Whos On the Record Against Amendment One Lots of
People Heres a Guide

post from Firedoglake on 08 May 2012 01:15:36 PM. © Firedoglake

Don't know who's standing up to defeat Amendment One in North Carolina. Here's a handy list from Progress NC of North Carolina leaders and citizens who have spoken out against the initiative.[...]

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Shhhhhhhhh! Rick Santorum endorses Mitt Romney.
Very, very quietly.

post from Daily Kos on 08 May 2012 01:09:25 PM. © Daily Kos

You can now add Rick Santorum to the list of half-hearted endorsers of ~~Mitt~~ Meh Romney?but don't tell anyone because apparently, it's a secret:

Rick Santorum endorsed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney late Monday night in an email to supporters, saying a private meeting with the former Massachusetts governor last Friday gave him confidence that issues important to him and his supporters would be well represented in the general election.
Rather than the usual embrace between candidates, which often comes with a joint appearance and a photo op, Santorum's email landed at about 11 p.m., ran on for more than 1,000 words, and did not get to the actual endorsement until the 13th paragraph. It was immediately labeled by some pundits as the very picture of tepid support.

In fact, "tepid" is putting it nicely:

The primary campaign certainly made it clear that Governor Romney and I have some differences. But there are many significant areas in which we agree: the need for lower taxes, smaller government, and a reduction in out-of-control spending. We certainly agree that abortion is wrong and marriage should be between one man and one woman. I am also comfortable with Governor Romney on foreign policy matters, and we share the belief that we can never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. And while I had concerns about Governor Romney making a case as a candidate about fighting against Obamacare, I have no doubt if elected he will work with a Republican Congress to repeal it and replace it with a bottom up, patient, not government, driven system.

Wow. Rick's "comfortable" with Romney. If that utter lack of enthusiasm didn't sway you, perhaps this will:

Governor Romney will be that nominee and he has my endorsement and support to win this the most critical election of our lifetime.

But given how lukewarm all of the endorsements of Meh Romney have been thus far, maybe he should just be grateful that Santorum refrained from repeating his earlier comments:

Why would we put someone up who is uniquely - pick any other Republican in the country ? he is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama.

Good question, Rick. But apparently, that one-hour meeting in Pittsburg last Friday convinced you that Mitt's ~~not the worst Republican~~ the option you poor Republicans are stuck with. So you might as well get "comfortable" with it.

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Ooopsie

post from Talking Points Memo on 08 May 2012 01:01:20 PM. © Talking Points Memo

RNC Hispanic outreach director tweets that she misspoke about Romney not having an immigration policy yet:I misspoke, Romney's position on immigration is clear mi.tt/KiMi3x— Bettina Inclan (@BettinaInclan) May 8, 2012[...]

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Epic Fail

post from Talking Points Memo on 08 May 2012 01:01:20 PM. © Talking Points Memo

RNC's Hispanic outreach director tells reporters in DC that Mitt Romney is still deciding on what his position on immigration is and therefore she cannot comment on what his position is. Seriously.[...]

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Children Of The '80s Fight Back!

post from Talking Points Memo on 08 May 2012 01:01:20 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Ferocious pushback from 20something fans of Maurice Sendak. [...]

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_80s_fight_back.php

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Another Point On The Auto Bailout

post from Talking Points Memo on 08 May 2012 01:01:20 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Look, former auto czar Steve Rattner isn't an unbiased observer on the auto bailout. He's a longtime Dem fundraiser who was directly involved in the bailout (there was also that whole New York state pension fund unpleasantness). I don't expect Rattner to[...]

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n_the_auto_bailout.php

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Blue America Welcomes Wayne Powell (D-VA)-- And
Do I Ever Have A Headline For You!

post from DownWithTyranny! on 08 May 2012 01:00:47 PM. © DownWithTyranny!

On November 7, 2012, the headline on the top of the New York Times will read, "Obama Reelected to Second Term. Democrats Retake House of Representatives, Hold Senate."

And right below that:

"Majority Leader Eric Cantor Defeated."

Yes, it can happen. If we all work together, we can fire Eric Cantor and elect a progressive Democrat to the Richmond, Virginia area House seat he occupies, Wayne Powell. Blue America is formally endorsing Wayne today and he'll be joining us for a live chat at 2pm (ET) at Crooks and Liars.

