Thursday Open Thread [4.2.15]

Thursday Open Thread [4.2.15]

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NATIONAL--PRESIDENT--REPUBLICAN PRIMARY--Washington Post-ABC News: Bush 20, Cruz 13, Walker 12, Paul 9, Huckabee 8, Carson 7, Rubio 7, Christie 6, Perry 2, Santorum 2, Fiorina 1, Graham 1, Jindal 1, Kasich 1 CRUZMENTUM!!!! Another poll from PPP also finds Cruz skyrocketing into the high teens at 16%. NATIONAL--PRESIDENT--Washington Post-ABC News: Clinton 54, Bush 40; Clinton 58, Cruz 37; Clinton 55, Walker 38; Clinton 55, Rubio 38 Those are 49 state numbers right there.
Utter failure of supply-side economics in Kansas shocks nobody

Utter failure of supply-side economics in Kansas shocks nobody

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Wealthy job creators and large corporations get huge tax cuts. They plow that money back into the economy and, Bango! Your government is sitting on big budget surpluses. That's what was supposed to happen. It never worked, and it was complete horseshit from the get go. However, supply-side die hards claimed that it had never been fully implemented because pesky liberal Keynesians kept the government from cutting taxes as deeply as they needed to be cut in order to unleash this economic marvel. This time it would be different. This time Kansas would lead the way and prove the ability of tax cuts alone to drive an economic revival. This time the Keynes lovers will be shut up, but good.
Cheney’s Dream of Middle East Peace Not Yet Fully Realized

Cheney’s Dream of Middle East Peace Not Yet Fully Realized

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12 years after invading Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in the middle east, Dick Cheney's dreams of a region rebuilt on the principles of free market capitalism and Jeffersonian democracy have not yet been fully realized.
The Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen threatens to turn what has been a civil war between competing branches of Islam into a wider regional struggle involving Iran. It could also destroy any hope of stability in Yemen. Even before the Saudis and their Arab allies started the bombing, Yemen was in severe distress; on Tuesday, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights warned that it is now on the brink of collapse.
Carper Steps Down – Will Not Seek Reelection in 2016

Carper Steps Down – Will Not Seek Reelection in 2016

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Shocking news via Politico:
Senator Thomas "Tom" Carper (D-Del.) announced Wednesday morning that he would not seek reelection in 2016. Carper, 68, is the senior United States Senator from Delaware, serving since 2001. His surprise departure at the end of the term could set off a scramble among his top Delaware politicians to succeed one of the longest-serving elected officials in the state. A towering figure in Delaware politics, Carper served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993 and was the 71st Governor of Delaware from 1993 to 2001.

Pence calls for legislation to invalidate Indy’s “right to discriminate” law

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This thing has turned into a huge pain in the ass for Pence. (And not the good kind of pain in the ass.)
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) said Tuesday that he wanted to see legislation on his desk this week clarifying that the controversial religious freedom bill he signed into law did not allow businesses to deny service to anyone. "...the intent of the law when I signed it, was to give the courts in our state the highest level of scrutiny in cases where people feel that their religious liberty is being infringed on by government action."
This should be called Pence's MC Escher law. Since Indiana's "religions freedom" law in was intended to explicitly allow discrimination, this law (a government action) proposed by Pence can be seen by wingnuts as infringing on their recently won religious liberty to discriminate against gays.

Tuesday Open Thread [3.31.15]

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A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Americans support the notion of striking a deal with Iran that restricts the nation’s nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions. “But the survey — released hours before Tuesday’s negotiating deadline — also finds few Americans are hopeful that such an agreement will be effective. Nearly six in 10 say they are not confident that a deal will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, unchanged from 15 months ago, when the United States, France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia reached an interim agreement with Iran aimed at sealing a long-term deal.” So while the GOP may freak the fuck out, remember that they desire war and the death of thousands of Americans so as to line defense contractor pockets. Remember that they do not represent the American people.
Sunday Open Thread [3.29.15]

Sunday Open Thread [3.29.15]

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Scott Walker is the best candidate to bridge both the Establishment and the Tea Party. But he just did something that will give a huge opening to Ted Cruz. “Likely GOP presidential candidate Scott Walker told a private gathering of New Hampshire business leaders earlier this month that he supports providing some illegal immigrants with a pathway to citizenship,” the Washington Post reports.
“The position would mark a significant shift from away from the hardline ‘no amnesty’ stance Walker has taken in public in recent weeks. The Wisconsin governor also told the small group that illegal immigrants seeking citizenship should not receive preferential treatment over applicants who are already in line, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak about it publicly.”
Remember, allowing any illegal to stay here is amnesty and unacceptable. The Tea Party cannot have that.