Screenshots of Wisdom

Rand Paul - Shameless Hypocrite

Paul isn't alone in the hypocrisy. It's the entire Republican party and anyone enabling, supporting, or listening to them. They deny climate change and obstruct any related public policy. They bash government and any legislation that might improve infrastructure, fight climate change, or help the majority of citizens. They cut government programs. Until it impacts them, then government should open up the checkbook and freely hand over whatever's needed. Republicans are truly despicable trolls.

Bitten By A Radioactive Ted Cruz

Buzzwords Are Not Public Policy or We've Heard Enough From So-Called Business Experts

More cliched economic jargon from error-prone businessmen. 

Biden Needs Some Business Experts

The article moans, "The new administration does not have a lot of chops when it comes to job creation. That’s largely in the domain of the private sector. Biden and his crew are loaded with experience in managing the government, but are extremely shallow in knowing what to do to help the private sector become vibrant again. Remember, all tax revenues come directly or indirectly from dynamism in the private sector. Most companies deserve to be revered for providing jobs and tax revenues, but that is not the mindset of the progressives in the Democratic Party. Their proclivity is regulation. Common sense regulation is a necessity in any economy, but more important is turning entrepreneurs loose to reinvent the economy. They are the job creators, not the government."

There is so much wrong here, it's hard to know where to begin. There are so many regurgitated conservative falsehoods in this right-wing word salad, it really does make the mind spin. For someone who can occasionally make reasonable sounding arguments, John Torinus, more often, just parrots typical Republican talking-points. 

Biden has been working for the citizens his entire adult life. He's plenty familiar with job creation. Republicans are the party that has left this country in recession after recession over the past few decades. And, it has been the Democrats who enacted targeted policies to help pull the country out. Biden was Vice President during the Obama Administration, in case Mr. Torinus has forgotten that fact. 

What did Obama and Biden do? There has not been a consistent job market expansion on record, dating back to 1939, that lasted longer than the expansion during their administration. Job growth was faster than population growth—a key measure of a healthy job market expansion. The typical weekly pay of U.S. workers has been increasing since early 2013 and re The ACA made it possible for more than 20 million individuals to afford health insurance and decreased the share of Americans without health insurance to an all-time low.ached its highest level on record, dating back to 1979, at the end of 2016. They inherited a deficit that claimed 9.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal year 2009. By FY 2016, the deficit had fallen to less than one-third of that, at 3.2 percent of GDP.

Seems like they know something about job creation, reinventing the economy and helping the private sector be vibrant.

And this "dynamism in the private sector" and "turning entrepreneurs loose" are, as Joe Biden would say, a bunch of malarkey. This country has been cutting taxes and deregulating the past 40 years. If the private sector entrepreneurs are so damn dynamic, why does the economy keep falling back into recession when we allow Republicans control of the government?

It's long overdue for the private sector knows it all, government needs to get out of the way-gang to go away. The public sector employs over 20 millions people. The public sector accounts for nearly half of the entire economy. This idea, pushed by Republicans for decades, that government is inept and wasteful is wrong. If anything, the private sector is the wasteful and inefficient actor. Not to mention the fact that the private sector is also selfish and greedy.

Private retirement account fees are drastically higher than public pension fees or Social Security fees. Much of the medical advancements we see are due to university research and the National Institutes of Health. Study after study has shown that public infrastrucutre projects are cheaper when done by unionized public workers, rather than being bid out to private corporations.

 

So, please, Republicans, conservatives, dynamic private sector know-it-alls, please step aside and let the adults in the Democratic party save the country from your destructive and misguided ramblings once again.

Sheriff Super-Douche

If one were to attempt to intervene to protect a woman and child from a drunken, tire-iron wielding doofus, for most sane and civil people, this would not elicit ridicule and insults. Many would probably even say it was an act of courage or bravery, or, at least, the right thing to do considering the circumstances.

