Dave's 2012 Presidential Campaign Headquarters

Gary Johnson: Keep an eye on this guy

2012-02-13T08:22:00.001-08:00

Gary Johnson.

Keep an eye on this guy.

I suggested early on (in this blog) that Gary Johnson was one of the few sane candidates running for president that might be a good choice for voters – other than me, of course.

He’s finally made his move: the former New Mexico governor earned his first win in a statewide Libertarian presidential race Saturday. The best move he’s made yet in his bid to become president was leave the polarized Republican Party and join the Libertarians.

A Libertarian candidate has never received more than 1 percent in a U.S. presidential election. Is this the year the record is broken? Is Johnson mainstream enough to attract unhappy liberal and conservative voters to his ranks?

I think this is a prime time for Independents (like myself) to make a serious showing. Disenfranchised voters from the GOP and The Democrats are going to go somewhere.

Can you remember another presidential election in modern times (19th century) where there was a worse lineup of candidates? I sure can’t.

Mind you, I’m not endorsing my competition here, but I have to admit picking Gary Johnson makes a lot of sense. It wouldn’t hurt you to research what he’s done as a politician – keeping in mind that action trumps all rhetoric.

Why Republicans should vote for me

2012-02-12T09:00:00.001-08:00

Are Republican voters giving up on the brand this early in the election process?

What’s going on? They’re continuing to show up in small numbers at the voting booths.

Mitt Romney barely beat Ron Paul in the GOP Maine caucuses/circus yesterday.

But the big news once again was the abysmal turnout numbers as very few Republican voters appeared to be enthusiastic about idea of any of the four remaining candidates becoming President.

There were less than 6,000 votes in the Maine GOP caucuses. No, Maine is not a huge state but there are 1.3 million people who live there.

To further put this in perspective: Out of 1.3 million people in Maine Mitt Romney got about 2,000 votes.

In every state but South Carolina turnout numbers for Republicans have been lower than they were in 2008 (and that year things didn’t turn out so well for them in the general election.)

For all you Republicans who are thinking of not voting in the upcoming presidential campaign because of the lack of sane candidates…Wait!

Just hold on there Happy!

Your vote is important to me. To your country.

Cast it for me, and I’ll guarantee I’ll do better than Romney!

Vote for Dave this November.

This ad message was vetted by Dave because his campaign manager ( a chimp who works for bananas) said it was an open and transparent thing to do.

Whatever.

Loonies of the right getting through the night

2012-02-11T07:07:00.001-08:00

In another tight race, Congress is neck and neck with President Obama...for least popular.

This has some Republicans less concerned with the possible return of Speaker Newt than with Speaker Pelosi.

Not John Boenher, though. He says the House has "done its job," and he's confident voters will choose his vision for America again this fall.

Loonies of the Right
[ Music of the Night ]

See this live performance video on YouTube. Song appears on the album Desperate Housemembers.

The babbling of morons: quotes say it all

2012-02-10T07:59:00.001-08:00

Today we are going to play, “They really said that.” Our first example comes from a meeting of morons making asinine statements. Meet:

Conservative Sen. Jim DeMint who stressed an unyielding agenda for Republicans during the opening speech today at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

DeMint, a South Carolina senator and conservative extremist, made one thing perfectly clear; the idea of compromising with Democrats during a time in which political strife has dominated Capitol Hill is out.

"We don’t have shared goals with the Democrats,” Dimwit declared.

After his stinging losses to Rick Santorum on Tuesday, Mitt Romney has responded with this message: He’s the only Washington outsider left in the race and, thus, the only one capable of changing its culture.

"I happen to believe that the American people recognize that if we’re going to see change in Washington, we’ve got to see some new faces," Romney said at a campaign event in Atlanta. "I haven’t spent any time working in Washington. I spent my life out in the real economy."

Say what? Whose an outsider? Romney’s numerous Washington connections are the reason he’s running for the presidency.

I could go on, but I’m sure you have the idea. The hot air out there could launch a fleet of balloons!

Chronicles of a Wacko: Fanatical Franchi

2012-02-09T08:26:00.001-08:00

The nut cases are coming out of every nook and cranny this election.

I discovered another one yesterday. It’s amazing how many lunatics are playing a part in selecting our next president.

At 17, Gary Franchi began reading about "the committee of 300, the Club of Rome, the Council of Foreign Relations," and other groups of the New World Order.

He said his parents, thinking he was mentally ill, had him heavily medicated for 10 years. But he continued his reading, particularly about the implantation of RFID microchips by government, and formed the Lone Lantern Society to tell people that "the enemies are here."

Ron Paul’s Super PAC “Revolution PAC” told the Federal Election Commission last week that it couldn't meet the deadline to identify its donors, because of an error by its bank. Now “Revolution PAC” has filed its report.

The leader of “Revolution PAC”, and its founder, chairman and treasurer, is Gary Franchi, a promoter of conspiracy theories and sophisticated social-media entrepreneur in the resurgent movement known as the Patriots.

The Revolution PAC paid $41,487 to Franchi or his group Restore the Republic, including $3,000 a month in management fees, $1,766 a month in rent at their shared office in Northbrook, Ill., and a 10 percent commission on large financial donations solicited.

Group seeks investigation of Super PACs

2012-02-08T10:27:00.001-08:00

In a case of closing the barn door after the horses left, a group wants to challenge the legality of Super PACs. I can’t help wondering what took them so long, and why are they just looking at two of the Super PACs?

The group, Democracy 21, named Obama and Romney’s Super PACs, but there was no mention of Gingrich’s “Winning America” Super PAC, or Santorum’s Super PAC, “ Red, White, and Blue Fund.” Why is that? Is someone from one of the two un-named Super PACs behind the challenge?

Perhaps the most disheartening thing is Obama’s reversal (as usual) on these Super PACs. Just last year, they were bad according to Obama. Now, because his political handlers say he need’s the money, he does an about face and has his own PAC.

Can anything stop the PACs from deciding the election this year?

I doubt it. We’ll just have to see who had the most money to buy the presidency.

Some recent news about Super PACs:

“A top strategist who works with Democratic Super PACs told NBC News that the White House decision came after mounting worries within party circles that spending by a phalanx of GOP Super PACs could reach $1 billion by election day -- including $100 million from the conservative oil magnate Koch brothers -- drowning out the president's message

"When you see numbers like that, it starts getting a little spooky," the strategist said.

He also said most big Democratic donors have so far been gun shy of the Super PACs, because of Obama's past criticism of such groups. In the 2010 election, Obama charged that GOP groups, fueled with “special interest” money, were threatening to “hijack” democracy.

"We need some of our big birds to get off the wire," the strategist said, noting that some wealthy donors have expressed concerns that they'll be "demonized" if they give to one of the Democratic Super PACs.

So far, Priorities USA Action has had relatively little success in raising funds, reporting last week that it had collected just $4.4 million through the end of last year. A Priorities official said it had raised another $2.3 million via a 501(c)4 arm that doesn’t have to disclose donors. (The Karl Rove-Ed Gillespie-led groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS have a similar set up and has raised far more money.)” (excerpts from this article)

Quest Opinion: Wedges Issues Divide Americans

2012-02-07T10:05:00.001-08:00

I recently discovered a blog – Raging Wisdom – that I highly recommend when it comes to witty commentary on politics. The blog master, Wisefather, has an understanding of politics that allows for insights others seldom consider.

Here’s Rule #4 – Accept the Wedge Issue Truce - in an ongoing series called “Rules for the Class War.”

“If you are going to have a productive and peaceful class war, you should put the other “wars” on hiatus.
Wedge issues are one of the biggest barriers preventing patriotic Americans from uniting to restore American capitalism and recapture America’s greatness. The Crazy Rich and their allies have used these wedge issues to divide us for decades.

These are the issues they use to trick you into turning against your own best interests and those of your country. Here’s a partial list: abortion, gun control, gay rights, flag burning, immigration, Israel, racism, climate change, religion, and terrorism.

Yes, some of those are serious and need resolution, but 1) they are minor in comparison to the rising threat to the integrity of our political process (how power is acquired and its limits), and 2) the pursuit of wedge issues themselves is pointless because they will remain stalemates until our representative democracy can be made properly responsive and functional again.

How can you trust the system to fairly or effectively resolve any of these issues when the process can so easily be co-opted by just a few people? Even if you were to persuade a sizable majority to take your side on your pet issue, your efforts are in vain without a process that responds to that majority instead of the whims a very powerful few.

The defenders of the status quo want us to scuffle over trifles and not notice that they are looting the country’s wealth causing its greatness to crumble.
How do you show that you’ve adopted the wedge issue truce? When someone raises a wedge issue to divide us (or make good TV) call them on it. If they try to insert it into a debate, use the term “wedge issue” like some have used “class warfare.” Tell them, “You are trying to use wedge issues to distract and divide us from what is really important.”

So Class War Rule #4 is: Accept the Wedge Issue Truce. Put all of those on the back burner. Just let it go … for now. Once we “get our country back” and on the right track again, only then can it possibly be worth our time and energy to take up wedge issue debates.
With the wedge issues on the shelf, the working classes (composed of many different people with many different and conflicting beliefs) will find it much easier to come together to work toward greater goals.”

Will Obama be re-elected because of GOP failure to find a good candidate?

2012-02-06T10:35:00.001-08:00

Here’s a question you’ve got to ask yourself:

Will President Obama be re-elected because there was no competition worth mentioning?

The last four GOP candidates standing are less than inspirational to Republican voters thus far. This has to bode well for Obama.

“By better than 2 to 1, Americans say the more they learn about Romney, the less they like him” – according to new polling from Washington Post/ABC News. The story is even worse for Newt Gingrich (3 to 1 against.)

According to this poll President Obama holds a 52% to 43% lead over Mitt Romney among all Americans, although that lead shrinks to 51% to 45% when only registered voters are included. Considering this, it is no wonder that the Republicans are waging a war on voting; the less people vote, the better it is for the GOP.”

Mitt Romney won the GOP caucuses in Nevada Saturday as expected, but the real story is the very low turnout which shows how unenthusiastic Republican voters are about this lackluster field of Republican candidates.

Over 116,000 Democrats caucused in Nevada in 2008. Today less than 35,000 Republicans thought it was worth their time to cast a vote for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, or Rick Santorum.”

Right now I’m just short of calling this race for President Obama.

Please don’t take that as an endorsement because it isn’t. It’s an observation based on what’s happening with the GOP’s effort to field a credible candidate.

(parts of this post came from here.)

The best quote about politicians I read all week…

2012-02-05T08:48:00.001-08:00

------------------------Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we can identify their corporate sponsors!” – Anonymous

--------------------------------Example:(photo) Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut and ethically challenged head honcho at the Senate Banking Committee.

From a company's standpoint, investing in a politician delivers a far higher return on investment than any other investment vehicle out there:

The companies that have been awarded taxpayers' money from Congress's bailout bill spent $77 million on lobbying and $37 million on federal campaign contributions, according to The Center for Responsive Politics. The return on investment: 258,449%. photo source

The Year of the Fraud: Between Super PACs and Republicans cheating voters, Americans don’t stand a chance

2012-02-04T10:24:00.001-08:00

It appears some Republicans were right when they talked about voter fraud recently in Indiana. There really is voter fraud…on the Republicans part!

“Indiana's top elections official was convicted of multiple voter fraud-related charges on Saturday, leaving in flux the fate of one of the state's most powerful positions.”

(excerpt from this article)

Trump plays peek-a-boo with Gingrich, endorses Romney

2012-02-03T08:24:00.001-08:00

What a card that Trump is.

First he says he’s running for president, then indicates he’s going to endorse Gingrich and … surprise!

Trump loves Romney and endorsed him for president. Oh, that sneaky comb-over disaster The Donald. What’s his game? I know it’s publicity, but I’m talking about this latest installment of “As The Trump Turns.”

“Donald Trump formally endorsed Mitt Romney for president on Thursday, describing the former Massachusetts governor as "tough" and "smart" and the best pick in the GOP primary. It is a real honor and privilege to endorse Mitt Romney," Trump said in brief remarks. "Mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp. He's not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country we all love."

Romney said in response: "There are some things that you just can't imagine in your life. This is one of them," adding that it means a "great deal" to have the billionaire's support.”

----------------------------------

Excuse me for a moment! Romney can’t imagine getting the support of a billionaire??? Who could possible buy that bull shit story? It’s a 10 on the gag meter.

-----------------------------------

“The endorsement follows a bizarre period of time in which several major news outlets -- including the New York Times and Associated Press -- had initially reported that Trump had been planning to endorse Newt Gingrich. The former House Speaker had been one of only two candidates to agree appearing at a debate the "Apprentice" host had planned, but which never came to pass. Romney declined attendance.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

As a matter of fact, Romney and wife don’t look too comfortable getting The Donald’s endorsement. After all, Romney declined to attend the debate Trump tried to set up last year.

---------------------

“It really wouldn't be surprising if Donald Trump endorses Mitt Romney, because they both like firing people, and they both made millions doing it,"

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said on msnbc.

"Donald Trump is such a cartoon character, no matter who he chooses, it's like Bugs Bunny endorsing ... It's really kind of a non-news event."

It's reflective of the media whirlwind to have surrounded Trump's game of footsie with Republican politics over the past year.

One of the most intensely covered media events of 2011 came when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin went out for pizza with Trump in Manhattan during a stop on her bus tour of the Northeast, a journey meant to stoke speculation about her own presidential aspirations. When Romney visited Trump, he snuck in and out of the billionaire's headquarters without being captured by staked-out cameras.”

(article source)

Concerns over Super PACs spur rule committee hearings

2012-02-02T08:55:00.001-08:00

My newspaper column, As It Stands, will be featuring the problems Super PACs bring to the presidential elections this Sunday.

What we’re seeing this election year is the beginning of the end for American voters. Their votes have been washed away in a tidal wave of money provided by the Super PACs.

Until we force the Supreme Court to reverse that stupid decision, we can look forward to complete corporate control of our election process.

“Senate Democrats decried the influx of millions in unregulated dollars in the 2012 elections, announcing Wednesday that they will hold hearings looking into the impact of super PACs.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer, Democrats' messaging chief in the Senate, announced that the Rules committee will begin hearings this month on super PACs.

Joined by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Al Franken (D-MN), Schumer pointed to Mitt Romney's victory in Florida's Republican primary as evidence of the outsize influence of super PACs. He then bashed Karl Rove-tied groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS for raising money by the millions without having to disclose all of its donors.

"It doesn't pass the smell test to say some of these groups aren't coordinated," Schumer said, pointing to the example of a super PAC in favor of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, an erstwhile GOP presidential contender, which was funded by Huntsman's father.

A number of super PACs made their filings with the Federal Election Commission by midnight last night, a deadline that Schumer said was "laughable." The New York senator said it made more sense to disclose those records before voters participated in January's Republican primaries.

"We think the disclosure should be as instantaneous as possible. The voters deserve to know the ugly truth of whose behind these Super PACs," he told reporters.

Schumer also didn't spare Democrats, who also have used super PACs.

"No matter who does it, the system needs to be fundamentally changed," he said.

Using charts with Karl Rove's name on them, Schumer said the donations made in secret to non-profit groups were the most troubling. He pointed to the $33 million dollars raised by Crossroads GPS as reported in the FEC filings this week.

"This is a mystery as to who is giving the money. Could it be one person who gave $33 million dollars? Could it be somebody who might have foreign links? Or huge contracts with the government ? We have no idea," he said.

