It didn't take long for Green Bay Packers Fans to Hate the Refs Again....

The Wealthy Elite to the Rescue: Sugar Daddy Stimulus!!?

The amount of junk mail piling up in my email accounts is staggering, but every once and awhile, something stands out in the clutter. In fact, I found this latest "offer" a bit over the top. Not only are the monied interests openly buying our politicians, they're now blatantly soliciting dates in the most superficial and ethically challenged way;

Brown's Odd Campaign against Warren.

Why is Sen. Scott Brown focusing on Elizabeth Warren's heritage? It's so bizarre that it's hard not to notice. John Nichols tweeted the following about the current state of that campaign:

Rachel Maddow has the "tomahawk chop" video and Brown's odd obsession against Warren, that steers clear of any relevant issues.

Conservative Talk Radio in Wisconsin Paints Dire Economic Picture Resembling nothing in the Real World.

Having been in radio for over 27 years, I can tell you quite honestly conservative talk radio’s massive monopoly nationwide, is a major factor behind the greatly misinformed conservative voter. Conservative talk shows are easy to find, and via syndication, absolutely blankets the country. Liberal talk formats are growing, but nothing close to the coverage in rural areas.

In a recent article by Craig Gilbert, he ponders the changing perspective on the economy by liberals and conservatives. It seems economic perceptions are reversing. But Gilbert never mentioned this reason why; conservative radio propaganda.

Jsonline: It seems like only yesterday that Democrats thought Wisconsin’s economy was tanking and Republicans were declaring a new dawn of prosperity. That was during last spring’s recall fight, when a GOP governor was on the ballot. Today, the economy hasn’t changed much, but the politics has. Now it’s a Democratic president on the ballot, and the parties have done a role reversal: Democrats think we’re on the road to recovery and Republicans think the sky is falling.

Why is the partisan perception gap so much bigger today than it was four months ago? Here’s a theory: back in May, voters in each party were conflicted. Republican voters were hearing their governor talk up the economy and their presidential candidates talk down the economy. The gap started when Obama took office and is now bigger than at any time in his presidency, with four times as many Republicans as Democrats reporting bad news.

The reason Republicans voters think the economy is tanking is because of what they hear on talk radio. The graphs in Gilbert's article easily explains who's listening to conservative talk, and who isn't:

Even though the major news outlets have been reporting on the slowly improving economy, talk radio has been describing it as “on the brink,” “the end of America as we know it,” and “we’re worse off now than four years ago.” It’s not true, but that’s the shrill sound on the right.

Paul Ryan perpetuated the fiction of "media bias," without offering one example, on Fox News Sunday:

Ryan also accused the media of having a liberal disposition: “I think it kind of goes without saying that there's definitely a media bias. We've - look, I'm a conservative person, I'm used to media bias. We expected media bias going into this,” said Ryan.

Asked to cite a specific example of media bias, Ryan demurred, instead asserting that most people who work in the media have liberal political affiliations and, therefore, would want a president who is a Democrat to win. “I'm not going to go into a tit-for-tat or litigate this thing,” said Ryan. “But as a conservative, I've long believed and long felt that there is inherent media bias. And I think anybody with objectivity would believe that that's the case.”

The soft squishy coverage from the major news networks is nothing when you compared it to conservative talk radio’s 90 percent dominance nationwide. Even then, the networks lean conservative simply by never question the factually conflicted rhetoric of our Republican  politicians.

Get out the vote's "No-Shave November?"

I noticed this fun tweet that elicited from me, a quick double-take and smile:

Walker Canvassers tell Recall Signers No Need to Vote.

Politicscoop has uncovered, and is looking into, what appears to be an attempt at election fraud by Walker supporters to misinform Wisconsinites of their need to vote. For them, every little bit helps.

Reports began to surface Sunday from around Wisconsin that those canvassing for Governor Scott Walker were informing residents that if they had signed a recall petition that there was no need for them to vote today as their signature was their vote. – THAT IS FALSE.

Today automated calls, also known as" robo" calls, began inundating Wisconsin residents with the same misinformation. Politiscoop has attempted to locate the source of these calls as well as capture a recording of the information, at the time of this post we have been unable to do so and are relying on witness accounts which are all consistent of the message being delivered to residents.
 

GOP Volunteer caller: "He is a Muslim....he'll get rid of your Medicare"

What the heck. This is what campaigning has come down too for Republicans.

Tommy Thompson wants the "State Government" to make Health Care Decisions.

What is it about, "My opponent is ranked as the number one liberal"...blah, blah, blah that makes so much sense to Republicans?

In a debate that stunningly passed over Thompson's comments to a group of tea party voters about "doing away with Medicare and Medicaid," Tommy clearly advocated the state get in between a persons medical decisions and their doctor.

Thompson: "I want you the individual, and the state government, to be able to determine who is going to able to be the arbitrators and the referees of health care. Huge difference. You want the federal government to make the determination of who your doctor and hospital is, or do you want the state and the individual? I'm with the state and individual, my opponent wants the federal government." 

First, the false premise: Of course the federal government would only be the insurer, like in Medicare, and not the one who decides who you'll see in the medical community.

But did the news coverage miss Thompson's push to get state government involved in a persons medical decisions? Thompson never even mentioned "doctors." State or federal, what's the difference Tommy? Wow. Big mistake.

A few comments about the debate: Tammy never once referred to any previous comments made by Thompson, which most of us see as a treasure trove of blunders. Every answer could have started with reminding voters what Tommy said about the issue. It was frustrating to say the least.

The pipeline was a big miss for Tammy. Just after the state experienced a ruptured pipeline in Adams County, she made no mention of that or the more corrosive nature of what is called "dirty crude." Just as big, Tommy's call for blindly going ahead with the pipeline would increase gas prices at the pump in Wisconsin, because it diverts oil away from Midwest refiners and sends it to exporters in the Gulf. Check out this Charles Osgood Report.

A note to Tammy; Remember, you were in the minority for all those years the Republicans were spending "like drunken sailors." The huge deficits Thompson said you created, were the fault of the Republicans. How hard was it to correct that statement?

Lastly, the panel of reporters stunk up the place. Boring and tedious, no one brought up recent comments by the candidates or their record. They asked generic talking point questions.

Not even a rebuttal. This was the worst debate format and list of questions I've ever seen. The stuffy introduction to the debate was enough for me to want to turn it off immediately. This was an embarrassing moment for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

Florida Tea Party Group sees Dead Voters....

