Bizarre Rick Perry Speech

Watching this video made me think that Marcus Bachmann and a Comic Con teenager are fighting for control of Rick Perry's body. The video must be watched in its entirety to truly appreciate just how weird Perry is.

Side note: strangely this video humanizes Perry. Unfortunately for Perry, a little too well.

Awake Tampa

The Awake Tampa rally will be held downtown tomorrow. The rally is to mark the one-year anniversary of Rick Scott's election to office.

Time: Tuesday, November 1 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Joe Chillura Courthouse Square
Corner of Morgan, Kennedy, Pierce & Madison, Downtown Tampa
Tampa, FL

The ACLU will give protesters legal advise. This is good considering many Occupy Tampa protesters will likely attend the rally. The bad news is Alex Sink will be the keynote speaker. Sink spent her career as a banker. I doubt she has little of value to say to the Occupy crowd. The fact that Sink would hold her nose and speak at such an event means she is running for governor in 2014. I have started the Stop Alex Sink campaign to make sure Sink never runs for statewide office again. If Sink is the Democratic nominee then expect Scott to win a second term.

Team Obama Makes Case Against Republican Obstruction

Team Obama is finally giving up on the naive goal of bipartisanship. David Axelrod made the case to Candy Crowley that Republicans are sabotaging the economy in order to make President Barack Obama a one-term president.

I think this is something — something different going on right now. When you have the leader — the Republican leader of the Senate say, our number one goal — in the midst of this economy, our number one goal is to defeat the president, and they’re acting like it.

They don’t want to cooperate. They don’t want to help. Even on measures to help the economy that they traditionally have supported before, like a payroll tax cut, like infrastructure, rebuilding our roads and bridges and surface transport. These — so you have to ask a question, are they willing to tear down the economy in order to tear down the president or are they going to cooperate?

And, listen, there’s a reason why the Congress is at nine percent in some polls, approval, lowest in history. Because this is different than we’ve ever seen before.

Mitch McConnell said that the economy was not the Republican Party's number one goal.

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

This is the narrative that Obama's political team needs to keep driving home. Obama must hold Republicans accountable for their obstruction.

Occupy Tampa Requests More People

Occupy Tampa is requesting more people to come down and spend the night.

Occupants at Curtis Hixon are requesting more support in the way of bodies on the ground. Apparently, numbers are pretty thin because it's Halloween or something. Personally, I need to wake up at 6 AM in the morning and go to class and wasn't planning on going out there tonight. However, because numbers are so thin and because support was specifically requested by our friends, I will be spending the night now. I urge those of you who are able to do the same to do so and the rest to at least stop by for a while and show your support. Bring signs if you have them! If you can't make it tonight, no hard feelings. Thank you to those that do!

Even protesters party on Halloween.

Rick Scott's Latest Fake Work Day

Rick Scott stole the workdays idea from Bob Graham. The latter was famous for going across Floridaworking diffenrent kind of jobs. Scott is using the idea to try to sell himself as the people's governor. Scott's first workday involved selling donuts. Scott unintentionally scared a young girl named Annberlee.

When Scott asked Annberlee a question, she was scared to answer and grabbed her dad.

I wouldn't be surprised if Annberlee asked why was the bad man that wants to kill Harry Potter is selling donuts.

Scott was also served pink slips by angry protesters that bought pink-glazed donuts at Nicola's Donuts and Bakery. Scott's team knew they had to avoid another PR disaster. The solution was having Scott perform a workday at a restaurant owned by the family of Republican Rep. Jimmy Patronis.

Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, was on hand to assist in the coaching as well.

Short answer: Patronis was there to make sure Scott's PR stunt didn't blow up in the governor's face. Scott did a full flip flop on his campaign promise of creating jobs. These workdays are increasingly pointless. Rick Scott isn't going to get re-elected by being the people's governor. Scott's road to a second term is smearing his political opponents in attack ads and mailers.

Cain's Bizarre Singing at National Press Club

Via Pam Spaulding: I have avoided the Herman Cain sex scandal. After covering the Mark Foley scandal, I have mostly stayed away from sex related political stories. That doesn't mean I am not going to blog about Cain's bizarre appearance at the National Press Club.

Cain was asked by the reporters present if he knew about the financial settlements the Restaurant Association reached with women that accused Cain of sexual harassment. Cain said he didn't. Cain then decided to end the Q & A session by singing the hymn He Looked Beyond My Faults. What we are seeing is that Cain's bizarre campaign ads and disorganized campaign are part of a pattern. Herman Cain is a seriously weird guy. Running a normal campaign and acting like a rationale human being is impossible. Cain is neither normal or rationale.

Cain's support from the tea party says more about the tea party than it does about Cain. In past presidential elections Cain would not poll high enough to appear in a debate. The Republican tea party base is now made of people who boo gay soldiers and cheer people being denied health care. The tea party is made of dysfunctional people. It is no wonder they would flock to the weirdest candidate in the field and shun a mainstream politician like Jon Huntsman.

Quote of the Day

"Even though Cain won’t be the nominee, his candidacy tells us a lot about the psychology of GOP activists. Our team wants someone authentic, creative, fresh, bold and likeable. And we don’t have much tolerance for too many facts or too much information. In politics, a bumper sticker always beats an essay. Cain’s 9-9-9 is a bumper sticker; Romney’s economic plan is an essay. Perry’s rationale for giving the children of undocumented workers in-state college tuition rates is an essay. No hand-outs for illegal aliens is an effective bumper sticker."

Ed Rogers, Republican consultant.

Rogers can publicly say that Republican voters are stupid because he knows they do not read the op-ed section of the Washington Post.

Five Eight - Weirdo

Tampa music lovers will remember the Five Eight shows in the 90s. I always wondered if the local Tampa bands that opened or came to see Five Eight knew what made the band special. During that time, local Tampa bands would draw five people to the Brass Mug. Five Eight would pack the Bragg Mug. Fans would know the lyrics to Five Eight songs. This was amazing considering that their records got no air-play and were hard to find.

Write A Caption: Crist & Greer

Bloggers can write love letters to Charlie Crist. That won't change the shit stain of Charlie Crist's past ethical problems.

Voter Suppression Law Hits Snag

The Federal District in the District of Columbia denied the request by Gov. Rick Scott and Sec. of State Kurt Browning to expedite for a hearing. The three judge panel told the Florida government attorneys that the state has caused several delays of their own.

In denying the state’s request for a quick hearing and decision, the federal three judge panel cited the state’s own repeated delays in getting the law approved and concurrent decision to move forward the Presidential Primary date to January. The Court cited the state’s three week delay in seeking approval of the changes from the Department of Justice, failure of the state to seek expedited review, removing provisions of the law from DOJ review after 50 of the 60 days had expired, filing in federal court, and amending their filing to challenge the Voting Rights Act as examples that any time pressure for a decision was caused by the state itself.

