February 4, 2012
Art, politics, angels, demons . . . and righteous dogs.

Odd Couple of the Day

 

 ”On January 31, Newt Gingrich was  told that he was no longer wanted in the state of Florida.  Soon he  found himself looking for a home in the Super Tuesday states along with his similarly-hated friend Mitt Romney. Can two severely messed-up men share a dysfunctional political party without driving each other crazy?!!!!!”

Thanks to Ron Brownstein and Jan Zimmeck for making this happen. And to Ron for the shout-out on this morning’s interesting chatfest with the always interesting Soledad O’Brien. Back atcha.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/02/03/exp-point-romney-misspoke.cnn

Despicable Duck of the Day

 

In Newt’s overheated lingo people are not wrong or objectionable, but pathetic and despicable. Quite often they are “the most pathetic or despicable in the history of the planet”. The carpet-bombing of Newt in Florida by Romney’s super pac shows how the system works. And while Newt’s complaint is really about the post-Citizens United world, he will keep that shady and target Romney alone for criticism. In any case we can see where poor Daffy at last gets it right.

Nazi Hunter of the Day: Newt Gingrich

This image by guest artist Newt Gingrich, revealing Mitt Romney’s anti-Jewish-senior past. Newt Gingrich reaches new lows in the Florida-race-to-the-bottom-primary almost by the minute. In yesterday’s Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/gingrich-delivers-on-wild-and-wooly-vow/2012/01/29/gIQA0sUAbQ_story.html

we saw the signs of a right-wing lunatic fringe gone mainstream in which a Gingrich campaign stop had the feeling of a hate group rally. Today there is the robo call to elderly Jews telling them that Romney once voted against a meals bill which would have forced seniors to forgo kosher food (not true).

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney vetoed a bill paying for kosher food for our seniors in nursing homes. Holocaust survivors, who for the first time, were forced to eat non-kosher, because Romney thought $5 was too much to pay for our grandparents to eat kosher. Where is Mitt Romney’s compassion for our seniors? Tuesday you can end Mitt Romney’s hypocrisy on religious freedom, with a vote for Newt Gingrich. Paid for by Newt 2012.

In a flash, for the votes of some old people Newt has become the tribune of compassion. Forget that, given half the chance, all meals for all needy people would be thrown into the Intracoastal waterway along with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and whatever is left. As a piece of carrot atop this gefilte fish, Newt’s text refers to “our grandmothers”. Newt Ginsberg! Who knew?? . And adding the phrase “holocaust survivor” elevates the cause, casting Mitt Romney as the perfect symbol of all that is evil. As opposed to Newt.

 

Suddenly Uncorrupt Ex-Congressman of the Day: Bill Delahunt

Former Congressman-turned lobbyist Bill Delahunt has graciously decided to forego the $15,000 a month fee from a company he helped get a big contract as congressman. This decision comes after an exposé by the Boston Globe, showing how public scrutiny can lead one to remarkable self-discovery. It doesn’t stop him from being the poster-boy for everything that’s wrong with our politics. As always, it’s the money, stupid.

Supreme Courage of the Day: The Montana Supreme Court

Recently the Montana Supreme Court (Chief Justice Mike McGrath sketched here) ruled that the odious Citizens United ruling handed down 2 years ago by the US Supreme Court would not pass muster in Montana.  Montana, it felt,  had had a long tradition of understanding the toxic influence of money on democracy and had the responsibility to reassert this now, amid the specter of the biggest campaign/money orgy the world has ever seen. They state:  “The Dissents assert that Citizens United holds unequivocally that no sufficient government interest justifies limits on political speech. We disagree. The [U.S.] Supreme Court held that laws that burden political speech are subject to strict scrutiny, which requires the government to prove that the law furthers a compelling state interest and is narrowly tailored to that interest.” More in Counterpunch: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/01/27/montana-supreme-court-flouts-citizens-united/

It is possible, or likely, that this will be struck down by the US Supreme Court in time, upholding its own big mistake.  But how great to see this. And a strong reminder of the constitutional amendment banning this level of campaign contribution that we need to get to work on immediately.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/26/wyden-backs-amendment-to-overturn-citizens-united-ruling/