Campaign Chair: Romney Will Explain What Part Of
Ryan’s Plan He Opposes In ‘The Next Couple Of Days’

Since Paul Ryan was unveiled as the Vice Presidential nominee on Saturday, the Romney campaign has had a variety of conflicting answers regarding Ryan’s controversial budget.

This afternoon on MSNBC, Romney’s campaign chairman, John Sununu, unveiled a new response: get back to us in a “couple of days.” Watch it:

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/14/690061/campaign-chair-romney-will-ex
plain-what-part-of-ryans-plan-he-opposes-in-the-next-couple-of-days/

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Midday open thread

• Today's comic is National sandwich month by Matt Bors:
  
• "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere":
  

  Helen Gurley Brown, who as the author of ?Sex and the Single Girl? shocked early-1960s America with the news that unmarried women not only had sex but thoroughly enjoyed it ? and who as the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine spent the next three decades telling those women precisely how to enjoy it even more ? died on Monday in Manhattan. She was 90, though parts of her were considerably younger. [...]

  As Cosmopolitan?s editor from 1965 until 1997, Ms. Brown was widely credited with being the first to introduce frank discussions of sex into magazines for women. The look of women?s magazines today ? a sea of voluptuous models and titillating cover lines ? is due in no small part to her influence.

  Rest in peace, Ms. Brown. Wherever you are.
• Security theater:
  

  A man whose jet ski failed him in New York's Jamaica Bay swam to John F. Kennedy airport, where he was easily able to penetrate the airport $100 million, state-of-the art security system.

  Daniel Casillo, 31, was able to swim up to and enter the airport grounds on Friday night, past an intricate system of motion sensors and closed-circuit cameras designed to to safeguard against terrorists, authorities said.

• Wonkette has this handy guide to things the Romney/Ryan team says we can't talk about:
  

  Tax returns.
  Business experience.
  Medicare.
  Granny-starving.
  Dads, being or having.
  The four-year span when they murdered those Seattle hookers just to watch them die.

• These people really are nuts:
  

  PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays) is a fringe group that claims to advocate for the rights of avowed ex-gays, asserting that those who have repressed their sexual orientation are victimized by LGBT activists ? they are victims, but for a very different reason. The group wrote to Sen. Ted Lieu (D) last week, attacking him for sponsoring a bill that ?smacks of fascism and ex-gay bashing? and harms children[.]

• Just ... wow:
  

  It turns out that the fighting on D-Day was so fierce that as much as 4% of the sand on Normandy beaches is magnetic shrapnel that has been broken down over the decades into sand-sized chunks.

• One seriously big-ass snake.
• Don't you just hate when this happens?
  

  A member of the Thai parliament is accused of accidentally killing his personal secretary with a submachine gun while the two waited for their food to arrive inside a local restaurant.

• Seamus the Dog is now a game:
  

  Your Mission: Survive Until The Car Reaches Canada.
  Catch As Many Bones and Anything Else Mitt Throws Along the Way.
  Get Points For Pooping On The Car. Bonus Points For Hitting Mitt!

• Best story about rogue kangaroos who break out of the zoo with the help of their fellow animal buddies ... EVER!
• Tomorrow is the last day to buy your early bird registration for Netroots Nation 2013 in San Jose, June 20-23. I know I can't wait to be there, and you shouldn't either. Go register now.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/kZw94tosksw/-Midday-open-thread

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Initial Reactions to Ryan Pick Are Weak

We now have some early polling about how voters react to Mitt Romney choosing Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, and these initial results are not great for the Romney campaign. According to Gallup, the Ryan pick has received among the least positive[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/vhKy0KP4I8A/

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Pres. Obama mocks Mitt Romney's windmill-on-car
comment: 'I know he's had other things on his car'

President Obama sure seems to be enjoying himself on the campaign trail. Here he is today in Iowa, mocking Mitt Romney's absurd comment about driving with a windmill on the roof of his car:

And at a moment when homegrown energy is creating new jobs in states like Iowa, my opponent wants to end tax credits for wind energy producers.  He's said new sources of energy like these are "imaginary."  His running mate calls them a "fad."

