Rick Santorum Defending The Gays?

What the fuck ever, dude.  Rick "Frothy Mix" Santorum had the balls to attack Iran on its gay rights record at the Ames GOP candidate debate.  That's right, the man who compared gay nuptials to paper towels and homolove to man-on-dog sex had the nerve to say that Iran oppresses the gays.



Just.  Just shut up.  Shut up for good.

And Igor Volsky at ThinkProgress put together a video highlighting all the anti-gay bibble babble in the debate:


Yawn.

Bachmann Trashes Whoopi, Begs For Money

Ok, I get the whole "political campaigns have to run on donor money" thing but this most recent solicitation for donations from Michele Bachmann screams "greedy and/or desperate."

Whoopi Goldberg recently derided Bachmann's decision to sign the Family Leader's marriage pledge while on The View, and the looneytoons presidential candidate used the opportunity to claim victimization at the hands of "Hollywood liberals," all in order to raise some cash for her campaign.  Alvin from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters posted the text of her letter to potential donors:

"Concerned Fellow Conservative,

"Looks like the Democrats have sounded their alarms in Hollywood.

"The Hollywood elite have been on the attack this week, falsely berating our campaign for President and our supporters.

"On Tuesday, while on The View, Whoopi Goldberg spewed senseless accusations aimed at our campaign. Her comments were not only incorrect, but wrongly attacked my stance on single parents. As the daughter of a single parent, I learned firsthand the difficulties of growing up with one parent. However, it was from my strong and independent mother I learned when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

"In order to show Whoopi, we won’t stand for her attacks, I have set a goal to raise $40,000 in the next 24 hours. Please follow this link right away to chip in $25, $50 or even $100 to help me reach my goal of $40,000 by tomorrow.

"I am proud of my record and I refuse to allow liberals like Whoopi Goldberg to bully our campaign. This is yet another example of how the liberal Democrat establishment has put a target on my campaign for defeat. They'll say and do anything. The comments from Whoopi Goldberg have hit a new low and I must have the resources to defend myself and fight back.

"Liberals across the country believe if they defeat our campaign, the Tea Party movement will be eliminated. I need your support to defend myself and our shared constitutional values right away.

"I won't back down and today, I need to know you stand with me. To accomplish my goal of $40,000 in 24 hours, I'm relying on friends and supporters like you to step up to the plate to help me today. Please follow this secure link to make your donation of $25, $35, $50 or more.

"I'm reaching out to you for help because the liberal media credits me with being an undaunted conservative who routinely leads the opposition to President Obama. That's why the radical supporters of President Obama's agenda are so committed to defeating me.

"The Hollywood liberals believe if they attack my campaign, they have a shot at defeating me and dismantling the Tea Party movement. Your immediate donation will send a strong message to Hollywood, that we are not going anywhere. That's why any amount you can donate to my campaign today - up to the $2,500 legal limit - is appreciated.

"I look forward to your immediate response and I thank you once more for your friendship and support.

"Sincerely,

"Michele Bachmann

"P.S. As the big name liberals continue to come out of the woodwork to attack our campaign, I need your support. I ask that you make a generous donation of any amount you can afford to help me fight back against the millions of dollars liberals are flooding into Obama’s bank account. Can I count on your donation of $25, $50, $100 or even $250 today? Your support - no matter the size - makes a big difference. Please follow this link to make a donation today. Thank you."

Let's play the Michele Bachmann Talking Points Drinking Game.  It's simple!  Take a drink every time she says the following words:

1.  Liberal

2.  Constitution

3.  Any dollar amount

Take two drinks when:

1.  Crazy eyes paints herself as a victim of the liberal elite.

2.  She sounds desperate.  I can't help but think she sounds like a panhandler begging for spare change to buy cheap hooch at the corner store.

The score this time: 36 drinks.  Damn.  This campaign is gonna be hard on my liver.

This Guy Is Pissed About The Family Leader Pledge

Former Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson (did you know he was running for president?  I missed that...) condemned Michele Bachmann's signing of the Family Leader pledge and derided the document as un-Republican and racist.  Of course, one wonders what Republican party he's thinking about when trying to paint the organization as inclusive, but I digress.

However, this is one guy that I might want to hang out with!  He's the first (and I wonder if any more will join him) GOP candidate to speak out against against this piece of hate speech titled "The Marriage Vow – A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family."  His response to it is up on his website, and here's an excerpt of the firm stance he took:

"Government should not be involved in the bedrooms of consenting adults. I have always been a strong advocate of liberty and freedom from unnecessary government intervention into our lives. The freedoms that our forefathers fought for in this country are sacred and must be preserved. The Republican Party cannot be sidetracked into discussing these morally judgmental issues — such a discussion is simply wrongheaded. We need to maintain our position as the party of efficient government management and the watchdogs of the 'public’s pocket book'.