Republican operatives actually think dead people vote, via fraudsters who have gone through the trouble of looking up dead peoples names. Adding a vote or two is worth the felony count if caught?

Rachel Maddow points out how a whole lot of the 30,000 voters aren't dead, but alive and voting. With an idiotic name like the Voter Integrity Project, how could you not take this tea party groups outrageously huge list of dead voters seriously...? Over 25 states allow challenges like this. Time to change a few laws?  

Romney open about attacking Teacher Union Contributions to Democrats.

Here's Ed Schultz dissecting comments made by Mitt Romney about privatizing schools and bashing unions. Few in the media have pointed out, that when the Mittster makes the claim politicians are "tools" of the unions because of campaign donations, he's also admitting that corporate money has the same kind of influence. (Note: It's a false premise anyway.Union money does not effect teachers or influence their professional dedication to educations and our kids. Democratic politicians support teachers with or without unions money. It's Republican projection)

Mitt: "The teachers unions are able to contribute tens of millions of dollars to the campaigns of politicians, and then those politicians when elected, stand across from them at the bargaining table, supposedly representing the interest of the kids. I think its a mistake. I think we gotta get the money of the teachers union out of the campaigns." 

That flies in the face of Citizens United, a decision that gave free speech rights to businesses and unions. How is corporate money different from money donated by unions? Anyone?

Liberal Media Caught Poll Tampering? What's next, an Obama Food Stamp Army of Voters...?

Here's a compilation of Fox News propaganda meant to rev up conservative voters, by fabricating a conspiracy around the liberal media's attempt to reelect Obama. Colbert was removed to prevent video blocking, sorry.



I never did understand why anyone would object to voter registration taking place at the same time someone applies for a license or some other government service, but Republicans just hate the idea. This absurd comment about an Obama food stamp army of voters is priceless and surreal:

Mitt's 'Riding with the windows open' idiocy.

A few pundits have given a pass to Mitt Romney's stupid comment about open windows on jet airliners, but I can't. Here's a guy who's probably been on more airline flights than most American's in a lifetime, and yet he's never figured the complexities and science behind pressurized cabins.  This ear popping revelation says all we need to know about a candidates lack of curiosity and understanding of things around him. Rachel Maddow was as stunned as I was:

The Liberal Polling Conspiracy.

Can someone change reality, and the outcome of the presidential election, if you believe public opinion polls are fake and in the tank for Obama?

More importantly, did we see this same disbelief in polls when Republicans were ahead? 

The Bizarro World of Republican politics is rabid over what they perceive to be the liberal media's reworked bad poll results for Romney.  Does that help them win or change the polls for real? Does desperate conspiracy theories reveal how hopeless and clinically paranoid the Republican voter has become? Stephen Colbert took a look at this upside down lunacy:

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

It's good to document this weird surreal attack on polling, like below:

Mother  Jones- Kevin Drum: One of the odder little subplots of the 2012 election has been the growth of poll denialism among Republicans. As Mitt Romney's chances have grown ever dimmer, a cottage industry has sprung up on the right claiming that presidential polls suffer from liberal bias and Romney is really doing better than they say. "When the published poll shows Obama ahead by, say, 48-45," explains conservative pundit Dick Morris, "he's really probably losing by 52-48!"

The conservative … patron saint going into the last few weeks of the 2012 campaign is Dean Chambers, a blogger who runs a site called UnSkewed Polls. Chambers does not dig deep into the numbers. He doesn't explain sample sizes and cell phone biases. He does just one thing: he reweights all the polls so they have the same proportion of Democrats and Republicans. Romney is a big winner every time.

He adopted it, he told BuzzFeed, after seeing a poll that "just didn't look right." After a closer look, he decided that none of the others looked right either. Chambers says. It's all quite deliberate. "Any poll that says NBC, CBS, or ABC is going to be skewed and invested in trying to get this President re-elected," he explained. 

The Conservative Musings of Todd Akin.

I'm featuring a compilation of Todd Akin's comments here because he typifies the way many conservatives rant about the issues today. Getting sidetracked with this kind of idiocy is what continues to hold back American progress.

Tommy gets the Wrong kind of Press Promising to Do away with Medicare.

Rachel Maddow hit gold with Tommy Thompson's pledge to "do away with Medicare and Medicaid."

Romney's Elitism hard to Hide....

From Jimmy Kimmel:

Madison Leads Nation in Presidential Ad Spending!

It did seem crazy didn't it? So many political ads, what's a TV viewer to do?

There's a reason too, as explained by Hardball's Chris Matthews; Ad spending in Madison for the presidential campaign led the nation.

Obama has now created more Jobs than when taking Office.

Even with all the private sector jobs created under Obama, Republican state legislatures have shed as many public employees, leaving open the criticism there were fewer jobs today.

Not anymore...Ed Schultz explains:

Romney's Bain Employees Ripe for Harvesting, Unemployment.

Not another one? Mother Jones found this little piece of cruelty from Bain CEO Mitt Romney. Ed Schultz gets Robert Reich to explain:

Morning Joe on Romney's Desperation: "Oh, Sweet Jesus."

How uncomfortable:

The GOP Appeals to People as Potential Business Owners, not Parents.....

Loved this observation:

David Brooks slams sorry state of modern conservatism: "Republicans repeat formulas — government support equals dependency — that makes sense according to free-market ideology, but oversimplify the real world

The Republican Party has abandoned half of its intellectual ammunition. It appeals to people as potential business owners, but not as parents, neighbors and citizens."

Scott Walker Ignores Federal Warnings about Breaking Law, Playing Santa Claus with Taxpayer Money.

Republicans are so bad at running government, that to cover up their incompetence, they blame it for everything they can't get right. We've got proof:

WSJ: Gov. Scott Walker's Department of Administration secretary, Mike Huebsch, took responsibility Thursday for failing to give board members of the state's economic development arm needed information regarding a critical federal review. "I should have brought this to the board earlier" he told the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. board meeting. "This was a decision I made, and it was a mistake."

No kidding?

A WEDC board member threatened to resign over concerns about being kept in the dark by the agency's leadership. Paul Radspinner, president of FluGen Inc., sent a letter to Gov. Scott Walker saying "It is unconscionable that the WEDC staff would consider this issue not important enough to share with the board at the June meeting, let alone last week's meeting. If the WEDC leadership is not held accountable to proactively keep the board informed in a timely manner on issues affecting its reputation, then I cannot fulfill my fiduciary responsibilities nor can I continue to serve as a member of the board."

