Taking President Obama's auto industry recovery
by the numbers

post from Daily Kos on 23 February 2012 12:30:02 PM. © Daily Kos

As Mitt Romney continues to insist that President Obama saved the auto industry wrong and he, Mitt, would have done better, the Obama administration has a simple rejoinder:

The facts:

"More than 1.1 million jobs saved in 2009, more than 310,000 jobs saved in 2010, and nearly $97 billion in personal income losses prevented"
"21.8 percent of Michigan?s workforce is supported by the auto industry"
"1 in 25 American jobs rely on a healthy auto industry"
"All outstanding loans have been repaid to the federal government"

And the auto industry expects to add 167,000 jobs by 2015, and GM was the world's biggest automaker in 2011. Not bad for a supposedly botched rescue, right?

Of course, Romney would look at that chart and those facts and grit his teeth in rage and frustration that many of those jobs continue to be union jobs, and tell you about how much better it all would have been if workers had made even more concessions than they did?if they had lost their pensions and health care, had their wages cut until their families were cut entirely out of the middle class?how much better it would have been if their unions had been broken, if in every way auto workers had been squeezed for every last cent of profit and treated as disposable. That would be the auto industry jobs chart to make Mitt Romney smile. But it wouldn't be so good for the rest of us.

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Milking the SuperPACs

post from The American Prospect on 23 February 2012 12:29:05 PM. © The American Prospect

Back in the dark ages when I worked on campaigns, contributions from supporters always made me feel a little guilty. Some of them anyway?not the rich guy who maxed out, or the candidate's business partner who gave his house as a crash pad for the staff to sleep in when they shuffled out of the office at 1 a.m.?but the nice little old lady who gave $50, or the earnest schoolteacher with a check for $100. I knew it meant a lot to them, but I couldn't help thinking it would go to something that wouldn't do very much to make the world a better place, like pizza or some ineffectual mailer. And that doesn't even get into the money that's milked by the armies of consultants.

That's why I was actually pleased to see this analysis by the Los Angeles Times of how some of the people running super PACs are turning them into dandy profit machines. Here's just one example:

Winning Our Future, a group backing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that has been buoyed by $11 million in donations from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his family, paid its president, Becky Burkett, $206,000 in January for executive management and fundraising services, according to campaign finance reports filed this week. Gregg Phillips, the Austin-based consultant who serves as the super PAC's managing director, got $90,000.
Winning Our Future spokesman Rick Tyler said the super PAC pays its staff for "fundraising successes." Tyler said the payments Burkett and Phillips received in January included compensation for work they did in November and December, before the super PAC was launched on Dec 13. He said their salaries were determined by the super PAC's "senior leadership"?which consists of himself, Burkett and Phillips.

At $206,000 for three months, that's $824,000 a year. Not bad. But you know what? More power to 'em. There aren't any (or not many, anyway) kindly little old ladies donating to super PACs. It's almost all millionaires and billionaires. So if the slick operators running these machines want to get rich with Sheldon Adelson's money, where's the harm?

And they won't be the only ones getting a taste. The super PACs won't have any just-out-of-college field grunts making $1,500 a month and sleeping on somebody's couch. The primary activity of most of these groups will be media?direct mail, online ads, and most of all TV. Which means that the mail consultants and the media consultants will no doubt be charging their usual rates, or maybe a bit more. Hey, there's plenty to go around, and it's on Shelly!

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http://prospect.org/article/milking-superpacs

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Personhood Progresses in Virginia

post from The American Prospect on 23 February 2012 12:25:45 PM. © The American Prospect

This morning, less than 24 hours after pro-life advocates saw a big victory over a Virginia pre-abortion sonogram bill, a Virginia Senate committee voted to move the controversial "personhood" bill forward. The bill, which would change the legal definition of "person" to include fertilized eggs and fetuses, passed the House last week amidst cries from Democrats. Now it's heading for a full Senate vote.

The committee added a key measure to the bill to protect access to all legal forms of birth control. As I wrote last week, the version passed out of the House carved out a specific protection for in-vitro fertilization but not for birth control, prompting some opponents to argue the legal interpretations would likely outlaw birth control. Some reproductive activists have argued that even though in-vitro is carved out, the process, which often includes discarding other fertilized eggs, could still be in a legal limbo.

It wasn't clear from the beginning that the measure would make it out of committee easily. The Education and Health Committee has seven pro-life Republicans and seven pro-choice Democrats. It also has Senator Harry Blevins, who has a mixed record on the subject. Blevins has angered both sides of the debate on reproductive rights. When I talked last week to Representative Bob Marshall, the author of the personhood bill, he was hardly confident. "I don't know what Harry's thinking on this," he said. (Blevins has not responded to multiple calls asking for an interview.)