Wayne's a retired Army Colonel who is running for political office for the first time. He's a small business owner and a community lawyer who has lived his whole live in Virginia's 7th congressional district. And he's a progressive Democrat who's the best challenger ever to run against Cantor. He did a guest post for us a couple of weeks ago about Cantor's leading role in Washington's Culture of Corruption. Yesterday Wayne expanded on that... with a promise:

"We have the best Congress money can buy, and those without vast resources are left out of the system. To put it simply, money has corrupted our democracy. On my first day in Congress, I will join all attempts to establish that 'corporations are not natural persons' in a Constitutional amendment. The Citizens United ruling must be overturned. Further, I will introduce legislation to limit and make transparent all independent political expenditures. We must ban corporate expenditures in elections-- shadowy SuperPACs with secret donors have no place in a democratic society."

Much like Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor hasn't had a serious election in his life. He's had everything handed to him-- the exact opposite of Wayne Powell.

The son of a welder, Wayne has never had anything handed to him. He put himself through college, and rose in the Army the only way you can-- grit and hard work. After our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, Wayne was mobilized to help defend our country. He commanded troops, directing military intelligence assets and living away from his family for a year. Like most of the Republican chickenhawks, Cantor managed to avoid military service, although he loves sending other people's sons to fight wars for corporate aspirations and profits abroad.

Wayne is the kind of tough progressive we need to fight Eric Cantor's culture of money, greed, and corruption. And the people of the 7th District are fed up with Cantor's smug rejection of their vital needs. A recent poll bears this out. Just 40% of voters in the district want to see Eric Cantor reelected, while 46%-- and 66% of independents-- would rather vote for someone new. Moreover, only 51% of voters think favorably of Cantor and 43% of voters dislike him, indicating that he is a polarizing figure with no room to grow his support.

The 7th Congressional District is ripe for a progressive, populist turnaround in 2012. Voters in the Richmond suburbs have been trending increasingly Democratic, and in 2008, Mark Warner won a commanding 58% in the district. With a strong populist message-- from the Buffet rule to ending tax breaks for private jet owners, from ending Big Oil's unjustifiable taxpayer subsidies to ending incentives for Big Business to outsource American jobs, all hallmarks of Eric Cantor's watch-- Wayne Powell is patiently persuading the voters in central Virgina that he's on their side... and that Cantor deserves to be fired.

Here's a promise: Every dollar you invest in Wayne Powell's campaign will force Eric Cantor to spend $20 protecting himself. That's $20 the highest-ranking member of the Tea Party can't spend on this GOP cronies. And that makes a buck for Wayne Powell a dollar very well spent.

We just added Wayne to the Blue America official ActBlue page. Let's make those headlines come true!

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http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2012/05/blue-america-welcomes-wayne-powell-d-
va.html

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Paul Ryan Challenged at Town Hall to Explain
About-Face on Ayn Rand

post from Crooks and Liars on 08 May 2012 01:00:32 PM. © Crooks and Liars

It appears Paul Ryan's constituents aren't buying his attempted reversal on his support of Ayn Rand's philosophy that Blue Texan wrote about here last month. The media never calls him out for any of his lies, so it's nice to at least see him getting an earful from the voters.

Paul Ryan Challenged By Town Hall Constituents Over Previous Praise Of Ayn Rand:

