Where she tells us that he likes to “wear panties”(wonder if he is related to [...]]]> Sarah Palin has been in the National Spotlight for 4 years now and finally has said something of value! Here she is taking on the “Round Mound of Mean” – Chris Christie on behalf of he candidate Newt Gingrich:

Where she tells us that he likes to “wear panties”(wonder if he is related to J. Edgar?) and after using the state helicopter to fly to his son’s baseball game(he was at the other end of the state at a fundraiser prior), maybe he should take a look in the mirror as to who “embarrasses the party”.

John McCain has no regrets about the biggest and most controversial decision of his unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Tuesday evening in [...]]]> H/T HuffPO: Last night Senator and failed presidential candidate John McCain told Sean Hannity that picking Sarah Palin, was the best decision he ever made:

John McCain has no regrets about the biggest and most controversial decision of his unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Tuesday evening in New Hampshire, McCain said naming Sarah Palin his running mate was “still the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Much drama has occurred since the McCain-Palin ticket lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. In 2009, several members of McCain’s campaign team trashed Palin in a Vanity Fair article, and in 2010, McCain’s daughter Meghan claimed Palin caused “stress, drama, panic” on the campaign trail.

I wonder what his rich wife (who set him up for the good life) or his kids felt about that? Personally, I always felt that by unleashing Sarah Palin on the country you put a black mark on your record that would never go away.

As if that was not humorous enough watch this:

PS: To Wiggy, This post is NOT about you nor is it about Vanity Fair.

Cantor was speaking with interviewer Lesley Stahl, who asked if he was ready to start compromising with Democrats on taxes. Cantor said he was indeed “ready to [...]]]> House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Hypocrisy), was on 60 Minutes this week and turned the simplest questions into an adventure(enough so to make Sarah Palin proud).

Cantor was speaking with interviewer Lesley Stahl, who asked if he was ready to start compromising with Democrats on taxes. Cantor said he was indeed “ready to cooperate,” but then hedged his response.

“But what’s the difference between compromise and cooperate?” Stahl asked.

“I would say cooperate is ‘Let’s look to where we can move things forward to where we agree,” Cantor said. “Compromising principles, you don’t want to ask anybody to do that. That’s who they are as their core being.”

Stahl then mentioned to Cantor how his “idol” Reagan compromised his principles by raising taxes during his presidency. Cantor tried to deflect the focus by mentioning that Reagan cut taxes, but Stahl reiterated her point.

Upset at the reporter, Cantor’s press secretary yelled off camera, “That’s not true, and I don’t want to let that stand.”

No matter if Cantor, his staff or conservatives at-large want to deny that Reagan raised taxes, what Stahl said is completely true.

After his huge tax cut in 1981 slashed all tax rates to 23 percent, sparking a budget crisis, Reagan realized he’d also have to raise taxes in the years that followed. He raised taxes four times between 1982 to 1984, increasing the payroll tax, broadening the base of Social Security payees, applying the income tax to higher earners and rolling back corporate and individual tax breaks.

So the question is how do you reason & compromise, with someone who has absolutely NO grasp on reality?? How can someone who does not even understand he basic facts of his “hero” be relied upon to move our great country FORWARD? There are people that actually vote for him? Is there a difference between Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan? Are there a group of people doing more damage to our country right now than congressional Republicans?

Here is the full interview:

Here is the Ronald Reagan dodge and denial of reality:

Here is more Eric Cantor's blatant hypocrisy!

Sometimes it seems that a 9% approval rating for Congress is way too high! It is quite clear that the Republicans who like to tout themselves as the party of Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln would not welcome either to the current party!

Nearly a year after she quit her governorship of Alaska, Sarah Palin was found guilty today of another breach of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act involving her so-called Alaska Fund Trust (AFT), which she established as a private “legal defense fund” while governor.

Timothy [...]]]> Her bank account looks approximately $386,000 lighter.

Nearly a year after she quit her governorship of Alaska, Sarah Palin was found guilty today of another breach of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act involving her so-called Alaska Fund Trust (AFT), which she established as a private “legal defense fund” while governor.

Timothy Petumenos, independent counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board (and ironically, the same independent counsel who issued the Troopergate findings nearly two years ago while Palin was the GOP vice-presidential nominee), presented the state’s Findings, Consent Decree and Settlement Agreement this afternoon from the perfectly named Adventure Room of the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage.

