2016 GOP Clown Car Update: And Then There Were 15; Scott Walker Bails Out

Sleepy-eyed, shiny-bald-spot-sporting Scott Wanker Walker is taking one for the team. Sort of. Seeing his numbers get worse and worse, he's jumping out of the 2016 GOP Clown Car, allegedly to better position his competitors to take out Donald Trump. He's hoping, he says, for a bit of a Clown Car exodus of the lower tier (or back seat, if you prefer), with the hopes that someone, anyone will take The Donald down a peg.

It's not a bad strategy, were it the truth. I think the reality is, he just wasn't the great hope they all said he was, and he was unable to make even a tiny splash in the press. I wouldn't think the effort was worth it either. Bye, Felicia!

[Excerpt]

Wisconsin's Walker exits '16 race with harsh words for Trump

Warning that the Republican presidential race has become too nasty, Scott Walker exited the 2016 campaign on Monday and urged others to quit, too, and "clear the field" so someone can emerge to take down front-runner Donald Trump.

The announcement marked a dramatic fall for Walker, who was struggling to generate money and enthusiasm after surging into the race's top tier earlier in the year. He will return to his job as governor of Wisconsin, where his term runs through 2018. . .

Read more (with video) at: MSN

Scott Walker's Logo Lacks Originality, Vision, May Be Too Liberal

On Monday night's The Rachel Maddow Show, Rachel pointed out that the new Scott Walker for President logo may be all nice and patriotic, but it's hardly original. I can't find the clip from the show, but I can show you the ones it seems to be inspired by. The logo looks like a direct steal from an eye care company. And as a graphic artist who specializes in logos and brand identity, I've got to say that using the "e" in Walker is an odd place to drop the logo in the first place. But it's understandable to want flag imagery, and there are only so many ways to represent Old Glory in a simplified "bug."

But how funny is it, that Walker's logo also looks like the logo of former liberal talk radio flagship for  Air America Radio, WLIB? That right there is kind of hilarious. But if recent history is any indication, even a controversial logo (Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz) will probably be retained by the candidate, despite any argument to change it. There's too much invested in the design. Even if it kind of looks like the logo for US Airways.

[Excerpt]

Eyeglass company: No Scott Walker endorsement in logo

America's Best Eyeglasses is reminding people that their logo may look like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's new campaign logo, but they're not endorsing him, or any other candidate for that matter. A handful of angry tweeters pressed the eyeglasses and contacts company this past weekend, after Walker revealed a campaign logo that looks very similar to the their boxy American Flag-redux logo. . .

Read more at: CNN

2016 Clown Car Update: Now it's Scott Walker's Turn to Drive

[UPDATE 07/13/15: He actually got in today. It's tough to sort out the pre-announcements, and the accidental leaked announcements, etc., etc.]

This is really getting kind of absurd. But it's not unexpected. In fact, it's odd that Walker waited so long to declare his candidacy.

Walker kind of fits in the folk hero model, but is more than just a little bit of a hollow man, I think. Not a lot of substance there, but potentially not a lot of skeletons or obvious disqualifiers either. I think there's a bit of puffery in his resume, and the fact that he didn't finish college means maybe I should run for president! I mean, at this point, why not?

[Excerpt]

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker entering 2016 presidential race
 
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a preacher's son who withstood a recall election spawned by his fight with public employee unions, is joining the crowde 
d Republican presidential race, aides said. . .

Read more at: AOL

Right Wing World Duggared: A Picture Speaks a Thousand (Yucky) Words

Something tells me there are a whole lot of conservatives purging their various social media, blog and website archives for anything  to do with a Duggar. But the internet is forever, and these photos will always exist.
 

 

And yes, I'm doing my part to make "Duggared" a verb. A really awful verb.

Scott Walker Comment Might Save ObamaCare from The Supremes?

Oops. Image from source, Think Progress

Interesting theory. It would be icing on the cake if The Affordable Care Act was cemented by the offhand, callous comment of an extra-douchey conservative hero.

