Wingnut of the Day: Kathy Perkins

Moms With Guns Demand Action founder Kathy Perkins thought it was a good idea to joke about assassinating President Barack Obama on Facebook. Why? Because Perkins believes in liberty and she is a patriot. I wonder if Perkins considers Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth patriots. Oswald defected to Russia and declared himself a communist. Booth wrote that President Lincoln was "making himself a king" by attempting to end slavery. Because Booth thought slavery was so awesome. What is interesting is so-called patriots like Perkins accuse Obama of acting like a king.

Tea Party Nation kicked out the big caps keys with a post titled "“IMPEACH AND ARREST THE TYRANT KING OBAMA!!" Apparently, one exclamation point wasn't enough.

The tea party seems to appreciate Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership more than Obama's. TeaParty.Org ran a story on failed presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani saying Putim is a stronger leader than Obama.

Russian President Vladimir “Putin decides what he wants to do, and he does it in half a day,” the former GOP presidential candidate said Monday on Fox News Channel’s ”Your World with Neil Cavuto.”

Putin, Giuliani said, makes a decision and executes it quickly.

“Then everybody reacts. That’s what you call a leader. President Obama, he’s got to think about it. He’s got to go over it again. He’s got to talk to more people about it,” Giuliani said.

Putin's style of leadership is jailing the punk band Pussy Riot for protesting Russian government policies. Putin has also bashed the LGBT community for political gain. Putin's policies towards gays are the tea party's wet dream. Judson Phillips, of the Tea Party Nation, was upset that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would allow businesses to not serve gays. The legislation was a Jim Crow styled law against the LGBT community. Phillips was outraged that gays would not be legally discriminated against in Arizona.

The left and the homosexual lobby in America went into overdrive to kill this bill. Conservatives rallied for this bill and Governor Brewer opted for cowardice instead of courage.

Why is this bill so important and what did it mean for not only Arizona but America? The issue can be boiled down to one word: Freedom.

A free man or woman controls their labor. A slave has no control over their labor. A free man or woman decides who they will work for and under what conditions. The slave cannot.

The left and the homosexual lobby are both pushing slavery using the Orwellian concepts of “tolerance” and “inclusiveness.”

Immediately the left and the homosexual lobby went into high dudgeon. Arizona’s SB1062 must be defeated because Americans really are no longer free and must be forced to serve the great liberal state, regardless of their beliefs.

The storm rose against Arizona and Jan Brewer proved she was no Ronald Reagan. She has an honored place in the ranks of the French Republicans.

Kathy Perkins jokes about killing a black president. Judson Phillips has repeatedly hinted that President Obama is not an American citizen. People who have such open disdain for a black president shouldn't talk about how Obama is behaving like a King and enslaving people.

Political assassins like Booth and Oswald were not patriots. They had such disdain for government that they murdered presidents. Cliven Bundy has gotten into an armed standoff with the federal government. The tea party views him as a patriot. The tea party loves America so much that they want to see Bundy's followers spill the blood of people that are employed by the American government. That makes no logical sense.

Perkins, Bundy and Phillips aren't patriots. They are just very pissed off people.

My Giuliani Blogging Addiction

I blog about Rudy Giuliani any chance I get. The man is comedy gold. Giuliani could pass for Bilbo Baggins. The fact that a crossdressing New Yorker with former gay roommates and an adultery problem thought he could get the GOP nomination is hysterical. The other great thing about Giuliani is he says the craziest bullshit that literally gets him laughed out of the room.

Giuliani claimed China would soon drill for oil off the coast of Florida. Sen. Mel Martinez quickly debunked that b.s. on the Senate floor. Giuliani also claimed, during his U.S. Attorney days, he used "intensive questioning techniques" (torture) to get information out of mobsters. Lindsay Beyerstein asked the New York Police Department and Justice Department about Giuliani's "intensive questioning techniques" claim. A former Justice Department official told Beyerstein Giuliani's statement was bogus. NYPD spokesman Reginald Watkins said, "It goes without saying, you can not touch someone to get them to tell you about a crime."

Giuliani tops himself with his latest piece of crazy. In his attempt to attack President Obama for being soft on terrorism, Giuliani said there were no terrorist attacks under President Bush's watch.

