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05 Mar 2012 10:36

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Politics: Three analytical takes on Rush Limbaugh’s current controversy

  • one David Frum asks an important question: “Are we being fair to Rush Limbaugh?” Frum’s answer: “Even by the rough standards of cable/talk radio/digital talk, Limbaugh’s verbal abuse of Sandra Fluke set a new kind of low.”
  • two James Poniewozik of Time suggests that the moment could become Rush’s Imus moment: “Limbaugh’s situation may not be exactly parallel, because all analogies break down at some point, but there’s a lot of basic similarity.”
  • three Columnist Joel Mathis of Philadelphia Magazine loosens the focus on Rush and suggests that the reaction shows a major problem: “We stopped talking about the issues. And we focused very deeply on our own hurt feelings.” Hm.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2012 20:00

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Politics: Gingrich predicts Big Oil will hand the election to the GOP

  • “That’s a pretty big burden while he’s waging war on the Catholic Church and apologizing to Islamic extremists”: In which Newt Gingrich tells CNN’s Candy Crowley that Big Oil will intentionally tank the American economy, placing an insurmountable obstacle on President Obama’s path to re-election. source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2012 10:08

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Politics: Super PACs aggressively spend ahead of Super Tuesday. Super.

  • $10 million in Super Tuesday ads bought by Super PACs source
  • » Four states getting strongest focus: Ten states are holding primaries and caucuses in a couple of days, but the ones that the GOP candidates are really focused on? Ohio, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Much of the advertising seems to be focused on trashing other candidates, with both Mitt-and-Newt-affiliated Super PACs attacking Rick Santorum — who is currently leading in Ohio. In other news, Mitt won a caucus in Washington on Saturday with Ron Paul scoring second place, though the caucus is non-binding.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2012 20:46

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Politics: Rush Limbaugh apologizes for language, sticks by Fluke argument

  • good! A couple hours ago, Rush Limbaugh apologized to Sandra Fluke for calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute” for speaking about contraception funding to Congress: “My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”
  • however The apology didn’t avoid tough words, though including a series of lines attacking the thrust of what Fluke said in front of Congress: “I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress.” Is his apology good enough? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2012 17:45

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Politics: Sandra Fluke vs. Rush Limbaugh: What you need to know, in a nutshell

  • cause Last week, a Georgetown law student, Sandra Fluke, testified in front of Congress on the Jesuit school’s policy on contraception, an issue which has drawn many emotions of late.
  • reaction Many on the right attacked Fluke for her testimony, but none as harshly as talker Rush Limbaugh, who called her a “slut” and a “prostitute” on his radio show. Yeah, that’s not cool.
  • result Limbaugh’s comments drew strong reactions from the left especially. Republican House Speaker John Boehner criticized Limbaugh. The president even called her up today. Really. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2012 00:07

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Politics: Jeb Bush: Not running for president, but not for lack of fanbois

  • Maybe more supporters than Santorum? Andrew Card, the former chief of staff for George W. Bush, said this earlier this week: “I have the perfect candidate — Jeb Bush. But he’s not running.” Even Democrats believe that Bush could be a threat if he uses his sway with middle-class and Latino voters. Could the former Florida governor with an impressively presidential bloodline be the Republican Party’s ace in the hole? Or will he wait until 2016? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2012 14:36

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Politics: Newt Gingrich explains what he means by “San Francisco values”

  • I’m here in 1983, and I’m part of a truth squad… for the convention. And we’re having a great time. It’s a great city, as you know, there’s a reason it’s one of the great tourist cities in the country. We’re down at Union Square, and CBS is interviewing me… literally, at that moment, a six-foot-two transvestite comes up to me and hands me an invitation to an exorcism of Jerry Falwell.
  • Newt Gingrich • Explaining, when pressed by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Joe Garofoli and Carla Marinucci, what precisely he means when he decries “San Francisco values.” His response, as you can see, is not one that will go over well with LGBT advocates, or people who believe a personal anecdote is shaky grounds for a broad-based political narrative. It does bear mentioning that Gingrich had some compliments for the city as, well, a city, and he also had some unexpected praise on California Democratic Governor Jerry Brown. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

24 Feb 2012 11:06

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Politics: How Mitt Romney’s dad lost his presidential momentum: Brainwashing

  • About 45 years ago, George Romney was looking hot. A popular Michigan governor who did well in the 1964 Republican primary (but did not win), he was considered a frontrunner in the 1968 race. Until this interview above, that is, done in August 1967 by Detroit news personality Lou Gordon. When asked about the Vietnam war, he explained why his views changed so that he was suddenly against the war. His answer? “When I came back from Vietnam, I had just had the greatest brainwashing that anyone could get.” This one comment derailed his campaign, decades before Twitter would’ve made that comment blow up like a forgotten third thing in a debate. MLive has a really great history on this interview that’s worth a read. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2012 22:54

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Politics: Buddy Roemer: More entertaining than the last GOP debate

  • A long shot who’s quick with a tweet: Buddy Roemer is out of the running for the Republican presidential nomination, but even though he didn’t get a chance to take part in any of the debates, he’s used Twitter as a way to stay in the conversation. Roemer, now running as an independent, is still hoping to one-line your way to a vote in the 2012 election. A couple samples from last night:
  • one On Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a former GOP candidate: “Perry is in the audience. (The clown car needed a driver.)”
  • two On Rick Santorum, the current frontrunner in the race: “Don’t anger the sweater vest. It doesn’t like to be challenged.”
  • three Overall: “BREAKING: The CNN debate has been replaced with a 4-way earmark cage match.” Boom. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2012 10:47

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Politics: Mitt Romney’s campaign plowing through cash, not getting much back

  • 287% the “burn rate” of Mitt’s campaign in January
  • $18M the amount Mitt spent on the campaign trail in January
  • $6.5M the amount Mitt got in donations last month — far less than he took in
  • $7.7M the amount Mitt had in the bank at the end of January source
  • » Spending a lot, not getting much back? With pricey losses and close contests, including in Iowa and South Carolina, the Mitt train seems to be losing some steam. And his toughest week is ahead of him: With contests in Arizona and Michigan in just a week, and Super Tuesday on the horizon, there’s a good chance he may not be able to pull it off, leading to the possibility of a “brokered” or “contested” convention in August.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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