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PoliGAF 2011: Of Weiners, Boehners, Santorum, and Teabags

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C

Chichikov

Member
besada said:
I don't have time to run it down because I'm doing a colonoscopy prep, but apparently there's a story out there about Perry funding porn.
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He does looks like someone who would be cast as GWB in a porn parody.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
Frank the Great said:
while i don't think it has to do much with him being a minority, i think you are on to something. obama simply has a huge ego. he wants to go down in history as a bipartisan, compromising president, and he puts his legacy ahead of policy goals over and over again. it is the typical sort of hubris normally found in powerful men.
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bzzt. wrong. An egoistical guy who wants to go down in history as being a middle-of-the-road type compromiser?

Egomaniacs rarely compromise. People who you're talking about want their name in history, but not for being likeable, but for being headstrong and uncompromising in their views. They like to suffer people who are not in positions of power. IE, people like Perry or Bachmann.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
mckmas8808 said:
You mean he would try his damnedest to end it. Congress holds the purse.
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As the commander in chief he could pretty effectively curb military spending by not using the military.

Not that I think this is a good idea, or that he has a chance of becoming president.

Just pointing out people don't run on slashing military spending because it is political suicide.

It would also be economic suicide. A huge portion of our GDP is defense. Unless we diverted the funds to infrastructure (what we should be doing...) it would be bad news if we slashed military spending.
 
S

speculawyer

Member
Flo_Evans said:
As the commander in chief he could pretty effectively curb military spending by not using the military.

Not that I think this is a good idea, or that he has a chance of becoming president.

Just pointing out people don't run on slashing military spending because it is political suicide.

It would also be economic suicide. A huge portion of our GDP is defense. Unless we diverted the funds to infrastructure (what we should be doing...) it would be bad news if we slashed military spending.
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That is exactly what we should be doing. We really need to stop blowing things up and start building things. Such spending provides a much better multiplier effect. (It is domestic, the improved infrastructure makes the economy run better, etc.)
 
M

Mortrialus

Banned
B

Byakuya769

Member
speculawyer said:
That is exactly what we should be doing. We really need to stop blowing things up and start building things. Such spending provides a much better multiplier effect. (It is domestic, the improved infrastructure makes the economy run better, etc.)
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Could even wrap the building into military service so it would somehow escape the "government shouldn't be in the business of creating jobs".. or whatever the general problem with makes works programs is. We have the ability to train servicemen very well.
 
S

speculawyer

Member
RustyNails said:
BREAKING: Gaddafi may be planning to flee to Tunisia (msnbc)
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I know it is a long shot, but I just hope the guy works out some exile deal. Just give him a few hundred million and let him live out his years in exile in some Africa country.

I just hate it when these dictators cause unnecessary death & destruction by dragging things out.


But of course they wouldn't be dictators if they were rational decent people like that.
 
P

Piecake

Member
Byakuya769 said:
Could even wrap the building into military service so it would somehow escape the "government shouldn't be in the business of creating jobs".. or whatever the general problem with makes works programs is. We have the ability to train servicemen very well.
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put the army corp of engineers on the job!
 
C

Clevinger

Member
RustyNails said:
bzzt. wrong. An egoistical guy who wants to go down in history as being a middle-of-the-road type compromiser?

Egomaniacs rarely compromise. People who you're talking about want their name in history, but not for being likeable, but for being headstrong and uncompromising in their views. They like to suffer people who are not in positions of power. IE, people like Perry or Bachmann.
Click to expand...

Egomaniac is probably the wrong word. And I don't know if he's like this for his legacy so much as for voters to view him that way during his presidency (and his reelection).
 
B

Byakuya769

Member
Gonaria said:
put the army corp of engineers on the job!
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Yep. I wonder how it could be framed. Could it be done in a way that makes opponents have to choose attacking this "stimulus and infrastructure" project or "supporting the troops"?
 
P

Piecake

Member
Byakuya769 said:
Yep. I wonder how it could be framed. Could it be done in a way that makes opponents have to choose attacking this "stimulus and infrastructure" project or "supporting the troops"?
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Eh, I honestly can not see that happening. If we used the corp we would get the benefit of the infrastructure, but we would definitely miss out on the boost to the economy through employing construction workers, construction company contract bids, etc.

I don't really think you could stick a 'support the troops' meme on the army corp doing construction. The only possible way I could see that happening is if due to massive cuts in the military a measure like this is proposed to save their jobs. If there are cuts, I really doubt that the corp of engineers is going to be impacted all that much. Likely new recruits/grunts, useless bases and bloated military projects will be the first things to go
 
D

deadbeef

Member
Clevinger said:
Oh, and thanks to whoever recommended Before The Storm (the book about Goldwater) in this thread. I'm only partway through, but it's excellent and incredibly fascinating so far.
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Have you read Nixonland? Nixon makes for a more compelling central character - I think it's a much better book.
 