You know who chairs the board? Scott Walker.

In a strongly worded Aug. 12 letter, federal officials said the state failed to follow federal law and their own policies in issuing economic development grants.

According to the jsonline:

A May 2012 letter from HUD shows that Walker's administration was warned in August 2011 that HUD did not recognize the economic development corporation's ability to administer federal money.

This is the irresponsible Republican style of government. It’s cronyism on one hand, and Santa Claus to corporate persons on the other. Does anybody think the following is just a coincidence?

Paul Jadin, the WEDC chief executive officer, said Wednesday his departure is not related to the issues HUD is reviewing.

Lockout ends for Officials...a little late.

Just came over the wire:

NY Times: N.F.L. and Referees Union Agree on Deal to End Lockout

The National Football League reached agreement on a new labor deal with its game officials late Wednesday night, ending a lockout that forced unprepared replacement officials onto the field, creating three weeks of botched calls, acute criticism, furious coaches and players, and a blemish – however temporary — on the integrity of the country’s most popular sport.

The agreement came 48 hours after the nadir of the league’s experiment with replacement officials, when an incorrect call on the final play of the Monday night game cost the Green Bay Packers a victory against the Seattle Seahawks. That nationally televised debacle spurred two days of furious and lengthy negotiations against the backdrop of immense public pressure and scorn, most of it directed at the league. 

Stench and Gilligan 2012

I love this story, too bad it was just a fictional account. Still, it could have happened.

I heard John Nichols mention the following story on Sly in the Morning yesterday. Let’s assume it’s true:

Michael Allen wrote: There are reports of a rift between Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan and Presidential running mate Mitt Romney. According to some news reports, Rep. Ryan has nicknamed Romney “Stench,” while staffers on the Romney campaign refer to Rep. Ryan as “Gilligan,” reports RawStory.com.

Apparently, the nicknames started after the former political director of the Republican Party of Iowa, Craig Robinson, told the New York Times: “I hate to say this, but if Ryan wants to run for national office again, he’ll probably have to wash the stench of Romney off of him.”

Politico.com's Roger Simon reported that while Ryan “had already decided to distance himself from the floundering Romney campaign, he now feels totally uninhibited." Simon wrote that Rep. Ryan said: "If Stench calls, take a message" and "Tell Stench I’m having finger sandwiches with Peggy Noonan and will text him later.’”

Meanwhile, Romney senior campaign officials in Boston are calling Rep. Ryan “Gilligan" because he is seen as an intellectual lightweight.

I hope Ryan’s Democratic challenger Rob Zerban plays up that angle. Since the national spotlight focused on Ryan, we found out there’s no one home upstairs for this strict sure sounding ideologue. 

800 Executives Cry us a River.

I had to laugh when I read the following article about our elite “job creators,” those right wing CEO’s with money to burn, perpetuating the myth that they are the center of the universe. I’d like to send them all to China, for good, and see how they like communism.

Not to get sidetracked, I’ve condensed the following trash talk by our ruthless, conservative CEO blowhards, who want you to believe consumer demand has nothing to do with their success. They magically get money from deregulation and create jobs out of the goodness of their heart. Oh thank you masters…

Again, consumers create demand, which then creates jobs to keep up with that demand. Don’t forget this is a survey of 800 executives, who think the other 47 percent are just takers, and never understood that a free market is the last place you’d  ever find “certainty.”  

jsonline: A national survey of manufacturers, including Wisconsin companies, has cast a harsh light on the U.S. economy - with executives saying uncertainty in the marketplace has kept them from expanding their businesses and creating jobs.

There is no certainty in the market place. A funny thing too, in the last century or so, we had regulation and taxes…

62% of the survey respondents saying U.S. laws, regulations, taxes and fees affect their companies more negatively than foreign competitors … more than half of the 800 executives surveyed for the National Association of Manufacturers and the National Federation of Independent Businesses said they would not start a business in the current economic climate.

That’s the CEO class talking, with their air of entitlement, devoid of work ethic.

"Manufacturers have told policy-makers in Washington time and again that uncertainty and a negative business environment is turning the American dream into a nightmare," said Jay Timmons, National Association of Manufacturers president and chief executive officer. More than half of the survey respondents said China and India were more supportive of their small businesses and manufacturers than the United States was.

And yes, these CEO entitled whiners think we were better off at the bottom of the Great Recession 3 years ago. I’d like to send every one of these Republican fat cats back there too:

More than half of the surveyed executives said the national economy is worse now than it was three years ago. according to Dan Danner, president and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, "They're not willing to invest and create jobs. They believe things are going to get worse, not better." 

I bet they would “create jobs” if consumers had jobs, a decent wage, “certainty” in the work place and buying power to create demand. 

Walker's Bluster Hides Complete Failure.

Again, has anyone on the right noticed Scott Walker is not succeeding? He's belly flopped big time, turned it into a positive, and incredibly got conservative voters to applaud his disastrous effort. He's the P.T. Barnum of governors, a master con and a droopy eyed showman.

The following look at Walker's record is a breath of fresh air: 

jsonline-James Rowen: The Journal Sentinel keeps a tally of jobs created in Wisconsin measured against Scott Walker's core promise in his 2010 election, and repeated in the 2012 recall runoff, that he would create 250,000 new jobs during four years in office.

The monthly survey shows 500 fewer jobs in August than when 2012 began. That puts the rough total of jobs created since Walker took office at 27,311. That leaves about 222,689 jobs to go, with a little more than two years left in his term … he's got 89% of the way to go.

Let's face it: the promise was cotton candy whipped up for political purposes, period. There was no expertise, no economics behind it, regardless of how many buzz-wordy news releases … about business tax breaks, new tools, more flexibility, jazzy, camera-ready cold calls to Illinois by Rebecca Kleefisch and "open for business" billboards installed at Wisconsin's borders.

Walker continued the artifice by re-creating the Department of Commerce as a public-private corporaton that was supposed to work faster and more efficiently and get more love from the private sector … but Paul Jadin, its first boss has already said he's leaving for a southern Wisconsin regional development agency post, and the feds are saying and documenting that his agency and Walker's coordinating Department of Administration have disregarded oversight responsibilities and squandered big money Big Government sent their way, the Wisconsin State Journal reports today.

