President Obama fired back during an exclusive interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer.” Earlier, from Geoff Dickens: “ NBC’s Lauer Prompted Obama’s Use of the ‘A’ Word ” From the start of the Tuesday, June 8 CBS Evening News: KATIE COURIC: Good evening, everyone. The President is heading back to the gulf coast, his fourth trip there since the oil rig exploded seven weeks ago today. It will be a two-day visit to once again see for himself what’s going on in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Meanwhile, here’s what we’re seeing tonight– fire on the water as BP burns off some of the leaking oil. And this video just released shows the power of the gushing crude before the well was capped. Government scientists confirmed today that plumes of oil are spreading far below the surface of the gulf and far away from that leaking well. In a TV interview aired today, the President said if BP’s CEO worked for him, he’d be fired. And Mr. Obama defended his handling of the disaster. PRESIDENT OBAMA: I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick. From the NBC Nightly News: ANNE THOMPSON: …Criticized for not conveying his anger over the nation’s greatest environmental disaster, President Obama fired back during an exclusive interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer. OBAMA: A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there standing in the rain, talking about what a potential crisis this could be. And I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick. THOMPSON: The President expressed particular displeasure with BP’s CEO Tony Hayward, who said last week he wanted his life back. OBAMA: He wouldn’t be working for me after any of those statements.

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Obama’s Knowing ‘Whose Ass to Kick’ Pledge Continues to Delight TV Network Journalists

HuffPo Column is a Microcosm of the Liberal Mindset – EVERYTHING is Bush’s Fault

Huffington Post writer and author of poetry and fiction, Anis Shivani, demonstrated what we have seen in bits and pieces throughout the liberal MSM, though it is rarely seen in such dramatic and sweeping fashion.  Shivani harnessed all of the rational thought he could muster, gathered a bevy of intelligent rhetoric, armed himself with a cache of well-reasoned arguments and… quickly dispensed with them prior to writing his recent column .  The gist of the piece?  Every major catastrophe to hit America can be traced to one singular event – George Bush and the 2000 Presidential election results. No, seriously. Shivani starts off by listing examples of American catastrophes – 9/11, Enron, Katrina, Wall Street, the BP spill. He then explains (emphasis mine throughout): ” It all began with the Florida election theft in 2000 (all of the now-familiar excuses were first used in full force, in total conjugation, for this first disaster). It gave a signal to everyone managing and regulating and overseeing any kind of operation, public or private, that henceforth it was the day of the jackals , that accountability and honesty and certitude were out the door.” For good measure – and in tune with his liberal colleagues – the BP oil spill is singled out as being directly Bush’s fault: “In such an open culture of deceit, why do we expect BP not to cut corners, or to be afraid of being brought to account should its recklessness go awry? Nobody has been held responsible for the eight years of war crimes under the Bush administration. Everyone knows that you can get away with whatever you want , and if you mess up on your watch, it’s all right. You’re certainly not going to jail.” Never mind those pesky Transocean/Deepwater safety awards handed out by the Obama administration.  Certainly the only culpability lies with the previous administration. On a side note, if getting away with whatever you want caused these catastrophes, then William Jefferson has some ‘splainin’ to do. The liberal media have consistently blamed Bush for every one of the aforementioned disasters.  That trend has continued with the disaster in the Gulf, as the following list demonstrates: Frank Rich Blames Oil Spill on Bush, Cheney, Beck, Palin, Tea Party and Rand Paul Behar on Oil Spill: Bush-Cheney ‘Started It, And Now This Poor Guy Has to Mop It Up’ Huffington on ABC’s This Week: ‘Absolutely a Thousand Percent Bush-Cheney’s Fault’ Now however, the bar has been raised by explaining away every single American catastrophe as being caused by the 2000 election.  No mention of what caused the devastation in Haiti, the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, or the earthquake in Chile, but the people of those nations should seriously consider the effect of hanging chads on plate tectonics.  In the middle of the article, Shivani does exhibit a moment of clarity, finally criticizing the Obama administration for not stemming the flow of these disasters because – wait for it – they didn’t prosecute Bush administration officials for war crimes. “At no point has the circuit been broken. Obama, if he’d prosecuted officials in the previous administration for war crimes, would have slowed down the flow of disasters. How is BP connected to torture? In every way imaginable. Once this administration took charge, it refused to send any signals that those who committed crimes against the people would be brought to justice.” Hold on there Crazy McCrazypants.  Election results cause earthquakes?  Fighting a War on Terrorism and more specifically, waterboarding, causes oil spills?  I’ve heard it all now.  Next you’ll be telling me that excessive cleavage causes … well, nevermind. The best part about this piece is the end, where Shivani wraps it all up by hinting that any eventual disasters will also be Bush’s fault. “It is a huge, unmistakable signal that lawlessness is all right. It goes back to Florida, the original sin, it really does , and there’s no putting this Humpty Dumpty back together again…  These disasters are merely the exclamatory end points of this particular bloated empire. Get ready for the next ‘completely unprecedented,’ even larger one .” In the meantime, we’ll simply get ready for the next bout of Bush Derangement Syndrome from the Huffington Post.  – Send comments or tips to rustyweiss@verizon.net . Please join me on Facebook.