During a speech a few months ago, Governor Romney even explained his energy policy this way: "You can't drive a car with a windmill on it."

That's what he said about wind power: "You can't drive a car with a windmill on it."

Now, I don't know if he's actually tried that. I know he's had other things on his car.

Apparently, Mitt Romney would rather strap the family dog to the roof of his car than take the time to learn about how wind and other renewable sources can generate the energy we need to fuel a new generation of vehicles that run on electricity.

Wind energy is a big deal in places like Iowa, and Romney's opposition to it is one of the reasons he's going to lose there. It's not just Obama going after Romney's position, either. Iowa's Republican governor has criticized Romney too.

As for the Seamus mocking, that's just an added bonus. Winning sure is fun, isn't it?

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/G8-yguxknSY/-Pres-Obama-mocks-Mitt
-Romney-s-windmill-on-car-comment-I-know-he-s-had-other-things-on-his-car

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Daily Kos/SEIU State of the Nation poll: Worst.
Congress. Ever.

Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos & SEIU. 8/9-12. Registered voters. MoE ±3.1% (no trendlines):

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "This is the worst Congress ever."

Agree: 60
Disagree: 22
Unsure: 18

What can I possibly say about this question? I suppose I could have joked that there must be some old-timers who remember the "Do-Nothing Congress" that Harry Truman castigated, but as it happens, the 65+ age bracket is actually most emphatic that this congress sucks the most of all! So who hates this congress least of all, then? That would be Republicans, who "only" rate it "worst ever" by a 51-30 margin. Democrats and independents, meanwhile, have nearly identical views about this congress: 64-18 for Dems and 65-14 with indies. I take that as a good sign, since I figure better GOP ratings mean that this congress is more closely associated with John Boehner than Harry Reid, and given how much people in general loathe Capitol Hill right now, that's a positive for Team Blue.

Q: If the candidates for President this fall were Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, who would you vote for?

Barack Obama: 47 (48)
Mitt Romney: 45 (46)
Undecided: 8 (7)

No change here, and that's in spite of the president's job approval dropping to 43-52 (from 44-50). There is a change to our polling, though, that I should announce: From now through election day, we'll be asking our generic congressional ballot and voter enthusiasm questions every week. As always, you can find links to all our polling data, including our archives of previous polls, on our weekly trends page.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/AJ0DIHonOEs/-Daily-Kos-SEIU-State-
of-the-Nation-poll-Worst-Congress-Ever

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Scott Brown runs away from Paul Ryan question

Mitt: Does Paul Ryan make you as uncomfortable as he does me? Scottie: Boy, howdy.There's one Republican senator in particular who would just as soon completely pretend that there wasn't also a presidential race happening this year. Scott Brown really needs Massachusetts to forget that he's a Republican, and that his standard-bearer, Mitt Romney, just picked the most ideologically extreme choice he could to help him lead the ticket. So when asked about Paul Ryan, what could Brown do but run away from them? Literally.

Brown praised Ryan as a thoughtful and serious leader on budgetary ­issues, but the Massachusetts Republican was quick to point out that he voted twice to block consideration of ­Ryan?s budget in the Senate. [...]

Brown appeared to grow frustrated with repeated questions about Ryan?s proposals, some of which have the potential to spook seniors and swing voters, important blocs that Brown is courting.

?Listen, you?ll have to speak to ­Ryan about his ideas,? Brown said, walking away as a reporter asked him about Ryan?s plan to raise the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 by 2034. ?I have my own ideas, and we?ve been voting on them.?

He actually sounds a lot like Romney there, well, the Mitt who says he's his own man with his own plan, not the Mitt who says he's totally on board with the Ryan plan. It is hard to keep up.

It's Brown's same old game, to pretend like he's not another rubber-stamp Republican. When the vote doesn't matter?like with the Ryan budget that was never going to pass the Senate?he votes the way he thinks might help him get reelected. But when it really matters, like on jobs bills, he toes the party line. Just like Mitt, caving to the far right with his Ryan pick.

