PushBack Politics
Candidate Seeks Anthony Weiner Dating Stories
New York City mayoral candidate Joe Lhota (R) called on former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D) ex-girlfriends “to come forward and talk about any dirty deed he may have done,” the New York Post reports. Said Lhota: “I hope women will come to the right conclusion after enough women come out and talk about what it was like to be with him and date him and things like that. New York women have to decide for themselves if this is someone who has the character to be mayor.” [source: political wire]
Edward Snowden is Irrelevant: Why He Had Access IS Relevant
Let’s be absolutely clear: Edward Snowden, the man, is absolutely irrelevant—Two questions are relevant: One question that’s relevant is why on earth did this person have access to data that could cause such damage—if indeed that’s even the truth? Snowden will be hunted relentlessly and, when finally found, with glee, brought back to the US in handcuffs and severely punished. (If PrivateBradley Manning‘s obscene conditions while incarcerated are any indication, it won’t be pleasant for Snowden either, even while awaiting trial.) Snowden has already been the object of scorn and derision from the Washington establishment and mainstream media, but, once again, the focus is misplaced on the transiently shiny object. The news that the NSA collects massive amounts of information on US citizens – from emails, to telephone calls, to videos, under the Prism program and other Fisa court orders: should surprise no one. They’ve been collecting data since 2001. Before that it was the CIA. Before that the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover. As interesting as his flight to Hong Kong might be, the pole-dancing girlfriend, and interviews from undisclosed locations, his fate is just a sideshow to the essential issues of national security versus constitutional guarantees of privacy, [...]
GOP to Wendy Davis: Women Should be Seen, Pregnant–Not Heard
Texas state senator Wendy Davis, to the consternation of the white, male, GOP overlords who continue to try to press for the return of the time when women were to be seen, and pregnant…..not heard, has electrified the pro-choice movement. Wendy Davis terrifies these cowards who seek to force their barbaric policies of old back onto women, not just because of her sheer endurance in a nearly 11-hour filibuster, not just because she stood up to condescension and sexism, but because she did it all with self-confidence and grace. For pro-choice activists, it has been far too infrequently that they’ve seen a Democrat – much less one from a deep red state like Texas – unabashedly support reproductive rights without an ounce of ambivalence. Also worth noting was that there was not one call from Ms Davis for the mythical compromise or common ground that is never forthcoming from the right wing that has been taken over by the confederates who openly call for the downfall of the union and all that it once stood for…Truth, Justice for all, Respect for other Americans, and common decency. The White, Male, Republican Leadership in Texas Have Hopefully Made a Grievous Mistake Although [...]
Even Mitt Romney Didn’t Want Mitt Romney To Run For President In 2012
According to a new book about the 2012 presidential election by The Washington Post‘s Dan Balz, Mitt Romney didn’t always think he was destined to be commander-in-chief. In an advanced copy of the upcoming Collision 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America,obtained by The Huffington Post, Balz reveals that in an internal Romney family poll taken in 2010 to decide whether to go forward with the campaign, Mitt Romney voted “no.” According to reporter Sam Stein, Mitt Romney and his family took the poll during Christmas break 2010. Out of 12 votes cast, 10 members of the family reportedly voted against their patriarch running for president. Among the twelve was Romney himself. Balz lays out some of the reasons for Romney’s reluctance: Mitt Romney had other reasons to think that not running might be the wiser choice. Winning as a moderate from Massachusetts who happened to be Mormon was always going to be difficult. “A lot of the thinking on the part of my brothers and dad was, ‘I’m not sure I can win a primary given those dynamics.’” Tagg Romney said. The prospective candidate also knew the sheer physical and family toll another campaign would [...]
Michelle Obama dishes to Laura Bush in Africa
Michelle Obama and Laura Bush held what looked like a first ladies’ edition of “The View” on the final day of President Barack Obama’s Africa trip on Tuesday, pulling back the curtain on an unusual role that provides an extraordinary platform but brings maddening scrutiny. Michelle Obama, appearing at the George W. Bush Institute’s first annual African First Ladies Summit, said first ladies “have probably the best job in the world, because while our husbands … have to react and respond to crises on a minute-to-minute basis, we get to work on what we’re passionate about.” “There are prison-like elements, but it’s a really nice prison,” she said, seated between her host, Laura Bush, and the moderator, ABC’s Cokie Roberts. “You can’t complain.” “People are sorting through our shoes and our hair … whether we cut it or not,” Michelle Obama continued. “We take our bangs and we stand in front of important things the world needs to see. And eventually, people stop looking at the bangs, and start looking at the things we’re standing in front of. That’s the power of our role.” The husbands – President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush – also appeared together [...]
