A New Racist Slogan, or Not?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Some believe the representation to be racist. Others do not. Including some African American's.

“I really haven’t heard that about (the beer),” said Anna Anderson, the manager of the Union Square location, who is African-American.

Many black customers and employees shrugged off the questionable undertones.

“It’s a beer,” said Taryn Harris, 40. “I didn’t interpret it that way. People are slaves to whatever they like. They’re a slave to their addictions, be it food or sex. That’s how I interpreted it, as an addiction, not anything else.”

What's your take?

Full text BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Black Ferguson Residents Protect White-Owned Business...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

There are, from time to time, heartening stories such as the following.

By Kathryn Schroeder - Amid the riots in Ferguson, one white-owned business has not had to close up shop—all thanks to a group of heavily armed black men.

Since the announcement that white police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown, the streets of Ferguson have been in an uproar of rioting and looting. Businesses in a 2 square mile area outside of Ferguson have had to close and take measures to protect their property.

The white-owned Conoco gas station has remained open, though, because a group of male black Ferguson residents are keeping guard.

Derrick Johnson, a 6-foot-8 man, held an AR-15 assault rifle as he stood in a pickup truck near the station's convenience store entrance. Three other men joined Johnson, each armed with pistols.


The men said they are protecting the store out of respect for the white owner, Doug Merello, who employed them over the course of several years, reports Inquisitr.

“He’s a nice dude, he’s helped us a lot,” said one of the men who identified himself as R.J.

The men are not being paid by Merello, nor were any of the others that joined them on-and-off since the rioting began.

"We would have been burned to the ground many times over if it weren’t for them,” said Merello.

According to R.J., the men have chased away several groups of teenagers that were rampaging through the area.

Of course the image of any civilian in American having to stand guard over a legitimate business with an AK-15 during rioting caused by racial unrest is troubling and alarming. Isn't it time for a frank and rational discussion about our past as well as our present in regard to race? Understanding and facing the underlying mistrust and fear causing the riots in Ferguson will be essential to getting beyond the current reality with respect to race relations in America.

There are good and honorable black folks as well as good and honorable white folks, and the make up the majority in America. These are the folks that will be the ones to find a way out of the racial tensions that have always been a part of the United States of America. It is time it stops. For that to happen will require building trust between the brothers and sisters of different color.

Are we up to the task? We should all hope so. But much more importantly all Americans of good will must work to make it happen.

More of the article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

New York Times Irresponsibility...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Main Stream news media acting ignorantly and irresponsibly.

Howard Kurtz - The New York Times, whether consciously or not, has just endangered Darren Wilson’s life.

With tensions running high in Ferguson over the lack of an indictment for Wilson’s killing of Michael Brown, the paper has published the officer’s approximate address -- the street and town where he lives with his new wife, who also is named.

Given the racial animosity unleashed by Brown’s death, given the rioting and the looting and the stores that were set afire, how can a news organization make it easier for some crazy zealot to track down Wilson?

But there it is in the paper:

“Officer Wilson and [blank] own a home together on [blank] Lane in [blank], Mo., a St. Louis suburb about a half-hour drive from Ferguson.”

I mean, why not add a locator map?

The piece was a seemingly innocuous scooplet about Wilson, who had dropped out of sight before the grand jury decision, getting married.

As Mediaite columnist Joe Concha puts it, “Regardless of your thoughts on Wilson’s guilt or innocence, how can anyone believe providing his street and name of his wife be anything but irresponsible?”

I suppose we shouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum


By the way... HAPPY TURKEY DAY !!!

Abdul-Jabbar on Racism...

Text Via: TIME

President Obama Threatens Veto of Emerging Tax Deal...

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Purveyor of Truth

President Obama is threatening to veto the tax deal being worked out by Senator Reid and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp.

The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto an emerging deal that would restore several lapsed tax breaks, bringing into the open tensions between President Obama and the top Senate Democrat.

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“The president would veto the proposed deal because it would provide permanent tax breaks to help well-connected corporations while neglecting working families,” Friedman said, just hours after reports emerged that a $450 billion deal on the tax breaks was close at hand and that negotiators hoped to wrap it up by Tuesday

The devil is always in the details but, could someone explain exactly why the interests of corporate America should trump the interests of the middle class or working poor?

More BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Anarchy in Ferguson...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Violence, looting, and rioting commenced last night in Ferguson Missouri following the announcement of the grand jury decision. Reaction to the decision not to prosecute the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown is as anticipated.

Ferguson is know dealing with people who can only be considered anarchists. In response to a decision they did not agree with they are now creating additional victims. Innocent people who having nothing to do with the legal decision are having their businesses and property destroyed.

Rule of law means nothing to these individuals. In fits of irrational rage they are destroying property within their own community and creating destruction, not to mention jeopardizing public safety. Unacceptable under any circumstance these actions must be denounced in no uncertain terms and law enforcement must be allowed to restore order and calm.

