Last Call

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina finally, finally admits to the GOP Plan for 2012.  Steve Benen notes Messina's letter this afternoon involving the Senate test vote on the American Jobs Act sent to Obama/Biden supporters read in part:

“But Senate Republicans want to block it. Not because they have a plan that creates jobs right now — not one Republican, in Congress or in the presidential race, does. They only have a political plan.

“Their strategy is to suffocate the economy for the sake of what they think will be a political victory. They think that the more folks see Washington taking no action to create jobs, the better their chances in the next election. So they’re doing everything in their power to make sure nothing gets done.” [emphasis added]

Now anybody who has read me has known I've been saying this for months, if not years now.  What the GOP is doing has to be considered sabotage of our economy for political gain, and the OFA folks are finally going on the offense with what Americans have known for a long time now:  the GOP Plan is to wreck the economy, block any efforts to fix the problem, and blame the President for its failure to improve.

It really is that simple.  But the act of the Obama campaign to actually come out and say it means they believe the battle for 2012 is truly on, and it's about damn time they admitted to what the stakes truly were out here.

Damn good to see them on offense too.  More of this, please.

The New Jersey Devil Backs The Angel Moroni

Chris Christie is officially endorsing Mitt Romney before tonight's GOP hatefest debate in New Hampshire, where Romney is leading.

The man who would not run against Mitt Romney despite the pleas of just about every Republican alive has signed on to the Romney campaign, according to a tweet from Fox News Radio.

BREAKING: Fox learns New Jersey Gov Chris Christie to endorse Mitt Romney in Hanover, NH per Carl Cameron

The endorsement comes in New Hampshire just as Romney is set to debate the rest of the GOP field at Dartmouth tonight. 

If that's true, then tonight should be very interesting.  Having said that, expect the dogpile on MassCare from here on out.  It will be comical, I think.  Just like all the other debates.

A Crappy Mystery

Folks, Smoking Gun's random goodness doesn't get any better than this:

The matter of the unwanted enema remains an “unsolved case,” according to police in northern California.

As detailed in a Sonoma Police Department report, a 53-year-old man who is “visually impaired” called cops in early-May to report a bizarre encounter in his apartment. The man, whose name cops redacted from the report, said that an unknown female entered his home one Sunday afternoon and announced that she, “Needed to give him an enema.”

While the man “thought this to be somewhat strange,” he did not think the enema was “entirely out of the question as he had undergone surgery on his intestines recently and assumed it may have been ordered by his doctor even though he had not been notified.”

Somewhat strange, indeed. I'd hate to catch this guy on a really weird day. I suppose there is no way this will turn out to be legitimate, but really... what are the odds of having that type of surgery and this happening?

More important of all, how will they turn this into an Obamacare story?

* Amusing tag added because how many times does one get to cover an enema and a crime?

** Title runner-ups include- And Now For Your Tuesday Morning Crap-O-Gram, What An Enigma... Oh, Wait and Pull My Finger, It's Tuesday!

Chrome Challenge: It Just Keeps Getting Better

Check and mate.  Chrome has added remote desktop access through the browser or a Chromebook.  That wins the war, folks.  Chrome is cross-platform (meaning it doesn't matter if you're Windows, Linux, Mac or any combination of the above), it's free, and it connects to what might be the most powerful presence on the Internet, Google.  Add in the popularity of Android phones and Google integration and you have a robust solution that lets your every computer and cell phone connect and share.

The Chrome Remote Desktop beta version, which arrived Friday, is a browser-based equivalent of remote desktop software for conventional operating systems. Such software is handy for IT administrators managing employees' machines, people taking care of their relatives' computers, or individuals getting access to their own machines from afar.

"Chrome Remote Desktop BETA is the first installment on a capability allowing users to remotely access another computer through the Chrome browser or a Chromebook," the release notes said. "Chrome Remote Desktop BETA is fully cross-platform, so you can connect any two computers that have a Chrome browser, including Windows, Linux, Mac, and Chromebooks."

So finally, I can work on my mother-in-law's computer without having to fight every step of the way. I can support my clients through a free program that will work seamlessly with the Linux setup I have created for them. My phone, laptop and desktop can all connect and I can back up and move files from anywhere. If my husband is unsure of how to use a program (which happens often) I can help him from anywhere, or view his screens and walk him through.

It's in beta, but Chrome has failed to shine yet so my expectations are high.