…is there anyone - - especially anyone on the Right flying the Personal Responsibility flag - - who wants to argue on the substance that after nearly two years in office, Scott Walker can claim job-creating success by having hit just 11% of that 250,000-new-jobs'-pledge?

Desperate Romney/Ryan Campaign Surrogates Openly Racist!

Here's the headline from a Newsmax story quoting John Sununu:

Really, lazy?

Walker lets Business loose in the state candy store.

Still think Republicans know how to manage money? They did create the Great Recession, remember.

Just after 1 ½ years, the Walker Authority started giving away the farm so to speak, by doling out taxpayer money with no accountability, oversight or compliance standards to private business.

This would be that train wreck down road a few years, that’ll be blamed in some way on the Democrats, when they have to come in and clean things up again.

The SPIN: Walker tried but failed to sell how grateful he was for HUD's corrections and guidance. And of course Walker emphasized how the problem started back in 2005, so don't blame him...except for the examples provided from HUD that raised all the red flags. WKOW:



This amazing story has got to tell you just how bad conservatives are at managing government and money:

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Aug. 12 letter ordered Walker's administration to improve the distribution of economic development money. The HUD letter points to numerous problems resulting from what it called the "hasty" transfer of duties from the former Department of Commerce to the new quasi-private Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

Wisconsin apparently drew HUD's attention with a February announcement by Walker that four communities had received $9.6 million in community development block grant funding. "At the time these awards were made WEDC had no legal authority under the CDBG program to award or administer the CDBG funds. The federal agency ordered Wisconsin to hire a high-level administrator for monitoring, oversight and compliance, saying DOA currently lacks "adequate staff or experience to adequately oversee . . . the new activities that are being undertaken by the WEDC."

What was so irresponsible, did it date back to 2005?

Among the most serious findings: the process of determining the financial soundness of a company - before giving $390,000 to Gilman USA LLC, a machining company in Grafton, and $1 million to Morgan Aircraft in Sheboygan. In the case of Gilman, HUD said that WEDC staff indicated "the underwriting process was skipped in order to accommodate the business' timeline."

In the case of Morgan Aircraft, HUD said WEDC staff indicated that underwriting was done but not placed in the file. However, HUD requested a copy but none was provided.

Can you say crony capitalism?

Marquis, the state DOA spokeswoman, said new policies have been implemented in response to the HUD report. Marquis said the agency is also "carefully reviewing" records of the withdrawal of $8.6 million in CDBG funds by a former WEDC controller on Dec. 27 reportedly to pay for projects in 2011. HUD said the transfer was made "without any approval from DOA" by an unnamed controller "on the last day of employment as the WEDC controller."

Unemployment is up .2 percent, jobs are stagnant and business is raiding the state coffers, and that’s good Republican government? 

Romney tells Ohio crowd, "Don't be expecting a huge cut in taxes." Supporters okay paying more, and giving tax cut to wealthy.

To quote Ann Romney, “Stop it!”

That’s my message to the media. Stop handing well-crafted excuses to candidates for something they need to explain in their own words. The Huffington Post offered this excuse to Romney for something he said to a middle class audience regarding no real tax relief:

“The comments were either a flub on Romney's part…”

A "honesty" flub? Can you imagine what Romney is really saying behind the scenes? Here’s the comment Mitt’s made that should be hitting the fan today:

In a line that event attendees found a bit puzzling, Mitt Romney warned a crowd of mostly middle-class onlookers on Wednesday not to expect too much tax relief under his administration.

"We have got to reform our tax system," Romney said at a morning event here. "Small businesses most typically pay taxes at the individual tax rate. And so our individual income taxes are the ones I want to reform. Make them simpler. I want to bring the rates down. By the way, don't be expecting a huge cut in taxes because I'm also going to lower deductions and exemptions. But by bringing rates down we will be able to let small businesses keep more of their money so they can hire more people."

Sounds bad right? Believe it or not, Republicans in the crowd liked it. They’re willing to see their taxes go up, all the while cutting taxes for the elite wealthy:

In fact, none of the half-dozen attendees interviewed after the event expressed concern about the remarks, offering up lines of explanation that one wouldn't often expect at a Republican presidential candidate's rally.

"We need the taxes to stay the way they are because we have to get the debt down," said Margo Belkofer, of Powell, Ohio.

"He's not promoting a tax cut, he is preventing a tax increase," said Jim Bachelder, of Westerville.

Cynthia Beitman, of Westerville, said she was fine with Romney eliminating deductions and exemptions for people like her, so long as he lowered the rates overall for small businesses. "People run small businesses," she exclaimed.

Said Patty Karst of Gahanna, Ohio, "You have to realize as a society that we have to have the funds for infrastructure, the protection of the country and the social programs we support."

Are these conservatives absolutely insane? 

Millionaire Republican Mark Neumann grovels & begs for help to pay off a mere $152,000 campaign bill.

The Journal Sentinel’s Dan Bice said it well in his article today about Mark Neumann, former candidate and loser, who won’t do the responsible thing and pay off his own campaign bill. He needs help. Who thinks this would be a good investment? Of course there’s no shortage of conservatives suckers.

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann offered a detailed plan to balance the entire federal budget in five years. Too bad the fiscal conservative couldn't avoid a deficit with his own campaign fund.

In an email to supporters, Neumann is asking for help paying down his campaign debts. He said he was hit with more than $152,000 in bills. "I don't have any money left in my campaign account to pay these bills," the millionaire businessman said in Monday's email solicitation. "I must turn to my supporters for help."

I thought guys like Neumann didn’t need anyone’s help? Where’s that rugged individualism, that “I built that myself” mentality?

In the primary, Neumann reported a net worth of as much as $16.4 million. Neumann brushed aside any suggestion that he pick up the tab for the last-minute campaign expenses."I don't think it's your position to evaluate my finances," said Neumann, a Nashotah real estate developer.

It appears Neumann isn’t either.

UPDATE 9/26: You won't believe this one:

Neumann now tries to raise cash for Thompson campaign: After facing criticism for trying to retire his primary campaign debt in the middle of a heated general election, ex-U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann reversed field Wednesday by coming out with a fundraising appeal for his primary foe, former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Neumann said he didn't see the problem in trying to balance his own books at the same time the Thompson campaign was scrambling for cash. "The same Radical Left that rocked our state with Recalls is now targeting Governor Thompson, doing everything they can to destroy him and elect Tammy Baldwin. He needs your help. Will you join me and back Tommy Thompson today?"

