The Watering Hole: July 13 — GOP vs SCOTUS; they feel strongly both ways

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This is our daily open thread — Happy Friday the 13th!

108 thoughts on “The Watering Hole: July 13 — GOP vs SCOTUS; they feel strongly both ways”

  1. Not to put too fine a point on it:

    Posted on July 13, 2012

    The Watering Hole: July 14

    This is our daily open thread — Happy Friday the 13th!

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  4. HuffPo headline FAIL:
    Cheney Has Strong Praise Praise For Mitt

    Also, too:

    “Dick Cheney: Mitt Romney The ‘Only’ Man For Foreign Policy”

    Srsly, Mitt Romney, who said the Soviet Union was our biggest foreign threat.

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    • Just a guess, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Cheney would completely agree with Mitt on that Soviet Union issue. Neocons have a lot of problems when it comes to finding a nation or a people — any nation, any people — that they can really hate and fear, and once they find what they’re looking for they never want to let it go, not even when it’s gone.

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  5. I think he invested his IRA funds into companies, maybe even self-created ones, then had them do business with other self-created companies, allowing the IRA investments to profit at the expense of the companies outside his IRA portfolio. Then he used the losses of the outside companies against his other profits to lower his taxes even further. Basically he laundered taxable income into his non-taxable IRA. Of course, that’s just a theory of mine.

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  7. I want some new IRA ideas on maximizing performance, you know, like Romney’s IRA performance between 1984 and 1999. He was allowed to contribute a maximum of $32,000 per year to his IRA and other forms of retirement accounts. So in 15 years, he contributed no more than $480,000.

    And yet that account is now worth $102,000,000! C’mon, I want those retirement options.

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  8. Yes, former Senator Santorum, your party’s nominee was the “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president” of a private equity firm that invested in a post-abortion fetus disposal enterprise. Maybe if you’d known that, you could have brought it up in the primaries. Awk.ward.

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  12. Imagine the outrage if we didn’t pay for our military. Both are constitutionally mandated institutions, and financing them is not optional.

    Postal Service default appears likely – USATODAY.com

    WASHINGTON — The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service is within weeks of defaulting on a legally required $5.5 billion payment into a health benefits fund for future retirees.

    So far, it appears House leaders have no intention of preventing that from happening — they have postponed any action on relief measures until at least fall.

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      • The USPS is the very last method we have to secretly and privately communicate with someone. It may be laborious, costly and slow, but computer programs that scan billions of pieces of snail-mail don’t exist and won’t.

        Can’t you use FedEx or UPS?

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        • Of course I can use FedEx and UPS, but they are way more expensive, and they don’t deliver in the sticks.

          Losing the post office would be a major problem in this country, but yes, I can see why the powers that be would not want us communicating in secret. *sigh*

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      • That’s funny, That movie was on last night and as much as I wanted to watch it , I wanted to go to bed more.

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        • Although I have heard that as movies go it is a bit of a snoozer…. heh

          Last night I went to see ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ – in 3d no less. I got what I expected 🙂

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          • I’ve seen it before. It is a pretty typical post apocalyptic movie. But I have to say, that it does show the importance of staying connected with others and being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

            I don’t recall any vampires in the movie, although it takes place mostly in Oregon.

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    • The USPS could easily be a simple issue for Democrats to define the role of government against the prevailing corporate view of government.

      Not only is the USPS mandated in the Constitution, it is an essential part of the fabric of the nation – govenment commits to provide this service for its citizens to remain in touch and for to conduct commerce (like Zooey’s business). To privatise it or hand it over to the corporations by either deliberate choice or neglect takes away the guarantee that the service is available to all.

      I was tongue-in-cheek about Kevin Costner and The Postman, but isn’t the essential point of the movie correct: that government ceases to operate when it chooses to fail to provide essential services that support life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

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    • My recent spate of mail order purchases has given me a whole new appreciation for the U.S.P.S. The plane I just bought was delivered to my door for $13.99 when U.P.S. would have cost $37.00. In concert with the Hong Kong postal service they delivered a 300g package from Hong Kong, in 6 days, for $6.99 while an “express” service would take from 7-21 days and cost around $20.00. The U.S.P.S. just might be the most effective service in the history of the world and the Reichwhiners have to destroy it, and it’s union, in order to prove their point that “government doesn’t work”. Of course, should they succeed, they will be the first to whine about not being able to send out their mailers because of “the libruls”.

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  13. Rats! Wind, rain, more rain. I am pretty much frantic waiting to fly my new glider and I’m guessing that the field will be unavailable even if it calms down around dusk.

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    • I so enjoy reading about your hobby…the enthusiasm, passion is infectious!
      May the weather behave so you can do a test run!

