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16 Feb 2010 09:57

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Politics: The GOP has to use video games to entice young conservatives

  • We’re gonna have the most popular games. There’ll be Guitar Hero. There’ll be Dance Revolution. There’ll be Call of Duty.
  • Radio Host Kevin McCullough • Regarding some of the techniques CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, plans to use to draw a younger, hipper audience. Hip-hop will also be playing in the background, because that’s what the kids like. Last year at CPAC, Rush Limbaugh famously said that he hoped Obama failed, which was the first touch of resistance the then-made-of-Teflon president felt. To us, a video game room hosted by Michael Steele seems like a significant “we’re trying too hard” downgrade. source

16 Feb 2010 09:49

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U.S.: Must be the hair: Mitt Romney attacked on a plane for some reason

As his plane was taking off from Vancouver the Winter Olympics yesterday, some dude tried to attack him. It’s because he was in Vancouver. source

14 Feb 2010 10:27

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Politics: Like filibusters? Don’t? They’re not going away anytime soon.

  • Republicans are gambling they can convince the American people Democrats can’t get much done, and at the moment, their gamble is paying off.
  • Former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey • Regarding the Republican’s strategy to filibuster the Democrats’ agenda so that it helps them in the next election. The filibuster has significantly changed in usage since the days of civil rights, and is now routinely used as a political stalling tactic. We just want to make a point here: While the GOP’s filibuster usage is inexcusable, the Democrats did the exact same thing to get a majority in the Senate in 2006. In fact, they did it at a faster clip. While the rule really needs to be changed on a fundamental level, it’s not going to happen easily: It requires 67 votes to make a change like that. source

11 Feb 2010 21:17

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Politics: Poll: Obama’s chances in 2012 are completely up in the air

  • 44% of respondents say they’d vote for Obama again in 2012
  • 42% of respondents would rather vote for an anonymous “Republican candidate”
  • 14% support a fringe candidate or don’t care one way or the other source

07 Feb 2010 19:29

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U.S.: A Super Bowl for policy wonks: Left vs. Right, in Obama’s house

  • Get yo popcorn ready! Today, during a pre-Super Bowl interview on CBS, Obama said that on Feb. 25, he would be hosting a live, televised debate for Republicans and Democrats to work out their differences on health care. In the White House. “If we can go step by step through a series of these issues and arrive at some agreements, there’s no reason we can’t do this faster than it took last year,” he said. Maybe so, but man, we can’t wait to watch this. The Q&A with the Republicans? Just a warm-up. source

06 Feb 2010 23:23

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Politics: Sarah Palin’s Tea Party speech is a freaking nightmare

  • Sarah Palin’s speech at the Tea Party Convention got these points across in its first minute and a half: 1.) Thanks to all our servicemen. 2.) Happy birthday Ronald Reagan!  3.) Hi to everyone watching on C-SPAN, which is airing this even when they don’t air the health care debate. 4.) References to barbecue and sweet tea (as well as an awful “Alaska is cold” iced-tea joke). It’s not as bad as her resignation speech, but we just had to stop watching at some point. Her voice makes our brain hurt.

06 Feb 2010 20:10

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Politics: The Tea Party movement wants to win, but can’t seem to organize

  • The movement is maturing. The rallies were good for last year, because that’s what we could do last year. This year we have to change things. We have got to win.
  • Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips • Regarding his organization’s goals (along with the overall movement’s goals) for 2010, which they tried to push at this weekend’s convention in Nashville. They want a conservative congress in 2010 and a conservative president in 2012. Problem is, the movement doesn’t really have a leader and kinda shares disdain for Republicans and Democrats. “This movement doesn’t need a leader,” said Anthony Shreeve of the Tennessee Tea Party Coalition. “It’s a ‘We the People’ movement.” Too bad he undercut his point by protesting the convention outside. Get organized, kids. source
 

05 Feb 2010 12:09

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Politics, U.S.: Richard Shelby turns the Senate into his personal gridlock

  • 70 Obama nominees blocked over an Air Force tanker deal source

02 Feb 2010 20:02

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Politics: John McCain does a total flip-flop on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

  • flip Three years ago, John McCain made it clear that he’d support overturning “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” if military leaders said they were comfortable with changing it.
  • flop Today, McCain was presented with that exact scenario, but claimed it was the wrong time. He also noted the policy was “imperfect but effective.” Flip-flop! source

31 Jan 2010 11:23

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Politics: Hmm: Scott Brown, the Tea Party’s bastion, supports abortion rights

  • no He doesn’t support the health care bill, the key promise that got him voted into the Senate.
  • no He won’t simply be the GOP’s 41st vote, despite selling himself as that. Sneaky.
  • yes He’s mostly pro-choice, but doesn’t support federal funding for abortions.
  • yes He supports some of Obama’s plans, including tax credits and spending freezes. source