Monthly Archives: August 2010

Friday’s Asshat of the Day

Sorry for missing yesterday – got busy with work and a thank you reception for the former chair of the Board of Governors of the Sussex Family YMCA who is battling terminal bone marrow cancer.

Our awardee today is a joint award – Senator David Viter and his aide, Brent Furer.  I’m sure all of us know by now Vitter’s problems with prostitutes and the late DC Madam.  But of course, all he had to do was apologize and say a few Hail McConnels, the Republican version of a Hail Mary, and all was forgiven.  So another family values Republican who likes his ladies of the evening. Plus, he opposed the Lily Ledbetter Act and even voted against coverage for mammograms.  Guess he just wants his women barefoot and pregnant, unless he’s paying for them to spank him while he’s wearing a diaper.

What is worse is that his aide, Furer, has had his own run-ins with the law, including DUI’s, cocaine possession, and beating the crap out of former girlfriend, so bad that she needed stitches to close up a wound on her face.  Wow, big man, beating up a woman.  But let’s did that hole a bit deeper, Brent.  It appears that Furer used taxpayer money to fly back to Baton Rouge to appear in court.  Taxpayer money for his expenses to appear in court.  That takes some really big balls.  I guess Furer forgot that all of that information is public and it would be easy to connect the dots between his “official” travel and his court dates.

So, a “family values” Rethuglican and his aide who likes to beat up women – I think they’re deserving of being today’s Asshats of the Day.

Enjoy the video.

The Ballad of David Vitter

Friday Open Thread

Welcome to the Friday edition of your open thread. Our threads are always open, just don’t leave a mess.

If we lived in a sane country, David Vitter’s re-election chances would be close to zero. He’s still favored to win however, but more damaging information has come out about his “women’s issues” aide with a domestic violence arrest:

Democrats think they have David Vitter dead to rights. Travel records, they say, indicate that Vitter’s one-time aide Brent Furer twice used taxpayer money to travel to Louisiana to defend himself in court on drunk driving charges. Those same records suggest that Furer seldom traveled to Louisiana on congressional business.

A TPM survey of records from Vitter’s Senate office finds that Furer made just six official trips from DC to New Orleans while working for Vitter. Two of those trips coincide with court dates alone. Two others were to attend a Vittter staff retreat (one of which also overlapped with a court date). One, in August 2007, coincides with the emergence of Vitter’s prostitution scandal, and the sixth took place from April 29 through May 3, 2005.

Vitter seems to be going down the path of all politicians in trouble. Lying, covering-up and lying some more. Haven’t they learned yet that the slow drip, drip, drip of information is much, much worse?

The sports blog Dead Spin tells the tragic story of the death of a WWE wrestler, Lance Cade at the young age of 29. This story has great political importance not only because Connecticut GOP U.S. Senate nominee Linda McMahon is the CEO but it also highlights the poor working conditions of the WWE.

It wasn’t long ago that juiced-up Adonises dominated the top ranks of the WWE. (Some would say that the John Cena-Batista feuds in recent years are evidence that little has changed.) There certainly have been stories in the past about Vince McMahon suggesting that wrestlers go “on the gas” to help their look. And the steroids are only one end of a vicious cycle of self-medication: The grinding schedule necessitates painkillers and sleeping pills to aid in recovery, and those require uppers so you can be ready to go again the next day. Add to that the inevitable impulses of being young and wealthy, living a life on the road in a bawdy boys club, and the potential for myriad chemical abuses comes into stark focus. If it’s not exactly the East German Olympic team, it’s certainly a culture of excess, one full of destructive incentives. Some of the responsibility has to fall on the McMahons.

This is where Lance Cade’s death has particular import. Because Cade, like so many of the other wrestlers who have died over the past 15 years, was addicted at various times to painkillers and sleeping pills, and earlier this year he went to rehab for (reportedly) the second time. The WWE paid for his first trip to rehab, and while that in and of itself doesn’t make the organization culpable, it’s an implicit recognition that Cade’s health did in some way fall under the WWE’s purview.

