Michele Bachmann–the gift that keeps on giving

MoonHowler

After the State of the Union Address, the opposition address will be given by Republican Paul Ryan  of Kentucky.   This job is often given to party rising stars.  Ryan is expected to be a party uniter.  After the senator speaks, Michele Bachmann will give her Tea Party Caucus response.  Bachmann is noted for for angry, anti-Obama rhetoric.  Yahoo News gives us some clues of what might be in store for us after the SOTUA:

 A recent analysis by the Pulitzer Prize-winning watchdog site PolitiFact showsthat of the 13 times she’s been fact-checked, “seven of her claims [have been found] to be false and six have been found to be ridiculously false,” says PolitiFact Editor Bill Adair. “I don’t know anyone else that we have checked, more than a couple times, that has never earned anything above a false. She is unusual in that regard.” Among Bachmann’s greatest hits: saying that Obama will hike taxes on small businesses that make $250,000 (“pants on fire”); claiming that “the president of the United States will be taking a trip over to India that is expected to cost the taxpayers $200 million a day” (“false”); and declaring that in the 1970s, “the swine flu broke out… under another Democrat, President Jimmy Carter” (“pants on fire”). Beyond all the easily disprovable falsehoods, Bachmann is famous for simply saying outrageous things: that homosexuality is a “dysfunction”; that Obama is turning America into a “nation of slaves”; that conservatives should “slit their wrists” and be “blood brothers” to defeat health-care reform.

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George Allen to run for the U.S. Senate

MoonHowler

It’s official.  Former Virginia Governor George Allen will run for the U.S. Senate for the seat currently held by Senator Jim Webb.  As a matter of fact, George Allen ran for the same seat in 2006 and lost to Senator Webb.  Part of Allen’s problem was a screwed the pooch remark made about a Democratic operative who had been shadowing him.  He called the young man, Macaca, attempting to be funny.  It wasn’t and Allen still bears the scars from his unfortunate mistake.  The Democrats were all over that mistake. 

George Allen speaks of it today.  According to the Huffington Post:

“I made mistakes and I take responsibility for them,” Allen said in an interview with Bearing Drift, before seemingly attempting to play off the slur as a fabricated word that other people had mistakenly interpreted as offensive, a move that he similarly attempted in 2006.

“I needlessly drew a college student who was following me around all over Virginia into the race, and I should not have. He was just doing his job and I should not have made him part of the issue,” Allen said of S.R. Sidarth, the Democratic tracker of Indian descent he was addressing. “It was not done with malice, and if I had known that that made-up word would be connoted as a racial insult I would not have said it.”

After Allen used the phrase in summer 2006, it quickly became a racially-charged ball and chain that is largely thought to have sunk him in his battle against his opponent, Democrat Jim Webb.

As George Allen, who was the one time darling of Virginia Republicans, attempted to address the perceived macaca problem, our very own Corey Stewart was quick to seize the opportunity to throw Allen under the bus:

Stewart, who is heading to Richmond, Va. on Tuesday to talk to party activists and court donors ahead of his own likely Senate bid, said he, along with other Republicans in the state, is “concerned that [Allen’s] not going to be able to shake off the ‘macaca’ moment.”

 

Corey might want to think about his own transgressions in the loose lips department. The moonhowlings folder has all sorts of gaffes that I feel certain the Allen campaign would find useful. A few Allen aides could use our search engine to pull out highlights, or should I say  low lights of many a slip of the tongue made by Stewart.

Anthony Scalia: Rock Star? Noooooooooooo!!!!!!

MoonHowler

The Washington Post  is running some pretty scary stuff this morning about out Supreme Court justices.  Rather than the cloistered, nearly unrecognizable justices like retired John Paul Stevens, these younger ones are acquiring an almost cult like following.  For example:

At the invitation of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Scalia will be addressing new conservative members of the House of Representatives. To them, Scalia is a nothing short of a rock star. He personifies not only conservative values but a new model for the Supreme Court: the celebrity justice.

