Musings week of August 5 2012

Musings Week of August 5

Republicans are all over Harry Reid for questioning whether Romney may not have paid taxes for ten years, and they expect the Obama campaign to repudiate Reid’s assertion.  Yet when Bachmann  accuses the administration of harboring Muslim Brotherhood members in its ranks, naming one person in particular, Romney says that it is not his responsibility what other people say.  

Ann Coulter says Obama wants to keep the focus on Romney’s past instead of the present economy, but the Republicans want to keep bringing up Obama’s drug use as a teenager, his college records, his associations with Ayers, Wright, and Alinsky.  Even now, when Obama’s past includes 3-1/2 years as president.

Romney says that Bachmann’s accusations about Muslims are not part of his campaign.  He had better be careful.  She is going to take on Mormons next.

Russia is sending warships to Syria?  For whose side?  I thought they support the Syrian government.  Now USA is supporting the rebels.  Now what?

Ohio Republicans passed a law eliminating the last three days of early voting—for everyone except the active military.  So DNC, Ohio Democratic Party, and Obama campaign are suing, asking the court to reinstate those days for everyone in order to have a level playing field, citing equal protection laws as justification.  So FOX news portrays this as the Democrats trying to stop the military from voting.  And Romney picks up on this as well.   The new law also does not allow military families or veterans to vote those last three days.  Question:  What does Romney and the far right have against veterans?

[Later]  Just learned that Ohio has passed laws reducing early voting to weekdays, hours of 8 to 5, in Democratic districts, but expandingearly voting to weekends and night hours in Republican districts.   Okay, I’m speechless, my jaw just hit the floor.

 I have commented several times on Romney’s rigidity and on his robotic walk, short stiff strides.  Here is an essay about Romney’s body language.  The video clip is revealing, I had noticed this when I saw it on the news.   The robot is programmed to move just its head when speaking. 

http://www.alternet.org/print/tea-party-and-right/what-mitt-romneys-body-language-trying-tell-us

The Romney’s paid cash for their $12 million house in California, but then filed for reduction of property taxes on the grounds that the house had lost value—they saved $109,000 in property taxes over four years. 

Right wing pundits having a lot of fun with DNC speakers Elizabeth Warren and Jimmy Carter.  But apparently wholeheartedly pleased with RNC speakers Gov Rick Scott, Martinez, Kasich, Haley, Walker, two other governors.  Also Condeleeza Rice, Santorum.  Trump claims he has a role, and Gingrich claims he will be conducting seminars.

Sen Harkin, concerning  Rep Mike Kelly (R-PA) saying that  August 1^st, the day women’s benefits of ACA took effect,  is a “day of infamy,” like Dec 7 and 9/11, says he cannot explain it other than to say “that because of their adherence to this rigid ideology has made their hearts rigid, has made their hearts hard.  That’s not befitting a just society like America.”

30.5% of gun deaths are children, as shown by 2009 figures.  Of 9,146 deaths, 2,791 were children.  An additional 13,000 children were injured.  Every year, a 9/11 just for children.

As real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley once said, “Only the little people pay taxes.”  [not quoted by Romney, as far as I know.]

Although Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups had been monitoring Wade Paul for a decade, the FBI had not.  They were too busy monitoring peace groups, occupiers, students, PETA, mosques, environmentalists, and the Brady Bunch.

Did you see where ReiNCe PRieBuS RNC PR BS) called Sen Harry Reid a ‘dirty liar?’ When I was a child and called a brother a liar my daddy washed my mouth out with soap.  But of course, RNC PR BS feels perfectly secure—the precedent was set when Rep Joe Wilson yelled “You lie,” to the President.

If Sen Reid is lying, it is not about whether Romney paid zero taxes some years, but only if he is lying that a Bain invester told him this.  If his source is lying, so be it, it does not make Reid a liar.

How do we now this whole thing isn’t a diversion created by Romney himself?  He puts up a Bain invester to call Reid and tell him this lie, and after a few weeks he will release his records, and prove Reid wrong, thereby embarrassing him and his fellow Democrats.

Republicans spent the last three years doing everything possible to keep President Obama from helping the country, and will spend the next three months telling you he hasn’t done anything to help the country.

When nothing goes right, go left.

So quick, quick, whose your pick for Romney’s VP?  Or who’s his pick?  Cenk Uygur and Michael Schuer did a ‘fantasy football’ pick for likely candidates, and their teams came out as follows:

                                    Cenk                                                     Michael

                                Paul Ryan                                            Rob Portman

                                Tim Pawlenty                                     Chris Christie

                                Marco Rubio                                      John Thune

                                Bobby Jindal                                       Kelly Ayotte

                                Condoleeza Rice                               Susannah Martinez

                                Nikki Haley                                                                                                                                                                                        

Dark Horses:      Jim DeMint                                         Terry Branstad

I wonder why Michael’s list is one short.  And why no one picked McDonnell.  Michael may be including a previous dark horse, John Cornyn. 

My dark horse:  Gen Petraus.

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