Please donate $3 to Elizabeth Warren on ActBlue.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/WPb6bd0tHzg/-Scott-Brown-runs-away
-from-Paul-Ryan-question

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GOP strategist calls Ryan "Sarah Palin with a
PowerPoint presentation"

Meow.  Over three dozen GOP strategists were interviewed by Politico about the feelings on the Ryan VP pick. Most were pessimistic, to put it lightly.  The article is scathing:In more than three dozen interviews with Republican strategists and campaign operatives ? old hands and rising next-generation conservatives alike ? the most common reactions to Ryan ranged from gnawing...

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/5jKg1lKSE-U/gop-strategist-calls-ry
an-sarah-palin.html

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Stupid Right-Wing Tweets: Jedediah Bila Edition

enlarge

Jedediah Bila is a professional wingnut who makes the rounds on Fox & Friends, Hannity, Fox Business and Glenn Beck's glorified YouTube channel. And her twitter feed is full of nonsensical little rants like this.

Now, the contraception debate we had in this country -- touched off by Bila's homeboy El Rushbo calling Sandra Fluke a "slut" -- wasn't about the government "paying for everyone's birth control." It was, in fact, about whether the federal government can regulate private insurance plans. But wingnuts can't win that argument, so they lie about it.

Anyway, what I want to know is this: does Jedediah Bila have an insurance policy that covers her contraception, and if so, does she refuse the coverage and pay for it out of pocket?

I'm guessing no.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/blue-texan/stupid-right-wing-tweets-jedediah-bila-

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Rep. Shea-Porter: There Are ‘Too Many
Climate Deniers In Congress’

New analysis finds “taking a proclimate stand appears to benefit candidates more than hurt them with registered voters”

As polls continue to show that talking about climate change is a politically beneficial issue among registered voters, some candidates are responding.

New Hampshire Democratic Representative Carol Shea-Porter is the most recent politician to make climate change part of her campaign. In a recent letter to constituents, Shea-Porter lambasted “climate change deniers in Congress” who are spreading misinformation and blocking action:

America and the world have had quite an awful time the past few years with wild weather–drought, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wind, heat. Many people in our country have died in these natural disasters, and New Hampshire has had its share of trouble. While we use the word “natural,? most people now believe that these disasters are a result of global warming, also called climate change. However, there are still too many climate change deniers in Congress, and this is preventing the United States from moving forward, even as time is running out to slow down climate change.

On this issue, Shea-Porter has backing from many Republicans in the state. New Hampshire has an active group of Republican climate hawks who are working to get their party to seriously address the problem. When presidential hopefuls were flocking to the state during primary season, two prominent Republicans penned an op-ed calling on the candidates to address climate during their campaigns:

There is little doubt in the scientific and political community that climate change is the environmental challenge of our time. The effects of climate change are real, measurable, and requires strong presidential leadership to bring about real solutions.

It is a mistake to view climate change, or conservation issues in general, through a partisan lens. A recent poll of New Hampshire voters conducted by the Mellman Group found that over 70 percent of Republican primary voters see global warming as a serious threat.

And these findings are backed up nationwide. A new report from George Mason University analyzing recent surveys of registered voters shows that talking about climate action is a positive for candidates.

According to a March survey from George Mason, 55 percent of voters said they will consider candidates’ positions on climate change in upcoming elections. The survey also found that independent voters lean far more toward climate action, with 68 percent saying we should take medium or large-scale action to address the problem.

Most importantly, talking about climate change is not likely to lose a candidate votes.

According to a 2010 poll from Stanford University, Republicans said they would not change their attitudes about a particular politician based upon statements made about climate change or “green” issues.

As a recent poll from the Pew Research Center found, the only voters likely to see talking about climate change and clean energy as a negative are very conservative Tea Party males — many of whom would never vote for a moderate candidate to begin with.

Researchers at George Mason University summed up the trend in their recent analysis:

The short answer is that ? at the national level and among ten key swing states ? taking a proclimate stand appears to benefit candidates more than hurt them with registered voters. Of course, the political dynamics in any given district may be an exception to this pattern, but it is important to note that the pattern is similar at both the national and swing-state scales.

The trend is clear: talking about climate change and raising public awareness of the issue isn’t just a moral obligation, it’s also politically beneficial. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seemed to understand this when he delivered a major speech on climate at the opening of his National Clean Energy Summit two weeks ago.

