Sunday Open Thread [12.9.12]

"Hello Manny. I ran for president. I lost." -- Mitt Romney talking to boxer Manny Pacquiao in his dressing room before a fight last night. Pacquiao, who has expressed interest in running for office in the Philippines, was knocked out in the 6th round. Reverse Midas Touch for Mittens? Here is his reaction shot: That is the reaction I imagined he had on November 6.

The Polling Report [12.8.12]

We're back with a new polling report, with new polls on the President's approval rating, on the various options in the fiscal slope manufactured crisis, on the New Jersey gubernatorial race, and on possible Senate races in Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois and New Jersey.

In Defense of the Good White People…

This I could write myself, as it applies to me almost entirely....
To whom it may concern regarding the United States federal elections of 2014, 2016 and beyond: Allow me to introduce myself to you, the existing (or aspiring!) strategist for the Republican Party. My name is Eric Arnold Garland and I am a White Man. Boy, am I ever – you need sunglasses just to look at my photo! If I read the news correctly, I fit a profile that is of extreme importance to the GOP, as I embody the archetype that fits your narrative of Real Americans. [...] [I am] the BREAD AND BUTTER OF THE GRAND OLD PARTY, a Mayflower-descended small business owner, burdened by taxation, looking out for his beautiful White family in the suburbs of a city (St Louis) surrounded by racial tension and urban blight! How can I put this gently? My wife and I are not sensitive to your messaging, nor did we vote for the candidates you proposed for us this past [election]. [...] May I explain why not.....

The Next Fight, the first battle of which was fought yesterday, resulting in McConnell shooting himself in the foot.

The Fiscal Cliff fight is won. And we won it. Either the Republicans will pass the new Obama Middle Class Tax Cuts before January 1 or after. If they do it before, they will not be politically destroyed. If they do it after, they will be politically destroyed once again, just before the Next Fight begins in earnest. So what happened yesterday? Well, the Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, ended any doubt at all that there will be filibuster reform this January, at the start of the next Congress. What did he do now, you ask? He did something pretty remarkable. He filibustered himself. Yes. He filibustered his own bill. Here’s the background. As Jason has written about, the next big fight between the Dems and the Rethugs is the coming vote to raise the debt ceiling......

Delaware Day Open Thread [12.7.12]

To quote Sarah McBride, "225 years ago, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King Jr. met on land just five miles from what was then the Motiva Plant in New Castle, Delaware and sacrificed their lives, fortunes, and sacred honors. There they wrote and approved the Constitution of the United States, which was at that time the states of New Castle, Kent, and Sus**x (spelling out Sussex was too risqué). Since then, 49 other "states" have envied God's chosen land so much that they decided to emulate Delaware. May God continue to bless this glorious and perfect state. This I pray, in the name of Dupont, corporate law, and Joe Biden. Amen." Happy Delaware Day.

A Spectacular Jobs Report

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the U.S. economy added 146,000 jobs in November, nearly double the projections. What's more, the overall unemployment rate dropped to 7.7%, its lowest point in four years.

Thursday Open Thread [12.6.12]

Meanwhile, in a great moment of Congressional Humility and Interaction with the Plebs, we have this:
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) chewed out a House staffer after catching her riding on a “members only” elevator, according to an ITK tipster who was on the scene. [...] Our spy hit the “members” button on the elevator after waiting (and waiting) for a lift on Tuesday. Elevators were slow that day because furniture was being moved around the Longworth House Office Building. When the members-only elevator arrived, our tipster and a female House staffer stepped in. The elevator went up a single floor before the doors opened and Foxx walked in with an aide. [...] Foxx said to the staffer, “This is a ‘members-only’ elevator; can you read?” She then demanded the staffer’s name before the elevator stopped after going just one more floor up. “Get out here,” Foxx supposedly commanded. Before our insider and the berated staffer exited, the politician exclaimed, “What does this sign say? It says, ‘Members of Congress only.’ ” But that wasn’t it. The innocent staffer attempted to point out that the sign next to it stated, “during votes,” which is when, our tipster says, Foxx started yelling, “Members only!” as she pointed to signs. “I’m just making sure we are hiring people who know how to read,” the lawmaker said.
What a bitch. Sorry, Pandora, Cassandra, the term applies here.