Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Billionaire Romney Donor Uses Threats To Silence Critics

February 19, 2012 by Suzie-Q

Friday, Feb 17, 2012 2:02 PM UTC

Salon  By Glenn Greenwald

Frank VanderSloot is an Idaho billionaire and the CEO of Melaleuca, Inc., a controversial billion-dollar-a-year company which peddles dietary supplements and cleaning products; back in 2004, Forbes, echoing complaints to government agencies, described the company as “a pyramid selling organization, built along the lines of Herbalife and Amway.” VanderSloot has long used his wealth to advance numerous right-wing political causes. Currently, he is the national finance co-chair of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, and his company has become one of the largest donors ($1 million) to the ostensibly “independent” pro-Romney SuperPAC, Restore Our Future. Melaleuca’s get-rich pitches have in the past caused Michigan regulators to take action, resulting in the company’s entering into a voluntary agreement to “not engage in the marketing and promotion of an illegal pyramid”‘; it entered into a separate voluntary agreement with the Idaho attorney general’s office, which found that “certain independent marketing executives of Melaleuca” had violated Idaho law; and the Food and Drug Administration previously accused Melaleuca of deceiving consumers about some of its supplements.

But it is VanderSloot’s chronic bullying threats to bring patently frivolous lawsuits against his political critics — magazines, journalists, and bloggers — that makes him particularly pernicious and worthy of more attention. In the last month alone, VanderSloot, using threats of expensive defamation actions, has successfully forced Forbes, Mother Jones and at least one local gay blogger in Idaho to remove articles that critically focused on his political and business practices (Mother Jones subsequently re-posted the article with revisions a week after first removing it). He has been using this abusive tactic in Idaho for years: suppressing legitimate political speech by threatening or even commencing lawsuits against even the most obscure critics (he has even sued local bloggers for “copyright infringement” after they published a threatening letter sent by his lawyers). This tactic almost always succeeds in silencing its targets, because even journalists and their employers who have done nothing wrong are afraid of the potentially ruinous costs they will incur when sued by a litigious billionaire.

MORE HERE

Posted in 2012, 2012 Election, Frank VanderSloot, Restore Our Future | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Obama Payroll Tax Cut: President Finally Scores Coveted Win

February 18, 2012 by Suzie-Q

By ANDREW TAYLOR 02/18/12 06:47 AM ET

Associated Press AP via: Huff Post

WASHINGTON — The $143 billion payroll tax cut won by President Barack Obama may be the last significant measure he receives from a deeply divided Congress that promises to only get more polarized as Election Day approaches.

Obama’s coveted renewal of the payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and jobless benefits for millions more caps a five-month campaign-style drive against reluctant Republicans.

Under the bill Congress approved Friday, workers would continue to receive a 2 percentage point increase in their paychecks, and people out of work for more than six months would keep jobless benefits averaging about $300 a week, steps that Obama says will help support a fragile recovery from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

It would also head off a steep cut in reimbursements for physicians who treat Medicare patients.

The tax cuts, jobless coverage and higher doctors’ payments would all continue through 2012.

Passage of the legislation hands Obama a victory over objections from many GOP lawmakers who oppose it but were eager to wipe the issue from the election-year agenda.

It also clears away a political headache for House Republicans, who blocked a two-month extension of the tax cut and jobless coverage in late December, only to retreat quickly under a buzz saw of opposition from conservative and GOP leaders from around the country.

With that history, Republicans seemed ready to get the fight behind them and change the subject for the rest of this election year.

“We’re dumb, but we’re not stupid,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters after he voted. “We did not want to repeat the debacle of last December. It’s not that complicated.”

MORE HERE

Posted in Obama, Payroll Tax, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Afternoon Jukebox: Wichita Lineman

February 17, 2012 by Suzie-Q


Hello Koch boys!! See ya on my line…

Domain Name (Unknown)
IP Address 146.209.159.# (KOCH INDUSTRIES)
ISP KOCH INDUSTRIES
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Kansas
City : Wichita
Lat/Long : 37.7521, -97.2782 (Map)
Language unknown
Operating System Unknown Unknown
Browser Netscape 4.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible;)
Javascript disabled
Time of Visit Feb 17 2012 1:57:51 pm

Posted in 2012, 2012 Election, Afternoon Jukebox, Video | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Record 19 Reporters, Media Execs Join Team Obama

February 17, 2012 by Suzie-Q

February 17, 2012 12:52pm

The Examiner- Washington

by- Paul Bedard

For some Washington reporters and media execs, cheering their team from the sidelines just isn’t good enough: Tugging on a red, white and blue Team Obama jersey is the answer.

