Ann Coulter Breaks Down The History Of Liberal Race Baiting.

See what happens when you sleep with one black guy?[1] You apparently get the right to annoint yourself as an honorary black woman, thus entitling you to made scurrilous claims about racism without any shred of irony or self-awareness. This is truly must-see TV.

[1] Yes, Jimmy "JJ" Walker is hittin' that, and apparently has been for some time. Not-So-Dy-No-Mite!!!

Dear, Madonna: Please Just Shut Up. You're Not Helping Out President Obama.

In an election season that's seen it's fair share of odd celebrity endorsements (Nicki Minaj, most notably), perhaps none has been as counterproductive as this one.

Madonna was in the nation’s capital last night for her MDNA Tour, where she delivered an odd endorsement of President Barack Obama, at one point even referring to him incorrectly as a “black Muslim.”

“Y’all better vote for f***ing Obama, OK? For better or for worse, all right? We have a black Muslim in the White House. Now that’s some amazing s**t,” the 54-year-old told her fans in the packed Verizon Center during a minutes-long speech about the Civil Rights Movement and fighting for freedom. “It means there is hope in this country. And Obama is fighting for gay rights, so support the man, goddamnit.”

On Tuesday, Madonna clarified her comments in a statement, saying, “I was being ironic on stage. Yes I know Obama is not a Muslim – though I know that plenty of people in this country think he is. And what if he were? The point I was making is that a good man is a good man no matter who he prays to. I don’t care what religion Obama is – nor should anyone else in America.”

Madonna has showed support for the president in the past. During the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., Madonna was performing in New York City, where she unveiled an “OBAMA” tattoo painted across her lower back. The pop singer has been an Obama supporter since 2008.

In case you needed to see the idiocy to believe it, here goes...



When pressed for clarification, The Artist Formerly Known As Relevant had this to say.

“I was being ironic on stage,” she said in a statement issued via her spokeswoman.

“Yes, I know Obama is not a Muslim — though I know that plenty of people in this country think he is. And what if he were? The point I was making is that a good man is a good man, no matter who he prays to. I don’t care what religion Obama is — nor should anyone else in America.”

How ironic, indeed. Yeah, makes sense to me, I suppose.

Question: Please make some sense of this. I can't.

Dear President, And Presidential Candidate; "Where Are The Specifics?!?"

An interesting read in today's Post. While bashing Mitt Romney for his lack of platform specifics has become darn near fashionable, President Obama seems to be missing the mark with voters himself.

It looks and feels like a presidential contest, but at times it sounds like a national experiment in mind reading — a great guessing game about the country’s future.

The two campaigns insist that voters are about to make a momentous decision between sharply divergent visions for American life. But the candidates have largely failed to provide specifics about those visions, leaving voters to guess about the consequences of their choice. Almost half the voters say they want to know more about President Obama’s plans for a second term, and almost two-thirds want to hear more about what Mitt Romney would do differently.

Romney has declined to reveal some crucial details about his tax plan. If he did, Romney’s campaign has said, it would be harder to get Congress to go along with them later. “We want to get it done,” said his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

Obama is equally vague about his second-term plans. Obama sometimes sketches his agenda as a list of questions, which hestill needs to answer. “How [can] we continue to build an economy that works for middle-class families?” he said last week in Tampa, reeling off five questions for himself.

It is still possible to make a few educated guesses about how Romney or Obama might change everyday life in the next four years. But only a few. In recent polls, 49 percent of voters said they wanted more details from Obama, and 63 percent wanted the same from Romney.

Whether or not you agree with the basic premise of this story, I think it's fair to say Romney has been much more vague (perhaps purposely so) and maybe even elusive. Obama's "platform" has been on display for several years now, and whether or not you like it you have to at least acknowledge that it's there.

His inability to get much of it done (stimulus, Dream Act, GITMO) has been due to lack of participation from Congress, not lack of stated vision.

What do ya'll think?!?

Question: Is President Obama being somewhat vague in his vision for the next 4 years? How about Romney?!?