Here’s the rest of Shea-Porter’s letter to voters:

After years of arguing about whether we were experiencing climate change as a result of our human activities, the evidence is pretty convincing to most scientists at this point. Most agree it is from burning fossil fuels. Seth Borenstein, an AP science writer, reported that Richard Muller, a “prominent physicist and skeptic of global warming”, conducted a two-year study to see if the earth was heating up. While he did not study the cause, his conclusion was that the earth was rapidly heating up. This was huge news in the climate skeptic industry, whose ranks grow smaller every day.

Consider the evidence for just this summer. The heat has been tormenting people. American farmers are experiencing a drought disaster. There are wild storms across the country. Greenland has just experienced a huge ice melt. Christine Roberts of The New York Daily News wrote that, “The ice sheet that blankets Greenland has melted at an astonishing rate this summer, stunning NASA scientists and leaving many wondering what will happen next. Nearly 97% of Greenland’s surface ice sheet thawed during a four day period in July – more than it ever has in the last 30 years, NASA satellite data shows.”

Extreme weather and climate change are tied together, and scientists have collected a lot of data to show this. Reuters environmental correspondent Alister Doyle just reported that “A study this month, for instance, showed that greenhouse gas emissions had raised the chances of the severe heat wave in Texas in 2011 and unusual heat in Britain in late 2011.” Doyle says that evidence that we will continue to have severe weather where we live might help experts to plan for the costs associated with it, and to find ways to deal with climate change.

Maybe. But first, we need our policy makers-Congress-to finally acknowledge climate change and stop stalling on finding solutions. We have too many members who refuse to admit there is climate change, or that the federal government has a role to play in stopping it. For example, our Congressman in New Hampshire’s First District, Frank Guinta, told the Raymond Tea Party that the federal government has no role to play in fixing global warming.

Congressman Guinta is not alone in trying to block any corrective action. The military has been very concerned about climate change and access to fuel, and is now using some biofuels. Some senators are fighting this on the grounds that it could cost more than traditional fuels. This is discouraging, because scientists tell us we need to act quickly now to change our dependence, and there is also a national security issue here. We must break our dependence on oil for environmental and security reasons, and we must do it now.

I believe there should be an Apollo-type program to address these issues, advance renewable energy, and slow down climate change. But our current Congress took 27 votes to block action to address climate change in 2011, and 94% of the Republican members voted to block any action. If Americans want to fix this climate change problem, they will first need to fix Congress in November.

Of course, just talking about climate change doesn’t get us action. But at a time when our President — the man with the largest megaphone in the country — refuses to talk about the problem, creating a rhetorical drumbeat is one way to get the issue back on the national priority list.

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/14/688731/rep-shea-porter-there-are-too-
many-climate-deniers-in-congress/

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Mitt Romney Calls Paul Ryan’s Medicare Cuts
‘Extraordinary’

Mitt Romney described the Medicare cuts included in Paul Ryan’s budget as “extraordinary,” during his visit to a mining operation in Beallsville, Ohio on Tuesday — just days after his campaign claimed that he would have signed the reductions into law as part of the Ryan blueprint.

The Medicare reductions have become a political lightning rod since Romney named Ryan to the ticket on Saturday. The Affordable Care Act reduces future Medicare spending by $716 between 2013 and 2022 and Ryan maintains the savings in his Medicare proposal. The Romney campaign, however, has tried to gloss over the similarity and attack the president for approving reductions that the Republican runningmate also supports.

On Tuesday morning, following a barrage of questions from reporters, Romney campaign chair John Sununu announced that Romney would not cut Medicare in the next decade and the candidate himself pledged to restore the funding while stumping in Ohio. Watch it:

The campaign’s new “no cuts to Medicare” position significantly complicates Romney’s pledge to hold federal spending at 20 percent of GDP by 2016 and his promise to balance the budget at the end of his second term. It also contradicts what Romney told reporters in Miami on Monday.

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/08/14/689571/mitt-romney-calls-paul-ryans-me
dicare-cuts-extraordinary/

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