Having said the forgoing, America has a race problem. Inequities of history have a way of coming home to roost. When they do, as often as not the result is not a desirable or pleasant one. Even as it is understandable.

It is time, no, it is woefully past time for this nation to face it's past and have an open, honest, and rational discussion on race. At the risk of being called many names by conservatives isn't time we confront our nation's history on race, admit the obvious hypocrisy that has existed, own up to the fact it still exists, and take the responsible actions most of us know is necessary?

I'm not holding my breath.

Rev. Al Sharpton Sounding Concerned...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Never have cracked for Al Sharpton and will say right up front I likely never will.

Having said the above I must say I agree with Sharpton's analysis that Senator Rand Paul's efforts to reach out to the black community could hurt the democrats in 2016 should Paul be the eventual nominee. If Senator Paul is sincere, if he convincingly demonstrates his understanding of the black community's concerns and acts accordingly over the next two years he, and the republican sate could be quite formidable.

That would not be a bad thing. Republicans must begin recognizing the nation's changing demographics and the concerns, aspirations, fears, and the realities this change will bring. Responsible fiscal conservatives need to take the reigns of the party (from the hands of the most virulent Tea Party folks) and give American's of all persuasions multiple reasons to vote FOR them rather than against the democrats.

The issues facing this nation both fiscally and socially are large. Placing the importance of resolving these issues in the best interests of ALL Americans must trump the interests of party and special interests. It is possible Senator Paul knows this, is prepared to set the right tone, believes it is time do the right thing, and will walk the talk. Let's hope he does that he will.

And leave the low road of trying to instil fear to the Reverend Al Sharpton.

POLITICO - The Rev. Al Sharpton says Rand Paul’s efforts to engage black voters could present a strategic challenge for Democrats: If the Republican senator runs for president, fewer African Americans may be motivated to show up and vote against him.

The civil rights activist and TV host had breakfast with the Kentucky senator last week, and the pair discussed the need for criminal justice reform before disagreeing over how to deal with the immigration system.

Democrats have traditionally done well among African American voters, especially with Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. In 2016, Democrats will “need maximum black turnout in a lot of states,” Sharpton told POLITICO.

“What I think is more dangerous for Democrats is, if a guy like Paul is out there, if he becomes the nominee, for argument’s sake, he … does not generate a turnout against him” among African Americans, Sharpton said. He added, “If he’s able to neutralize his past image on civil rights, if he becomes the candidate … and if you don’t get a huge black turnout saying ‘We’re afraid [of him],’” that could be a pitfall for Democrats.

Sharpton pointed to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to engage the black community as an example. Bloomberg “didn’t get a lot of black votes … but because he reached out, a lot of blacks were not energized to come out and vote against him,” Sharpton said.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

The Fingers of God...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

As he’s made abundantly clear by now, famed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson believes God will talk to him about running for president in 2016. As we draw closer to primary season, it appears as though those vague whispers have turned into physical contact.

In a sit-down interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, Carson suggested God has been gently touching him with his heavenly fingers.

Okie Dokie then. We'll be watching those debates, Should prove to be entertaining at the very least.

Find full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

A Reasonable Explanation on Obama's Immigration Plan...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

From Slate a reasoned and accurate explanation with respect to President Obama's temporary immigration plan. A fitting rebuttal to the screeching Tea Baggers that have tied themselves in knots over something that is far from new.

The idea that the immigration plan just announced by President Obama is a lawless power grab is absurd. As the Justice Department legal analysis that was just released amply demonstrates, much of the advance criticism of the president’s action has been uninformed and unwarranted. The opinion is well-reasoned and at times even conservative. The president is not acting unilaterally, but pursuant to his statutory authority. Wide discretion over deportation priorities has long been conferred on the executive branch by Congress, and it is being exercised in this case consistent with policies such as family unification that have been endorsed by Congress.

Even though the action is breathtaking in scope, there is nothing legally remarkable about what the administration is doing, or the legal analysis supporting it. The announced “deferred action” provides temporary administrative relief from deportation for aliens who are the parents of citizens, or the parents of lawful permanent residents. “Deferred action” is an exercise of discretion in which officials may temporarily defer the removal of an alien. The grant of deferred action in this case will remain in place for three years, is subject to renewal, and can be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Department of Homeland Security. As Eric Posner, who served in the Office of Legal Counsel under the first President Bush, notes, the president “is just doing what countless Congresses have wanted him to do”—setting priorities for deportation enforcement.

Let’s be clear about what the administration has not done in this opinion. No one has been granted “amnesty,” either literally or functionally. And no precedent has been set for this or any future president to act unilaterally in disregard of acts of Congress. On the contrary, the legal opinion rejects a second proposed exercise of discretion—deferring deportation of the parents of “Dreamers”—that Justice concluded cannot be said to carry out priorities established by Congress.