The senators placed the blame on the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.

"Everyone has the right to do it. No one is going to unilaterally disarm. So we're now forced into

this system," Franken told reporters.

Whitehouse mocked the idea that Super PACs operate independently of the candidate. He said these donations lead to corruption.

"You cannot pretend that people who are giving millions of dollars in support of a candidate anonymously aren't communicating that to the candidate and aren't going to come back and expect some kind of pay and we will never know who they were and what they promised," he complained.

It's not just Democrats who are worried about the corrupting influence of these new, monied groups.

We have -- on both sides of the aisle -- these incredible amounts of money and I guarantee you there will be a scandal," Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) said last Sunday on Meet the Press. "There is too much money washing around politics, and it's making the parties irrelevant."

Schumer expects the Rules committee will hold hearings sometime in February to look at ways to make disclosure of donors more regular and to improve the coordination rules between outside groups and campaigns.” (Article source)

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned about the poor’

2012-02-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

You got to hand it to Mitt. He’s suddenly become a ‘straight shooter’ and is revealing his true feelings for poor Americans.

The following interview clearly shows how out-of-touch with most Americans Mitt is:

In an interview this morning, CNN's Soledad O'Brien asked Romney about perceptions that he doesn't understand the needs of average Americans. In response, Romney said:

“This is a time people are worried. They're frightened. They want someone who they have confidence in. And I believe I will be able to instill that confidence in the American people. And, by the way, I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it.

I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling and I'll continue to take that message across the nation.”

When O'Brien followed on Romney's I'm-not-concerned-about-the-very-poor comment, the presidential candidate responded:

“The challenge right now – we will hear from the Democrat Party the plight of the poor, and – and there’s no question, it's not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor.

But my campaign is focused on middle income Americans. My campaign – you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That's not my focus.”

No Mitt…that’s not your focus. Your focus is on the rich who you relate to. There’s no doubt that you are trying to buy the presidency with the help of other rich corrupt interests. Your focus is to make the 1%ers even richer…

How can we keep candidates from repeatedly lying?

2012-01-31T09:05:00.001-08:00

Here’s the Good News:

We're able to read fact-checks from Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact and many news organizations to determine how often a political candidate lies.

Here’s the Bad News:

"American politics has become a battle of talking points," said Bill Adair, editor of PolitiFact and Washington bureau chief for The Tampa Bay Times. "Once candidates find a talking point they like, they often stick with it — even when fact-checkers say it's wrong."

Bill Dedman, investigative reporter for msnbc.com suggested some “questions for the next presidential debate:

For Newt Gingrich:

“Former Speaker Gingrich, in debate after debate, you've taken credit for balancing four federal budgets when you were the speaker of the House. As has been pointed out repeatedly by fact-checking organizations, the four years of balanced budgets were fiscal 1998 through 2001, but you were in office for only the first two of those budgets.

You left the House in January 1999 and had no role in crafting the budgets for the subsequent two years. In addition, you opposed the two tax-raising deals that were largely responsible for balancing the budget.”

(Fact-checks here from The New York Times and here from The Washington Post.) PolitiFact scorecard on Gingrich

For Mitt Romney:

“Former Governor Romney, in every debate so far, you've said something like, "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were a big part of why we have the housing crisis." But studies have shown that Fannie and Freddie were late to invest in subprime mortgages, following the lead of Wall Street firms that you never mention. (Fact-check from The New York Times here and here.) The unspoken narrative in your comments, and those of the other candidates, panders inaccurately to those who want to believe that loans to unworthy minorities, driven by the Community Reinvestment Act, caused the financial crisis. In fact, most subprime loans were made by lenders who were not covered by the CRA, but who were driven by the need for profits to satisfy their Wall Street investors. Are you trying to deflect blame from Wall Street?”

All false, according to PolitiFact. PolitiFact scorecard for Romney.

For Rick Santorum:

Former Senator Santorum, you have repeatedly criticized Gov. Romney's health insurance program in Massachusetts for the so-called individual mandate, for requiring individuals to buy health insurance. Why not mention that in 1994, when you were running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, you supported an individual mandate. Similarly, you said that an Obama administration policy prohibits people who work with at-risk youth from promoting marriage as a way to avoid poverty, claimed that "a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion," and said, "Any child born prematurely, according to the president, in his own words, can be killed."

All false, according to PolitiFact. PolitiFact scorecard for Santorum.

For Ron Paul:

“Representative Paul, you've said that the United States "is bankrupt." The country isn't unable to pay its debts, nor is it impoverished. The credit rating of the United States is AA+ at Standard & Poor's (one step below the top of a 20-step scale), and AAA at the other rating agencies.

Similarly, you claimed that only a few sentences in your racist and conspiratorial newsletters were inflammatory, that the majority of the American people believe we should go back on the gold standard and that you never vote for legislation unless it's specifically authorized in the Constitution.”

All false, according to PolitiFact. PolitiFact scorecard for Paul.

For Barack Obama:

“President Obama, you've said that most of the money for your campaign came from small donors, that you've excluded lobbyists from policy-making jobs, that you haven't raised taxes once.

You've claimed that your opponents plan to cut funding for Israel to zero. PolitiFact rated that claim "Pants on Fire," its lowest rating. "One theme we've seen in Obama's statements," says PolitiFact's Bill Adair, "is that he is exaggerating how he has fulfilled promises. We know this, of course, because we keep track of all 500+ promises on our Obameter."

All false, according to PolitiFact. politiFact scorecard for Obama and Obameter keeping track of his campaign policies

A pause from the GOP primary and more about me

2012-01-30T10:22:00.001-08:00

As you know, I’m running for president.

By now, you don’t have to ask why.

Picking me makes more sense than selecting any of the corrupt candidates – Republican or Democrat.

I’ll legalize marijuana if elected.

I’ll institute a flat tax that will do away with the complicated tax system which is currently exploited by the rich.

I’ll make sure ALL Americans have health care. I don’t give a damn what my competition wants to call it – Universal payer system – socialism – etc. But, I’ll make it a priority.

The Department of Defense is going to howl like wounded wolves when I’m done making cutbacks. I intend to back our military out of the 126 countries they ‘re in now.

We don’t need troops on the ground in Afghanistan. Or South Korea, because they’d just be overwhelmed by the million man Army North Korea would field. We have drones and nukes and that’s all that is necessary for 21st Century warfare.

Did I mention that all lobbyists would be given 24 hours after my election to clear out of Washington D.C.? After that, any found would be fair game for tar & feathering, or whatever other fun locals might like to have with up them...like waterboarding.

That’s only for starters.

Vote Dave in November.

There’s more than meets the Eye with Newt

2012-01-29T09:08:00.001-08:00

Why the hell would anyone want to back an extremely unpopular, formerly censored Speaker of the House, for the presidency?

I admit that I was puzzled by Newt’s Phoenix-like comeback in the GOP primary race…for awhile.

Then I discovered one of the richest men in the United States, with an agenda a mile long, became Gingrich’s sugar daddy to the tune of $10 million dollars.

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson shook the dice and decided Newt would further his aims. In essence, Gingrich hit the jackpot.

There really couldn’t be a more appropriate name for the Super PAC supporting Newt than what it is:

“Winning our Future.”

Whose future? Not yours or mine. We’re worried about more mundane things than America’s continued relationship with Israel.

You know,little things like the stagnant economy, outrageous medical bills causing bankruptcies, home foreclosures, dwindling quality of public education, and so on.

But enough of my yapping…

Here’s a recent article on the subject:

Newt Gingrich's agenda-setting big donor

By donating $10m to the pro-Newt Gingrich Super Pac campaign, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, one of the richest men in the US, and his physician wife, Dr Miriam Adelson, have kept Gingrich in the Republican primary race, and given him the resources to win in South Carolina and, potentially, in Florida, without having to build a large donor base.

This ignored the fact that the Adelsons use their wealth to fund rightwing groups in Israel and anti-Muslim campaigns within the US, causes that are also strongly supported by Gingrich. In Israel, Sheldon Adelson has been accused of using his newspaper Israel Hayom to promote support for his friend, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is also a political ally of Gingrich. In addition, Adelson is a financial backer of the One Jerusalem group, which opposes peace negotiations that would lead to parts of Jerusalem coming under Palestinian sovereignty. The couple's Adelson Family Foundation donated $4.5m to the founding of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies in Jerusalem, headed by Likud party former minister Natan Sharansky (pdf).

Adelson has also funded the leading pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). Aipac is known for its strong and effective advocacy of Israel's interests in Washington, but four years ago, Adelson reportedly complained to its director that it was too supportive of the Palestinians. He has called the two-state solution a "stepping stone for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people". He also reportedly supports the Clarion Fund, which produces scare-mongering films advancing the conspiracy theory that Muslims seek to impose sharia law in America.

The power of corporate money in American politics is nothing new. But the rules set by the US supreme court in its Citizens United decision – that money is speech and corporations are people protected by the first amendment – have undone the limits set by Congress in the 1970s, allowing, in this case, one family to transform the Republican primary race.

Of course, like all private funding of politics, there is no way of knowing with certainty what the Adelsons expect to achieve with their money. And the mainstream US media has been coy about referring to the Adelsons' political views. The New York Times story on the latest $5m donation to the Gingrich-supporting Super Pac merely described Sheldon Adelson as "a longtime Gingrich friend and a patron".

article by Arun Kundnani
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 28 January 2012 14.18 EST
Article history

Saint Santorum:can you spell h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e ?

2012-01-28T10:29:00.001-08:00

Here’s something to consider when you hear Saint Santorum speak:

He’s a damn hypocrite.

One example:

Santorum pushed to limit malpractice awards but sought larger payout for wife

This is just the latest example. He’s also homophobic.

Saint Santorum’s sanctimonious ramblings have the rabid right hoping he’ll cleanse the nation of any non-Christians if elected president.

“Rick ~~Saint~~ Santorum clearly sees homosexuality for what the Bible, Rome, Bob Jones University and even Salt Lake City have always regarded it, as a very serious form of sexual sin like adultery or incest,” the Rev. Huey Mills, a Lancaster pastor and principal of a Christian school, recently told the press.

Apparently Saint Santorum’s feverish hatred of homosexuals is striking just the right note for the Christian Right in the South.

I’d say Saint Santorum’s mission is pretty clear, wouldn’t you? He sounds like the right ~~puppet~~ person for the unification of religion in the USA. There would be no ambiguity about what the one true religion was: Christianity.

The rest of the religions would be rightfully ran out of the country - and America would be great again – thanks to Saint Santorum.

And he wants to be your president. How do you feel about that?

Pssst Mitt! There’s this little matter of you hiding millions of dollars overseas…

2012-01-27T08:30:00.001-08:00

King Midas had nothing on Mitt Romney.

Now Mitt Romney would like to be your ~~king~~ president. By disclosing just part of his wealth (here in the USA) he tried to quiet his critics who knew he had more gold somewhere.

Sure enough. There was this little matter of not reporting a multi-million dollar Swiss bank account last year when he decided to run for president.

The Swiss bank account - as well as other offshore investments in the Cayman Islands, Bermudas and Ireland that appear in the trust fund's tax returns -- were not disclosed in Romney’s financial disclosure form filed with the Office of Government Ethics last August.

Oops! No wait. That’s Perry.

What brought this subject up anyway? The tax returns released by the Romney campaign this week showed that the Ann Romney Blind Trust had reported $1,783 in interest income from a bank account held at UBS in Switzerland in 2010.

A hidden Swiss bank account? Don’t jump to conclusions R. Bradford Malt, a longtime lawyer for the Romneys, told NBC News.

A Romney campaign official emailed today that Romney’s financial disclosure form is now being amended with the government ethics office “to address this minor discrepancy” and “to deal with some other minor issues.”

Oh thanks goodness. A minor discrepancy like not declaring untold millions in overseas accounts could have hindered his bid to be ~~king~~ president. Nice to see that was taken care of.

I’m thinking about asking Romney how and why some of his multiple overseas investments were made in the first place? I also have to ask him how he could forget about all of that money when he signed those ethics forms last August?

A brain fart perhaps?

Malt said he opened up the Swiss bank account, holdings in which are valued at between $1 million and $5 million, in 2003 on behalf the Ann Romney trust in order to provide “international currency diversification” for the trust's holdings.

WTF? International currency diversification? Isn’t that just another name for money laundering? He then shut it down in early 2010 and transferred the assets to the United States where he forgot to report it. Oops!

It was a “clerical error” his lacky Malt claimed while fixing it by filing an amendment to shut up those pesky financial questions. Including the ones that go back to 2007.

There’s one more thing Romney needs to address beside that Swiss bank account.

The Ann Romney blind trust also reported income from shares in offshore companies such as Barricuda Investments Ltd. in Ireland, Castle Garden Funding in the Cayman Islands, and Sankaty High Yield Assets Investors Ltd. in Bermuda.

Yup. Romney’s a businessman and a wannabe king. No wonder the Republican Party is investing in him. The returns for their loyalty will probably be stock in his many business ventures!

And he wants to run the biggest business in the world – The United States of America.

Newt-mentum promises a colony on the moon if elected

2012-01-26T10:44:00.001-08:00

(photo source)

Well…well..now here’s a novel way to get people to vote for you:

Newt Gingrich promised Wednesday to create a moon colony by 2020 if elected president.

And don’t you know it? We REALLY NEED a colony on the moon.

Forget about the rapidly disappearing middle class in the country, or the millions of Americans going bankrupt because of medical costs, or losing their homes. Hell no!

That’s not important to the man who seeks to be our next president. In the eye of the Newt we need to have a colony of minimum wage workers mining the moon for whatever.

And people wonder why I’m running for president. I’m no more a joke that Newt Boy or the rest of the candidates seeking that office.

I’m concerned that Newt’s vision of no-tax labor outsourced from the moon will be the new business model by Conservatives interested in space ~~exploitation~~ exploration in the future.

NASA will have to put ads on the Space ships that will shuttle ~~slaves~~ workers to the new business frontier in the stars.

Welcome to Newt’s vision for the future if he’s elected.

State of the Union: it’s all how you look at it

2012-01-25T13:05:00.001-08:00

When President Obama gave his state of the union speech last night he was continuing a tradition that goes back a long time.

It use to be that when The President of the United States addressed Americans about the country’s current conditions, he was treated with respect. By both parties.

People actually listened to what the president had to say. Not anymore.

Before President Obama even gave his speech GOP presidential candidate, and clueless idiot, Newt Gingrich slammed it! He didn’t even bother listening to the speech.

But why shouldn’t he? The rest of his conservative buddies attacked the president like a pack of rabid Rottweiler's.

Obama was accused of being a “Class Warrior” (what’s that exactly?) and of dividing Americans because he talked about the “haves” and “have nots.”

According to Republicans we have a country with “haves” and “soon to be haves.” In other words, they don’t believe common Americans are suffering in this economy and that if we just get rid of government we’ll all be happy, healthy, and wise. Not!

The Republicans used this state of the union address as a springboard for a whole new pile of shit in their desperate campaign to oust him.

Here’s the state of the union: there is no union anymore!

Hardcore: Kill an animal and make a statement

2012-01-24T09:00:00.001-08:00

So…did you hear the one about the Republican’s cat that was beaten to death and had “Conservative” scrawled across it’s side?

No?

Oh that’s right. It really went like this:

“Police were investigating Monday after a cat belonging to the family of a Democrat's campaign manager was beaten to death and the word "liberal" scrawled across its side.