Occupy Wall Street Does Many Favors

Some have condemned the protesters, others have cheered them on.  I'm definitely one of the latter, and while we have gone over the pros and cons from the fallout, there is one final "thank you" that we owe to the OWS movement.  They are forcing key GOP players to admit they will support corporate powerhouses above the people they swear to serve.  Actions speak louder than words, and when the voting majority settles down and people start asking questions, it will be clear who spoke on behalf of the people and who just pretended to.  The mask is slipping and the crazy is showing through - the Tea Party idiots are starting to leave a trail of hypocrisy that is easy to follow.

This Nancy Pelosi slam dunk comes from a recent CNN article:

The California Democrat was asked about a remark by her colleague across the aisle Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House, that he was concerned about "growing mobs" who were "pitting ... Americans against Americans."

"I didn't hear him say anything when the tea party was out demonstrating, actually spitting on members of Congress right here in the Capitol, and he and his colleagues were putting signs in the windows encouraging them," Pelosi said.

The fact that folks have spoken out about GOP stupidity is not new, what has changed is that they have so much to work with now that they can find a subject for anyone's hot button.  The tide is changing, and people are getting angry.  Failing to recognize that and chasing the dollar will get Tea Party members what they deserve - our disgust and mistrust.  I know time flies, but it seems they may self-destruct before they get a chance to do much more harm.

On the other side of the coin, we have Herman Cain spewing rhetoric that makes no sense.  He denies anything was wrong before Obama took over the country, and makes himself a fool by trying to pin it on  our current president:

"The proof is quite simply the bankers and the people on Wall Street didn't write these failed policies of the Obama administration. They didn't spend a trillion dollars that didn't work. The administration and the Democrats spent a trillion dollars," Cain said. Citing the president's new jobs bill, Cain added that the "administration is proposing another $450 billion wrapped in different rhetoric. So it's a distraction, so many people won't focus on the failed policies of this administration."

If he can call this a distraction with a straight face, not only is he irony-deaf but he's just plain wrong. The bankers didn't write the policies, but that didn't stop them from sticking it to us at every turn, and when faced with the consequences they turned on their customers and refused to take responsibility. Wall Street not responsible for even a tiny part of our current crisis? Are you kidding me? The good news is, Cain has shamelessly sold out his fellow citizens time and again for business. If he becomes a serious contender there is so much verbal ammunition to use against him that I'm not even worried. His own comments show him to be ignorant of what life is like for most Americans, and his "let them eat cake" attitude wins no favors with those who cannot afford cake. Calling a peaceful assembly by people who want government change "anti-American" also shows his grasp of American history and principles is fundamentally flawed. To be blunt, Herman Cain is a blowhard asshole and does not deserve our respect.

Exposing the Tea Party is worth the price these brave protesters are paying. I salute them for their bravery, and plan to take part in our local movement to do my share. It's making the Tea Party go on the record and give their opponents the quotes and actions to illustrate what they really are: the face of American greed.

Epic Moonbeams And Rainbows Win

California's Jerry Brown is rapidly turning into one kick-ass Governor.  Again.

California Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday signed legislation into law that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

The Gender Nondiscrimination Act strengthens employment, housing and other civil rights protections for transgender Californians. It was authored by Assemblymember Toni Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego.

“The Gender Nondiscrimination Act protects all Californians. No matter your skin color, your age, where you come from or whether you’re gay, straight, or transgender, we are all protected by the same rights,” Atkins said in a statement. “We share equal protection in employment, housing, and education. This bill ensures that no one is left out.”

California anti-discrimination law previously prohibited discrimination based on “gender,” but it was not clear whether transgender people were protected.

Gov. Brown on Sunday also signed the Vital Statistics Modernization Act, which will make it easier for transgender Californians to update birth certificates and other identification documents.

“The Vital Statistics Modernization Act eliminates outdated and onerous barriers that transgender people face when trying to update their IDs,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center. 

As goes one-seventh of the nation, folks.  Carry on, Jerry.  The nation needs more like you.

EPIC WIN.

Walker On The Clock, Tick Tick Tock

Wisconsin Democrats are gearing up to toll the bell for Gov. Scott Walker's recall effort.  Here's what they are up against:

Wisconsin's recall law requires that officials have held office for at least one year before being recalled. Since Walker was just elected in 2010, that means the petitions cannot be turned in until early January 2012. In addition, the Dems will have a lot of leg-work to do, if they hope to recall him.

