Beach Peanuts

Sen. Jim Webb Explains The Concept Of Sacrifice To Mitt Romney

Yet another reason why Mitt Romney has no business running for President.

Mitt Romney sought four draft deferments to avoid military service in the Vietnam War and instead went to France to "serve as a minister of religion." Of not serving in Vietnam, Romney said this:

“I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there, and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam.”

But then he also said this:

“It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam, but nor did I take any actions to remove myself from the pool of young men who were eligible for the draft,” Romney told the newspaper.

Romney has five sons, and yet none of them has served in any of Bush's ongoing wars either. When Romney was asked about this in 2007, he had this now infamous response:

“It’s remarkable how we can show our support for our nation, and one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected, because they think I’d be a great president.

Not that Mitt Romney doesn't "support" wars, beyond "longing to feel as if he were a part of them" while not serving, he does. In addition to being quite the chicken-hawk, he's made sure to appeal to the warmongers in his party and filled his campaign with the same Iraq war brain surgeon advisers who served under Bush, and who are now drooling at the prospect of another war ASAP if Mitt's elected.

Along with all that, Romney has shown himself to be a contender in a contest with Dick Cheney and George W. Bush for showing the least amount of respect for those who do serve in the endless wars they eagerly engage in. Not only would he gladly send your sons and daughters to fight those wars for him, but this is a man who didn't bother to address the military or veterans at all during the RNC but managed to fit in an actor who lambasted an empty chair for things an invisible President Obama never said, including four letter words.

This is a man who said he wanted to send troops back to Iraq, and stay in Afghanistan, and yet when it comes to paying for those wars, "you people" aren't entitled to an explanation on where that money will come from until after Romney's in the Oval office. Never before has there been a candidate whose entire four (or eight) year plan is "just trust me." Luckily anyone with common sense doesn't have to wait that long. We can figure it out: It's called math. Or as President Bill Clinton explained during the DNC earlier this month:

You see they want to go back to the same old policies that got us into trouble in the first place: to cut taxes for high income Americans even more than President Bush did; to get rid of those pesky financial regulations designed to prevent another crash and prohibit future bailouts; to increase defense spending two trillion dollars more than the Pentagon has requested without saying what they'll spend the money on; to make enormous cuts in the rest of the budget, especially programs that help the middle class and poor kids.  

When Romney said the troops didn't warrant a mention in his convention speech because they weren't important enough to make his "laundry list," he meant it. You see, in Romney's view, veterans fall into that category of the 47 percent of Americans who are dependant on government because they're "unwilling to take responsibility" for themselves. You know, like the elderly, who expect the Medicare benefits they paid into their entire working lives to still be there when they need them upon retirement. Never mind that those troops were the ones actually fighting in those Republican manufactured wars while it was not Mitt's "desire to go off and serve," or that of his five sons, not one thought it was more patriotic to fight for hs country than it was to make sure Dad got elected. 

Never let it be said that Mitt Romney would miss a chance to project his own "life experiences" onto someone else in the sickest possible way. He's made a living off of "entitlements" at the expense of others. He's never had to "take responsibility" for his own life merely because he's Mitt Romney, and he doesn't have to. To anyone who might delude themselves that this would all change should he become President, think again.

To prepare for the upcoming debates, instead of focusing on the issues that really matter to voters in this country, say how we're going to pay for things like those tax cuts even larger than Bush's, and yes, those wars, just for starters, Romney has been spending his time practicing on "zingers" since August.

Zingers.

Mitt Romney defended not bothering to mention the troops in his RNC speech, much less thanking them for their service or even acknowledging it because he spoke to some members of the American Legion the day before, so it didn't matter.

Well, in the video below, Sen. Jim Webb explained to Romney exactly why it does matter, and the fact that he requires an explanation in the first place is just one of several reasons why Mitt Romney should never be President. 

(Read the transcript of Sen. Webb's speech here.)

 

Romney Plans To "Fact Check" Obama During The Debate, Just As Soon As He Figures Out What Those Facts Are

Crocodile Tears

Mitt Romney says he plans to "fact check" President Obama during the upcoming Presidential debate this week.

Yes, you read that correctly: Mitt -“I’m not familiar precisely with what I said, but I’ll stand by what I said, whatever it was" - Romney is going to "fact-check" President Obama.

Now, you might think this would mean he's accusing the President of misrepresenting his own record, but no, it's always about Mitt, you see. Romney has been crowing that same narrative for months, but now that it's put up or shut up time, it sounds like he's going to fact check what the President has said about Romney. I think Mitt's either confused himself, or he's changing the subject.