That’s the case for a whopping 19 journalists and media executives, including five from the Washington Post and three each from ABC and CNN, who’ve gone into the administration or center-left groups supporting the president.
Those inside the administration hit 14 this month when the Post’s Stephen Barr joined the Labor Department. That’s a record, say some revolving door watchers, and could even be much higher: The Post reports that “dozens” of former journalists have joined the administration, although Washington Secrets couldn’t verify that tally.
Many are in communications and speech writing offices, most prominently Jay Carney, the president’s spokesman who ran Time’s Washington bureau, and husband to ABC’s Claire Shipman. Some joined as the news business collapsed, many to finally voice their politics, and others, notably former Transportation spokeswoman Jill Zuckman, because she liked her future boss, Secretary Ray LaHood, a rare Republican in the administration. That relationship rocked: LaHood broke through the lower-tier Cabinet P.R. ceiling to become one of the most well-known Transportation secretaries ever. She had worked for the Chicago Tribune.
The revolving door isn’t a surprise to critics of the media and Obama. “The number of reporters going into the Obama administration merely confirms what I knew and what most conservatives long believed,” said Noam Neusner, himself one of the few reporters hired as a Bush speech writer. “There is a vast supply of liberals in newsrooms, they are very happy to support Obama administration policies if they can get hired and they barely hide their ideology in the way they cover the news.” Neusner, who I worked with at U.S. News, said that he too might have been guilty of a pro-Bush bias, but said correctly: “My editors and colleagues were surprised to hear that I was a Republican.”
A former GOP Capitol Hill and cabinet spokesman added, “It’s frustrating to see so many reporters that had relationships with trusted sources give up their ‘impartiality’ and start playing for the other side. It does show that the game is stacked in favor of the other side when most reporters still working in their profession remain silent.”
Stephen Hess, a presidential and journalism scholar at the Brookings Institution, said reporters can be “conflicted” when they trade places. “On the other hand,” he added, “reporters going back to journalism after a stint in government are always better reporters in that they now understand how government really works.”

Posted in 2012, 2012 Election, Media, Obama, Obama Campaign 2012, President Barack Obama, President Obama | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Foster Friess, Rick Santorum Super PAC Backer, Talks Contraception (VIDEO)

February 16, 2012 by Suzie-Q

The Huffington Post
First Posted: 02/16/2012  2:36 pm Updated: 02/16/2012  4:35 pm

Foster Friess, a top donor to a Rick Santorum-aligned super PAC, dismissed the importance of his candidate’s stances on social issues in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Thursday, adding a bizarre statement about birth control.

Friess was asked about Santorum’s beliefs on social issues such as abortion and gay rights, which have led many to question his viability in a general election.

“I get such a chuckle when these things come out,” he said. He added, “We have jihadist camps being set up in Latin America, which Rick has been warning about and people seem to be so preoccupied with sex — I think it says something about our culture. We maybe need a massive therapy session so we can concentrate on what the real issues are.”

Friess then turned to contraception. “This contraceptive thing, my gosh it’s such [sic] inexpensive. Back in my days, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly,” he said.

Mitchell, taken aback, said, “Excuse me, I’m just trying to catch my breath from that” and changed the subject. Friess later described Santorum as “truly the post-partisan candidate,” a line ascribed to then-candidate Barack Obama in 2008.

Santorum said that he personally believes in the Catholic Church’s position on contraception, which is that it should not be used by members of the religion, but that he thinks it should be available. He noted Wednesday that he had voted for funding for contraception “domestically and internationally, and would not support any law that would prevent that.”

Still, Santorum has strongly opposed the Obama administration’s rule requiring most religiously-affiliated employers to provide contraception in their health plans. He said in 2006 that he thinks that contraception is “harmful to women.”

MORE HERE

Posted in 2012, 2012 Election, Contraception, Foster Friess Birth Control, Rick Santorum, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Jobless Claims At Lowest Since Obama Took Office

February 16, 2012 by Suzie-Q

Thursday, February 16, 2012 9:28 EST

Raw Story   By- David Ferguson

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits has fallen to its lowest since March of 2008, the Associated Press reported Thursday morning. The national economy added 243,000 jobs in January, lowering the employment rate to 8.3 percent, according to the Department of Labor.

