The Obama Presidency - 2008 & 2012

[mckerney]

Oh, and it looks like Bachmann's response to people denouncing her allegations is to double down on them.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/...163137126.html

Shrugging off criticism from GOP leaders in Congress, Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann broadened her allegations Thursday of Islamic infiltration in the U.S. government, accusing Democrat Keith Ellison of associations with the Muslim Brotherhood.

"He has a long record of being associated with [the Council on American–Islamic Relations] and with the Muslim Brotherhood," Bachmann told right-wing radio and TV show host Glenn Beck.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

But it would just prove that secretly she's a terrorist!

SI

So if she didn't sue, maybe that would also mean she's really a terrorist...Sounds like a nasty catch-22 Abedin has herself in.

Originally Posted by mckerney

I foresee Abedin suing Bachmann for libel/slander leading Bachmann to complain about the unfair attacks being directed her way.

That and/or she'll pull the Glenn Beck Defense: "I was only asking questions. There's nothing wrong with asking questions."

EDIT: Just saw your next post mckerney...how did I know Beck would pop up somehow?

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

So if she didn't sue, maybe that would also mean she's really a terrorist...Sounds like a nasty catch-22 Abedin has herself in.




That and/or she'll pull the Glenn Beck Defense: "I was only asking questions. There's nothing wrong with asking questions."

From the article I posted above, she's already done this. And on Glen Beck's show.

Beck, in a supportive interview of Bachmann, accused McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential candidate, of “falling right in line with the Muslim Brotherhood bull crap.”

He also compared Ellison, the first Muslim in Congress, to a “Mafia hit man.”

Bachmann used the interview to expand on her campaign to root out Muslim Brotherhood infiltration in the government, which she said “truly is breathless.”

In a wide ranging interview, she called it “my duty” to speak up, and accused the FBI of a “purge” of training materials on radical Islam.

As for Ellison, who has publicly questioned the basis of her allegations, Bachmann said “he wanted to shut it (her call for an investigation) down.”

Bachmann repeated her accusations that Abedin’s family members, including her long-deceased father, associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. But even as she questioned how Abedin could have received a government security clearance, she denied accusing the Clinton aide of being an agent for the Islamic group.

“All we’re doing is asking a question,” she said.

[mckerney]

With Bachmann's district not existing anymore and her now running against a 6 term incumbent hopefully this latest round of bat shit insanity is what kills any chance of reelection she had.

[JediKooter]

Called it!!!

Senator Joe McCarthy would be so, so proud of her and her minions.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Called it!!!

Senator Joe McCarthy would be so, so proud of her and her minions.

No kidding. That was right out of Uncle Joe's playbook

SI

[mckerney]

I wonder if Bachmann thinks this is a good way to give herself one final push for a shot at being Romney's running mate. She might just be crazy enough to believe that.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

No kidding. That was right out of Uncle Joe's playbook

SI

Indeed. What's the old saying? "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Or something like that.

[SirFozzie]

Louie Gohmert: Aurora Shootings Result Of 'Ongoing Attacks On Judeo-Christian Beliefs'

"This shooter happened because of attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs and because no one else was packing..."

I've self edited about five times here, because every thing I came out probably would have ended up with me in the box, but to use this tragedy to attack "Evil Libruls" is.. unconscionable.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I wonder if Bachmann thinks this is a good way to give herself one final push for a shot at being Romney's running mate. She might just be crazy enough to believe that.

She is probably getting paid a boat-load of money to act crazy and pull news cycles away from Romney's taxes and Bain dealings. Not sure if I am more sad that people do this, or that it works.

[Sun Tzu]

What the...

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Louie Gohmert: Aurora Shootings Result Of 'Ongoing Attacks On Judeo-Christian Beliefs'

"This shooter happened because of attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs and because no one else was packing..."

I've self edited about five times here, because every thing I came out probably would have ended up with me in the box, but to use this tragedy to attack "Evil Libruls" is.. unconscionable.

Unconscionable? More like "business as usual." We don't have to wait to long before the politicos start the "this proves we need more gun-control" versus "this shows we need more lax carry laws." Very predictable.

[JediKooter]

Whoa! A Sun Tzu sighting!

[Passacaglia]

Is the Penalty Box overcrowded or something?

[Grover]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Unconscionable? More like "business as usual." We don't have to wait to long before the politicos start the "this proves we need more gun-control" versus "this shows we need more lax carry laws." Very predictable.

Yup.. and regardless what side of the argument anyone is on, to start the argument this soon in the wake of the tragedy lacks complete tact, class and compassion on behalf of the lawmakers and anybody espousing their beliefs.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

followed the US into illegal wars

As opposed to a legal war?