Where Scalia has ventured with crowd-pleasing rhetoric, other justices are following. They rally their bases on the right or the left with speeches, candid interviews, commencement addresses and book tours. They appear to be abandoning the principle of strict neutrality in public life, long a touchstone of service on the highest court.

Whatever happened to court neutrality?  It sounds like cases are predetermined, before they are even heard.  Why would Justice Scalia appear before conservative members of the House of Representatives only?  When will they start accepting honoraria? 

The Bachmann event takes this posturing to a new level. Scalia will be directly advising new lawmakers who came to Congress on a mission to remake government in a more conservative image. Many of them made pledges to repeal health-care reform, restrict immigration and investigate the president – pledges based on constitutional interpretations that might end up before the court.

At best, Scalia’s appearance can be viewed as a pep talk. At worst, it smacks of a political alliance.

At best, this behavior is conflict of interest.  The three branches of government need to remain independent.  It certainly doesn’t seem very conservative to allow this kind of cross pollination.  Perhaps ‘conservative’ is just a label of convenience. 

…Scalia is the first real celebrity justice. When he appears at conservative events, supporters line up to greet a man who seems more oracle than orator. They are drawn not just to his originalist views but to the sense that he is a purist on a court of relativists. And his fans are often rewarded with a zinger from the justice that would set the hair of every liberal on fire.

 

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The Rebel Son and the Half-Blood Prince

MoonHowler

 

Bummer.  I didn’t really mean that.  It did make a catch title though.  Ron Reagan Jr. has always been the rebel son.  He always followed the beat of his own drummer.  As a younger man, he dropped out of college and joined the Joffrey Ballet.  He eloped and has been married to the same woman for 30 years.  At one point, he appeared on SNL in his skivvies in a skit.  In 2004, Reagan spoke at the Democratic Convention on behalf of stem cell research.  He supported Barack Obama for president.   He has not been the model of conservatism–not by any stretch. 

 

 

Ron Reagan Jr. is embroiled in quite a battle over his new book, My Father at 100.  Who could he possibly be at odds with?  His half brother Michael, adopted son of Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan,  has taken great issue with several comments Ron made in his book regarding his father’s Alzheimer’s.  Michael Reagan,   age 65, is a conservative commentator with a national reputation. 

 

Young Reagan relates that when his father was in the White House, he was concerned about little things.  He actually reports that he shadowed his dad and noticed some very subtle changes; changes only family members might pick up on.  He now feels that might have been the beginning of the disease that took his father’s life.

Michael Reagan has taken great exception to this point of view and responded accordingly via twitter: 

“Ron, my brother, was an embarrassment to my father when he was alive and today he became an embarrassment to his mother,”

It might be interesting to note that the 2 Reagan brothers do not share the same mother.  Ron Reagan Jr. is Nancy Reagan’s son.   Furthermore, what a mean, nasty thing to say publically about anyone, especially a family member. 

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Too much Skin on MTV?

MoonHowler

The new MTV hit series Skins has come under fire for showing too much skin and for dealing with underage sex, drinking, gay/lesbian themes and illegal drug use.  One group, Parents Television Council, in particular,  has asked for a Congressional investigation of the series. 

One advertiser, Taco Bell, has already pulled its advertising because of pressure from the conservative group, Parents Television Council.  According to Crain’s New York Business:

Taco Bell has pulled its advertising from MTV’s controversial new hit series following pressure from conservative advocacy group Parents Television Council. The company informed MTV of its decision on Tuesday.

The Council had been calling Skins “the most dangerous program ever foisted on your children,” citing its graphic depictions of sex and drug use, even before the show premiered on Jan. 17.

MTV had the following to say:

“Skins is a show that addresses real-world issues confronting teens in a frank way,” a spokeswoman said in a statement. “We review all of our shows and work with all of our producers on an ongoing basis to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards. We are confident that the episodes of Skins will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers.”

