The Watering Hole, Monday, March 20th, 2017: Comey, You Owe Us

After FBI director James Comey wantonly helped to destroy Hillary Clinton’s chances to win the Presidential election, thereby saddling us with the madman trump and his anti-semitic, white supremacist cabal, Comey owes all of us, big time. Today he has his chance to start making up for his treacherous douchebaggery.

Adam Schiff (D-CA) of the House Intelligence Committee stated yesterday regarding trump’s various claims about Trump Tower being wiretapped:

“I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase… What the president said was just patently false. And the wrecking ball it has created has just banged into our British allies and our German allies and it’s continuing to grow in terms of damage and he needs to put an end to this.”

In addition, both Comey and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, will be testifying today in a hearing on the Russia-trump connections. According to Bloomberg,

“Committee chairman Devin Nunes said Tuesday that he has also invited National Security Agency chief Mike Rogers, former director of national intelligence James Clapper, former CIA director John Brennan, former acting attorney general Sally Yates and two executives from CrowdStrike Inc., a cybersecurity company, to the March 20 hearing.”

The Bloomberg article continues,

“The hearing will likely be the first in-depth public inquiry into allegations of connections between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government, as well as Russia’s efforts to influence the U.S. election…The House Intelligence panel’s top Democrat, Adam Schiff of California, told reporters Tuesday that Comey wasn’t forthcoming with information when the panel held a closed hearing last week.

“The first obstacle we met was the FBI director’s unwillingness to answer questions,” Schiff said.

Comey had better overcome that “unwillingness to answer questions” and start being more “forthcoming with information” today. He owes it to the entire country, which is now becoming unrecognizable as a civilized nation under the trump regime. If Comey has the least tiny bit of patriotism in him, then he MUST be truthful and share any and all information that he’s hiding.

As I’ve said before, “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” OUR country demands no less.

This is our Open Thread – talk about whatever you want, but also, please post any updates you hear/read about today’s hearings.

And yet another GOP debate..

This time it’s being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, and hosted by CNN. If you are watching on your computer, you can watch it live here.

Missing from tonight’s debate is Jon Huntsman:

Jon Huntsman won’t be at the debate. The former Utah governor and former ambassador to China is boycotting the showdown, to protest Nevada’s decision to hold its caucus on January 14, which could force New Hampshire to move its first-in-the-nation primary to December. Huntsman is placing all his chips on New Hampshire.

Will Herman Cain be asked to give us another rendition of his pizza song? Will Ron Paul fall asleep again? Will Rick Perry be in another stupor? Will Michele Bachmann make more biblical jokes?

Feel free to join in the fun and help us live-blog this thing..

On the campaign trail with Mitt Romney – and Bad Lip Reading.

More from “Bad Lip Reading“.

The Watering Hole: October 13, 2011 – The Seven Biggest Economic Lies

via Robert Reich:

THE SEVEN BIGGEST ECONOMIC LIES

The President’s Jobs Bill doesn’t have a chance in Congress — and the Occupiers on Wall Street and elsewhere can’t become a national movement for a more equitable society – unless more Americans know the truth about the economy.

Here’s a short (2 minute 30 second) effort to rebut the seven biggest whoppers now being told by those who want to take America backwards.

The major points:

1. Tax cuts for the rich trickle down to everyone else.          Baloney. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both sliced taxes on the rich and what happened? Most Americans’ wages (measured by the real median wage) began flattening under Reagan and have dropped since George W. Bush. Trickle-down economics is a cruel joke.
2. Higher taxes on the rich would hurt the economy and slow job growth. False. From the end of World War II until 1981, the richest Americans faced a top marginal tax rate of 70 percent or above. Under Dwight Eisenhower it was 91 percent. Even after all deductions and credits, the top taxes on the very rich were far higher than they’ve been since. Yet the economy grew faster during those years than it has since. (Don’t believe small businesses would be hurt by a higher marginal tax; fewer than 2 percent of small business owners are in the highest tax bracket.)
3. Shrinking government generates more jobs.                         Wrong again. It means fewer government workers – everyone from teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and social workers at the state and local levels to safety inspectors and military personnel at the federal. And fewer government contractors, who would employ fewer private-sector workers. According to Moody’s economist Mark Zandi (a campaign advisor to John McCain), the $61 billion in spending cuts proposed by the House GOP will cost the economy 700,000 jobs this year and next.
4. Cutting the budget deficit now is more important than boosting the economy. Untrue. With so many Americans out of work, budget cuts now will shrink the economy. They’ll increase unemployment and reduce tax revenues. That will worsen the ratio of the debt to the total economy. The first priority must be getting jobs and growth back by boosting the economy. Only then, when jobs and growth are returning vigorously, should we turn to cutting the deficit.
5. Medicare and Medicaid are the major drivers of budget deficits. Wrong. Medicare and Medicaid spending is rising quickly, to be sure. But that’s because the nation’s health-care costs are rising so fast. One of the best ways of slowing these costs is to use Medicare and Medicaid’s bargaining power over drug companies and hospitals to reduce costs, and to move from a fee-for-service system to a fee-for-healthy outcomes system. And since Medicare has far lower administrative costs than private health insurers, we should make Medicare available to everyone.
6. Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.                                            Don’t believe it. Social Security is solvent for the next 26 years. It could be solvent for the next century if we raised the ceiling on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax. That ceiling is now $106,800.
7. It’s unfair that lower-income Americans don’t pay income tax. Wrong. There’s nothing unfair about it. Lower-income Americans pay out a larger share of their paychecks in payroll taxes, sales taxes, user fees, and tolls than everyone else.