The "radical left," which I assume is Neumann's way of saying Democratic Party, may  have brought us the recalls, but it didn't crash the global economy. Which would you choose?

Hello, we're here to register voters for Mitt Romney!

Over at BradBlog, the most outrageous...actually, just more of the same voter suppression activity from the GOP. If you thought Republicans were obvious before, will this be the last straw?

Citizen: "You said you're only registering Romney people."

Registration worker: "Well, we're trying to, to be honest."

The Low Information American; the Undecided Voter.

The "undecided voter" has been getting a lot of comedic attention lately. I tried uploading a few Saturday Night Live routines, but had them blocked immediately.

So all I have left is this comment from Bill Maher, who really said it best anyway. I'm assuming most people feel the same way about these low information voters:



Just as bad is all that political bickering, back and forth, blah, blah, blah. Don't you wish they stopped arguing...about whatever. From WPT's Here and Now:



I wonder what they're arguing about?

Major Conservative Radio Celebrities say differing News Coverage "Offends," is Rigging Election.

Have you ever noticed how talk radio is almost always conservative? Except in just a few major metro area’s, conservative talk is all you hear.

The same can be said of the dominating influence of the Fox News Network and the Wall Street Journal. In liberal Madison, Wisconsin, our only daily paper is conservative. The editorial board at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is wildly conservative. Even corporate news outlets like NBC, CBS, ABC only offer what can be best describes as watered down, both side do drivel every night.  

But such media domination isn’t enough. Introducing the next manufactured outrage just in time for the elections: The “leftist agenda!” Don't fall for the "out of control" bias, the rigging of elections, breaching the public trust, and shamefully smearing Mitt Romney.

The media should stop repeating Mitt's comments and policy statements. Instead, they should jump on the next phony issue or manufactured outrage, like below.

Washington Examiner: More than 20 conservative leaders and media figures including Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, and Mark Levin, on Tuesday accused ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN today of rigging coverage to help reelect President Obama.

We'd like a one party authoritarian state!

"This election year, so much of the broadcast networks, their cable counterparts, and the major establishment print media are out of control with a deliberate and unmistakable leftist agenda. To put it bluntly: you are rigging this election and taking sides in order to pre-determine the outcome," they said in a letter to the networks that was organized by the conservative media watchdog Media Research Center. "You have breached the public trust by willfully turning a blind eye to the government's public policy failures, both domestic and foreign, while openly and shamefully smearing Gov. Mitt Romney," said the letter signed by MRC President Brent Bozell and the others.

If that wasn’t pathetic enough, these right wing corporate media whores actually want you to stop listening to everyone else. Yes, they’re really saying that:

"It is time the American people turn you who are offending off, once and for all. You have betrayed their trust," they added.

Information does have a way of "offending" some people. We now know who they are in the list above.

Lingerie Football League Fired Bad Ref's now making Bad Calls. Packers Robbed.

I was literally yelling at the TV. The kids came into the room to see what got dad all worked up. And don't get me started on the play by play guys comments, that didn't make things any easier. Steve Young's passionate plea for saving the game of football was the one bright spot.

But, taking a different angle completely, we're now hearing from the Lingerie Football League. They're saying the refs are were so bad, their own league booted a few crews for incompetence.

Fans may be asking, how did this ever happen:

Fox6: The final decision is only going to fuel debate about the replacement officials coming off a weekend filled with disputed calls.

“Don’t ask me a question about the officials,” Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. “I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years in football. I know it’s been a wild weekend in the NFL and I guess we’re part of it now.”

Here's Fox 6's coverage of the blown call between the Pack and Seahawks, resulting in a 14-12 win over Green Bay:

From a league I know little about, but hope to see sometime, comes this statement:

The Lingerie Football League released a statement late Monday night saying that it fired several officiating crews that are now working as replacement refs in the NFL. LFL Commissioner Mitchell Mortaza wrote that those crews were fired “due to … on-field incompetent officiating.”

“Because of the LFL’s perception it is that much more critical for us to hire officiating crews that are competent, not only for the credibility of our game but to keep our athletes safer. Due to several on-field incompetent officiating we chose to part ways with with a couple crews which apparently are now officiating in the NFL. We have a lot of respect for our officials but we felt the officiating was not in line with our expectations. We have not made public comment to date because we felt it was not our place to do so. However in light of tonight’s event, we felt it was only fair that NFL fans knew the truth as to who are officiating these games.”

The Truth About Obama's Trade Disputes with China.

PBS's Market to Market may seem a bit on the dry side, but rarely is. Take a look at this report comparing Pres. Obama's trade disputes with China and the claims he took no action, made by the Romney campaign. Just the facts:

What the busy Right Wing Teabillies think is "Gotcha" Politics aimed at Obama; Crowd size!

It’s hard to imagine a more ridiculous gotcha than the crowd size that showed up for Obama in Milwaukee. But the reckless blowhards who still think the name Breitbart elicits journalistic respect, are having a hissy fit over the size of the “over” estimated crowd. I guess we should ignore the following Fox6 coverage:

The guy who think this is all late breaking news? Radio talk conservative Charlie Sykes:

As Breitbart’s Joel Pollack investigates, both The Wall Street Journal and Politico reported that President Obama’s Saturday rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin drew a crowd of 18,000 supporters.

That’s at least a bit odd, since the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal reported that the President was speaking at a 5,000-seat arena . The report added that “thousands more who sat in bleachers and stood on the pavement,” but made no mention of the abnormally large 18,000 estimate.

But where did national reporters get their numbers? Probably from the White House pool report, which reported that an Obama campaign official told the pooler that Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett said that the crowd was 18,000.

From the report: “…campaign official said Mayor Barrett said crowd was 18,000. Crowd was enthusiastic, even as rain started to come down and the wind picked up. POTUS wrapped up his remarks at about 5:47 p.m. Motorcade departed event site at 6 p.m. headed to airport.

GOP leaders have so little respect for their voters intelligence, that they even think the following argument from Brian Schimming on Capitol City Sunday will make sense to their base; Obama came to Wisconsin because he thinks he's in trouble here. That's right Obama should just skip states with tight races. Wishful thinking Brian: 

Our Hero, Scott Walker, Stops His Own Changes to Electrical Law that Could Kill People.

To the rescue?

State Journal: Gov. Scott Walker has changed course on plans to remove fire-safety requirements from the state electrical code. Walker is now directing state officials to leave in place rules designed to detect fire-causing conditions and stop electric shocks, and to keep children from sticking foreign objects into electrical outlets.