Even Sen. Rob Portman, who is standing beside Romney in the video below, looks pretty confused by what Mitt's saying. He probably is, given that he's the one playing President Obama in Romney's debate prep. You know what they say when people lie as much as Romney does: After a while they can't keep their own lies straight. We've already seen this happen to Romney over and over again during a long campaign, not to mention his previous campaigns for President in 2008, his campaign for Governor and in his campaign against Sen. Ted Kennedy. We've been reminded of them in countless videos in the last several months. If Romney's having this much trouble recalling what his positions have been at any given time over the years, imagine how confused Portman must be having to memorize just a few?

In the Obama campaign's video below, Romney is seen flip-flopping on several of his own flip-flops alone. Either Romney thinks voters are really stupid, or he's so out of touch that he's completely unaware that such a thing as videos exist. Either way, this is going to get interesting.

So, fact-check away there, Etch A Sketch!

We'll just be over here making the popcorn.

 

Mitt Romney's Even Losing The "Swing-Door Vote" In Seattle

(Photo: Martha Jackovics)

I'm back from my pre-election vacation in the Northwest, and now I am indeed as fired up and ready to go as ever.

While my "editor" held down the fort as promised, sadly I wasn't able to write any blog posts. Despite my best intentions, long and boring story short, several things interfered with those writing plans. Had I been able to do so, I wouldn't have known quite where to begin, what with Mitt Romney "stepping in it" on a daily basis, and in some cases, several times daily. Wow.

Despite being really busy, and when the Wi-Fi cooperated, I checked the headlines every so often and couldn't quite believe how Romney seemed to find a way to lie, say the wrong thing, lie, embarrass himself at every turn, and lie, not to mention Paul Ryan and Ann Romney following suit. I do believe Romney may have set the record for worst candidate ever, and most meltdowns in a single week. In retrospect (or should I say "retroactively,") he makes the McCain-Palin campaign look downright professional. Well, almost. Can't wait until the first debate next week.

As you can see from these photos, "poor Mitt" is even losing the "Swing Vote" in Seattle. As in a swinging door vote at the 5 Spot restaurant in Queen Anne, where one casts their vote by opening the door named and positioned for their candidate of choice. Even when the majority of right-handed people naturally choose the door on the right going in, Mitt loses. And yes, even when the occasional scarce GOP patron "scews the vote" by opening the right door several times, Mitt loses.

The voting instructions:

(Photo: Martha Jackovics)

Poor Mitt. When he inevitably loses, and is sent packing back to Massachusetts, or New Hampshire, or California, or wherever it is he claims to call home on any given day, the folks in Seattle can literally say:

"Don't let the door hit ya!'"

2012 Presidential Debate Schedule

(Photo: Martha Jackovics)

October 3, 2012

Topic: Domestic policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: University of Denver in Denver, Colorado (Tickets)
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Participants: President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney
Moderator: Jim Lehrer (Host of NewsHour on PBS)
The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate.

The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.

 

October 11, 2012
Vice Presidential

Topic: Foreign and domestic policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Centre College in Danville, Kentucky (Tickets)
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Participants: Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan
Moderator: Martha Raddatz (ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent)
The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.

 

October 16, 2012

Topic: Town meeting format including foreign and domestic policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York (Tickets)
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Participants: President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney
Moderator: Candy Crowley (CNN Chief Political Correspondent)
The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.

 

October 22, 2012

Topic: Foreign policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida (Tickets)
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Participants: President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney
Moderator: Bob Schieffer (Host of Face the Nation on CBS)
The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy.

Samuel L. Jackson Has "Had It With These M F-ing Snakes In This M F-ing Republican Party!"

No matter what's happened during this election cycle so far, between Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, or Tea Party members, even by Republican strategist's and pundit's standards, I think there's one thing we can all pretty much agree on:

Mitt Romney is just an awful and pathetic excuse for a Presidential candidate. Worse than George W. Bush. Worse than John McCain. And maybe even worse than Sarah Palin? Maybe not.

Finally, bipartisanship!

Friends of my husband's and mine who live in Europe once told us that after Dubya stole won his first election, many over there just assumed it was a fluke. But when it happened a second time, they just decided a majority of Americans were just plain stupid.

I shudder to imagine what they must think now when they see Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

Regardless of just how horrible Romney and Ryan are, (not to mention those running down ticket) Democrats still cannot afford to be complacent or choose to just stay home and take an Obama win as a given. As we know all too well in Florida, as do other swing states, voter suppression is alive and well, and we can only imagine what else Republicans in cahoots with the likes of Karl Rove and the Koch brothers have up their sleeves.