Giuliani: We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We had one under Obama.

Giuliani's entire campaign was based on repating the numbers "9" and "11." The fact that he forget a terrorist attack in a city that he was Mayor proves he is not fit for the White House. However, Giuliani would make a great guest host for the Colbert Report.

Rudy's Populist Message

I missed Rudy Giuliani. He was a source an endless comedy material for this blog. Rudy boldly predicted he would win Florida. The Sarasota County Republican Party moved a Giuliani campaign stop from the Sailor Circus Arena because they (rightfully) feared the candidate could be lampooned."

My two favorite Rudy moments.

Rudy lapping his campaign bus on the Daytona International Speedway. Look closely and you can see Rudy in the bus waving.



Nothing screams presidential then Rudy's infamous Christmas ads. Rudy woos voters by promising Christmas gifts of fruitcakes and strict-constructionist judges. Every family child wants his or her very own Antonin Scalia.



Rudy returns to the political landscape with a message that will lead the GOP out of the political wilderness. Rudy's crafts a message is that will resonate with voters during these difficult economic times. Rudy's message is tax dollars for CEO bonuses is good for the economy.

"If you somehow take that bonus out of the economy, it really will create unemployment," he said on CNN's "American Morning." "It means less spending in restaurants, less spending in department stores, so everything has an impact."

That should play well in middle America.

Blast In the Past: Rudy Giuliani

The day before the Florida primary, Rudy Giuliani repeatedly predicts he will win Florida. The best Rudy in Florida moment was Giuliani driving his bus on the Daytona International Speedway. I don't want Rudy to ever become President. I do miss the comic insanity of his 2008 campaign.

Poll Results On Charlie Crist's Presidential Prospects

A CNN poll found that Charlie Crist is at he bottom of names mentioned for potential Republican presidential in 2012. The factors may extend to national name recognition. Sarah Palin tops the list at 45 percent. Palin's star power was bigger than John McCain's during the campaign. The Republican Party will lose if Palin becomes the nominee.

The candidate that could cause Barack Obama problems is Mike Huckabee. The Huck has a bestselling book and is good on the stump. The GOP is high on Bobby Jindal. However, Jindal faces the same problem as Crist; most people haven't heard of him. Bloggers and pundits don't count as the "the people." Howard Dean would have been the 2004 nominee if internet buzz and magazine covers were the deciding factor. Although, the political landscape could change in Jindal's and Crist's favor.

Ryan Goellner wrote how Obama's commitment to competence over political ideology appeals to voters. Obama backed his words by retaining Robert Gates. Jindal's commitment to "covenant marriages, outlawing abortions--no exceptions--creationism, and banning stem-cell research from the public sector" will not convince voters of his bipartisanship.

What is most notable is Gingrich's weak support. Gingrich has national name recognition and years in the political arena. People know Gingrich and they associate him the 1995 shutdown of the federal government.

Giuliani: ran worst campaign of a frontrunner in recent memory. Enough said.

Somewhat Likely Support From GOP Voters.

Mitt Romney can raise money and looks the part. He failed to connect with Republican voters. I'm far from convinced he could beat Obama in a general election. Obama is lights years ahead of Romney as a fundraiser and speaker. Romney is better suited as a CEO.

Sarah Palin - 45 percent

Rudy Giuliani - 34 percent

Mitt Romney - 33 percent

Mike Huckabee - 31 percent

Newt Gingrich - 25 percent

Bobby Jindal - 25 percent

Charlie Crist - 25 percent

Eric Holder To Be Next Attorney General

Newsweek reports Eric Holder will be the next Attorney General.

Holder, who served as deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration, still has to undergo a formal “vetting” review by the Obama transition team before the selection is final and is publicly announced, said one of the sources, who asked not to be identified talking about the transition process. But in the discussions over the past few days, Obama offered Holder the job and he accepted, the source said. The announcement is not likely until after Obama announces his choices to lead the Treasury and State departments.

Holder, 57, has been on Obama’s “short list” for attorney general from the outset. A partner at the D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling, Holder served as co-chief (along with Caroline Kennedy) of Obama’s vice-presidential selection process. He also actively campaigned for Obama throughout the year and grew personally close to the president-elect. Holder has not returned a call seeking comment; a spokeswoman for the Obama transition team told Newsweek in an e-mail early Tuesday afternoon that no decision has been made.