AB.com Open Mic Thursday.

I'm out of town again, so go on without me. Drop links, write your own posts. You know the drill by now.

BTW, Blogger, your new interface SUCKS!!!

Question: What's on your mind today?

Loose Lipped Romney Sinks Campaign Ship. For Good.

Folks, I'm officially calling the campaign today. Mark your calendars: on September 18th, the US Presidential election essentially became a formality.[1]

Why? Because Mitt Romney committed the most cardinal of political sins: he told people how he really felt.

During a private fundraiser earlier this year, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a small group of wealthy contributors what he truly thinks of all the voters who support President Barack Obama. He dismissed these Americans as freeloaders who pay no taxes, who don't assume responsibility for their lives, and who think government should take care of them. Fielding a question from a donor about how he could triumph in November, Romney replied:

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.

Romney went on: "[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Mother Jones has obtained video of Romney at this intimate fundraiser—where he candidly discussed his campaign strategy and foreign policy ideas in stark terms he does not use in public—and has confirmed its authenticity. To protect the confidential source who provided the video, we have blurred some of the image, and we will not identify the date or location of the event, which occurred after Romney had clinched the Republican presidential nomination.

Here's the video, which somehow makes the comments even worse, when you factor in his general tone of disdain.



There are plenty of problems with Romney's comment. I'll just take a stab at a few of them...

Not Paying Federal Income Taxes Doesn't Make You A Moocher. - Even if you don't pay Federal income taxes, there's a good chance you still work, because unless I missed a memo, the Federal unemployment rate is not a staggering 47%. Demonizing people who bust their asses and don't accept any entitlements as "entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it" is just wrong.

Many Of Those 47% Don't Vote For Obama, Or Even Democrats. - In fact, the largest majority of those who don't pay Federal income taxes reside in... wait for... red states. No, really, they do. So making "the 47%" analogous to "Obama supporters" is also factually incorrect.

Romney Thinks There Are Two Americas, And He Only Cares About One. - How else do you read the statement "These are people who pay no income tax…[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."?!? Clearly, he thinks those 47% are people he "cannot reach", which is an astoundingly ignorant statement. If you can't reach them, and you'll "never convince them", then you're probably not going to give half a sh*t about them should you get into office. Which you won't.

The Disdain For Those Who Don't Pay Taxes Is Disgusting. - Again, I repeat, the 47% are not all moochers. Most of them are employed, most are hard workers, they simply don't make enough each year to warrant additional tax payment to the Feds. So what does it say about a man who wants to lead this country that he sees this people as non-thinking, non-motivated slackers who simply want the government to do everything for them and nothing for themselves? How divorced from reality do you have to be the say such a thing, and why should such people consider you for President. BTW, might I reiterate, those 47% are no exclusively Democrats, nor are they solely in Obama's back pocket. They are Americans of all shades and ages. And they should be pissed at such an ignorant statement from a man who wants to lead this country.

Elitism Personified. - This just adds to the meme that Romney is a guy who was born on 3rd base and is astounded that everyone else is too lazy to score a run, overlooking the fact that many of them were (comparatively) born in the dugout. Romney also asserts that he "was born with a silver spoon", but also that "I have inherited nothing". Does this make sense to anyone? Bueller?

The Mexican Quip. - It's one thing to have a party that makes distrust and marginalization of Hispanics part of their national platform. It's another altogether to have the man running for President to say "Had I been born of Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot of winning this", as if to assume that Hispanics aren't smart enough to understand the issues, and would only vote for a guy because he looks like them. That's so demeaning and dismissive that it's comical.

Of course, Romney tried to spin this one in a hastily called presser. Of course, he failed to do so.



Keep on' spinnin', buddy.

If I'm #TeamObama, I just take this motherlode of ignorant statements and loop them over and over on ads. No commentary necessary. Let the man's own words be his undoing.[2]

Question: Can Romney explain this away? Is this how he really feels? What will happen as a result? How should #TeamObama approach this?