In order to initiate a recall, signatures of at least 25 percent of the number of voters in the previous gubernatorial election must be collected in a 60-day window, within a relevant district (statewide, in this case). Calculated from the 2010 election results, this means the Dems will need to collect 540,206 signatures -- more than 9,000 signatures a day, statewide -- plus some significant buffer that campaigns routinely collect in order to protect against signatures being disqualified over one imperfection or another.

To wind up the spring for the recall, Wisconsin Dems want to raise $540,206 by Nov. 15th in order to kick off the petition drive then.  Good luck to them, and I'll be following the efforts, well, like clockwork.

Handy puns aside, putting Walker out of a job is something that a number of liberals outside Wisconsin should be aiming for.  Outside of John Kasich, no Republican governor has been more relentlessly anti-middle class and pro top 1% with continuous efforts to remove collective bargaining rights, remove voting rights, and remove accountability.  As in Ohio, there are efforts to fight back by putting the agenda before the people.  In Wisconsin, that means putting Walker himself up for another vote.

Good for Wisconsin Dems.  They understand the keys to all this GOP power lie in statehouses across the country.

Reflecting God's Creatures

Good for the Presbyterian Church for this story:

It was nearly three decades in the making, but the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has ordained its first openly gay pastor. The Rev. Scott Anderson was ordained Saturday at Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Madison, Wisconsin.


"It's an exciting time for me personally to be the first openly gay person ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and it's a big moment for our church that has has excluded gays and lesbians for so many decades, so it's a new day for us," Anderson told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

Anderson had previously been a Presbyterian pastor but left the ministry in 1990 after he was outed by congregants.

At the time, the church required pastors, deacons and elders "to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness," according to its constitution, known as the Book of Order.

Anderson was in a homosexual relationship that violated the church's policy at the time.

"I had been a Presbyterian pastor for eight years, and when I left, I never thought this day would come in my lifetime. God has brought a variety of surprises to my life, and this certainly is the biggest one," Anderson said.

The argument for this is simple:  LGBT folks attend religious services, have questions about faith, and contribute to congregations all across the country.  It's good to see the leaders of at least some of these congregations actively reflect more of their followers.

We're all human, as they say.  It's a start...a long overdue and depressingly small one, but a start it is.

StupidiNews!

• Opening statements begin today in the trial of the "Christmas Underwear Bomber" in Michigan.
• A fungus could wipe out the entire crop of bananas from the Philippines within 3 years unless a cure is found.
• Some 19 Cubans were detained in the Cayman Islands after fleeing from the Communist country in the fifth mass emigration this year.
• Goldman Sachs is heading for a crushing third quarter earnings report, while fellow bank Wells Fargo may have reaped record earnings.
• A new study finds dumping DRM copy restrictions on music would reduce piracy and increase legal download sales.

Last Call

And Europe seems to have survived another deadline with Belgium agreeing to nationalize and bail out banking giant Dexia and France and Germany pledging to recapitalize the rest of the European major banks.

Dexia agreed to the nationalization of its Belgian retail bank and secured 90 billion euros ($121 billion) in state guarantees, in a rescue that raises pressure on other euro zone countries to strengthen their banks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Sunday they would tackle Greece's woes and agree how to recapitalize the regions' banks by the end of the month, but they declined to reveal details of their plan.

"We expect the EU to come up with a minimum core Tier One (capital) level under certain stress scenarios and a higher one without any stress. Then banks will be asked to reach this level in a short period of time," said a senior banker in Germany.

The question is how much will be needed?  British PM David Cameron wants to take the Hank Paulson approach.

British Prime Minister David Cameron told his euro zone peers to adopt a "big bazooka" solution.

"If capital is to have any chance of stabilizing the banks, it will need to be large: we would start with the IMF's 200 billion euros," said Alastair Ryan, analyst at UBS. This could involve euro zone governments owning 40 percent of the sector if such a sum was to come from the state, he estimated.

That's not chump change, and neither is the EU owning 40% of the European banking sector.  Could this be the EU's move to finally nationalize and unwind the Too Big To Fail banks?  Maybe...but I doubt it.

Joe The Plumber Makes House Calls

Our ol' buddy Samuel "Not actually Joe, Not really a plumber" Wurzelbacher is running for the House in Ohio, taking on Democrat Marcy Kaptur in OH-9.

