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16 Aug 2011 21:39

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U.S.: Out-of-context Perry quote leads to race controversy

  • controversy On Tuesday, Rick Perry gave a speech in which he referred to a “big black cloud” hanging over America. The propagation of this quote by Ed Schultz and ABC News led to charges of racism against Perry.
  • explanation Both the Ed Schultz edit and the ABC quotation excluded Perry’s full comments, wherein he makes it explicitly clear that the “big black cloud” to which he refers is the nation’s debt. Not, as Schultz claimed, the President. source
  • » There are several different elements to this. First and foremost, two respected media outlets provided a half-quote when they should have provided a full quote. The intent (if any) behind the ABC article is debatable—they later updated it to make Perry’s comments clearer—but Ed Schultz was being flatly disingenuous when he said that “[the] black cloud Perry is talking about is President Barack Obama.” It wasn’t, and that was clear in the original quote. However, it is legitimate to ask whether or not the phrase “big black cloud” was consciously chosen to evoke—however subconsciously—racial imagery. The whole strategy behind race-baiting is to suggest race with a veil of plausible deniability, and while it’s not at all clear that Perry was doing this, it’s at least a fair question to ask. What do you think?
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2011 20:30

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Politics: Gaffe of the day: Michele Bachmann confuses Elvis’ birth with Elvis’ death

  • Let’s emphasize something: It’s August of 2011. There is a whole year and three months of this election mess to go. This politician is a frontrunner in a presidential race that’s proven full of gaffes so far. If she’s saying things like this now, is she gonna learn to not do this a year from now? Or is she going to keep making gaffes like these? Even beyond the many issues she has politically, how many people are going to go for a president that regularly makes stupid mistakes like this? Elvis is rolling in his grave … eating fried peanut butter and banana birthday cake. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Aug 2011 21:26

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Politics: Missing from last week’s Iowa debates: A feisty Buddy Roemer

  • it’s because he’s got such a rad name. Roemer, the former Louisiana governor, is one of the many Republican presidential candidates. But he wasn’t invited to last week’s debate due to low polling numbers. Too bad, because his tweets during the debate make him seem like a real hoot. While we learned that Bachmann thinks submission is “respect,” Roemer tweeted “Submission to an atheist must mean whips and chains. Good statement Congresswoman Bachmann.” Ice burn. Next time this happens, Buddy, consider having a Super Bowl-style party with Fred Karger, a candidate in the very same situation. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2011 23:38

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Politics: Cantankerous Corker Criticizes Colleagues

  • Basically, most Senators in this body are nothing but two-bit pawns…to lay out the groundwork, if you will, for 2012 election.
  • GOP Senator Bob Corker • Saying what everyone knows but rarely acknowledges: If a presidential election wasn’t lurking around the corner, this whole debt ceiling debate would be playing out much differently. This is really harsh language for a senator, especially when used in reference to his colleagues. Last week, Corker accepted blame, on behalf of the Republican party, for bringing our country to the brink of another economic collapse. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jul 2011 10:27

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Politics: Ron Paul learns the value of the high-gloss campaign ad

  • It’s interesting, really: If you’ve ever seen Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign ads, you’ll know this is a complete change-up for him. These are Pawlenty-level image-editing values right over here. Will this help him move beyond his base and possibly turn into a 2012 tour de force? Who knows? But it certainly makes him seem more impressive than his 2008 ads ever did. It drives the point home better than anything else he’s ever done. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jul 2011 10:05

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Politics: Bachmann retakes Waterloo for purposes of presidential campaign

  • Credit to Bachmann: By naming her first campaign clip “Waterloo,” she certainly is going far to retake the word away from that battle Napoleon lost. And the chiming guitars do give her talk of not raising the debt ceiling the warmth that few thought the topic had. Though if we were to do this again, we might focus less on the wasteful spending and more on the economy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 09:43

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Politics: Mitt Romney, fundraising machine; Newt Gingrich debt-saddled

  • $18.25 million the amount in donations that Mitt Romney received in the second quarter; the leading GOP candidate is pretty far ahead of the other guys
  • $1.2 million the amount in invoices that Newt Gingrich has; he’s paid them down by ten percent, but still has significant debt issues source
  • » Everyone else is kind of in the middle: With Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul hovering around the $4 million mark, and Herman Cain around $2.5 million, all pale in comparison to the Mittster, who is unemployed. Newt, who raised $2 million, was saddled with massive debt as a result of much of his senior campaign staff leaving; he has just $225,000 in the bank, which is extremely low. Newt, this presidential thing isn’t gonna work out.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

26 Jun 2011 20:16

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Politics: Michele Bachmann on hot seat trying to explain off subsidies

  • $30,000 the amount the counseling clinic Bachmann’s husband reportedly received in subsidies (some of them federal) over the past five years
  • $260,000 the amount a Wisconsin family farm, reportedly part-owned by Bachmann, reportedly received in federal subsidies source
  • » Oh no! That means … Bachmann, who’s suddenly become a GOP frontrunner, found herself on the defending end of tough questioning from Chris Wallace this morning over the allegations, uncovered by the Los Angeles Times. Bachmann’s stance: The money for the clinic went for employee training and never actually went to the clinic itself. And Bachmann and her husband don’t have a financial hand in her father-in-law’s farm — which the Times says is inaccurate, according to financial records. Even if that’s not the case, let’s twist that last one for kicks: But that means a family member of hers takes government subsidies! Political liability!
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jun 2011 10:29

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Politics: Jon Huntsman enters the ring with a refreshing level of respect

  • I respect the President. He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love. But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better President; not who’s the better American.
  • 2012 presidential candidate Jon Huntsman • During his announcement this morning. Huntsman represents a bit of a breath of fresh air in this campaign — one obvious from this speech. He disagrees with the president ideologically, but won’t stoop to the level of some of his GOP opponents and call him a jerk. And you know what? In this era of 24-hour news turning every piece of a debate into its own little mini-spat, that’s refreshing. While Huntsman’s name recognition is currently low, we expect it to go up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 11:51

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Politics: David Axelrod: None of these GOP candidates really scare us

  • I didn’t hear a lot of ideas. I heard a lot of … pat partisan platitudes. Ultimately, people are going to ask for answers.
  • Obama adviser David Axelrod • Offering his take on the Republican candidates out there at the moment. Pretty much the only one he really had anything nice to say about was Jon Huntsman, a former Obama staffer and current subject of blogosphere love. (Huntsman was an Obama appointee.) But even considering all this, Axelrod openly admits that the economy — particularly the progress made with the economy — remains the key issue. “You get tested in this process,” he says. “Ultimately, I’m very confident about the outcome.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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