Milwaukee Mayor's Alleged Attacker Faces 40 Yrs-Plus In Prison

But in the self-serving, opportunist, know-nothing, faux-cowboy world of Sheriff David Clarke, trying to defend a woman and child, and being unable to withstand body blows form a tire iron, makes a person a wimp.

“The last time Tom Barrett showed up at a crime scene he got his ass kicked by a drunk, tire-iron-wielding man who beat him within inches of his life," Clarke said in the lengthy post. "The milquetoast mayor trying to play cop foolishly thought he could simply talk the man who beat him senseless into backing down. Bet he won't try that again!" [source]

Barrett, in response to a reporter's questions, stated a couple a facts about Clarke. Clarke has been more interested in being a right-wing, talking-point parrot than in doing his job as the Milwaukee County Sheriff. Barrett also mentioned that he has never seen Clarke at a crime scene. I guess reality really pisses Clarke off.

Barrett set Clarke off when he said in a TV interview earlier this week that the sheriff has a “great gig going right now: He’s fighting crime one conservative cable TV show at a time.” He said everyone knows that Clarke “rode his horse out of town a long time ago.” [source]

Just like his idol, Donald Trump, Clarke doesn't like the real world. If things don't comport with Clarke's distorted world view, something is wrong with the world, not his perspective.

So this is where we are at now. When presented with facts, the right-wingers and Trumpsters hurl insults and threaten violence. Forget using your brain. When the truth doesn't fit into your political paradigm, time for pitchforks and torches.

Are we interested in actually electing public servants? Or do we just want cartoonish caricatures of Wild West buffoons?

Clarke not only ridiculed Barrett (for an act of bravery), he then did what all Wisconsin Republicans love to do - he took shots at Milwaukee. According to Wisconsin Republicans, Milwaukee is a crime-ridden hell-hole. Maybe if Clarke actually set foot back in Milwaukee one of these days (instead of doing the conservative talk show circuit) he would see all the activity and development taking place. And, as Bruce Murphy recently pointed out, Milwaukee Subsidizes The State.

The city gets only 66 cents in state spending for every dollar in state taxes paid.

So while the Republican playbook has been bankrupting states and cities across the country, Democratic places, like Milwaukee, are on the ascent. While Scott Walker's policies haven't done anything near his campaign promises, Mayor Barrett has overseen a boom in Milwaukee jobs and development.

Let's also not forget that Republicans are supposed to be the party of morals, family values, honor, country, dignity, blah blah blah. Yeah, it's all just a facade. There are no principles underlying any of their proclamations. Their opinions morph as needed. And, the saddest part is all the people that support and parrot the rhetoric. Still towing the party-line and supporting these ever-changing opinions and policy prescriptions. Just look at the faces of their party - Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions, David Clarke, Steven Bannon, KellyAnne Conway. All lying, racist, sexist, self-serving, know-nothings only concerned with maintaining power. How can honest, America-loving conservatives look themselves in the mirror and believe any of this rhetoric or that these opportunists are good for the country?

Wake up, people! Time to see past the smoke, mirrors and vitriol. Sheriff Super-Douche and his band of destructive deplorables are not interested in you or your well-being. Please help us make this a functioning democracy again. Democrats are not perfect, but truth, reality and governance still mean something to them.

This is all so fucked up it's flabbergasting.

Sheriff Wingnut Threatens To Grab Himself By The Throat

"When I hear people say that we need to reach across the aisle and work with people, with the Democrats, you know what I say? The only reason I'll be reaching across the aisle is to grab one of them by the throat," Clarke said to raucous cheers and fist-pumping. [source]

Maybe most of the deplorables outside of Wisconsin are not aware (and even some inside Wisconsin), but Sheriff David Clarke runs for office as a Democrat.

So maybe he's just letting the cat out of the bag here - that he's a complete political opportunist who will do and say anything, buddy up to anyone and lie to his constituents for his own benefit. 