Scott and Browning did not wait for a Justice Department review. They implemented the new election law. That means some counties have the new election law and other counties are under the Civil Rights Voting Act protection. Short answer: Florida has two sets of election laws. This is how serious of a policy wonk Rick Scott is.

Below is a statement from Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida on today’s decision: “The Court was right to say this is a mess created by the Governor and the Legislature. In denying their request for a ‘drive by hearing’, the Court essentially said that the state’s failure to take this issue seriously until recently is no one’s fault but their own.

“Thanks to Governor Scott and Secretary Browning, Florida is in position yet again to turn our elections into a mockery by conducting an important, nationally significant election under two different sets of election rules depending on where you live. Under the system which will be in place now, a voter in Pinellas will vote under different rules than a voter across the bridge in Hillsborough.

The Florida legislature passed this law under the bogus threat of voter fraud. When Republicans are asked to name an instance of voter fraud they will say that Mickey Mouse voted. The Mickey Mouse story is bogus.

Rep. Eric Eisnaugle:

"One of my colleagues suggested that we spent hours of time on a problem that doesn't exist, also suggesting that nothing in this bill helps people vote," he said. "Well, members, it doesn't take much to find the documentation of fraud that some third-party registration organizations have committed right here in Florida. Just go on Google, and go to the news section and you can find a pretty long list of articles documenting the fraud we have seen. We have seen allegations of fraud, (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) investigations. (We have seen) falsifying of hundreds of registrations, including the registration of an actor who was already deceased at the time. In another case, Mickey Mouse was registered to vote.

Politifact rated the Mickey Mouse tale false. There are two ways to look at this. The first is that Republican legislators are poorly informed people that will believe anything printed on web sites like InstaPundit and World Net Daily. The second is that redistricting and President Barack Obama on the top of the ballot scares the daylights out of Tallahassee. Whatever reason, these Scott, Browning, and the legislators are so appallingly incompetent that may fail at enacting their horrible voting law. Republicans say government doesn't work. Especially, when Tallahassee Republicans are governing.

Fla v Usa 55 Order on Motion to Expedite

Photo of the Day

Photo by Tina Dupuy.

I wish libertarians would think for themselves and stop getting economic policy ideas from horrible fiction writer, Ayn Rand. We are not about to base scientific policy on the Harry Potter books. Why a small group of individuals take Rand's musings seriously is beyond rationale comprehension.

Mitt Romney's Flip-Flopping Problem

A Jon Huntsman ad attacking Mitt Romney's history of flip-flopping on positions. Huntsman doesn't have a chance of winning the Republican nomination.

The Obama political team will have a field day making Romney implode of his flip flops. Team Obama did irt with Hillary Clinton and John McCain in 2008. Romney is an easier target.

Comedy Hits Keep Coming From Tea Party Nation

Tim Nerenz of Tea Party Nation writes a long diatribe praising the top one percent and dissing the Occupy Wall Street protesters. (Remember when the tea party said the were protesting because they were against the bailout.) A member of Tea Party Nation supporting economic disparity is not surprising. What is surprising is this hysterical paragraph.

Packer linebacker Clay Matthews is another evil one-percenter. You want to talk injustice - how is it fair that one guy gets to be so handsome, rich, athletic, smart, and cool while the rest of us can’t see our shoes anymore and have to ask what fork to use? And what is Clay Mathews supposed to do about our man-crush envy - cut off a bicep so we can have one, too? Spread the hair around? Share some of his snaps with the unemployed and uncoordinated?

"Our man-crush envy"? At first I thought that Nerenz was referring to the former Cleveland Browns linebacker. I realized that Nerenz was writing about the elder Matthews' son. I haven't followed the career of the younger Matthews because I hate the Packers. Matthews is a very good player, but he isn't the most marketable player outside of Green Bay.

Seriously, does any straight male want to hear another man describe him as "so handsome, rich, athletic, smart, and cool"? Is this a conservative blog post or a Valentine Day's card. I have never heard anyone say they have a man-crush on Matthews. I'm sure Matthews will be happy to know some creepy old guy thinks he is hot.

Mark Block: Multi-Tasking Genius

Youtube sensation Mark Block can smoke a cigarette and argue with a journalist on the phone at the same time. What more qualifications does Block need to run a fake presidential campaign.

Obama's Student Loan Plan

When the president does something right, I don't have much to say (I'm so good at criticizing things). I'm also very critical of Obama on this blog. So, even though I don't have much to say about it, but Obama's student loan plan is fucking good idea.

Unfortunately, it won't effect students paying off private loans. But if Congress could get their shit together and rectify that...

Mark Block on Fox News

Megyn Kelly had to find a way to make Mark Block's bizarre appearance in Herman Cain's ad seem like divine inspiration. Kelly asked Block if Cain wanted the votes of people "living real lives." Kelly must have polling data indicating that Mitt Romney has the people living in the Matrix vote locked-up.

"Were you trying to appeal to, you know, folks who are out there, you know, living real lives, working the farm, working in Detroit — you know, that kind of thing, as opposed to the East and West Coast elite, people in media circles who shun smoking? And you know, sort of real American things?”

I'm a smoker and I still laugh when I watch the Block/Cain ad.

Occupy Oakland Raid

Amazing photos the the police raid of the Occupy Oakland camp. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets on the protesters. The camp was destroyed by police. The property of the protesters was destroyed by the police. The ACLU has won cases against law enforcement agencies that have destroyed the property of the homeless.

Mayor Jean Quan issued this statement.

I commend Chief Jordan for a generally peaceful resolution to a situation that deteriorated and concerned our community. His leadership was critical in the successful execution of this operation.

That explains the riot gear and gas masks the police were wearing.

I have to wonder how are confrontations with the police and camping in public parks is going to create jobs and reform Wall Street. The Occupy movement has to do more than protest. They have to scare the Democratic Party with their votes. That is the only true way they can make a difference.

It's Over For Rick Perry

Put a fork in Rick Perry. He's done. Anyone willing to follow Donald Trump down the birther rabbit hole will never be president.

JOHN HARWOOD: Mitt Romney after the President released his birth certificate earlier this year said that issue's done and settled, I accept it. You chose to keep it alive in your interview with Parade magazine over the weekend. Why'd you do that?

RICK PERRY: I-- it's a good issue to keep alive. Just-- you know, Donald's got to have some fun. So-- and the issue is this.

JOHN HARWOOD: But it sounds like you really do have some doubt about it.

RICK PERRY: Well, look, I haven't-- I haven't seen his-- I haven't seen his grades. My grades ended up on the front page of the newspaper. So, let's-- you know, if we're going to show stuff, let's show stuff. So. But, look, that's all a distraction. I mean, I get it. I'm-- I'm really not worried about the President's birth certificate. It's fun to-- to poke and add him a little bit and say hey, how about-- let's see your grades and your birth certificate.

