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19 Jun 2011 10:43

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Politics: GLAAD president sacked after bizarre net neutrality controversy

  • controversy For some strange reason, GLAAD — an activist group known more for its stance on gay rights than it is on technology-related issues — recently sent out form letters received from AT&T that made it clear they were against net neutrality, and that they supported the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. Why? And what does this have to do with gay rights?
  • result GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios resigned as a result of the controversy, admitting the group accepted money from AT&T and signed off on letters he didn’t actually understand (because they had nothing to do with gay rights). He also covered up the deed — putting his secretary on the hook when he actually sent out the letters. So he’s out. Oops. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2011 11:28

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Politics: Early New Hampshire poll: Romney flying high, Bachmann rising fast

  • The field has a pretty obvious split: Those who like Mitt Romney and those who don’t. But there are some interesting details to note about New Hampshire Republican primary voters. First, Bachmann’s debate performance now has her polling above Sarah Palin, which is kind of a big deal. Second, Newt Gingrich is totally sucking. Third, despite many reasons to love him right now, Jon Huntsman has low polling numbers and low likability, which makes no sense. Finally, Rick Santorum is bringing up the rear — as he should. Either way, with the first big debate now in the rearview, the polling nonetheless is fascinating. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2011 17:15

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Politics: Mitt Romney, unemployed American everyman

  • I should tell my story. I’m also unemployed.
  • Presidential candidate Mitt Romney • Cracking the sort of joke that only really goes over well with a crowd that likes you. A memo to all multi-millionaires out there: I hope this doesn’t sound like “class warfare,” but don’t make jokes about having hardships that you demonstrably don’t have. Does having tons of cash mean you can’t have problems in your life? Not at all. Would unemployment be one of them? Not really. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2011 17:12

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Politics: New York senate may vote on marriage equality soon

  • New York close to marriage equality: As it stands now, New York could become the 6th state to legalize gay marriage, if they can convince just one more Republican state senator to support it. The problem is that in situations when one legislator’s vote tips the balance, that person might get labeled as having cast “the deciding vote.” The question is what a Republican on the fence fears more: conservative backlash against gay marriage support, or the ire of pro-equality advocate groups (58% of New Yorkers support gay marriage). It’s possible this could get a vote tomorrow — we’ll be following it. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2011 16:30

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Politics: Media outlets cut away from Pelosi’s job talk

  • ‘Less jobs, more Weiner,’ media pleads: This is the sort of thing that, after what’s already been a very overblown frenzy over the scandal (and today’s resignation) of Anthony Weiner, serves as an instant representation of what’s frustrating us right now. What makes this even worse is that Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly and stridently called for Weiner’s resignation. As the Democratic Leader, that condemnation is part of what Weiner seemed to feel forced his hand. Is there really even anything left to ask her about this? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2011 11:28

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Politics: Did the Bush-era CIA go after prominent bloggers like Juan Cole?

  • ‘What do you think we might know about him, or could find out that could discredit him?’ … Does he drink? What are his views? Is he married?
  • Bush-era CIA official David Low (reportedly) • Discussing with Glenn L. Carle, another top official in the CIA at that time, what they should do about Bush-needling professor Juan Cole, whose Informed Comment blog repeatedly criticized the Bush administration’s foreign policy. Cole posted about the matter on his blog today, kind of shocked about what came out. But he admits that he could be only the tip of the iceberg. “What alarms me most of all in the nakedly illegal deployment of the CIA against an academic for the explicit purpose of destroying his reputation for political purposes,” he says, “is that I know I am a relatively small fish and it seems to me rather likely that I was not the only target of the baleful team at the White House.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2011 00:09

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Politics: Sex scandals hurt Republicans more than Democrats

  • -7.7% effect of a sex scandal on the average Republican politician’s vote share
  • -4.9% effect of a sex scandal on the average Democratic politician’s vote share source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Jun 2011 23:35

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Politics: Guess who said this

  • You are not going to see a great philosophical difference between Rick Perry and George Bush.
  • Rick Perry • In a 2000 interview that could seriously hurt his chances at becoming president in 2012. Many people forget that, prior to becoming president, George W. Bush was a moderate Republican governor known for compromising with Democrats in his state. This could have been what Perry was referring to when he made the comparison; however, most people probably won’t make that distinction. If he runs, expect to see this quote repeated ad nauseam by Democrats. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 22:26

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Politics: Anthony Weiner: Disproportionately well-known

  • Only in America can sending a dirty tweet make you more well known than being one of the most powerful people in the country.
  • Tom Jensen at Public Policy Polling • Reflecting on the fact that Anthony Weiner has higher name recognition than John Boehner. Also in that poll: Weiner’s national approval rating is 8%. His disapproval? 70%. Yikes. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 22:15

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Politics: Pawlenty’s extreme tax proposal

  • 73% Pawlenty’s tax cut for the 400 richest Americans source
  • » During his time as Minnesota’s governor, Tim Pawlenty staked out a few moderate stances. This is understandable, as Minnesota is a moderate state. But moderation doesn’t fly in the current incantation of the Republican party (just ask Mike Castle or Bob Bennett). It especially doesn’t fly for Republicans who want to be President, and perhaps no position is as sacrosanct to the modern Republican party as that of low taxes. Still, Pawlenty’s proposed tax plan is really extreme, even by supply-sider standards; for example, he proposes that millionaires alone receive a 41% tax cut. So, while it’s understandable that T-Paw wants quell the concerts of Republican primary voters by tacking to the right, we wonder if he really needed to adopt a tax plan that, in the words of Ezra Klein, “makes George W. Bush look like Robin Hood.”
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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