Last Call

My twitter timeline blew up this morning when news that Newark Mayor Cory Booker said this on Meet The Press this morning (About the 6:30 mark):

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday, Newark, New Jersey Mayor and Obama surrogate Cory Booker said he was “uncomfortable” with the Obama campaign’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s career with Bain Capital.

“It’s a distraction from the real issues,” Booker said, of both attacks on Bain and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. “It’s either gonna be a small campaign about this crap, or it’s gonna be a big campaign about the issues the American public cares about.”

“I’m not about to sit here and indict private equity,” Booker added. “If you look at the totality of Bain Capital’s record, they’ve done a lot to support businesses — to grow businesses. And this to me, I’m very uncomfortable.”

Cory? Bro? I love you, man, but equating the Obama campaign's attacks on Bain Capital to the attacks this week on the President about Rev. Wright is, how shall I say this gently? Complete bullshit?

If you're a surrogate for the Obama campaign and the RNC is happily quoting you, You're Doing It Wrong(tm).

Later on in the discussion, Jim Cramer comes out to the left of Booker on this and reminds us that, you know, Bain got rich by job un-creating a lot of people's jobs. Jim effing Cramer is the voice of reason? C'mon Cory, you're better than this.

And yes, I understand asking the Mayor of Newark to attack Wall Street is like asking a Kentucky or West Virginia Democratic Mayor to attack Big Coal. It's just not going to happen. But equating the Obama campaign's attacks on Bain to the Jeremiah Wright nonsense is way the hell over the line and I'm calling him out on it. Period, full stop.

Mayor Booker then followed up this afternoon with this mea culpa:



And he does admit that what he said wasn't exactly kosher. Good for him.

Evolution Revolution

NY Times reporter Michael Barbaro seems less than enthused about the NAACP publicly backing same-sex marriage as a civil right.

The largely symbolic move, made at the group’s meeting in Miami, puts the N.A.A.C.P. in line with President Obama, who endorsed gay marriage a little over a week ago. Given the timing, it is likely to be viewed as both a statement of principle as well as support for the president’s position in the middle of a closely contested presidential campaign. 

All but two of the organization’s board members, who include many religious leaders, backed a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, according to people told of the decision. 

Borrowing a term used by gay rights advocates, the resolution stated, “We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” 

In a statement, Roslyn M. Brock, chairwoman of the 64-member board, said, “We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law.” 

A spokesman for the group declined to discuss a breakdown of how the board members voted. 

Yawn, ho-hum, NAACP backs same-sex marriage, "largely symbolic", doesn't matter, etc.   Melissa Harris-Perry and guest Aisha Moodie-Mills put the decision in perspective:



Seems to me that there's a lot more to this decision.  Most notably, as Melissa asked here, will gay rights organizations like GLAAD and HRC now return the favor and back the NAACP's stance on stopping GOP vote suppression?

I wouldn't hold my breath.

Employers Aren't Taking Advantage Of The Situation... Really

More and more attention is being paid to how businesses treat their workers.  Because there are so many seeking work, long-time employees who have earned enhanced benefits such as extra vacation through hard work and loyalty are being tossed for workers who would settle for less just to have work.

Now we have a woman who is suing because she was fired after sixteen years of work, because she was two minutes late to go to lunch.  Three times in eighteen months, she committed this royal offense.

But nooooo, we don't have a problem with workforce regulation.  Pay no attention to the facts, Target has no issues with employee expectations.

Margarita Arriaga alleged in a civil rights lawsuit in Sacramento federal court that she was fired because she was late going on lunch breaks after working at the Bronze Star Drive store more than 16 years.

Now 40, Arriaga worked as a cashier, shelf stocker and saleswoman. By the company's own account in court papers she was "well-liked by her managers and peers, and she received generally satisfactory performance evaluations."

She was fired, Target said in the papers, because she was late taking a meal break three times in 18 months – "an automatic ground for termination of any Target employee."