It seems he's trying to set himself up for a position within the Trump administration, so he may not really care about running for County Sheriff anymore. Although, if he does try to run for another term as Milwaukee County Sheriff, he should have to run as a Republican. 

Words mean things. The Trumps, Clarkes and the rest of that basket should have to mean what they say and stand behind the garbage that spills out of their mouths. Enough of their mealy-mouthed bullshit, saying whatever will gain applause from the crowd and fanning the flames of anger and misinformation, while shamelessly changing positions every other day.

Clarke is glad to call himself a Democrat to get elected in Milwaukee County, yet he wants nothing to do with the Democrats? 

So, Mr. Clarke, if you're going to run around spouting conservative bromides, start labeling yourself a Republican. Until then, grab yourself by the throat, squeeze and don't let go until that last breath leaves your hateful and ignorant body. 

Scott Walker: Wisconsin's (Continually) Losing Bet

Taxpayers will pay more under Scott Walker health plan, study says

Gov. Scott Walker's proposed rejection of a federally funded expansion of state health programs would add some $50 million in costs to state taxpayers over the next two years, according to the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office.

Lost jobs ... unused investment ... how much is Wisconsin willing to endure?

But really, what did you (Walker voters) expect? These (disastrous) results are typical of Republican governance.

For Further Reading:
The numbers show that Democrats are better for the economy than Republicans.

Want a Better Economy? History Says Vote Democrat!

GOP Leaders Remind Voters the Economy Does Better Under Democrats

R.I.P.: Democracy

Last November, the American people preferred Democratic House candidates to Republican House candidates by almost 1.4 million votes, yet Republicans still hold a substantial House majority due in large part to partisan gerrymandering...[G]errymandering is a major form of disenfranchisement. In the seven states where Republicans redrew the districts, 16.7 million votes were cast for Republicans and 16.4 million votes were cast for Democrats. This elected 73 Republicans and 34 Democrats. Given the average percentage of the vote it takes to elect representatives elsewhere in the country, that combination would normally require only 14.7 million Democratic votes. Or put another way, 1.7 million votes (16.4 minus 14.7) were effectively packed into Democratic districts and wasted. [source]

Republicans considered population in their 2011 redistricting scheme, but they studied voting patterns just as carefully. The GOP packed likely Democrats into supermajority districts and gave their own party the statistical edge in contested areas. The results were not just anti-Democratic but anti-democratic. In 2012, Republicans won only 46% of the total votes cast for Assembly but took 61% of the seats. [source]

Sam Wang, an associate professor at Princeton University, has done a thorough analysis of election results that was published in Sunday’s New York Times. Wang found that even though Democrats received 1.4 million more votes than Republicans in House races, the GOP won 234 seats to the Democrats’ 201. How did this happen? [source]

Republicans Foil What Majority Wants By Gerrymandering
The Great Gerrymander Of 2012
Republicans Won House Because Of Gerrymandering
Now That's What I Call Gerrymandering
How Gerrymandering Helped GOP Keep Control Of House
How Ridiculous Gerrymanders Saved The House Republican Majority
GOP Memo: Gerrymandering Won Us The House Majority

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More Class War

We, as a country (whether it be at the federal or the state level), can't raise taxes on millionaires. No, no, no.

But, we can cut Social Security, where the average yearly Social Security retirement benefit is $14,800?

U.S.A.!

Win, Lose, Or Redraw

In 2012, the GOP lost the presidency, they lost the Senate, they lost the vote count in the House of Representatives by a combined 1.1 million votes. Republicans haven't gotten an ass paddling like that since D.C. shut down Madame Kink's Rump Dungeon. If it's Wednesday, ask for the "trickle down".

And it is getting so bad, that to win the presidency next time, some are saying that Republicans might have to change their messaging, or change their policies, or change the constituencies that they serve. Now thankfully, there's a better answer, and it brings us to tonight's Word: Win, Lose, or Redraw.