RICK PERRY: But here's what's really serious. Is we got people sitting around watching this interview while the president has killed 2 and a half million jobs. That's serious. And that's what we got to better get right.

JOHN HARWOOD: But are you saying that your comments about that are kind of a joke? Or do you seriously have unresolved questions like Donald Trump has about them?

RICK PERRY: I don't have a clue about where the President-- and what this-- birth certificate says. But it's also a great distraction. I'm not distracted by it. If those of you in the media want to talk about it that's fine, but I hope what you'll really get focused on is how are we going to get this country back on track.

Perry is questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship because it is fun to "poke" Obama. What a clown. The Bush people are pounding Perry for his comments.

Quote of the Day 2

"Leadership Requires Leadership."

The title of a Herman Cain pamphlet. The $5.00 pamphlet is nothing more than Cain dissing President Obama without providing solutions. It is also one page long and can be read on the internet.

The 535-member Congress was not intended to be the leadership in Washington, D.C. Their job is to help maintain balance of power, advise the president, approve or disapprove legislation where needed, and repeal unwanted or unnecessary legislation. As Speaker John Boehner so appropriately stated, the president has to lead, and more importantly, lead the nation on behalf of the people in the right direction. A 535-member committee cannot lead.

Is Cain even aware that the Constitution mandates that the executive and legislative branches of government are separate? Under the Constitution, Obama can only sign or veto bills.

Section 1 - The Legislature

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

As Tina Dupuy noted, The Congress of House Speaker John Boehner has 12 bills and two house joint resolutions in the first quarter of their two year term. There is no filibuster in the House of Representatives. Cain is blaming Obama for Boehner for not being able to create legislation in a Republican majority House. I like to see Cain write a pamphlet on the merits of Boehner's leadership.

I say this much for Cain. He knows how to draw every penny out of the wallets of his tea party followers.

Quote of the Day

When Pat Robertson becomes the voice of reason there is something wrong with the current Republican presidential field.

“I believe it was Lyndon Johnson that said, ‘Don’t these people realize if they push me over to an extreme position I’ll lose the election?’” he said. “Those people in the Republican primary have got to lay off of this stuff. They’re forcing their leaders, the frontrunners, into positions that will mean they lose the general election…They’ve got to stop this! It’s just so counterproductive!”

The fact that I agree with Robertson must be a sign of the end of days coming.

Arcade Fire at the Bridge School Benefit

Video of Arcade Fire performing at the Bridge School Benefit. The Bridge School was founded by Neil Young and helps children with disabilities. Young joins Arcade Fire for a beautiful rendition of Helpless.

Occupy Tampa Potluck

Occupy Tampa will be holding a potluck on November 6th.

Time:
Sunday, November 6 · 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Location:
Curtis Hixon Park
700 N Ashley Drive

Come join Occupy Tampa and the 99% of our community for a good old-fashioned Sunday afternoon potluck!

A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food to be shared among the group. Bring some food, bring your friends, and let's have a great family-friendly afternoon at the beautiful waterfront park!

Invite your friends, your community groups, and everyone you know! We are all the 99%!

NOTE: We ask that you please label your food content for those with allergies and also consider vegetarian and/or vegan-friendly options for the comfort and safety of everyone.

TSA Screws Up Again

It is no accident that the blog Feministe is down. Blog editor Jill Filipovic received national news coverage today after posting about a creepy note in "Filipovic's suitcase to "GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL."



Filipovic was interviewed by Boing Boing about the incident. There was a personal female item in Jill's luggage. Making comments about a woman's (very) personal item qualifies as sexual harassment. We have discovered TSA saving nude body scan images. Breast cancer survivor Cathy Bossi was forced by TSA to take off her bra. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see a history of sexual harassment. I hope Jill files a complaint.

Update: I asked Jill if she was sexually harassed in any other way. She was gracious enough to emailed me this reply.

No, I wasn't harassed going through the screening -- the vibrator was in a checked bag, so I didn't interact with the agents who screened it.

Herman Cain's Internet Ad

This Herman Cain ad won't be on the internet long. Besides the porn movies productions values, it is not a good idea to have someone stumping for Cain smoking a cigarette in the video. I'm a smoker. It doesn't bother me. What amazes me is Cain used staffer Mark Block for an internet ad. No one uses staffers for ads.

Update

From the conservative Daily Caller: I have to question Cain's judgement if he would let someone with Block's history run his campaign. And appear front and center in an ad.

Yet (Block) was also banned from politics in Wisconsin for three years and forced to pay a $15,000 fine after being accused by the Wisconsin State Elections Board of violating election law in 1997 as campaign manager to state Supreme Court Justice Jon P. Wilcox.

The Wilcox campaign was accused of illegally coordinating activities with an outside group which mounted a get-out-the-vote effort. To this day, Block denies any wrongdoing.

As I wrote earlier today, Cain doesn't care about Block's past because he is running a bogus presidential campaign.

Update: Someone has created a fake Mark Block Twitter account.

Herman Cain: Fake Candidate

There is a reason Herman Cain doesn't have policy advisers to help strengthen his grasp of foreign and domestic issues. Cain has never ran a real presidential campaign. When I say real, I mean actually campaigning with the intention of becoming President of the United States of America. A major giveaway was Cain's meeting with serial fake presidential candidate Donald Trump. Mitt Romney met Trump but intentionally dodged cameras and reporters. Cain bragged about meeting Trump on Twitter.

Meeting James Baker or Henry Kissinger was once a way for a Republican candidate to prove his bona fides. Donald Trump is the current litmus test. My, how the Republican Party has matured. Romney avoided the media because he understands that the vast majority of Americans consider Trump a cartoonish buffoon. Cain doesn't have these consideration because like Trump he craves attention. Which is what Cain's fake candidacy is all about.

Mark Benjamin of Swampland tried to find out who is running Cain's state campaign in New Hampshire, Florida and South Carolina. Republican operatives in those states told Benjamin they have no idea.

“There is no sense of a tangible organization that you can point to,” says Rich Killion, an uncommitted GOP strategist in New Hampshire, who’s unsure of the location of Cain’s Granite State base of operations, or even if there is one. “If you said, ‘Rich, tell me who is running the effort here?’ I could not even give you that person.” Matt Murphy, Cain’s original state director, resigned in June.

“There is good will towards him, but there is almost no organization to speak of,” says Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. “If there is a local group who wanted to invite him to speak, it is unclear whom to call. I gather that they are adding staff and ramping up, but the primary is in two and a half months.”

Besides some tea party activists, Cain has no campaign offices or staff in New Hampshire. Does this sound like someone who wants to be president?

We see the same thing in Florida.