"This ‘pledge’ is nothing short of a promise to discriminate against everyone who makes a personal choice that doesn’t fit into a particular definition of 'virtue'.

"While the Family Leader pledge covers just about every other so-called virtue they can think of, the one that is conspicuously missing is tolerance. In one concise document, they manage to condemn gays, single parents, single individuals, divorcees, Muslims, gays in the military, unmarried couples, women who choose to have abortions, and everyone else who doesn’t fit in a Norman Rockwell painting."

Rock on with your bad self, Gary Johnson!  This laissez-faire attitude towards social issues is one far more indicative of a smart conservative, I find, especially after chatting with a really genius (and drunk) bunch of them during a GOProud mixer last month in Minneapolis.  The conservative that truly cares about his country is one that wants to create jobs, not keep children from getting adopted by caring gay parents.

Another Day, Another Bachmann Quote

So basically, at this point, we know that Bachmann is absolutely the dumbest person to run for President ever, right?

If it was in question, this may finally convince you: Bachmann failed Economics 101 during her presidential kick-off tour in an attempt to appeal to gold fans in Rock Hill, SC this past weekend by asserting that if we had stuck to the gold standard, the dollar would have been the same value today as in 1911.

What?

"The shorthand way of describing to you what quantitative easing is is a license to print money without any value behind it…In the last two years of the Obama administration, if you pull a dollar out of your pocket, you have lost 14 percent of the value of that dollar. That means the federal government has stolen that money from you… They’ve been printing essentially valueless money and flooding it into the money supply. I don’t stand for that. A dollar in 2011 should be the same as a dollar in 1911. A dollar should be worth a dollar."

Marie Diamond effortlessly shreds this assertion on ThinkProgress:

"A dollar in 1911 had the same buying power as slightly more than $23 today. Bachmann doesn’t seem to understand that the dollar’s value naturally changes over time and accompanies economic growth — and that’s a good thing. Furthermore, the U.S. experienced inflation even when it was on the gold standard (which ended in 1971). Additionally, gold’s value isn’t fixed and also fluctuates over time — for instance, price of gold is currently at a record high.

"So being on the gold standard and keeping a constant dollar value are inconsistent proposals. To achieve 0 percent inflation — which is itself an absurd idea, even according to Republican economists — a country would need an independent central bank."

At this point, Bachmann has shown herself to be an idiot on just about every score, from marrying someone who possibly espouses a counseling ethic in direct conflict with the American Psychiatric Association to having zero understanding of American history whatsoever.

If this is the future of the Republican Party, then progressives can pretty much hang up their hats.  It's over.  She'll win it for us just by fucking up royally.

Cain Staffers Quit, Cuz Basically He Sucks

The Herman Cain campaign appears to be heading the way of Newt's own obstacle-ridden run for president, with two key staffers resigning on Friday just days after two others called it quits.

Cain's regional director and New Hampshire state director were joined by the Iowa organizational director and straw poll manager, with Cain's spokesperson attempting to downplay the organizational director's role in Cain's overall presidential bid strategy.

Tina Goff, the staffer in question, cited a lack of Cain's focus on Iowa as the reason for her departure, as CNN reports:

"Goff told CNN that the conservative businessman 'wasn't willing to make the commitment to Iowa necessary to win the [Ames] straw poll.' That contest is seen as an early test of success in Iowa.

"Goff added that she was concerned by the amount of money and time the Cain campaign was committing to that straw poll. However, she declined to discuss specifics.

"'I didn't want it to go this way,' Goff said. 'I'm very sad about it.'"

Break out the lifeboats, kids, cuz this ship's a-sinkin'!  Cain's spokesperson, Communications Director Ellen Carmichael, insisted that Goff was merely junior level and that her assertions about Cain's activities in her state were entirely untrue.  According to her count, the presidential candidate will Iowa 22 times in upcoming weeks and that was more than enough. 

Maybe Herman should stick to making pizza.  Many of the conservatives I've spoken to don't seem to take him any more seriously than I do; at the GOProud mixer I attended in Minneapolis one busty (and tipsy) self-identified Libertarian declared, "We just have him so we can say we have a black person."  Ouch.

