UP-FRONT 2016 CAMPAIGN NUGGET!!
2016 Campaign Checklist: Who's Doing What from the Associated Press
"Here's a look at the hoops that people interested in the presidency must generally jump through to prepare for a campaign -- whether they end up running or not -- and who's doing what. .."
Why Are Walmart Stores Underperforming? Blame Their Terrible Wages (Daniel Gross) from the Daily Beast
"Walmart’s same-store sales are falling as the surrounding retail market surges. What’s the problem? By screwing its workers with low wages, the nation’s largest private-sector employer is preventing a huge chunk of the American workforce from shopping at its stores."
Time to March on Washington—Again (Ari Berman) from the Nation
"Fifty years after King’s historic march, the struggle for racial justice faces unprecedented challenges."
"Unprecedented" ... no. But this is definitely the time for a new civil rights movement -- one that goes beyond race and places the right to vote, class, and the future of work at its center.
Moment of Truthiness (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"... has our political system been so degraded by misinformation and disinformation that it can no longer function? Well, consider the case of the budget deficit ... You probably won’t be surprised to hear that voters are poorly informed about the deficit. But you may be surprised by just how misinformed."
Eve of Destruction (Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei) from Politico
""It is almost impossible to find an establishment Republican in town who’s not downright morose about the 2013 that has been and is about to be. Most dance around it in public, but they see this year as a disaster in the making, even if most elected Republicans don’t know it or admit it. Several influential Republicans told us the party is actually in a worse place than it was Nov. 7, the day after the disastrous election. This is their case:..."
Why John Boehner Has to Keep Making Crazy Threats (Alex Pareene) from Salon
"The right-wing institutions designed to help Republicans implement their agenda have lost touch with reality."
Shutting Down a Shutdown (Robert Costa) from National Review
Inside how House GOP leaders are trying to avoid one . ... The House leadership’s aversion to the tea-party plan is driven not only by strategy but also by the fear that having a debate on tactics would devolve into a Republican civil war."
Now this is interesting. GOP establishment leaders seem to have concluded that they're out of the woods on this issue -- and that they will avoid this "civil war." I think there are still several more turns of the screw from proponents of shutdown and that it remains to be seen who is going to ... get screwed.
Rubin: Heritage Tries to Goad the GOP into Suicide (Jennifer Rubin) from the Washington Post
""I have made the case that the Heritage Foundation and its sister institution Heritage Action have left intellectual integrity and political sanity behind in the rush for visibility and fundraising bucks. There is no better example of that than some terribly dishonest polling done to promote the fruitless effort to defund Obamacare by threatening to shut down the government.""
Maybe I shouldn't be posting Rubin's column...
Former WaPo Ombudsman To Bezos: Fire Jennifer Rubin from Talking Points Memo
"Not because she’s conservative, but because she’s just plain bad. She doesn’t travel within a hundred miles of Post standards. She parrots and peddles every silly right-wing theory to come down the pike in transparent attempts to get Web hits," Pexton wrote. "Her analysis of the conservative movement, which is a worthwhile and important beat that the Post should treat more seriously on its national pages, is shallow and predictable..."
The fact of the matter is that Rubin is no more accurate, informed, coherent, or less partisan than a majority of the conservative pundits who have their names plastered hither and yon every other day or so. With the exception of Brooks, Douthat, Frum, Kathleen Parker, and one or two others, these folks live, eat and sleep the alternative GOP narrative of reality. It has become almost a waste of time to try and point out how disconnected they truly are. If a news organization is going to make the effort to have conservative pundits, they will (on a good day) sound like some version of Jennifer Rubin -- so, if you are the Washington Post, you might as well have Jennifer Rubin.
Bush Daughter: Hillary Clinton Should Run from Politico
"President George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara said she would like to see Hillary Clinton run for president in 2016. Barbara Bush, 31, called Clinton “unbelievably accomplished” in an upcoming interview with People magazine, saying she wants to see the former first lady mount a campaign." Now, I have to say that during his term in office, neither of W's daughters struck me as particularly bright. But for Barbara to come out with this statement suggests that not only does she have a brain ... but that (as the daughter of a recent GOP president) she actually has some courage as well.
2016 President: Republican Outsiders Rising: Plus: Could Anyone Beat Clinton in a Primary? (Larry Saboto) from the Univ. of Virginia Center for Politics
"Our most recent rating of Republican presidential contenders features a top tier of three notably different candidates: A Midwestern governor (Scott Walker) who is known best by the activists who will help decide the nomination; a leading national figure (Chris Christie) who has irked conservatives; and a firebrand senator (Rand Paul) with devoted supporters who would shake up the party’s platform and, perhaps, identity."
GOP Fears '16 Free-for-All will Help Clinton (Lara Seligman) from The Hill
"GOP strategists are starting to worry that the sheer number of potential candidates for the party’s 2016 presidential nomination could give an advantage to Democrats. More than two dozen Republicans are eyeing the GOP presidential nomination, while on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton looks like she could coast to the crown."
Tea Party Groups tell Alexander to Quit from The Hill
"A coalition of conservative Tea Party groups published an open letter Wednesday urging Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to retire instead of seeking a third term next year. The letter warns Alexander that if he refuses to “retire with dignity,” he will eventually face a significant primary challenge from the right. “Unfortunately, our great nation can no longer afford compromise and bipartisanship, two traits for which you have become famous,” the letter reads."
Michigan GOP Poised to Botch Senate Pickup Opportunity from Politico
"While the Democratic candidate builds his brand and his bankroll, state Republicans are still recruiting, and will be for months."
NEW SPECIES NUGGET!!
Meet the Olinguito, the Shy 'Bear-Cat' that's the First New Carnivore to be Discovered in the West for 35 Years from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"U.S. scientists said the carnivorous olinguito looks like a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear but is a member of the same family as raccoons. The creature, which has woolly orange brown fur lives in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador, and is named 'neblina,' which means fog in Spanish. Scientists at the Smithsonian said the mammal is most active at night, eats mainly fruit, rarely comes out of the trees and has one baby at a time."
PET ACCESSORIES NUGGET!!
Is that Purse Fur Real? New Yorker's Unusual Doggy Bag Turns Heads on the Streets of Manhattan from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"It is not uncommon to see a small dog peeking from a handbag in
pet-friendly New York City. But one young woman turned heads on the streets of Manhattan this week when she stepped out with her Brussels Griffon hanging from a harness, the straps slung messenger-style across her body."
NYC PHOTO NUGGET!!
The Big Apple of his Eye: Photographer's Amazing Aerial Shots of New York from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Jason Hawkes has taken hundreds of thousands of aerial photos and clocked innumerable hours in the sky above Manhattan."
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