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  14. QOTD:

    “The rigidity of those pledges is something I don’t like. The circumstances change and you can’t be wedded to some formula by Grover Norquist. It’s—who the hell is Grover Norquist, anyway?” – former president George H W Bush.

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  16. After delivering 5500 mice Tuesday, Pete’s truck stopped running 92 miles from home. Being the jerk that he is, Pete did not renew his AAA membership on June 15th and paid $280 to have the truck transported back to St. Augustine. Dirty gas evidently was responsible for the suction screen on the fuel pump to clog which in turn resulted in the fuel pump to burn up.

    Later that day, Pete came over with a piece of junk mail from a local Nissan dealership that had a key attached and 4 scratch off boxes. Excitedly he showed me that he had won one of four prizes and said he called the dealer to confirm that he was a winner. If he won the 50″ TV he said he’d give me his 30″ TV. He would sell the jet ski if that was his prize but keep the new truck he was so lucky. The 4th prize was 2000 gold coins. He got a neighbor to take him to claim his prize. The dealership required some personal info so they could run a credit check. Had Pete read the fine print he would have learned that if the key had unlocked a box he would be eligible for the big prizes. The credit check revealed a previous repo and made him ineligible to finance a new vehicle. They did give him a gold coin, a dollar with the mint date 2000!

    Yesterday, 50 miles from the mouse farm, Pete bought a 12 pack of beer and drank several as I drove back. Once back at the farm I reached in the cooler for a cold one. Due to someone I didn’t know visiting the farm, Pete said don’t drink that in front of the man who he knew to be a non-drinker. I told Pete to go fuck himself since I didn’t give a shit who the guy was or what he thought.

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  18. I wrote about TCF a few months ago. They had been my bank. I had free checking for 20 years. Then they simply did away with and started charging outrageous fees.

    I left and went to a credit union. The person who closed my account was quite sympathetic and said she hated to see me go after 20 years. I said I was sorry too, but this was totally avoidable. They betrayed my trust.

    I got a flier in the mail this week telling me that they’re bringing back Free Checking. As if they’re the most wonderful company in the world. I laughed. Then I got angry.

    While I’m happy with my new Credit Union, it was a hassle to get everything switched over. And now I see they made me go through that hassle needlessly. Did the bank really make all that much money for the six months it had fees on its checking? And the spin from the bank at the time made it sound like this was all very necessary and they were losing money on their customers.

    TCF spokesman Jason Korstange said the bank loses money on customers who keep low balances and do few transactions.

    “A $125 account does not make us any money,” he said. “So, we have to charge for it. We’re in the business of making money. We’re not a nonprofit.”

    Now we find out that they were miss those money-losing customers. So were they lying then, or are they lying now? In any case, they simply can not be trusted. They demonstrated clearly in the past that they’ll drop the “free” part of free checking when it suits them. There’s nothing to stop them from betraying their customers again.

    A Free Checking Account Pioneer Brings It Back – NYTimes.com

    Now, he said, the bank finds itself back in the same situation, with most large banks once again charging monthly service fees, and setting minimum-balance and direct-deposit requirements. TCF, which has always served the “Joe Lunchbox” customer, he said, sees a way to attract checking customers by dropping monthly service fees, given that in a tight economy many consumers can’t afford to pay them. “Going back gives us the same competitive advantage,” he said. “We’re expecting to significantly grow the base of our checking accounts.”

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    • Stick with the credit union. I’ve had an account with Redstone Federal Credit Union for 37 years and they’ve never charged me for anything. I had an account with Amsouth, before debit cards were widely accepted and you needed access to cash via ATMs, and they had good locations. I got sold to RBC, for my loyalty. So now Amsouth (bought by Regions), Regions, and RBC are all on my permanent boycott list.

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      • Totally satisfied with the CU, and see no reason to change. But this really does just frost me. They took a totally dismissive attitude of the free-checking customers not six months ago and how they want to attract free checking customers?

        I wish the media would call out the BS on stuff like this.

        I despise corporations.

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        • It’s very much like the Repugnant party — never think a situation all the way through. Greed rules and they stick it to the client/constituent expecting to rake in more money. The banks didn’t see the consumer revolt happening…

          Gone are the days banks lured you in with toasters/toaster ovens crock pots, stuffed bears (Bank of the West’s mascot), etc.

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    • And they weren’t worried….

      Seriously, WTF did they think would happen?

      Idiots.

      November 2011:
      Credit unions reap from consumer discontent with banks | Minnesota Public Radio News

      TCF Bank said it’s not worried about losing customers as it prepares to move most customers to a checking account plan that can hit them with about a $10 monthly fee.

