Little Green Footballs

Overnight Video: Create

Sun, 27 May 2012 22:47:14 PDT

Tacit Consent From Breitbart.com Encourages Riehl To Make Sexist Attacks On Conservative Women

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:56:55 PDT

Adam Serwer, writing about Huslter Magazine's despicable portrayal of conservative S.E. Cupp, made a great observation:

Where conservatives look at the Hustler "parody" as indicative of liberal contempt for conservative women, feminists see a larger problem about how women are treated that affects everything from health insurance to how much you take home on your paycheck. To have condemned Limbaugh for his sexism in the same unconditional manner would have been a distraction, because the real problem isn't sexism, it's liberals. For feminists, sexism is the problem, period.

David Waldman put it like this:

Another way of putting it is that once again, liberals think we're all in this together, but conservatives say its all about me

The problem with this outlook among certain conservatives, aside from the fact that it's despicable hypocrisy, is that cheering or allowing sexism against progressive women is bound to encourage sexism against everyone, including conservative women. The kind of guys who lash out with sexist attacks against women for having liberal views are the kind of guys who will lash out with sexist attacks against conservative women for other reasons.

As an example, consider Dan Riehl's sexist attack on Joan Walsh, where he said:

I don't mind Joan Walsh getting low, but if she's going to open her mouth, wish she'd do something I might actually enjoy for once!

Riehl later justified his view by saying Joan Walsh deserves to have creepy sexual things said about her because she says stuff that Riehl disagrees with:

Joan Walsh owes an apology, she isn't entitled to one. And she owes too many more than this one for me to care. Don't like it? ‪#SuckIt‬

This, of course, is the "logic" of sexism. Or maybe worse, as Tommy Christopher points out:

...I would also add that there is an extra dimension to attacks like Riehl's, and Flynt's attack on S.E. Cupp, and the attacks by Playboy Magazine on conservative women that landed me on this site in the first place. The combination of a sexual 'fantasy' with unmasked hostility carries with it an inherent lack of consent that carries these attacks beyond objectification, beyond dehumanization, and into violation.

Tommy Christopher reached out to Breitbart.com to comment on the despicable behavior of their blogger. The site, however, like typical conservative tribalists who don't care about women if those women commit the "sin" of being liberal, refused to respond. In fact, aside from a condemnation from Larry O'Connor and mild encouragement to "just stop" from Mike Flynn, the site's editors refused to say anything remotely critical of Riehl's comments.

And guess what? Encouraged by the silence of Breitbart.com, Riehl went on to make a sexist comment to a conservative woman who criticized him for his comments! Who would have thought that just because he makes sexist comments to women for being liberal, he'd also make sexist comments to other women for having the audacity to criticize him? Oh, that's right, everybody. Here's what he said:

guess a H J is out of the question 2 RT @aprildgregory: wht the Hell kind of man R U? Telling a woman 2 suck U is utterly detestable.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 27, 2012

So there you have it. Breitbart.com encourages sexist attacks via tacit consent, and this leads to sexist attacks against fellow conservatives. Even according to their own warped tribalistic code of ethics, they fail at life.

Saturday Night Acoustic: Maneli Jamal - Movement I - Awakening

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:51:37 PDT

YouTube Video

Irony Alert! Loesch Distracts From Riehl's Misogyny By Tag-Teaming With Another Misogynist

Sat, 26 May 2012 19:23:08 PDT

After Breitbart blogger Dan Riehl's sexist comments about Joan Walsh were publicized, Mediaite's Tommy Christopher asked Dana Loesch for a comment, which makes sense given that Loesch works at Breitbart.com and frequently claims that the War on Women is a liberal conspiracy. Loesch, as is her usual practice, refused to answer the question and desperately tried to change the subject by accusing Christopher of all manner of things. Of course, one of those things was that Christopher is being secretly controlled by, who else, LGF's Charles Johnson.

The person she was talking to, @TookieW, aka Chip Gerdes, is someone I'm very familiar with. He's a nasty person who should be shunned in polite society, so naturally he's close with the Loeschs:

Chip Gerdes, Dana Loesch, and Andrew Breitbart. Photo via Founding Bloggers

Gerdes once threatened to slash the tires on my car, and regularly makes homophobic jokes about me:

After the last time he made a homophobic joke, a fellow activist criticized him and this is how he responded:

So upon being criticized for homophobic remarks, Gerdes immediately attacks the looks of Sarah (who, by the way, is clearly not ugly). Textbook sexism. And you can be sure that the Loeschs will never, ever, even mildly rebuke him for his homophobia or sexism, even while they scream about identical comments from others.

Romney Blogger Dan Riehl: 'If Joan Walsh Is Going to Open Her Mouth, She Should Do Something I'd Enjoy'

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:33:52 PDT

Here's Dan Riehl, a Breitbart.com writer who's on Mitt Romney's list of approved bloggers, reacting to Salon editor Joan Walsh's criticisms of Andrew Breitbart:

I don't mind Joan Walsh getting low, but if she's going to open her mouth, wish she'd do something I might actually enjoy for once!

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

@misslexi9162 I know, but one can always fantasize, right? LOL

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

I think I may have just discovered the most polite way of telling Joan Walsh to suck on this. lol

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

&, please, no indignant protestations of any alleged sexist attack. The woman is a pox, not a woman as ive evr considered sum1 2 B 1

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Note again: this isn't just a random wingnut crazy on Twitter; he's one of a select group of right wing bloggers invited to meet personally with Mitt Romney. And also a creepy sexist pig.

(h/t: STLActivist.)