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

As opposed to a legal war?

Yes?

In most cases, without a UN resolution or acting in self-defense, a war can be declared illegal.

Desert Storm is an example of a recent legal war that the U.S. was involved in.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by mckerney

With Bachmann's district not existing anymore and her now running against a 6 term incumbent hopefully this latest round of bat shit insanity is what kills any chance of reelection she had.

She's not running in that district. She's running in a district she doesn't live in that is pretty conservative. Might be a little close but she should still easily win.

[stevew]

It's pretty crazy that living in the district is not a requirement.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by stevew

It's pretty crazy that living in the district is not a requirement.

It's actually relatively common as I've come to find out now that I'm a bit more involved in politics. What's crazy is the amount of shuffling of districts that takes place. Representatives both at the state and federal level regularly get their areas moved around in an attempt to make districts more Republican or Democrat with the excuse being a shift in population. Take a look at any given district map and you'll see some wacky districts that make no geographic sense other than it ensures election of one candidate or that another candidate has an uphill climb for reelection.

As a result, they had to make rules where you can run for a district you don't live in. The upheaval would be too great if that were not allowed.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Is the Penalty Box overcrowded or something?

Hi, everybody!

SI

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

It's actually relatively common as I've come to find out now that I'm a bit more involved in politics. What's crazy is the amount of shuffling of districts that takes place. Representatives both at the state and federal level regularly get their areas moved around in an attempt to make districts more Republican or Democrat with the excuse being a shift in population. Take a look at any given district map and you'll see some wacky districts that make no geographic sense other than it ensures election of one candidate or that another candidate has an uphill climb for reelection.

As a result, they had to make rules where you can run for a district you don't live in. The upheaval would be too great if that were not allowed.

Even with redistricting, you are still a member of a district and can run for office in it. I do think a politician should live in the district they are running in. We had a similar situation years ago when Dan Seals who lived outside the district ran against Mark Kirk. I know the redistricting can cause some funky maps, but as long as you are part of one, you should run in your own.

[Edward64]

Chemical and biological weapons issue. Would not be good if some of this stuff got into the wrong hands. Good practice for a North Korea or Pakistan scenario with their nukes. Hope we really have a plan.

CIA joins the hunt for Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons - Telegraph

With the days and weeks of the Syrian government appearing numbered, the Central Intelligence Agency is scrambling to get a handle on the locations of the country's chemical and biological weapons, while assessing the composition, loyalties, and background of the rebel groups poised to take power in the event President Bashar al-Assad falls.

Obama administration officials tell The Daily Beast that the CIA has sent officers to the region to assess Syria’s weapons program. One major task for the CIA right now is to work with military defectors to find out as much information on Syria’s weapons of mass destruction, according to one U.S. official with access to Syrian intelligence. Another focus will be to sort through reams of intercepted phone calls and emails, satellite images, and other collected intelligence to find the exact locations of the Syrian weapons, this official said.

This task has become more urgent in recent days. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reportedthat the Syrian military was moving its chemical weapons out of storage. On July 17, Nawaf Fares, Syria’s ex-ambassador to Iraq, told the BBCthe regime would not hesitate to use chemical weapons against the rebel fighters. On Wednesday, a bomb killed the Syrian defense minister and the brother-in-law of President al-Assad in Damascus. The blow to the al-Assad cabinet raised the prospect that the Syrian regime may be on its last legs.

[Edward64]

Regardless of pro/con Obama, this is a major step forward for the gay community and an Obama milestone.

U.S. military can wear uniform in San Diego gay pride parade: Defense Department – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

The U.S. Department of Defense is giving the go-ahead to all active-duty military personnel to wear their uniform to march in a gay pride parade in San Diego on Saturday, the first time such approval has been given in the United States.

The Defense Department decision followed news that the Navy had given approval to sailors to wear their uniform in the parade, which drew hundreds of active-duty service members last year shortly before the administration repealed "don't ask, don't tell."

"Based on our current knowledge of the event and existing policies, we hereby are granting approval for service members in uniform to participate in this year's parade," Rene C. Bardorf, deputy assistant secretary of defense for community and public outreach, said in a memorandum released Thursday.

The blanket approval for the various branches of the military applies only to the 2012 San Diego Pride Parade, Bardorf said.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Yes?

In most cases, without a UN resolution or acting in self-defense, a war can be declared illegal.

Desert Storm is an example of a recent legal war that the U.S. was involved in.