[Excerpt]

How A Stray Remark By A Republican Governor Could Save Obamacare From The Supreme Court
 
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) plan if the Supreme Court reinterprets Obamacare to take health care away from hundreds of thousands of his constituents is to “do nothing,” according to a local news report, even though he and his fellow Wisconsin Republicans have the power to save these individuals from that fate. This may not be a particularly surprising revelation, as Republican elected officials throughout the country have done little to conceal their disdain for the Affordable Care Act, yet Walker’s willingness to admit this fact could have the ironic result of saving Obamacare from the justices. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Double-standard on Recall Elections?

Image from source, Wonkette

Back when Wisconsin Governor Scott Wanker Walker faced a recall election, the prevailing wisdom was that recalls are for elected officials who have done something wrong. Not something unpopular, but committed a crime, or done something unethical. So, even though Walker was deeply unpopular, he managed to keep his seat, because Wisconsinites thought a recall wasn't the right thing to do.

Tuesday in Colorado, there was a recall election that was successful. A couple of legislators who'd been behind some modest gun control measures were recalled. They didn't commit a crime, or do anything unethical. They just went against the NRA, a lobbying group with very deep pockets and a fanatical base. Of course, recalling legislators for unpopular actions rather than crimes isn't without precedent. It was done in Iowa with state Supreme Court justices who'd decided in favor of marriage equality. In fact it was attempted in two separate elections, though it failed on its last try.

But I guess I'd like to see a little consistency in the conventional wisdom. Are recall elections for unpopular (or just unpopular with a small but vigilant group) a good thing or a bad thing?

[Excerpt]

NRA Fires Two Colorado State Senators For Doing Their Jobs And Voting On Stuff
Welcome to the USofNRA! And woe be unto you, any politician who dares to cross our not so new overlords in this quick-draw special interest group, by trying to maybe take high-capacity magazines from any maybe-crazy-maybe-not person who wants to get their warm, live fingers on a gun. Because in Colorado, where two rather awful mass-murdering shooting sprees were committed by some awfully deranged mass-murdering spree shooters in Columbine and Aurora, state Senator Angela Giron and Senate President John Morse were straight up recalled by 56% and 51% respectively of the maybe voter suppressed folks in their districts, because “Morse and Democrats passed laws that limit ammunition magazines to 15 rounds and require universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers. . .”


Read more at Wonkette

Abortion Boogaloo Part Eighty-Seven: Scott Walker Anti-Abortion Law Thwarted

Governer Scott Wanker Walker, Image from source, DailyKos

I always feel the need to point out, when I post one of these stories, that abortion has never been one of my issues. It still isn't, really, except that I'm forced into a position by the odiousness of the GOP on the issue. Most of the support they get for these laws hinges upon the "twenty weeks/fetal pain" part of them. They've convinced a lot of fence-sitters that a) a fetus is viable and can feel pain at 20 weeks, something that is scientifically dubious and, b) that the main and/or only thing they're after is to stop "late term abortions." You might even add c) convincing voters that 20 weeks is late term, that it's common, and that it's used frivolously as birth control.

But there is in fact a whole lot more in play than just the 20 weeks rule. If that was all there was to it (and if there were exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother), the outcry wouldn't be nearly so loud. What they're really trying to do--I'm convinced--is spur a lawsuit that eventually gets before the Supreme Court, in an effort to undo Roe v. Wade. Republican governors and legislatures are trying to outdo each other in that effort, and seemingly are also trying to see who can do it in the most dickish way. Who knew there were tea party bonus points for dickishness? Oh, who am I kidding, I knew.

The funny thing is how transparent it all is. Passing arbitrary "trap" laws that make it impossible to operate clinics legally, and then sometimes creating catch-22 counter-laws that make a legal paradox that would give any lawyer a headache. They end up shutting down health clinics that provide much more than just abortion, sometimes the only resource poor women have for health care. They unwittingly (or purposefully) outlaw many forms of birth control and possibly in vitro fertilization, because of the verbiage they use defining (or redefining) pregnancy, fertilization, implantation, etc. And they do it in the most underhanded, skeevy ways possible, often right before live television cameras.