Herman Cain Thinks Minimum Wage Requirements Are Unnecessary

In a statement that is sure to delight big business, presidential campaign and political noob Herman Cain stated to ThinkProgress' Lee Fang that the current laws preserving the minimum wage were unnecessary.

"FANG: Do you think the current minimum wage is too high or even necessary?

"CAIN: I don’t think the current minimum wage is necessary because most companies are paying higher than the minimum wage. Now you can’t say everybody’s paying higher than the minimum wage but a lot of companies [inaudible]"

This seems to be a sticking point for the GOP/Tea Party line, with Michele Bachmann voicing support for doing away with minimum requirements and Rick Perry blabbing about how great his solutions have been for the Texan economy (they have a low unemployment rate, but the vast majority of those jobs pay peanuts).

It begs the question: would eliminating the minimum wage requirements result in more jobs for Americans? Perhaps, but several obstacles to prosperity remain if we go that route: these low-paying jobs often require employees to work odd hours, making finding a better job very difficult.  It's also somewhat difficult to get new employers to give you a significant increase in pay, with one Facebook friend noting, "I've discovered that some places actually have a policy that won't let HR managers offer more than a 10% increase of a prospective employee's current wage."

Bachmann Fans Follow Her Lead, Attempt To Rewrite History

In a bizarre interview on GMA in which she asserted that abolishing minimum wage requirements would benefit the economy, OAQ favorite Michele Bachmann tried to back up her statements that the Founding Fathers were tireless advocates against slavery.

"'Now with respect, Congresswoman, that’s just not true,' Stephanopoulos said. 'Many of them including Jefferson and Washington were actually slave holders and slavery didn’t end until the Civil War.'

"Bachmann dodged the question, answering, 'Well, you know what’s marvelous is that in this country and under our Constitution, we have the ability when we recognize that something is wrong to change it. And that’s what we did in our country. We changed it. We no longer have slavery. That’s a good thing. And what our Constitution has done for our nation, is to give us the basis of freedom unparalleled in the rest of the world.'"

Even more amusingly, she then painted John Quincy Adams, the sixth President, as one of the Founding Fathers.  Never mind, of course, that he was a small child during the Revolutionary War.  That didn't stop Bachmann supporters from going on Wikipedia and literally attempting to rewrite history on the open-source encyclopedia, adding "a founding father" to John Quincy Adams' page:

Luckily the wiki moderators caught the rewrite, and the page has been restored.  

Huntsman On Romney And Health Care

New GOP candidate John Huntsman, the former governor of Utah, is now blasting Mitt Romney's credibility on healthcare.  Which is funny, because "Romneycare," enacted during Mittens' stint as governor in Massachusetts, has reduced the uninsured rate in MA to 1.9%, compared to the whopping 14% in Huntsman's home state of Utah.

"The question was, when someone who passed and signed that particular law is talking about free market health care, do they have credibility? Otherwise, governors can do whatever they want to do, whatever the aspirations of the people in their state dictate, they can move in that direction. I think the answer was, he would have little credibility talking about market-based health care plans having signed onto that."

I was hoping Huntsman's stance on civil unions would mean that he would be willing to run as a moderate, but now those hopes have kind of been dashed.  The poor guy is clearly just yet another wingnut.

Former UT Governor Runs As Moderate GOP Candidate

Holy jeezie creezie!  Can it be a GOP-for-Prez candidate that's not completely crazy?

John Huntsman, former Utah governor and Obama-appointed Ambassador to China, has tossed his name into the overcrowded ring for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.  What's unique about him?  He's a straight Republican that advocates for civil unions for gay couples.

He appears to be succeeding with his courting of the gay vote, with one LGBT GOP group, the Log Cabin Republicans, seeming to throw their support behind the newcomer to the Presidential race.

"...on the eve of the Republican's official kickoff, a consultant for the campaign is fundraising off his support for civil unions.

"The email from Charles T. Moran, a vice chair with the California Log Cabin Republicans and a political consultant, highlights Huntsman and his wife Mary Kaye's support for the LGBT community, adding as Utah's governor he's 'talked the talk and walked the walk,' and is 'unique in his desire to have a fully inclusive campaign.'

"Team Huntsman confirmed Moran, who couldn't be reached, is working for the campaign. His campaign noted that his stand on gay rights is essentially what George W. Bush's was."

Video of his speech:

This is very very interesting to me.  We might have found a Republican that has a chance of actually gaining the moderate vote, something previous candidates have thus far failed due to their being completely and utterly batshit crazy (yes, Santorum, I'm talking to you).  Do you think Huntsman has the bipartisan cred to challenge Obama should he win the nomination?