A prominent Republican operative in Florida says the Cain campaign is similarly invisible in his state. “If somebody called here and asked to volunteer for Cain, I would not know whom to talk to,” he says. Cain won a major Florida straw poll in late September, but he’s been largely absent ever since. “He came and worked the crowd. He got a few state reps. to endorse him” and then he left, the operative says. “It boggles the mind. I don’t know any of the usual suspects who have been called, asked or much less hired. There is no grassroots. The guys in key counties, none of them are getting talked to.”

The fact that the tea party would embrace Cain and Sarah Palin says much about how seriously they take policy. One thing is certain is that Cain and Palin will make a shitload of money off of the Christian Right conservatives that enjoy dressing up in Revolutionary War costumes.

Update: I did an internet search and couldn't find any Cain campaign offices in Florida. I did find that his last visit to Florida, on October 5th, was to sell his book.

On Wednesday, questions centered around Cain’s two stops in Florida — which were part of a book tour, not campaign events.

Cain hawked $25 copies of This is Herman Cain!: My Journey to the White House to about 300 people at The Villages in Central Florida and then to another 300 people at a Barnes & Noble in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg Times reporter Aaron Sharockman confronted Cain with the accusations that he isn't serious about his campaign. Cain gave his usual response about keeping his agenda secret. Cain usually does that when he doesn't want to answer the question.

“They don’t know my schedule. They don’t know my strategy,” said Cain, 65. “The perception that we’re not campaigning is ridiculous.”

What is "ridiculous" is people taking Herman Cain seriously.

Quote of the Day

"Imagine, if you will, someone who read only the Wall Street Journal editorial page between 2000 and 2011, and someone in the same period who read only the collected columns of Paul Krugman. Which reader would have been better informed about the realities of the current economic crisis? The answer, I think, should give us pause. Can it be that our enemies were right?"

David Frum

You know the economy has gotten bad when a former Bush speechwriter is singing praises for Paul Krugman.

Miss USA Parody

Someone had the horrible idea to ask the Miss USA contestants if evolution should be taught in school. The results were disastrous. A video parody of the original video was created. The fake Miss USA contestants are asked if math should be taught in schools. Many of the contestants say no because math is just a theory.



Below is the real Miss USA video. It is painfully obvious many of the contestants don't have a basic understanding of what evolution is. This serves that evolution and science should be taught in school. If anyone wonders why other countris have students scoring higher in science it is because Christian Right activists have led an anti-science crusade against public schools.

Greedism #OWS

Generally, I'm a fan of capitalism. I like knowing I have the freedom to innovate anything I want and try to sell it, should I ever think of a fantastic idea that will help society and, in turn, my wallet. But rampant greed and government corruption have perverted our financial system into something that's called "capitalism" but really isn't -- I'm not sure what to call our system, actually. Feudalism? Greedism?

For example, in our financial system it would be incredibly difficult for someone as poor as me to raise the capital needed to found a business. Personally, I can't even get a credit card right now -- nevermind a business loan. But suppose I did have an idea, a business plan, and a loan and got off the ground. What happens then?

Further growth requires that other investors believe in my ideas, which is why capitalism works well in conjunction with democracy because investors are able to vote with their dollars. If investors believe my ideas are profitable, they are supposed to be able to invest in my company by purchasing stock in hopes that my ideas will cause the stock price to grow, increasing the return on their investment. And with stock dollars giving me a fresh infusion of capital, I am supposed to invest that capital in growing my business: hiring more people, producing more products, and selling more stuff.

As long as a business grows, everyone's happy. Right? Investors are richer, the company is growing, and more jobs are created. In a capitalist system, everyone should be happy with this.

You would think.

What if I told you a month ago that you could invest in a business whose quarterly performance would increase by 39% compared to last year, ending at $29.28 billion in revenue. Additionally, that company just released a new product which sold 4 million units in three days, breaking sales records. If you had the clairvoyance to see that all of this would happen, would you believe in the company? Would you jump at a chance to buy that stock?

Well, if you bought Apple stock last month, you would have lost money yesterday because the stock price lost 6.5% of its value. Why? Because investors didn't think Apple grew fast enough.

Yes. Really.

Ponder that notion for a minute or two, then ask yourself exactly just how greedy are the one percent? Then ask how democratic this system is, since people like you and I -- who would invest in such a company based on how they are growing right now -- are too busy cobbling together enough money to eat, so we don't have the money needed to voice our opinions on an open market.

That's not capitalism, that's an extreme addiction to money that needs to be recognized as a mental illness. After society recognizes this as an illness, it must be treated with medication, therapy, and in some cases temporary institutionalization of the sick.

Instead, our politicians and media embrace this sickness. They claim it's normal capitalism -- and that's the problem.

The Small Faces - Tin Soldiers

One of the most underrated bands of the sixties.

Quote of the Day

"Now with the president, he put us in Libya. He is now putting us in Africa."

Michele Bachmann

Let's do some geography. Below is a map of the continent of Africa. In the northeastern corner of Africa is Libya. These kind of mistakes have become so common for Bachmann that it is impossible to take her seriously.

Mary Mulhern to Speak to Occupy Tampa

I stressed the importance of electing a progressive like Mary Mulhern to the Tampa City Council. This is the result of backing progressive candidates.
Mulhern will speak to Occupy Tampa this Wednesday.

It's official: Tampa City Council Member Mary Mulhern will address Occupy Tampa tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7pm directly before the General Assembly meeting at Curtis Hixon. She will help illuminate the process of dealing with the City and dispel some misguided rumors floating around as well as answer questions from the group. This is part of an important process of creating a dialogue with the City of Tampa as these protests continue to grow locally and nationally. If you are interested in speaking to a city-wide representative who votes on issues that could affect this group, please attend this meeting.

The other option is you can follow the Joy-Ann Reid strategy of backing conservative Democrats like Ben Nelson. Reid did an amazingly asinine post pointing out that Nelson votied against the jobs bill. Reid then stressed it is essential that Nelson get re-elected. I ask you, would you rather have Democrats like Mulhern or Nelson. To me the choice is obvious.

Sgt. Shamar Thomas of Occupy Wall Street

Sgt. Shamar Thomas stood up to the NYPD and got them to stand down against the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Thomas told Keith Olbermann that the police are using excessive force against the OWS activists.

Occupy Foreclosed Homes

Occupy Tampa plans on protesting at homes up for foreclosure.

OPEN THREAD: Anyone know someone in Tampa who is about to lose their home to foreclosure? Tell us what day the eviction squads are coming and we just might Occupy Your House! We are the 99%, and so are you. Solidarity.

