...will he ever win?
January 31, 2012
As someone said on Twitter, breast cancer more or less removes incentives for abortions. Especially undetected breast cancer that goes unscreened because a woman doesn't have affordable access (yet) to health care. This must be why the Susan G. Komen Foundation yanked the funding rug right out from under Planned Parenthood.
Via Planned Parenthood's shocking press release:
Planned Parenthood Federation of America today expressed deep disappointment in response to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation’s decision to stop funding breast cancer prevention, screenings and education at Planned Parenthood health centers. Anti-choice groups in America have repeatedly threatened the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for partnering with Planned Parenthood to provide these lifesaving cancer screenings and news articles suggest that the Komen Foundation ultimately succumbed to these pressures.
“We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure. Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
In the last few weeks, the Komen Foundation has begun notifying local Planned Parenthood programs that their breast cancer initiatives will not be eligible for new grants (beyond existing agreements or plans). The Komen Foundation’s leadership did not respond to Planned Parenthood requests to meet with the Komen Board of Directors about the decision.
Gosh. Right-wing pressure, you say? Here's a look at some of the key players in a decision like this. There is Julie Teer, VP Development, who also was a key Romney fundraiser in 2008. There is Komen's new senior Vice President of Public Policy, Karen Handel, who has stated publicly that she does not support Planned Parenthood and vowed to de-fund screenngs back in 2010.
First, let me be clear, since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood. During my time as Chairman of Fulton County, there were federal and state pass-through grants that were awarded to Planned Parenthood for breast and cervical cancer screening, as well as a “Healthy Babies Initiative.” The grant was authorized, regulated, administered and distributed through the State of Georgia. Because of the criteria, regulations and parameters of the grant, Planned Parenthood was the only eligible vendor approved to meet the state criteria. Additionally, none of the services in any way involved abortions or abortion-related services. In fact, state and federal law prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for abortions or abortion related services and I strongly support those laws.
Because breast cancer screenings are just like abortions, don't you know?
Their excuse seems to be concerns over this ridiculous and unfounded investigation started by winger Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-CO). But you know, abortions aren't breast cancer screenings, and breast cancer screenings do not result in more abortions. No. This is a charity who claims to be dedicated to women's health acting as a de facto death panel. Of course, it will mostly affect poor women, so what do they care, right?
There will be much more from me on this topic, but for now, could you do two things? First, sign this act.ly petition protesting their decision. And second, please consider supporting Planned Parenthood with your voice or your dollars as you can spare?
January 31, 2012 11:46 PM
Minnesota State Senator Dave Thompson, an extremist closely aligned to the tea party, introduced legislation to put a right-to-work (for less) amendment on the ballot in the state for the 2012 election. The legislation will go through the Republican-controlled legislature with no problem. And despite the fact that the state's governor is Democrat Mark Drayton, who is certain to veto the bill, Republicans in the legislature have the numbers to override the veto. The amendment is certain to make it to the November ballot, where its fate is much more uncertain, with the Minnesota electorate being more moderate than its legislature.
Republicans in the state have also put an anti-gay marriage amendment on the November ballot in hopes to drive conservative voters, who might be a little less than excited about the Republican presidential nominee, to the polls on election day. Thompson's arguments in favor of the right-to-work legislation echo those seen in other states and the law mimics proposals put forth by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is pushing corporate-sponsored bills in numerous states in recent years.
He told KSTP that the bill would give workers the choice to join a union or not. In the event they decline, they don’t pay dues, he said. All unions, both public and private, would be affected, but collective bargaining rights would not be altered, he said.
Shar Knutson, who heads the state’s AFL-CIO, told MinnPost that she isn’t surprised by Thompson’s bill.
“What we saw today is identical to what we’ve seen in Ohio and Wisconsin,” she told MinnPost. “This is a national effort being pushed by corporate interests.”
As previously reported, the arguments that employees can be forced to join unions are false and the other arguments in favor of right-to-work laws are all bogus. The real agenda behind the laws is to weaken unions and to assault the rights of working families.
January 31, 2012 11:00 PM
Newt Gingrich has “no idea” what that robocall is about, Ron Paul wants an apology, Wisconsin has some recall challengers and Elizabeth Warren is on the attack.
Make sure to sign up to get “Afternoon Fix” in your e-mail inbox every day by 5 (ish) p.m!
Read full article >>
January 31, 2012 10:42 PM
Updated at 6:52 p.m. with news that Hasner will run in West’s district
Tea party firebrand Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) announced Tuesday that he will switch districts and run for reelection in Florida’s new 18th district.
