Facts mean nothing.....

"In an unprecedented move to dramatically expand the clemency process for federal drug offenders, President Obama has again demonstrated his blatant disregard for our nation's laws and our system of checks and balances embedded in the U.S. Constitution."

Virginia's own Bob Goodlatte slammed President Obama for another demonstration of his lawless activity. What's prompted this faux outrage? Presidents have broad authority to grant reprieves and clemency to those convicted of crimes against the United States government. Preident Obama's initiative makes federal inmates -- mostly non-violent drug offenders -- eligible for clemency if they're serving longer sentences than they would if convicted today, and meet five other criteria.

"They must be (1) inmates who are currently serving a federal sentence in prison and, by operation of law, likely would have received a substantially lower sentence if convicted of the same offense today; (2) are non-violent, low-level offenders without significant ties to large-scale criminal organizations, gangs, or cartels; (3) have served at least 10 years of their sentence; (4) do not have a significant criminal history; (5) have demonstrated good conduct in prison; and (6) have no history of violence prior to or during their current term of imprisonment."

With today's rapidly changing views and laws about marajauna use and possession this seems like a common sense proposal but to Mr. Goodlatte is another example the President's lawlessness. In fact, President Obama has been far stingier about handing out reprieves and granting clemency than either daddy Bush or baby Bush. For republicans suffering from Obama derangement syndrome facts and common sense mean nothing. It's important to keep the base stirred up even if it means you have to be dishonest in your discourse......something Bob does well.

 

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The birth truthers.....

The Republithugs and ultra-conservative media continue to find conspiracies in anything and everything associated with Democrats. Meet the birth truthers. Newsmax host Steve Malzberg is speculating that Chelsea Clinton's pregnancy has been planned to provide a grandchild in time to serve as a prop for Hillary's expected 2016 presidential run.

"Well, now I'm not saying, when I say staged I have to believe she's pregnant, if she says she's pregnant," he continued. "I don't mean that they're making up she's pregnant. But what great timing! I mean purely accidental, purely an act of nature, purely just left up to God."

"And God answered Hillary Clinton's prayers and she's going to have the prop of being a new grandma while she runs for president," he added. "It just warms the heart, it brings a tear to my eye. It really does."

The unfortunate part of this is that there are way too many low-information voters who are too happy to eat at this table on the crazy train. I continue to believe that people like Malzberg don't actually believe the shit they spout and are laughing all the way to the bank....they're pandering to the base which is composed of mainly older, angry white men and women all to eager to find someone to blame for their lot in life. There's no limit to the crazy these people are willing to spew and some people are willing to believe.

 

 

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Worth re-posting

Virginia is one of 24 states refusing to expand Medicaid even though the federal government will pay for the expansion with money Virginians have paid in federal taxes. Our GOP controlled house refuses to consider expansion or any alternative to the Afordable Care Act such as Marketplace Virginia as proposed by the Senate. A majority of Virginians support expansion. It is supported by the Chamber of Commerce and it is supported by hospitals. Who doesn't support it? Republicans who are so driven by their hatred of Obama that they are willing to harm our economy, our hospitals and the health of Virginians.

 

 

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What war on women? We're looking out for them...honest!

Suppose the pay gap between men and women were magically eliminated. If that happened, simple arithmetic suggests that half of women would be unable to find what they regard as a suitable mate.

Obviously, I’m not saying women won’t date or marry a lower-earning men, only that they probably prefer not to. If a higher-earning man is not available, many women are more likely not to marry at all. [...]

The best way to improve economic prospects for women is to improve job prospects for the men in their lives, even if that means increasing the so-called pay gap.

The above statements were made by Phyllis Schlafly, the founder of the Eagle Forum, and long time conservative Republican leader. She maintained that increasing the pay gap will help women find suitable husbands because women want their husbands to be the top earner in the family and husbands want to be the provider in the family.

The Republican Party can talk about rebranding all they want, but as long as they continue to open their mouths they will continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

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Everything that's wrong about politics

 

 

 

Freedom of speech in this country, that for which the men grabbed their muskets off the mantel, did never mean that we’re to have fewer voices, but more voices,” Huckabee said. “My gosh, I’m beginning to think that there’s more freedom in North Korea sometimes than there is in the United States,” he continued. “When I go to the airport, I have to get in the surrender position while people put hands all over me."

Forget for just a moment that the TSA came into being under a Republican president....that really doesn't matter when your audience consists of low information voters who are all to ready to believe that the root cause of all problems is Obama. That's a post for another day.

This post is about politicians that. Will say anything to rile up their base.....seriously, Mike...more freedom in North Korea than in the United States? If you really think that you are too ignorant to run for dog catcher. If you know it's false and are just throwing red meat to your base then you're unethical and perhaps a little bit immoral. Either way.....

 

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Untitled

A majority of Virginians, including a majority of the state's Republicans, support expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, according to a new poll.

A poll by the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University, reported by the Washington Post, found that 56 percent of the state's residents said they favored expanding Medicaid eligibility to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, as the law prescribes. Among those who self-identified as Republicans, 55 percent said they supported it.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe based his gubernatorial campaign in part on a pledge to expand Medicaid, and he has begun to push for it since taking office in January. But Republicans in the state legislature have said that they won't to expand the program this year.