There have been numerous media reports on illegal foreclosures. Matt Taibbi reported on Florida's "rocket docket" foreclosure court. Homeowners aren't given a chance to defend themselves. Judges to not read the court documents before foreclosing on a home. The rocket docket courts were designed by the Florida legislature to make it easier for banks to foreclose on homeowners.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune found that the law firm David J. Stern used bogus documents to foreclose on homeowners. The rocket docket court. After the story broke, Stern resigned as CEO David J. Stern Enterprise. Stern's employees have filed a lawsuit being fired without proper notice.

Former Florida Attorney General' Office employees Theresa Edwards and June Clarkson accused AG Pam Bondi of firing them to shut down an investigation of a foreclosure mill. Former Assistant Attorney General Andrew Spark accused Bondi of having a cnflict of interest with the foreclosure firm Marshal Watson.

On the other hand, since Bondi has taken over, the 30 or so attorneys at the Economic Crimes Division have filed a total of approximately only 15 lawsuits. In fact, the 15 lawsuit figure is being charitable, since two were shared among several states filed in distant courts...

In fairness, many of Spark's complaints go back to Bill McCollum's tenure. However, it is easy to see why Occupy Tampa wants to proptest foreclosures.

One Marine v. NYPD at Occupy Wall Street

A U.S. Marine stands up to the NYPD. The Marine demands why the police are acting like they are about to go to war. The Marine shouts to the police that "this is not war." The Marine told the NYPD, "There is no honor in this."

The police backed down. Semper Fi.

Robyn Mello of Occupy Philly is Missing

Robyn's Mello's parents and Occupy Philly is asking for help.

This is Robyn Mello. She has been working with OccupyPhilly since day one and sh...e has been missing since Friday October 14th. All of her belongings are still here but she is not. Her family and friends have had no contact with her since Friday and are concerned for her well being. If anyone has any information regarding her whereabouts please contact her brother (Nathan Mello 201-220-5654). Please share this on every social networking site you can.

Update: Mello contacted her brother this morning. She is safe.

Liz Trotta Should Not Call Anyone Racist

Liz Trotta accuses the Left of racism towards Herman Cain. Her evidence is black bloggers are attacking Cain.

Let me get this straight. Blacks are racist towards themselves because they don't support Herman Cain's candidacy. By that logic Newt Gingrich hates white people because he opposed Bill Clinton in the 90s. Gingrich doesn't hate white people and black Democratic bloggers do not hate their race.

Trotta is another story. It takes a lot of chutzpah for someone who joked that President Barack Obama should be assassinated to accuse blacks of racism. Exactly when did Trotta become a civil rights activist? The answer is never.

Trotta: ...and now we have what some are reading---as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, umm, ah... Obama, well both, if we could...haha...

Trotta is accusing blacks of racism to draw attention from her own racism.

Ayn Rand: Comic Book Hero (Gag)

What every kid wants for Christmas. On Amazon.com, you can buy the action-packed adventures of Ayn Rand in the graphic novel Female Force: Ayn Rand. Amazon.com only has the opening page available for preview. If you want to see anyone you have to pay $3.99.

How low is the price for the Ayn Rand graphic novel? Consider that The Watchmen is selling for $26.39. Used copies of the The Dark Knight Returns are $17.62.

I can't imagine any child or adult comic book fan excited about a Ayn Rand novel. The only people that find this interesting is longtime Rand fanboy Glenn Reynolds.

Arrests at Occupy Wall Street

Mother Jones filmed Occupy Wall Street protesters being arrested in Washington Square Park.

Things got ugly in Times Square. Protesters tried to push their way through barricades. Several protesters were arrested.



The Occupy Tampa protesters wisely chose to avoid arrests. News footage of arrests and confrontations with the police will only hurt the Occupy Wall Street movement. The disastrous Seattle protests of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in 1999 failed to initiate change. Protesters getting arrested will have the media portray the Occupy movement in a negative light.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has important grievances with economic policy in America. Wall Street executives melted down the market through shortsighted and ethically questionable actions. The federal government responded by bailing out Wall Street with near zero percent loans and no real regulatory reform. Meanwhile, middle class and lower income people are having their houses foreclosed upon. Often through illegal paperwork.

Many Americans are having are hard time making a living or finding a good job. Yet their tax dollars were used for the bailout for the companies that help destroy the American economy. People should be angry and protest. However, Occupy Wall Street can make their case better by avoiding trouble with law enforcement.

Slobberbone - I Can Tell Your Love Is Waning

A dark murder ballad worthy of Nick Cave.

Occupy Tampa: which park to occupy?

Earlier today, Occupy Tampa had a general assembly meeting to decide where they would protest. Occupy Tampa was removed from the sidewalk of Curtis Hixon Park.



The general assembly held their meeting at Lykes Gaslight Park. They knew that if they stayed the night at Lykes Park that they risked arrest.





Occupy Tampa has decided to move back to the sidewalk of Curtis Hixon Park. Occupy Tampa is asking for donations of perishable food and water.

Police Arrest Protester at Occupy Minnesota

Protester Melissa Hill was arrested at aOccupy Minnesota rally. Hill was charged with trespassing. The only news article I can find right now is from Fox News. Take it with a grain of salt.

According to the local Fox News story, protesters were warned not to set up tents in front of the Hennepin County Government Center. The article does not make clear if Hill was arrested for setting up a tent. The deputy in the video told Hill that she was warned not to set foot on the property. Hill told the deputy that she was on the sidewalk. It appears that Hill is being charged with trespassing.

It should be noted that Hill did not resist arrest.

Kids At Occupy Wall Street

Look at these two cute kids at Occupy Wall Street. Do they look like an angry mob to you? I think not.

Ignore Jonathan Alter

Talk of Hillary Clinton replacing Joe Biden as vice-president isn't serious journalism. Alter could provide a thoughtful analysis of the policies of President Barack Obama and the Republican presidential candidates. Instead, Alter writes a column that has less seriousness than an Us Magazine article on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. This level of unseriousness is to be expected from Alter.

For those that aren't familiar with Alter's work, he penned the repugnant op-ed "Time To Think About Torture."

Couldn't we at least subject them to psychological torture, like tapes of dying rabbits or high-decibel rap? (The military has done that in Panama and elsewhere.) How about truth serum, administered with a mandatory IV? Or deportation to Saudi Arabia, land of beheadings? (As the frustrated FBI has been threatening.) Some people still argue that we needn't rethink any of our old assumptions about law enforcement, but they're hopelessly "Sept. 10"--living in a country that no longer exists.

When Alter wrote this op-ed in November of 2001 he was actually stupid enough to believe that the federal government would let the warrantless wiretapping provision in the Patriot Act sunset.

A welcome "sunset" provision means the expansion of surveillance will expire after four years. That's an important precedent, though odds are these changes will end up being permanent. It's a new world.

Warrantless wiretapping went on during the entire Bush years. The Obama administration has continued has extended warrantless wiretapping and have defended the policy in court. Alter is a columnist best ignored.