      July 2012:
      TCF relents and brings back free checking | StarTribune.com

      TCF hasn’t disclosed how many checking accounts it has been losing or how much money in fees it expects to lose by returning to free checking. The bank’s fee and service charges dropped 22 percent in the first quarter to $41.9 million from $53.5 million a year earlier. In government filings it said that the decrease “was primarily due to changes in customer behaviors and increased levels of checking account attrition.”

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  19. Romney is supposed to Meet the Press tonight… I wonder if he will be caught in a lie? Please make it so. I wonder it Romney will ask the reporters to look into his heart?

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    • While shopping at the local Winn-Dixie this morning I saw a display rack with tote bags that would hold 3 bottles of wine. There were two dividers sewn inside to separate the bottles. I thought of you and looked for the price but couldn’t find one. They did not have a bar code either. I’ll ask about the price next time I go shopping. They appeared to be about 1/2 the height of a regular grocery tote bag and the sign said they would hold more than a plastic bag.

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  23. Found this on LinkedIn today:

    Mitt Romney

    Venture Capital & Private Equity Professional

    Location
    La Jolla, California
    Industry
    Venture Capital & Private Equity

    Overview

    Past

    CEO at Bain Capital

    Education

    Harvard University
    Brigham Young University

    Connections
    0 connections

    Public Profile
    http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mitt-romney/54/ab4/664

    Share
    Print

    Expanded profile views are available only to premium account holders. Upgrade your account.

    Summary
    To be President of the United States without releasing income taxes.

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  25. JP Morgan Chase announces that $2 billion loss is now actually almost $6 billion. So naturally, its stock is up.

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    • When that $2b story broke, Young Turks went on a limb and predicted that it would be at least $6b at the end ….. some may see he’s a bomb thrower, but Cenk has very good instincts on stories.

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    • It would seem, that investors were relieved that the losses weren’t worse.
      Or maybe it was just the day when all the 401K managers bought JPMC like they were told by their bosses.

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  27. Hartmann is speculating Romney might abdicate the nomination tonight. He began trying to remember who the last candidate was that dropped out. He’s forgetting that Ron Paul is still in!

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  28. OK, so when do we see these Romney interviews taped today?
    Fox, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC were the networks. I’m watching my local CBS channel with CNN on the other tuner.

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    • Did they even happen? I’ve only read he “was going to” – can’t find any article stating it actually took place.

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      • CBS just showed theirs. He whined about how mean the Obama team was being to him, and doubled down on his lie that he wasn’t still in charge.

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          • A false SEC filing is a potentially criminal offense; to say so is not absurd. I’m getting the feeling that Romney thinks he is above the level of accountability required in a presidential candidate or even in an ethical businessman. He is offended to be directly challenged with facts – which he still won’t address in detail. So he simply huffs and puffs and uses words like “disgusting.”

            This does not seem to me to be like a candidate ready for prime time.

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            • Rmoney does have the air about him, doesn’t he?
              Watching the pegs fall from under his feet would be oh so sweet.
              He’ll be brought to his knees, sooner or later…

          • I’ve seen a couple clips from the interview Mittens did this afternoon, and he just flat out lied. And they were easily disprovable lies!

            The interviewer tried to make it look like he was cornering Mitt, but really he was just letting Mitt tell his lie in every possible way, without actually challenging him.

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            • When you lie you frequently need to lie more to cover the first lie. Romney basically said what was the most convenient for his self-interest at every juncture – and finally all the contradictions and changing stories caught up with him.

              When you have it both ways on policy matters – we’ll increase defense spending, lower taxes even further, and cut the debt! – you only look shifty. When you have it both ways on the simple facts about your life, you look like an opportunistic liar.

              Campaigns have a way of revealing the truth about people, don’t they?

            • Indeed they do!

              I figure it’s better to say nothing, than to lie. Too much to keep track of when you lie. Of course, lying to online trolls is always okay. 😉

  29. Wolf Blitzer is bleating about how his class pays 45% of all the taxes and half the country doesn’t pay any. Never gives the figures for income disparity, because that explains why.

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    • Paul Begala and Ben Stein are on CNN. Stein just said he is in favor of higher taxes on incomes over 5 million, with a top marginal rate of 50-60 percent!

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  30. Big Eddie is on the liar liar pants on fire Romney case.

    I hadn’t realized Mitt had talked to FIVE teevee stations today, telling them all the same set of lies.

    This is getting fun!

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    • Cantor bet against America (and then did everything in his power to make his bet pay off!)

      He makes Pete Rose look like a penny ante player by comparison!

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    • Oh damn, I missed her. The dog insisted on walkies.

      Honeybump update: She’s doing fantastically well!! She has a spring in her step, her eyes are brighter, and ever her coat feels nicer. And I’m getting used to her mostly toothless grin. 🙂

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    • Must be. Thom is having an awesome Conversations With Great Minds with Lori Wallach of the Public Citizens’ Global Tradewatch. She is explaining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

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