The fundamental fact is this: There are 11.3 million people in the United States who, for one reason or another, are deportable. The largest number that can be deported in any year under the resources provided by Congress is somewhere around 400,000. Congress has recognized this and in 6 U.S.C. 202 (5) it has directed the secretary of homeland security to establish “national immigration enforcement policies and priorities.” In the action announced tonight, the secretary has done just that, and the president has approved.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Ted Cruz Spreading the Bull...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Senator Ted Cruz, the man without an original though in his tea bag head, let alone a solution to our immigration problem of many years, reached back in time and quoted Cicero in his most recent Obama bashing frenzy. Undoubtedly crafted to further whip up Tea Party ire over the president daring to do what other presidents have done before him.

He took to the floor of the Senate and delivered a speech that included one of Cicero’s most famous addresses, subbing in Obama's name.

“When, President Obama, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end to that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?” he said, using the beginning of Cicero’s First Oration Against Catiline.

By substituting Obama's name for Catiline's, Cruz compared the president to a figure who sought to violently overthrow the Roman republic.

Of course there is more as the spokesman for Speaker of the House John (Orange Man) Boehner weighs in with this:

“If ‘Emperor Obama’ ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for congressional action on this issue and many others,” said a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

The above is bulls*it and especially laughable in light of the fact the republicans have done jack squat in addressing what everone knows is a national problem. But I guess when you don't have a plan, other than to villify and obstruct the opposition party and the duly elected president this is how you roll.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Reasons Why...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Reason one why I'm not a Tea Bagger. Reason two why I'm not a Tea Bagger. There are of course many more examples of why but time is, after all, limited and I'm sure you get the picture.

According To One Senator Democrats Are "Blunderheads"...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Look no further than the following statements and it is easy to understand in part what is wrong with our broken politics and present government.

Political rhetoric has always been cantankerous and at times extremely heated. But until recently elected representatives of the people (from both parties) have held the interest of the people of this nation as a priority. It now seems the only thing of importance these days is wining elections because it enables the victorious party to push through the agenda(s) of special interest groups that have bought them and expect results from their expenditures.

"Frankly, I intend to win with our candidate for the presidency in 2016, and we will give them a taste of their own medicine, ..."

"And we're going to win. We're going to win. These next two years are extremely important. Maybe the most important two years in our history."

"We should not return to the old rule. We should teach those blunderheads that they made a big mistake. And we have the votes to stop bad judges if we want to, ..."

"I get a big kick out of them using the word 'progressive,'" he said. "My gosh, they're just straight old dumbass liberals anyway."

"... He has a Republican Congress that's willing to work with him. That's the thing that's pretty interesting to me."

These comments were made by a United States Senator. Maybe it's just me but I think I would have a very hard time working with anyone who held these views. They really demonstrate his personal beliefs about the opposing party as well as a unwillingness to work with his counterparts across the aisle.

And, he is not the most intransigent of the lot. In fairness... the entire article can be found BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Immigration Reform By Executive Order Part 2...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Republican congressional leadership vows to fight President Obama "tooth and nail if he uses executive order to move immigration reform forward. Of course all the while pointing out congressional action to reform immigration law is the proper constitutional process. Which of course makes all the sense in the world.

So, republican congressional leadership, why haven't you acted responsibly and pased comprehensive immigration reform?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

The Washington Post - Congressional Republicans have split into competing factions over how to respond to President Obama’s expected moves to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, which are likely to include protecting millions from being deported.

The first, favored by the GOP leadership, would have Republicans denounce what House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has called “executive amnesty” and use the party’s new grip on Congress to contest changes to the law incrementally in the months ahead.

The second, which has become the rallying cry for conservatives, would seek to block the president’s decision by shutting down the government for an extended period until he relents (emphasis mine).

The brewing internal debate, which started to play out Thursday in meetings on both sides of the Capitol, represents the first significant test for Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) since Republicans won full control of Congress, forcing the leaders to balance their desire to show that the GOP can govern and their fears of upsetting the conservatives who lifted them to power.

“It’s a big test for the leadership. We cannot listen to the loudest, shrillest voices in our party,” said Rep. Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican who represents the Philadelphia exurbs. “At some point we have to fund the government, and we should not fight to attach some demand. I don’t want to stand by and watch as our party gets driven into a ditch.”

More with videos BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Immigration Reform By Executive Order?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

President Obama has indicated his readiness to force immigration reform via presidential executive order. Certainly not the best route as congressional passage of an immigration reform bill is in the best interest of the republic. However, President Obama's willingness to use an executive order in the face of congressional inaction is understandable.

Senate Majority Leader Reid has advised the presidemt to hold off untill passage of a must pass spending bill in December. Reid believes Obama acting now to sign an executive order may risk a government shutdown because it will pis* off republicans in congress and they will retaliate by holding up passage of the spending bill thus causing a shutdown of the government.