The targeted audience is 12 to 34 years.  That could be a problem right there.  There is a huge difference in maturity between most 12 and 34 year olds.  Congress is certain to complicate matters.  By the time they finish, everyone from 2 to 92 will be glued to their TV set, watching the next episode of 15 years olds being the horn dogs they generally are, all whilst shouting obscenities at the top of their lungs.

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Representative Cohen gets his 5 minutes of fame

MoonHowler
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Word Warcraft
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> The Daily Show on Facebook

Jon Stewart heard Hello’s pleas and jerked this unknown congressman’s gauche remarks off the shelf for his skit tonight.  He says it far better than the rest of us can and even added a lesson about the words we choose. 

You just never know who is reading your blog, now do you?

Concerned Citizen Disputes Friedman Attack

adultgirl

The  following post was emailed to me by a concerned citizen who is a regular on a neighboring blog.  Elena and I felt it was a worthy post, considering the nature of the discussion regarding campaign financing.

Guest post by Mortimore Snerd. 

 Disclaimer: All guest posts are the opinion of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration

 M-H 

 

BVBL is attacking Democratic candidate Gary Friedman for lending his own campaign $101,000, comparing Mr. Friedman to Bernard Madoff and describing his action as duplicitous. These accusations are made despite that fact that the BVBL post itself links to the campaign finance filing showing that absolutely nothing wrong has taken place. The allegation is that candidate Friedman is attempting to deceive the voters of Prince William County into thinking that his support is broader than it actually is.

 Let’s look at another case of a candidate moving money around to create an illusion of broad popular support. Corey Stewart seems to think that his Virginia Rule of Law campaign is a rousing success and, rather than doing the job he was elected to do as Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, has been touring Virginia over the past few months promoting his scheme.

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House GOP group proposes deep spending cuts over next decade

MoonHowler

According to the Washington Post:

Members of the conservative Republican Study Committee said the GOP must keep its campaign pledge to immediately slice at least $100 billion from non-defense programs, an effort that would require lawmakers to reduce funding for most federal agencies by a third over the next seven months. And the group called for even deeper cuts over the next decade to return non-defense spending to 2006 levels.

“One hundred billion dollars is the number the American people heard last fall. And, frankly, when you look at it in the context that there’s a $14 trillion debt, it seems to me we should be able to find $100 billion,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), chairman of the study committee, a group of economic and social conservatives whose ranks have swelled since the GOP won back control of the House in the November midterm elections.

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Those on the left would have no standards if it weren’t for their double standards

MoonHowler
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Petty Woman
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> The Daily Show on Facebook

Jon Stewart analyzes the latest Palindrome.

Strange, he sees the same things I do. The slightest criticism becomes persecution.   UFB.  He didn’t even call and ask my opinion, this time.

Palin threw down the gauntlet by sayings ‘for those on the left would have no standards if it weren’t for their double standards.’  I sure hope she isn’t counting on MY vote, since I bet she includes people like me in her ‘left.’  So when asked why I don’t care for her, I will just go with that: 

Where is he wrong in his assessment?  It pretty much comes from the Caribou’s mouth in this one. 

The Torch has been passed….50 years ago today

MoonHowler

JFK was inaugurated 50 years ago today.  1/20/61

 

The torch has been passed, the prelude to Cuba, and ask not what your country can do for you, are all included. Listening this morning, I was reminded just how much this family has given. They could have never lifted a finger. Yet some of them gave all.

I sincerely hope everyone will take the time to listen.  I  had not heard the entire speech as an adult.  Isn’t hindsight wonderful?

That speech is history.  Kennedy was prophetic in many ways.

A Tribute to Sargent Shriver

Elena

I write this post, not only as a tribute to Sarge Shriver, but also to my godfather, Edgar May, who was a dear friend of of his. 

My godfather has an amazing story, one where, as a young child, he was able to leave Switzerland, with his mother and sister, all carrying “golden” visas to the United States. 