Read full article >>
January 31, 2012 10:18 PM
The Philadelphia City Paper's Daniel Denvir does a great job debunking an absurd op-ed from a wingnut think tank (Crazy Pat Toomey is one of their "directors emeritas") that ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday, justifying Gov. Corbett's hard-hearted application of a means test for Pennsylvania food stamp recipients:
“Asset test for food stamps a sound idea for Pennsylvania,” proclaimed a column in yesterday's Sunday Inquirer from the conservative Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. The position it takes ― that Gov. Tom Corbett's move to exclude people with more than $2,000 in assets (largely excluding homes and cars, but largely including savings) is a good thing ― is not surprising. But the arguments it makes in Corbett's favor are, at least if you take truthfulness (perhaps naïvely) as a standard for political discourse, astounding:
Right-wing claim: “The measure is necessary because welfare eligibility and spending — including for food stamps — have exploded, threatening to crowd out everything else in the state budget.”
Fact: Actually, the federal government picks up most of the tab. According to the Inquirer , “Pennsylvania receives about $2.5 billion in federal SNAP [that's food stamps: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] funds annually and pays about $160 million annually in state money to maintain the program.” That's just over one half of 1 percent of Pennsylvania's state budget. And as I reported last week, the state of Pennsylvania taxpayers spends nearly $2 billion on prisons ―$463.8 million more than generally reported.
Right-wing claim: “Despite indisputable evidence that welfare fraud and waste are alive and well, many politicians in Harrisburg and Washington have downplayed it, while actually expanding welfare benefits to the detriment of the truly poor.”
Fact: Pennsylvania has been recognized for having an extraordinarily low rate of food stamp fraud: one-tenth of 1 percent.
Right-wing claim: “It's impossible to determine the full extent of errors because the state doesn't actively search for mistakes.”
Fact: This assertion is incomprehensible. The state of Pennsylvania Inspector General has a welfare fraud division with a $705,000 budget. And yes, it includes a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Trafficking Unit.
Right-wing claim: “Without any such protection, billionaires such as Bill Gates could actually be eligible for food stamps if their income was low enough for a year. Sound far-fetched? Consider the case of Leroy Fick, who won a $2 million lottery jackpot but still legally collected food stamps. This fall, Michigan enacted a $5,000 asset test to keeping exploiters such as Fick from taking advantage of the system.”
Fact: It sounds far-fetched because it's incredibly misleading. The US Department of Agriculture toldPolitifact that they are aware of “only one case and one alleged case involving individuals with assets over $1 million"― one of those two cases being Leroy Fick. In Washington, congressional Republicans have claimed that barring millionaires from receiving food stamps or unemployment insurance would save big-time taxpayer dollars. It's a ruse.
Kudos to the local alternative paper for doing the analytical heavy lifting we'd like to see from our local dailies.
January 31, 2012 10:00 PM
Sixty people and couples have raised at least a half-million dollars for President Obama’s reelection.
Obama’s campaign and an affiliated committee run with the Democratic National Committee both filed their fourth quarter financial reports Tuesday, showing a highly effective bundling operation in full gear.
Read full article >>
January 31, 2012 09:40 PM
According to FiveThirtyEight, looks like Mitt is certain to win in Florida tonight…
The support for Gingrich had the floor drop out of it for two reasons. First, Romney has been outspending like crazy has gone gone incredibly negative. Second, Romney was better at the last debate. Had their been an additional debate scheduled, Newt might have been able to mount a comeback, but that doesn’t look likely now.
Interesting to see how the debates are actually perceived as having an effect in this primary cycle. Perhaps all 1,037 were worth it.
Here’s some more about what this means for Gingrich…
If the results are close enough that it takes some time to declare a winner in Florida, Mr. Gingrich might be able to declare a moral victory of sorts, chalking up the result to an uncharacteristically poor performance in the debates and to Mr. Romney’s substantial advantage in advertising dollars. These excuses are not necessarily convincing ones, but they are liable to be given more credence by the news media the longer it takes to call the state.
Barring a win or a close call, Mr. Gingrich’s ability to spin the outcome might depend on the extent to which he is able to point toward any signs of life in the exit polls. One reason that Mr. Gingrich’s victory in South Carolina seemed so persuasive was that he beat Mr. Romney among almost every demographic cohort. If Mr. Romney’s victory instead appeared to result from groups like Cuban Americans that have more presence in Florida than in other states, Mr. Gingrich might make a credible claim toward being poised to rebound in subsequent contests.
More as it develops…
January 31, 2012 09:26 PM
State: Florida
Type of election: Primary
How it works: Florida is a closed primary. Only Republicans will be voting in the primary today and the deadline for registration changes was 30 days prior to the election.
Official election results: Florida Division of Elections
Republican candidates: Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum (all others have dropped out or are polling at less than 1 percent)
Democratic candidates: Barack Obama
Previous performance: In 2008, Romney finished second in the Republican primary to John McCain, receiving 31 percent of the vote. Paul finished fifth with 3.2 percent. Obama finished second to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary with 33 percent.