The cat belonged to the family of Jake Burris, who manages Democrat Ken Aden's bid for Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District.

Burris was returning to his Russellville home with his four children when he found the cat on his doorstep Sunday night, the Aden campaign said in a press release.”

This atrocity happened in a Republican stronghold since 1966. Maybe it was just one crazed individual. What do you think the odds are that the crazed person is a Conservative?

Every time I hear someone say “politics is a dirty business” I have to agree with them. It’s a filthy business that attracts people who don’t want to do a good days work, and who can also be stupid enough to murder animals to make a political statement.

Guest Post: The first state to rebel against indefinite detention

2012-01-23T09:00:00.001-08:00

Single state defies Obama detention plan

World Net Daily

When Congress adopted and Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, alarms were raised over the possibility that it would allow the indefinite and rights-free detention of those who are called “belligerents,” even if they are American citizens.
While the argument over those provisions rages, one state lawmaker in Rhode Island has jumped into action to protect the danger he sees for residents of his state, proposing a resolution to exempt his constituents from sections of the federal law.
Rep. Daniel P. Gordon Jr. today told WND he has drafted a resolution, which is being circulated among the lawmakers even now, to express opposition to the sections of the NDAA “that suspend habeas corpus and civil liberties.” Read more here.

What a laugh! GOP reality show rolls on

2012-01-22T09:04:00.001-08:00

Expect Newt to make a surprise announcement

2012-01-21T09:58:00.001-08:00

Newt switches over to “Screw Like a Bunny Party” and says Republicans are a bunch of sexually repressed losers.

It was a jungle out there I tell ya!

2012-01-20T09:00:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich did a lot of good simian posturing during South Carolina’s primary debate last night.

Newt (far right) ignored allegations he wanted his wife to be a “swinger” and that he divorced her when she wouldn’t go along with his nasty ass.

Romney (far left), meanwhile, had to defend his business record and answer questions as to why he wouldn't release his income tax records.

I’m telling you it was a jungle out there. You should have seen those monkeys making…well… monkeys out of each other!

Saint Rick Santorum (2nd from right) came out swinging and threw shit at the two frontrunners when they tried to ignore him. Santorum reminded Republican voters that Gingrich set the party back a decade with the damage he inflicted as House Speaker.

As for Romney (the Mormon cult leader) Saint Santorum made it clear he was recently sanctified by God and 150 wealthy evangelicals and if the voters loved the one and true God they would vote for him.

Meanwhile, Ron Paul (2nd from left) was woken up several times after falling off his tree limb while waiting for an opportunity to speak.

The Florida primary is coming up Monday night and I hear each candidate is going to have to stay in his own cage and promise not to throw poop at each other. There’s been enough monkey shenanigans for the month and the GOP is trying hard to hold on to some dignity.

Perry chooses not to go down with the Alamo

2012-01-19T13:07:00.001-08:00

Presidential wannabe, John Wayne inspired Rick Perry, has done something his hero the Duke would never have considered: he surrendered.

Perry said it was time for him to make a "strategic retreat," and dropped out of the race. Just like that.

He left the Super PAC and his campaign staff at the Alamo and slithered over the north wall and disappeared somewhere into the Texas wastelands.

All of the defenders who stood by Perry are re-thinking their positions. They were left behind to make excuses for their swaggering, Stetson-wearing, hero with old fashioned values who had a habit of putting his boot in his mouth during debates.

He can forget about being a conservative icon like one of his heroes Ronald Reagan. He stirred about as much interest for voters as a sick calf. Images of him riding his horse to victory are gone. Replaced by a man who was exposed as the most clueless of all the GOP candidates riding a Jackass into the sunset.

They just don’t make westerns like they use to…

I think it’s time to plan my acceptance speech

2012-01-18T09:58:00.001-08:00

My fellow Americans!

Have you seen the headlines lately?

Huntsman ends campaign decrying 'toxic' politics

The name-calling has ramped up. Release the rabid politicians, the game is afoot.

Rivals press Romney to release tax returns

More Mitt Romney Related News

1. The Five Most Shocking Things About Mitt Romney’s Tax Plan.

2. Romney’s Only Concern About Poor People Is That They’ll Vote.

3. Romney’s New Ad Lies About President Obama.

4. Romney’s Word Was Not His Bond.

Here’s a recent dance card from South Carolina:

(It’s important to know whose still dancing in this party)

Mitt Romney 29%
Newt Gingrich 25%
Ron Paul 20%
Rick Perry 9%
Rick Santorum 7%
Jon Huntsman 1%

It changes weekly. That’s because not one of these guys can dance for long.

So imagine when a spry old guy like me steps up and shows those clowns how to do the “Twist?”

It’ll probably make a couple more worthwhile candidates drop out of the marathon.

No really. This is just too damn easy. My opponents are all corporate stooges and everyone knows it.

I never realized what a legitimate contender I would be. I already have other plans for this November, but my friends are telling me to cancel them.

I guess it’s time to start planning my acceptance speech.

Soon to be, President Dave

Santorum story: Amazing Grace in primary race

2012-01-17T07:58:00.001-08:00

After Rick Santorum practically tied Mitt Romney in Iowa, he got pounded in New Hampshire.

Since then his prayers have been answered by the 150 evangelic emissaries in South Carolina.

Santorum is hoping the recent blessing of evangelical leaders will make the difference in the South Carolina primary, where 60% of Republican voters are evangelical and nearly 70% prefer a candidate other than serial killer Romney.

Amazing Race

Guest Opinion: NDAA Another Broken Promise by President Barack Obama and an Attack on Civil Liberties

2012-01-16T10:27:00.001-08:00

By Raoul Kleven

“On the last day of 2011, President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the upcoming year, following the Act’s passage through the Senate (with an 86-13 margin) and House of Representatives (283-136).

Passing an NDAA has been an annual act of the government for decades, but included in this year’s NDAA are provisions asserting “the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons … pending disposition under the law of war.”

The vague definition provided by the bill for “covered persons” includes supporters of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda or “associated forces,” as well as “any person who has committed a belligerent act.”

What constitutes associated forces or belligerent acts, though, is left to the president to determine. In addition, the bill also authorizes “enhanced interrogation techniques,” i.e., torture.

Obama’s handling of the NDAA has been nothing but deception and broken promises.

First, the president pledged to veto the NDAA, should it reach his desk. He did not. He signed it, and in doing so broke his campaign promises to end the use of torture and roll back Bush-era curtailments of civil liberties.

The NDAA also includes provisions which make it even more difficult to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp – another broken promise for Obama. Additionally, despite pledging, “I will not use signing statements to nullify or undermine congressional instructions as enacted into law” during his time as Senator, he did exactly that.

The signing statement itself includes language expressing Obama’s “serious reservations” about the bill, including a promise “not to authorize the indefinite detention without trial of American citizens.”

However, this promise is nothing but a cruel joke in light of Senator Carl Levin’s (D-Mich.) disclosure of the fact that the Obama administration expressly asked language preventing American citizens from being subject to indefinite detention without trial to be removed from the final bill.

One of the few provisions of the bill that the administration seems to really object to is section 1029, which requires the Attorney General to confer with the Pentagon before filing criminal charges against suspected terrorists.

Obama’s signing statement claims that this section limits flexibility, and states the administration’s intention to ignore it.

It is unsurprising that Obama signed the NDAA, despite his declared intent to veto it. After all, it was not so long ago that the President signed off on the extra-judicial assassination of American citizen Anwar al-Alwaki before announcing that fact to the world, following up that assassination with the killing of Alwaki’s 16-year old son. To go from assassination to imprisonment is hardly that large a step.

Indefinite detention without trial is, of course, not a new policy for the U.S., as the involuntary residents of Guantanamo Bay could tell you. Nor is torture or summary execution.

What is sinister about the turn that America has taken in the last decade is that these actions are no longer denied. They are no longer reviled as being barbaric, or “the method of the enemy.” Instead they are justified in the name of security and safety.

Obama has the dishonor of being the man to sign those abhorrent practices into law. He will not be remembered fondly.”

(Link to original article)

Santorum Sanctified by Christian Leaders

2012-01-15T08:14:00.001-08:00

Finally!

God, via 150 of his emissaries, came to the conclusion that Rick Santorum should be sanctified and thus be worthy of endorsement for president.

It must have been a touching moment when that blessed group of conservative evangelists agreed on the third ballot to support Saint Santorum for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination.

No doubt angels hovered over the ranch house in Houston where the inspired decision was made. The group of 150 wrestled with supporting Newt (who God had forgiven) Gingrich, Rick “Pastor” Perry, or Saint Santorum.

Then a miracle happened.

"What I did not think was possible appears to be possible," said Tony Perkins, leader of the Family Research Council and spokesman for the group of 150, in a recent interview.

It’ still not entirely clear what the miracle was and how they came to their decision. There’s been some conflicting reports over the nature of the miracle. As far as I can tell there’s three reports to choose from on what occurred at the ranch house that day:

1) Campaign posters bearing Saint Santorum’s likeness floated in mid air around the group pausing in front of every member and glowed with righteous brilliance and a line that said said “Vote for me.”

2) God himself spoke up (like thunder or really strong speakers) and urged them to support Saint Santorum if they valued their miserable hides.

3) Several representatives were seen to simultaneously fall down on the floor and start speaking a strange language that turned out to be political quotes by Saint Santorum and inspired by God. The onlookers were in awe.

By the way, I would like to point out that Perkins said all factors were considered during the historic Texas meeting and they didn’t even talk about that cult leader Romney.

Need I say more?

Vote Dave in November and at least be able to sleep at night!

(photo source)

Being President is about serving the people–not running a profit center for corporations

2012-01-14T09:40:00.001-08:00

I don’t believe a president should be a good CEO. The presidency is not about running a profitable business (listen up Wall Street).

Unless you can show me where in the Constitution it says the leader of these united states should be making a profit, I think it’s safe to say the president is supposed to serve the people. Serve. Not run a corporation.

So what’s all this crap about about electing a business man (toady to corporations) to run our country? The GOP seems to think the common American would be comfortable with a corporate stooge leading them.

Of course, the GOP is ignoring Occupy and millions of Americans who are saying they’ve had enough of corporations. And Wall Street.

Case in point:

Mitt Romney defends his time at Bain Capital by bringing up a company called Steel Dynamics that now has 6,000 employees.

The problem with using Steel Dynamics as a defense of his time at Bain as just being “free enterprise” at work is that the company received $37 million in government subsidies.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see someone who wasn’t a puppet for the 1% er’s as our next president.

Right now, I’m your best bet… (that’s scary isn’t it?)

Vote Dave in November!

GOP Big Top Circus moves to South Carolina

2012-01-11T10:50:00.001-08:00

With the amount of hot air generated from the ongoing GOP reality game – Let’s Pick a Contender” – you could launch a fleet of hot air balloons.

Just an observation after the latest GOP Primary in New Hampshire.

Another observation: The circus-like atmosphere surrounding these insightful debates are exposing the candidates true identities as clowns. Yes, I know I’ve pointed this out before, but there’s really no getting around it.

I figure the most successful clown will be promoted by a staff inspired by the Ringling Brothers. The candidate with the best ringmaster stands the best chance of putting on a great show for the public.

The public does like to be entertained. Clowning around aside, I think we can all expect a good show in South Carolina and the rest of the primary states.

Fifty-six percent of Tuesday’s voters thought Romney would be most likely to beat Obama in November; the runner-up in that category was Rep. Ron Paul of Texas with only 15 percent and only 11 percent saw former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman as most likely to defeat Obama.

So I expect the South Carolina Big Top to feature the Three Stooges in the Center Ring and the remaining clowns frolicking about talking trash and getting laughs.

In rare moments, I admit this GOP selection process is really fun to follow. It has it’s sickening moments and if you listen to any of the candidates for too long you risk the possibility of permanent brain damage.

I protect myself with a “shit meter” and when it hit’s overload I quickly turn off the TV, radio, and stop reading anything to do with politics. It’s the only way for me to cover this GOP circus safely.

One more thing, I don’t see any of the clowns being a challenge to me…maybe Obama…but I think I have the inside track with those who hate politicians!

Vote Dave in November!

Being sane is a plus when running for president

2012-01-10T11:47:00.001-08:00

Jon Huntsman can lay claim to being the only sane GOP candidate. I said that last year, and people are saying it today.

Even the Democrats concede he would be a viable challenger based upon the fact that he doesn’t think he’s God anointed messenger or that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.

His efforts might finally be paying off. After failing for months to gain much momentum, there are signs voters are moving towards Huntsman, a shift driven by his strong weekend debate performances, a looming primary deadline and undecided voters who are breaking his way late.

------------------------------------------------------------

A coolness factor that his campaign managers should be looking at is a make-over…

How about a retro look?

This old rock & roll photo of Jon from yesteryear would be just the ticket for attracting younger voters (think VH1 Classic Nation).

--------------------------------------------------------------

Another thing Huntsman has going for him is his temperament and centrist tone. Being a former ambassador gives him foreign chops that none of his competition can equal.

Sarah Neville, a New Hampshire native who attends Tufts University and is a Huntsman volunteer recently said (see Huntsman supporters look for a breakout in New Hampshire):

“When I post on about Facebook about Jon Huntsman, my liberal friends are like, ‘Yeah, you know, Huntsman’s the only candidate who’s not completely crazy!’”

We’ll have to see how Huntsman does today with the Independent voters in New Hampshire, but if he manages to come in among the top three candidates look for him to be the next “anti-Romney” and the flavor of the month.

I’m just saying…

Romney: a look at what GOP voters are settling for in the polls

2012-01-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney’s time as a “job cremator” at Bain Capital is the topic of this video from an anti-Romney PAC called Winning Our Future:

Romney feels what it’s like to be attacked by a Super Pac…

Mitt Romney Admits He Doesn’t Know The Constitution

In last night’s GOP debate Mitt Romney admits he doesn’t know the constitution and asked the moderator to ask Ron Paul instead:

Despite being clueless about what’s in the Constitution, Romney thinks he should be the President of the United States

Other Romney News:

1. Mitt Romney avoids paying his taxes by using offshore bank accounts.

2. DNC chair says Romney is a “job cremator.”

3. At age 19 Romney demonstrated for the draft.

ABC News Story on Romney’s Offshore Bank Accounts

Can you imagine having a president who avoids taxes by using offshore accounts?

Meet the Press Live: GOP candidates debate

2012-01-08T11:44:00.001-08:00

Watch the full debate

Obama vs Romney–are you kidding? It won’t even be close

2012-01-07T10:45:00.001-08:00

Some good economic news: Over 200,000 jobs were added last month according to the Labor Department. This lowers the unemployment rate to 8.5% which is the lowest it has been in almost two years.

There have now been 21 consecutive months of private sector job growth.

President Obama may be able to be reelected even without good economic news because his most likely opponent, Mitt Romney, is a known liar with questionable character and a tax plan at odds with the vast majority of Americans want. Romney is also a serial flip-flopper who will seemingly say anything to get elected (even that he’s a “progressive” — which Glenn Beck has turned into a dirty word among Tea Party types.)

But certainly with a good economy at his back in November of 2012 President Obama would be nearly unbeatable.

No wonder so many voters think that the Republicans are trying to sabotage the economy on purpose to hurt Obama politically.

No more politicians, NH eatery owner says

2012-01-06T11:17:00.001-08:00

My new hero is Jermey Colby (pictured right). You may not have heard about him, but he speaks for most Americans when he said he’s had it with politicians and won’t even let them come into his eatery!