L

Lucky Forward

Member
Fact check: Does Texas teach creationism in public schools?

More definitively, Suzanne Marchman, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, the state’s version of the Department of Education, tells NBC, the state’s science standards for high-school biology “require students to analyze, evaluate, and critique, scientific explanations.”

And since teachers craft their own lesson plans, “It’s likely that other theories, likely creationism, are being discussed in class" -- whether it's because teachers plan lessons around it, or because students bring it up.

Marchman also explained that there is an elective course on Biblical history. “And so certainly, a teacher could include discussion of creationism in a Bible class,” she said, adding, “The curriculum doesn’t require them to teach [creationism and evolution] side-by-side, but because teachers craft their lesson plan at the local level, it’s a local decision. So the state doesn’t offer up the specifics of what’s required to be taught.”
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J

jamesinclair

Banned
Looks like Rick Perry's mismanagement of the texas water supply is going to lead to major economic losses, and of course, massive requests for federal aid.

If he had limited unsustainable growth, put in place water use plans and built storage facilities, this wouldnt be such an issue.

Instead, he told the oil companies to use as much water as they wanted to find gas.

I wouldnt be surprised if he quits his governor position to "focus on the 2012 election"....when in reality, he'd be bailing out on a state he screwed over and left to die.



The worst Texas drought since the 1950s has this ranching town of nearly 1,110 residents, and a handful of other cities, facing a prospect they’ve never encountered before: running out of water. One city outside Dallas, Kemp, already experienced a dress rehearsal this month when every faucet was shut off for two days to fix pipes bursting in the shifting and hardening soil.

Many lakes and reservoirs across the state are badly depleted after more than a month of 100-degree temperatures and less than 1 inch of rain. Robert Lee’s water supply lake is fast becoming a mud hole. The worst-off communities are already trying to run pipes to distant water lines, drilling emergency wells and banning water use for virtually anything beyond drinking, bathing and keeping businesses working.

Worst-case scenarios have a few towns running out of water in a matter of months. Although Texas cities have gone bone-dry before — country star Billy Ray Cyrus sent a truck of bottled water to Throckmorton when the town tapped out in 2000 — the nearly 500 water systems statewide now under some mandatory restrictions appear unprecedented.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...exas-drought/2011/08/18/gIQAzrQ2MJ_story.html



Yes, thats one excellent solution. Is your water running out? Then run a straw to a neighboring lake!

Thats planning at its finest.

What will it take to kick out the oil companies that are making a dangerous situation so much worse?


It gets better

The town’s desperate straits have extinguished any Texas-friendly, we’re-in-this-together spirit among neighboring cities: Robert Lee is pumping Lake Spence around the clock to move what little water is left into an exclusive reservoir, in what is practically a game of keep-away. Once the water is transferred, engineers expect the town to have enough through at least the spring.
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This is what happens when you run a state with the "locals know best!" policy.

Thats what central management is for, to stop shit like that. But that would go against the GOP platform, so you cant have that.

And we all know how important clean air and water is to the GOP

Prized as Lake Spence’s dwindling supply is, the actual water is terrible. The lake is less than a half-percent full, making what’s left thick with saline and sunken dead matter, and almost too contaminated to be treated.
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And it woulnt be texas without splurging on high school athletics

Each day, a truck from nearby Bronte hauls 6,300 gallons of water to Robert Lee High School to irrigate the football field, at a cost of $200 per trip. That keeps the ground soft but far from green, and there’s practically no grass.
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It's like scrubbing the decks on the sinking titanic.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
jamesinclair, what other 'mismanagement' has Perry done that has worsened this problem aside from putting limits on fracking (a very new industry)? I see a lot of effects of the drought, but not many causes that would indicate that Governor Perry is to blame.

It's the worst drought in Texas since the 50's, when the population was 7 million people. Now it's 25 million.
 
H

HylianTom

Banned
Although Texas cities have gone bone-dry before — country star Billy Ray Cyrus sent a truck of bottled water to Throckmorton when the town tapped out in 2000 — the nearly 500 water systems statewide now under some mandatory restrictions appear unprecedented.
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Wait a sec.. there's a town called Throckmorton?

Hehe..