In what is an extremely detailed finding, Petumenos ruled that even though Palin assigned the research of forming the fund to her former spokesperson Meghan Stapleton and even though Palin relied on extensive outside legal counsel, that “the Trust itself, as ultimately conceived, violates the Ethics Act.”

The finding is a stinging rebuke to Palin, who must now return more than $386,000 in contributions to the AFT.

It also forces her longtime political crony Kirstan Cole to be removed from serving as Trustee of the fund.

Perhaps most significantly, Petumenos demanded that “all donors to the Trust, whether they donated before or after the resignation, as promised in the supporting website information, must be publicly disclosed.

OUCH!

SUCKERS! You just got Punk’d!

She does thank you however for her steak dinners, her hotel and airfare upgrades, her vacations, etc… She appreciates [...]]]> With the recent \"surprise\" announcement that Sarah Palin will not run for president, she is saying to everyone in America who has donated money to her:

SUCKERS! You just got Punk’d!

She does thank you however for her steak dinners, her hotel and airfare upgrades, her vacations, etc… She appreciates Americans sending her money so she can live high on the hog and contribute nothing to the debate or society except spending your money!

Andy Borowitz had the best take on this whole ridiculous non-story!

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin told reporters today that she would not run for President because “I want to go straight to the quitting part.”

“If I launched a campaign, let’s face it, a couple of months from now I’d up and quit,” she said. “This is a real step-saver for all concerned.”

She said that prior to her decision she had seriously considered running, “but only for the free clothes.”

When asked about her future plans, she said, “Although I’m not running for President, I have no intention of spending more time with my family.”

Although, I have to admit that I admire the way she soaked every last cent she could get out of the right wing and the tea partiers, hopefully I will never write, mention, say, or think of Sarah again!

This is the guy who brought us such brilliant songs as this:

Full disclosure though, I am a big [...]]]> That as we speak, throughout the right wing echo chamber, Hank Williams Jr. is being put on a pedestal! He will now have an open invite to join Hannity any time he wants.

This is the guy who brought us such brilliant songs as this:

Full disclosure though, I am a big Hank Williams Jr. Fan, have all of his records, tapes and CD’s and have seen him in concert many times(not as many times as I have seen Ted Nugent though), including a year and half ago. I am not sure how he turned so right wing, since in the 80′s many of his songs were about how hard life is on everyday people under Reaganomics. If it was not for Republican economic policies, he would not have a subject to sing about. Including this song that describes the Bush years perfectly.

Personally I think the song should have been replaced because it was based off a song he wrote in 1984, it was a little stale. He should not have been replaced for his ridiculous comments. I say let the right wing speak so everyone can see who they are! That being said it will be interesting to see just how much the right wing echo chamber jumps to his defense.

The story here though [...]]]> This week the comic strip Doonesbury, is running a story arc based on the the new book on Palin by Joe McGinniss. There are some very serious allegations in this book and Gary Trudeau grabs a few of them and addresses them in his strip.

The story here though is not Doonesbury but the Chicago Tribune who has decided not to run the strip this week.

The “Doonesbury” strips refer to allegations purportedly contained in an as-yet-unreleased book about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The book is not yet available for verification or review by the Chicago Tribune.

To be sure, “Doonesbury” is a satirical cartoon, but the remarks are serious enough that we cannot publish the strip without more information, context and a response from Palin.

Readers have offered the following comments, and we respond to them here:

I looked at Monday’s strip online and didn’t see anything objectionable.
True, the storyline begins slowly, but as the week progresses, the remarks become increasingly serious. Rather than interrupt the narrative, we decided not to run any of the strips.

This is censorship.
This is a judgment call, and we make them every time we have sensitive stories as well as cartoons that do not meet our standards of taste or fairness. And, of course, “Doonesbury” can be found easily online.

I find it extremely troubling when newspapers engaged in censorship. I know they denied censoring the material but when its ok one day and not the next, it is censorship pure and simple. They have decided what is “appropriate” for their (dwindling) readership and that is indisputable. I wonder if every time a politician has been mentioned in a newspaper if they have been given a chance to respond or if the Tribune is just hiding behind that? No wonder people do not read newspapers anymore.

the full feed for the week can be found here.