I love it! I wish Colby was running for President. I’d suspend my campaign and support him if he did. America…meet Jermey Colby:

“A New Hampshire restaurant owner says he is so fed up with the flurry of GOP presidential candidates at his Portsmouth eatery that he put up his own 2012 slogan: "No Politicians, No Exceptions."

For months, politicians, their staff and news media have stormed New Hampshire restaurants during the campaign for the White House.

Seeing no sign of easing until the Jan. 10 presidential primary, Jermey Colby, owner of Colby's Breakfast & Lunch, said he had to do something to end the circus inside his small business located near the Massachusetts border.

“There is no forewarning and all of a sudden they come in and we are overrun by cameras and blah, blah and blah,” Colby said. “We’re trying to run a business here and this whole meet-and-greet and vote for me deal is very distractive and disruptive, not only to our staff but to our customers.

"It’s hard and I find it very rude," he said. Visits from Texas Governor Rick Perry and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann sealed the deal to slap the sign on the door, he said.

“We just had had enough.”

(This story was first reported by CBSBoston.)

Politics Pause: Presidential Campaign cartoons

2012-01-05T15:22:00.001-08:00

cartoon source

Iowa results:Pass out the crying towels please

2012-01-04T11:35:00.001-08:00

After the results of yesterday’s Republican caucus in Iowa some candidates are facing up to the fact that the race is narrowing down to Romney and Santorum.

Reality finally caught up to Michele Bachmann as voters ignored her. She announced that she was stepping down after her dismal showing.

Santorum only lost by 8 votes to Romney and appears to be the latest in the “not Romney” candidate parade. Is it my imagination, or do these two look alike?

We’ll know more about how they both fare after New Hampshire.

Unfazed, Rick Perry tweets: 'Here we come South Carolina' .

Despite finishing in 5th place, Perry is unconcerned because of the Super Pac supporting him.

He still believes that God will make his followers vote for him because…

well because.

Ron Paul is still in the race after finishing in 3rd place.

An interesting note about Paul’s followers: most are under 30 years-old.

Don’t you wish all these dog and pony shows were over and it was time to vote? I’m already sick of talking about the morons I’m competing against!

Vote Dave in 2012.

Americans Would Swap Electoral College For Popular Vote

2012-01-03T09:07:00.001-08:00

Nearly 11 years after the 2000 presidential election brought the idiosyncrasies of the United States' Electoral College into full view, 62% of Americans say they would amend the U.S. Constitution to replace that system for electing presidents with a popular vote system. Barely a third, 35%, say they would keep the Electoral College.

Gallup's initial measure of support for the Electoral College with this wording was conducted in the first few days after the 2000 presidential election in which the winner remained undeclared pending a recount in Florida. At that time, it was already clear that Democratic candidate Al Gore had won the national popular vote over Republican George W. Bush, but that the winner of the election would be the one who received Florida's 25 Electoral College votes.

During this period, Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to favor replacing the Electoral College system with a popular vote system. In a Gallup poll conducted Dec. 15-17 -- shortly after the Dec. 12 Supreme Court decision that ended the Florida recount, thereby deciding the election in Bush's favor -- 75% of Democrats said they would amend the Constitution so that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide wins. By contrast, 56% of Republicans favored keeping the Electoral College, while 41% favored replacing it with a popular vote system.

Republicans have grown somewhat more amenable to adopting a popular vote system over the past decade. Now, for the first time since 2000, the majority of Republicans favor it. Independents are not quite as supportive as Democrats of the popular vote system, but the majority of them have consistently favored it.

With 62% of Americans today in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, Americans show relatively little attachment to this unique invention of the country's Founding Fathers. The system was devised as a compromise between those who wanted Congress to select the president and those who favored election by the people, and it has resulted in a highly state-based approach to presidential campaigning.

Those who advocate abolishing the Electoral College often do so on the basis that the system puts undue emphasis on a small number of swing states. Whether Americans as a whole are concerned about that byproduct is unclear. However, they broadly agree that the country should adopt a system in which the popular vote prevails. While Republicans are less supportive of this than Democrats, 11 years after the 2000 election politicized the issue, the majority of Republicans once again favor the change.

(article source)

Crusading Bachmann calls Occupy Protestors Obama’s Advance Team

2012-01-02T12:18:00.001-08:00

Michele Bachmann is not going quietly into history as just another failed candidate for president.

Trailing in every poll, she has launched an all out effort to win the Iowa Caucus by doing her best Joan of Arc imitation and claiming God is on her side.

Recently…

“During remarks to supporters inside her campaign headquarters Saturday, Michele Bachmann linked President Barack Obama to a large protest that had been unfolding outside the building only minutes before.

"You may have seen all over Des Moines the Barack Obama re-election advance team is already out there in the various parking lots of all of the campaigns," Bachmann told about 70 volunteers.”

Obama’s advance team eh? She doesn’t get it. That advance team is the American public!

"This tells you that he is nervous," she continued. "He doesn't want me on the stage. I want you to know, I'm not nervous. I'm fearless."

“The rhetoric signifies a heightened effort to paint Obama as out of touch, something the campaign acknowledges is an element of Bachmann's closing argument to voters three days before the Jan. 3 caucuses.”

Excuse me, but whose out of touch? If Bachmann was any more out of touch she’d be campaigning on another planet.

“About 100 protesters from anti-Wall Street "Occupy" groups around the country descended on Bachmann’s headquarters Saturday, prompting campaign staff to lock the front doors and block the entrance.”

The irony of her campaign staff locking all doors can’t be ignored. The message is simple, Bachmann doesn’t give a damn what most Americans think. She’s counting on extremist wackos to take her to the Oval Office.

“Inside Bachmann manned the phones with volunteers. After she hung up with one caller (Bob), a volunteer urged her to ring the bell that signifies a voter won.”

In a moment out of “It’s a Wonderful Life” when ringing a bell meant an angel got their wings, a volunteer tried to capture that sentiment by comparing possible voters for Bachmann to angels.

I agree with one thing, it’s going to take divine help for Bachmann to win anything.

"We’re going to ring it a couple times," Bachmann said to cheers, "because Bob is going to go on a recruiting mission."

(article source)

Happy New Year to my clueless competition!

2011-12-31T13:56:00.001-08:00

I want to personally thank all the clowns that are running for president in 2012.

Without you (I’ll name names in a moment) this would have been a boring presidential campaign and I wouldn’t have stood a chance in hell of being elected president.

Now thanks to the following cast of clowns I sense victory in November!

Gov. Rick Perry –

who recently endorsed making English the official language of the United States.

Pastor Rick has provided a lot of foot-in-mouth moments.

Michele Bachmann -

Recently lost two campaign staffers (who defected to other candidates with a chance) and was greeted by 15 people (including kitchen staff) at a restaurant during her tour of Iowa.

Ron Paul -

The lunatic fringe still loves him. Can you blame them? This is the guy who says Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme and that we don’t need police or any other safety nets in society like Medicare, welfare, or unemployment.

Mitt Romney -

Did Mitt hire illegal immigrants to take care of his lawn? The answer is yes, which made him a prime target for his competitors in recent debates.

But mighty Mitt is really known as a first-class flip-flopper, and will gladly tell people whatever they want to hear. That doesn’t mean he’ll ever follow up on his promises, but his smile looks kinda presidential.

Newt Gingrich -

Personally, I find Newt to be the most entertaining of the group.

Here’s a guy who doesn’t know how to stay married because he likes to cheat on his wife, telling people he takes the high road in life.

Too many Republicans remember when he practically destroyed the GOP when he was the Speaker of the House.

Rick Santorum -

Every time I think of Tricky Ricky I think about a sanatorium, a pejorative term for an insane asylum.

This is the man who says abortion should be banned and who doesn’t think women should have the right to choose.

Jon Huntsman -

Despite dwelling in the cellar throughout his campaign, Huntsman believes the race is coming down to him and Romney.

A super PAC backing Jon Huntsman for president makes three misleading or false claims in a TV ad now running in New Hampshire.

If you don’t think there’s going to be any surprises in 2012, think again. For example, are you aware that hate-monger Pastor Terry Jones announced that he’s running for president?

No kidding! The crazy bastard will probably feel right at home debating with the gaggle of bums currently running.

I want to thank all of the people and blogs who support me and just remember…if you feel like real change…

Vote Dave in 2012!

Super PAC jumps to Paul's defense

2011-12-30T15:08:00.001-08:00

A Super PAC supporting Ron Paul -- Revolution PAC -- has produced an online web ad in an effort to push back on racism charges stemming from newsletters published under Paul's name.

You can go here if you want to watch some pure old propaganda about what a humanitarian Paulie Boy is…

The Iowa name-calling contest formerly known as a primary, continues…

2011-12-29T11:29:00.001-08:00

Sticks and stones may hurt their bones, but words really have a bigger impact.

The days leading up to the Iowa Primary have been full of contestants spewing rhetoric that they hope will take them to the White House.

Pundits say Romney is unscathed so far but I’ve seen him fall flat on his face numerous times.

Then we have Perry slamming surging Santorum as a 'prolific earmarker', in a case of the kettle calling the pot black. Show me one candidate that won’t take advantage of earmarks…

In a surprising turn of events, Huntsman has decided to actually go after his competition by naming names and claiming that Paul is 'unelectable'.

Speaking of unelectable…Bachmann lost another cog in her campaign when Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson (R), who was Bachmann’s state campaign chairman, endorsed Texas Rep. Ron Paul the other night.

Meanwhile Santorum claims: ‘I can attract Dems, independents’ after moving into 3rd place in recent polls.

Clowns shuffle around prior to Iowa Primaries

2011-12-28T11:42:00.001-08:00

Here’s some of the latest information regarding the gaggle of clowns that are running for the GOP ticket

Paul's surge prompting a new look from GOP voters

Pro-Gingrich Super PAC: Romney is 'dangerous'

Perry now opposes all abortion, even in rape cases

One week to go

Rick Perry sues Virginia to get on primary ballot

Capital Hill Pigs thrive in poor economy

2011-12-27T08:55:00.001-08:00

Capitol Hill millionaires.

They have grown in recent years to include nearly half of all members of Congress — 250 in all — and the wealth gap between lawmakers and their constituents appears to be growing quickly, even as Congress debates unemployment benefits, possible cuts in food stamps and a “millionaire’s tax.”

Largely insulated from the country’s economic downturn since 2008, members of Congress — many of them among the “1 percenters” denounced by Occupy Wall Street protesters — have gotten much richer even as most of the country has become much poorer in the last six years, according to an analysis by The New York Times based on data from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group. (Read more here)

In the Eye of Newt: some see his insanity as presidential material

2011-12-26T08:42:00.001-08:00

A recent Gallup national tracking poll for the GOP nomination actually has Gingrich expanding his lead over Mitt Romney from 2% points (25% to 23%) to 6% points (27% to 21%.)

Much to the Republican establishment’s chagrin; actual GOP voters do not seem to be giving up on Newt Gingrich/Anti-Romney just yet.

Newt Gingrich 27%
Mitt Romney 21%
Ron Paul 12%
Rick Perry 7%
Michele Bachmann 6%
Rick Santorum 4%
Jon Huntsman 1%

Now all eyes are once again on Newt Gingrich, now the latest (and last?) rising GOP candidate to challenge Mitt. Rival Ron Paul, jealous of his popularity, attacks him as a hypocrite. So... has Gingrich been consistent, or has Newt evolved since he led the 1994 Republican revolution in Congress?

How the Gin-Grinch Stole Congress
[ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! ]

A Merry Christmas Present for Political Pundits

2011-12-25T08:21:00.001-08:00

The Donald says he’s going to run on an Independent ticket.

Political analysts and comedians nationwide got the best present they could have possibly hoped for when Donald Trump sullenly declared he’d run on an Independent ticket for the presidency“ since no one else is out there.”

The media is going to descend upon his toupee like a pack of buzzards and he won’t be able to deny the shit they can easily dig up on him.

It’s going to be a field day for the nation’s comedians. What great material to spice up election coverage with.

The Donald seems to think if he runs for president people will take him seriously…

I mean seriously? Really?

Does he really think it’ll be that easy? That all he has to do is flash large amounts of money around and…

wait a minute…

…isn’t that what the rest of the candidates do? My God! You don’t think it’s possible do you?

Voters Beware: the Republican Party is busy trying to rig the presidential election

2011-12-24T06:00:00.001-08:00

The Republicans are out to win the 2012 election one way or the other. If it means stopping people (who wouldn’t vote for them) from voting…then so be it.

Just look at what the GOP has done already this year in Texas to improve their odds by drawing up election maps to favor themselves.

I can tell you that this will be an exceptionally ugly election for several reasons. One of them will be voter scams to disenfranchise minorities who typically vote for Democrats.

“The Obama administration on Friday blocked a new South Carolina law that requires voters to have photo identification because of concerns it would hurt minorities' ability to cast a ballot.

Republican Gov. Nikki Haley in May signed into law a measure that says voters must show a driver's license, passport or military identification along with their voter registration card in order to vote.

Under the law, anyone who wants to vote but does not have a photo identification must obtain a new voter registration card that includes a photo. A birth certificate or passport can be used to prove identity.

The Justice Department said the requirement could harm the right to vote of tens of thousands of people, noting that just over a third of the state's minorities who are registered voters did not have a driver's license needed to cast a ballot.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder earlier this month said his team was reviewing changes to voting laws in other states including Florida and Texas and will challenge any that are discriminatory in violation of the federal voting rights law.

"The reality is that — in jurisdictions across the country — both overt and subtle forms of discrimination remain all too common," he said in a speech in Austin, Texas.

The Justice Department has also challenged a new election map drawn by Republicans in Texas, arguing that it does not fairly represent the exponential growth in Hispanic voters. Hispanics largely have supported Democrats in past elections.”

- Reuters

Newt is pissing off a lot of people but leads in latest poll

2011-12-23T11:32:00.001-08:00

Pundits have been quick to write off Newt Gingrich’s chances after his fast rise in the polls (everywhere) and now his quick drop in the polls in Iowa (and elsewhere to a lesser extent.)

But yesterday’s Gallup national tracking poll for the GOP nomination actually has Gingrich expanding his lead over Mitt Romney from 2% points (25% to 23%) to 6% points (27% to 21%.)

The Republican establishment is pissed off at Newt, (they’ve resigned themselves to promoting Romney) but the actual GOP voters do not seem to be giving up on him yet.

When a gay Iowa man asked Newt Gingrich why gay people should support him, Gingrich’s response was that he should support President Obama instead. Read the full story here.

Perhaps all gay people (along with all straight people who believe in equal rights for everyone) should take Gingrich’s advice.

How air conditioning, prostitution, and raw milk could give Ron Paul problems

2011-12-22T11:45:00.001-08:00

Ron Paul is coming under the microscope now that he is seen as having a real chance at winning Iowa.

Yesterday, the Texas congressman, who has the best organization in Iowa, was pressed on CNN about controversial statements attributed to him in a newsletter published 20-plus years ago. Some conservatives are now taking aim, with one columnist even comparing him to Jeremiah Wright, the controversial former Obama pastor.

