Gabby Giffords Last Night

She is resigning this week from Congress, so this is perhaps the last time we will see her at a State of the Union. She says she will return after she focuses on her recovery, but you never know. Knowing that, these scenes were very emotional:

My Reaction

I enjoyed the multiple digs at Romney, whom the White House clearly thinks will still be the GOP nominee this fall. But the way he wrapped tax fairness as patriotic (and it really is, because the selfish greed of the 1% is not in any way patriotic), for the first time making the Democratic case that if you give tax cuts to the wealthy you have to take away a hell of a lot from everyone else, was brilliant.

Tuesday Open Thread [1.24.12]

We got a new poll out of Florida that shows Gingrich up 5. Meanwhile, Republican leaning Rasmussen has President Obama leads Mittens by 2 and Gingrich by 9. We also have an update on the Florida ad war, if you can stomach watching it.

“It’s Not My Job.”

To John McCain's credit, and Sarah Palin's chagrin, John McCain did correct people in the audiences of his speeches and town halls who wrongly believed that the President was a Muslim. To someone like John McCain, where integrity, honor and truth seem to matter a great deal, I suppose not doing so, and allowing such malicious disinformation that is fostered on many corners of the right to grow, was a rubicon he could not cross. Rick Santorum has no such trouble.

Mitt Romney And Self-Deportation

Romney was asked how he would reconcile his pledge that, as president, he wouldn't order mass deportations of undocumented immigrants with his promise to crack down on illegal immigration. His answer: “self-deportation.” I guess they'll just load up their SUV, strap the dog to the top, and go somewhere else.