Last Call

Via BooMan, we learn that the myth of "President Obama's dwindling support from the people" is just that: a myth.

The sheer scale of small donations, totaling $56 million for Obama and his party, has surprised many Democratic strategists and fundraisers, who feared that a sour economy would make it difficult for Obama to raise money from disenchanted and cash-strapped voters.

A Washington Post analysis shows that nearly half of his campaign contributions, and a quarter of the money he has raised for the Democratic Party, has come from donors giving less than $200. That’s much higher than it was in 2008 and far beyond what the best-funded Republicans have managed.

Looks like the President continues to have broad support of regular people who are willing to put their money up to be heard, myself included.  I know, I know, but I thought Democrats were so over the President because he failed to stand with the people, right?

Gosh, you mean that the President continues to maintain support and even gain it compared to the GOP opposition, and that the people are rewarding the President's efforts with monetary support, even in this terrible economy, because they know what a Republican in the White House would mean?  And you mean people are not only quietly ignoring the foolish message of abstaining from voting, but are actively supporting the President with contributions?

Who would have guessed that, you know besides us stupid mofos who backed the President for solid reasons, a solid record, and knowledge that the long game is more important?

Hair Shirt And Flogger Not Included

Rick Santorum has figured out the key to solving America's problems here in the depths of the worst economic quagmire in generations: Get used to the suffering, it's good for you.

During a town hall meeting in Ottumwa, Iowa Friday afternoon, Rick Santorum argued that Americans receive too many government benefits and ought to “suffer” in the Christian tradition. If “you’re lower income, you can qualify for Medicaid, you can qualify for food stamps, you can qualify for housing assistance,” Santorum complained, before adding, “suffering is part of life and it’s not a bad thing, it is an essential thing in life.”

Such is the lot of the peasant in the Kingdom Of Froth And Lube. If the invisible sky dude wanted you to be rich, you'd have money. Since you're not, please take comfort in the fact that you're meant to hurt. It'll build character. Please pay no attention to the people raiding the treasury and saying we need to make more peasants suffer, I'm sure they have an excellent reason for not going through any of the standard character-building suffering exercises along with you.

Now do get back to work.

The Revenge Of Papers, Please In Alabama

It was only a matter or time before something like this happened in Alabama, folks.

A German manager with Mercedes-Benz is free after being arrested for not having a driver's license with him under Alabama's new law targeting illegal immigrants, authorities said Friday, in an otherwise routine case that drew the attention of Gov. Robert Bentley.

Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steven Anderson told The Associated Press an officer stopped a rental vehicle for not having a tag Wednesday night and asked the driver for his license. The man only had a German identification card, so he was arrested and taken to police headquarters, Anderson said.

The 46-year-old executive was charged with violating the immigration law for not having proper identification, but he was released after an associate retrieved his passport, visa and German driver's license from the hotel where he was staying, Anderson said.

The length of his detainment and the status of his court case weren't immediately known.

If you're trying to attract foreign companies to your state, having a law like Alabama's immigration nonsense is a great way to do it, yes?  If I'm an international company CEO considering building a plant or factory or regional office in the US, I just crossed Alabama off my list.  Too high of a chance of an international incident.

The best part is I can't wait for the wingnut's explanation for this that goes "Well if all those evil brown people just left the state, we wouldn't need to have this law!  This is all their fault!"

Awesome.

It's All A Huge Fraud: Video Saturday

Shorter Matt Taibbi:  A mother of two in Mississippi lies about previous felony drug conviction to get food stamps because otherwise she would have been ineligible.  Pays back the $4,367 she got.  Gets three years in prison on top of that because the judge is outraged at her pattern of criminal behavior.  Meanwhile, banksters cost us trillions, paid a small fraction of the money back, got zero-cost loans and billions in taxpayer bailouts.  Don't get prison time at all.  Still doing the same thing they were doing before.

If defrauding taxpayers for four grand is worth 3 years in prison, what's a couple trillion worth?

Why, it's worth this:



You're supposed to be more angry with the woman facing prison for food stamp fraud than the banksters that destroyed our economy. They're paying good money to see that you remain thinking that, you know.

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”

The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.

CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.

According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”

The memo also suggests that Democratic victories in 2012 should not be the ABA’s biggest concern. “… (T)he bigger concern,” the memo says, “should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies.”

Can't have that.  Here's Chris Hayes's segment on that this morning.




Is it now becoming clear, folks? The efforts to repeatedly demonize the Occupy movement in the eyes of others, and the effort to turn Occupy protesters and their supporters themselves against "corporate lackey Obama" are designed to demoralize a large segment of the Dems' voting base.