But there are plenty of issues of substance -- and positions he holds today -- that, although they're consistent with Paul's libertarian views, are potentially problematic with the conservative base and the general electorate. Some examples:

No federal regulations for car safety, medicines, even air traffic control

Don’t regulate raw milk

Heroin, marijuana, cocaine, prostitution OK if states allow them

No air conditioning for troops (as a way to bring them home)

No FEMA

Against the Americans with Disabilities Act

Believes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are unconstitutional

OK with prosecuting CIA for "war crimes”

OK with Iran having a nuclear weapon

Gary Johnson to run as Libertarian

2011-12-21T08:56:00.001-08:00

Keep an eye on this guy. He could be the real dark horse in the race for the presidency.

Former two-term New Mexico governor and GOP hopeful Gary Johnson is dropping out of the Republican nomination race to run as a Libertarian candidate, NBC News has confirmed.

As New Mexico governor, he often worked with the Libertarian party to advance his agenda so this move is not entirely out of his comfort zone.

"Going back to his governor days, he has been comfortable with the Libertarian label," Hunter said.

The Libertarian party national convention will be held in Las Vegas next spring.

Anyone is better than the current bums and candidates trying to replace them

2011-12-20T08:36:00.001-08:00

I didn’t need to see a poll to know that Americans are disgusted with the current crop of presidential candidates (from both parties). Nevertheless, this poll accurately reflects what we think about our leaders and lawmakers.

Poll: Americans don't like what they see in 2012 race

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds a nation more downbeat, more dissatisfied with its political leadership and more concerned about the country's direction than at almost any other point in modern times.

By wide margins, those surveyed say the election process isn't working and the candidates aren't coming up with good ideas to solve the nation's problems.

Fewer than half say there is any candidate running, Republican or Democratic, who would make a good president.

INTERACTIVE: Candidate Match Game

"We're looking at the politics of backlash," says Lawrence Jacobs of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. Americans see a political process that is "out of touch and paralyzed in the face of crushing economic conditions and fear about the future. It's as if the country is on the Titanic and it's going down, and you've got Congress and the presidential field playing violins."

The only real pick for the people is Dave!

Go Independent and Vote Dave in 2012!

Got to give Perry credit–he’s sticking with stupid–even though his campaign is comical

2011-12-19T09:05:00.001-08:00

There’s really not much to say about Pastor Perry. We all know he’s not going anywhere despite his deep pockets and PACs.

He keeps trying to bring religion into politics with the hope of getting brainwashed voters to save his campaign.

“The critics of Gov. Rick Perry's controversial "war on religion" ad aren't going away.

After his last campaign event of the night Sunday, Perry was approached by a teenaged girl who questioned him about his recent Iowa ad taking aim at gays serving openly in the military.

"I'm just wondering why you're so opposed to gays serving openly in the military and you want to deny their freedom when they're fighting and dying for your right to run for president?" asked 14-year-old Rebecka Green, who was accompanied to the Decorah town hall by her father Todd.

Perry, who has faced scattered protests on the issue throughout his bus tour in Iowa, told the young woman that he believed President Barack Obama was pressured to change a functional "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy by a progressive voting block.

"Don't Ask Don't Tell was working," he said, later adding "This president was forced by his base to change that policy."

Perry said that a voter recently asked him how he would feel if his son or daughter was gay. "I'd feel the same way," he said, recounting his answer. "I'd hate the sin but I'd love the sinner."

Green told reporters after the exchange that she wasn't satisfied by Perry's answer. "Nobody should be able to tell anybody who they can or cannot love," she said. Her father, a Democrat who teaches religion at a nearby college, said that he brought her to the event because she was outraged by the premise of the ad.

The exchange wasn't the only tense moment of the evening at an otherwise subdued town hall.

Asked about the dangers of hydraulic fracking, Perry launched into his common claim that there is no documentation of groundwater contamination as a result of the practice, which he says is safely conducted in Texas.

Decorah native Jonathan Ruf, 31, chimed in from the audience, saying "that's false." A visibly annoyed Perry countered by challenging Ruf to "show me the paper."

"Bring me the paper, bring me the paper, show me the paper," he said. "I am truly offended that the American public would be hoodwinked by stories that do not scientifically hold up."

"This is a fear tactic that the left is using and the environmental community is using that absolutely - excuse the pun - doesn't hold water," he added.

"Bring me the evidence and once we do that, you show it to me and I will be the first to say you have a point."

-from FIRST READ

If I were at that Town Hall Meeting I would have been glad to start providing information for Pastor Perry. Here’s three quick links Perry’s staff should have him read:

#1 EPA report raises new caution on fracking

#2 Newest EPA Report Confirms Fracking Fluids Contaminating Pavillion, Wyoming Water Supply

#3 EPA: Fracking may cause groundwater pollution

…just for starters.

Iowa Political Ads: Let the shit-slinging commence!

2011-12-18T07:45:00.001-08:00

By the numbers: Here is the total ad spending in Iowa to date: Perry $4.3 million, Restore Our Future $2.7 million, Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry group) $1.3 million, Ron Paul $1.3 million, Romney $536,000, Gingrich $233,000, and Red White and Blue Fund (pro-Santorum group) $200,000.

And here is the total Super PAC spending: Make Us Great Again $3 million, Restore Our Future $2.9 million, Our Destiny PAC (pro-Huntsman) $1.5 million, and Red White and Blue Fund $200,000.

Some more perspective on Romney’s TV ad spending: The ACTUAL campaign has barely spent over $1 million; four years ago at this SAME POINT in the campaign, Romney had already spent more than $10 million on the air…

What a difference a Supreme Court decision makes!

Countdown to Election Day: 327 days

Remember to Vote Dave!

Yo! Hey Paulie! You’re not finished yet

2011-12-17T08:30:00.001-08:00

Yo! Hey Paulie!

Seems like some people don’t think you’re a wank.

South Dakota’s June primary is unlikely to be a deciding factor in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination but Ron Paul’s 1st place showing in this new poll is more evidence that Paul’s pro liberty, pro peace message is catching on with GOP primary voters.

Ron Paul has been rising in the polls in Iowa, where he is statistically tied for first according to PPP, and in New Hampshire.

Now Paul is having a “Money Bomb” in hopes of raising $4 million in a single day from small donors across the country.

Ron Paul has been gaining support as he has stood strongly against the National Defense Authorization Act which Paul says is “legalizing martial law.”

Paul is also against the Stop Online Piracy Act which many (including the founder of Wikipedia) believe is essentially censorship of the internet.

Ron Paul was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. Comedian Joe Rogan said he plans to endorse Paul.

I can tell you right now that I will win by a landslide if Paulie is my opponent. So bring it…

Vote Dave in 2012!

Dear Santa: can we have a brand new Congress?

2011-12-16T08:32:00.001-08:00

Ho! Ho! Ho! Our lame ass lawmakers managed to avert shutting the government down in time for Christmas.

“Republicans yielded on policy affecting communist Cuba and Democrats gave way on new energy standards for light bulbs to seal an agreement Thursday evening on a massive $1 trillion-plus year-end spending package in time avert a possible government shutdown this weekend.”

GEE… WHAT HOLIDAY SPIRIT. GIVES ME THE GOOSEBUMPS.

Hey wait!

Is that Santa sneaking out of the back of the White House with a look of disgust on his face?

THE TEA PARTY IS SIMMERING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON BY ORDER OF THE KOCH BROTHERS AND OTHER CORPORATE MASTERS – ALTHOUGH EACH LITTLE TEA PARTY FROM EACH STATE CLAIMS THEY ARE A GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT THAT IS GOING TO EXPLODE (SPENDING MILLIONS TELLING LIES) NEXT YEAR ONTO THE ELECTION SCENE.

"Those who think the Tea Party is on the wane are in for a gigantic surprise in 2012," says Debbie Dooley, co-organizer of the Atlanta Tea Party. "We have built a grassroots army and we will be a fine-tuned machine next year."

I was surfing the net and caught this little poem by an unknown commentator on the story below -

Under pressure, Gingrich defends work for Freddie Mac and his proposal for judicial reform

A POLITICAL POEM

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the RIGHT

they were bloody and battered from their own ugly fight

Newt has a plan and Mitt wants to foil it

so all of our kids don't have to clean toilets

Michelle,a campaign debt she now has to pay

unless her strange husband can PRAY IT AWAY

and Rick Perry keeps hanging,but I think its too late

since he guessed that the high court must only have 8...

Ron Paul the good doctor,his hopes are still high

but if you don't have good health care he'll cheer you to DIE

Santorum has tried hard,but hasn't done well

when asked what had happened he said"don't ask,and don't tell !"

On Mitty on Ricky on Ronnie on Newt, yelled Santa as his reindeer took flight

Obama is going to kick all your a$$es,Merry Christmas to all,and good night !!!

Republicans confident of victory in 2012

2011-12-15T07:55:00.001-08:00

It’s going to be a cinch!

A Republican president elected in 2012. Done deal. That’s all folks… the Republican party is really pumped up about their chances to win the presidency.

There is one little item that has to be dealt with however...Who will lead them in the good fight? Who is presidential material?

Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich? Or, maybe Ron Paul?

Romney is warning his fellow Republicans about the consequences if they nominate Newt Gingrich.

“Zany is not what we need in a president.” Mitt assured them.

Romney told the New York Times:

“Zany is great in a campaign. It’s great on talk radio. It’s great in print, it makes for fun reading,” Mr. Romney told The New York Times. “But in terms of a president, we need a leader, and a leader needs to be someone who can bring Americans together.”

Gingrich is surging in the polls and appears to be gaining momentum among the loon set. Their votes count too. I saw one of their bumper stickers on a car the other day. It read, “Stupid and Proud of It – And I Vote GOP No Matter What!”

Newt Gingrich took a veiled swipe at Mitt Romney over an attack ad now airing in Iowa, where voting in the Republican presidential contest is less than three weeks away.

To counter the negative assault, the former House speaker said, it is "going to require two weeks of my going around [Iowa], telling the truth, letting people look at the negative ad, look at the truth and decide: Do they really want to give their vote to somebody who is not telling the truth?"

Electability vs. ideology is the reality facing the GOP. The chance of finding a conservative enough candidate with electability is about as good as seeing the recession end tomorrow at noon. Zero.

How bad do the Republicans really want to win the presidency? I’m not sure yet. I know they’re desperate because all they have to choose from is a field of flawed characters.

The upcoming primary may tell another story…one where Ron Paul becomes the topic of serious consideration (they better not let him wear his tin foil hat during the polling).

I’m starting to suspect there’s going to be a good chance for a 3rd party candidate this election. Looking at my competition gives me hope.

Remember, Vote Dave (Independent Party) in 2012!

Will there be a 3rd party candidate for president?

2011-12-14T07:58:00.001-08:00

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a little-noticed Republican presidential candidate, is considering running on the Libertarian ticket.

“We’re definitely attempting to recruit Gary,” said Adrian Wyllie, Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida, who wants Johnson to drop out of the GOP primary. “We're hoping he decides to join the LP and compete for the nomination...“Gov. Johnson’s record has always been libertarian,” said Wyllie.

“I guess you could call him a RINO, because unlike most of the Republican establishment, he actually practices Constitutional government after campaign season is over.”

As Americans look at Romney, Gingrich, and Obama with wary eyes, there could be an opening for a 3rd party in the presidential race. Stay tuned…

It’s down to Mr. Bombastic vs Mr. Cautious

2011-12-13T11:22:00.001-08:00

The bomb thrower vs. the consensus builder.

Mr. Bombastic vs. Mr. Cautious.

With three weeks until the Iowa caucuses, those differences between Republican front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are shaping up to be the central contrast in the fight for the GOP presidential nomination.

And they help explain, in part, why Gingrich is soaring in the polls and why Romney is slipping. After all, in the Age of Obama, Republican primary voters -- more and more -- seem to prefer confrontation over caution and rhetorical red meat over nuance.

That confrontation-vs.-nuance contrast was on display at Saturday night's GOP debate here in Iowa, where Romney took issue with Gingrich’s past statement that Palestinians were “invented” people who might not have a legitimate claim to statehood.

“We're not going to throw incendiary words into a place which is a boiling pot when our friends, the Israelis, would probably say, ‘What in the world are you doing?’” Romney said.

“[If] I'm president of the United States, I will exercise sobriety, care, stability,” he added. “I'm not a bomb thrower, rhetorically or literally.”

Gingrich had a different response, saying that Israel is under siege from the Palestinians.

“I think sometimes it is helpful to have a President of the United States with the courage to tell the truth, just as was Ronald Reagan who went around his entire national security apparatus to call the Soviet Union an evil empire.”

Gingrich continued, “I am a Reaganite, I'm proud to be a Reaganite. I will tell the truth, even if it's at the risk of causing some confusion sometimes with the timid.”

So there’s your Republican presidential race for now (and perhaps for the next several months): Romney’s sobriety and stability vs. Gingrich’s calling it like he sees it.

And according to the polls, Republicans -- especially conservatives and Tea Party supporters -- are siding with Gingrich.

(article source)

Cain’s campaign down the drain–Gingrich seeks his supporters

2011-12-09T08:26:00.001-08:00

Cain's campaign is finally down the drain — and we're going to miss him! Where are his supporters going? According to the Union Leader, they'll go to Gingrich... because they're "looking for someone with passion." It figures. Cain is only alleged to have had a single affair; Newt has actually had quite a few, and he's proud to say it. If only those voters had been looking for creepiness instead of passion, Herman would still be leading in the polls.

Grandma Got the Creeps Cuz Herman Cain's Here
[ Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer ]

Get the album: Weiner Wonderland (2011) — only $3.99 on iTunes!!

Perry promises to end war on Christianity

2011-12-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

What a relief! We have a presidential candidate that is going to end the ruthless war against Christianity!

Finally all those attacks on Christians daring to openly wear the cross in public will cease.

No more profiling Christians on airplanes. No more hate talk against Christians. An end to the religious prosecution that Christian-Americans have endured.

Thank you God (the one and only true God that sent his son to suffer for our sins and not some pagan deity named Allah or Mohammad)…

“I'll end Obama's war on religion” Pastor Perry recently promised his flock. See video below:

I’m so happy that Perry is going to end the war against Christianity…

This is the part I don’t understand: WHAT WAR ON RELIGION?

Silly me, I wasn’t aware there was one, and that Christians were being thrown to the lions and tortured in secret prisons throughout the country.

Anyway, I hope Perry keeps making a fool of himself because that just makes my campaign stronger!

Vote for Dave in 2012.

GOP has second thoughts on stocking stuffer…

2011-12-07T19:35:00.001-08:00

Nate Beeler, Cagle Cartoons, The Washington Examiner

Guess what? It’s time for AD WARS!

2011-12-07T08:20:00.001-08:00

With less than four weeks until the Iowa caucuses, the TV ad war in the Republican race is underway.

Ron Paul went up with the first negative ad; Gingrich is now hitting the airwaves; and so is Romney. But guess who is leading the ad race so far: Rick Perry.

In fact, according to a Republican ad-tracking source, Perry appears to be making a last stand of sorts. His campaign has placed a $1 million buy over the next three weeks in Iowa, and the pro-Perry Super PAC Make Us Great Again has booked $1.2 million on broadcast TV in Iowa and South Carolina over that same period of time (but they don’t coordinate, right?).