Demagogues through history have known that big lies, repeated often enough,  start being believed — unless they’re rebutted. These seven economic whoppers are just plain wrong. Make sure you know the truth – and spread it on.

This is our daily thread. Feel free to jump right in and share your thoughts!

Have we got a candidate for you!

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Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist and Animation Artist.
For Nick’s animations, visit Nick Anderson: Animation Archives.
For Nick’s cartoons, visit Nick Anderson.

Where’s the fairness, the justice and the accountabilty? Is anyone listening? We are the 99%.

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Jeff Danziger, Syndicated Political Cartoonist

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Jack Ohman, Portland Oregonian

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Jack Ohman, Portland Oregonian

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Matt Davies, CTNews

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Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

The Bloomberg/WP Republican Presidential Debate in Hanover, N.H.

Tonight’s Bloomberg/Washington Post Republican Presidential Debate is at 8 p.m. ET in Hanover, N.H. You can watch it on PostPolitics.com. Also at from The Fix’s Chris Cillizza. You can also watch it at Bloomberg.com

Let’s see who will outdo himself or herself.. Who will write the next segment for Saturday Night Live.. Will anyone invoke Ronald Reagan after all the video out there this week?

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Jeff Danziger, Syndicated Political Cartoonist

A slice of life..

Something light and silly for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.. From Terry Border of “Bent Objects“.

Mr. P.B. O’Bread searches for his other half.

Republicans try to suppress the minority vote

From the Rachel Maddow Show:

Again from the Rachel Maddow Show:

This second video is powerful and should have every single American screaming in outrage.

This last video from last night’s show isn’t up on YouTube yet, so you will have to watch it here. It is the interview with 94 year old Dorothy Cooper of Georgia, who later moved to Tennessee, and who has voted in almost every election since the 1930’s. The only election she missed was once in the 1960’s, and she is now being prevented from voting. Why? She doesn’t have a photo ID because she has never driven a car. She has a lifetime of documents, but not good enough. Don’t miss this interview.

Here’s the link to the story of Dorothy Cooper.

We’re still waiting..

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Paul Jamiol, Jamiol’s World

Pushmi-pullyu

*The pushmi-pullyu (pronounced “push-me—pull-you”) is a “gazelle-unicorn cross” which has two heads (one of each) at opposite ends of its body. When it tries to move, both heads try to go in opposite directions. Dr. Dolittle meets it on his voyage to Africa to save monkeys.

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John Cole, Scranton, PA Times-Tribune

A true visionary

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Paul Jamiol, Jamiol’s World

Steve Jobs

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John Cole, Scranton, PA Times-Tribune

Think different

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Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist and Animation Artist.
For Nick’s animations, visit Nick Anderson: Animation Archives.
For Nick’s cartoons, visit Nick Anderson.

Like a rock

All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist and Animation Artist.
For Nick’s animations, visit Nick Anderson: Animation Archives.
For Nick’s cartoons, visit Nick Anderson.

Colbert Super PAC SHH! – Apology to Ham Rove

From Raw Story:

Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert called out Raw Story Thursday for reporting that he had explained how money could be laundered to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads SuperPAC.

Unlike American Crossroads, Rove’s Crossroads GPS is a 501c4 organization that does not have to disclose its donors. Crossroads GPS can then transfer donations to the Americans Crossroads SuperPAC and the original donors remain secret.

Following Rove’s lead, Colbert created his own 501c4 organization called Colbert SuperPAC Shh! that would allow him to launder donations to the original Colbert SuperPAC.