Here is one of the strips:

Can you feel the excitement?

When I was in ninth grade, my dad often asked me to translate little scraps of paper that he got from his co-workers at the battery recycling plant. [...]]]> No it is not that we do not have a McCain/Palin administration, it is Hilda Solis. Here is her op/ed for Labor Day.

When I was in ninth grade, my dad often asked me to translate little scraps of paper that he got from his co-workers at the battery recycling plant. He was a union steward there, and through those notes – often written in Spanish – his co-workers shared their concerns about unsafe conditions, paychecks that didn’t add up or new ideas to improve efficiency. My dad explained that the notes started conversations to make things better.

From an early age, I saw how having a collective voice at work made a real and significant difference for my father, his co-workers and for my mother who worked at a toy factory.

“Union” is a simple word with a powerful impact – when workers unify, they get a little more leverage to bargain. They can collectively ask for fairer wages and safer working conditions. They have a better chance at entering and staying in the middle class.

Wisconsin has been at the epicenter of the nation’s labor debates this year, and collective bargaining – what my dad called sitting “at the table” – has been a key issue. Similar battles are being fought in other states. According to a recent poll, the American people strongly oppose efforts to strip state workers of their rights to collectively bargain.

More than 100 years ago, Labor Day was established to pay tribute to workers. It’s a day to recognize the contributions working men and women have made to the strength and prosperity of our nation. Today is a day when every one of us should take a moment to thank them and honor their work.

Throughout our nation’s history, unions have played a role in all that. Their efforts have made the workplace better and safer for all workers, whether they are in a union or not. If you enjoy your weekends, you can thank a union. If you work an eight-hour day or get paid overtime when you work more, you can thank a union. If you’re paid a minimum wage, if you take time off to care for a sick family member or new baby, you can thank a union.

Unions are still a crucial and articulate voice in advocating for workers and keeping families in the middle class. Across the country, unions are leading the way with registered apprentice programs – helping to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure – that provide first-rate training, good jobs with good pay and a gateway to a better life.

Unions are also helping veterans make the transition to civilian life, with programs such as Helmets to Hardhats, a nonprofit organization that has connected thousands of veterans with careers, training and jobs in the construction industry.

One of the reasons that the American auto industry has soared back is that management recognized its workforce as an enormous asset with unique wisdom about making cars. For example, when the unionized workers building the Ford Explorer noticed that a bracket installation process could cause paint damage, they took their concerns to the engineers. Management listened and, together with the union, responded with a new protective covering on the paint surface. As a result, Ford Explorer drivers nationwide are saving money in paint repairs.

Having that voice makes a difference in all of our lives . . . and not just about the paint on our cars. The people who teach our children, the nurses who care for us when we are sick, the firefighters who run into burning buildings or the police who patrol the streets while we sleep need and deserve that voice, too. And when they have it, those of us who depend on them benefit from it.

It’s been a long time since I sat with my dad and those scraps of paper, but what I learned from our time together then is still true: A voice at work makes things better.

That idea is worth remembering and celebrating. Not just on Labor Day, but every day.

As Steve Benen notes, the Republicans in Washington are so unserious about our nation’s problems that even Bart Simpson is more serious.  I think that’s clear, given John Boehner’s whining about the timing of President Obama’s jobs speech to Congress,  Eric Cantor’s threats to hold [...]]]> Prediction, and not so tongue in cheek:

As Steve Benen notes, the Republicans in Washington are so unserious about our nation’s problems that even Bart Simpson is more serious.  I think that’s clear, given John Boehner’s whining about the timing of President Obama’s jobs speech to Congress,  Eric Cantor’s threats to hold Hurricane aid for Irene hostage, and Sarah Palin’s pouting about that witch.  I expect they already tell fart jokes in the GOP caucus, and it would surprise nobody if fart jokes comprise most of a GOP jobs plan in response to Obama’s speech, now scheduled to be viewed by nobody as it is up against the Packers season opener next week.  (I’ll be watching the Phillies that night against the Brewers, so I won’t see the speech live, either.)

Fart jokes.  That’s what I’m expecting.  Fart jokes.