And don’t lose sight of the candidate in second place in ad spending: Ron Paul. Below are the updated ad-spending numbers (and they include money for both TV and radio ads): -- Overall: Perry: $5.1 million; Paul: $2.6 million; Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry): $2.5 million; Our Destiny PAC (pro-Huntsman): $1.4 million; Romney: $674,000; Gingrich: $233,000; Bachmann $166,000 (but hasn’t been on air since August); Santorum: $23,000.
-- Iowa: Perry $3.9 million; Paul $1.2 million; Make Us Great Again $1.1 million; Romney $322,000; Gingrich $233,000; Bachmann $166,000 (zero since August); Santorum $17,000.
-- New Hampshire: Our Destiny PAC $1.4 million; Paul $430,000; Romney $352,000; Perry $234,000
-- South Carolina: Make Us Great Again $1.4 million; Paul $57,000

(information source)

Paul leads attack on Newt Gingrich with ads

2011-12-06T11:49:00.001-08:00

With Newt Gingrich now surging in the polls, the first Republican presidential candidate to attack him in a paid TV ad isn’t Mitt Romney. Or Rick Perry. Or Michele Bachmann.

Instead, it’s Ron Paul.

The Texas congressman has emerged, arguably, as Gingrich’s most vocal critic -- at least for now -- cutting a web video from last week that was scathingly critical of the former Speaker into a 60-second TV spot for air in Iowa.

"We wanted to ensure this ad reached as many voters as possible, to debunk the myth that the Newt we are seeing on the 2012 campaign trail is the conservative he has been touted to be all along," Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton said in a statement.

Ron Paul criticizes Newt Gingrich of "serial hypocrisy" in a new TV ad.

The ad casts Gingrich as inauthentic and hypocritical on issues like bailouts and health care, and fueled by his lucrative work as a political advocate after leaving Congress.

It's a line of attack that political observers have more likely expected to come from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose campaign has been forced to reckon with the Gingrich surge in the closing weeks before Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses.

But Paul has been especially dogged in his criticism of Gingrich, attacks that may well be serving Romney's needs just as much as Paul's.

"I think that he's getting a free ride. And I've worked with him for a long time. And I think the points I made on the various issues, he's a flip-flopper, so he can hardly be the alternative to Mitt Romney," Paul said last week in New Hampshire.

The libertarian-minded congressman has staked much of his political capital in Iowa, where he made a major push in August's Ames Straw Poll, and finished a close second place. He's peppered the state's airwaves, and emphasized his opposition to abortion rights for the socially conservative caucus-goers in the state.

Romney's campaign had been skittish about making a push in Iowa until recently, when it opened campaign headquarters in the state and launched a round of TV advertisements. Their bet appears to be that, in a splintered primary field, Romney could score well enough in Iowa to win or at least place highly, and carry that momentum into New Hampshire, where he leads in the polls.

But, given Paul's new attacks on Gingrich, it may just end up being the case that, if Romney wins the nomination, he may have Paul to thank.

Romney's leveled some mild criticism of Gingrich, calling him a "lifelong politician," but has otherwise stayed focused on President Obama. He might not have to release that focus on Obama as long as Paul does Romney's dirty work for him; it seems like a classic case where, for Romney, the enemy of his enemy is his friend.

It's not that Romney has escaped criticism from Paul; an ad from the libertarian congressman's campaign last month pilloried Romney along with Herman Cain and Rick Perry. But Paul's campaign has, more often than not, trained its focus on the rotation of candidates who have surged to become the leading alternative to Romney.

But as the candidates approach the home stretch of the campaign, the beneficiary of Paul's focus on Gingrich may just be Romney's campaign, which might be spared from having to go intensely negative against Gingrich.

(article source)

Trump: Huntsman and Paul are 'joke candidates

2011-12-05T12:27:00.001-08:00

Donald Trump has once again said that if Republican primary voters can't pick a candidate he believes will beat President Obama, he'll run for president himself.

The "Apprentice" host will moderate a Republican debate in Des Moines on Dec. 27, one week before the Iowa caucuses.

Newt Gingrich is the only potential candidate set to attend the debate, an event that has been derided by the campaigns of Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman.

The debate contributes to “an unwanted, circus-like atmosphere,’’ according to Paul, while Huntsman’s campaign called it “the presidential ‘Apprentice’ debate with Donald.’’

NBC figures show that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire would be less likely to support a candidate who gets Trump’s support by a 2-1 margin.

(source)

Republican Senators Vote To Raise Middle Class Taxes

2011-12-04T07:47:00.001-08:00

My position on taxes is simple: raise them on the wealthy and the corporations.

The mealy-mouthed bunch of career politicians in Congress are going to pay the price for screwing the middle class when election time comes up. Republicans and Democrats alike.

While the Republicans often talk about the importance of tax cuts, the truth is they are only concerned about low taxes for the very wealthy. It’s obvious by the way they are blocking this extension of the payroll tax cut that they do not care about low taxes for average middle class Americans.

Every Republican Senator but one, Susan Collins of Maine, voted down an extension of the payroll tax cut. A vast majority of Democratic Senators (all but three) voted for the payroll tax cut extension which is also strongly supported by President Obama.

If this payroll tax cut is not extended before the end of the year then the average American household will see a tax increase of $1000.

The White House has set up this online calculator so you can see for yourself how much the Republicans are going to cost you in tax increases unless they change their minds and decide to support President Obama’s middle class tax cut extension.

Cain drops out of presidential race because of affair

2011-12-03T11:15:00.001-08:00

Well darn.

There goes another colorful GOP candidate for president.

Herman Cain said that he is suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination today, choosing to end his campaign after weathering weeks of scrutiny over alleged sexual misconduct and accusations of an extramarital affair.

I’m sure we’ll hear more from Cain who said he’s going to endorse one of the other GOP candidates. What a feather in someone’s tin hat! Just think how much it’s going to help their campaign.

I think Cain should support Gingrich as they are two birds of a feather – both having cheated on their wives (in Newt’s case he cheated on two wives).

Cain also promised that the world will hear from him again soon when he launches his new website - TheCainSolutions.com.

GOP Candidates: Can’t buy me love…

2011-12-02T16:02:00.001-08:00

The GOP candidates are having a hard time buying some love for their campaigns.

Most of the 12 Republican primary voters who gathered here to participate in a focus group that NBC/WSJ pollster Peter Hart (D) conducted for the Annenberg Public Policy Center believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.

They’re not hopeful about the future. And they don’t like President Obama’s leadership. But they didn’t exactly love the GOP candidates.

That was especially true of Mitt Romney. When asked who Romney would be if he were a member of their family, they answered, "black sheep," "fun neighbor," "cousin," "second cousin," "dad that was never home."

By comparison, the responses for Newt Gingrich were "grandfather," "father," "my favorite uncle," and "uncle who keeps bringing home different wives." When asked who they would like to serve as their character witness if they were in trouble, just one Republican mentioned Romney. And when Hart pressed them to further talk about Romney if he becomes president, one person described him as a "placeholder."

When asked to list Gingrich's strengths, they responded, "proven track record," "knows how the system works," "negotiator," "doer," and "good with foreign policy."

When it came to Herman Cain words used to describe him ranged from: "trouble," "has no chance," "damaged," to "unelectable."

The remaining candidates were given little attention by the group. The question is when are they going to get the message? None of them stand a chance in hell of being nominated for president.

Cain: Stupid people are running America

2011-12-01T09:13:00.001-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cain is right. That’s why he probably thinks he has a chance–he’s stupid.

It’s kinda hard to argue with Cain’s assessment of our country’s leadership…

His problem is he thinks the American people are stupid and are going to buy his lies about “all those women conspiring against him.”

He still hasn’t talked face-to-face with his wife about all the allegations that are piling up – he has however (according to him) spoke “extensively” with his wife on the phone about those conspiring women.

Could it be that he’s afraid she’s going to kick his philandering ass down the road?

Stay tuned…this is better than any soap opera on TV.

Democrats should fear a third-party challenge in 2012

2011-11-30T08:10:00.001-08:00

The first votes have not yet been cast in the Republican primaries, and we're already beginning to hear talk of independent runs for the presidency.

In part, that springs from a sense of dissatisfaction — or at least surprise — with the way the primary field has performed this year, and with the candidates who appear to have risen to the top. Few would have guessed that after the surprising Tea Party triumph in the 2010 midterms, the top two contenders for the GOP nomination would be the man who implemented a precursor of ObamaCare and a longtime Beltway insider whose personal baggage had long kept him from serious consideration.

Barring a surprise in the next five or six weeks, there won't be a candidate to quickly unite the conservative base, the moderates, and the independents. If the primary competition lasts deep into March and April, it will pit these elements of the Republican umbrella against each other. In that kind of environment, it's possible that a schism could develop that produces an opportunity for an independent candidate — or perhaps more than one.

(Read the rest here)

Mitt Romney: A Dishonest Fraud’s ad lies

2011-11-29T09:05:00.001-08:00

It’s time to call Romney out for his lies.

Running such an incredibly deceitful ad like this seems like a terrible idea by the Romney campaign when considering Romney’s reputation for telling the truth is shaky enough already.

He just can’t seem to keep his position straight as he panders to whichever audience he is talking to at the moment. This tendency has helped to create a massive record of flip-flops:

Another flip flop position…

You’re going to get a kick out of this one…

Bachmann and Gingrich swap insults

2011-11-28T11:15:00.001-08:00

Bachmann and Gingrich in a tree

k..i..c..k..i..n..g

First comes insults then come lies

then they both try to conceal corporate ties

Bachmann and Gingrich: Round Two:

Michele Bachmann’s campaign kept up its criticisms of Newt Gingrich Sunday, hours after the former Speaker of the House won the support of the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper, a key endorsement in the country’s first in the nation primary state.

A back and forth between the Bachmann and Gingrich teams has been going on since Tuesday’s CNN debate in Washington, where Gingrich seemed to call for a path to citizenship for longtime illegal residents of the United States.

The spokesman for Gingrich’s campaign told NBC News Saturday that Bachmann “can’t get her facts straight” or is “intentionally lying” about Gingrich’s position.

Bachmann badmouths Gingrich over immigration policy

2011-11-27T07:45:00.001-08:00

The GOP primary candidates are like watching a school of sharks turning on one another.

In a continuing back and forth over Newt Gingrich’s immigration policy, Michele Bachmann criticized the former House speaker Saturday over a letter he co-signed in 2004 in support of President George W. Bush's immigration initiative.

Bachmann's campaign staff handed copies of the letter to the media Saturday morning before an event marking the release of Bachmann's new book, "Core of Conviction," at the Radisson Hotel in Davenport.

“He has a long history of supporting amnesty,” Bachmann told reporters of Gingrich, “and that’s not something that people in Iowa are supporting.”

Gingrich has taken fire from Bachmann and other candidates, including Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, since Tuesday's CNN debate in Washington, where he called for a "humane" immigration policy for illegal immigrants "who have children and grandchildren, who are members of the community."

Bachmann’s charge that the policy amounts to "amnesty" is being met with increasingly sharp language by the Gingrich campaign.

"Either Michele Bachmann can't get her facts straight on understanding immigration reform, or she is intentionally lying," Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond told NBC News on Saturday while the former speaker was campaigning in Florida.

Gingrich is proposing that longtime illegal residents leave the country and apply for citizenship. He told reporters Saturday he doesn't recall the 2004 letter.

“I have a deep history of supporting efforts to solve the problem of illegal immigration, going back to 1986,” Gingrich told reporters following a book-signing event of his own, citing legislation passed during the Reagan administration.

Despite her attacks, Bachmann spent part of Saturday on the defensive, knocking down comparisons – first noted in Politico and on the conservative website Townhall – between Gingrich’s outlook on immigration and remarks she made at the Sept. 7 MSNBC-Politico debate.

At that debate, Bachmann was asked how she would handle the more than 11 million people living in the United States without documentation. "It depends upon where they live, how long they have been here, if they have a criminal record," Bachmann said.

Asked Saturday how those remarks diverge from Gingrich's position, Bachmann insisted she was speaking about determining which illegal immigrants should be forced to leave the country first. "It is 180 degrees different from where the speaker stands. Because what I'm talking about is order of deportation," Bachmann said.

(Source- First Read)

Mitt Romney Flip Flops Even on His Own Name

2011-11-26T08:53:00.001-08:00

During the last Republican debate, the notorious flip flopper Mitt Romney took his flip floppiness to the next level when in some strange attempt at folksiness he claimed that his first name is “Mitt.” It’s not. Romney’s first name is actually Willard with Mitt being his middle name.

Yes this is a silly trivial thing, but that kind of just makes it even worse. With this bit of ridiculousness Romney has proven that there’s nothing too trivial for him to flip-flop on.

We already knew that Romney takes multiple positions on the serious issues facing the US but now we know he even takes multiple issues on something as basic as what his first name is. (source)

Fact Checking: GOP candidates hyperbole on terror interrogations

2011-11-25T08:48:00.001-08:00

Facts are like Superman’s only weakness, Kryptonite, for Republican presidential candidates.

Michele Bachmann did not intend to be taken literally when she told the Republican presidential debate Tuesday that civil-liberties activists have taken over the interrogation of terrorists from the CIA. But even as a rhetorical point, it didn't hold water.

Her hyperbole on the American Civil Liberties Union was one of the more notable stretches in the national security and foreign policy debate. A look at some of the claims and how they compare with the facts:

BACHMANN: "This is one thing we know about Barack Obama: He has essentially handed over our interrogation of terrorists to the ACLU. He's outsourced it to them. Our CIA has no ability to have any form of interrogation for terrorists."

THE FACTS: The CIA still has the ability to interrogate terrorists. President Obama formed the High Value Interrogation Group, which includes the FBI, the CIA and the Pentagon. It centralizes expertise so that when a terrorism suspect is caught, everyone with a stake in the issue is involved in the questioning. The CIA also can sit in on interrogations in other countries, asking questions directly or through officials of the host government.

MITT ROMNEY: "What they're doing is cutting a trillion dollars out of the defense budget."

RON PAUL: "They're nibbling away at baseline budgeting. ... There's nothing cut against the military. And the people on the Hill are nearly hysterical because they're not going ... the budget isn't going up as rapidly as they want it to."

THE FACTS: Paul was more accurate than Romney in describing what is happening with defense spending. Constraints in the military budget are much more modest than Romney suggested.

Both Romney and rival Rick Perry have been criticizing Obama for looming defense cuts that are triggered by the failure of the deficit supercommittee to act. But the cuts would only slow the rate of growth of Pentagon spending, which has been vastly increased because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, now winding down. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the planned Pentagon budget for 2021 would be some $700 billion, an increase over the current level of about $520 billion. The cuts agreed to last summer plus the automatic reductions would trim the projected 2021 budget by about $110 billion.

RICK PERRY: "When you sanction the Iranian central bank, that will shut down that economy. ... This president refuses to do that, and it's another show of lack of leadership from the president of the United States."

THE FACTS: Obama, like George W. Bush before him, hasn't issued a blanket ban on dealings with Iran's central bank. Perry could try as president, but he'd find himself with some angry allies and perhaps some economic damage for the United States.

U.S. sanctions already severely restrict what contact American and foreign companies can have with Iranian banks. That has made the central bank the primary conduit for purchasing Iranian oil exports.

Blacklisting the central bank entirely would put energy companies and banks from places such as Japan in a dilemma: either find new oil sources, or risk punishment in the United States. The same applies for China, Russia, Turkey and other countries with investments in Iran — and the rush for new fuel providers could lead to a spike in gasoline prices that hampers the American economic recovery.

In reality, however, it's unlikely the U.S. would be prepared to blacklist Japan's banks for financial transactions with Iran's central bank. So the power of the sanction would be unclear.