Yes, even though they lost the popular combined vote, the GOP kept control of the House by a 33-seat margin. And they did it without watering down the Republican Party platform. ("Rape Is So Misunderstood.") 

Now, just how did the Republicans do it? (Missionary Style?) They did it with a little thing I call gerrymandering. (Named for Gerald Mander, The Third) You see, back in 2010, Republican state legislatures across the nation redrew Congressional districts to make them a lock for the GOP. And in some cases, just to send a message to the Democrats. 

Because that's the beauty of gerrymandering. Instead of voters getting to pick their leaders, leaders get to pick their voters. (Me, The People) And I say, why not? We should trust our leaders. After all, we voted them in. (Once, Back in the 70's.) 

Well, now that the GOP has its gerrymandering game down, they are ready to take it to the next level. Republican legislators in the key swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, are lining up behind proposals that would allocate presidential electoral college votes by congressional district. As a supporter of this idea, Pennsylvania state senator Dominic Pileggi argues, "the current winner-take-all system is inherently unfair because the losing party... gets no credit in the electoral count". 

Yeah, the losing party never gets to pick the President. This legislation just allows Republicans to level the playing field. (And Turn It Into A Golf Course) Because folks, here's the great part. If you applied this plan to the 2012 election, even though 5 million more people voted for the Democrat, the Republican would've won the presidency by 22 electoral votes. [source]

Also: Scott Walker: Electoral Vote Proportional Allocation An Interesting Idea

Jobs: Bush Versus Obama

From Think Progress, "Private sector job creation under President Obama has far exceeded private sector job creation under President Bush. 40 months into his presidential term, there are currently more private sector jobs in the economy than when Obama came into office. At the same point in President Bush’s term, the total number of private sector jobs was still down 1.7 percent from where it began.

The numbers are even starker when measuring each president’s record from the moment job creation returned. Private sector job creation returned in February of 2010, the 13th month of President Obama’s term. Since then, the economy has added 4.3 million private sector jobs, a 4 percent increase.

Under President Bush, the economy stopped shedding private sector jobs in July of 2003, fully 30 months into his administration. From that point until May of 2004, the economy added just 1.5 million private sector jobs, an increase of only 1.4 percent."

Andrew Leonard notes, "But the real eye-opener comes when we compare Obama’s numbers to George W. Bush’s. In Bush’s first term, the economy shed 913,000 private sector jobs! 913,000! The only thing that saved Bush’s first term from being a complete economic disaster, in terms of employment, was robust public sector growth: The economy added 900,000 government jobs. One wonders: Without the massive growth in the public sector during Bush’s first term, would he have been reelected?"

The only thing that didn't make Bush's first term job creation numbers a complete disaster was the growth of public workers - the government. Obama accomplished much better total job growth in his first term, even with an unprecedented decline in the number of public workers.

And, in general, the economy creates more jobs under Democrats - 42 million during Democratic administrations versus 24 million during Republican administrations.

Whichever period we choose to dissect, we can see the country is better off under the Democrats. Plus, the idea that President Obama has performed poorly is highly misguided. No doubt, we'd all rather see more robust job creation, to bring the unemployment rate down toward a more respectable 5 or 6 percent. But, if the millions of jobs created in Obama's first term is some colossal failure, then the nonexistent job growth during Bush's first term is the absolute worst performance we've ever seen. This is surely not an endorsement for giving the White House back to the Republicans whom have performed so comparatively poorly.

So, if the economy is the important issue we all should be focused on during this election (as Republicans seem to indicate), based on their past performance versus the current President's performance, the only choice is Barack Obama.

The Mitt Romney Story

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Meet Paul Ryan

Hat-tip to Cory Liebmann at Eye on Wisconsin, he's found an extensive research report by American Bridge Political Action Committee - a 290 page magnum opus on the seemingly endless policy failures and nonsensical views of Paul Ryan.

The Frauds

Paul Krugman lays these cranks bare, "Nobody in a position of influence within the GOP cares about deficits when tax cuts for the affluent are on the line. Deficit hawkery is just a stick with which to beat down social programs."