The irony, of course, is that had we illegally deposed Saddam Husseing in 1991 instead of sticking to the letter of that "legal" mandate, we would have avoided the 12 years of police action and the Iraq War all together. FWIW, the UN doesn't declare "legal" wars or "illegal" wars, it only declares "full consensus" wars, which are ideal, but not always realistic to achieve, for what should be obvious competative reasons between our industrialized (and legal) nations.

[Edward64]

The Obama and Romney stance on guns. I think Romney wins NRA support by default (not necessarily by merit).

Gun Rights: Obama, Mitt Romney's Views Have Evolved

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney both have softened their positions on gun restrictions over the years. As they expressed shock and sorrow over the bloodshed at a Colorado movie theater, neither suggested that tougher gun control could make a difference, a notion that has faded from political debate.

Romney signed a ban on assault weapons as Massachusetts governor. But as the presumptive Republican nominee, he now bills himself as the candidate who will protect gun owners' rights.

Obama called for reinstating the federal ban on assault weapons during his 2008 presidential campaign. But since his election, he hasn't sought to get that done or pushed other gun control proposals, either.

Neither man is likely to raise gun control as a campaign issue – beyond Romney's insistence that an Obama presidency is bad for gun owners. Both say they'll protect the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Dutch

The irony, of course, is that had we illegally deposed Saddam Husseing in 1991 instead of sticking to the letter of that "legal" mandate, we would have avoided the 12 years of police action and the Iraq War all together. FWIW, the UN doesn't declare "legal" wars or "illegal" wars, it only declares "full consensus" wars, which are ideal, but not always realistic to achieve, for what should be obvious competative reasons between our industrialized (and legal) nations.

See, I thought the whole reason George H.W. Bush didn't go after Hussein after accomplishing the objectives of Iraq War I was that his advisers were saying "if Hussein falls, there's going to be sectarian violence and we'd be stuck here playing traffic cop," along with concerns that Iran would attempt greater influence over a Hussein-less Iraq.

Which...isn't that exactly what's come to pass over the last 10 years?

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

See, I thought the whole reason George H.W. Bush didn't go after Hussein after accomplishing the objectives of Iraq War I was that his advisers were saying "if Hussein falls, there's going to be sectarian violence and we'd be stuck here playing traffic cop," along with concerns that Iran would attempt greater influence over a Hussein-less Iraq.

Which...isn't that exactly what's come to pass over the last 10 years?

Well, first of all, I don't disagree with our decision to end the Gulf War when we did. How were we supposed to know that Saddam Hussein would not accept the terms of surrender and force a second war? I only mention this as hindsight, that we might as well have taken care of it then instead of wasting 12 years on diplomacy and policing that were destined to fail and help bring about the fierce terror group Al Qaeda.

[RainMaker]

Iraq had nothing to do with bringing about Al-Qaeda.

Originally Posted by SackAttack

See, I thought the whole reason George H.W. Bush didn't go after Hussein after accomplishing the objectives of Iraq War I was that his advisers were saying "if Hussein falls, there's going to be sectarian violence and we'd be stuck here playing traffic cop," along with concerns that Iran would attempt greater influence over a Hussein-less Iraq.

Which...isn't that exactly what's come to pass over the last 10 years?

I do wonder how true some of that is. Whether it's real or whether it's some people from that administration sticking their chest off pretending like they knew all. We'll probably never really know.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Regardless of pro/con Obama, this is a major step forward for the gay community and an Obama milestone.

U.S. military can wear uniform in San Diego gay pride parade: Defense Department – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

If JiMGA wasn't in the box I have no doubt he would disagree and would grumble about this being another sign of the long slow decay of our empire and our morality and blah blah blah.

Man I don't miss not having that viewpoint.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Iraq had nothing to do with bringing about Al-Qaeda.

But our troops being in Saudi Arabia did, which were there because of Iraq.

[RainMaker]

That happens regardless of whether we killed Saddam or attempted diplomacy with him. Al-Qaeda didn't come about because George HW Bush didn't take out Saddam which is what Dutch is implying.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by lungs

But our troops being in Saudi Arabia did, which were there because of Iraq.

This is what I am referring to.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

BBC News - Tax havens: Super-rich 'hiding' at least $21tn

A global super-rich elite had at least $21 trillion (£13tn) hidden in secret tax havens by the end of 2010, according to a major study.

The figure is equivalent to the size of the US and Japanese economies combined.

This couldn't have any negative effect on the global economy, could it?

Too bad we don't have anybody around here currently to come up with a solution like eliminating taxes on the super wealthy and making it so the word can stash their funds here. That would surely pick up our economy, right?

[RainMaker]

So who would pay taxes if the rich don't have to pay any? And how would this pick up our economy?