A government report noted that weekly unemployment application numbers have fallen from 361,000 to a seasonally adjusted 348,000. These numbers mean that businesses are laying off fewer workers and that the hiring situation may be improving as the economy struggles to come back to life. This is the fifth straight week that unemployment claims have been down.

The AP says that the economy has added an average of 201,000 jobs per month for the past three months.

A pick-up in retail sales has followed a short holiday slump. While many economists predict that the economy may slow down again as manufacturers have less need to replenish their stores of goods for sale, there is confidence that the economy is gaining its footing, growing at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the last quarter, a full percentage point over the previous quarter.

Nearly 13 million Americans eligible for jobs are currently out of work.

SOURCE

Posted in 2012, Economy, Unemployment | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

While He Was A Senator, Rick Santorum Voted With President George W. Bush Over 95% Of The Time

February 16, 2012 by Suzie-Q

February 15, 2012

Addicting Info  By

Rick Santorum is currently the poster boy for conservatism and the candidate leading the national polls among Republicans. Every day, Romney gets a little weaker, and Santorum gets a little stronger. And that makes him a threat to be the Republican Presidential nominee who faces President Obama in the general election this fall. But who exactly would the American people really be voting for if they elected Santorum? The answer could make you throw up in your mouth a little bit.

If Americans were to elect Rick Santorum to the Presidency, they’d be electing a second George W. Bush. In fact, Santorum would be even worse. If Rick Perry is the dumber version of Bush, Rick Santorum is the extreme version. According to Congressional Quarterly, Santorum supported Bush policies over 95% of the time from 2001 to 2005. Here is just a sample of the many Bush supported policies that Santorum voted for.

Tax Cuts) Santorum loves tax cuts. In fact, he voted for the 2001 Bush tax cuts, the repeal the Inheritance Tax in 2002, the 2003 Bush tax cuts, and he voted for extending the Bush tax cuts in 2006. These tax cuts are partly to blame for the large deficits created by Republicans that continue to plague our economy today and has contributed to the largest increase in income inequality since the Great Depression. But Santorum would be worse than Bush because he wants to cut taxes even more for corporations and the wealthy.

MORE HERE

Posted in 2012, 2012 Election, Economy, George W. Bush, Rick Santorum | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Get Ready For A Huge Obama Backed Manufacturing Surge

February 16, 2012 by Suzie-Q

February 15, 2012

Politicususa  By

President Obama has made it his priority to invest in America, specifically in manufacturing and infrastructure. His 2013 budget, which will most likely be opposed by every Republican calls for $350 billion in short-term measures for job growth, and a six-year, $476 billion proposal for roads and other surface transportation projects according to the Wall Street Journal.

President Obama is also talking about the largest sweeping reform to the tax code since President Reagan did it in 1986.  His recent call is to lower the corporate income tax as well as close all the bullet holes shot into the tax code by special interests.

In a report by Reuters oil and gas subsidies will be eliminated, while increasing tax breaks for high tech companies.  Republicans are crying foul on this. In President Obama’s proposal there will be enormous tax credits and breaks for patriotic companies who choose to stay here in the United States rather than move American jobs to foreign low wage countries.  This is sure to increase employment in America as well as increase wages for American families who have seen their income remain stagnant or drop for too many years.

Now getting back to the manufacturing sector, a recent report by the Empire Fed, they asked companies about investing and capital expenditures.  The survey showed that the companies want to increase capital investments by 29% over last year.

This survey was in conjunction with the release of data concerning manufacturing activity, which rose six points, to 19.53.  It seems that President Obama’s economic plans are working.  He lowered taxes on middle class families, rather than the Republican plan of cutting taxes for the already wealthy which gave the American consumer more spending power. He invested in infrastructure and manufacturing last year and the year prior which also increased employment and wages of millions of Americans.

All of this good economic news shows that President Obama’s plan is helping this recovery.  His 2013 budget will only bolster, strengthen and speed up the recovery.

This is the reason, the GOP is moving slightly away from talking about the economy and moving to the wedge issues, like the birth control issue, Gay marriage and abortion.  The more they talk about the economy the more likely President Obama will win the election because it sheds light on the prosperity that is on the horizon, if we continue on Obama’s path.

SOURCE

Image: Today’s Machine World

Posted in 2012, Obama, President Barack Obama, President Obama | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

CNN Poll: Obama approval rating back to 50% mark

February 15, 2012 by Suzie-Q

CNN PoliticalTicker…

February 15th, 2012

04:00 PM ET

3 hours ago

politicalmugshot
Posted by

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama’s approval rating is back to 50% for the first time in more than eight months, and he currently holds an edge against all the remaining Republican presidential candidates in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups, according to a new national survey.