…

Cade was fired three times by the WWE for not having his substance abuse problems under control — the first after suffering a pill-induced seizure on a company flight, and the second time after admitting he had a problem and going to rehab. Despite his confessions of drug use, though, Cade claimed he never actually failed a Wellness Policy test. And there was never any indication that his work suffered from his dependencies. As with Umaga (Eddie Fatu), who died this year, there is the feeling that the WWE finally cut ties with Cade because he had become a liability — because despite wrestling’s attempts to help him, Cade’s talents did not outweigh the potential for negative press should his addictions finally get the better of him. If this was indeed the calculus, there’s a miserable sort of logic at work, and in its prescience it’s doubly heartbreaking.

The post is too long and too detailed to really do it justice with excerpts so go read the whole thing. I had absolutely no idea how bad the world of “sports entertainment” was for these athletes. It’s monstrous.

Campaign Finance Open Thread

A few of you have already been discussing the campaign finance reports that were due a few days ago to the Department of Elections. There are still quite a few reports missing but use this as a thread to discuss anything interesting that you see.

What I’ve noticed:
State Treasurer
Chip Flowers has raised an impressive $27,000 mainly from lawyers and with a $200,000 loan to himself he’s looking good for cash. Velda Jones-Potter’s finance report hasn’t appeared yet.

Auditor
Richard Korn raised $9400 this year, mostly from business and labor groups.
Ken Matlusky has raised $17,000 this year which looks to be mainly from himself and family but with some individual donors. He’s also listing the names of his small dollar donors. He’s spent almost $19,000! Is he getting the bang for his advertising buck? It looks like he’s spent a lot on radio advertising.

State Representatives
Two primary candidates, Ed Osienski in the 24th and James Maravelias in the 27th have raised a lot of money from labor groups. Osienski raised $13,000 and Maravelias raised $17,000. Osienski’s primary opponent Kay Gallogly has only raised $1000 from individuals with an $11,000 loan to herself.

New Castle County Sheriff
Trinidad Navarro had an eyebrow-raising haul of $33,000, mostly individual donors. Mike Walsh’s finance report hasn’t been posted yet. It will be interesting to see what his looks like.

New Castle County Council
Mike Protack has a decent haul of almost $9000. Interestingly, $6000 of it comes from donors <$100. Janet Kilpatrick has raised $6400. Some of Kilpatrick's donors include Greg Lavelle, Bill Tansey, Citizens for Sorenson, Dick Cathcart and Nick Manokalos. She's definitely the establishment pick. Also I'm checking the qualified candidates site and see a few new names, mostly from the Independence Party of Delaware. For U.S. Senate - Glen Miller For U.S. House of Representatives - Earl Lofland Blue Enigma candidate for U.S. House of Representatives - Jeffrey Brown Beau Biden has his a challenger! Independence Party of Delware's Doug Campbell

This One Is For The O’Donnell Fans

Jason330 and commenter orestes pointed me over to this post on Delaware Politics about Christine O’Donnell. O’Donnell has been stretching the truth a bit a lot:

Christine O’Donnell:

“I was the 2008 endorsed Republican Candidate in 2008 and I won 2 counties.” (Delaware only has 3. Christine also holds up 2 fingers to emphasize the point.)

Now for the uninformed Christine O’Donnell won Zero, Zip, Nada Delaware Counties in 2008. Here are the numbers:

NCC Kent Sussex

Biden 177,070 37,094 43,495

O’Donnell 69,491 27,981 43,123

First comment on the thread:

Makes no difference, Castle is still a liberal and will vote with the current regime if elected.
O’Donnell is still a conservative and will vote and enact legislation for the good of the Republic if elected.
You and SF are still Castle sycophants and sodomites and will remain so until you are beaten on Sept 14.

Later…

I’m still going to vote for her.

Heh.

Imagine that…a political candidate stretching the truth.

Wonder of wonders.

In the spirit of El Somnabulo – I dedicate this song to all those Christine O’Donnell supporters out there.

O’Donnell Gets Another Endorsement

Talking Points Memo has the scoop on the latest group to endorse Christine O’Donnell. It’s another Tea Party group and they have dire warnings about Mike Castle.

To the Tea Party, a vote for Delaware Senate hopeful Mike Castle (R) is a vote for a Democrat. Literally. Conservatives there are warning fellow tea partiers that if Castle gets elected, he’ll pull an Arlen Specter and switch parties when the going gets tough. So they’re endorsing his primary rival, Christine O’Donnell, instead.

