Paul Ryan Chosen Because of Romney's High Unfavorability Ratings, Which Keep Climbing
MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT ON THE REAL NEWS
Is Ryan a Desperate Romney Choice?
Mark Karlin Discusses the Radical Ryan Decision With Paul Jay of The Real News
Click "Read More" to Watch the Video.
Jon Stewart Skewers the Hypocrisy of Judith Miller on Leaking
Judith Miller, the former New York Times journalist, who became the emblem of status quo media deeply embedded in spreading the Bush administration Weapons of Mass Destruction propaganda as fact -- thus helping to gin up Iraq War fever -- gets a public lashing from Jon Stewart. You see Miller, now a FOX "analyst," is criticizing the Obama administration for alleged leaks, without any sense of irony nor of the unfortunate reality that the Obama administration is riding roughshod over whistle blowers and leakers, while the Bush administration leaked away when it advanced their political goals.
Click here to watch the Jon Stewart take down.
Tea Party Movement Planning for the Long Haul
BILL BERKOWITZ FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
For many involved with the Tea Party, the days of rallies at the Mall in Washington, demonstrations in cities around the nation, donning colonial outfits, and breaking up meetings of congressional representatives is over. Instead, institutionalization is on the agenda. As Matt Kibbe, the director of FreedomWorks, one of the most powerful and well-funded Tea Party organizations, said in a recent radio interview: “We’re out-Saul Alinskying the left.”
Five Adjectives That Scream "Don't Vote Republican!"
PAUL BUCHHEIT FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
There are more than five, of course, and voting Democrat may not be much of an improvement, but attaching these adjectives to the comically contemptible GOP seems more than appropriate.
Obstructionist
In 2010 Mitch McConnell said: "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." He didn't mention the economy, or education, or jobs, or the housing market. Instead, the goal is to beat Obama, whatever misery it might cause 200 million Americans.
For the past two years the Republicans have obstructed proposals that would have helped most Americans. They fought the middle-class tax cut because it would only apply to the first quarter-million of income. They killed a jobs bill that was supported by two-thirds of the public. They rejected a bill to disclose information about big campaign donors. They disrupted the routine process of increasing the debt ceiling, thus triggering the first-ever downgrading of the U.S. credit rating. Most recently they've obstructed efforts to provide mortgage debt relief to American homeowners.
Mitt Romney's Most Unexcellent Adventure
WILL DURST FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
Mitt Romney has to be more relieved than an Iowa corn farmer in the middle of a thunderstorm to be back on home soil. Arms wide. Head back. Wet face. Smile. Podium steps. National Anthem.
The American electorate may harbor an ambivalent attitude towards the former governor of Massachusetts, but the reaction to his European Vacation from folks across the big pond could only be described as decisively derisive. If diplomacy were a hurdling sport, the guy stumbled over the lane chalk.
The plan was for the GOP nominee to embark on a low- risk, three- country jaunt to raise his suspect foreign policy bona fides, but the seven- day charm offensive proved to be light on charm and heavy on offense. Good will hunting transformed into ill will gathering.
We Wrecked Iraq, We Pulled Out, We Redeployed in Anaheim
ROBERT C. KOEHLER FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
We wrecked Iraq, we pulled out, we redeployed in Anaheim.
This ain't working, guys- I mean, firing rubber bullets into anguished crowds, siccing attack dogs on moms and children. I mean, inventing enemies, going to war, unleashing state-of-the-art firepower in all directions and eventually losing, but not before we've inflicted maximum suffering on the innocent and magnified the original problem tenfold.
We lose every war we fight.
Another way to say that is: We exacerbate every problem we militarize. Indeed, militarization is as much a part of the problem - as much a threat to civilization - as, for instance, terrorism or drugs. And the recent, ongoing community uproar in Anaheim, Calif., over two police slayings of Latino males in one weekend - and the subsequent police reaction to that outrage - illustrates the terrifying ineffectiveness of a militarized, "us vs. them" approach to conflict.
The Incredible Lightness of Being Dick Cheney
STEVEN JONAS, MD, MPH FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
On July 30, 2012, former Vice-President Dick Cheney described President Obama as one of the "weakest" Presidents, ranking even (sic) Jimmy Carter above him (1). That statement makes one wonder: what is Cheney's definition of the opposite of weakness? That is "strength." Well, let's take a look at some of Cheney's personal and political history to try to determine the answer to that question.
Chick-fil-A’s Image Plummets Among Consumers as Anti-LGBT Groups Rally
THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
New data indicates Chick-fil-A's image with consumers has dropped dramatically since the company's president proudly embraced the organization's anti-LGBT donations. The new numbers come as former Governor Mike Huckabee and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) attempt to make today a national "Eat at Chick-fil-A" day.
According to YouGov's BrandIndex, Chick-fil-A's brand perception among consumers has dropped by more than 20 points since Dan Cathy replied "guilty as charged" when asked about Chick-fil-A's donations to groups that work to demonize and harm LGBT people. The drop is noticeable across the country - even in the South, a stronghold for the fast food chain.
Predatory Privatization Puts Citizens and Communities at Risk
PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
State and local budget crises and the election of anti-government ideologues have left taxpayers and communities increasingly vulnerable to predatory "privatization" of government services and public infrastructure. "Desperate government is our best customer," says one finance company executive specializing in the privatization of public infrastructure. A new report from People For the American Way documents that the push to privatize public services and assets often reduces the quality of services, burdens taxpayers and threatens democratic government.
Democrats Should Spend Campaign Money on Massive Voter Registration Drive
STEPHEN PIZZO FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
Some weeks ago I wrote something that got me in hot water with fellow progressives. I wrote that Democrats were making a big mistake in how they were responding to the GOP's naked and obvious attempts to suppress voter turnout with state voter ID laws.
First, let's be clear. I understand fully and completely what the GOP is up to. It's hardly rocket science.
The GOP has all but given up hoping they can win over Hispanics, or of rounding up enough senior citizens happy with the GOP's slash and burn policies on Social Security and Medicare. So, the game has switched, from getting those two groups to vote Republican, to keeping them away from the polls period.
Are these cynical and grossly-overblown "voter fraud" laws a disgrace? Repugnant? A return to the old Jim Crow days? You betcha.