Newspapers: Florida Today, Miami Herald, Tallahassee Democrat, Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Tribune, full list
Television stations: Full list
Progressive blogs: Bark Bark Woof Woof, Beach Peanuts, Eye on Miami, FLA Politics, Florida Progressive Coalition, Pensito Review, Progress Florida, The Reid Report, SaintPetersBlog, The Spencerian
Progressives on Twitter: Full list
Media blogs: The Buzz, The Fine Print, Fresh Squeezed Politics, Naked Politics, Post on Politics
Latest polling: Most recent from each polling organization:
PPP: Romney 36 percent, Gingrich 29, Santorum 17, Paul 12
ARG: Romney 43, Gingrich 31, Santorum 13, Paul 9
Ipsos: Romney 43, Gingrich 28, Santorum 12, Paul 5
Insider Advantage: Romney 36, Gingrich 31, Santorum 12, Paul 12
We Ask America: Romney 44, Gingrich 25, Santorum 10, Paul 10
Suffolk: Romney 47, Gingrich 27, Santorum 12, Paul 9
Survey USA: Romney 41, Gingrich 26, Santorum 12, Paul 12
Quinnipiac: Romney 43, Gingrich 29, Santorum 11, Paul 11
Rasmussen: Romney 44, Gingrich 28, Santorum 12, Paul 10
Nate Silver gives Romney a 98 percent chance of winning, followed by Gingrich at 2 percent. All other candidates are at 0 percent chance to win according to Silver.
Bottom line: At one point, Florida looked primed to give Gingrich a shot to get back into the race, but times change quickly. It's hard to see how Romney doesn't win at this point and it's hard to see how a victory in Florida doesn't all but seal the nomination for him.
January 31, 2012 09:00 PM
There's no other word for this than awesome. Also? Brilliant.
Virginia State Senator Janet Howell was not content to allow Virginia's state legislature to keep passing anti-abortion bills for a little equality, so she added an amendment to their latest one in a "good for the goose, good for the gander" move.
Via Huffington Post:
To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.
"We need some gender equity here," she told HuffPost. "The Virginia senate is about to pass a bill that will require a woman to have totally unnecessary medical procedure at their cost and inconvenience. If we're going to do that to women, why not do that to men?"
Of course, her amendment failed to garner the necessary votes, but still, it's about time someone made a statement like that about these stupid, godawful bills. Women's health is not a political tennis ball, and men have had a pass for far too long on drugs that put their health at risk in order for them to, well...perform.
Unfortunately, the rest of the bill did pass, and if signed into law, women will be forced to undergo an ultrasound before an abortion will be performed. They will be given the "opportunity" to view the ultrasound images, and such images must remain in their medical files. If the woman lives more than 100 miles away, she can have the ultrasound on the same day as the abortion, but is required to wait two hours after the ultrasound has been performed.
Perhaps they'd like to tattoo a scarlet A on her forehead too?
January 31, 2012 08:30 PM
On first blush, the Walkergate investigation seems to be small potatoes in many ways. After all, there are no juicy details of Walker being involved in some deep conspiracy as governor. No, instead it has the appearance of a bunch of overzealous party faithful people conducting Republican party business on the public dime during Walker's tenure as Milwaukee county executive.
Rest assured, it is not a small potatoes thing at all. It is a very, very big deal, not only because it exposes the corruption among one state's Republican party structure, but because it also exposes a blueprint for how I suspect Republicans operate around the country.
After reviewing the official complaints against two of the players—Darlene Wink and Kelly Rindfleisch—a pattern emerges that is almost defiant in nature. After all, in 2005, the Wisconsin caucus scandal forced 2 Democrats and 1 Republican to resign for campaigning on the public's time. Yet here we are back in 2012, with incontrovertible evidence that Republicans are not only continuing the practice, but they've refined it to an art form.
High Level Overview
While Scott Walker was Milwaukee County Executive, employees who he had appointed to his staff set up a separate 3G network with separate laptop computers for the sole purpose of conducting campaign business. Much of that business was conducted during time that they were on the payroll as public employees, and by using unofficial email addresses with Yahoo and Gmail, they were not only attempting to circumvent Wisconsin's open records laws, they virtually guaranteed the open records officer wouldn't even know to review the accounts to see if any of those emails should be included in open records requests.
Wisconsin has pretty strict laws for how public employees conduct themselves while on the public's payroll. Campaign activities are expressly forbidden under the law. Yet these employees spent large chunks of their day planning and preparing fundraising and other campaign events.
Further, in order to be a public employee in Milwaukee County, residence within the county is required. In at least one case (Reindfleisch), that residence requirement was "satisfied" by listing the address of a Scott Walker crony and former Chief of Staff of the Milwaukee County Executive's office, James Villa, as her own address.
