Tag Archive for "election 2012"

Posts Tagged election 2012

Sarah Palin, the veepstakes, and the “poisoned well”

When a person becomes the first member of their minority group to do something, they carry an extra burden. They don’t just have to do the job – say, lead a nation – they have to do that job knowing that their performance will be considered representative of how every member of that group would fare in that position.

Obviously, the example that comes to mind most quickly is President Obama; he’s not just the President, he’s a Black President. Or, if you’re Australian, Julia Gillard, who carries the extra weight of representing “how women govern.” President Obama’s additional burden was something that Keith Boykin discussed on “Melissa Harris-Perry” last weekend when we were talking about white voters ...

When a person becomes the first member of their minority group to do something, they carry an extra burden. They don’t just have to do the job – say, lead a nation – they have to ...

By Syreeta McFadden • 11 years ago

What went wrong in Wisconsin

Most people are surprised when I tell them that I was born and raised in Wisconsin until the inevitable regional language flap (I say “water bubbler,” you say “water fountain”). I’ve trained my tongue to conform to a more region-less lingo. But when asked, I’m clear about my origins.

I had admittedly been monitoring the recall for Governor Scott Walker peripherally for months. Dispatches from my little sister indicated that black Milwaukee votes were united against Scott Walker and by default, aligned with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Living in Brooklyn, my knowledge of Wisconsin politics has diminished to poor snatches of memory. I think I met Tom Barrett once, when he was my state senator, but hindsight is fuzzy. My ...

By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

What Would Happen If Obama Supported Gay Marriage?

While NC tries to ban gay marriage, yesterday Katie wrote about how Joe Biden is being pushed into the closet on gay marriage after expressing his full support on Meet The Press for same-sex marriage.

Within hours of the appearance, a Biden aid felt the need to clarify the comments and senior Obama campaign advisor David Axelrod tweeted, “What VP said – that all married couples should have exactly the same legal rights – is precisely POTUS’s position,” a comment that Katie felt came off as “pathetic, desperate and spineless.”

Today, as the fallout continues and that political spin machine continues to churn out explanations, clarifications, and rationalizations, TPM has a great piece exploring the question on every Obama-loving liberal’s ...

Within ...

By Chloe Angyal • 11 years ago

Gingrich drops out, nation awakes from months-long fever dream

Remember that puzzling dream you had about a guy who ran for the GOP nomination having resigned under a cloud of scandal in the 1990s? Remember how that candidate from your dream was the opposite of a dream candidate – anti-gay, pro-racist dog whistles, anti-welfare, and pro-moon colony? And remember how the dream seemed to go on forever?

That wasn’t a dream (though at times, it did feel like every American comedian’s dream come true). That was the Newt Gingrich campaign, and it actually happened.

But yesterday, it ended. Gingrich announced that he was dropping out. To commemorate the occasion, our own Katie made this little tribute video.

So long, Newt. You’ll be missed by comedians, but not by me.

By Katie Halper • 12 years ago

Rep. Joe Walsh on “female, wounded veteran”: “Let’s move on. What else has she done?”

Whether he’s refusing to pay his child support so he can afford to fund his campaign and go on luxury vacations, lying about not being able to afford it, calling President Obama a liar, or yelling at constituents, Illinois congressman and Tea Party darling Joe Walsh knows how to keep it classy. So, I shouldn’t be surprised by his most recent disgusting comments about Tammy Duckworth, who is running against him in Illinois’s 8th congressional district. Duckworth served as Assistant Operations Officer and a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq. After her helicopter was ambushed and hit by a grenade, she successfully landed the helicopter, but lost her legs and her right arm in the blast.

In an ...

Whether he’s refusing to pay his child support so he can afford to fund his campaign and go on luxury vacations, lying about not being able to afford it, calling President Obama a ...

By Eesha Pandit • 12 years ago

GOP field targets Romney on abortion record

Mitt Romney is the latest target of one of the GOP campaign playbook’s most effective tactics: the flip-flopper branding.

Yesterday Personhood USA organized a forum for the GOP presidential field, and four of the Republican presidential candidates attacked frontrunner Mitt Romney, who wasn’t there, on his record on abortion rights.

Mitt Romney’s shift from a mild and meek support of abortion rights to his current loud and strong opposition has been a topic of conversation for several months now. While he didn’t attend the forum, Governor Romney’s rivals are looking to exploit his inconsistency on the issue ahead of Tuesday’s South Carolina primary.

Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum have each signed a Personhood USA pledge stating ...

Mitt Romney is the latest target of one of the GOP campaign playbook’s most effective tactics: the flip-flopper branding.

Yesterday Personhood USA organized a forum for the GOP presidential field, and four of the Republican presidential candidates ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 12 years ago

Faux-serious political ads: Serial killer Mitt vs. Aborted fetal parts

The 2012 election may end up being known as the one with all the not-quite-serious political ads.

Yesterday, the “Definitely Not Coordinated With Stephen Colbert Super PAC” released this attack ad on Mitt Romney. Colbert, who formed the actual PAC last spring, passed control of it on to Jon Stewart last week so that he can consider a run for President of the United States of North Carolina. (Yes, please.)

In perfect Colbert fashion, the stunt is totally absurd, while also making a serious point about the campaign finance loopholes that allow unlimited spending by super PACs as long as they are ostensibly independent from the candidate. And any chance to remind voters that Romney thinks corporations are people ...

The 2012 election may end up being known as the one with all the not-quite-serious political ads.

Yesterday, the “Definitely Not Coordinated With Stephen Colbert Super PAC” released this attack ad on Mitt Romney. Colbert, who formed ...

By Samhita • 12 years ago

Romney may have won the New Hampshire primary, but he’s still a jerk

In an unprecedented win, Mitt Romney took the NH primary by about 40% last night. It was unprecedented in that rarely does a nominee take Iowa and New Hampshire, however, Republican voter turn-out was lower than in 2008. From any objective stand-point the Republicans look screwed (and not in the good way), since most of their conservative base hates Mitt Romney because to them, he is not conservative enough. But to us, he continues to be an epic asshole. He also lies quite a bit.

See here in his NH primary speech where he claims that Obama “apologized for America.” Strangely, I wasn’t able to find a quote of Obama saying this anywhere.

The world Mitt Romney is campaigning ...