Washington (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a surprising message for President Barack Obama: Not so fast on using that executive power to change immigration laws.
To be sure -- Reid said he supports any presidential move to go around a stalemated Congress and help illegal immigrants by executive order, but he wants the president to hold off until Congress approves a bill to fund the government.
The Democratic Leader told CNN in a hallway interview Thursday that he has privately conveyed to the White House his concern: that the move will anger Republicans and threaten passage of the must-pass spending bill. That could lead to a government shutdown.
"The President has said he'll do the executive action, the question is when," Reid said. "He can do it, you know, it's up to him. But I'd like to get the finances of this country out of the way before he does it. But it's up to him."
Congress is facing a Dec. 11 deadline to approve the government funding measure.

For those who state it will cause a constitutional crisis if the president uses executive order, you really ought to GO HERE . It is not like it hasn't happened bvefore and in much greater frequency.

Many do not like the use of executive orders, myself included. But when congress refuses to act responsibly in the face of a growing national problem created by both parties a strong leader will be compelled to act.

Via: Memeorandum

Obama Predicted to Cave to Iranian Demands on Nuclear Program...

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Purveyor of Truth

From GOPUSA, with the help of an Israeli Middle East expert the following report.

A Middle East expert is confident the Obama administration will cave to Iranian demands and allow the rogue state to keep its nuclear program.

Last week The Associated Press confirmed the existence of a "dear Ayatollah" letter written by President Obama to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, urging cooperation in the fight against ISIS and tying cooperation on that front to a deal over Iran's nuclear program. The U.S., Iran, and other negotiators are facing a November 24 deadline for such a deal – a deal about which some Capitol Hill lawmakers have expressed doubts.

David Rubin, a former mayor of the Israeli city of Shiloh, spoke with OneNewsNow about the confirmed behind-the-scenes negotiations. Rubin says the Iranians appear confident that Obama is a weak president and will do whatever it takes to make a deal with Tehran.

"They're very clear that they think that there's going to be a deal with the United States because the Obama administration is very, very eager for a deal because they have to show some sort of accomplishment in place of all the weakness," he offers.

In Rubin's eyes, the Iranians are issuing dictates to the United States making it clear that they want their nuclear program to go forward.

"That is what the Iranians are saying – and I predict that that is going to be the result of these negotiations," he says. "There will be an agreement; there will be some token limitations. But the Iranians will be able to go forward with their nuclear programs."

As we anxiously await to observe how this obviously biased and somewhat questionable prediction stacks up against reality.

Read more BELOW THE FOLD.

Marriage Equality or Not?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

In the pursuit of presenting opposing views.

The “gay marriage” fairytale hurts children.

Here’s what marriage is. Marriage is the God-ordained, lifelong, covenantal union between man and wife, designed to provide men, women and children optimal stability and overall well-being. Marriage is that biologically, spiritually and morally centered institution calculated to ensure responsible procreation and perpetuate the human race. Marriage, real marriage, represents the fundamental cornerstone of any healthy society (any society that hopes to survive, at least).

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On Thursday, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio agreed. It rightly upheld natural marriage laws in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. This is huge. It has kneecapped the left’s propagandist “gay-marriage-is-inevitable” myth. It’s created a conflict between federal circuits, which means, almost certainly, that the U.S. Supreme Court will, once again, weigh in on extremist efforts to deconstruct marriage, nationwide, via lower court judicial fiat.

In the 6th Circuit’s decision, Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote, “Of all the ways to resolve this question, one option is not available: a poll of the three judges of this panel, or for that matter all federal judges, about whether gay marriage is a good idea. Our judicial commissions did not come with such a sweeping grant of authority, one that would allow just three of us – just two of us in truth – to make such a vital policy call for the thirty-two million citizens who live within the four states of the 6th Circuit.”

Ah, judicial restraint. How refreshing.

MORE BELOWTHE FOLD.

What say you?

Negative Politics... Producing No Results... Equals a Nation Adrift

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Purveyor of Truth

By MAGGIE HABERMAN 11/9/14 11:39 PM EST

Time was, a politician with approval numbers well below 50 percent was in deep trouble come Election Day.

But in politics, 40 has become the new 50.

Last’s week election saw a slew of unpopular politicians get elected or reelected despite approval ratings in the mid- or even low-40s. It’s in part a product of voter disgust with both parties and a race-to-the-bottom political climate, in which both sides nuke their rival early and often and public opinion of Congress and institutions is extremely low.

SKIP

While there have been politicians in the past who have been reelected with weak approval ratings, the spate of tight races with people with a net negative favorable ratings was unusual this cycle. Instead of punishing the candidate who goes negative first, voters have become inured to the idea that both of them will. And approval ratings are no longer a reliable indicator of electability.

In “today’s politics, the hyper-partisanship and the huge campaign spending, has permanently warped our old understanding of political norms,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, of Public Opinion Strategies.