“We are confident Christine O’Donnell will beat Mike Castle in the upcoming primary,” , Delaware Vice President of the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC. “Christine is a strong grassroots favorite. While her opponent has the support of establishment types, Christine has the support of the people.”

The group’s president, Don Adams, took things even further, explicitly comparing Castle to Republican-turned-Democrat-turned-lame duck Arlen Specter.

“Our PAC Board endorses the most viable conservative candidates,” said Adams. “Unfortunately, Mike Castle is not a conservative–in fact, he’s a potential Arlen Specter.”

I feel like I’m watching “The Life of Brian” with the Judean People’s Front and the People’s Front of Judea. Just how many of these Tea Party groups are there anyway? I’m sure O’Donnell is thrilled with the latest endorsement – so when’s the Mama Grizzly herself going to step in?

Thursday Open Thread

Welcome to your Thursday open thread. The week’s close to coming to a close but our threads are always open.

OMFG…John McCain

I think an easy memory trick for Republican rhetoric: all good things come from Republicans, all bad things are Obama’s (or Clinton’s) fault.

The response of the world community to the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan has been less than other recent disasters.

During the last few weeks, monsoon rains have caused the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history. About 1,500 people are dead, and 20 million have been affected.

…

Sixteen days after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, aid commitments totaled $1.4 billion. Sixteen days after Pakistan’s floods began, promises added up to just $200 million.

Yet relief agencies say the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Pakistan is even greater than this year’s earthquake in Haiti.

I think it’s one of these disasters that’s fairly abstract in most people’s minds. We’re not seeing many pictures of the devastation and suffering caused by the flooding yet.

Here’s so resources if you want to help:
Oxfam
Pictures of Oxfam’s flood response
Doctors Without Borders
International Red Cross

Happy 90th 19th Amendment

Yesterday was the 90th anniversary of the 19th amendment which guaranteed women the right to vote. To celebrate the U.S. Chamber of Commerce published a blog post titled “Equality, Suffrage and a Fetish For Money.”

There is much that was good in this article — for instance the acknowledgment that most of the current “pay gap” is the result of individual choice rather than discrimination; but I believe that the overall tone is one of those cultural changes we need to make — the idea that giving up “pay and promotions” is a “terribly steep price” to pay for time away from work. These are only two of the many things that people value and depending on the weight that you assign to each of your values giving up a little might gain you a lot. Equality is a matter of ensuring equal access to opportunity, not ensuring identical outcomes in some areas depending on which opportunities you choose to take.

On a similar note around the same time the NY Times article appeared, Don Boudreaux wrote on income inequality in general noting: “Not only does achievement of such “equality” require the state to treat people unequally, obsession with income equality also reflects a Scrooge-like fetish for money.” More from Boudreaux:

Consider a man who spends long hours at the gym. He does so for the same reasons that another man spends long hours at work: to gain an advantage and a sense of achievement. Are gym-man’s broad shoulders, bulging biceps, and ripped torso appropriate objects of envy by couch-potato man? Is this envy a social problem demanding government action? Should gym-man be scorned as greedy for working extra-hard to improve his physique – extra-hard work that likely wins gym-man disproportionate access to attractive mates? Should government force gym-man to share his beautiful babes with couch-potato man? Should gym-man’s muscles, or natural good looks, be taxed?

If we recognize that envy of other persons’ physiques is a sentiment deserving only ridicule, why do so many “Progressives” excuse – or even positively approve of – envy of other persons’ monetary assets?

So did the U.S. Chamber of Commerce state that the pay gap is no big deal and compare women to someone who doesn’t work out? Why yes, yes they did. Really ladies, you should just expect that you deserve less money because you don’t have time to work unpaid overtime. Of course, the Chamber has good advice for those pesky, greedy women who just don’t understand why being a mother should disqualify them from having a good career.

It is true that culturally speaking women are more likely to have to make the tough choices about work-life balance. But as we all seek to fit our values into a dynamic 24/7 economy, let’s not overlook the obvious, immediate, power-of-the-individual solution: choosing the right place to work and choosing the right partner at home.