So, on The Colbert Report last night, Stephen Colbert reads a letter sent to him from Karl Rove’s lawyer, and then offers a clarification regarding Karl Rove’s ‘money-laundering scheme’:

“So to undo the damage that I have unwittingly done to Karl’s otherwise spotless reputation, I will now issue a rare clarification. As his lawyer points out, Karl Rove has two pots of money: one that can take unlimited donations from anybody and has got to report who they are, and another way bigger pot of money that can take unlimited donations and they don’t have to report jack squat… There is no evidence of money laundering. And Karl’s lawyer specifically assures us that no money from Crossroads GPS will be laundered.”

Colbert then adds this:

“That is a promise from Karl Rove that if there is any dirty money, it will stay dirty.”

He then apologizes to ‘Ham Rove’..
Vodpod videos no longer available.

Jon Stewart Exposes Sarah Palin’s ‘Dishonorable’ Campaign Fundraising

Priceless. Sarah Palin, the Nigerian princess.. This ‘crazy person’, who started SARAHPAC, is laughing all the way to the bank..

I’m breaking my own rule here by posting something on Sarah “the grifter” Palin, but this was too good to pass up.

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The Watering Hole: October 6 – R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Paul Sakuma / AP file

Yesterday we lost a truly remarkable human being, a creative genius and a national treasure. Steven “Steve” Jobs (born February 24, 1955) died at the age of 56 after a seven year battle with Pancreatic cancer, surrounded by his family. I will share that we as a family have been Apple people since 1996 when we bought our first computer – an Apple Macintosh Performa 6300. Looking back now, it had 16 MB of RAM… Hard to believe how far they’ve come,

We’ll never be anything but Apple people. Through the years we have been continually amazed and thrilled with the leaps in technology and the constant innovations. Steve Jobs was a true visionary as well as a very highly respected human being.

From MSNBC:

The year after his cancer diagnosis, when Jobs was 50, he gave the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University. It’s an oft-quoted speech, because it was such a personal one. Jobs the showman was quite the opposite when it came to family matters. But in the speech, he shared his thoughts about many personal things, including his own life — and death.

From YouTube:

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself — at the university’s 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005.

For a transcript of this address, go here. (H/T: Ebb)

To read more about Steve Jobs’ legacy, go here.

Lots of posts and tributes to Steve Jobs on Huffington Post.

A compilation of tributes from Talking Points Memo.

This is our Thursday open thread. What’s on your mind today? (Anything with the exception of Sarah Palin..)

The Watering Hole ~ Thursday, September 29, 2011: Dylan Ratigan – Mad as Hell!!

Dylan Ratigan is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it any more!!

YouTube:

In a conversation with a show panel about the country’s debt and credit downgrade, MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan passionately calls both the Democratic and Republican economic plans, “reckless, irresponsible and stupid.”

The following day Dylan Ratigan explained his tirade:

Dylan Ratigan is now attempting to ‘build a digital wave‘ to get the money out of politics. Yesterday he announced the formation of a petition to get money out of our political system, and a draft amendment to the Constitution that will do it.

Until we get money out we can’t address the corrupt structures that prevail over health, energy, education, defense, trade and banking. And until we do that we will suffer massive poverty, resource loss, anger and frustration. But we can harness all of that to alter the structure through simple singular focus, modern and traditional media, the web and our own personal resolve.

You can read and sign the petition here at GET MONEY OUT.

This is our quicky daily open thread — Discuss!

Lady Gaga pays tribute to Jamey Rodemeyer

At the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, Lady Gaga gave a powerful performance of her song “Hair” in honor of Jamey Rodemeyer, the 14-year-old boy who recently took his life after suffering years of bullying.

From Huffington Post:

Before she sang “Hair,” Lady Gaga told the crowd, “I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you’ve got when you’re in school … so tonight, Jamey, I know you’re up there looking at us, and you’re not a victim. You’re a lesson to all of us.”

As seen in the YouTube video below, mid-song she stops and says bullying is for losers.

Lady Gaga has made a vow to make bullying illegal.

SNL: Either The 7th or 8th GOP Debate..

Guest host for this episode of Saturday Night Live was Alec Baldwin.

This is far more enjoyable to watch than the real thing… It will make you laugh, it will make you squirm.. Pretty much like the actual debates!

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Is she? Isn’t she? Do I care??

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Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“I can’t eat this!!”

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Paul Jamiol, Jamiol’s World

Lethal weapon

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Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist and Animation Artist.
For Nick’s animations, visit Nick Anderson: Animation Archives.
For Nick’s cartoons, visit Nick Anderson.

It’s what’s for dinner!

All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Jeff Danziger, Syndicated Political Cartoonist