Pretty much sums things up. Don't look to see changes anytime soon,if ever.

GWB, No Regrets...

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Purveyor of Truth

Former President George W Bush told Bob Schieffer Sunday morning that he had no regrets over the decision to invade Iraq.

Bush was on to discuss his new book praising his father (and to honor Face The Nation’ss sixtieth anniversary). 43 insisted he did not invade Iraq to finish what his father started, and said he was surprised when Saddam Hussein called his bluff over the invasion, but didn’t regret the decision to go in.

“I think it was the right decision,” Bush said. “My regret is that a violent group of people has risen up again. This is al Qaeda plus. I put in the book that they need to be defeated. And I hope they are. I hope the strategy works.”

Golly gee, does anyone think the president would freely admit his blunder?

Video via MEDIAITE.

Inexplicable Evil...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Evil exist in this world. Evil that is so profoundly inexplicable it leaves us numb, incapable of understanding it's twisted, perverted, and tortured existence. Evil that only a devil could perpetuate. Evil that no human being should ever be subjected to. Certainly not an innocent defenseless three year old child.

May the bastards that did this burn in hell.

Canada Journal - Scott McMillan Tortured to Death by Mother & Her Boyfriend, Jillian Tait, 31, and her boyfriend Gary Fellenbaum, 23, face murder charges in the death of her son, 3-Year-Old Scotty McMillan.

Mr Fellenbaum is alleged to have repeatedly struck Scotty McMillan with a whip while hanging him upside down by his feet, as well as taping him to a chair and beating him with objects including a frying pan.

The couple live in a mobile home in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which they share with Mr Fellenbaum’s estranged wife.

The country’s district attorney Thomas Hogan described how nurses at the emergency room at the hospital where the child was brought “wept” when they saw his battered body.

“Let me tell you about an American Horror story,” he began his remarks while announcing charges for the case. “Little Scotty McMillan is dead.”

“He was punched in the face and in the stomach, he was scourged with a homemade whip, he was lashed with a metal rod, he was tied to a chair and beaten, he was tied upside down by his feet and beaten, his head was smashed through a wall and at the end of that he had bruises on top of bruises all over his body.”

In one incident where the three-year-old boy was hung upside down he is said to have attempted to break free, which authorities said the couple thought was “funny”.

Police only learned of the abuse after the couple called paramedics after the child stopped being responsive.

Initially the couple are said to have placed the boy in the shower for half an hour. When he did not respond, they are alleged to have laid him on an air mattress, gone car shopping, had sex, and had a nap.

It was only after the boy was still unresponsive that they called the emergency services, prosecutors said.

The couple also had the care of another 6-year-old son, who is also said to have been abused. The older child is now under the care of relatives. The couple are in custody and have been refused bail.

Chester County is one of the most affluent areas of the United States. The couple are said to have met at the superstore Wal Mart, where they both worked.

Police also charged Amber Fellenbaum, Mr Fellenbaum’s estranged wife, with child endangerment for failing to help the abused children.

Scotty McMillan : 3-year-old beaten to death in Pennsylvania
( by purely evil people - Added by RN USA)

I feel sick. It is at times like these I hope there is a heaven where the truly innocent who have had their lives cut short by evil can experience life in another dimension.

America's Gasbag Extraordinaire...

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Rational Nation USA is pleased to bring you America's biggest gasbag for your comedic enjoyment.

RUSH: What I want to do here is cut to the chase. The result yesterday is exactly what I said it would be. The Republican Party now has one of the most important and unquestionable mandates a political party has ever had at its junction with American history, especially a political party which did not run on a national agenda. The Republican Party purposely stood mute nationally.

Now, if you go into the races, the House and Senate raises all over the country, you will find that many Republican candidates ran specifically against Obamacare, and that is an important note to make and an important thing for you to remember. Individual Republican candidates won, and they won big. They won in a wave landslide running against Obamacare. The national Republican brand or image didn't say a word, which makes the mandate that they have all the more incredible.

It is rare that a political party running for office in a midterm election not standing for anything ends up with a mandate, and they have one, and it is the biggest and perhaps the most important mandate a political party has had in the recent era, and it is very simple what that mandate is. It is to stop Barack Obama. It is to stop the Democrats. There is no other reason why Republicans were elected yesterday. Republicans were not elected to govern.

How can you govern with a president that disobeys the Constitution? How can you govern with a president that is demonstrably lawless when he thinks he has to be? The Republican Party was not elected to fix a broken system or to make it work. The Republican Party was not elected to compromise. The Republican Party was not elected to sit down and work together with the Democrats. The Republican Party was not elected to slow down the speed the country is headed to the cliff and go over it slowly.

The Republican Party was elected to stop before we get to the cliff.

Be sure to catch the rest of the gas from EL Rusbo BELOW THE FOLD.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Upholds Gay Marriage Bans...