Occupy Tampa Moved from Curtis Hixon Park

Occupy Tampa moves to Curtis Hixon: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Occupy Tampa has been moved from the sidewalk near Curtis Hixon Park. The Tampa Police Department say that the protesters are getting too comfortable. If you can call sleeping on a sidewalk comfy.

"That's like setting up a camp in a public park," said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.

Part of the problem is that TPD told the protesters to move to Curtis Hixon Park from their original location of Lykes Gaslight Park. The latter park was Occupy Tampa's original location.

Occupy Tampa issued a press release on their web site.

Read more »

Occupy Alex Sink

We are seeing Occupy Wall Street movements spread to cities across America. I wonder how these progressive activists that are mad about the bailouts and tax loopholes feel about former (and likely future) gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink being the keynote speaker for an event co-sponsored by the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.

Sink, former Florida chief financial officer, will speak to attendees about the work of a new non-profit and non-partisan think tank, dedicated to reinvigorating and re-envisioning Florida's small business and quality of life.

This luncheon is in cooreration with the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, Leadership Florida Calusa Chapter, Leadershipship Sarasota County, the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and the Sarasota League of Women Voters.

The luncheon will be held at the the Polo Grill & Bar in Sarasota County on October 27th. It will cost you $35.00 to get in and hear the charismatic speaking skills of Sink. The Sink event is part of a series of workshops being run by Suntrust Bank. Tickets can be bought at the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce web site.

Sink's banking history and current connections does not strike me as someone who cares about the bottom 99 percent in Florida. Progressives should ask themselves if Sink is someone they want being the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014. Democrats feel that Rick Scott is beatable. You know who Rick Scott can beat? Alex Sink.

Friday Cat Blogging

A kitten discovers the wonders of a hamster ball.

Marco Rubio's Let's Get Laid Off Plan

America is facing a weak job market. Sen. Marco Rubio and other Republicans campaigned on creating new jobs. Rubio hasn't proposed a single piece of legislation that will create jobs. However, Rubio is a co-sponsor of a bill that will lay off ten percent of federal workers. Don't believe me? Rubio sent out a press release stating that Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act (catchy title it's not) will lay off ten percent of the federal work force.

Yesterday, Senator Rubio signed on as a cosponsor of S.1611, the Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act. This bill would reduce the federal workforce by 10% by 2015, which would save approximately $139 billion over ten years.

People should call Rubio's office and ask if any of his staffers will be part of the layoffs. I somehow doubt it. Cutting the size of the federal government workforce will only make government less efficient. Which will actually increase costs. A perfect example is how the Bush administration destroyed FEMA. Does anyone think the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina saved the taxpayer money.

Another problem is Rubio and Senate Republicans are increasing unemployment. Does Rubio and other Republican believe that all of these federal workers are going to magically find jobs to feed their families. It kills me that Rubio acts offended when the media asks him how he spent $110,000 on a Republican Party of Florida credit card. Rubio has no problem spending someone else's money. He then turns around and tries to lay people off. This is hypocrisy at its finest.

Kurt Browning Argues Voting Rights Act Unconstitutional

Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning is challenging the Justice Department's oversight of the new voting law signed by Gov. Rick Scott. Browning filed a legal motion claiming the Justice Department does not have this right. Browning's legal argument is that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is unconstitutional.

According to Browning’s complaint (.pdf), “subjecting Florida counties and other jurisdictions covered exclusively under the language minority provisions of the [Voting Rights Act] to pre-clearance is not a rational, congruent, or proportional means of enforcing the Fourteenth and/or Fifteenth Amendments and violates the Tenth Amendment and Article IV of the U.S. Constitution.”

The Voting Rights Act was created to ensure that blacks aren't discriminated at the polls. Republicans have challenged the Voting Rights Act in the past with the 10th amendment states rights arguments. Florida Sen. Mike Bennett made this racially-tinged argument in support of the bill.

“Do you read the stories about the people in Africa? The people in the desert, who literally walk two and three hundred miles so they can have the opportunity to do what we do, and we want to make it more convenient? How much more convenient do you want to make it?” he said. “Do we want to go to their house? Take the polling booth with us?”

“This is a hard-fought privilege,” he added. “This is something people die for. You want to make it convenient? The guy who died to give you that right, it was not convenient. Why would we make it any easier? I want ‘em to fight for it. I want ‘em to know what it’s like. I want them to go down there, and have to walk across town to go over and vote,” he said.

Politifact ruled Bennett's statement that Africans have to walk "three hundred miles" to vote a pants on fire lie. It is hard not to read Bennett's statement and not find it racist.

The League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit because the new Florida voting law imposes fines on voter registration forms.

As the lawsuit puts it, "the challenged law imposes civil fines of $250 for each voter registration application submitted more than 10 days after it is collected, $500 for each application submitted after any voter registration deadline, and $5,000 for each application [that for whatever reason doesn't end up being] submitted. Plaintiffs are strictly liable for these fines, even if their inability to meet the statutory deadlines results from events beyond their control, such as the destruction of applications in a hurricane."

The League of Women Voters have been registering new voters in Florida for nearly a century. The new law has shut down the registration operation off the organization. The LWV registers many poor people. These are potential voters the Republicans see voting for Obama in 2012.

The new law makes it more difficult for people that move to update their voter registration. Meaning they are unlikely to vote. This will affect college students and people living in apartments. Browning has also cut the days of early voting from 14 days to 8 days. Historically, the less time the polls are opening are more likely to turn poor people away.

The tactics Browning is using is similar to what was used to restrict voting to blacks in the 60s. Florida's new voting law is exactly why the Voting Rights Act was created.

State of Florida Amended Complaint - No. 11-Cv-01428-CKK-MG-ESH1

Occupy Tampa Included in Library of Congress

This is very cool news.

Humbled that http://www.OccupyTampa.org was selected by Library of Congress for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials

In related news: Occupy Tampa is asking people to stay this Saturday Night. You should bring sleeping bags, flashlights and food. Occupy Tampa needs people to relieve volunteers. Contact the Facebook page for more information.

Write A Caption: Mitt Romney

In the center of the photo is a young Mitt Romney. Something tells me Romney will not be attending an Occupy Wall Street rally anytime in the near future.

The Trillion Dollar Sellout/Bailout

Matt Taibbi has a must-read article with a great rundown of the “Armageddon” of lawsuits banks face from states, counties, and investors due to their sale of fraudulent Mortgage Backed Securities [MBS].

[I]f you add up all of the MBS-related liability out there, the banks as it stands are facing an Armageddon of claims from all sides. It can’t possibly be less than a trillion dollars, and it’s probably much, much more.

This is important to know because, in Washington, Obama is busy working on a deal to sell us out to the bankers.