The 2010 elections showed us exactly what happens when that strategy is successful. It's being done again, and surprise, it's being done by the same people, with more than a little assistance from the "Obama isn't progressive enough!" left.

Because this is happening.



And Wall Street couldn't be happier with the effort to split progressives apart over the Democrats' role in all this, especially with the perception that President Obama isn't progressive enough to support OWS.

That's exactly what the actual villains in this scenario want you to think.

Oops! Fatal Edition

MIAMI - A South Florida family files a lawsuit against North Shore Medical Center after a nurse mistakenly gave a 79-year-old man Pancuronium, a drug administered to inmates during most lethal injections.


Last July, Richard Smith, 79, was admitted to the intensive care unit for observation after complaining of shortness of breath. Records show Smith told doctors he had an upset stomach. The doctor ordered Pepcid, an over-the-counter antacid, for him.


However, a nurse in the ICU grabbed a vile of Pancuronium out of a locked drug cart, injected it into Smith's IV tube and apparently left.

I have some medical training, and am licensed to dispense medications in Missouri.  I know how rigorous the training is and the steps that keep mistakes like this from happening.  This story is the perfect example of why the rules are in place, and the dangers of skipping steps.  This man was fully aware of his suffering, he was awake and unable to breathe, and the last thing he knew in this world was that help was not coming.  Preventable, sad, and utterly depressing on behalf of his family.  The nurse made several mistakes, not just one.  That she was not fired and prosecuted is amazing to me.

Fire Walker Chronicles, Part 3

The effort to recall Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott "Union Busting Koch Head" Walker is officially on, and TPM's Eric Kleefield investigates how it would work if Dems can get the 560k or so signatures needed by January 15.  They're about 10% of the way there already with over 50k collected in two days.

And then, if the Dems do make the threshold, there’s no clear timetable for how long an election might take. In separate interviews with TPM, both the state Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski and state Government Accountability Board (which oversees elections in the state) spokesman Reid Magney used the same phrase to describe the situation: “Uncharted territory.”

Magney explained the timeline to TPM, and all of the variables that could come into play. Keep in mind, though, that all of the following discussion is based on an assumption that the Dems will in fact gather the needed signatures.

The bottom line: If the signatures are submitted in mid-January, and there were no extension of the review, then the election could be held as soon as late March. But should that scenario prove unrealistic, with an added extension and a primary, it could go into late May or early June.

It seems very likely that Wisconsin Republicans will do everything they can to sink this recall effort with procedural hurdles, challenges, and if the occasional destruction of petition signatures happens, well that's just really too bad.  Polls show that a majority of Wisconsin voters back the efforts to toss Walker out on his ass, too.  They must be getting scared in Madison.

Really scared.

Another Challenger Appears!

The Odious Patrick McHenry continues to draw a number of challengers to my hometown NC-10 district, this time Asheville NC House Rep. Patsy Keever says she'll run in the Dem primary for a shot at challenging him next November.

Rep. Patsy Keever said Friday she’ll run for Congress after being drawn out of her state House district by Republicans in the legislature.

The Democrat and former Buncombe County commissioner said she’ll seek the nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry in the 10th District.

Keever was “doubled bunked” into the same legislative district with state Rep. Susan Fisher, another Buncombe Democrat, and doesn’t want to run against Fisher.

“I was drawn out of my district,” she said. “So rather than run against Susan, who I feel is doing a great job, I decided I would run against Patrick McHenry.”

Keever, a 63-year-old retired teacher, said her campaign would focus on creating jobs and representing the interests of women and middle class voters.

“I’m in a position to be a voice for the people and I want to do that,” she said. “They need a strong advocate.

That means there's growing interest in taking down McHenry, as earlier this week Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy announced she was seeking the nomination as well.   That's good news, because McHenry has to go considering he's well into the pockets of the big banks, doing everything he can to block financial regulatory reform in the House.

This is definitely a race to keep an eye on.

StupidiNews, Weekend Edition!

• The FDA has rejected the drug Avastin for use in the treatment of breast cancer, saying it has not been shown to be "safe and effective" for that use.
• McDonald's has dropped egg supplier Sparboe after graphic video evidence of the way chickens were cruelly treated has surfaced.
• Massive crowds have returned to Cairo's Tahir Square in order to protest Egypt's ruling military council.
• A new study shows health insurance premiums have risen 63% from 2003 to 2010 as costs for employees increased dramatically.
• Both Nancy Pelosi and Ron Paul have come out in opposition to SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, as opposition grows to the GOP legislation.