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USA TODAY - The same-sex marriage movement lost its first major case in a federal appeals court Thursday after a lengthy string of victories, creating a split among the nation's circuit courts that virtually guarantees Supreme Court review.

The 2-1 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit reversed district court rulings that had struck down gay marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Read more on the socon agenda at work BELOW THE FOLD.

More on the Influence of Money on U.S. Elections...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

The following eye opening article needs no lead in. If and when our republic fails it will be the influence of money and the special interets that control it who will bear the greatest responsibility.

by Russ Choma on November 5, 2014 - Republicans made the most of their fundraising advantage and routed Democrats in Tuesday’s midterms, but they seized the majority in the Senate and built their lead in the House even as fewer donors participated in the process and more of the dollars came from secret sources.

Democrats weren’t swamped when it came to the money game, but the GOP clearly had the upper hand. Even where Democrats had raised more in pivotal Senate races, though, they still were mostly beaten. Several key differences between the two sides emerged on the fundraising front, with Democrats increasing their reliance on small donors since 2010 while Republicans turned sharply to big dollar donors.

The real story of the election’s campaign finance chapter was not which side had more resources, but that such a large chunk of the cost was paid for by a small group of ultra-wealthy donors using outside groups to bury voters with an avalanche of spending. Both sides had plenty of support from outside spenders, but Republican and conservative outside groups outpaced the spending of Democratic and liberal ones. Democratic/liberal groups channeled most of their money through organizations that disclosed donors, while their more conservative counterparts relied heavily on secret sources funneling money through political nonprofits.

Some things seem never to change, and this year’s midterms reprised many of the same old stories. But there were also a handful of surprises, some of which may portend new dynamics in how elections are financed.

Every election since 1998 has been more expensive than the one before it, and predictably the 2014 election will follow that path, CRP has projected — though the total projected cost of $3.67 billion is only a slight uptick over the price tag of the 2010 midterm. Counting all forms of spending — by candidates, parties and outside groups — Team Red is projected to have spent $1.75 billion, while Team Blue’s spending is projected to ring in at $1.64 billion.

CRP’s analysis of last night’s results finds that in House races, the candidate who spent the most prevailed 94.2 percent of the time; the Senate figure is slightly lower, 81.8 percent. Despite several key upsets of Senate Democrats who, as incumbents, had the cash advantage, this is actually an increase from 2012, when 93.8 percent of higher-spending candidates in the House won, and just 75.8 percent of those candidates in the Senate could claim victory.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

A Response to Republican/Conservative Euphoria Over the 2014 Midterm Election...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

The following article needs no lead in. All emphasis is mine.

By  FRANK LUNTZ  NOV. 5, 2014 - ON election night 1994, as Republicans recaptured the House for the first time in 40 years, I stood in the audience and watched my client Newt Gingrich, who would soon become speaker of the House, declare the beginning of the “Republican revolution.”

I knew immediately that the smartest man I had ever worked for was making the worst rhetorical blunder of his career. Nobody voted Republican to start a revolution. They did so because they were fed up with a Democratic president overreaching on health care and a government seemingly incapable of doing even the smallest thing effectively. We all know what happened when Mr. Gingrich tried to turn his rhetoric into action.

Sound familiar? No one is quite saying “revolution” this week, but Republicans across the country, in their glee over Tuesday’s elections, are coming dangerously close to making the same mistake.

True, there will now be more Americans under Republican representation than at any time in decades. And the re-elections of G.O.P. governors in blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin are certainly a validation of their policies. It was a tsunami; someone needs to get the Democrats a towel. But that anti-Democrat wave was not the same as a pro-Republican endorsement. In many races that went from blue to red, Republican success was hardly because of what the G.O.P. has achieved on Capitol Hill. In fact, if Americans could speak with one collective voice — all 310 million of them — this is what they said Tuesday night: “Washington doesn’t listen, Washington doesn’t lead and Washington doesn’t deliver.” Purple states tossed out their Democratic senators for being too close to Washington and too far from the people who put them there.

The current narrative, that this election was a rejection of President Obama, misses the mark. So does the idea that it was a mandate for an extreme conservative agenda. According to a survey my firm fielded on election night for the political-advocacy organization Each American Dream, it was more important that a candidate “shake up and change the way Washington operates.”

I didn’t need a poll to tell me that. This year I traveled the country listening to voters, from Miami to Anchorage, 30 states and counting. And from the reddest rural towns to the bluest big cities, the sentiment is the same. People say Washington is broken and on the decline, that government no longer works for them — only for the rich and powerful.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD

Money That Buys Elections...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Money talks. It buys air time, effective ads, the best marketing firms, politicians, and ultimately influence. The kind of influence you and I can only dream of.

Powerful special interests with bundles of money to spend on their interets do so with the hope and expectations of influencing elections. With the help of the SCOTUS and Citizens United funneling huge sums of special interest monies have become easier.