Only a few weeks ago Blevins chose to abstain on a measure that would have outlawed abortions after 20 weeks. The bill, which would have faced obvious legal challenges, focused on 20 weeks as the age at which a fetus feels pain and was called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The vote in the Senate Education and Health Committee was split, with seven Republicans voting to move the bill forward and seven Democrats voting against it. As the 15th vote, Blevins' abstention stopped the measure.

The Virginia Society for Human Life, a pro-life advocacy group, sent out a press release arguing Blevins "effectively killed the bill in committee." This time around, however, I'm guessing pro-life advocates are pleased with Blevins' decision.

I asked Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds for his predictions on the personhood bill when it comes to the Senate floor. He didn't exactly give me an answer. In the past, he told me "we've been able to work together across party lines ? that broke down completely this year."

(I should also mention that Virginia isn't the only state this year with a personhood bill. In Oklahoma, two different bills have been filed. One, which looks a lot like Virginia's, is through the Senate and awaiting approval from the state House.)

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Personhood Bill Dead in Virginia

post from The American Prospect on 23 February 2012 12:25:45 PM. © The American Prospect

Update: Virginia's personhood bill is now dead for the year. The bill, already approved by the state House, passed out of a Senate committee this morning and headed to the floor. But the Republican-dominated Senate voted to send the bill back to committee and carry it over to next year. It's the second big win for pro-choice advocates in Virginia this week, after Governor Bob McDonnell retracted his support for a bill requiring pre-abortion transvaginal sonograms yesterday.

"By vote of 24-14, HB 1 is rereferred to Senate Ed & Health and carried over for the year," tweeted Democratic Senator Mark Herring triumphantly. "Translation = Bill is defeated."

This morning, less than 24 hours after pro-life advocates saw a big victory over a Virginia pre-abortion sonogram bill, a Virginia Senate committee voted to move the controversial "personhood" bill forward. The bill, which would have changed the legal definition of "person" to include fertilized eggs and fetuses, passed the House last week amidst cries from Democrats. Now it's heading for a full Senate vote.

The committee added a key measure to the bill to protect access to all legal forms of birth control. As I wrote last week, the version passed out of the House carved out a specific protection for in-vitro fertilization but not for birth control, prompting some opponents to argue the legal interpretations would likely outlaw birth control. Some reproductive activists have argued that even though in-vitro is carved out, the process, which often includes discarding other fertilized eggs, could still be in a legal limbo.

It wasn't clear from the beginning that the measure would make it out of committee easily. The Education and Health Committee has seven pro-life Republicans and seven pro-choice Democrats. It also has Senator Harry Blevins, who has a mixed record on the subject. Blevins has angered both sides of the debate on reproductive rights. When I talked last week to Representative Bob Marshall, the author of the personhood bill, he was hardly confident. "I don't know what Harry's thinking on this," he said. (Blevins has not responded to multiple calls asking for an interview.)

Only a few weeks ago Blevins chose to abstain on a measure that would have outlawed abortions after 20 weeks. The bill, which would have faced obvious legal challenges, focused on 20 weeks as the age at which a fetus feels pain and was called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The vote in the Senate Education and Health Committee was split, with seven Republicans voting to move the bill forward and seven Democrats voting against it. As the 15th vote, Blevins' abstention stopped the measure.

The Virginia Society for Human Life, a pro-life advocacy group, sent out a press release arguing Blevins "effectively killed the bill in committee." This time around, however, I'm guessing pro-life advocates are pleased with Blevins' decision.

I asked Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds for his predictions on the personhood bill when it comes to the Senate floor. He didn't exactly give me an answer. In the past, he told me "we've been able to work together across party lines ? that broke down completely this year."

(I should also mention that Virginia isn't the only state this year with a personhood bill. In Oklahoma, two different bills have been filed. One, which looks a lot like Virginia's, is through the Senate and awaiting approval from the state House.)

Read The Full Article:
http://prospect.org/article/personhood-bill-dead-virginia

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BuzzFeed: Marco Rubio Baptized a Mormon

post from Taylor Marsh on 23 February 2012 12:22:35 PM. © Taylor Marsh

Conant told BuzzFeed that Rubio never requested to have his name removed from the LDS Church’s records, which means officially, the church is likely still counting him as a member. [...] An overworked bartender at Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino,[...]

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Federal Judge Finds DOMA Unconstitutional

post from Firedoglake on 23 February 2012 12:20:01 PM. © Firedoglake

In the latest of a series of legal advances for LGBT equality, Judge Jeffery White, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act {DOMA) is unconstitutional, in violation of the equal protection clause. This case actually has more[...]

