To V, With Love

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This post is in response to this plea: Pandora, special request. can you go over to mike’s blog and write a response post here to his assertion from yesterday that…

T-Gor announces “No More Pam Scotts Rule”

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The NJ reports...
New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon will announce “a comprehensive ethics reform package” today that he said has the sharpest focus to regain control over the government’s land-use process. Top county officials would have to disclose more information about their and their families’ outside businesses interests, vendors would have to disclose campaign contributions and private attorneys who help author legislation would have to be identified.
I mean, yeah..but.. It wasn't like Paul Clark's relationship WITH HIS WIFE was undisclosed, was it? It wasn't as if HIS WIFE'S CLIENTS were a mystery to anyone.

Thursday Open Thread [2.21.13]

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There was this Star Trek: The Next Generation episode that had the Enterprise caught up in a stampede of these one dimensional interstellar beings who were heading towards a Quasar or a Pulsar of some such thing that would immediately destroy them, and the Enterprise. The valiant crew of the Enterprise tried throughout the episode to make these beings realize that, if they continued on their current course, they would destroyed upon collision with the Quasar thingy. And yet, in the end, it was revealed that the Quasar is the one place in the universe that these beings wanted to go, even if it meant their destruction. Much like a moth to a flame, or a bug to a bug zapper, or lemmings to a cliff, sometimes beings have instincts to force them to take an action that will result in their death. Republicans have spent decades, generations even, ranting on and on about cutting government spending. So now matter how politically damaging the coming Sequester Cuts are going to be for these Republicans, no matter how economically damaging they are going to be for the rest of us, they don't care. It is instinctive. The Sequester Spending Cuts are the Republican's long dreamed of destination: massive spending cuts at last. Sure, they may complaint about the cuts in military spending, or that this is Obama's Sequester, but if the Republicans really really wanted to avoid the sequester it is within their power to pass legistlation today repealing it. The Senate will pass that repeal and the President would sign it. So the only reason they don't repeal it is because the Sequester is the one place in the universe where these beings we call Republicans want to be.

Republicans Love Living In Their Bubble

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Steve Benen looks at the latest polls, and - surprise! - Americans still aren't buying what Republicans are selling.
This poll suggests the GOP isn't just wrong, its understanding of public attitudes is the exact opposite of reality. The public is prepared to hold Republicans responsible for this self-inflicted wound that will undermine the economy, the military, and public needs. The one thing the GOP is counting on -- avoiding blame at all costs -- is already failing miserably. Indeed, looking ahead, voters were asked, "What should be the focus of steps to reduce the deficit?" A whopping 76% majority said there should be a combination of spending cuts and new revenue. Only 19% of the public -- fewer than one in five -- agrees with the Republicans cuts-only approach. Given the number of Americans who self-identify as members of the GOP, this suggests the Republican Party has failed to even persuade some of its own voters. Wait, it gets even worse for Republicans (and better for Democrats). On specific issues, the same poll found that Americans side with President Obama over the GOP on who has the better approach to reducing the deficit, who's right on reducing gun violence, who has the better plan to deal with immigration, and by a huge margin, who's better on the climate crisis. What's the good news for Republicans in these new national polls? There is no good news for Republicans in these new national polls.
Meanwhile, the Koch brothers are scratching their heads in confusion.

Budget Crisis Fatigue

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The worst thing in the world is about to happen. Seriously. Everybody freak out because this shit is horrible. It is beyond horrible. It is Clusterf@cktastic!! We'll probably revert to the stone age. And it is going to happen all in a few short days. Hours.... Minutes... All the crazy preppers are about be vindicated. Your highspeed internet will be medium speed at best. Unless.... unless... unless...