"After reviewing some of the concerns raised with the proposed modifications to the rule, Governor Walker directed (the Department of Safety and Professional Services) to forgo any changes to the current rule," Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said Monday in an email to the State Journal.

Pulpit Freedom Sunday last straw. Tax Churches, let Radicalized Churches Politicize Religion.

Check out this great report on a quiet little program on PBS, Religion and Ethics News Weekly. The agreement churches made with the government to stay out of politics, in exchange for tax exempt status, is being broken by a few radical conservative pastors. Perhaps it's is time to have them pay taxes like everyone else, and allow these churches to turn religion into an extension of a political party. What an odd end to religion:

Thom Hartmann wrote this in his daily email:

Churches Ignore Separation of Church And State: More than 1,000 religious leaders across the nation have decided to take a wrecking ball to the wall separating church and state. The Conservative group "Alliance Defending Freedom" has scheduled what they are calling "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" for October 7th, when church leaders across America will devote their sermons to the election and campaign on behalf of a political candidate.

According to I.R.S. law, churches enjoy tax-exempt status so long as they don't participate in political campaigns on behalf or against any particular candidate. Those church leaders also plan to send video of their political sermons to the I.R.S., in hopes of triggering a legal case that could strike down laws against their tax-exempt political activity.

Let's face it, today, many churches have been turned into very lucrative businesses. And those businesses haven't shied away from using their wealth to aid numerous far-right political causes. If churches want to operate like a business, then it's time they get taxed like a business as well.

Here's a look at the law being challenged:

The amendment, added to the code by Congress in 1954, placed new restrictions on 501(c)(3) organizations including churches , warning that such charitable organizations could lose their coveted tax-exempt statuses if they intervened in political campaigns, according to the Pew Forum. While the amendment is often interpreted as limiting political advocacy, the rule's purpose has more to do with political contributions. (The tax code applies to all 510(c)(3) organizations, not just places of worship.)

The ADF and similar organizations feel like the rule makes churches choose, however, between participating in political campaigns they feel strongly about and accepting tax-free donations. 

Actually, the "rules" can be changed, so go ahead, politicize religion. 

Seattle Officials Steal Away Packers Win

Jenkins caught the ball, but a Seattle player had control of Jennings, so Seattle touchdown.

Reince owes his childhood to a Union Supported Middle Class Worker...his Dad.

Look who owes a debt of gratitude to union wages and benefits: Reince Priebus.

Priebus: "You know, my dad would point to a house as a union electrician, a nice house..."

Reince has got his, and isn't that what it's really all about?

Mitt Romney's last 60 Minutes.

Romney at his least convincing, again. 60 Minutes threw softballs, and Mitt was just Mitt, removed and disconnected. Here are a few clips.

"That's not the campaign, that was me." Holy crap.

Specifics? "I can tell you specifically what my policy looks like." Is he kidding?

Mitt admits, "The devils in the details, the angel is in the policy. Which is creating more jobs."

Mitt's cap on the growth of social welfare programs will shed those who most need it. And that would only be a starting point. Desperate to find work, employers will be able to call the shots...slave labor comes to America. He's a job creator?

State Republican Candidate: "What makes us, as Dane County, higher up and to make decisions against the governor..."

How easy is it to get Wisconsin conservatives to bow to the Walker Authority? God it's easy for this unknown candidate for the state assembly's 48th district. From Sly in the Morning:

Tommy Thompson to Kill Medicare and Medicaid!!! See, We Told You.

Nothing says honesty like a cocky teabilly wannabe like Tommy Thompson. What an aging embarrassment.

Tommy said out loud what Democrats and liberals have known for years; Republicans wanna kill Medicare and Medicaid. Period. Killer video:



Tommy knows Ryan's policies will eventually bankrupt our safety nets, so...

...be able to take away the litigation that the trial lawyers are doing, so that doctors don't have to keep doing extra things to protect themselves from getting sued, which drives up our costs; change Medicare and Medicaid like I did welfare -- and who better than me, who's already finished one of the entitlement programs, to come up with programs to do away with Medicaid and Medicare?  Let's block-grant what the state has, and allow the states to determine what's going to go into Medicaid.

And Medicare, let's wait until everyone that's right now under 55 reaches 55 by age [sic] 2020, and give them a choice whether they want to purchase health insurance with a subsidy from the federal government, or stay on Medicare.  I'm here to tell you, when you look at the situation nobody's going to accept it, because Medicare's going broke by the year 2022.

Here's Ed Schultz with Howard Fineman's commentary, good stuff;

Van Hollen says he's not political, but defends Act 10 the Walker way, "will of the people."

Is Van Hollen even trying to look like the state's top legal mind?

Not only did J.B. Van Hollen fail to defend Scott Walker's refusal to carry out a very constitutional Affordable Care Act, but he looked stumped trying to explain why Act 10 is anything but unconstitutional. Shooting from the hip, Van Hollen skips over our founding document so he can repeat Walker's inane argument, "it's will of the people." Speaking of the people's will:

Van Hollen: "Their will shouldn't be trumped, uh by, uh, by an individual judge or anyone else unless they've clearly violated our constitution." 

"Clearly?" You know, like most cases before the Supreme Court, they' get all the easy one? From Upfront with Mike Gousha:

Ryan's for profit Medicare Plan mirrors his will to take Social Security apart.

A lot of people will buy into Paul Ryan's panicky guy routine over Medicare, simply because of his convincing hard line position and sky is falling predictions it'll bring down the country. Ryan will even tell you the Democrats are the ones scaring seniors. Laughable? But AARP has written extensively about the laws positive effects on health care, and knows a whole lot more about the law than Ryan. So it's no surprise the crowd let him know they weren't buying it:

Ryan drew boos at the AARP event when he talked about repealing the president's health care plan, but said "You want to go in to what may be a hostile environment, because we're not afraid to take our message to anybody, we're not afraid to show our ideas to anybody. We're proud of our ideas."

No matter how bad the idea, Ryan won't shy away from his twisted world view, one based a fiction writers vision of the world. Ayn Rand's brutal go it alone characters, like John Galt and Howard Roark, have all the traits of serial killers.

Salon: Ayn Rand was working out her philosophy, she became enthralled by a real-life American serial killer, William Edward Hickman ... Rand filled her early notebooks with worshipful praise of Hickman. According to biographer Jennifer Burns Rand was so smitten with Hickman that she modeled her first literary creation … on him.”