*titter*

There's a term in the radiology field called Throckmorton's Sign. Here's a NSFW link explaining it:
http://www.radswiki.net/main/index.php?title=Throckmorton's_sign <<< NSFW

"Bone-dry?" Bwa-ha-ha..!

...

Sorry.

...

As far as Texas' water issue goes, I honestly wonder if this drought is part of a longer-term change. Each year, we here in Austin have been watching Lake Travis go lower and lower and lower. The area is basically desertifying before our eyes.

I'm bailing in about a month to go back east, so I won't be around to see the results.. but I sometimes worry about friends who will remain. I'd be lying if I said that the dry weather wasn't on my list of reasons for leaving the area. The lack of water has gone from something that we joke about at work to something that people discuss with a tiny hint of worry in the tone of their voices.
 
R

RoninChaos

Member
speculawyer said:
That is all very true . . . but we are in uncharted territory. If it is a world-wide economic mess (which it is) then the pain threshold goes up. It certainly won't be easy to win re-election but I wouldn't count Obama out just because unemployment is around 9%.


And Mr.9% probably can beat Bachmann. She really is fucking nuts with the gay-hate, the no-abortion even in cases of rape, the let's not pay our bills economics, lets teach creationism, etc. Moderate Republicans will vote for center-right Obama over that insanity.
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You know, I used to have faith that people would see through the bullshit, but the fact that people like Bachmann have any traction at all... that shit scares me. The abandonment of logic to embrace fear... fuck that shit.

W always pulled that "I'm going with my gut" bullshit, and she's doing the same thing only she's a lot more dangerous because she's stupid and doesn't realize it. At last Bush realized he was dumb. Bachmann thinks she's intelligent and the people backing her do too.

I really can't put into words the amount of animosity I have at the current political process that has some how managed to equate intellectualism with elitism. The fact that there is such an anti-intellectual slant on the right is mind boggling. Fuck the labels of democrats, republicans, tea baggers, etc. There's smart and there's stupid and people like Michelle Bachmann are stupid and dangerous.

The fact that there aren't people out there on both sides saying "Hey, don't get wreckless." and calling her on her shit over a comment like "I'll bring back 2 dollar gas" is astonishing. Anybody with any sense could realize why that comment is rooted in fantasy land and there are still people out there like "FUCK YEAH, SHE CAN DO IT! The president can do ANYTHING."

God damnit. I hate almost everybody that lives in my country. Stupid mother fuckers.
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
ToxicAdam said:
jamesinclair, what other 'mismanagement' has Perry done that has worsened this problem aside from putting limits on fracking (a very new industry)? I see a lot of effects of the drought, but not many causes that would indicate that Governor Perry is to blame.

It's the worst drought in Texas since the 50's, when the population was 7 million people. Now it's 25 million.
Click to expand...

Lets start with your second paragraph.

A drought is not a historical anomaly. It's cyclical. It is to be expected.

If Texas experienced a terrible drought in the 1950s, it was obvious it would happen again. There will be another terrible drought in the future.

So, knowing that the state can expect a crippling drought, why were preventative measures not taken?

Why are there no zoning laws which limit developments to sustainable areas?

Again, perry has been governor longer than anyone else.

He COULD have ordered the refilling of the ground water aquifers which have been depleted from a century of uncontrolled development.

Instead, he gave the green light to unlimited use for natural gas.

He COULD have created a system that required housing developers to ensure their new homes had access to water for 100 years, instead of letting them build homes, sell homes, and let the new residents deal with the lack of water in 10 years.


Or, you know, you can go back and read my post where I point out all the things he did wrong.


Again, he's the freaking governor. Sitting by and idling watching the aquifer run dry = gross negligence.

He will attempt to throw around phrases like "unprecedented" and "act of God" when referring to the drought, but the reality is, we have the technology to ensure safe and clean water storage that would allow the state to continue to move forward in dry years.

Wasnt the state completely flooded in 2008 when they were hit by two or three hurricanes?

What happened to all that water? Why wasnt it collected and retained for the future?

Look up at how much the Teas agriculture economy has been crippled this year.

The "Texas Miracle" is going to last about as long as the Dubai one.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
You realize the governor of Texas is one of the weakest executives in the Union? He probably doesn't even have the powers to make these widescale changes you are calling for or accusing him of neglecting.

Also, Bush had addressed the issue in 1997 by empowering regional groups to care for the needs of the state.




1997 Legislation said:
What are the steps in preparing a regional water plan?

The planning process begins with the collection and analyses of many types of information related to water demands and supplies. RWPG members are responsible for deciding how future water needs in their respective region may be met. Each regional water plan will include information about water supplies and demand, water quality problems affecting water supply, and social and economic characteristics of the region. The plan also will identify water supply threats to agriculture and natural resources. Information concerning current preparations for drought and the status of other water plans in the region will be reviewed.