At a town hall meeting on Friday, Ryan was pressed by a constituent to explain this about-face. ?Mr. Ryan, are you telling us that your political career was founded on the concepts of a rally of hers, but until recently, you never realized Ayn Rand was an outspoken atheist, that she felt altruism was evil, supported abortion, and condemned Christianity for advocating compassion for the poor?? the constituent asked.
Ryan professed no inconsistency in his views, arguing instead that ?just because you like someone?s novels doesn?t mean you agree with their entire worldview philosophy.? He called the notion that he supports Rand?s views ?a canard,? though still insisted that Atlas Shrugged is ?a great book? that he recommends to those in his office.
CONSTITUENT: My question concerns your current and previous feelings toward the author and philosopher Ayn Rand. [...] Mr. Ryan, are you telling us that your political career was founded on the concepts of a rally of hers, but until recently, you never realized Ayn Rand was an outspoken atheist, that she felt altruism was evil, supported abortion, and condemned Christianity for advocating compassion for the poor?
RYAN: [...] Just because you like someone?s novels doesn?t mean you agree with their entire worldview philosophy. She has a worldview philosophy which is completely antithetical to mine because she has an atheist philosophy. [...] It?s really kind of a canard, is what I would say.
CONSTITUENT: You spoke as a keynote speaker for Ayn Rand banquets. You were quoted at length about how you loved her. You say you grew up and Ayn Rand taught you who you are and what your values are. I think we?ve learned the question of your honesty.
RYAN: It?s a great book! It?s a great book! Let?s go on to somebody over here, I think we?ve covered it pretty well. By the way, I don?t require it. I have a reading list. Lots of young people ask me what are good books. I give them Alexis de Tocqueville, I take the Founders, Friedman, Hayek, Atlas Shrugged. There are lots of good books worth reading if you want to study freedom, free enterprise, the Founders, economics. There are a lot of good books out there to read, it doesn?t mean that you subscribe to the person?s worldview and philosophy. That?s really kind of a stretch.

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http://crooksandliars.com/heather/paul-ryan-challenged-town-hall-explain-abo

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Rep. McCarthy: Pushing 300K Children Off Lunch
Program To Protect Military Spending Is Trimming The Fat

House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

Yesterday, House Republicans moved legislation forward aimed at preventing any reductions in military spending, even if that means cutting much needed programs for the nation’s poorest. The House Armed Services Committee’s bill provides $554 billion for the Pentagon — $29 billion more than DOD had requested — while the GOP-led Budget Committee packaged six bills that would “slice $261 billion from food stamps, Medicaid, social services and other programs for struggling Americans.”

Last night on Fox News, House Majoriy Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) claimed that the Republicans were just trimming the fat from the budget and getting rid of wasteful spending:

VAN SUSTEREN: But these cuts — I mean, these cuts — I mean, some of the cuts, I mean, just — you know, there are — there’s money sitting in our government. There’s some fat that we can.. some of these cuts. I mean — the fat is incredible!
MCCARTHY: Then you would support what we’re doing. That’s we’re doing committee by committee!

Watch the clip:

So what do McCarthy and the GOP consider budget fat? The New York Times today offered some details:

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would push 1.8 million people off food stamps and could cost 280,000 children their school lunch subsidies and 300,000 children their health insurance coverage through the federal and state Children?s Health Insurance Program. Elimination of the social services block grant to state and local governments would hit child abuse prevention programs, Meals on Wheels and child care.

A further 23 million would be affected by the repeal of the Social Services Block Grant, which helps fund child care and disability assistance to low-income Americans.

In fact, eliminating the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans would more than provide the savings the Republicans are seeking, twice over.

But not only are House Republicans protecting “largely useless” weapons systems and programs by cutting needed social services, their motivation stems from trying to prevent military spending cuts of nearly $500 billion over ten years because of the Budget Control Act’s sequestration trigger. Luckily for the GOP, the Center for American Progress has found more than $500 billion in Pentagon cuts — i.e. the real budget fat — that could be implemented over the next decade while still maintaining our vast military superiority.

While GOP plan has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate, the AP noted yesterday that it is “likely just a sample of what?s in store next year from Republicans if Mitt Romney wins the White House and the GOP takes back the Senate.?

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/05/08/480017/mccarthy-trimming-fat-poor/

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North Carolina GOP Candidate Stands By Birther
Claim

Yesterday, we noted that North Carolina has a disturbingly high number of Republican congressional candidates who have dabbled in bitherism, including Dr. John Whitley, who declared Obama?s birth certificate a ?poorly reproduced forgery.? CNN host Anderson Cooper decided to challenge Whitley — a neurosurgeon who should certainly know better — but the candidate was unrepentant in an interview last night. Cooper poked holes in every one of Whitley’s claims, but the most the Republican would do is back off his claim that it was definitely a “forgery” to say that there were still serious questions about Obama’s birthplace. “I don’t think that the document…is an actual, legitimate copy,” he explained. Watch it:

Whitley is facing a primary today against Richard Hudson, who has also questioned Obama’s birth place, though has since walked back the claim a bit.

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/05/08/480197/north-carolina-birther-cooper
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