Bachmann Uses Taxpayer Money To Fund Tea Party Event

Michele Bachmann, the darling of the Tea Party and proponent of cutting wasteful spending in Federal government, misappropriated House funds in order to pay for a Tea Party rally calling for the halt to government takeovers of health care.

The money, which rules specifically stipulate cannot be used in order to pay for political activities, was paid to the sound and stage company that worked the event.  Bachmann's office insists the funds were spent appropriately, giving the justification that the rally was a "press conference."

Consisting of a crowd of Tea Partiers gathered at the Capitol waving anti-government signs and chanting "Kill the bill," the event did not involve an address directly to media, nor did Bachmann take questions from reporters.  IE: She lied in order to get taxpayer money to pay for her wingnut convention.  Way to cut back on waste, Shelly!

Jared Polis: Ease Up On Obama. Ian Awesome: Fuck Off.

Perhaps the most prevalent sentiment that I found at Netroots was a huge dissatisfaction with the Obama administration, which in light of LGBT struggles and the virtual destruction of collective bargaining in some states isn't that surprising.  Issues addressed that I classify as even more urgent is the failure of Obama to stop deportations of immigrants and the thousands of HIV/AIDS patients lacking medical care due to budget cuts.

Openly gay Congressman Jared Polis, however, wants the LGBT community to simmer down a bit, telling the Huffington Post:

"We were ultimately successful [at ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell], and the president's steadfast support of ending the policy the whole way through was very helpful in that regard.  I think he also deserves strong accolades for his decision not to appeal the DOMA case. That's really a landmark decision, it's been very rare in the annals of history."

Essentially parroting Dan Pfeiffer's assertion that Obama is the best thing to happen to the LGBT community since dental dams, Rep. Polis would love it if the blogosphere would quit their criticism of the President.  I'm sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that he's a Democrat.

And why should we ease up?  Congress repealing DADT when it was clear that the President wasn't going to do something as simple as issuing an executive order?  Declining to defend a disgusting piece of legislation?  While I appreciate these efforts and will continue to be grateful that we have a leader who is making an effort to help the gay community, too many of Obama's promises on time-sensitive issues have fallen short, and it is the express purpose of blogs like mine to hold leadership accountable.  

Rick Perry: Yet Another GOP Schmuck For Prez

Rick Perry, governor of the great state of Texas, has been hinting at a presidential bid for the 2012 race, adding yet another whackadoodle bonehead to the Repub mix.  Perry, of course, being the guy who was going to save Texas from wildfires via prayer and waged a successful war against your right to vote. 

He's been talking up his success in job creation in the state of Texas in order to build momentum for a possible announcement of his candidac, and ThinkProgress wants you to know that it just isn't necessarily true. 

"'In Texas, you don’t have to use your imagination, saying, "What’ll happen if we apply this or that conservative principle?"' Perry said earlier this week. 'You just need to look around, because they’ve been in play across our state for years, generating real results like unmatched job creation, more exports than any other state and a balanced budget.'"

The problem being, of course, that his assertion of unmatched job creation is blatantly untrue.  While Texas has a lower unemployment rate than the national average, New York is even lower (and that's just one instance of his statement's inaccuracy).  And the problem with all those jobs?  They're poverty level minimum wage positions, with Texas actually leading the country in low-paid employment.

Oh, and that vaunted balanced budget he's touting?  I might buy that-- but the key to that being that Perry accepted billions of stimulus money from the federal government on the sly after insisting that Texas was above the recession and didn't need help.

In essence: please run for President, Governor Rick Perry.  I can't think of anything better for my blog and the progressive movement as a whole than to have such a weak, lame candidate seeking the nomination.

Oh God Help Us, I Think She's Serious

Really?  Wha... really?

Newt Relaunches Campaign

Newt Gingrich relaunched his troubled campaign on Sunday, telling a group of Jewish Republicans in California that he knows "full well the rigors of campaigning for public office," restarting a bid for the presidency marked with a guerilla-style glitter bomb and a mass exodus of campaign staffers now referred to as the "Newtiny."

He promised a reversal of changes wrought by President Obama, criticizing the President's recent stance towards Israel advocating for a return to pre-1967 borders.

"I will endure the challenges. I will carry the message of American renewal to every part of this great land, no matter what it takes," he said. "And with the help of every American who wants to change Washington, we will prevail."

Gingrich will have an opportunity to spread his message today during a nationally televised debate of seven Repub hopefuls.