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HuffPo Column is a Microcosm of the Liberal Mindset – EVERYTHING is Bush’s Fault

Matthews On Ark. Dem Runoff: ‘Gets Back to the Old Days of the Democratic Party Trying to Make Sure There’s a White Candidate’

The more Chris Matthews is on live television within a 24-hour period, the likelihood of him saying something completely strange increases dramatically as each moment passes. On MSNBC’s June 8 special coverage of electoral primaries around the country, Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” expressed his views on the Arkansas Democratic primary runoff, which incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln narrowly defeated Bill Halter . (h/t @francesmartel ) “The fact that this might be a close race tonight tells you that neither of the candidates has a mandate coming out of this,” Matthews said. “The idea of a runoff is to get a mandate.” However, Matthews admitted he wasn’t a fan of the runoff and suggested it had ulterior racial motives dating back to “the old days of the Democratic Party,” [emphasis added] “I don’t even like these run-offs, do you?” Matthews asked. “I don’t know why they have them. It gets back to the old days of the Democratic Party trying to make sure there’s a white candidate or whatever. I don’t know what the gizmo in this whole thing is. But why do they have to have run-offs? I guess it was back when they were a one-party state. They were all Democrats. They wanted to have someone with something like a mandate for the general. I don’t get it.”

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Matthews On Ark. Dem Runoff: ‘Gets Back to the Old Days of the Democratic Party Trying to Make Sure There’s a White Candidate’

Corruption investigation brewing: Obama in trouble?

As Obama’s presidency falters, with his popularity ratings crashing (latest polls have him between 42% and 48% as of May 26th, 2010), it is becoming increasingly clear that the regime must take steps to forestall a slaughter at the polls in the upcoming November elections that could see the Democrats lose control of one or both houses of Congress. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and there is a growing pattern that suggests that someone within the Obama administration has been trying to tinker with local elections by offering jobs to entice Democrat candidates to withdraw from primaries in order to shore up the candidates the Whitehouse prefers. This is a crime under federal law, and could explode into a major issue for Obama. More seriously, if Obama knew of the effort, it would be an impeachable offense—and you can bet your boots and saddle that if the Republicans managed to take control of the House or Senate, there will be hearings to investigate the charges. Even the major national media—generally left leaning and eager to ignore any blemishes on their beloved president—is beginning to notice. The most widely reported scandal involves Joe Sestak, who has publicly and repeatedly claimed that he was offered a job by the Whitehouse if he would withdraw from the race against Arlen Specter (the former Republican who realized he could not beat the Republican challenger in a runoff so he agreed to switch parties and vote for Obama’s Healthcare plan, in exchange for Obama’s support in the upcoming election). Sestak rejected the job offer, ran against Specter, and beat him. But now his public comments about the job offer are creating a maelstrom. The dodgy offer was not a single event, however. The Colorado gubernatorial race also saw some of the attention, when Democratic candidate Andrew Romanoff received a call from Obama’s deputy chief of staff Jim Messina, who allegedly offered a job at USAID. Unlike Sestak, Romanoff mentioned names and the offered job, lending even more credibility to the allegation. Remember that Obama also tried to push New York Democratic Governor Patterson to step out of the race, a third indication that, in these desperate times, the Whitehouse is eager to meddle in local elections in order to shore up its support. Those are just three examples, each supporting the notion that the Obama Whitehouse may be violating federal law in order to maintain its power. Democrats in Congress are rejecting requests (by Republicans Issa & Steele, as well as Democrat Dick Durban) to answer questions or open a probe. But this is precisely the kind of issue that can work against Obama in the mid-term elections, and should Republicans take power of Congress, Obama almost certainly will find himself being investigated and probed by Republicans at the same time he will have to prepare for the 2012 election. ***UPDATE*** Even MSNBC's Joe Scarborough is wading in now, accusing the media of “media malpractice” for not taking this issue more seriously. Uh-Oh-bama! If you are even losing your traditional lapdog media you know you are in real trouble!!! http://shakedowncrews.blogspot.com/2010/05/corruption-investigation-brewing-obam… added by: curtisreed