But the Obama administration’s current plan [the foreclosure settlement deal] is to let them all walk after paying a few shekels apiece into a $20 billion kitty.

That’s $20 billion combined from all the big banks, by the way — not $20 billion from each.

At a bare minimum, the Obama administration needs to push for strong regulations to stop this kind of Wall Street excess from happening again. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing big banks broken up into smaller, not-too-big-to-fail banks so this ridiculous merger graph can, again, be seen in reverse:

Indeed, going back to Taibbi:

If the Obama administration was serious about helping actual human beings through this settlement, then it would be fighting for homeowners to get the same bailout the banks would get. If the banks are getting a trillion or more dollars of legal immunity, why shouldn’t homeowners get that much debt forgiveness? Or, half that much? A quarter?

For anyone who wonders why activists are occupying Wall St., and dozens of other locations, look no further. And who anyone who wonders if this movement will benefit the Obama administration, again, look no further.

And for anyone who accuses common sense proposals like regulation and antitrust actions against the current banking system is somehow “socialist” or even from the political left, screw you. Get a couple brain cells to fucking rub together.

SuperHero Arrested

Vigilante superhero Phoenix Jones and his sidekick Ghost accidently pepper-sprayed inncent people Jones was arrested and his costume was taken away by the Seattle police. Words fail to properly describe the stupidity of these people.

Radiohead - 15 Steps

The United Kingdom has Later with Jools Holland. The United States has American Idol. Proof that life is not fair.

Occupy St. Petersburg Rally

Occupy St. Petersburg will hold a rally on October 15th.

Where: The Waterfront
2nd Avenue N and Beach Drive

When: 3:30 to 7 p.m

The St. Petersburg Times has an article on the rally. Facebook has an Occupy St. Petersburg page.

Scott Brown Plagiarism

This is hysterical. Sen. Scott Brown from the bard known as Elizabeth Dole. The plagiarized piece appeared on Brown's web site.

“I was raised to believe that there are no limits to individual achievement and no excuses to justify indifference,” said the message from Brown, which was removed later yesterday. “From an early age, I was taught that success is measured not in material accumulations, but in service to others. I was encouraged to join causes larger than myself, to pursue positive change through a sense of mission, and to stand up for what I believe.”

Aside from the omission of an opening line -- “I am Mary and John Hanford’s daughter” -- in Dole’s speech, the Bay State Republican’s language is the same throughout.

Actually, I kinda wish Brown's staff kept in "I am Mary and John Hanford’s daughter."

Joel Award Winner: Joy-Ann Reid

Joy-Ann Reid lashes out at progressives for the failure of the American Jobs Act to pass the Senate.

Every time something like this happens, I’m reminded of all the angry liberals who complain that President Obama hasn’t pursued more progressive policies on healthcare, or civilian trials for terrorists, or closing Gitmo, etc. Recall, always, that people like John Tester and Ben Nelson (and Joe Lieberman and Jim Webb and Joe Manchin) are in the Senate, and they are Democrats, too. Which means that it isn’t just Republicans who stand in the way of the kind of progress progressives (and at this point, a strong majority of all Americans) crave.

I asked Reid on Twitter if she thought a more bipartisan bill would have passed. Reid never replied to me. What I do know is in the same post Reid wrote this.

The White House is now looking at ways to break up the bill and try and pass the parts that have “bipartisan support” — which in and of itself is elusive, since most Republicans won’t vote for anything this president is for, and many Democrats are practically Republicans.

Let me get this straight. Progressives shouldn't participate in democracy by advocating for the things that want because Republicans will vote against it. However, according to Reid, Republicans would filibuster anything (and have) if President Obama supports the legislation. This is Reid's political strategy? That isn't a strategy. That is defeatism.

Obama did the Reid strategy of appeasing Republicans and and corporate Democrats by attempting to outcut the Republicans during the debt ceiling fiasco. The result was Obama's poll numbers dropped like a rock.

As for corporate Democrat Ben Nelson, his poll numbers have sucked since 2009. Nelson is currently polling behind Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning. Democrats should have ran a candidate in the primary against Nelson. Voters are turning against Nelson because they are finally realizing that he stands for nothing. The midterm elections saw House Blue Dogs and Blanche Lincoln in the Senate. Democrat Bill Halter polled better for the general election. The Obama administration and the DNC decided to back Lincoln. The result was Republican John Boozman winning the seat. Again I asked how does Reid's strategy of appeasing corporate Democrats help maintain majorities?

Reid lashes out at progressives for somehow forcing President Obama to back a populist jobs bill. Reid goes on to say it doesn't matter what kind of bill the President supported because Republicans were going to filibuster it. This incoherent rant wins her the Joel Award for contradiction.

The truth is Obama got something for going on the offensive. The do nothing Republican House has been sitting on the trade deals for South Korea, Colombia and Panama. Obama and the Occupy movement have been demanding jobs. The House suddenly got off their collective asses and passed all three trade agreements. Obama tried being bipartisan and Republicans sat on writing legislation for the trade agreements. Ask yourself if Republicans would have moved if Obama continued being bipartisan.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce is a Person

The Florida Chamber of Commerce is a person. The Supreme Court ruled so in Citizens United v. FEC. The person known as the Florida Chamber of Commerce has created the Florida Jobs CCE. The CCE has been used by other people such as AutoNation, Florida Power & Light, and Publix Supermarkets.

Here is how much these corporations people have donated to Florida Jobs CCE.

AutoNation
$100,000

Florida Power & Light
$250,000

Publix Supermarkets
$400,000

The Florida Chamber of Commerce gave $175,000 to incoming Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner. What does the Chamber of Commerce want Gardner and other Republicans to do? Chamber President Mark Wilson has fought to cut unemployment compensation, increase homeowner insurance and bust unions. These are hardly populist positions in a time of economic woe.

If the Florida Chamber of Commerce is a person would you want to hang out with him?

How to tell when events are planned by the Boston PD #occupyboston

Boston PD scanner just put out a call to anyone “wanting to work a truck for 4 hours” to call station ASAP. @Occupy_Boston #occupyboston

Me, on Twitter around 11pm 10/10/11.

Then at approximately 1:20 am a large column of riot police marched from outside South Station up Atlantic Ave. The crowd roared variations of “Who do you protect who do you serve!” and “This is what democracy looks like” as the cops marched up the street. They stopped directly across from the new encampment and waited for over 15 paddywagons to arrive. Shortly thereafter officers appeared at the top of the new camp and started issuing warnings to those in the camp. At 1:40 am the police barreled through the first line of defense the occupiers put up, an old veterans group carrying flags known as Veterans for Peace. While officers began arresting occupiers and tearing down tents they kept pushing others back, sometimes throwing them to the ground. People were screaming and yelling stupid nonsense at the police but most complied, albeit angrily.