The Obama transition has been privately asking Senators if they will vote for Holder. A serious obstacle is Holder's role in the pardoning of Marc Rich. The latter was indicted for owing $48 million in back taxes and illegal oil deals with Iran. Rich refused to return from Switzerland to face prosecution.

Two interesting side note: Rudolph Giuliani was the prosecuting U.S. Attorney. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was Rich's defense attorney.

Denise Rich, the former wife of Marc Rich, contributed to the Clinton Library and the Democratic Party. Bill Clinton pardoned Rich his final day in the White House.

The Justice Department was been damaged with the U.S. Attorneys scandal. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wrecked morale within the Department of Justice. Obama has stated he wants to appoint Republicans to cabinet positions. Republican U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is well-respected. His appointment would send a message that Obama wants to be a reformer and reach across the aisle. Fitzgerald's independent streak and investigation into Obama contributor Antoin Rezko probably makes his nomination improbable. Fitzgerald's appointment would prove Obama is serious about having a cabinet of rivals. Fitzgerald conviction of Libby for the Valerie Plame scandal, may cause a Republican filibuster. Fitzrerald would not be a lock for confirmation.

Holder sends the message that Obama wants a party loyalist in the Justice Department. Color me unimpressed.

Update: The Obama team is confident the Rich controversy won't stop Holder from being confirmed.

One person involved in the talks said the Obama team has received some assurances that, while the Rich pardon would certainly come up during hearings, the nomination likely wouldn't be held up. All spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

The transition team must be confident they have the votes. It is hard to imagine Holder being nominated, with a GOP majority, in the Senate.

Update: Crooks and Liars has video of an MSNBC story on Holder.

Stephen Colbert On Giuliani's Florida Strategy

Check out the make up job on Rudy. He looks like a raccoon.

Silly Irrational Voter

Jim Johnson left a comment in Wayne Garcia's blog post. Johnson's rationale for voting for Giuliani is mind-numbing in it's stupidity. Johnson admitted he found Giuliani uninspiring. He voted for Giuliani because of his crash and burn Florida strategy. The Florida prmary relevance matters more than Giuliani's ability to govern properly.

A win by Giuliani, as I noted on my blog, would show future candidates that it is possible to skip Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and still do well.

Giuliani would still be behind in delegates and broke going into Super Tuesday. Johnson's obsessed with Florida. The other states, that are not Iowa and New Hampshire, have just as much right to bitch about not being first. Jim the guy that backed moving up the primary against the DNC and RNC wishes. Once again Florida elections became a national punchline. This is about what Jim Johnson wants. He gave no consideration to moving up the primary before paper ballot machines were ready.

Let's discuss Giuliani the candidate. Shaggate and Bernard Kerik showed corruption is how Giuliani governs. A pro-choice philanderer will drive away the Christian Right base. Giuliani believes in the Laffer Curve.

In response to questions, the candidates said they would not support raising the gasoline tax to finance spending on the nation’s roads and bridges in response to the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis last week. Mr. Giuliani got into a terse exchange with his questioner, David Yepsen, the political columnist for The Des Moines Register, when Mr. Yepsen tried to ask him the question.

“David, there’s an assumption in your question that is not necessarily correct, sort of the Democratic, liberal assumption, ‘I need money; I raise taxes,’ ” Mr. Giuliani said.

“Then what are you going to cut, sir?” Mr. Yepsen responded. Mr. Giuliani said that as mayor of New York, he had increased revenues to pay for bridge and road repair by cutting taxes, thereby jolting the economy, and that he would do the same thing as president. The city’s treasury in that period was flush largely with revenues produced by the stock-market boom of the late 1990s.

Giuliani's ghost written Foreign Affairs's piece declares the United States lost Vietnam because we didn't stay in long enough. A corrupt South Vietnamese government and 12 years of military involvement was not enough was not enough for Giuliani. America's Mayor once said, "I disagreed with it," when asked about Vietnam. It's amazing how time with neoconservatives can change one's perspective.