So, it's always nice to see them get shut down, or stalled. I'm hoping that some loud voices can cut through all of the political theater, to clearly show the kinds of consequences all of these laws could lead to.

[Excerpt]

Breaking: Judge Blocks Wisconsin Anti-Abortion Law

Yeah!  The 9 day from introduction to legislative passage, signed secretly into law during a holiday weekend by cowardly Governor Scott Walker has been partially blocked from implementation for 10 days by a judge. . .

Read more at: DailyKos

Republican National Convention, Day 1 (ish)

I got a late start to blogging, due to the attention I was paying to MSNBC's Republican National Convention coverage, and to my 600+ Twitter feed. Word of advice if you're nursing a four-day-old sinus headache: doing this sort of activity is inadvisable. Ouch. . .

So, here is my take on the first full day of the RNC (the original day 1 having been postponed due to Hurricane Isaac). I caught Rick Santorum, who gives a great speech, even if I disagree with 100% of its content. He managed to kick the gays, but in an awkward comment. Somehow, straight people aren't getting married because of gay marriage? Or something. Anyway, Rick's speech was scarcely different from ones he gave during his campaign, with a pasted-on "vote for Mitt" in a few places.

Scott Walker, who is a rock star in the GOP these days (and don't get me started on vexing GOP heroes like Sarah Palin and "Joe the Plumber," or we'll be here all night), but his speech was meh. A bit droney, nothing too surprising. I didn't get to see a couple of other speakers, because the MSNBC team was talking, but I really don't think I missed much, based on my Twitter feed's reactions.
[Story continues below]

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And then came Ann. During her speech, I found her awkward, if endearingly so. I think her attempts to humanize Willard alternatively fell flat, or just came across as woefully unconvincing. I didn't buy her hard-scrabble story of their basement apartment, or that either of them is--particularly--just like us. Anyone (and hopefully everyone) feels for Mrs. Romney, and her health struggles. I'm sure it was even hard on Mitt (assuming that at least in private, he has ordinary human emotions). But I find it impossible to forget that the Romneys never had to worry about their finances during their difficult time. A significant portion of any health emergency is the financial element, and the Romneys were lucky enough to be spared the stress that comes with that. "Obamacare" may not be perfect, but it's a first good step to ensure that we regular people have some of that fear alleviated.

Despite my being underwhelmed (as was most of my Twitter feed), the media has quickly seized upon Ann as the star of the night. I'll let her have that, she was okay. Though I take issue with her comment that she and Mitt have a "real marriage." As opposed to? And then Willard was practically wheeled out, surprising no one, and looking more wooden than usual.

The over-arching theme of Mrs. Romney's speech was "love," and when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lumbered out, he quickly stomped on that, declaring it was not love but respect that was called for. Now, let me say straight up that I don't "get" Christie. I'm concerned when I see him that he's going to have a heart attack as I watch. I'm not beyond a fat joke but that's not an attempt to be funny, he looks startlingly unhealthy. And when he gets wound up, it just doesn't look safe to me. [Story continues below]

You can include Christie in the right-wing hero camp with those I mentioned above. He's abrasive, rude, arrogant and just basically dick-ish. His speech--like some of the others--seemed to be removed from the Mitt Romney campaign, with a Mitt endorsement lazily grafted on. Christie's speech came off like a 2016 audition, with no particular enthusiasm for the party's actual candidate.

All-in-all, even with my headache, it wasn't as painful as it could have been. Yes, most of the speakers used talking points based on falsehoods (welfare, "you didn't build that"), but an average day of FOX "News" contains more Obama-bashing, and a sense of coordinated partisanship than this night of television did. It certainly wasn't a pep rally atmosphere, like Obama's 2008 convention. . .or even McCain's.