What they did
If you're a Republican who wants to reward your most loyal minions for their service, there's no better way than appointing them to decent-paying public jobs. Of course, that means they're not going to be available, at least from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday to conduct campaign business. That is, unless you make sure they have ways to conduct that business on outside equipment from inside the office, which is what they did. And boy, did they conduct some business.
I. Darlene Wink
Wink is reportedly negotiating a plea deal to exchange information about the destruction of electronic data for a lighter sentence. The John Doe complaint against her has some shining examples of the business she was conducting on the Wisconsin taxpayers' dime.
- October, 2009 - Reaching out to RNC Chair Reince Priebus to see if Sarah Palin could stop in at a November fundraiser celebrating Scott Walker's birthday, since her event on the same day was siphoning away interest from their event. The text of her email, sent at 10:07 AM on October 20, 2009:
Reince:
I was wondering if you would be able to help the RPMC out in getting Sarah Palin to stop into our event which is being held on the same evening as her program with the Wisconsin Right to Life. Attached is flyer for event.
We are already losing people to that event from our event -- and there is no time like the present to be able to let people know that she will also be at the RPMC event on the 6th og [sic] November.
- November, 2009 - Holiday Gala Fundraiser featuring talk show host Vicki McKenna as the featured guest. Photo with Scott Walker cost attendees extra—the price went from $35 per plate to $100 per plate if you wanted the picture taken.
- November, 2009 - Script writing and execution of 5,000 robo-calls featuring Scott Walker inviting people to attend the fundraiser. Emails indicate that the robocall script was written and approved in late November for Scott Walker to record, and on December 1 Wink received confirmation that the robo-calls had been completed.
- February, 2010 - Organizing and recruiting phone banking efforts for Walker's gubernatorial bid.
Wink also drafted and disseminated press releases during that time frame which were intended to paint Scott Walker as a strong leader who stood firm on budgetary issues, as frames upon which he would base his campaign for Wisconsin Governor.
II. Kelly Reindfleisch
Kelly Reindfleisch's participation in the parallel "county employee/GOP operative" scandal is even more shocking and extensive. Shocking because she was questioned in connection with the caucus scandal back in 2002, and appeared to fully understand why she could not conduct GOP party business on the public's dime. Still, in 2010, she did just that. She practically ran the Scott Walker campaign from her desk at the Milwaukee County Executive's office in 2010, even after she was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff in March, 2010.
Some examples of Reindfleisch's activity:
- February, 2010 - Entered into a contractual agreement with Brett Davis, primary candidate for Lieutenant Governor to raise money and fundraise for his committee. She was paid $5,000 on the contract.
- March, 2010-May 2010 - Prepared spreadsheets and reports for the Brett Davis campaign regarding fundraising and fundraising goals, held conference calls to plan fundraisers, sent emails, designed flyers, and made plans with outside vendors for events.
But these things were not a small part of her day. It appears as though they consumed her day. One example in the complaint is the day of April 20, 2010. She clocked in to the county parking lot at 6:40 a.m. and out at 5:26 p.m. In the course of the day she sent 56 emails which included attachments she had designed for various fundraisers, amde telephone calls, managed lists, and other campaign duties which certainly appear to have taken the majority of the workday.
The walls fall down
On May 14, 2010, Darlene Wink resigned, not because she was caught fundraising on public time, but because she was caught writing pro-Walker comments on the Journal-Sentinal's website. In order to appear as though she hadn't misused county resources, she also admitted that she wasn't using a county computer.
She did say that she brings a personal laptop to work and that she posts most—and perhaps all—of her comments using it, not a county computer. In addition, she said she tries to put in extra time doing her real job, helping fix problems raised by individual county residents, when she takes time out to read and reply to stories about Walker or other gubernatorial candidates.
Now we know that the computer she used was one she was conducting partisan political business on from the County Executive's office. Probably the most interesting nugget in all of the depositions was Scott Walker's email, sent from his campaign email BlackBerry account at 8:46 a.m. on May 14, to Tim Russell, his Director of Housing for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Ten minutes later, Reindfleisch has an IM chat with Tim Russell, where she says, "I took the wireless down. It's in my bag for now."
It seems to me that Scott Walker has a problem, not only because of what his aides were doing, but also because of what he appears to be doing. That email indicates he had a campaign account on a BlackBerry which he was using during work hours to email other paid public employees about campaign business and problems.
And what did he mean by "no laptops, no websites, no time away during the work day etc."? Was he simply referring to Wink's claim that she stayed longer than 8 hours in a day to cover the time she spent defending Walker on newspaper websites, or was operation of campaign functions in public buildings while on the public payroll a commonplace activity, while public comments on newspaper websites were not?
What we have here is one small operation, but I doubt it's the only one like it. All I have to do is remember the Karl Rove emails which never saw the light of day because they were not on White House servers, to know something is very, very rotten and stinky in Wisconsin.
More information:
January 31, 2012 08:00 PM