Unfortunately corporations and billionaires are not thinking about the public interest or you and I. They are thinking about their interests and their interests exclusively. There is really no problem with this per se as each of us are bound by a need to consider, think about, and then act in our own rational self interests. But unlike those spending mega millions to influence elections we have almost no power over politicians or election outcomes, other than our vote and perhaps a few measly dollars we might send to a candidate we like.

Elections should not be influenced by voter fraud, voter suppression, or special interest money. Period.

It is time for concerned Americans across this great land of ours to make our voices heard. True campaign financing reform must become a priority. Until all special interest monies are wrung out of the system, and safeguards are put in place to prevent a recurrance, our democratic republic doesn't stand a chance of survival.

New York Times - Over the last year and a half, the conservative outside groups retooled and revamped, borrowing lessons about how to exploit voter data, opposition research and advertising learned from their less moneyed but more effective Democratic counterparts during 2012.

As federal courts opened new avenues of influence for the wealthy and lenient enforcement effectively neutered what few legal and regulatory restraints remain on big-money politics, they took advantage of every available tool. To shield donors from scrutiny, they moved most of their spending through nonprofit groups not subject to federal disclosure requirements. To be more nimble, they created subsidiaries devoted to specific races. They begged donors for money, overcame internal rivalries that lingered through Election Day, and ultimately deployed at least $300 million in a favorable political environment, helping drive the 2014 midterms to become the costliest in history.

All told, the political network overseen by the conservative billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch appeared to be the largest overall source of outside television spending on behalf of Republicans. Seven Koch-backed groups spent roughly $77 million on television advertising in the midterm elections, officials said, including eleven Senate races. Koch groups appeared to be the biggest outside spenders on television in Arkansas, Iowa and Louisiana, airing a combined $25 million in ads. Republican candidates won Arkansas and Iowa, and the party’s candidate is favored to win a coming runoff in Louisiana.

American Crossroads and its affiliated nonprofit group spent $50 million on political advertising, and at least $20 million more on so-called issue ads, a spokesman said. The groups dominated outside spending in Alaska, where the Crossroads groups put about $7 million into television advertising, and Colorado, fielding close to $14 million, which helped crush Senator Mark Udall, the Democratic incumbent who was once favored to win.

All told, Republican outside groups spent about $205 million on television advertising, according to a Democrat tracking media purchases, while Democratic groups spent $132 million.

Read the rest BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Post Election Media Analysis...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

A run down of interesting post election articles.

Voters demanded change from Washington on Tuesday, and Republicans say it’s now up to President Barack Obama to deliver it.

But don’t count on that happening.

The White House that emerges after the midterm elections won’t look, act or sound drastically different than the one battered for months by Republicans and abandoned by Democrats desperate to hang onto power. The president will seek some common ground with Republicans, but there are limits to how far Obama wants to go — and Senate Democrats will let him go.

MORE

WASHINGTON — Two things were clear long before the votes were counted on Tuesday night: President Obama would face a Congress with more Republicans for his final two years in office, and the results would be seen as a repudiation of his leadership.

But that was not the way Mr. Obama saw it. The electoral map was stacked against him, he argued, making Democrats underdogs from the start. And his own party kept him off the trail, meaning he never really got the chance to make his case. “You’re in the Final Four,” as one aide put it, “and you’re on the bench with a walking boot and you don’t get to play.”

MORE

1) The Democrats lost.

Badly. This wasn't just a tough map. Democrats lost Senate seats in Iowa and Colorado. They lost governor races in Florida and Wisconsin. Hell, they lost governor races in Illinois, Maryland, Maine, and Massachusetts! Democrats really can't blame losing elections in Illinois, Maryland, Maine, and Massachusetts on the map. (See the results from key races here.)

MORE

Republicans would like the country to believe that they took control of the Senate on Tuesday by advocating a strong, appealing agenda of job creation, tax reform and spending cuts. But, in reality, they did nothing of the sort.

Even the voters who supported Republican candidates would have a hard time explaining what their choices are going to do. That’s because virtually every Republican candidate campaigned on only one thing: what they called the failure of President Obama. In speech after speech, ad after ad, they relentlessly linked their Democratic opponent to the president and vowed that they would put an end to everything they say the public hates about his administration.

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In his own news conference in Louisville, Ky., Senator Mitch McConnell, who is likely to lead the new Republican majority in the Senate next year, vowed a spirit of cooperation and compromise with Mr. Obama even as he cautioned that a more starkly divided government in Washington would inevitably lead to sharp partisan disagreements.

“When the American people choose divided government, I don’t think it means they don’t want us to do anything,” Mr. McConnell told reporters in his first news conference since his party trounced Democrats in Tuesday’s elections. “We ought to start with the view that maybe there are some things we can agree on to make progress for the country.”