But yesterday, Ryan got caught saying things that don't sound like a guy running for vice president. Straight faced, Ryan now denies his own strongly held convictions, without explanation:

jsonline: Ryan also spoke about Social Security to AARP. Seven years ago, in a talk to a group of Ayn Rand devotees known as the Atlas Society, Ryan had characterized Social Security as a "collectivist program" and a "welfare transfer" system, remarks that have gotten renewed attention in the current campaign.

Asked about those words Saturday, Ryan said that did not represent his thinking about the retirement program.

Here's a slide show of selected pictures from those of us who have been covering Ryan for some time. This is Ryan talking to the Atlas Society, including the "welfare transfer" reference (shortened version):

Ryan's vision for America is based on a novel, a fiction, created by writer. Believe it or not:

Ryan: “You can’t think of a better thinker or writer who did a better job of describing and laying out the moral case for capitalism than Ayn Rand. It’s so important that we go back to our roots, to look at Ayn Rands visions, her writings, to see what our girding undergrounding principals are.”

Big Oil will not thank Government for Fracking, and now wants to take all the credit.

If Mitt Romney and the Republicans had their way, alternative energy subsidies would disappear completely. Let the free market decide. But in reality, what should happen is just the opposite, which is typical when we're talking about Republicans.

While the American public would be happy to cut subsidies to big oil, “opposite day” Republicans want to keep giving taxpayer dollars to big oil. Solar and wind...forget it.

They're quick to point to examples like Solyndra, who couldn’t compete with cheap Chinese labor. But China subsidizes solar, and helped drive down prices, killing the American company. But what happened is normal when it comes to developing new alternative energies. The story below shows how big oil is now trying to take credit for developing fracking, even though they would have given up decades earlier if it wasn’t for government subsidies and tax credits:  

AP: It sounds like a free-market success story: a natural gas boom created by drilling company innovation, delivering a vast new source of cheap energy without the government subsidies that solar and wind power demand. "The free market has worked its magic," the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, claimed over the summer. The boom happened "away from the greedy grasp of Washington," the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, wrote in an essay this year. If bureaucrats "had known this was going on," the essay went on, "surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether."

But the pioneers of fracking tell a different story:

But those who helped pioneer the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, recall a different path. Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks.

Now, those industry pioneers say their own effort shows that the government should back research into future sources of energy — for decades, if need be — to promote breakthroughs. For all its success now, many people in the oil and gas industry itself once thought shale gas was a waste of time.

"There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid," said Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981.

In 1975, the Department of Energy began funding research into fracking and horizontal drilling, but it took more than 20 years to perfect the process. Alex Crawley, a former Department of Energy employee, recalled that some early tests were spectacular — in a bad way. "There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long. Most companies would have given up," he said, crediting founder George Mitchell as a visionary who also got support from the government at key points.

"The government has to be involved, to some degree, with new technologies," Steward said … the fracking pioneers point out that it's impossible to predict how and when research will pay off. "It wouldn't be research if you already knew that it was going to be effective," said Crawley.

Terry Engelder, a Penn State University geologist known for his enthusiastic support for gas drilling, said the story of how shale gas went from longshot to head of the pack — and how long that took — shows that serious support for renewable energy research makes sense, too. "These renewables have a huge upside," Engelder said. "In my view, the subsidies are really very appropriate."

Grand Ann Romney says Mitt's video needs Context....

It's not a good sign when a candidates own wife acts like an arrogant elitist ass, leaving the campaign open for more criticism. In an area where most people give a pass to a potential first lady, Ann Romney stands out as a truly horrible person. Nasty, deserving, arrogant, entitled and petty are all the words I can roll off quickly to describe Ann Romney.

First, Ann made an appearance in Wisconsin, where she claimed if you just watch the whole tragic video of her husband trashing the 47 percenters, you'll "get the context of it." Amazing.

Secondly, Ann appears to talk down to women, by saying in her speech:

Ann Romney: "I know we need to have women out there understand..."

Come on women, don't you get it yet? She is a horrible horrible person.



Here's Ann's now famous "stop it" interview. Oh, the pain of running for president....

The Ryan AARP Boo Fest!!!

Sure Paul Ryan was booed by the AARP crowd. Those in attendance knew better. But if you were to try and find out just how Ryan lied, good luck. From my research, the press almost never mentioned how the Affordable Care Act lengthened Medicare's solvency by 12 years, which would have countered Ryan's claim it did not.

Here's the video, put together from multiple sources (Rachel Maddow, CBS, ABC, Ed Schultz), followed by information I was able to dig up. Oddly, even MSNBC cut off the all too important crowd boos:

Is Medicare going broke, and did “Obamacare” shorten Medicare’s solvency, as Paul Ryan claimed in his speech to AARP? The Fact Checkers and the Washington Post proved Ryan’s claims to be a lie:

WaPo: We are not talking about all of Medicare, just the part that covers hospital visits, hospice care, nursing facilities and the like. Part B, which involves seeing a doctor, is paid out of general funds and premiums. Moreover, though the fund would be “depleted,” it would NOT be “penniless” or “broke.” That is because the government could still cover 87 percent of estimated expenses in 2024 — and 67 percent in 2050 … but it doesn’t mean that the fund is bankrupt.

Already, in the Obama health care law, a surtax was added that would hit wealthy Americans, which extended the “insolvency” date by 12 years. Congress has also moved some functions from Part A to Part B to extend the life of the fund. It’s also important to remember that the Part A fund has from its inception been on the brink of going “broke.” Page 4 of a useful report by the Congressional Research Service , titled “Medicare: History of Insolvency Projections,” shows that in 1970 it was due to go “broke” in 1972.

The AARP crowd knew much this already, and told Ryan so:

WaPo: “Lie!” one woman in the crowd yelled as others booed. “Liar!” yelled another.
The crowd was silent for most of Ryan’s speech and applauded him as he took the stage and left it. But some attendees responded with loud disapproval of Ryan’s attack on Obama and when Ryan described his own Medicare plan. At one point, when Ryan told the crowd that “all that we need now is leaders who have the political will to save and strengthen Social Security,” one man quipped: “Got one!”

At other points in the speech, scattered attendees yelled out, “No vouchers!” and “Tax the 1 percent!”

Here’s a short transcript of Ryan’s ridiculous pronouncements:

RYAN: "Today, our nation faces a political turning point. Government mismanagement and political cowardice are threatening both sides of LBJ's pledge. Seniors are threatened by Obamacare, a law that would force steep cuts to real benefits in real time for real people." [Shouts, boos.]