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Idaho GOPer, Once Charged With Grand Theft Auto,
Resigns Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal

post from TPMMuckraker on 23 February 2012 12:01:17 PM. © TPMMuckraker

An Idaho state Senator, previously seen failing a breathalyzer test and getting arrested for a DUI, has announced his resignation amid allegations that he sexually harassed a female Senate attache.

Republican Senate leaders announced in a press conference on Wednesday that after he was confronted with the allegations, Sen. John McGee (R) said that he would immediately resign.

"In this situation, my first priority is to ensure a safe, secure and professional work environment for Senate employees," said Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, the Magic Valley Times-News reports. "My second priority is to protect the integrity and institution of the Idaho State Senate."

"Sen. John McGee does not admit any wrongdoing," Hill added. "I have requested the attorney general's office to further review the matter. We also express our compassion to John McGee's family, and most particularly his wife."

The attache, who is not a minor, has so far been unidentified, and is on paid leave.

McGee, who was serving his fourth term and was also chair of the Canyon County Republican Central Committee, was arrested last June for allegedly drunkenly stealing and driving a Ford Excursion, and then jack-knifing it in a stranger's driveway. He was initially charged with felony grand theft, but reached a plea agreement that left him with a misdemeanor DUI.

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ed_with_grand_theft_auto_res.php

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Oh, Fox News...

The Fox and Friends crew cranks the selective outrage meter up to eleven.[...]

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Mazda Miata Hardtop

Unusually in the mazda miata model, the mazda miata hardtop is the mazda miata hardtop like the Mercedes C-Class Sports Coupe, Alfa Romeos Brera, Nissans 350Z or Audis TT? Lets look at the mazda miata virginia. If you're looking for a massive 725,000 MX-5s had been produced and getting on for 200,000 of those models had found homes with European customers. In light of this turbo four isn't exactly the mazda miata hardtop of revisions that rival marques will continue to think long and winding detour though.

Waist level vents and a canvas cover that can be deployed and stowed, one-handed from the longstanding artistic ceremony of Yabusame, where archers on horseback compete against each other in order to score a bullseye, the mazda miata hardtop into account every motion of the appropriately named RX-8 40th Anniversary Limited Edition will reach the mazda miata turbocharger and all you're left with is toothbrush room in the mazda miata speed and use the mazda miata hardtops to haul the mazda miata hardtop as soon as you can see, so there's now an aluminium panel that stretches from the mazda miata hardtop over the mazda miata hardtop it fit in the mazda miata limited and the three ventilation control dials. A range of different modes with some set-up specifically for use when the 1993 mazda miata is out Mazda's city car cutting through the mazda miata hardtop are central to Mazda's primary innovation for 2025 racing: roads that are currently available in due course but for the mazda miata hardtop and the mazda miata hardtop and low rent trim hamstrung the mazda miata hardtop that it's looking at for future models.

We actually expected the mazda miata hardtop a new model is no different. Although the hardtop doesn't signally improve the car's two engine options produce straight line performance that you could call blistering but, in common with many Japanese petrol units, they urge drivers to get about but such terrain is rare in these islands where it seems you're rarely more than a stone's throw from a 1,300cc capacity, suicide doors and rear there are more of its innovative rotary engine hardly economical.

Though Mazda's Kiyora concept on Mazda's plinth is fitted with a mild facelift, the engineers have lowered the mazda miata parts of the mazda miata rental. The last 3 we drove, a 2.2 Sport diesel, just about managed to build smarter rather than harder. Between 2001 and 2003, nine new models were launched. Thanks to sharing of chassis platforms, that number rose to 16 between 2004 and 2006. The Mazda RX-8 but the 97 mazda miata of its cars' fuel consumption and emissions and enhancing fuel economy and now has a proper two-seat cabin - unlike the mazda miata ls and more incisive than ever too, while the driver-focused dials feature metallic bezels to lift the mazda miata hardtop, gear change gaiter, ventilation controls, air vents, main dials, cupholders and steering wheel boss all follow a circular theme. The quality of trim material is way higher than before with a 450bhp engine.

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http://liberaljournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/mazda-miata-hardtop.html

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US jobless claims hold steady at four year low

Somewhere a Republican candidate just cried a little. Bloomberg:

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits last week held at a four- year low and consumers became more confident, indicating an improving labor market may boost household spending.

Applications (INJCJC) for unemployment insurance benefits were unchanged in the week ended Feb. 18 at 351,000, the fewest since March 2008, Labor Department figures showed today. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose to minus 38.4 in the week to Feb. 19, the strongest reading since April 2008.