Mr. McConnell largely sidestepped the most divisive issues that are likely to create conflict between his members and Mr. Obama. And he played down ideological differences among his own members that might disrupt any efforts to compromise with the president.

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Sen. Mitch McConnell was giddy, not an emotion often seen in the sober 72-year-old Kentuckian. But that’s the only way to describe TIME’s interview with him in Perry County, Kentucky, on Monday afternoon.

Asked to imagine it was Wednesday morning and he wakes up majority leader—a position he’s aspired to, he says, since the 5th grade—McConnell strikes a conciliatory tone, saying he hopes to work with President Obama and Senate Democrats. He said there would be no shutdowns on his watch, despite the fact that he plans to use funding bills to force changes in Obama’s policies.

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Lots more post election "stuff" at Memeorandum.

Election Night Thoughts...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Election night is always fun. Especially "historic" elections. Some have billed the 2014 midterm as historic. Takes me back to 2010, another historic midterm. Looking back I guess we all know how that one has turned out.

I understand the GOP s poised to "take back" the Senate. Many think that would be a good thing. Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the perspective you've aquired over the years.

Divided government has a certain quaint attraction. At least for me anyway. No longer does divided government imply compromise after heated debate. You know, the kind of compromise and undertanding that ultimately works for the people and by extention the nation. Nope, we have reached a higher level in political evolution. It is called leadership by obfuscation and obstruction.

Like I said, I like the idea of divided government. As It Is Supposed To Work prior to the present day Tea Party phenomenon.

Very recently I got to thinking. Some say that is a dangerous thing. I don't know about that, except for this one time in 1975. But that is a story for a different day. Anyway, since the Republicans have done such an exceptional job of obfuscating and obstructing maybe it it is time they get the Senate back. I mean then they can really show their stuff and take all that energy spent obfuscating and obstructing and turn it to governing. That would be a nice change, right? I mean they would have to accept responsibility for legislative government and its success or failure. I think.

On the other hand Republicans have gotten so good at obfuscation and obstruction that they just might end up obstructing themselves. I mean with the various factions of the Republican party... the Tea Party and the Moderates (or establisment republicans) arguing amongst themselves it may be slow going. Just like the last six years.

At any rate after all that I'm back to square one. Thinking we need to keep divided government. It works well in Massachusetts. Oh, that's right, Massachusetts has retained an exemplary level of Common Sense.

Via: Memeorandum

UPDATE: This just breaking.

UPDATE TWO: Some spin from The Hill.

"There's no doubt that, when you look at the Senate races, because of the fact only a third of the Senate is up at any given time, it tends to be a little bit arbitrary which seats are really going to be contested and which aren't," Obama said. "So, for example, in this election cycle, this is probably the worst possible group of states for Democrats since Dwight Eisenhower."
"There are a lot of states that are being contested where they just tend to tilt Republican, and Democrats are competitive, but they just tend to tilt that way," Obama said.

The White House is insisting that Tuesday's contest should not be read as a referendum on the president, pointing partially to an unfavorable map to explain why Republicans are poised to seize control of the Senate.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that a "vast majority" of close Senate races were taking place in states Obama did not win in 2012, and Earnest argued, "the electorate is different this time than it is in a traditional presidential election.”

“It would not be wise to draw as broad a conclusion about the outcome of this election as you would from a national presidential election, simply by virtue of the map and the states where this contest is taking place,” Earnest said.

UPDATE THREE: The Jon Stewart take.

UPDATE FOUR: Americans are very dissatisfied with their leaders according to exit polls, CNN.

Washington (CNN) -- A majority of Americans are dissatisfied or angry with President Barack Obama's administration and GOP leaders, according to exit polls released Tuesday and analyzed by CNN.

And about 8 in 10 Americans disapprove of how Congress is handling its job, according to a survey of voters outside of polling places on Election Day.

Nearly six in 10 voters are either dissatisfied or angry with both the White House and Republican leaders in Congress. Less than a third of Americans are satisfied with the Obama administration and GOP leaders.

And heading into the voting booth, seven in ten Americans said they were concerned about economic conditions.

Most voters had a negative view of both parties, with the Democratic Party barely edging out the GOP to pull a positive view from 44% of voters compared to 40% for the Republican Party.

The Bank Account...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Chain letters are something that occasionally get read and almost never get passed on. Speaking for myself that is. But every so often one comes along that because of the simple truth and wisdom are deserving of spreading as far and wide as possible.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

I love it, he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged, it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.'

'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life..

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.

I am still depositing.'

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Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Pass this message to 7 people except me. You will receive a miracle tomorrow.

Now, STOP! Did you hear what I just said. You WILL receive a miracle Tomorrow.. So send it right now!

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Everything except except the superstious miracle part is true. Well, that is unless the lfe you may change is your own and in that case you might very well feel as if you received a miricle.

Good evening and happt hunting.