[1] I know, that's not a boat. Whatever. I do think it's pretty nice of the Romneys to bring their Hispanic nanny along on family vacations though. See, he does embrace the 47%!!!!

[2] I'm sure someone's gonna try and draw a parallel between this and Obama's cringeworthy "cling to guns or religion" line in 08'. Save yourself the keystrokes. These two aren't even remotely in the same league of offense.

Fox & Friends Host Gets Punked On Air. Badly.

Personally, I don't blame anyone other than the segment producer in this case. They were clearly so hard up to find someone to support their narrative that they didn't even bother vetting this d-bag. I'll also give some credit to Gretchen Carlson here for not losing her composure or getting totally trolled.



In case you're wondering how this guy managed to slip past the people who are supposed to vet on air guests, read this. It explains a lot about how Fox finds their anti-Obama guests, and is fairly frightening/disgusting when you really think about it.

Question: Should someone get fired over this, assuming they haven't already been?!?

Could Black Voters Actually Stay Home Because Of Obama's Embrace Of Gay Marriage?!?

Wow, that headline is quite the mouthful. #TWSS

Still, as the election nears and no clearcut narrative about black voters (other than we're voting for Obama) has emerged, some in the media (read: The AP) are re-examining the effect of President Obama's embrace of gay marriage on that mythical monolithic entity known as "The Black Church".

Some black clergy see no good presidential choice between a Mormon candidate and one who supports gay marriage, so they are telling their flocks to stay home on Election Day. That's a worrisome message for the nation's first African-American president, who can't afford to lose any voters from his base in a tight race.

The pastors say their congregants are asking how a true Christian could back same-sex marriage, as President Barack Obama did in May. As for Republican Mitt Romney, the first Mormon nominee from a major party, congregants are questioning the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its former ban on men of African descent in the priesthood.

In 2008, Obama won 95 percent of black voters and is likely to get an overwhelming majority again. But any loss of votes would sting.

It's unclear just how widespread the sentiment is that African-American Christians would be better off not voting at all. Many pastors have said that despite their misgivings about the candidates, blacks have fought too hard for the vote to ever stay away from the polls.

Black church leaders have begun get-out-the-vote efforts on a wide range of issues, including the proliferation of state voter identification laws, which critics say discriminate against minorities. Last Easter Sunday, a month before Obama's gay marriage announcement, the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant of Baltimore formed the Empowerment Network, a national coalition of about 30 denominations working to register congregants and provide them with background on health care, the economy, education and other policy issues.

Yet, Bryant last month told The Washington Informer, an African-American newsweekly, "This is the first time in black church history that I'm aware of that black pastors have encouraged their parishioners not to vote." Bryant, who opposes gay marriage, said the president's position on marriage is "at the heart" of the problem.

Let me just say this for the record: I'm sorta in-between churches now. When my family moved awhile back, it became a lot harder (okay, impossible) to reliably make the 45 minute Beltway pilgrimage to our old church. So we've been "hunting" for awhile, and as a result, I've visited quite a few churches (black, white, and other) in the past couple of years. Only one had opposition to gay marriage as a common theme among the regular teachings. If you watch Fox News, you are prolly quite familiar with its Pastor, so I'm not gonna throw any shade here. Google it yourself.

While we enjoyed services there, and thought the children's church was great, the "gays are going to Hell, and no, they can't get married on their way down there!" message got very stale very quickly. Most of the other churches I've visited (including one we're likely to settle in/join soon) don't talk about this issue at all, instead focusing on more pertinent issues like marriage (period!), GED programs, job training, and of course, salvation. Of course this is just my own anecdotal evidence, so I could obviously be missing the boat.

Of course, the AP article provides little more than anecdotal evidence itself, referring to the opinion of none other than Jamal Bryant, a charismatic young pastor whom I'm also quite familiar with. The irony here is that while Bryant thinks gay folks shouldn't be married, he is divorced, and likely is divorced as a result of a very poorly hidden series of extramarital affairs, in one of which he (allegedly!) sired a child with an under aged Baltimore teen.