America must remember one of the lessons of the Vietnam War. Then, as now, we fought a war with the wrong strategy for several years. And then, as now, we corrected course and began to show real progress. Many historians today believe that by about 1972 we and our South Vietnamese partners had succeeded in defeating the Vietcong insurgency and in setting South Vietnam on a path to political self-sufficiency. But America then withdrew its support, allowing the communist North to conquer the South. The consequences were dire, and not only in Vietnam: numerous deaths in places such as the killing fields of Cambodia, a newly energized and expansionist Soviet Union, and a weaker America. The consequences of abandoning Iraq would be worse.

Giuliani wants to destroy Medicare and create an entirely market driven program. Many people would be turned down for coverage. Medical expenses would increase from emergency room walk-ins. Giuliani told CPAC society sharing responsibility for each other is a bad thing. The people screwed out of health care might say different.

"It's a no-risk society," Giuliani went on. "If we continue with this idea of collective responsibility, we'll become a society that deteriorates. And it's a battle that has to be fought now."

He offers health care as an example. "Democrats want universal health care, collective responsibility--honestly, it's their version of socialized medicine." Even the recent health care reform in Massachusetts, designed by the Republican governor Mitt Romney, was tainted with collectivity, because it required every citizen to get health insurance.

"I don't like mandates," Giuliani says. "I don't like mandating health care. I don't like it because it erodes what makes health care work in this country--the free market, the profit motive. A mandate takes choice away from people. We've got to let people make choices. We've got to let them take the risk--do they want to be covered? Do they want health insurance? Because ultimately, if they don't, well, then, they may not be taken care of. I suppose that's difficult." He lets the idea sink in, though it seems to bother his audience not at all. "The minute you start mandating, you always end up with more expensive government programs."

The panderer-in-chief is a prostate cancer survivor. Giuliani told voters, "I had prostate cancer five, six years ago. (Editor's note: He's not sure?) My chance of surviving cancer -- and thank God I was cured of it -- in the United States: 82 percent. My chances of surviving prostate cancer in England: only 44 percent under socialized medicine." The problem is the numbers came from Dr. David Gratzer, of the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute. Gratzer used an old study from the Commonwealth Fund. THE CWF told The New York Times, "Five-year survival rates cannot be calculated from incidence and mortality rates, as any good epidemiologist knows."

None of these factors matter to Jim Johnson. It's all about Jim wanting the Florida primary moved up.

Irrational voter, indeed.

Update: Johnson evokes a Florida strategy Giuliani never had. America's Mayor outspent all Republicans in New Hampshire. Giuliani spent a great deal of time and money in Iowa and South Carolina.

Florida was the firewall. Giuliani was an undisciplined candidate. He would pull stakes, in a state, at the first sign of trouble. The former GOP frontrunner couldn't fundraise and not say embarrassing statements on the stump. The man that vowed not to run from terrorists ran a campaign of retreat.

Giuliani had the intention of winning the early states. His only problem voters found him less appealing than Ron Paul.

McCain & Clinton Win Florida

The New York Times calls the Florida primary for John McCain and Hillary Clinton. McCain won 36 percent of the vote. Clinton promises to seat Florida delegates at the Democratic National convention.

In an energetic victory speech, Mrs. Clinton appealed to Florida voters who may have felt disenfranchised by the cloud cast over their primary. “I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure not only are Florida’s Democratic delegates seated, but that Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in 2008,” she told supporters in Davie, Fla., where she flew on Tuesday for an appearance.

The entire Hillary victory speech is on her web site.

Rudy Giuliani's concession speech left clues about his intention to drop out of the race.

Speaking in the past tense about his bid, but not offering yet that he would exit, Giuliani said "winners dream of a better future and then they help to bring it into reality." But added, "the responsibility of leadership doesn't end in a single campaign, if you believe in a cause it goes on, and you continue to fight for it and we will."

Giuliani said he is proud that his campaign stayed "positive" and ran "a campaign of ideas."

"We ran a campaign that was uplifting," he said. "You don't always win, but you can always try to do it right and you did. That's what the American people deserve."

Reports are that Giuliani will endorse McCain.

Giuliani to Endorse McCain

The Page reports that Rudy Giuliani will endorse John McCain. So much for Rudy's Florida strategy.