Boston Globe, 10/11/11

Alan Grayson Fundraising Quarter

Congressional candidate Alan Grayson raised $416,270.77 from 11,031 individuals.

“The success in the 3rd quarter proves that Grayson is virtually the only candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives who has consistently shown the ability to raise money from small contributors who want nothing in exchange for their money but good government,” the release said.

Grayson will not know what district he is running for until the Florida legislature has finalized the redistricting map. Grayson was recently on Bill Maher's show and spoke out in support of Occupy Wall Street.

Prince - Cindy C

This song is off the infamous Black Album. Prince refused to release it. The result was the bootleg market made tons of money off of the record. Prince eventually releaed The Black Album in 1994.

The song Cindy C is about Cindy Crawford.

Next Occupy Tampa Rally

The next rally for Occupy Tampa will be on October 15th. There is no yet for the start of the rally. You can go to OccupyTampa.org for the latest news. The organizers are asking people to bring these supplies to the rally. Some protesters have slept on the sidewalks at night. If you are planning to spend the night downtown you will need a sleeping bag. Other items you will need are listed below.

Orientation

Samovar (Before you ask, it holds coffee- also heats it if you have a good metal one with the chimney. Kind of cool really. I googled it. You should too.)

Posterboard for welcome sign

fliers about the General Assembly process (available from http://nycga.cc )

Kitchen

Sanitizer (chlorine tablets for water/chlorox wipes for sanitizing cooking surfaces)

Frozen water bottles (stays cool)

Livestream

Generator (diesel/biodiesel?)

Security

Orange safety vests

Arts and Culture

Paint/Markers

Cardboard/Sign material

Comfort

Sleeping bags

Dry socks, Warm clothes (sweatshirts, windbreakers)

Baby wipes!!!

Toothpaste/toothbrushes/bottled water

Mosquito repellant

Ponchos

Feminine products

Sheets (cover)

Joel Award Winner: Eric Cantor

It is time to give out the Joel Award. The award goes any celebrity, pundit, blogger or politician that purposely contradicts himself or herself.



House Majority Leader Eric Cantor refereed to the Occupy protesters as a "growing mob." Cantor is tripping over himself trying to backtrack from his position.

"People are upset and they're justifiably frustrated. They're out of work. The economy is not moving," Cantor said. "Their sense of security for the future is not clear at all. People are afraid and I get it."

Cantor first gave us the impression that we needed to hide the children and lock our doors in fear the the "angry mob." Suddenly, Cantor gets why the Occupy movement is angry about the economy. For that flip flop Cantor receives a well-earned Joel Award.

Cantor never flipped that fast on his messaging for President Obama. If you follow or read the blogs of Joy-Ann Reid and Angry Black Lady, they will bash progressives that say bipartisanship has been a failure for Obama. I asked Angry Black Lady to explain to me how Obama is playing 3-D chess? Angry Black Lady tweeted she didn't have time to get in a fight with me. She then proceeded to pick a fight with Marcy Wheeler (aka Empty Wheel) of FireDogLake. So much for a productive use of time.

The Occupy movement isn't interested in working with Republicans. Occupy is making demands to make a more progressive tax code and for financial reform. These are things that Cantor is against. Yet, Cantor goes out of his way to say that he feels the pain of the Occupy movement. The reason Cantor is playing nice is because the Occupy movement is populist and he is feeling political pressure. Cantor doesn't respond to bipartisanship. He does care about his political survival.

As for an angry mob: that couldn't be further from false. Occupy Tampa has been complying with the police.

Demonstrators have obeyed police commands to keep sidewalks clear and to not camp in city parks, Westlake said. Late Sunday, about 15 protesters were told to move from Lykes park to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, a few blocks away.

They peacefully complied, Westlake said.

So far, officers have not made any arrests in the lingering rally, police said.

"It's going very well," police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. "Any rules we've explained to them, they've been very accommodating. I think they had their mission, which was to make sure their voice was heard on their issues, and they didn't want to interfere with anything going on in the city."

Florida Democratic Party Has Horrible Fundraising Quarter

It is no coincidence that the Florida Democratic Party had their lowest fundraising quarter since 2006. The FDP raised only $894k in the third quarter of this year. There are several reasons for this.

Tallahassee Republicans are running their version of the K Street Project. Republicans are telling lobbyists to stay away from Democrats.

Lobbyists and big donors saw the Florida Democratic Party get rocked in the 2010 election. I wrote about this in detail. People aren't going to contribute to a state party they believe cannot win elections. Karen Thurman may be gone but Democrats are cleaning up the wreckage.

The FDP needs to learn how to use new media better to get contributions. If they don't adapt they won't survive.

The good news is Rod Smith is getting Democratic activists to help win elections. Peter Schorsch informed me that the FDP had a huge presence that help Bob Buckhorn win the Tampa Mayoral race. Alvin Brown's victory in Jacksonville was another success story for the FDP.

David Axelrod Memo

President Barack Obama's political adviser David Axelrod sent out a memo to Democrats advocating for the passage of the American Jobs Act. The memo is preaching to the choir. That isn't a bad thing.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has created an opening for the Obama administration to push the jobs bill. The bill wasn't going to pass with Obama failing again at bipartisanship. The only slim chance this bill has of passing is if Republicans fear for their political survival. Republicans that vote against the bill will be labeled by Obama and the DNC as placing tax cuts for the rich above job creation.

David Axelrod Memo

Occupy Tampa Forced to Leave the Park

Occupy Tampa has been removed from Lykes Gaslight Park tonight.

A group of 15-20 Occupants would like the Facebook community to know that they have been removed, peacefully, from Gaslight Park by the TPD and are continuing their occupation through migration to other parks and public places throughout downtown Tampa this evening.

According to WMNF, Occupy Tampa's general assembly have decided to occupy the park every night. The general assembly agreed that protesters would not risk arrest. The protesters plan to occupy different parks. Protesters will continue to meet at Lykes Gaslight Park everyday.

Update: video of protesters being removed from the park.

Occupy Bradenton

Occupy Bradenton had its first rally today. The gathering received coverage from the Bradenton Herald. You can check out photos of the rally on Facebook.

Erin Burnett's 'Seriously' Segment is Parody of Parody

It says much when Erin Burnett gets her segment ideas from Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers. Burnett's "Seriously" commentary is a lot like Meyers' "Really" sketch. Judge for yourself. Watch the video at New York Magazine and judge for yourself.

Largo Fire Fighter Endorsement for Michael Smith.

The Largo Professional Fire Fighters have endorsed city commission candidate Michael Smith.

"We are proud to officially announce our endorsement of Michael Smith for Largo City Commission. Because public safety is his highest priority, we're asking Largo citizens to make him our newest city commissioner.

You can learn more about Smith at his campaign web site.