But yeah, eff' the gays getting married.

Sorry, I just think this is much more ado about nothing. Any Pastor telling his congregation to not vote, over such a small issue that doesn't effect the marriage of straight congregants in any way, shape, or form, is just being ignorant and shortsighted. When black unemployment is as bad as it currently is, staying home is not an option.

Besides, if "preserving the sanctity of marriage" is really that serious, why not just tell em' to vote for Romney.

Question: Is this much fuss about nothing, or could many black voters stay home or vote for Romney come election day?!?

AB.com Open Mic Monday.

I'm back, but the blog isn't. Yet. Drop links, write your own posts. You know the drilly.

A few stories of interest...

The Inevitable "Sky Is Falling" Romney Campaign Staff Story. - And... just like that, all the staffers are jumping ship, essentially writing the post mortem on this campaign weeks before election day. Way to stick up for you guy, folks. As you'll recall the same sort of loose lips stories cropped up from #TeamPalin/McCain back in 08' around this same time. Odd.

The Bureaucratic Nightmare Of Actually Trying To Get An ID To Vote With By Election Day - Not nearly as simple as it sounds.

Black Multimillionaire Loses House Featured On MTV Teen Cribs - Maybe you remember this episode, maybe not. Either way, have a look. It's a pretty sad story of rags to riches to rags.

Clarence Thomas Acknowledges He's Black, And That Blacks Might Not Have Actually Been Regarded In The Constitution. - Yeah, can't wait to hear the Conservative backlash from this one. The nerve of this guy to "play the race card".

Question: What's on your mind today?

AB.com Open Mic.

I'm headed to Connecticut for the Day Job all week. Might be a minute, so entertain yourselves. Drop links, write your own posts. You know the drill by now.

BTW, how about that RGIII fella? Apparently he's not so bad at this footballing thing, huh? #bandwagon #notevenatrealfootballfan #gitwit



Question: What's on your mind today?

Only 96,000 Jobs Added In August.

Eff' a glowing speech, this is a problem. Period.

U.S. employers added 96,000 jobs last month, a weak figure that could slow the momentum President Barack Obama hoped to gain from his speech Thursday night to the Democratic National Convention.

The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July. But that was only because more people gave up looking for work. People who are out of work are counted as unemployed only if they're looking for a job.

The government also said Friday that 41,000 fewer jobs were created in July and June than first estimated. The economy has added just 139,000 jobs a month since the start of the year, below 2011's average of 153,000.

Friday's report provided fodder for both presidential candidates. Republican nominee Mitt Romney has pointed to 43 straight months in which unemployment has exceeded 8 percent.

At the same time, the report marks the 30th straight month of private-sector job gains, a point Obama and his allies are certain to spotlight.

The report was discouraging throughout. Hourly pay fell, manufacturers cut the most jobs in two years and the number of people in the work force dropped to its lowest level in 31 years.

Seriously, no need to spin this one. These numbers were waaaaay below projections, and reinforce the thought that November's election is going to come down to turnout.

Question: WTF?!?

DNC Day Two Recap/Day Three Open Thread.

Well what a night that was. Nope, I'm not talking about the bizarre Lupe Fiasco/Chief Keef "beef" that culminated in Lupe "retiring" via Twitter, I'm talking about Bill Clinton's defense of the Obama Presidency last night, which might be the greatest White Co-Sign™ in Amurrican history.

Random thoughts...

Clinton Speaks About Obama's Record Better Than Obama - In a very sad way, Clinton's speech illuminated all the shortcomings of our current President. Clinton defended Obama's record, explaining in plain English the total sh*t sandwich he inherited, and what he's done to fix it. He also spent time refuting darn near every misleading talking point/lie that Romney/Ryan have spewed during this campaign season. It was a masterful takedown so thorough in nature, even Fox News had to streeetch to find something to lie complain about. The truly frustrating thing is that President Obama either is humanly incapable of, or simply too politically timid to do the same. That said...