The following tasks are common to each regional water plan:

Determine water demands

Determine water supplies available for use during drought of record
Click to expand...


Seems there's a funding problem, too.


So, again, you are telling me about effects of the drought but not providing me causes that Rick Perry has been specifically responsible for that has worsened these effects.
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
ToxicAdam said:
I've been thinking a lot about the cautious nature of our current President. Do you think it's partially because he carries the weight of being the first minority President? Afraid to be too bold or risk the public turning against him and ruining it for future minority candidates ("Oh great, another Obama!")? In the same way that Jimmy Carter's presidency made it difficult for mainstream liberals to run thereafter.

I know it's wildly speculative and in no way something you can prove, but it strikes me as odd his first three years in office in comparison to his Senate career. Where he was not afraid to lash out at his opponents or carry an opinion that went against the majority. Obama is a student of the past Presidents, so you wonder if his place in American history has played any decision into his leadership choices.
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Unlike most people in the media, I never thought that Obama was naive or incompetent. Rather, he was more of a corporate democrat than we previously thought. But now I'm not even sure about that. This is probably the best explanation about Obama's governance that I've encountered:

http://themonkeycage.org/blog/2011/...of-why-didnt-obama-come-out-fighting-in-2009/
 
M

Mortrialus

Banned
ToxicAdam said:
You realize the governor of Texas is one of the weakest executives in the Union? He probably doesn't even have the powers to make these widescale changes you are calling for or accusing him of neglecting.

Also, Bush had addressed the issue in 1997 by empowering regional groups to care for the needs of the state.







Seems there's a funding problem, too.


So, again, you are telling me about effects of the drought but not providing me causes that Rick Perry has been specifically responsible for that has worsened these effects.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the funding problem was specifically caused by Perry's restructuring of the tax code.
 
The Chosen One

The Chosen One

Member
Macam said:
.

That shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with Rep. Issa. The NYT did a great piece on just what kind of Congressman Issa is.
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While the ThinkProgress story was bogus, the NYT story was exceptional and was the first time a media outlet put all of Issa's business dealings and conflicts of interests side-by-side. Issa is my congressman and I would love nothing more than to see him disgraced/voted out of office.

It's a shame our local media has pretended the NYT article never existed. They have never mentioned a single negative word about Issa's business dealings. I'm trying to get an opinion/letter published in the local paper just so someone will finally speak out about Issa's blatant corruption.

But Issa brings home the pork so he has a lot the local politicians and businesses under his thumb. He's basically become untouchable. A half billion dollars in wealth (much of it made while he has been a Senator) will do that.
 
D

Diablos

Member
Guevara said:
Huntsman gives up on 2012.


HuntsmanTweet-thumb-570x315-61028.png


@JonHuntsman
Jon Huntsman

To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.
4 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

Retweeted by SkyDaddysBoy and 100+ others

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/08/at-last-theres-proof-jon-huntsman-is-aiming-for-2016/243842/
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+1 Huntsman. Respect.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
Mortrialus said:
I'm pretty sure the funding problem was specifically caused by Perry's restructuring of the tax code.
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Is it? According to that article:

In November, Texas voters will be asked to approve $6 billion in bonds that the Texas Water Development Board will use to help local communities grow and maintain water supplies.

Perry endorsed the legislation authorizing the bond election.
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In the late 1990s, Brown and others proposed fee surcharges on bottled water or on consumption exceeding 5,000 gallons a month for residential users. Opposition was swift and stout.

“This is a water tax. The people I represent are viscerally opposed to this,” one Houston lawmaker said at the time.

To this day, a prevailing anti-tax sentiment “makes it pretty difficult” to invest in the state's future water needs, Brown said.
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P

polyh3dron

Banned
holy fuck Huntsman is LIBERAL SCUM

Who the hell does he think he is, believing those liberal scientists with their whole global warming hoax scheme to make Al Gore richer..

And he rejects the bible as the word of God!
 
S

Salazar

Member
The Chosen One said:
He'll get my respect when he actually says that in front of a Republican audience or at a debate.
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The Republicans who give a shit will read/hear about that tweet. And they'll talk/rant about it.

It's not like he mumbled it into his pillow.
 
L

Lucky Forward

Member
Rick Perry Can’t Defend His Claim That Social Security Is Unconstitutional Because He’s ‘Got A Big Mouthful’

Inside the café, Gail Mitchell and a companion grilled him: “You said Social Security was unconstitutional.”