On one of those occasions, Arriaga was two minutes tardy. Target "makes no exception for 'two-minute violations,' " the company declared in court papers.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/19/4501130/target-settles-case-of-woodland.html#storylink=cpy

The Great Fall Of Chyna

Former wrestler Chyna passed out at a porn convention.  She is promoting her new flick, which is a chikka-chikka-pow-wow take on Wrestlemania.  She "dropped to the floor suddenly" as TMZ reports.    Sources quoted exhaustion as the reason, but it turns out she had been kicked out of a party the night before.  She had irritated other guests at the party and the final straw was when she jumped naked into the pool with a girlfriend, and then passed out in the pool.  She was returned to her room.

She managed to annoy guests at a porn convention kick-off party.  That took some effort.

She has known addiction issues, and some pretty hefty personal problems as well.  I actually think she's a pretty cool person who is being crushed by her personal demons.  When she is sober and having a sane moment, a really incredible woman is there.  It's beyond sad that woman gets such little chance to reach the surface.  Just about everyone knows an addict who can't quite break free, and that seems to be where she is stuck.

Just added by a TMZ update:

Former WWE superster Chyna collapsed at a porn convention in Miami today and taken to a nearby hospital ... TMZ has learned ... her third such episode in as many days. 

Chyna was appearing at the 2012 Exxxotica Expo to help promote Vivid Entertainment's porn parody of "Avengers" -- she plays She-Hulk (yes, really). A rep for Vivid tells TMZ the company was worried about her after yesterday's medical scare ... but Chyna insisted she was ok. 

That cites a different type of movie (even in a legit one, she'd be perfect as She-Hulk now that they mention it), but something is going on.  She is clearly not well.

The Dark Side

And if there's any doubt that Taylor Marsh is now very much not one of the good guys, she gives us our plan for Hillary 2016: Liz Cheney.

Why aren’t women on the right being more aggressive for a woman vice presidential nominee? 

Are they really going to settle for two men on the ticket? It’s so 20th century.

Is Sarah Palin’s disastrous candidacy actually going to make them miss this moment? A moment ripe to beat Pres. Obama, but which comes with a Republican nominee who’s a horrific political candidate that desperately needs a lift, someone who could appeal to the majority voting block, women.

When Mrs. Cheney was asked about her political ambitions on Fox News Channel, she demurred: “I’m really focused on defeating Barack Obama. We don’t have the luxury, frankly, of looking beyond this election.”

What better way to take on Obama than next to Mitt Romney?

So Romney wins with Liz Cheney as his veep, but don't worry, there's a greater good at work here other than the fact Romney would get to pick 2-4 SCOTUS justices and put a permanent end to liberalism in America.

Who wouldn’t pay to see Liz Cheney debate Joe Biden?

Marco versus Joe? That’s just funny, but the vetting sweepstakes would be a ball.

Oh, and what a vice presidential pit bull Liz would be, complete with lipstick.

If someone isn’t whispering in Mitt Romney’s ear about Elizabeth Cheney, I’d like to know why not.

This is my answer to Bill Kristol’s nauseating article for the Weekly Standard that once again trots out the ridiculous Obama-Hillary for 2012, because what he should be writing about is Elizabeth Cheney. He’s just distracted, because his main goal is to get Hillary Clinton tarred with the whole Obama – Romney 2012 disaster, which it will be no matter who is elected. Because if Bill Kristol and his back room boys aren’t worried about Hillary for 2016 they’re certifiable. They know she’s not sure if she’ll run, but they also realize if she does she’ll be a political bullet train.

She's so far gone that she'd now rather see Romney/Cheney in the White House than Obama/Clinton.  The woman is insane.  Her hatred for Barack Obama is so massive she's willing to give the country to the GOP just to create a disaster large enough that we'll all "demand" Hillary Clinton for President four years from now.

Complete.  Insanity.