"Meanwhile — [boos] — meanwhile, younger Americans are burdened by an ever-growing national debt and a diminished future. Here's the good news. By embracing common-sense reforms now, we can get ahead of the problem and keep promises people have organized their lives around. You see, if we reform Medicare for my generation, we can protect it for those in or near retirement today." [Applause.]

"The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare, because it represents the worst of both worlds. [Boos.] "I had a feeling there would be mixed reactions, so let me get into it. [Boos.] It weakens Medicare for today's seniors and puts it at risk for the next generation. [Boos.] First, it funnels $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. [Boos.] Second, it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare's future."

And private business has become more dependent on taxpayer dollars, which means, “behave or else.”

NY Times: Enrollment is up and premiums are down in Medicare Advantage. John K. Gorman, a former Medicare official who is now a consultant with clients in the insurance industry, said: “Today’s announcement shows that there is a new sheriff in town. Medicare officials were very specific and very forceful. Insurers succumbed to the government’s demands and stayed in the Medicare market because they have become much more dependent on Medicare business.” 

Obama Chair Lynchings not Racists? Both sides do it?

No excuses, this is the general feeling we've been getting from conservative voters for a long time.

Salon: Two people may have single-handedly set back civil liberties by nearly 100 years by hanging Obama effigies in their yards. The chairs, on display at two Centreville, Va., and Austin, Texas, homes, are a reference to Clint Eastwood’s chair speech, and conjure memories of mob lynchings once common in the South. Technically, it’s a free country, and it’s their right, but the symbolism behind the actions of just a few is disturbing for the rest of America.

Burnt Orange reports that when one woman complained to the Texas homeowner, he said, “I don’t really give a damn whether it disturbs you or not. You can take [your concerns] and go straight to hell and take Obama with you. I don’t give a shit. If you don’t like it, don’t come down my street.” The man has since added an American flag to the chair … the Texas home owner took down the chair and moved it because, “Does anybody else that’s got a chair sitting out receiving the same harassment that you guys are giving?”

Walker's ridiculous Petition against "Activist Judges" plays Republican voters for suckers.

According to the State Journals On Politics: 

Gov. Scott Walker's campaign launched a petition drive on Thursday, urging people to show their support for his law limiting collective bargaining in the wake of a judge's decision striking it down as unconstitutional.

"An activist judge in Madison chose to put politics ahead of your votes by striking down Governor Walker's good government budget reforms," the online petition reads. "When the big special interests lose at the ballot box they turn to activist judges to legislate from the bench."

Campaign spokesman Tom Evenson said that anyone inside or outside of Wisconsin can sign it.

Oh great, another national campaign to keep Walker's name in the celebrity spotlight, ya think?

Look Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas struck down parts of Act 10 because the law violates the state and U.S. constitutional guarantees of free speech and freedom of association. The law also violates the Constitution's equal protection clause by creating separate classes of state workers who are treated differently and unequally under the law.

But that’s alright I guess, because a bunch of tea party "constitutional scholars," think a petition has any relevance at all. 

Or is it just a way to gin up the base for the presidential elections? 

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, who called it "absolutely bizarre. The interpretation of the Constitution is not based on petitions," Barca said.

"We Ain’t Backing Down" rally against activist judges, to bring certainty to courts by always siding with Conservatives.

If you had a feeling the teabilly movements random use of “freedom and liberty” had a hollow ring to it, you were right beyond your wildest dreams.

The teatard rally at the Capitol Saturday 10 to 11 a.m., is bringing a very unusual message to the people’s house.

Brookfield Patch: The purpose of the rally is to remind “judges they are consistently ruling against the democratic majority in this great state,” according to the statement.

And that's because...oh never mind. Here’s how our low information pocket constitutionalists view the judicial branch of the government and the whole idea of the constitution:

Time to get out School House Rock?

“We demand they respect the other two branches of government and allow our state to run by the consent of the people. Our state Constitution needs judges that apply the law the people write, not reinterpret it.” The purpose of the rally is to remind “judges they are consistently ruling against the democratic majority in this great state. We demand they respect the other two branches of government and allow our state to run by the consent of the people. Our state Constitution needs judges that apply the law the people write, not reinterpret it.”

Is  your head still spinning? It’s hard to know where to start. If these are the supposed great defenders of the constitution, heaven help us. Majority rules? The tyranny of the majority is more like it. Blame tea party dumbo's in Founders Intent and the Tea Party Patriots.

After siting “decisions, including DNR regulations, voter ID laws and the collective bargaining law” it never occurs to them that maybe they’re the ones with a constitutional problem. Instead, they “call the judges' actions an abuse of power.”

Of course, all of this stupidity is ripe for manipulation by those who would put corporations in charge. Which brings me to the latest look at our gasping judicial branch.

In the recent issue of the Nation, Bill Moyers wrote this:

They fashioned a compelling narrative based on a judicial philosophy called “originalism.” The task of Supreme Court justices was to stick to the text of the Constitution as faithfully as a fundamentalist clergyman to the word of God … The words of the founding fathers should be applied precisely as they had understood them in 1787, in order to divine their “original intent.”

The effort to find “rights” not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution in order to expedite the purposes listed in the preamble—such as promoting the general welfare and establishing justice—was, in Robert Bork’s view, a “heresy” practiced by liberal justices trying to cram radical social programs down the nation’s gullet. Never mind that said preamble seems to define that “original intent” more clearly and eloquently than any other source; after all, the framers wrote it.

The nation imagined by its founders—those authors of “We the People,” who clearly intended this experience in self-government to include the many, not just the privileged few—is under siege by extraordinary concentrations of corporate power and private wealth, aided and abetted by an autocratic judiciary.

In another Nation article William Yeomans sited this example of the right wing takeover of our courts: 

In assessing the corporate capture of the courts, however, a compelling starting place is the memorandum written in 1971 by Lewis Powell for his friend Eugene Sydnor, an official of the US Chamber of Commerce.

He wrote almost hysterically that “the American economic system is under broad attack” by “Communists, New Leftists and other revolutionaries,” Powell wrote that “with an activist-minded Supreme Court, the judiciary may be the most important instrument for social, economic and political change.” He urged the Chamber to adopt the tactics of the ACLU, civil rights groups, public interest organizations and labor unions in convincing the Court to empower corporations.