The man known as “Joe The Plumber” is running for Congress.

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) declaring his intention to seek the congressional seat held by Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th district.

Wurzelbacher rose to fame during the 2008 presidential election, when he asked then-Sen. Barack Obama how his tax policies would affect the American dream and the McCain campaign started using his story on the trail.

Good luck with that, Joe.  Kaptur's won big for 18 years now.   Granted, redistricting may make the 9th competitive, but the GOP is too occupied with getting rid of Dennis Kucinich, and to do that they have to railroad as much of the Lake Erie urban vote into Kaptur's district as possible to make the Toledo-Cleveland suburbs as red as Ohio State's jerseys.

It'll probably work, too.  Joe on the other hand, well he's got about as much chance of winning in Kaptur's district as I do.

Whatever You Want Them To Be

Our old friend Doug "Third Party" Schoen is back in Politico today, screaming that Occupy Together really means America wants a centrist third party candidate who will tame the evil partisans in Congress and bring them together to push his Americans Elect effort to destroy "reform" Medicare and Social Security and save America.

In my recent polling, both parties and the congressional leadership all draw net negative ratings.

So there is good reason to believe that a credible third party may be on the ballot in 2012 — and would garner far more support than most political analysts would expect.

I recently polled for Americans Elect, a nonprofit political organization that is now planning an Internet convention to select a third presidential ticket for the 2012 election. They are in the process of securing ballot access in all 50 states.

This demonstrates that an increasing number of Americans are now searching beyond the two parties for effective leadership. Many now support an alternative 2012 ticket to break the two-party duopoly’s stranglehold.

Amazing.  He's polling for an organization that wants to create a third party ticket and he of course found that Americans really want a third party ticket.  Quelle surprise!

Voters desperately want the opportunity to change the political system. Polling showed they are looking for their voices to be heard by electing a centrist alternative to the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets in 2012. They believe, our results show, that this could force the two parties to work together, bringing logical ideas from both.

I'm having trouble figuring out how this would actually solve the problem, since the problem is Congress (and specifically Republicans in Congress), not the White House.  A centrist candidate would have what leverage exactly over Eric Cantor and John Boehner?  No, nobody expects this third party candidate to win...but it certainly would damage President Obama's re-election chances.  There's no way the Tea Party would support a relentlessly centrist candidate.  They'd line up behind the GOP for sure.

But Americans Elect would effectively split independents and Democrats, which is the point.  If these guys were serious about reforming government, they'd start with Congress, not the White House.  The fact that they exist to make sure the GOP wins in 2012 tells you everything you need to know about Doug Schoen (who has been trying to get rid of President Obama by any means possible) and the people he works for.

Supporters Who Honk Are Fined In Seattle

Police experimented with a new tactic Friday night as they responded to a weeklong Occupy Seattle demonstration at Westlake Park -- ticketing drivers who honked in support of protesters.

Starting at 11 p.m. Friday, police started pulling over and ticketing drivers who honked as they drove past protesters.

When the first car -- a taxi -- was pulled over, the protesters followed and shouted at police who then formed a blockade around the driver's cab.

The cab driver was then given a $144 ticket -- and protesters ended up handing him money afterwards to help pay for his fine.

I guess instead of honking to support a national movement, you could flip off the cops instead. At least it would be quiet.  I gotta say, I think it's awesome that protesters helped him pay for the fine.  It shows who is trying to do the right thing for their fellow man, and who is oppressing those who dare speak out. If I wasn't already on board, I would be now.

Cruel And Unusual Punishment, Rush Limbaugh Style

Just for an extra drop of perspective, this was originally published on "mywesttexas.com" under "funny police news."  I guess I don't see what's funny about it.

Talk about your Monday from hell. Not only did Bridgett Nickerson Boyd's car break down on her way to work, but when she pulled over to the side of the freeway, a sheriff's deputy named Mark Goad pulled behind her, wrote her a ticket for driving on the shoulder, decided to arrest her, followed her to the hospital when her suddenly racing heart prompted a call to paramedics, then took her into custody again after she was treated by doctors and finally drove her to jail.

To make matters worse, Boyd claims in a lawsuit that the handcuffs were put on her wrists painfully tight - she claims she explained to the officer she had just had surgery on her hand - and that she was forced to listen to Rush Limbaugh "make derogatory comments about black people" all the way to the jail. Boyd is African-American.