[Marc Vaughan]

The majority of infrastructure development (ie. roads and suchlike) is undertaken by government, these are huge undertakings which generate lots of REAL non-temporary jobs for people ... these in turn would then generate further jobs as companies expand production to fulfil demand from these workers.

Governments presently have cut back HUGELY on employees because they need to try and balance their budgets ... if the trillions which have been stashed had been taxed instead then these jobs would exist and the world economy (esp. in the west) would be in a slightly better place ...

Sadly this lack of investment in infrastructure also impede job creation by making it more expensive to undertake ventures (ie. poor roads mean more upkeep on vehicles, poor internet backbones mean slower traffic etc.).

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

So who would pay taxes if the rich don't have to pay any? And how would this pick up our economy?

Do not question Romneynomics! We'll just eliminate unnecessary expenditures from the government, like the people that check to see that meat isn't diseased!

[Grover]

THE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTI... ROMNEY

1st Law: "Romney, in a state of uniform beliefs, tends to remain in that state of beliefs unless the National RNC is applied to them."

2nd Law: "The relationship between Romney's money m, its accumulation a, and the resulting funds F is F = ma. The vector of F is anywhere away from the US"

3rd Law: "For every Romney quote, there is an equal and opposite quote."

[DaddyTorgo]

Americans for Prosperity may have opened donors to public scrutiny by entering state race - Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Potentially an interesting development that would rip the blindfold off AFP for everyone that still doesn't believe/doesn't realize that they're a front-group for the Koch brothers.

[JPhillips]

Nevada will say they have to disclose and AFP will say, Fuck Off!. It will go to court and five years from now we'll either have an answer from the Supremes or Nevada will drop the case.

[sterlingice]

And considering state bans and disclosure laws (Montana) were also just struck down, it has a snowball's chance in hell of happening. TRANSPARENCY BAD!

SI

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Americans for Prosperity may have opened donors to public scrutiny by entering state race - Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Potentially an interesting development that would rip the blindfold off AFP for everyone that still doesn't believe/doesn't realize that they're a front-group for the Koch brothers.

No way, the flyer I got in the mail said they were a grass roots organization of two million members.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Iraq had nothing to do with bringing about Al-Qaeda.



I do wonder how true some of that is. Whether it's real or whether it's some people from that administration sticking their chest off pretending like they knew all. We'll probably never really know.

Thing is, I remember reading that during the drumbeat that led up to Iraq War II. This isn't Monday morning quarterbacking stuff where shit happened and they said "Oh, I totally saw that coming."

This is stuff that was being said before we had boots on the ground in Iraq in 2002.

[JPhillips]

From the Daily Telegraph:

In remarks that may prompt accusations of racial insensitivity, one suggested that Mr Romney was better placed to understand the depth of ties between the two countries than Mr Obama, whose father was from Africa.

“We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special,” the adviser said of Mr Romney, adding: “The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have”.

Just call him a @igger and get it over with.

[PilotMan]

One more thing that nobody ever thought would happen, changed under the Obama administration, that he might as well take credit for. I mean, if the crash of '08 gets blamed on him, why not?

Obama keeps promise of NCAA Playoff.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

One more thing that nobody ever thought would happen, changed under the Obama administration, that he might as well take credit for. I mean, if the crash of '08 gets blamed on him, why not?

Obama keeps promise of NCAA Playoff.

People blame Obama for the '08 crash? Where the hell have I been???

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Dutch

People blame Obama for the '08 crash? Where the hell have I been???

Agreed. I thought we were blaming him for not pulling us out of it like he promised and spent hundreds of billions to do, but not for the original crash.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Agreed. I thought we were blaming him for not pulling us out of it like he promised and spent hundreds of billions to do, but not for the original crash.

So here is what I don't understand. What the hell were we supposed to do? The spending was going to take place no matter who was in office. Bush had already spend a bunch on the bank bailouts and economists far and wide supported the massive spending that had to take place to arrest the decent.

Was it stupid to project the size of the recession? Hell yes. Was it worse than anyone figure it would be? Hell yes.

How is it that certain people on the right now completely forget the place that the country was in then? Is the argument that merely cutting spending was going to fix everything? Because I am of the mindset that if more cuts were put in place at that time, that we would be mired in the middle of a depression right now, instead of years removed from a recession.

[JediKooter]

****WARNING!! Very annoying music when the page opens. So turn down your speakers or headphones****

My eyes just exploded: http://mindymeyer4senate.com/index.html

I didn't know that you were able to run an election campaign from myspace.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

James O'Keefe's latest video. Haven't seen any public comment from any of the involved parties yet.