North Korean art causes stir in Vienna

A rare exhibition of North Korean art is taking place in Vienna's MAK Museum. The museum says it is the first time major paintings from the Korean Art Gallery in Pyongyang have been shown abroad. North Korea, in this exhibition, is a land of smiles. More than 100 oils, water colours and traditional Korean ink paintings, dating from the 1960s to the present day, have been brought from Pyongyang to Vienna's MAK Museum for Applied Arts and Contemporary Art for the show, called Flowers for Kim Il Sung; Art and Architecture from the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea. The works show beaming farm women feeding geese and ducks, or plump, rosy-cheeked children wandering through fields of flowers. There is also a soldier lying in the snow, grinning as he looks up from his gun, untroubled by cold or fear. BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10134478.stm# The MAK, the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts and Contemporary Art FLOWERS FOR KIM IL SUNG Art and architecture from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 19.05.2010 – 05.09.2010 MAK Exhibition Hall The exhibition offers for the first time insight into the contemporary art, poster production and architecture of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which hitherto was mostly not on show in international exhibitions. The exhibition in the MAK was prepared in cooperation with the Korean Art Gallery and the Paektusan Academy of Architecture. What can be seen is a culture that is alien to us and that is stamped by an overwhelming veneration of the “Eternal President” Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, and of his son Kim Jong II , presently in power; the culture is also rigidly marked by the Chuch’e ideology, a specific interpretation of socialism. Kim Il Sung adapted the traditional Marxist-Leninist doctrine to the Korean situation. The Chuch’e ideology which thus arose interprets Historical Materialism as a form of voluntarism, thereby emphasising the country’s autonomy in every respect, whether ideological, political, economic or military. Korean nationalism thus assumes a central ideological role. The show contains around 100 oil and ink pictures, a representative selection of posters, and a model of the ”Chuch’e Tower,” the landmark of Pyongyang, and is rounded off by architectural drawings and photographs. For the first time, 16 portraits of the two most senior leaders of the country, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong II , are exhibited. Generally they depict father and son together with representatives of the people, including factory workers, soldiers and peasants as well as children, and in a variety of settings. In the paintings, it is mainly the heroic acts of the revolution that are depicted, from the beginnings of the Democratic People’s Republic and the creation of the “Workers’ Paradise”. So-called bourgeois forms of art, such as for example abstract art, are the subject of critical opposition, comparable with the situation in the former Soviet Union. Socialist Realism was long considered the prevailing style. Exhibition Peter Noever Curator Bettina M. Busse Consultant curator Christiane Bauermeister Project coordination Dunja Gottweis ' http://www.mak.at/mysql/ausstellungen_show_page.php?a_id=867 added by: zichi