“Social Security’s going to be there for those folks,” Perry answered his inquisitors, making reference to the elderly.

“But you said Social Security is unconstitutional,” Mitchell repeated.

“I don’t think I — I’m sorry, you must have,” Perry said before stopping himself.

Instead of elaborating, Perry stuffed a generous piece of popover in his mouth. (Perry called them “pop ups.”)

“I’ve got a big mouthful,” Perry said and then ordering a glass of water. He later tripped over one of the women standing at his side pressing him on Social Security.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Perry said to her.
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E

eznark

Banned
quadriplegicjon said:
I'm glad he decided to not go further in the teatard lane. I still think he should have held off running this cycle, I don't see the teaparty having so much sway next time around.
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He'll drop before the primaries if he is smart and wants to run again. Use this to get his name out and get himself on the talking head circuit.
 
I

Invisible_Insane

Member
eznark said:
He'll drop before the primaries if he is smart and wants to run again. Use this to get his name out and get himself on the talking head circuit.
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Does he really want to romney (that's a verb now) about the proverbial desert for the next four years? And by four I mean two. fucking elections.
 
E

eznark

Banned
Invisible_Insane said:
Does he really want to romney (that's a verb now) about the proverbial desert for the next four years? And by four I mean two. fucking elections.
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Well he has zero shot at being President, so making money while campaigning on your own schedule seems far preferable to pissing away your warchest on a lost cause.

I got invited to a Huntsman event in Indianapolis and asked my wife (who follows issues but not really the horse race) if she wanted to go and she said "who?" I asked my in-laws who are large supporters of local and state tea party politicians if they wanted to go and they said yes, but pretty much just to give the guy shit.

Anecdotal obviously, but I feel like that's how it's shaking out for him. If you are a GOP voter (my wife actually is more left and would probably support a Huntsman type) you either dislike him or don't know him. Not a good spot for him to be.

Of course, when my folks asked me who I was backing I said Gary Johnson and my mom sighed and said "when are you going to stop giving money to joke candidates, this stuff is serious!"

heh
 
B

besada

Banned
On the Perry porn thing I mentioned yesterday:
http://technorati.com/politics/article/rick-perry-porn-mogul/
Rick Perry! Who invested thousands of dollars in a company called Movie Gallery, Inc. back in 1995. At the time MGI was the largest distributor of porn in the country.

And how can you go wrong with an investment like that? How can you NOT make money in a company that produces such fine titles as "Teens with Tits, Vol. 1"? And how did the Academy Awards overlook such a fine piece of work as "Bisexual Barebacking," another Rick Perry investment? Oh, sure, "Teen Power Vol. 4" and "Teens Never Say No" didn't live up to the high standards set by the "Teens with Tits" series, but they were no slouches in the money-making department. And isn't that what makes America great?
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And yes, I know the article is pretty shitty. I don't care if he invested in porn personally, I just figured it was funny. Particularly shitty is the reporting suggesting he passed legislation that made it more difficult to sue MGI, since what they're talking about is his tort reform legislation, which was bad legislation, but definitely not targeted at protecting porn producers so much as it was targeted at protecting shitty doctors and insurance companies.

And, the corn dog picture:
XBmRm.jpg


That's some sexy corndog eating!

Note: For those that care, my colonoscopy went fine.
 
I

Invisible_Insane

Member
eznark said:
Well he has zero shot at being President, so making money while campaigning on your own schedule seems far preferable to pissing away your warchest on a lost cause.

I got invited to a Huntsman event in Indianapolis and asked my wife (who follows issues but not really the horse race) if she wanted to go and she said "who?" I asked my in-laws who are large supporters of local and state tea party politicians if they wanted to go and they said yes, but pretty much just to give the guy shit.

Anecdotal obviously, but I feel like that's how it's shaking out for him. If you are a GOP voter (my wife actually is more left and would probably support a Huntsman type) you either dislike him or don't know him. Not a good spot for him to be.

Of course, when my folks asked me who I was backing I said Gary Johnson and my mom sighed and said "when are you going to stop giving money to joke candidates, this stuff is serious!"

heh
Click to expand...
Heh. I was more referring to the "become a talking head" point you made. I think if he's going to get out of the race (and he probably should, though if he was take a couple more principled stands in the current primaries that could only help his case later on), he should go do something more productive than talking about what he's going to do the next time he takes his shot.

I don't know that much about him, but from what I've lazily googled, it seemed like Gary Johnson was libertarian without being insane, and I wish he could get more MSM attention. Especially since he's also a former governor.
 
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