BACHMANN: "Almost every decision that the president has made since he came in has been one to put the United States in a position of unilateral disarmament, including the most recent decision he made to cancel the Keystone pipeline. That would have not only created jobs, but it would have helped us in energy independence."

THE FACTS: Obama didn't cancel the Canadian oil pipeline. Instead, his administration delayed the decision in order to explore an alternative route to avoid areas of Nebraska that include wetlands and an aquifer providing water crucial to huge swaths of U.S. cropland. Bachmann also overlooked that the delay came under pressure from Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican. When the pipeline was delayed, Heineman hailed the decision and called it "an exceptional moment for Nebraskans."

PERRY: "When you put the no-fly zone above Syria, it obviously gives those dissidents and gives the military the opportunity to maybe disband."

ROMNEY: "They have 5,000 tanks in Syria. A no-fly zone wouldn't be the right military action — maybe a no-drive zone. ... I mean, this is a nation which is not bombing its people at this point, and the right course is not military."

PERRY: "I think you need to leave it on the table to make sure, because this is not just about Syria. This is about Iran and those two as a partnership, and exporting terrorism around the world. And if we're going to be serious about saving Israel, we better get serious about Syria and Iran, and we better get serious right now."

THE FACTS: As Romney suggested, a no-fly zone by itself wouldn't do much to stop Syrian tanks and bullets from killing civilians. Unlike in Libya, where Moammar Gadhafi used his air force to fire on cities, President Bashar Assad's government has by and large stuck to ground forces. There have been a few cases of helicopters allegedly being used, but they are exceptions.

Perry's follow-up argument that a no-fly zone in Syria could help deter Iranian terrorism and save Israel wasn't clear. He seemed to be referring to Iranian and Syrian support for anti-Israel groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, neither of which has air power. Weapons smuggling also can occur by ground or sea.

(article source)

Is there a way to stop inside trading by members of Congress?

2011-11-23T12:50:00.001-08:00

On top of my list of things to do when elected president, is to put a stop to members of Congress who shamelessly indulge in inside trading.

What’s being done now? The following article lays out what’s happening and what some people are trying to do about the situation.

“Spurred by a CBS “60 Minutes” report and a new book by Peter Schweizer, a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution, on alleged insider trading by members of Congress, there’s growing momentum for an effort to ban members and congressional staff from trading stocks or commodities based on confidential information they have on pending bills.

Yet despite the attention given to the “60 Minutes” report, such a ban is a long way from becoming law, partly because it would be difficult to enforce and might create significant unintended consequences.

“Many constituents saw the report and will be asking their lawmakers, ‘So what are you doing to fix that problem?’ Politically, they need some kind of an answer,” said congressional scholar John Pitney, who teaches political science at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.

One answer is a House bill called the “Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act,” or STOCK Act.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tim Walz, D- Minn., and Rep. Louise Slaughter, D- N.Y., would ban buying or selling stocks or commodities by a member of Congress or staffer who has “material nonpublic information” regarding legislative action that relates to a specific company or commodity.

It would also prohibit House members and staff from disclosing information about any pending bill or amendment relating to a particular company or commodity if the member or staffer “has reason to believe” that the information will be used to buy or sell the company’s stock or the commodity.

A hearing on the Walz-Slaughter bill is scheduled for Dec. 6 before the House Financial Services Committee. The chairman of that panel, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R- Ala., is one of the members whom 60 Minutes accused of improper trading, a charge his spokesman has denied.

A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate.

Meredith McGehee, the policy director of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan reform group which supports the STOCK Act, said, “Right now there is not enough clarity in current law and in current rules” to make sure that members of Congress and staffers don’t profit from their inside knowledge of pending legislation.

She added, “Unless you have a member of Congress dumb enough to say, ‘Hey, I just learned this in a secret committee,’ it can be very difficult to prove” that a member made a stock trade based on confidential information gained from their job.

“Experience has shown that unless there are explicit prohibitions, the (House and Senate) ethics committees are loath to take any kind of enforcement action,” she said. “And obviously without the statute explicitly stating that members of Congress are covered, a prosecutor is not necessarily going to say, ‘I’m going to take this case on’ because it can be very difficult in a court of law to make the case about what statute was violated.”

Let’s say, for instance, that a crucial amendment benefiting a specific defense contractor has just picked up the last few votes that will allow it to become law. In such a case, said University of Pennsylvania law professor Jill Fisch, an expert in securities law, if a member of Congress or a staffer trades a stock based on information “that has a significant predictable impact on whether the bill is going to pass, that’s over the line,” in other words a violation of insider trading laws “to the extent that he is misappropriating or misusing the information.”

And she said, “There’s a case to be made for additional clarity” in the law to make clear that members of Congress are misappropriating confidential information if they trade.

Washington attorney Stan Brand, who served as general counsel to the House and who has represented several members in ethics proceedings, said, “Insider trading rules could already be applied to members of Congress if the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) thought they could make such a case. I guess they never have.” He called the Walz-Slaughter bill “a solution looking for a problem.”

Disclosure could serve as a deterrent: the reason that “60 Minutes” knew that members owned particular stocks was that they are required to file annual financial disclosure forms.

If voters look at the disclosure form and see that Rep. X owns 50,000 shares in a company and they know that he inserted a provision in a bill to benefit that same company, they might think he had a conflict of interest and could boot him out at the next election, if they wanted to.

Pitney pointed out, “The people who read a lawmaker’s disclosure forms most carefully are opposition researchers from the other party. When they find something, they bring it to the media’s attention. In that sense, ‘oppo’ guys are the real ethics cops. But ‘Don’t worry, trust the oppo guys’ is not a satisfying answer for most constituents.”

But given the vast scope of issues and businesses which Congress regulates, finding out about potential insider trading would seem a daunting task.

“Capitol Hill is home to hundreds of lawmakers and thousands of staffers who love to talk,” Pitney said. “Every day, they have countless conversations with reporters, lobbyists, executive branch officials, and ordinary citizens. In this setting, the line between public and nonpublic information is blurry at best.”

Even McGehee, a supporter of the STOCK Act, says it might have a potential unwanted effect. “I do have a concern about the way the language is drafted” she said. There might be certain facts that members of Congress “would want to hide and then they’d say, ‘well, this is a ‘material nonpublic fact’ and we can’t disclose it.’

Anytime you’re dealing with Congress and you give them an explicit statutory right to keep things secret, it needs to be thought through very, very carefully…. You’re dancing on the edge of a cliff here: you want to make sure they aren’t using insider information, but at the same time you have to be careful of giving them something that can be used as a carte blanche to hide” information which the public needs to know.”

(article source)

Raising Cain: ‘I’ll win because I’m black’ and a descendant of slaves

2011-11-22T10:42:00.001-08:00

Time for the race card.

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain is claiming his race will help him win over African American voters.

In a seven-page mailer sent to Iowans over the weekend, Cain writes, "as a descendent of slaves I can lead the Republican Party to victory by garnering a large share of the black vote, something that has not been done since Dwight Eisenhower garnered 41 percent of the black vote in 1956."

But while Cain might believe he'll garner a larger share of the black vote in a head-to-head match-up against President Obama, this month's NBC/WSJ poll — which had an oversample of 400 African-American respondents — tells a different story.

In a hypothetical general election matchup, according to the poll, Obama gets support from 93 percent of African Americans, while Cain gets just 6 percent.

Back by popular demand: What I’ll do if elected

2011-11-21T10:15:00.001-08:00

As you can see, my presidential platform is built out of redwood trees – a nod to where my grass root campaign first sprang up behind the Redwood Curtain.

What does Dave stand for?

That’s the pesky question some people want to know. Here you go:

1. Government Transparency:

No more backdoor deals. Anything of importance with the feds is currently decided in plush offices and out of earshot of the press and the people. What the public sees (when these politicos emerge) is a staged drama between the two party’s where scare tactics are routinely used to sway the sheeple. How many times have you wondered why our government has to be so sly? what the hell is really being said?

2. Dismantling the power of lobbies that corrupt our government process:

Obama said he’d get rid of the lobbyists but didn’t wait until he was in office for 90 days before he appointed a pack of ex-lobbyists to key government positions. that’s bullshit.

I see lobbyists as a cancer in our political process that needs to be removed by all means possible.

I realize that this is going to piss off the wealthy, the industrial complex, and the corporations who currently rule America.

(Photo) A view of my platform

I may have a short presidency, but while I’m alive and able, I’ll legalize lynching lobbyists that try to burrow into our government for special interests.

3. I’ll restore the middle class by making the corporations pay their fair share of taxes, and quit giving federal money to oil companies already reaping obscene profits.

The wealthy in this country aren’t going to like me any more than the lobbyists will. I’m going for a flat tax FOR ALL AMERICANS. I don’t care how famous, rich, or politically connected they are, everyone will pay a flat rate of 2 % You’ll be surprised how much that would bring in to fight the national debt.

In essence, I will break down the class structure that has evolved for the minority who rule, and rebuild it with a majority rule. All citizens will be treated as equals when it comes to health care and other important aspects of society. A real Democracy.

That’s enough for today. Yes, there are any other issues I will be discussing in the next year, and where I stand on them. As It Stands, VOTE FOR DAVE

GOP Candidates cry and tell bullshit stories at two-hour forum

2011-11-20T09:03:00.001-08:00

Six Republican candidates spoke at length Saturday about their faith but skirted direct discussion of misconduct by either twice-divorced Newt Gingrich or Herman Cain, who has faced allegations of sexual harassment.

They all had sob stories that ended up with redemption (in their minds) for cheating on wives and other past misdeeds. It would have been inspiring if it wasn’t such a sappy display of meaningless rhetoric.

When Newt admitted that he was cheating on his wife while pursuing Clinton for cheating, sighs of understanding came from around the table that was set for Thanksgiving (interestingly enough).

Romney probably figured all those born-again Christians would pile on his Mormon ass, so he didn’t bother showing up. I can’t say I blame him.

The Des Moines forum sponsored by the Family Leader group and moderated by pollster Frank Luntz, was a chance for candidates to claim higher ground (God) and to assure rabid religious groups and Tea Partiers there will be no separation of church and state if they get elected.

All in all, viewers would have been better served to watch re-runs of Beevis and Butt Head!

The Great GOP Primary Crash and Burn: 5 Republican Would-Be Saviors Flame Out in Hilarious Ways

2011-11-18T08:03:00.001-08:00

In a normal democracy, a competent opposition party would have no difficulty in defeating Barack Obama next year.

After all, unemployment is still around 9 percent, economic growth is sluggish at best and the Democratic base feels disenchanted with the hope and change they voted into office a mere three years ago.

A competent opposition party shouldn’t have to nominate a superlative candidate in this environment; instead it can win by simply nominating someone with decent hair, who can string together words in a language vaguely resembling English and who has no obvious debilitating mental illnesses.

For Republicans, this generic good-hair, able-to-talk, not-overtly-insane candidate is Mitt Romney. But there’s just one problem with this scenario: The Republican base hates Mitt Romney.

The reasons for this are pretty obvious since Romney’s work establishing a universal health care system in Massachusetts provided the main blueprint for Obamacare, the healthcare law passed in 2010 that the GOP base feels is the ultimate symbol of an overreaching and tyrannical government.

And that’s in addition to Romney’s assorted flip-flops on issues such as abortion and gay rights that have given social conservatives fits over the years. In fact, Multiple Choice Mitt is such a notorious opportunist that his entire political career can be summed up by paraphrasing a classic Snoop Dogg song: “Take a stance when it’s popular, but drop it when it’s not, drop it when it’s not.”

So the Republican base has spent the past year looking for someone, anyone, who can be the anti-Mitt Romney in the GOP primary. The problem is that the GOP has been unable to find even one half-normal human to stand in against him.

The result has been a hysterical roller-coaster of a primary season where new candidates rise rapidly as GOP “front runners” for a month before flaming out in spectacular and hilarious ways. In this article we’ll chronicle the assorted saviors that Republican voters have fallen in love with for brief periods of time before quickly recoiling in horror upon realizing they’ve become smitten with a unelectable lunatic.

Here’s a list of failed saviors for the GOP Party.

Herman Cain prepares for the next debate…

2011-11-17T18:27:00.001-08:00

Last clown standing: 4 GOP candidates in dead heat for lead

2011-11-17T12:10:00.001-08:00

The first actual voting for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination is in Iowa on January 3rd and this new poll shows a four way dead heat for the lead between Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, & Newt Gingrich.

Is Newt on the rise? Stranger things have happened

2011-11-16T09:52:00.001-08:00

Just as Newt Gingrich is enjoying his rise in the polls comes this story that exposes his chief vulnerability in this current political environment: He’s a Washington insider.

“Newt Gingrich made between $1.6 million and $1.8 million in consulting fees from two contracts with mortgage company Freddie Mac, according to two people familiar with the arrangement,” Bloomberg News reports. Voters may forgive personal foibles, but what about problems that cut to the core of what angers voters? Not so much. Gingrich has some real explaining to do on this.

The news that a Super PAC supporting Jon Huntsman -- which Huntsman’s wealthy father is reportedly helping to finance -- is airing a TV ad in New Hampshire is a reminder how one rich friend can go around the campaign-finance limits to benefit a candidate.

Just look at all the Super PACs out there. A pro-Rick Perry one is run by his former chief of staff. A pro-Romney one is led by top aides from his ’08 campaign. And one supporting President Obama is run by his former deputy press secretary. And we haven't even delved into the Super PACs popping up for Senate and House races (remember Howard Berman has one for him started by longtime supporters). And these entities can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. For all intents and purposes, the pre-Watergate bags of cash are now back. And it's happening right before our eyes.

And on Paul Ryan’s plan: On “Meet the Press,” Gingrich called it “right-wing social engineering.”

He flopped by apologizing to Ryan: “I made a mistake,” he said, adding, “The fact is that I have supported what Ryan has tried to do on the budget.” But then, with little fanfare, he apparently flipped again at his Nov. 6 “debate” with Herman Cain, when he said, “I do not favor a mandatory premium support model.” For more, New York magazine has a host of others from Gingrich over the years.

(source)

Keeping score during the primaries isn’t easy

2011-11-15T09:28:00.001-08:00

Who is the front runner?

I keep hearing Romney is the fall back guy when the rest of the contenders flame out. I agree with that assessment up to a point because:

a) There are no sexual harassment charges filed against Romney unlike citizen Cain.

b) Unlike the Pizza magnate Cain, Romney knows what happened in Libya.

c) Romney can stand in front of an audience and not sound like a jackass like Pastor Perry whose lucky if he can remember the third government agency he’d eliminate if elected president.

(I know Pastor Perry recovered later and bleated “The Department of Energy!” like he had discovered OZ…but that just doesn’t cut it….)

d) Unlike Bug Eye Bachmann, Romney knows his American history.

(He also looks so calm next to Bachmann who always looks like she’s going to jump out of her skin)

e) Romney doesn’t wear a tin foil cap proudly like Ron Paul who babbles about ideology and sometimes even about reality…

f) Romney has more name recognition than Rick Santorum (who?) and Jon. Huntsman, Jr. put together multiplied my 250,000

I could go on but you get the idea. History may call on Mitt Romney…

I doubt it though.

My pick for the last candidate standing is…

Newt Gingrich!

Don’t be surprised if you’re watching him debate with Obama next year.

I’m just saying…

Another reason why we need a clean sweep in Congress

2011-11-14T11:06:00.001-08:00

For any real change/equality to take place we need to get rid of everyone in Congress and replace them with people who aren’t career politicians.