Like never before, every single vote is important, and we need to make sure to get that message out there. So who better to explain that while grabbing people's attention than Samuel L. Jackson?

No, there are no snakes on a plane, but there are plenty of them in the Republican Party, and with Romney taking the party's lead as Viper in Chief, voters have their work cut out for them. While the GOP work to suppress the votes of people of color, a certain gender, sexual orientation, and blocking the votes of the elderly, students, and anyone who isn't rich, white, Democrat, Liberal, or a *gasp* moderate Republican or Conservative, reptiles like Rick Scott will stop at nothing in an attempt to steal this election.

In other words, we're going to need a lot of antivenom.

(Video is not safe for work.)

 

  

 

Break Time

Editor In Chief

(Photo: Martha Jackovics)

I'm taking some time off for the next week and a half and will be traveling during that time. I may check in to blog a little here and there if I have the time, and I'll pop in on Twitter daily to keep up on what's going on, but mostly taking a break before the busy run up to the election. When I return I'll get back on my usual schedule until the elections in November.

Until then, I'll leave my trusty editor here to watch over the blog until I get back.

Have a good, progressive week, and keep those Republicans and Conservatives in line until I get back!

- MJ

The GOP's War On Voting In Florida, And Other States Escalates

Rachel Maddow takes on the subject of the Republican "War on Voting."

Included here, a discussion of Rick Scott's attempts to purge voters, change voting laws, cut early voting hours, and several court battles he's lost.

The latest attempt: The new extremely long ballots that Floridians will have to deal with come November that threatens to cause even more problems for voters.

For someone who claims he wants to make sure everyone can vote, Scott's sure throwing up barrier after barrier to make it harder for voters to exercise that right.

Restaurant Owner Who "Lifted" Obama Now Dropped By Republicans

President Obama, Seen Here Showing "Disrespect" To A Small Business Owner

Over this past weekend, President Obama was in Florida on a two day bus tour. One of the places he stopped was at the Big Apple Pizza & Pasta Italian Restaurant in Fort Pierce, because the owner set state records for blood donations. He was greeted enthusiastically by that owner, Republican Scott Van Duzer.

Van Duzer was so smitten by the president that he embraced him in a bear hug, leaned backward and lifted the 6-foot-2 president a foot off the ground. Photos of the moment show Obama with his arms spread wide and palms turned upward, as if to say he’s at the mercy of the pizzaman.

Van Duzer has a broad smile on his face, and a woman in the background has a look of sheer surprise. Reporters lined up on the other side also had a clear view of the lift.

Afterward, a reporter at the scene reported that Van Duzer, 46, from Port St. Lucie, stands 6-foot-3 and weights 260 pounds, and he can bench-press 350.

“Everybody look at these guns,” Obama said, pointing to Van Duzer’s chest. “If I eat your pizza, will I look like that?”

“Look at that!” Obama exclaimed after Van Duzer put him down. “Man, are you a powerlifter or what?”

Obama told reporters that he stopped at the restaurant because the owner has set state records for donating blood.

“Here’s an example of somebody who is doing well, but he’s also giving back. So we just want to say how proud we are of him,” Obama said. “I still wonder how he got these biceps, but what we know is that the guy’s just got a big heart along with big pecs. So we’re very proud of him, and we just want to say thank you for all the great work.”

Even though Van Duzer is a registered Republican, he voted for President Obama in 2008 and says he will vote for him again in 2012.

As it happens a lot these days, sadly when news of this spread to some Republican Party faithfuls, they quickly turned on Van Duzer.

They're attacking his Yelp profile and voting down his business in order to convince people that it's not a reputable business, and ultimately hurt the small business owner financially.

All because he hugged the President of the United States.

Here's an example of what they're doing to him on Yelp, a site that's supposed to rate how well the man operates his business:

Well.. I'd eat there but after seeing the owner grab our leftist President I felt compelled to disrespect his establishment as much as the President disrespects our constitution. Shame on you Scott Van Duzer for thumbing your nose at all the small business owners this President has disrespected for the last four years. I guess you DIDN'T BUILD IT!

I hope you're prepared for many more Yelps like this!!! Maybe you weren't thinking, or maybe you are the only liberal pro Obama business owner, who knows.. but you won't get mine or anyone else's business for your treachery.