Quote of the Day

"The winner of Florida will win the nomination."

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani's Florida strategy will be cited in political science classes on how not to run a presidential campaign.

The Shag Monster

Ladies, Rudy Giuliani has been officially cleared for shagging.

Write A Caption: Giuliani At Daytona International Speedway

Cash Strapped Rudy

Rudy Giuliani asked senior campaign staffers to forego pay.

"We have enough money, but we could always use more money," contended Mike DuHaime, Giuliani's campaign manager and one of those who now is working for free. "We want to make sure we have enough to win."

In other news: A SurveyUSA poll shows John McCain running a close second to Giuliani in New York.

Giuliani - 32 percent

McCain - 29 percent

Giuliani's amazingly stupid strategy of blowing off Iowa and New Hampshire was a serious error. Future candidates will look at Giuliani and Fred Thompson as blueprints on how not to run a presidential campaign.

Billionaires For Rudy

Corporate America, Rudy Giuliani feels your pain.

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has proposed what he called a multitrillion-dollar tax cut that would lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent and reduce the capital gains tax from 15 percent to 10 percent.

The proposal, unveiled by Guiliani's campaign on Wednesday, would preserve the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush, eliminate the estate tax and give taxpayers the option of choosing a simplified tax form with three tax brackets with a maximum bracket of 30 percent.

"Giuliani's tax plan makes all the Bush tax cuts permanent, including full repeal of the death tax," the former New York mayor's campaign said in an appeal to fiscal conservatives.

Grover Norquist likes it. It must be a good idea. That pesky deficit will go away after Rudy sprinkles fairy dust.

The Giuliani Circus Is Not Coming to Sarasota

This is the best Giuliani story of the day.

SARASOTA - There will be no circus here for GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

Three days after announcing that Giuliani would speak to local Republicans on Jan. 25 at the Sailor Circus Arena, the Sarasota County Republican Party has changed venues, concerned the location easily could be lampooned.

A candidate known for dressing in drag and making false claims about torturing mobsters is worried about being lampooned. Giuliani does a good job embarrassing himself. Giuliani's Christmas video is a comedy masterpiece.

Quote of the Day

"None of this worries me - Sept. 11, there were times I was worried."

Rudy Giuliani, on his sixth place Iowa caucas finish.

Rudy Giuliani Dancing

This has to be seen to be believed.

Iowa Caucus

To continue the back and forth that goes on between Pushing Rope and Creative Loafing, I break down the importantance of the Iowa caucas. Wayne Garcia is suffering caucas and Florida Gators burn-out.

Seriously, several of these candiadates are fucked if they don’t finish in second place. Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Duncan Hunter are dead men walking. Alan Keyes isn’t on the ballot and we probably won’t see him again. (You should run his campaign, Wayne.) Obama and Edwards will end up as the first and second caucas choices. Huckabee and Romney for the Republicans. Iowan just don’t feel Fred Thompson’s sex appeal and straight male Washington pundits.

Thompson and Giuliani are good as gone. The former was banking on South Carolina and Florida and the latter Florida, then carry their (laugh) momentum into Super Tuesday. Their campaigns are train wrecks. Shaggate killed Giuliani and Thompson is the laziest and dumbest presidential candidate of my lifetime. Athur Branch refuses to campaign when a Tennessee game is on. (Side note: how about them Gators!)

McCain might pull off New Hampshire.Huckabee are Romeny wins changes New Hampshire. John Kerry was polling in fourth in New Hampshire and Iowa saved him. The Swift Boated One won NH.

Iowa does matter. Say it with feeling, Wayne.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards will be battling each other after Super Tuesday. Edwards money will get thin, but he is in better shape than the Republicans. Ron Paul can run to the very end. He had the best GOP fundraising quarter and runs a bare-bones campaign.

Side note: Biden and Kucinich are telling their caucas voters to go with Obama as their second choice.

Quote of the Day

"I suspect that our Democratic colleagues would get that question more often in a Democratic audience than we get in a Republican audience," he said. "Maybe more Democrats are concerned about their health care than Republicans, maybe because Republicans have health care or maybe Republicans generally like the idea of private solutions."

Rudy Giuliani, showing the true meaning ofcompassionate conservatism.