I could give you a laundry list of reasons why the bums should go, but will narrow it down to one for today.

Inside trading. That’s right. Our elected officials are making a killing in the stock market every year. Taking advantage of inside information has become an institution in Congress.

A recent study of House members' stock transactions showed them beating the markets' return by about 6 percentage points annually from 1985 to 2001. A 2004 study involving the same authors showed senators beating the market by 12 percentage points annually.

Those results "are way outside the boundaries of random luck," said the studies' lead author, Alan Ziobrowski, a business professor at Georgia State University.

Ziobrowski said Congress is preoccupied with three things: regulation, taxes and the federal budget.

"If you know a piece of legislation is coming down the line and you can trade in that, you can make a lot of money," he told msnbc.com.

A report on CBS' "60 minutes" on Sunday said Pelosi was among several lawmakers — including Republicans such as House Speaker John Boehner — who had profited from transactions that raised the possibility of conflicts of interest.

In my opinion, those Congressman should not be allowed to use their insider information for profit that the public couldn’t possibly beat by legal ways. It’s one more example of why we really need change in the way politics are conducted.

I believe in one-term for all Congressman in order to keep the inside cronyism under control. Do you agree with me?

Vote Dave in 2012 if you do.

(This article has been approved by Dave)

GOP debate features war talk-Iran…you’re next!

2011-11-13T08:59:00.001-08:00

Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran…

It was time for the GOP Hawks to say how he or she would destroy Iran.

“The Republican presidential contenders met in a debate on foreign policy Saturday with the question of Iran atop the agenda.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said as president he’d order covert operations to stop the Iranian regime from building nuclear weapons, with options including “taking out their scientists” and “breaking the regime and bringing it down.”

And he added, “all of it (is) deniable,” that is, he as president would deny that the United States was behind the operations.”

If you missed this debate you lost out on seeing a lot of posturing. Michele Bachmann (in her best tough guy voice) said she was for “waterboarding.” Ron Paul thought she was nuts and said he wouldn’t use torture, that it was un-American.

It was truly a night of tough talk. Hard core conservatives watching the debate were able to get their “war on” while watching the chicken hawk candidates cluck.

Another inspiring debate.

The GOP War on Voting–an attempt to take away people’s rights

2011-11-12T09:02:00.001-08:00

In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year

As the nation gears up for the 2012 presidential election, Republican officials have launched an unprecedented, centrally coordinated campaign to suppress the elements of the Democratic vote that elected Barack Obama in 2008.

Just as Dixiecrats once used poll taxes and literacy tests to bar black Southerners from voting, a new crop of GOP governors and state legislators has passed a series of seemingly disconnected measures that could prevent millions of students, minorities, immigrants, ex-convicts and the elderly from casting ballots.

"What has happened this year is the most significant setback to voting rights in this country in a century," says Judith Browne-Dianis, who monitors barriers to voting as co-director of the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C.

Read the rest of this article by Ari Berman here.

I don’t know about you but I think these GOP primary debates are entertaining

2011-11-11T08:06:00.001-08:00

The front-runner for the Emmy for best comedy series has to be the Republican Debates.

There have been about 10 of these ridiculous things so far, and there are many more to come.

Grab the popcorn and watch the clowns go at it! (Of course this comedy would turn into a tragedy if one of these clowns actually makes it into the White House.)

We all need a good laugh and what better place to go that the GOP Debate?

By ThePresidentialCandidates

Supercommittee stuck…no surprise

2011-11-10T08:15:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time in America the citizens had to suffer with a dysfunctional Congress. It couldn’t solve anything. So the elected morons in suits decided to pass off decision-making to a ~~Stupidcommittee~~ Supercommittee whose job it was to cut through the crap and pass some laws so we could start an economic recovery.

Didn’t happen.

I didn’t think it would and now the Supercommittee talks are at an impasse or to put it more eloquently…the special clowns are more busy calling each other names than doing any serious negotiating.

What we have here is a failure to communicate, as Paul Newman once said. Neither side will budge despite the dog-and-pony show in Congress when they touted this supercommittee would be the end of the stalemates.

Can you say bullshit?

More important, can you guess what will happen next?

I can. Nothing.

Until the presidential election is over next November we the people can expect nothing from our elected officials…

Nothing… but senseless rhetoric and promises that will never be kept. The Party of No meets the Party of Slow.

Meanwhile the economy struggles. The pols play patsy. I don’t know about you, but I’m for getting rid of all the clowns and starting over. A clean sweep.

God help America, because it’s pols won’t.

You might consider me for President in 2012.

Vote for Dave.

Candidates on housing crisis: A deafening silence

2011-11-09T08:29:00.001-08:00

cartoon by Jeff Parker, Florida Today

They’ve debated over how to create jobs.

They’ve argued over how to cut spending.

They’ve battled over whether to raise taxes.

But five years into the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression, there’s been very little discussion from the presidential candidates on the real estate crisis that’s battering millions of American families.

Many Voters Believe Republicans Sabotaging Economy

2011-11-08T09:35:00.001-08:00

According to a new poll 49% of Florida voters believe that the Republicans in congress are purposefully sabotaging the economy for political gain (to hurt President Obama’s reelection chances.) Only 39% disagree with the Republican sabotage theory.

This is pretty damning stuff. Who would vote for a party that they believe is purposefully hurting the country for political gain?

And as the Republicans continue to vote against President Obama’s extremely popular job creation plans it’s quite possible that this belief in Republican sabotage will grow as we head into 2012. After all; this belief has the benefit of being factually based.

Campaigning two years ahead of elections is ruining the economy

2011-11-03T05:22:00.001-07:00

I like to be right out front about the massive waste of time spent campaigning for seats in Congress and for the Presidency – it’s total bullshit! Look at what’s happening…

No job bills are going to get passed because the Party of No is busy giving Obama the finger at the expense of the 99% ers.

You, and I, are to blame because all of those nitwits we voted into office are more concerned about staying there for as long as they can.

Republicans and Democrats both put partisanship above country. Just going by what I see.

How dysfunctional is our government under the throes of career pols being re-elected? Well, let’s put it this way: don’t count on any improvements here in the states, or in our diplomatic dealings with the rest of the world.

Former US secretary of state James Baker predicted Wednesday that there would be no breakthrough in Arab-Israeli peace talks before the US elections next year. I guess that pretty much sums up how effective we are in negotiating with our world partners right now.

The USA is like a lumbering giant trying to keep it’s balance in this depression. I call it that, because it’s worse than a recession. And with these morons in office worrying about being re-elected, the country has suffered like never before. Reality is putting Americans in a deep freeze thanks to posturing politicians.

We’re frozen and polarized and as we settle into winter I suspect it’s going to be one for the ages – both climate-wise and career-wise - for those clowns who are so damned worried about being re-elected!

They better look to the streets because there’s a lot of pissed off people out there, from coast to coast, who are ready to see some REAL CHANGE in 2012!

Which candidate will cash in on Cain’s demise?

2011-11-02T07:56:00.001-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cain’s past comes back to haunt him in the Fall…

Cain says America needs a sense of humor

2011-11-01T09:07:00.001-07:00

Herman Cain is suddenly in hot water over allegations of sexual harassment.

He had been riding high in the polls. Republican voters love his 9-9-9 plan and his smoking hot campaign ads even more than his pizza.

Cain says America needs "a sense of humor" and he's been doing his part to provide some of the laughs.

Love Cain
[Love Train ]

Cain says he was 'falsely accused' of harassment

2011-10-31T08:54:00.001-07:00

Just think, this is the GOP’s front runner in the primaries for the presidency…

“Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain admitted Monday to being accused of sexual harassment while at the helm of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, but denied ever engaging in such activity.

Cain, responding during an appearance on Fox News to a story that said he had settled two sexual harassment claims against him while at the NRA, said that an investigation into those allegations proved them to be "totally baseless."

"I have never sexual harassed anyone, and yes, I was falsely accused while I was at the National Restaurant Association," Cain said in the interview, his first comments on the Politico story from Sunday. "I say falsely because it turned out, after the investigation, to be baseless."

Cain sought to forcefully dispute the story, which said Cain had been accused of sexually suggestive behavior toward at least two female employees during his time as head of the restaurant lobby.

Cain said he had never personally settled any sexual harassment suit, and that if the NRA had settled any claims, it had done so without his knowledge.”

article source

Watch the Mitt Romney flip-flop and flip-flop and…

2011-10-30T08:14:00.001-07:00

Just listen to how intelligent he sounds…

Are you keeping up with Mitt?

And yet another flip-flop, flop flop flop….

Obama 'bundlers' sport close ties to lobbies

2011-10-29T12:01:00.001-07:00

It’s too bad the Democrats don’t have another candidate for the presidency in 2012, because Obama is a fraud.

He’s lied about treating medical marijuana states with respect and has gone after state laws – and compliant pot dispensaries -like a rabid Rottweiler.

Despite a pledge not to take money from lobbyists, President Obama has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid. His top 15 “bundlers” all have ties to lobbies. What happened to all that talk while he was running for the presidency about evil lobbyists and how they need to be shut down?

All bullshit. The only thing you can count on Obama doing is flip-flopping on issues for political expediency.

I’m a better alternative for the presidency than “Yes We Can Not” Obama because when I take a stand on an issue I stick with it for better or worse. You know what you’re getting.

One more reason to Vote for Dave in 2012.

Time to come clean Perry–are you heading for your last rhetoric roundup?

2011-10-28T09:17:00.001-07:00

I know Rick Perry has committed to the next debate in Michigan on November 9 but, according to campaign spokesman Ray Sullivan, the governor’s participation in future debates is very much up in the air.

So why not clear the air now? Listen up partner – it’s time to get your head out of your ass:

Is having your ass handed to you every debate too much? Is it time for you to pick up your spurs and go home?

C’mon pilgrim…where’s that fighting Texan spirit? I know it must be frustrating falling of your horse so much in front of your competition, but you have to buck up!

No one is going buy the crap you got Sullivan shoveling to the media. Admit it, you’re shaking in your boots. You’re afraid Romney or Cain are going to call you out at high noon again. John Wayne would be ashamed of you.

The dominant narrative in the race to date — pushed by your weak debate performances — has been that you’re not ready for primetime Perry. Is that it?

Are you peeing your pants at the thought of having to focus on specifics about what you’ll do if elected? Then it’s time to head for the sunset and hope everyone will forget about your last rhetoric roundup.

GOP to Cut Taxes on the Rich & Raise Taxes on the Poor

2011-10-27T07:51:00.001-07:00

With economic disparity already at astronomic levels due to the right wing economic policies of the last 30 years, the Republicans want to spread the gap between the wealthy and everyone else even farther by raising taxes on the working poor.

The working class already pays a disproportionately high rate when it comes to state & local taxes (which the right wing 53% meme ignores.) Yes, in fact, the “47%” pays plenty in taxes.

Taxes on the rich are already at historically low levels (the top tax rate was almost three times what it is today in the 1950s and unemployment was far lower) economic disparity is already at Great Depression era levels, and yet the Republicans want to cut taxes for the rich even lower and grow the gap between the rich and the poor even more? Pure insanity.

Meanwhile; Occupy Wallstreet – the protesters trying to bring sanity & fairness back to our economy – continues protesting for the 99% (including those foolish “53%” people who have been brainwashed into fighting against those they should be fighting with.)

Via ThePresidentialCandidates.US

Dave's 2012 Presidential Campaign Headquarters

Gary Johnson: Keep an eye on this guy

Why Republicans should vote for me

Loonies of the right getting through the night

The babbling of morons: quotes say it all

Chronicles of a Wacko: Fanatical Franchi

Group seeks investigation of Super PACs

Quest Opinion: Wedges Issues Divide Americans

Will Obama be re-elected because of GOP failure to find a good candidate?

The best quote about politicians I read all week…

The Year of the Fraud: Between Super PACs and Republicans cheating voters, Americans don’t stand a chance

Trump plays peek-a-boo with Gingrich, endorses Romney

Concerns over Super PACs spur rule committee hearings

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned about the poor’

How can we keep candidates from repeatedly lying?

A pause from the GOP primary and more about me

There’s more than meets the Eye with Newt

Saint Santorum:can you spell h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e ?

Pssst Mitt! There’s this little matter of you hiding millions of dollars overseas…

Newt-mentum promises a colony on the moon if elected

State of the Union: it’s all how you look at it

Hardcore: Kill an animal and make a statement

Guest Post: The first state to rebel against indefinite detention

What a laugh! GOP reality show rolls on

Expect Newt to make a surprise announcement

It was a jungle out there I tell ya!

Perry chooses not to go down with the Alamo

I think it’s time to plan my acceptance speech

More Mitt Romney Related News

Santorum story: Amazing Grace in primary race

Guest Opinion: NDAA Another Broken Promise by President Barack Obama and an Attack on Civil Liberties

By Raoul Kleven

Santorum Sanctified by Christian Leaders

Being President is about serving the people–not running a profit center for corporations

GOP Big Top Circus moves to South Carolina

Being sane is a plus when running for president

Romney: a look at what GOP voters are settling for in the polls

Meet the Press Live: GOP candidates debate

Obama vs Romney–are you kidding? It won’t even be close

No more politicians, NH eatery owner says

Politics Pause: Presidential Campaign cartoons

Iowa results:Pass out the crying towels please

Unfazed, Rick Perry tweets: 'Here we come South Carolina' .

Despite finishing in 5th place, Perry is unconcerned because of the Super Pac supporting him.

Americans Would Swap Electoral College For Popular Vote

Crusading Bachmann calls Occupy Protestors Obama’s Advance Team

Happy New Year to my clueless competition!

Super PAC jumps to Paul's defense

The Iowa name-calling contest formerly known as a primary, continues…

Clowns shuffle around prior to Iowa Primaries

Here’s some of the latest information regarding the gaggle of clowns that are running for the GOP ticket

Capital Hill Pigs thrive in poor economy

In the Eye of Newt: some see his insanity as presidential material

A Merry Christmas Present for Political Pundits

Voters Beware: the Republican Party is busy trying to rig the presidential election

The Republicans are out to win the 2012 election one way or the other. If it means stopping people (who wouldn’t vote for them) from voting…then so be it.

Newt is pissing off a lot of people but leads in latest poll

How air conditioning, prostitution, and raw milk could give Ron Paul problems

Gary Johnson to run as Libertarian

Anyone is better than the current bums and candidates trying to replace them

I didn’t need to see a poll to know that Americans are disgusted with the current crop of presidential candidates (from both parties). Nevertheless, this poll accurately reflects what we think about our leaders and lawmakers.

INTERACTIVE: Candidate Match Game

Got to give Perry credit–he’s sticking with stupid–even though his campaign is comical

Iowa Political Ads: Let the shit-slinging commence!

Yo! Hey Paulie! You’re not finished yet

Dear Santa: can we have a brand new Congress?

Republicans confident of victory in 2012

Will there be a 3rd party candidate for president?

It’s down to Mr. Bombastic vs Mr. Cautious

Cain’s campaign down the drain–Gingrich seeks his supporters

Perry promises to end war on Christianity

GOP has second thoughts on stocking stuffer…

Guess what? It’s time for AD WARS!

Paul leads attack on Newt Gingrich with ads

Trump: Huntsman and Paul are 'joke candidates

Republican Senators Vote To Raise Middle Class Taxes

Cain drops out of presidential race because of affair

GOP Candidates: Can’t buy me love…

Cain: Stupid people are running America

Democrats should fear a third-party challenge in 2012