[TheRawStory]

GOProud Loves Herman Cain

Herman Cain, former chairman and CEO of Godfather Pizza, has been making the rounds lately building a bid for the GOP nomination for president.  Naturally, his number one talking point seems to be how much he dislikes the gays.  Guess who wants to elect him? 

Everyone's favorite self-loathers, Chris Barron and the homocons of GOProud!

So do you think Chris agrees with this statement?

"I believe homosexuality is a sin because I'm a Bible-believing Christian. But I know that some people make that choice. That's their choice...I believe this is a choice."

Way to once again prove yourself to be anything BUT proud, Chris.  Or are you joining Bret Easton Ellis in the Pride-hate parade?

Santorum Supports Federal Marriage Ban

Rick "Frothy Mix" Santorum brought his crazy to John King and has now stated his support for a federal amendment banning marriage equality.


"I support a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. I believe that marriage should be a consistent thing across the country. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman...Once people realize the consequence to society of changing this definition — it’s not that we’re against anybody. People can live the life they want to live. They can do whatever they want to do in the privacy of their home with respect to that activity. But now you’re talking about changing the laws of the country. and it's gonna have a profound impact on society, on faith, on education. And once people realize that, they say, you know what, we respect people’s right to live the life they want to lead but don’t try to fundamentally change how society functions by changing that definition."

Rick recently also got on the teevees to whine about his... um... name problem.  



Which, dear reader, do you think is more vile... destroying gay families, or being called poopy lube?

Gingrich Campaign Suffers Mass Resignations

Seems things aren't going quite to plan in Newt's house as many of the top staffers of his campaign resigned in a meeting on Thursday, citing disagreements on the direction his campaign is taking.

The mass exodus is a staggering blow to Gingrich's resources, as the outgoing staffers include Rick Tyler, his longtime spokesman, Rob Johnson, his campaign manager, and a host of other key personnel vital to the campaign effort. 

Tyler and company disagreed with Newt's decision to forgo traditional grassroots organizing in favor of campaigning via social networking and televised debates, top sources say.

"Tyler as well as Rob Johnson, Gingrich’s campaign manager, Dave Carney and Katon Dawson, senior strategists to the effort, media consultant Sam Dawson, Iowa strategist Craig Schoenfeld, South Carolina operative Walter Whetsell and Georgia-based adviser Scott Rials have all stepped aside. Much of Gingrich’s early state operation was also headed for the exits, according to a one senior campaign source.

"In the immediate aftermath of the departures, which several sources said came at a meeting Thursday in Gingrich’s Washington office, Gingrich released a statement via Facebook pledging to continue in the race.

"'I am committed to running the substantive, solutions-oriented campaign I set out to run earlier this spring,' Gingrich wrote. 'The campaign begins anew Sunday in Los Angeles.'"

Oh, goody.

[WashingtonPost]

Mitt Romney's Official Position On The Gays: I Support Them Except For When I Don't

Mitt Romney is appearing on Piers Morgan tonight and voices his support for non-discrimination in the workplace while stopping short of approving gay marriage.  He also stressed the importance of keeping his religion (Mormonism) separate from his politics.



I would like to hear what his excuse for non-support of marriage is if it has nothing to do with religion.

Mike Huckabee: Totally Still Into The Whole Veep Thing

Mike Huckabee dropped out of the presidential race, but much like me around prom time, he really wants you to know he's available for whatever.  You know.  In case you were looking for... oh... a vice presidential nominee.  He's open!

"'You know, everything is still open. I mean, I haven’t closed doors. I found long ago that that’s not the smart thing to do,' he told reporters following a speech at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark.

"GOP presidential candidates are likely to seek Huckabee's support. He finished first in the 2008 Iowa caucuses and came in second to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the Republican Party's nomination, but he decided to sit out the 2012 campaign."

Well, at least as VP he's less likely to convert you at gunpoint.  Right?

Mitt Romney Launches Presidential Campaign, Attacks Barack Obama

Having secured the teenage fangbanger vote, Romney felt confident enough today to launch his presidential campaign with a speech denouncing sitting President Barack Obama.

"A few years ago, Americans did something that was, actually, very much the sort of thing Americans like to do: We gave someone new a chance to lead, someone we hadn't known for very long, who didn't have much of a record but promised to lead us to a better place...At the time, we didn't know what sort of a president he would make...Now, in the third year of his four-year term, we have more than promises and slogans to go by. Barack Obama has failed America."


*yawn*



There's something inevitably weak about a campaign if its only selling point is "I'm not that guy!"