Hey, Brad Peck knows it’s tough out there for women. That’s why he’s advising not to work at a place like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or to marry a man like Brad Peck. Brad Peck and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce should read up on Lily Ledbetter. I’ll bet you’re not surprised to learn that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed the legislation, along with almost all civil rights legislation:

Given all this, it will not shock you that they also opposed what would become the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which it said represented a potential wind-fall against employers by employees trying to dredge up stale pay claims.” Via Firedoglake, we learn that they have a sterling record on women’s rights:

* 1977: US Chamber opposes amendment to Civil Rights Act that would ban discrimination against pregnant women.
* 1978: US Chamber says pregnancy is a “voluntary” condition in its opposition to Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
* 1987: Family Medical Leave Act “sets a dangerous precedent,” according to the US Chamber.
* 1998: US Chamber opposes Equal Pay Act because “work experience does tend to create greater wage gaps.”
* 2007: US Chamber opposes Lilly Ledbetter’s court case for equal pay because “tear-stained testimony” prejudices against a defendant. Opposed the bill in Congress to right the wrongs against Ledbetter in 2008 and 2009 as well.
* 2007: Chamber official pledges “all out war” against Family Medical Leave Act, and in 2010 made it a “priority” to fight in Congress.
* Monday: US Chamber again cites pregnancy as a “voluntary choice.”

And, yes, the pay gap really exists and it can’t be explained away by motherhood.

Bonus: read the comments on the post of the Chamber of Commerce’s blog.

Where to Start?

Conservative website WND (Wing Nut Daily) has dropped Ann Coulter as the keynote speaker at its upcoming conference over her plan to speak to a group in favor of gay rights.

WND says that Coulter’s decision to speak at Homocon, an event sponsored by a gay Republican organization called GOProud, disqualifies her from speaking at their “Taking America Back National Conference.” WND editor and CEO Joseph Farah said. “The drift of the conservative movement to a brand of materialistic libertarianism is one of the main reasons we planned this conference from the beginning.”

ohhh… I get it. They need to “Take Back America” from all the ACORN loving gay wingnuts and Mexicans that have taken over everything. They can’t have the purity of their conference sullied by Coulter’s homo cooties.

If only a conservative Robespierre would rise from one of these conferences and REALLY get down to the business of purifying the movement.

Wednesday’s Asshat of the Day

These awards are getting easier each day. We here at DL already skewered today’s winner earlier this week for his one-on-one with Anderson Cooper regarding terror babies. But Congressman Louid Gohmert is even crazier than we thought. Check out this video from The Daily Show:  www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-17-2010/jon-stewart—anderson-cooper-look-at-gaping-holes—security.

But Louie, Louie, Louie, Looooeeeeee, you keep digging that hole deeper (h/t Huffington Post) – The Lufkin Daily News reports on what Gohmert had to say about the exchange at the opening of the Angelina County Republican Party campaign headquarters in Texas over the weekend:

Gohmert briefly spoke about his CNN interview with Anderson Cooper this past week in which “terror babies” — children born for the purpose of having American passports that can later be used for terrorism — were discussed.

“Cooper spent his time attacking my integrity in that interview because I would not give away the names of my sources,” Gohmert said. “One of my sources said if anyone knew who she was that she would be killed. He did not need to know my sources and I was not going to put people’s lives in danger.”

OMG.  His source, who I believe was sitting next to him on an airplane and had never met Louie before, is going to be killed by a terror baby’s diaper bomb if Louie releases her name.  I have to call FAIL, Congressman.  You’re just a fear-mongering jerk.

Now mind you, Gohmert’s election was a direct result of Tom DeLay’s gerrymandering of congressional districts in 2003.  Texas District 1 had always been a rural district, with Texarkana as it’s anchor and hadn’t been represented by a Republican since 1871.  The incumbent in 2004, Democrat Max Sandlin, was on DeLay’s hit list (as was Martin Frost and Chet Edwards) and went from winning the seat comfortably in 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002, to only taking 39% of the vote against Gohmert.

Between terror babies, hate crimes legislation leading to beastiality, and trying to draw some parallel between Obama supporters and Hitler, Rep. Louie Gohmert is our Asshat of the Day.