Because of the incident, which occurred on Oct. 4, 2010, Boyd filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Goad and Harris County alleging defamation, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

''Deputy Goad was aware that Boyd had not committed a crime and her arrest was without probable cause," according to the lawsuit filed in Houston.

The magistrate who saw her while jailed apparently agreed and dismissed all charges.

So, when a woman pulls over with a smoking engine that is enough for one jackass to arrest her for driving on the shoulder.  The stupidity is then further compounded by forcing her to listen to a racist rant by our favorite jackass, Rush Limbaugh.  The only non-jackass (except for Boyd, of course) is the magistrate who had the common sense to see a problem and put a stop to it before it approached white-hot nuclear stupidity.

I have special sympathy for her regarding the handcuffs and her hands.  This woman was far from a hardened criminal, there was no reason to ensure that she would be uncomfortable.  They could have cuffed her lightly, put her in a supervised room, or even used an alternate means of control if they did fear she was a danger to others or herself.  I despise people who abuse their power, and I believe that we should remove power from those who are incapable of wielding it with dignity and fairness.

This is harassment, pure and simple.  From the arrest until the magistrate, that poor woman had suffered unnecessarily.  Whether it was because she is black, female or both isn't relevant.  What matters to me is that she did the right thing and was treated like crap throughout the ordeal.

Jackasses in the highest.

Cain Unable, Part 5

Herman Cain is now saying the fact that he exists means racism isn't holding minorities back.  It's all in your head.

When asked by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley if he thought African Americans had a level playing field, Cain said he thought most of them did, using his own experience in corporations as an example.

“Many of them do have a level playing field,” Cain said. “I absolutely believe that. Not only because of the businesses that I have run, which has had the combination of whites, blacks, Hispanics - you know, we had a total diversity. But also because of the corporations whose board I've served on for the last 20 years. I have seen blacks in middle management move up to top management in some of the biggest corporations in America.”

As for African Americans who remain economically disadvantaged, Cain said they often only had themselves to blame.

“They weren't held back because of racism,” Cain said. “People sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as an excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve.”

I didn't honestly think Herman Cain could be any more repugnant, but saying that racism is all in the heads of African-Americans is just ludicrous to the point of self-parody involving what people think about black CEOs running for the GOP White House ticket.

The cognitive dissonance is staggering to me.  Herman Cain was in college during the civil rights era in the 60's.  When federal civil rights laws were codified, Cain benefited from them on the way to his lofty perch as Godfather's Pizza CEO.  At no point have I ever heard of Cain saying he was going to pass up civil rights programs or not take advantage of them because he thought the playing field was level.  He admits in the interview that educational and economic disparity still exists, and then blames poor minorities for it.  How does one escape a hell like that, you wonder?  Through a college scholarship, perhaps?

Hell, look at the racism that spewed out when candidate Obama entered the race in 2007.  It's only gotten worse since then, and Cain honestly believes there's a level playing field?  Is he blind to all the assistance he received?  Did he ever turn down a position because a company had an affirmative action policy in place?  How the hell is he so damn sure that he received zero assistance from any of the civil rights measures that followed on his way to CEO?

Of course, Crowley asked none of that.  But I sure as hell want to know.

Then Cain went on Face The Nation yesterday and said this about Occupy Wall Street:

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain claimed Sunday that the Occupy Wall Street protests going on in New York City and across the country were a conspiracy designed to help President Barack Obama.

“The proof is quite simply the bankers and the people on Wall Street didn’t write these failed policies of the Obama administration,” Cain told CBS’ Bob Schieffer. “So it’s a distraction. So many people won’t focus on the failed policies of this administration.”

“You’re saying that these people all got together to draw attention away from Barack Obama?” Schieffer asked.

“We know that the unions and certain union-related organizations have been behind these protests that have gone on, on Wall Street and other parts around the country. It’s coordinated to create a distraction so people won’t focus on the failed policies of this administration,” Cain replied.

“It’s anti-American because to protest Wall Street and the bankers is basically saying you are anti-capitalism. The free market system and capitalism are two of the things that have allowed this nation and this economy to become the biggest in the world.”

Yeah, it's all Obama's fault.  Bankers had nothing to do with the financial crisis, see.  Also, damn dirty effing hippies hate America and it's a conspiracy to make you forget that President Obama destroyed the economy in 2007 with a time machine and an Excel spreadsheet.

Have I mentioned my strong dislike of Herman Cain?