Let me recap.  Democrats boycott your business because you used the proceeds from your business to take away their civil rights, such as the Mormons did in financing Prop 8 or Chick-fil-A did in financing officially-designated hate groups.  Republicans boycott your business because you got excited to meet the President of the United States.

The man set records for blood donations, which many benefited from, maybe even a few...gasp...Republicans, and he's a small business owner, which we're told every day by the Republicans must be put on a pedestal because they create jobs.

The only problem here is, oops, this small business owner happens to have voted for President Obama, and had the gall to hug, then lift the President up in front of God, the media and everyone. Who cares if he's a Republican? He is now banished from the cult.

Every week or so, we hear Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan declare that President Obama (the fictional one only they can see) is running the most "divisive, negative campaign we have seen in our lifetime."

Yet the President drops in to praise a Republican business owner for doing a public service for the greater good, and now the man is demonized for hugging the President and showing his admiration and respect, not to mention voting for him.

It's no wonder the Republicans are doing so badly and fast becoming the unpopular dinosaur party.

What would you expect when you're the Party that wants to govern a country where you hate almost everyone in it?

Can't get much more divisive than that.

Rep. John Lewis On Voter Suppression: "I've Seen This Before"

If you missed seeing this speech by civil rights leader, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) Thursday night at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, please take a moment to watch. He speaks so eloquently of the subject he knows all too well: Voter suppression. His words have even greater resonance now as we face the active role Republicans are taking in order to change the rules for voters in several states, just as Governor Rick Scott has been trying to do in Florida. Even as courts have blocked many of those restrictions, he has continued to try and find a way to block the vote; while at the same time claiming he wants to make sure everyone can vote. If that were true, there would be no need for changes in the law.

Scott and his fellow Republicans do "want to go back" by changing the rules. That's clear. It's up to us to stop them, and the best way to fight back is with our vote. (Full text of the speech below.)

 

The following is a copy of a speech, as prepared for delivery, by The Honorable John Lewis, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Georgia at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, September 6, 2012.

I first came to this city in 1961, the year Barack Obama was born. I was one of the 13 original "Freedom Riders." We were on a bus ride from Washington to New Orleans trying to test a recent Supreme Court ruling that banned racial discrimination on buses crossing state lines and in the stations that served them. Here in Charlotte, a young African-American rider got off the bus and tried to get a shoe shine in a so-called white waiting room. He was arrested and taken to jail.
On that same day, we continued on to Rock Hill, South Carolina, about 25 miles. From here, when my seatmate, Albert Bigelow, and I tried to enter a white waiting room, we were met by an angry mob that beat us and left us lying in a pool of blood. Some police officers came up and asked us whether we wanted to press charges. We said, "No, we come in peace, love and nonviolence." We said our struggle was not against individuals, but against unjust laws and customs. Our goal was true freedom for every American.

Since then, America has made a lot of progress. We are a different society than we were in 1961. And in 2008, we showed the world the true promise of America when we elected President Barack Obama. A few years ago, a man from Rock Hill, inspired by President Obama's election, decided to come forward. He came to my office in Washington and said, "I am one of the people who beat you. I want to apologize. Will you forgive me?" I said, "I accept your apology." He started crying. He gave me a hug. I hugged him back, and we both started crying. This man and I don't want to go back; we want to move forward.

Brothers and sisters, do you want to go back? Or do you want to keep America moving forward? My dear friends, your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union. Not too long ago, people stood in unmovable lines. They had to pass a so-called literacy test, pay a poll tax. On one occasion, a man was asked to count the number of bubbles in a bar of soap. On another occasion, one was asked to count the jelly beans in a jar—all to keep them from casting their ballots.

Today it is unbelievable that there are Republican officials still trying to stop some people from voting. They are changing the rules, cutting polling hours and imposing requirements intended to suppress the vote. The Republican leader in the Pennsylvania House even bragged that his state's new voter ID law is "gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state." That's not right. That's not fair. That's not just.

And similar efforts have been made in Texas, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia and South Carolina. I've seen this before. I've lived this before. Too many people struggled, suffered and died to make it possible for every American to exercise their right to vote.
And we have come too far together to ever turn back. So we must not be silent. We must stand up, speak up and speak out. We must march to the polls like never before. We must come together and exercise our sacred right. And together, on November 6, we will re-elect the man who will lead America forward: President Barack Obama.

Gabrielle Giffords Leads Pledge Of Allegiance At The 2012 Democratic National Convention

Gabrielle Giffords, with assistance from friend and former colleague in the U.S. House, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, leads the Pledge Of Allegiance at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.