Bill Clearly Wasn't "Out For Self" - When rumors circulated that Clinton's speech wasn't vetted by #TeamObama, I expected the worst. As you know, I'm not the biggest Bill Clinton fan. Never was, and after that sh*t he pulled in 08', prolly never will be. So I fully expected him to deliver a rambling speech that talked mostly about his favorite topic (himself) and relegated defending the candidate to the backseat. You know, sorta like every speaker at last week's GOP Convention. But Clinton stuck to the script, and nailed it. I (re)gained an iota of respect for the man, and he needs to be on the stump for Obama tomorrow. Simply put, a person who can speak with credibility and connect with voters in language they can understand is a valuable weapon. Shelving him wouldn't be a wise idea. Just as Al Gore how that went.

The Other Speakers... - Were boring. There, I said it. After Tuesday night's lineup of barnburners (Deval, Michelle, Castro) the energy level was waaaaay down last night. Elizabeth Warren looks like a Scott Brown walloping just ready to happen. Chris Van Hollen could put an insomniac to bed. And while I love Kamala Harris like the rest of ya'll, her speech was uninspiring at best.

Obama Better Nail It Tonight - Clinton did the "passionate defense" thing last night. Barack better do the "here's how I'mma fix it" thing tonight, and with the bar raised so high, he needs to give the speech of his life. Without the expected backdrop of a football stadium full of delegates and supporters, I sorta feel like some of the "grandeur" is already gonna be lacking. We'll see.

DNC vs RNC - Anyone else feel like this week's convention is actually taking place on a planet you recognize? The differences in tone, enthusiasm, optimism, and yes, diversity, are startling to say the least.

Question: Did you see The Clinton Speech? What'd you think?!?

DNC Day One NewsBriefs & Open Thread.

I'm in my home state this week, but not for the Democratic National Convention (I'm here for the Day Job). Still, it'll be interesting to see what happens over the next few days, and whether or not #TeamObama can regain the country's confidence. My guess is, the Dems will get a mild bounce, but the poll are still gonna be tight anyway. This whole election comes down to turnout.

Anyways, a few interesting plotlines...

Are You Better Off Now Than 4 Years Ago?!? - That's a line of questioning the GOP was successful in floating last week, and this week, nearly every Democrat who takes the stage is going to have to play defense explaining how. Personally, yes, I am much better off now than I was 4 years ago. The fact that I'm still employed undoubtedly has a lot to do with this. But thanks to a stock market that has almost doubled with Obama in office, my money's lookin' nicer too. What about you?

Will Bill Clinton "Go Rogue"?!? - Interestingly, Clinton still has not submitted his speech for the customary vetting by #TeamObama. Sorry, but I can't see this ending well. I suppose bringing in Clinton is an attempt to reach out to aggrieved Southern white voters, but I can't help but think this guy's gonna veer off the script (as he has multiple times already) and go for dolo, feeding right into Thursday's 24 hour news cycle. In fact, go ahead and pencil that prediction in.

Paul Ryan, Still Lyin'. - Busted this time for fibbing about his marathon times. Seriously, Sarah Palin was so much better at stretching the truth than this guy. Of course, none of these minor inconsistencies matter to his supporters, but still. Get your facts straight, buddy.

An Entire NY Times Article About Michelle Obama's Hugs. - No, seriously. Someone wrote a story with that as the central premise. #JournalismFail! The piece does delve a bit more into how the FLOTUS uses hugs to convey intimacy with constituents, but it comes across as pandering and somewhat undercuts her intelligence and political savvy by reducing her to a single human gesture. Anyway, just read it.

Question: Are you personally better off today than you were 4 years ago? I don't want anecdotal evidence, I want your own personal opinion of your own personal situation.

The AB.com Holiday Open Mic.

Something will surely pop off over the weekend/Monday. Here's your place to shoot the breeze.

Question: What's on your mind today?