Fundraiser Tonight in Townsend

If you are anywhere near Townsend this evening, swing by the Blackbird Community Center at 6PM to help support Rick Griffiths, the endorsed Democratic candidate to replace Dick Cathcart in the 9th district.  The cost is $20 per person and includes pizza, sodas and desserts.  There will be a few Democratic candidates in attendance and it will be a good time to shake hands and make friends.

Wednesday Open Thread

It’s time again for your Wednesday open thread. Can you believe it’s Wednesday already? The weeks keep getting faster

Oh goody. We can spend more money prosecuting Rod Blagojevich. He was found guilty on just 1 of 24 charges – lying to investigators.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been found guilty of only one of the 24 counts in his corruption trial. After deliberating for 14 days, the jury found him guilty only of making false statements to the FBI. The jury is deadlocked on the other 23 counts.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Blagojevich faces up to five years in prison. Judge James B. Zagel intends to declare a mistrial on the other counts.

The verdict is a huge defeat for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, but the Associated Press reports that prosecutors said they plan to retry the case as soon as possible, and that Zagel set a hearing for August 26 to decide on the manner and timing.

Apparently the jury vote was 11-1 in favor of conviction. I’m sure the government will want to retry him but I really think it works in Blagojevich’s favor to look at plea deal.

You know who the real victim is? Dr. Laura, 1st amendment martyr:

She said on “Larry King Live” Tuesday night she won’t re-up when her contract runs out at the end of the year.

While Schlessinger told King she was still “regretful” over the incident, she said she feels her freedom of speech rights “have been usurped by angry, hateful groups who don’t want to debate – they want to eliminate.”

“I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors,” she said. “I’m sort of done with that.”

Schlessinger adamantly denied she was retiring, saying “I’m too young for that. I will be stronger and freer to say my mind through my books, my YouTube Channel, my blog and my website. And I’ll be on TV more, because I’ll have the freedom to speak my mind.”

“I decided it was time to move on to other venues where I could say my peace and not have to live in fear anymore,” she said.

I didn’t realize the 1st amendment contained a clause that you shouldn’t face consequences for your free speech if people don’t like what you say. Obviously I need to study the Constitution more because apparently there’s a bunch of modifying clauses I never noticed before.

Chris Coons Hits Castle on Deficit Hypocrisy

Or maybe we could call this another float in the Mike Castle hypocrisy parade. From a recent Chris Coons press release:

Recently, 18-year Congressman Mike Castle of Delaware told a reporter from Al-Jazeera: “People are beginning to grasp that the fiscal mismanagement in Washington which has caused a lot of indebtedness, a lot of borrowing, ultimately interest rate increases, and some great problems in the future needs to be managed.”

“Congressman Castle has been in Congress for 18 years, and voting for indebtedness, borrowing, supporting the Bush tax breaks for the rich and bailing out Wall Street banks and now he tells a reporter that Washington should be managed better? He had the opportunity to reject the failed ideas of the past and he didn’t – it is time for a new approach,” said Chris Coons campaign spokesperson Daniel F. McElhatton.

McElhatton further stated, “The open U.S. Senate seat in Delaware is drawing national and international attention and for the first time Congressman Castle is going to have to account for saying one thing in Delaware and doing another in Washington.”

This is the blog post where Castle is quoted.

I hope that Chris and his campaign will point out over and over again that Castle has been voting — especially for the Bush term — specifically to increase deficits via tax cuts, via Medicare Part D, via wars not paid for among other things. At no time was he ever concerned about paying for any of those things and the lack of fiscal discipline is one reason why we are struggling to get out of the Bush Recession. This effort to pretend to some fiscal responsibility should always be accompanied with a reminder that Castle never cared about that when a Republican was President. And now look where we are.

Part of this year’s election rhetoric from repubs is an effort to rewrite history — to make pretend that the deficits faced by the country are new and created under President Obama’s administration. That is, of course, a lie. The vast majority of these deficits were racked up by George W. Bush and Mike Castle. It is time — really — for someone in the press to start asking Castle why he voted for all of the old deficit-creating stuff if he is (now) such a deficit hawk.

More like this, please, Coons Campaign!