[Excerpt]

Ann Romney Speech At 2012 Republican Convention: Mitt 'Is The Man America Needs'

Ann Romney, 63, was making her national debut at the Republican National Convention late Tuesday in a speech designed to introduce the country to the man she knows better than anyone. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post 

Wisconsin's Wanker Walker Wins (And Turds Sometimes Float)

Image from source, Politico

I'm a little surprised. I mean, I figured that all of that money had a good shot of buying a winner, I just thought it would be closer. Or maybe a surprise loss. Though I don't have a lot of emotional investment in this fight, it is disheartening to see what Citizens United hath wrought. A dweebie, uncharismatic, radical rightist holds onto his job in Wisconsin of all places? This is a place where Obama still--just today--polls above Romney. Another thought: Walker gave a victory speech. In an election that was akin to an impeachment that failed. Did Bill Clinton give a victory speech? It just seems like there should be a little humility.

And so it goes. And think of this. Whenever the huge infusion of cash into Walker's coffers is brought up, people on the right shriek, "UNIONS! The unions give money to Democrats!" Yes, they do. Which is exactly why Scott Walker and his compatriots are trying to bust unions. And with this success under their belt, where are we at if money always buys the winner? Is this the real Republican Permanent Majority that Karl Rove dreamed of? I have to hope not.

[Excerpt]


Wisconsin recall: Walker wins

A two-year saga of recall elections, public demonstrations, litigation and legislative walkouts drew to a finish Tuesday as Wisconsin voters turned out in massive numbers and voted to keep Republican Gov. Scott Walker in office.  A half-dozen states are casting ballots today in House and Senate primary elections, but it was on Wisconsin — the site of a historic Democratic campaign to oust a sitting governor — where the eyes of the political world were trained. . .

Read more: Politico

Wisconsin: Looking for a Reason to Vote Against Scott Walker? Here are 18.

Governor Scott Wanker Walker. Image from source.

Oddly, though Wisconsinites were able to amass huge numbers to get Governor Scott Walker forced into a recall election, Walker seems to be getting support now. What do you know, if people like Karl Rove get their billionaire benefactors to spend gazillions there, it has a measure of affect on the matter.

Regardless, it bears repeating that Walker very, very quickly became very, very unpopular in Wisconsin for taking his 2010 electoral victory, and using it to steamroll every arch-conservative policy ever imagined, though he didn't campaign on most of it. He's one of several of the class of 2010 GOP Governors, but at the head of the class for extreme douchiness (and in this crowd, that is really saying something). I am not confident that the poorer anti-Walker contingent will prevail in this fight, but I hope they do. And there are many reasons. . .


[Excerpt]

18 Reasons Why The People Of Wisconsin Should Vote Against Scott Walker In The Recall Election

There is an extremely pivotal statewide election coming up on June 5, 2012 in Wisconsin. After turning in nearly one million signatures, the people of Wisconsin have a chance to end Governor Scott Walker’s oppressive regime and replace him with someone more attuned to the needs of Wisconsinites. More than likely, there are voters in Wisconsin who are undecided, but if they need to be convinced to vote against Scott Walker in June, here are 18 reasons why Walker should be kicked out of office in shame. . .

Read more at: Addicting Info

Wisconsin Gov. Walker's Aides Caught, Illegal Campaigning

Image from source, JSOnline

Soon to probably be recalled Governor Walker has all sorts of problems these days. He's sort of the walking definition of "political overreach." And now, the people who got him where he is are in trouble too. It's so terribly (chuckle) sad.

[Excerpt]


Two ex-Walker aides charged with illegal campaigning

Two staffers who worked directly for Gov. Scott Walker while he was county executive were charged Thursday with illegally doing extensive political work while being paid by taxpayers to do county jobs.

One of the two, Darlene Wink, cut a deal with prosecutors under which she has agreed to provide information in a related investigation about the destruction of digital evidence and to aid in further prosecutions. This is the first indication that the multifaceted John Doe investigation may be pursuing charges of evidence tampering. . .

Read more at: JSOnline