Four endangered mountain gorillas die in Rwanda

Four highly endangered mountain gorillas have been found dead in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, likely because of extreme cold in their mountain habitat, experts said Thursday. Some of the group were found still alive but dying earlier this week by trackers from the Karisoke Research Centre in the mountains of north-west Rwanda. “While the cause of death has yet to be determined, the gorillas are thought to have died because of the extreme cold and rainy conditions,” the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement. “The gorillas? current range is high on Mount Karisimbi, and at high altitude it will be even colder,” WWF said. The wildlife group said there were no signs of foul play but that the dead gorillas, one female and three infants, have been sent for autopsy to determine the cause of death. The four were part of a research group called Pablo. “Unless the post mortem results show something contagious, it may be just a natural event … likely to be down to the cold weather,” said Ian Redmond, a gorilla expert who is chief consultant with the UN's Great Ape Survival Partnership. “As in human populations, an extreme cold spell can be the cause of death for weak or ill individuals who might have otherwise recovered,” Redmond told AFP. Karisoke research centre was founded in 1967 by Dian Fossey, the US primatologist who brought mountain gorillas to the attention of the public and who was brutally murdered in the Virunga National Park in 1985. “The sudden death of the four is not only a great shock but also a big loss for Rwanda and for the whole conservation team,” said Rica Rwigamba, a tourism and conservation official at the Rwanda Development Board. The Virunga volcanoes on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are home to about half of the world's 700 mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). The other half live in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Gorilla tracking is a major draw for tourists in Rwanda, with visitors paying 500 dollars for a permit to spend an hour with the primates in their bamboo forest habitat. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gb2hOzVW2TGZ2etDI4r_ZxLlfhIA added by: julesrs007

Joe Sestak defeats Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania Primary

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter on Tuesday was defeated in a Democratic primary in his bid for a sixth term after taking the risky step of switching from the GOP. Voters picked U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak as the party's nominee and rejected the 80-year-old Specter in his first Democratic campaign since his Republican Party defection. With 79 percent of precincts reporting, Sestak received 435,630 votes, or 53 percent; Specter received 384,027 votes, about 47 percent. The vote also was a defeat for President Barack Obama, who supported Specter when he abandoned the Republican Party last year. In speaking to supporters at a downtown Philadelphia hotel after the race was called, Specter thanked Obama for his support. Specter said he had called Sestak to congratulate him and tell him “I think it's vital to keep this seat in the Democratic Party and I will support him.” Specter left while holding hands with his wife, Joan. He didn't answer questions from reporters. The moderate Specter had cast his switch as a decision of principle after inflaming the GOP by voting for Obama's economic stimulus bill. But many Democratic voters questioned his motives. Sestak faces Republican Pat Toomey in the fall election. Specter has been a fixture in American politics for three decades and served in the Senate since 1981, and his switch to the Democrats was a theme that dominated the race. Obama and other top Democrats embraced Specter, who used his willingness to cross party lines on key votes to bolster his clout in Congress. Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral who has represented a suburban Philadelphia district since 2007, accused Specter of switching parties to save his job. He said Specter couldn't be trusted to support Democratic Party values. In the days before the primary, Specter and Sestak also argued over who had the best chance of beating Toomey in the fall. Specter leaned heavily on Obama's endorsement, repeatedly citing a television ad that used footage from a September rally in Philadelphia at which Obama spoke and get-out-the-vote efforts by the key unions backing him. Sestak tried to harness voter anger over political gridlock and the recession, with Pennsylvania's unemployment rate at 9 percent, its highest in more than a added by: UrbanGypsy

Connecticut Senate Candidate Misled Voters About Serving in Vietnam [Fibs]

Richard Blumenthal , the Connecticut attorney general and Democratic candidate for Senate, didn’t serve in Vietnam. So it is kind of a problem that he implied that he did. In public. On several different occasions. More

Sarah Palin Tells NRA Convention Obama Would Ban Guns if He Could

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told National Rifle Association members that the only thing stopping President Obama and the Democratic Congress from banning guns is a potential political backlash in November. “Don't doubt for a minute that, if they thought they could get away with it, they would ban guns and ban ammunition and gut the Second Amendment,” Palin, a lifelong NRA member, told the annual NRA gathering Friday in Charlotte, N.C. “It's the job of all of us at the NRA and its allies to stop them in their tracks.” Palin, the GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee and a potential candidate for president in two years, called on voters to protect gun rights by voting Democrats out this fall, The Associated Press reported. Palin, who waived her appearance fee, was the headliner at the convention's “Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum.” added by: TimALoftis