Wednesday Mashup (7/6/11)

I thought this column from David Bossie at The Daily Tucker was unintentionally amusing, in which he extols the virtues of American women, most of whom just happen to be Republicans.

That’s funny stuff coming from a guy in charge of an organization that was once named after a highly derogatory reference to female genitalia (here).

Next, I give you the following editorial from the Philadelphia Daily News…

THIS JUST IN: Rivers often cross state boundaries. In fact, some rivers actually are state boundaries.

So if hazardous waste were dumped into the Delaware River in, say, Trenton, some of it would almost certainly find its way to Philadelphia.

And we likely would have a problem with that.

When it comes to water quality, we're all in this together. That's why the Clean Water Act - which sets and mandates the enforcement of national standards for water quality - has been essential to protecting the environment for nearly four decades.

…

Apparently, one congressman from West Virginia is angry because the Environmental Protection Agency has blocked mountaintop coal-removal methods that jeopardize watersheds. Another from Florida doesn't like government-mandated safeguards against chemical pollutants. So they cooked up legislation that not only will make it easier on the polluters in their states, but render the Clean Water Act useless for the 48 others.

Here and here are links to information telling us what we have to do to oppose this horrific piece of legislation, sponsored by U.S. House Repug John Mica of Florida (and this provides more information on the bill, telling us, among other things, that it is co-sponsored by “Democrats” Jason Altmire, Mark Critz and Tim Holden…why again do I actually support these people?).

Continuing, I know it’s hard to believe, but Repug U.S. House Rep Thad McCotter of Michigan is running for president (here).

Well, with that in mind, I suppose it’s appropriate to revisit this post, reminding us that “Mad Thad”…

…spent at least $30,000 in taxpayer-provided Republican Policy Committee funds to hire a consulting firm run by his chief of staff’s brother, Saul Anuzis, even as McCotter planned to kill the policy committee because it’s a “superfluous” waste of federal money.

And as I noted at the time, about a year ago…

I wonder if now, as a result, we will be treated in another lesson in how to speak “Democrat”...something else to consider along with McCotter’s opposition to the “stim,” of course, besides his vote against expanding the (Michigan) State Children's Health Insurance Program, which rightly earned him criticism from Catholics United for it (that, allegedly, is McCotter’s faith); McCotter called the group "the devil" over it.

Oh, but McCotter supposedly supported unions, who will be watching his candidacy closely, as noted here.

On its face, it appears beyond absurd that McCotter would attempt to win his party’s nomination to run for president. However, given the antics of the GOP field to date, it looks like “Mad Thad” will fit right in.

Further, this tells us that the Obama Administration plans to try Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame in civilian court on terrorism charges, after holding him on a U.S. Navy vessel for two months.

Of course, this has prompted a fresh round of umbrage from Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao (here)…

Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame is a foreign enemy combatant. He should be treated as one; he should be sitting in a cell Guantanamo Bay, and eventually be tried before a military commission. Warsame is an admitted terrorist.

As always, here is the question: do you want to actually convict these characters, or don’t you? Because if you do, you’re a lot more likely to do so in a civilian court as opposed to our putting-lipstick-on-the-proverbial-pig military commissions. And as Emptywheel tells us here, we’ve already convicted 390 of these individuals (and an interesting question about Warsame is posed at the end here, I believe).

Of course, demonizing Obama on this issue is nothing new for McConnell, as noted here, claiming Number 44 would let loose those dern terrists in the old U S of A, which has been denied repeatedly by the White House (but why let the facts get in the way of the Senate Minority Leader and his quest to bludgeon us with another right-wing talking point?).

Also, I give you the following from Irrational Spew Online…

The AFL-CIO, of all bodies, tweeted a simple question to President Obama in today’s #AskObama snarkfest: Where are the jobs?

My colleague Ivan Osorio answered for the president, “In right-to-work states.” Zing!

Yes, it’s true that Politifact has classified talking points about so-called “right to work” states generating more employment than non-“right to work” states as “mostly true,” including this one from Bill Orally, though the supposed employment increase in the right-to-work states is statistically insignificant (the rate in the non-RTW states versus the RTW ones and the national rate are all around 9 percent). Also, I haven't found a comparison yet of job wages between "right to work" and non-RTW states.

However, as Think Progress tells us here…

…steep spending cuts are hampering economic recovery in some states, while other states that resisted cuts or increased spending are now seeing declining unemployment rates, faster private-sector job creation, and stronger economic growth.

As you look at the chart from the Think Progress post, you can see the red line dividing the states that have cut spending (leading to fewer jobs) versus the ones that haven’t (leading to more jobs). And call me crazy, but I see a lot of “right to work” states under the line, including Wyoming, Mississippi, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada (a complete list of so-called right-to-work states is here).

Sooo…how can unemployment be supposedly lower if they’ve lost jobs?

Zing!

Finally, today is the 65th birthday of Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History.

May I recommend the following reading for the occasion?