Why were those “golden” visas?  Because they were Jews escaping Nazi Europe, most Jews were not so lucky to obtain those Visas. 

He spent his entire life in public service, as veteran of the Korean War,  a journalist exposing welfare recipient abuse (he earned a pulitzer prize),as head of the OEO, and finally as a Vermont Senator.

Edgar met Sargent Shriver while working on the anti poverty campaign.  He always admired his spirit and dedication to hard work.  As my godfather is a true humanitarian, so was Sarge Shriver.

Here is the article in the Washington Post:

It took only a walk with Sargent Shriver to learn how deeply loved and loving he was. Former Peace Corps volunteers, from the early days of the program that he began in 1961, or ones just back from stints in Third World outposts, would stop Sarge to thank him, embrace him and tell him stories about their life-changing service.

Countless others approached him on airport concourses, city sidewalks and elsewhere: people whose lives were changed because of the anti-poverty programs that Shriver started in the Johnson administration – Legal Services, Head Start, Job Corps, Community Action,VISTA, Upward Bound. Or the parents of children in Special Olympics, the program began by Shriver and his wife, Eunice, that revolutionized the way we treat those with mental disabilities.

Living for 32: Getting guns out of the hands of the mentally ill

MoonHowler

Colin Goddard’s  documentary, Living for 32,  was shown Monday for a group of 100.  At the end, he received a standing ovation.  Goddard is one of 7 survivors out of a class of 17.  We haven’t heard the last of this film or Goddard’s efforts to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.  He is a man on a mission. 

The film heads to Sundance Film Festival this weekend. 

We, as a society, are going to have to discuss some limits on guns.  Everyone  cannot have one.   There are compelling reasons. 

3 Contenders in Republican Race for BOCS Chairman

MoonHowler

Move over Corey, there’s more company.  There now 3 PWC gentlemen vying for the position of BOCS chairman.  Corey Stewart, of course, has not said he isn’t running, so we assume he will run for re-election (if he isn’t running for the US Senate).  Bob Weir of Haymarket announced his candidacy during a BOCS meeting during citizens’ time, much to everyone’s shock and awe.  Now Tito ‘the Builder’ Munoz of Dale City has pitched his hard hat in the ring for chairman.

Each man brings his own style to the race and each style is quite different.  It should be an exciting campaign for Republicans.

The Democrats have 2 candidates running.  So far things have been quiet from John Gray and Gary Friedman.  Perhaps they are sitting back and letting the Republicans have at it for a while.  That could be a smart move.  It saves time and energy.  Regardless, they will need lots of time and lots and lots of money.  Someone we know has been filling his war chest.  My Republican buddies have been keeping a close eye on that one.

Should we start taking bets now?  Good for all of them.  At least they care enough to run.

Additional Information in News & Messenger

UPDATE:  Apparently we have been given bad information.  Tito Munoz says he is NOT running for the BOCS chair.

From Facebook:  Tito Munoz The article is false. I will be running for office, but not for the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. The Vpap.org information was not entered by me or anyone authorized to make that statement and was unknown to me until I read this false article. Vpap has been informed that they need to make a correction and should not enter any more data until they speak with me directly. –Tito Munoz

UPDATE 2:  When I grow up, maybe I will get this thread right.  John Gray has not announced as a Democrat.  He announced as an Independent.

UPDATE 3:  Gary Friedman has issued the following communication:

The following statement was released by Gary C. Friedman, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors:

“While I am not one to consider the strength of political campaigns to be determined by money, I do believe it is important for a candidate to demonstrate an ability to marshal the resources needed to effectively communicate his campaign’s message to the voters.  In that regard, I am pleased to announce that the Friedman for Chairman campaign closed the filing period ending December 31, 2010 with over $100,000 cash in its account.  I am looking forward to carrying the Democratic banner into the fall elections and championing the most pressing issues facing Prince William County citizens.”