And a CNN/ORC International Poll released Wednesday also indicates that the GOP’s advantage on enthusiasm has been erased, and that the number of Americans who think things are going well in the country is on the rise. Six out of ten say things are going poorly in the country, but four out of ten say things are going well, up 15 points since November.

See full results (pdf) Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

“Does that mean it’s morning in America?  It is for Democrats – a solid majority of them now say things are going well in the country.  But overall, six in ten still have a gloomy outlook about the state of the country,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Optimism is on the rise among independent voters, with a notable increase among men as well, although a majority of both groups still think things are going poorly.”

The rise of Americans who say things are going well appears to be helping the president, whose approval rating now stands at 50%, with 48% saying they disapprove of the job Obama’s doing in the White House. The president’s approval rating has edged up three points from last month and is up six points from November. The last time Obama’s approval rating was at 50% or above was last May, as a result of the killing of Osama bin Laden, and it stayed there for about a month before fading.

“Independents now have a net-positive view of President Obama,” says Holland.  “His approval rating has also reached 50% in the suburbs.”

Looking ahead to November, the poll indicates that the president’s re-election chances are on the rise. In hypothetical matchups among registered voters, Obama holds a 51%-46% margin over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, leads both former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas by the same 52%-45% advantage, and beats former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 55%-42%.

The president appears to have gained ground since January against Romney, Paul, and Gingrich. Only Santorum has held steady. The poll also indicates that Obama wins a majority of independent voters in all four general election match-ups.

“More than six in ten Americans believe that the policies of Romney and Gingrich favor the rich; Santorum and Paul do better on that measure, but only a quarter feel that way about Obama,” says Holland.

The survey suggests that the contentious Republican primary season has decreased enthusiasm among Republican voters, virtually erasing the “enthusiasm gap” that promised to provide the ultimate GOP presidential nominee with a major advantage in the fall.  In October, 64% of Republicans said that they were extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for president, compared to only 43% of Democratic voters.  GOP enthusiasm since that time has tumbled 13 points, to 51%, virtually the same as the Democrats’ level of enthusiasm.

Other findings in the poll: 67% of the public says they are either very or somewhat angry about the way things are going in the country, down five points from September. And 31% approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, with 22% giving congressional Republicans a thumbs up. Both numbers are virtually unchanged from last autumn. The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International from February 10-13, with 1,026 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

- CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

SOURCE

Also see:

Gingrich: Santorum ‘misunderstands’ modern warfare

Santorum slams Obama administration as ‘elite snobs’

Romney surrogates attack Santorum’s record

CNN Poll: Romney’s likability fading

CNN Poll: Gender and income gaps in GOP nomination battle

SOURCE

Posted in Poll, President Obama, 2012, Obama, President Barack Obama, 2012 Election | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Iran Nuclear Threat Brings No U.S. Enthusiasm For A Military Strike

February 15, 2012 by Suzie-Q


Huff Post- Posted: 2/15/12 | Updated: 2/15/12

By- David Wood

WASHINGTON –  The threat of punishing U.S. military strikes underlies Washington’s campaign to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But there is no enthusiasm evident within the U.S. military for a war many believe would be messy, bloody, unpredictable and ultimately inconclusive.

Seeking to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, President Barack Obama has focused on coordinating international economic pressure against Iran and moved to strengthen economic sanctions just last week. But he warned in the Jan. 24 State of the Union address, “Let there be no doubt: American is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal.”

It’s a truism of diplomacy to never to make a threat that you’re not prepared to carry out. There is no doubt that if ordered, the U.S. military would launch devastating attacks against Iran. Whether such strikes would come along with or instead of Israeli attacks, tactical planning is already under way, as is done routinely for a variety of potential military operations the Pentagon might be ordered to carry out, senior officers said.

“If called upon, I have no doubt that the armed forces of the United States will deal with whatever contingencies might unfold there,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said last week when asked about a possible military confrontation with Iran.

But Gen. Martin Dempsey, the crusty Army general who heads the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told National Journal last month that a war with Iran “would be really destabilizing … I personally believe that we should be in the business of deterring [war] as a first priority,” he said.

The Joint Chiefs are hardly a bunch of shrinking violets. Dempsey commanded the 1st Armored Division for 14 months of hard combat in Iraq and served there another two years directing the training of Iraqi security forces.

MORE HERE

Posted in DOD, Iran, Obama, U.S.-Iran War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,390 other followers