Foxes In The Hen House

We should not be surprised when government, during periods controlled by those whom admonish the public sector, performs poorly - services are cut, deficits swell, programs disappear.

Conservatives criticize government for all its failures. But the economic failures are primarily concentrated under Republican administrations.

Maybe government isn't bad after all. Maybe the way Republicans govern is the real problem.

Small Salamander*

Unbelievable! Republicans are criticizing the White House press? Now? Suddenly the press is doing a terrible job and is a public relations wing of the White House? Are these guys for real?

The press is largely horrible, I agree. But to claim it's a one-way street favoring the Democrats is disingenuous at best. If anything the corporate press has been overly deferential to the Republicans, while being overly questioning of the Democrats.

And, really, who gives a @#$* about what Newt thinks anymore? Go away, *Newt!

Having It Both Ways

Republicans complain about Obama’s pump-priming: trying to get the economy moving forward with the only entity able to invest at this point – the government. They duplicitously complain that the taxpayers will end up paying for this. (Putting aside that this argument shows an obvious lack of understanding about investment and multiplier effects), this completely ignores the Republican’s own deficits that they’ve run up over the last three decades. This also completely disregards the fact that if the government were to do nothing: unemployment would be increasing even faster, more businesses would be failing or filing for bankruptcy, more people would be losing their jobs and filing for unemployment and in need of government aid for medical care – who do they think would be paying for these costs?

All Over The Spectrum

Fascism and Communism are at two different ends of the political spectrum. Those claiming that President Obama is a communist (extreme socialism) in one breath and a fascist (extreme conservatism) in the next are displaying their ignorance of this political science precept.

In its simplest form, the political spectrum looks something like this:

Communist ---- Liberal ---- Centrist ---- Conservative ---- Fascist

Also, fascism is primarily considered an alliance of state and corporate power – corporate governance (which seems to be the system the Republicans have being trying to construct for the last three decades). From someone who knew, Benito Mussolini stated, “Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is the merger of corporate and government power.”

I, too, feel some of Obama’s policies – unquestioned, and apparently unlimited, aid for Wall Street while the auto industry must beg, plead, restructure contracts, and make cuts – are directly from the right-wing playbook and seem tilted in favor of rich capitalists. But would I label them fascist? No. George Bush’s many tax cuts for the wealthy, his allowance of self-regulation by big business, his numerous signing statements and assaults on the law, his use of torture, and his “you’re with us or you’re against us” attitude seem to fit much better with fascist tenets.

Would I label Obama's tax breaks for the middle-class, concern over the environment, aspiration for better health care, and desire for a more and equitable society as communist? No. These are all components of government’s role and a rightful attempt at resurrecting our tattered social contract.

Does Obama feel everything should be state-owned and also somehow corporate-owned? Does he believe government should be big and small at the same time? Does he believe in trickle-down economics while also believing in higher taxation and redistribution?

The right-wing needs to put a little more time and thought into these accusations they throw out so haphazardly. There needs to be some logical equivalence to their haranguing if they want to be taken seriously. Rather than just being seen as sore-losers ranting away with any allegation, and supposed slur, they can imagine. Better yet, they could actually develop a productive platform of their own from which to build the country, instead of just mudslinging all the time.

I know the Republicans are down-and-out, lacking any vision or new ideas, truly only care about the ultra-wealthy, and are willing to say anything unconstructive to smear their opponents…but can’t they at least have some consistency to their condemnation?

"Is our children learning?"*

Stephen Colbert mocks the right-wing's disdain for education, textbooks, reading, learning, and thinking, in general.


* an actual quote from George W. Bush

Knocking Napolitano

Another manufactured Faux News political storm...because the Republicans have nothing else to add to our public discourse. Who cares what Great Van Susteren, Faux News, Rush Limbaugh, or any of the other hacks think, especially when they're simply constructing falsehoods.