 

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Looking for outrage to feed the base

I knew it as soon as I saw it. In fact, at the Super Bowl party I was at, we predicted it and joked about it. Of course I was hanging out with a bunch of liberals. Quite predictably, Coca Cola's Super Bowl add featuring America the Beautiful being sung in different languages by a culturally diverse group of people has generated right-wing faux outrage designed to appeal to the bottom rungs of the GOP. Even worse, the commercial featured a gay couple. Let's be honest....the people who are outraged probably couldn't sing the words to America the Beautiful if their lives depended on it. This is about bigotry, pure and simple. Our country was built on the backs of immigrants and continues to depend on their labor, menial and intellectual, to move forward as the greatest country on earth. The far right wing of the GOP however depends upon outrage to keep it relevant. Sad.

From Talking Points Memo:

Former tea party congressman Allen West even took time to write a blog post during the game to voice his displeasure. For West, the ad started out strong enough.

"Then the words went from English to languages I didn’t recognize," a troubled West wrote, calling it "a truly disturbing commercial."

"If we cannot be proud enough as a country to sing 'American (sic) the Beautiful' in English in a commercial during the Super Bowl, by a company as American as they come — doggone we are on the road to perdition," he wrote.

Michael Patrick Leahy over at Breitbart was offended, too.

Not only did Coke use "a deeply Christian patriotic anthem whose theme is unity – in several foreign languages," but Leahy noted that the "ad also prominently features a gay couple."

Fox News commentator Todd Starnes doesn't like hearing foreign languages during the Super Bowl either.

Couldn't make out that song they were singing. I only speak English.

— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) February 3, 2014

So was Coca-Cola saying America is beautiful because new immigrants don't learn to speak English?

— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) February 3, 2014

Coca Cola is the official soft drink of illegals crossing the border. #americaisbeautiful

— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) February 3, 2014

The ad even inspired a #BoycottCoke hashtag on Twitter.

I think I may drink two Cokes today just to show my support.

 

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A dangerous precedent

A House education subcommittee on Thursday evening backed House Bill 11, which would require Virginia textbooks to note that the Sea of Japan is also referred to as the East Sea. The bill now heads to the full House Education Committee. A Senate version of the legislation has already passed. Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Thursday that if the bill makes it to his desk, he would sign it.

I know this bill has been championed by the Korean community and I understand their resentment based on a cruel Japanese occupation, but it seems to be a slippery slope we're climbing here. When politicians start dictating textbook contents I see nothing but trouble. We've seen some screwy legislation come out of state houses...what's to keep our state legislature from writing into code that all textbooks purchased for use in Virginia must include intelligent design instead of the theory of evolution? Is it just me, or is this something to be concerned about?

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Yes to guns....no to flags

A small American flag on a stick may be used as a dangerous weapon, but a dangerous weapon apparently isn't a threat as a dangerous weapon. In what continues to pass for rational, reasoned thinking in our state legislature visitors to the state house are not allowed to have any sticks or club-like objects, including small American flags.

A group of gun violence prevention activists discovered this when they arrived on Monday to attend a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event. According to Virginia Capitol Police, the groups were informed beforehand of the restriction barring sticks at permitted rallies, because they can be used as weapons. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America’s Gena Reeder said they were aware of the rules, but “certainly not in our wildest imagination thought that could apply to the American flag.” While the moms tore out the dowels of their flags, capitol grounds visitors with firearms were ushered through the entrance. That day, Virginia Citizens Defense League and other gun rights groups organized a “Guns Save Lives” day. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that about half of the crowd was armed, packing weapons that ranged from handguns to assault rifles.

So let's run through this one more time. A small stick with an American flag could be used as a dangerous weapon and is banned but a handgun or assault rifle apparently doesn't cause the same level of concern about possible use as a dangerous weapon....right....thanks for straightening that out. I feel much better about who's in charge now.

 

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The problem with Democrats

 

Every person has a right to practice their religion without interference from the state or others. Every person has the right to be protected from the practice of your religion. Herein lies the problem with marriage equality laws. The problem with Republicans is they want the government out of our lives unless we're talking about bedrooms. The problem with Democrats is they don't know how to pick the right fight. It didn't take Mark Herring long to shake things up in Richmond. With his announcement that he wouldn't defend Virginia's ban on gay marriage, he started a mini firestorm. Not only is he not defending the ban, he will join those challenging the ban in court. Now while I agree with Herring, I disagree with his timing and approach. Herring has opened himself to charges of being an activist attorney general more interested in pushing a personal and moral agenda than in doing his job. It's also a kind of "in your face" action directed at a republican controlled legislature. Maybe it's just me, but I think he could have waited, allowing current court challenges to make their way through the process. Instead, he's contributing to the divisiveness that abounds in Richmond already.

 

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The war on women that isn't

Do Republican's even here themselves when they speak? This is meant to be serious? If it weren't Mike Huckabee speaking you would think this is satire, but unfortunately this is what passes for a serious Republican.....how's that rebranding thing working out?


"If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of government then so be it! Let us take that discussion all across America because women are far more than the Democrats have played them to be," Huckabee said.