Class Act

Nice.

Followed by even nicer.

Personally, I love exposing the Right's total lack of class.

Your Average Mitt

I admit to not being much for understanding the discourse around Americans needing to relate to a Presidential candidate. The who-would-you-want-to-have-a-beer-with, talk. But not being able to relate at all, to a Presidential candidate – this is a good example.

Things Get Awkward On Mitt's Bonding Tour Of The U.S.

I’m not much for condemning a Presidential candidate for being awkward, either. But how attractive a candidate is personally to Americans and how much said candidate can relate to the average Joe is a lot more about how genuinely interested a politician is in my life – or your life, or in the diversity that is average American life today, for that matter – than anything else.

And on that count, for the life of me I can’t figure Mitt Romney out.

Zero Sum Gain

This is not a surprise. Haven’t heard any reaction to it yet, though.

The largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States has come to a standstill. After four decades that brought 12 million current immigrants—more than half of whom came illegally—the net migration flow from Mexico to the United States has stopped—and may have reversed, according to a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of multiple government data sets from both countries. 

The standstill appears to be the result of many factors, including the weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations, the growing dangers associated with illegal border crossings, the long-term decline in Mexico’s birth rates and changing economic conditions in Mexico.

The report is based on data analysis from sources in the U.S. and Mexico. Very interesting to think about how the differing factors might be working together.

You can read the entire Pew Research Center report, here.

Rest In Peace, Levon Helm

Three great voices. One GREAT drummer.

 

 It's a time I remember, oh so well...

This-A-Way or That-A-Way

Either likely Republican nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is two points ahead of President Obama, or President Obama leads Mitt Romney by nine.

Poll results were released an hour from each other.

Dance Me to the End of Love

To my wonderful husband, a very Happy 12th Anniversary!

 

 On tax day, no less.

The War-On-Women: The Caterpillar Edition

Well, if the Republicans really want me to stop thinking they are on the front lines of the war-on-women, maybe they should have a little talk with their Republican governor in Arizona. Life before conception.

Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed a bill on Thursday that prohibits abortions in the state after 20 weeks. The bill, passed earlier this week by the state legislature, essentially bans abortions after 18 weeks because gestational age of the fetus will be calculated based on the last menstrual period of the woman.

  

In a press release (PDF) Governor Brewer defended her decision, saying "this legislation is consistent with my strong track record of supporting common sense measures to protect the health of women and safeguard our most vulnerable population - the unborn." Arizona Senator Linda Lopez responded to the law, saying "once again, (Brewer) and the Republicans in the Legislature have decided that they know better than women. They are again saying that women are incapable of making those decisions." 

But instead, we get this. Caterpillars.

 

We’ve declared war on the Vatican? The sovereign state of the Vatican?

Missed that headline.

Romney-West, 2012

How perfectly interesting:

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Monday that Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) would be an "excellent choice" for Mitt Romney's vice presidential candidate, joining a chorus of conservative Republicans who have tabbed the Tea Party freshman as a potential addition to the ticket.

"He is well-spoken, he is direct, he is from Florida and folks in Florida love him — with Florida being one of those key states in the Fall. But most importantly, Col. Allen West is a dedicated patriot who has served in the military, and who is willing to serve his country again. I think he would be an excellent choice," Cain told conservative talk radio host Steve Gill. 

Congressman Allen West. The man who has told President Obama to “get the hell out of the United States of America.”

Congressman Allen West. The man with questionable tastes in hiring practices.

Conservative talk radio host Joyce Kaufman is stepping down from her new position as chief of staff for incoming Republican Rep. Allen West after her comments may have incited a threat of violence that led to three-hour lock-down at 300 Florida schools yesterday.

Kaufman has come under scrutiny for some incendiary comments. On her Florida radio show Tuesday, Kaufman characterized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "garbage," and the Associated Press reports she said at a recent Tea Party rally that if "ballots don't work, bullets will."  

MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" this week spotlighted the controversy over Kaufman. 

Congressman Allen West. The man who has redefined Islam as a “theocratic political ideology.” It’s not a religion, mind you.

Congressman Allen West. A man who fashions himself a modern-day Harriet Tubman. Leaving the plantation. Via the Underground Railroad.  Take a listen:

 

Congressman Allen West. When administration officials condemned a group of U.S. Marines for urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters, he said the soldiers should be punished but, “As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell."  So much for freedom of speech.

Congressman Allen West.  A man who thinks wearing a hoodie could be interpreted as a security risk.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) on Thursday condemned what he called Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-Ill.) “immature gimmickry” in wearing a hooded sweatshirt on the House floor earlier this week. 

The Tea Party favorite said in wearing the hoodie, Rush could have been someone who “walked off of the street.” 

West said the incident might be funny now, but he speculated that at the time, Capitol Police were likely concerned. 

“Initially, they did not know who it was and they were concerned that someone had just walked off of the street or kind of had broken away from a tour group,” West said on conservative Laura Ingraham’s radio show. 

Try unpacking that one.  

By all accounts Allen West is an accomplished man. A distinguished military career and two graduate degrees. Romney-West. I say, bring it on!  Too bad, it won't happen.

Forget Harvard

Really almost too silly to comment on:

 As you’ve probably heard, Mitt Romney poked fun at President Obama today over his time in the Ivy League. “We have a president, who I think is a nice guy, but he spent too much time at Harvard,” Romney said. 

Romney, apparently, hopes to paint Obama as the one who’s really elitist and out of touch. Yesterday he said Obama has spent too much time on Air Force One. Today’s barb is cut from the same cookie-cutter. 

Of course, using Harvard as an example of this seems questionable. As a number of people were quick to point out, Romney himself spent some time at Harvard, too — in fact, he earned two advanced degrees there. 

A gaffe?  Code talk for saying three years is three-years-too-long for someone of President Obama’s background to have spent at Harvard?

Probably just typical, phoniness.

Don't Know Much About History

O.K. I am a graduate student in the CSU (California State University) system. And yes, it’s a mess. Cal State officials announced last month that they plan to freeze enrollment next spring at most campuses, and wait-list all applications for the following fall, due to budget uncertainty. I am not sure I would encourage my own daughter to attend the University of California (UC) – including UCLA or UC Berkeley.

 But this, is ridiculous:

 

A succinct analysis:

It’s unclear whether Santorum was referring to the University of California system or the California State University system, but it doesn’t matter. Both offer American history courses at all their campuses, with one exception. UCSF doesn’t offer any history courses — because it’s a medical school.  

All 23 CSU campuses offer a variety of American history courses, said CSU spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp. Students are required to take several of those courses or test out of them in order to graduate.  

And the nine undergraduate UC campuses (Berkeley, Irvine, San Diego, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, Davis, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara) offer the courses and have a similar graduation requirement.  

If Senator Santorum wants to use the example of California to make a point about the disaster that is public college and university education in 2012, he has a lot to work with.

Too bad he blew his chance to make any valid points.