UPDATE at 5/26/12 1:07:19 pm

Now Riehl is reacting to this article:

Yay!! zzzz 2 bad no1 will C it RT @SlinkyBewmont: Hi Dan, you finally made the big time. Front page at @lizardoid 's dying blog #LGF

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

LMAO Chuckels Johnson, loser: "Romney Blogger Dan Riehl: 'If Joan Walsh Is Going to Open Her Mouth, She Should Do Something I'd Enjoy'"

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Sez Chuckles, I'm not "just a random wingnut crazy on Twitter; he's one of a select group of right wing bloggers "

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

"invited to meet personally with Mitt Romney. And also a creepy sexist pig"

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

OK, I confess, I met Romney in highly secretive meeting, we shook hands, he smiled and actually spoke to me. Shocka.... As we shook hands -

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Mitt leaned in close and said, "Man that Chuckles Johnson really takes it in the azz, doesn't he?" I just acknowledged him and moved on.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

And now Chuckles has the rest of the story for his sorry azzed front page nobody reads. zzzzzzz

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

@buszero What can I say. Mitt gave Chuckles his props. Fekt bad witholding it all this time. ; )

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

It's OK. Chuckles big scoop on me will give way to a dumb pic of a sunset and some Eagles music shortly. Stay tuned.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Chuckles is now RTing that Mitt said he takes it in the azz. Now that's a publicity hound! ha ha ha

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

@Lizardoid you keep this up and ur blog is going to get put in the "special" section where they make u use large fonts

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Chuckles needs to change his banner to, "The most broadly humiliated blogger on the Internet"

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

It's lk fighting w a guy who thinks he's leading a large army against u. U hope he'll wake up 1 day, look back & realize, no1s Bhind him

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Thank God Chuckles let me know he hit a nerve. Here I thought these tears were from laughing at him all afternoon.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Seriously, I'm going to have to record audio here sumtime when I get into it w Chuckles. My Pugs keep raising their heads cuz I rlly do LOL

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

I dont judge ppl who lk 2 go 2 the park on Sats & feed the squirrels. I'd rather stay in the AC & collect nuts lk Chuckles sum days

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Breaking at #LGEffed Tweets "Now up to 24 puerile tweets. DanRiehl is spewing hate like a firehose out of control."

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

A fire hose out of control? Well, we know Chuckles flunked Similes 101, if nothing else.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

SOme real nice friends Chuckles has there, wouldn't you say? Yeah, I'd love to be him, or on his side. Not.

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 26, 2012

Video: Joan Walsh and David Corn on the Birther Rebirth

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:51:58 PDT

MSNBC Video

It's Official: Romney Will Proudly Stand With America's Best-Known Birther

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:33:43 PDT

One of the clearest signs yet that the Republican Party is off the rails and over the cliff: Romney Camp Stands by Trump After Latest Birther Comments.

(CBS News) Mitt Romney's campaign stood by its decision to use Donald Trump as a top surrogate even as the reality television host continues to insist President Obama was not born in the United States.

Romney is scheduled to appear at a Las Vegas fundraiser Tuesday with Trump, who made headlines last year with his "investigation" of Mr. Obama's birth certificate. ...

In a new interview, Trump pointed to a recent report that Mr. Obama's literary agency listed him in a 1991 booklet as having been born in Kenya.

"He didn't know he was running for president, so he told the truth," Trump told The Daily Beast. "Now they're saying it was a mistake. Just like his Kenyan grandmother said he was born in Kenya, and she pointed down the road to the hospital, and after people started screaming at her she said, 'Oh, I mean Hawaii.' Give me a break."

A former assistant at the literary agency has said the printing was a clerical error.

Today Romney adviser Kevin Madden said the candidate disagrees with Trump, but would continue to campaign with him.

At this point, I'm not really surprised by this news. More like a sort of weary disgust. A GOP presidential candidate openly courting a crazed conspiracy theorist who claims the first black President of the United States was actually born in Kenya. Good grief.

And please note: Donald Trump is citing one of Breitbart.com's utterly moronic BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVES as evidence Obama was born in Kenya -- the BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE that contained a disclaimer saying it was DEFINITELY NOT evidence Obama was born in Kenya.

Onion: Republicans Stalling Obama's Agenda by Speaking, Moving in Slow Motion

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:19:37 PDT

The Onion

Vetting Everywhere! Breitbart's Latest Bombshell Exclusive: Photo of Obama Does NOT Show Bill Ayers!

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:06:41 PDT

Breitbart blogger Charles C. Johnson (who is NOT me) has another exclusive BOMBSHELL SCOOP today for Breitbart.com's "The Vetting" series of nothing-burgers, and if you can find a story in this one, you too can write for Breitbart.com: THE VETTING: IT'S OBAMA, NOT AYERS; FAMOUS PHOTO TAKEN BY ANTI-MILITARY FRIEND.

Mr. Johnson has AUTHENTICATED that the photo in question, taken in 1980, does NOT contain Bill Ayers. An earth-shaking scoop indeed.

Of course, there IS a point to this seemingly moronic article: Obama is evil and actually hates the troops even though there's no evidence of it.

Given Obama's anti-military views at the time, and given how quickly President Obama has been slashing defense spending and downgrading U.S. military capabilities, it's worth wondering whether he still shares that view, despite many campaign-friendly photo-ops with the troops.

We can only hope that the brave Breitbart army never ceases doing the VETTING that the corrupt liberal media refuses to do, and continues bringing us these eye-opening exclusives.

The 7 Most Ridiculous Breitbart Articles of the Week

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:20:07 PDT

This last 7 days has been a real banner week for the blogging heirs of Andrew at Breitbart.com; one stunning non-story after another, each one billed as a BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE, getting progressively more ridiculous in a crescendo of Obama-hating wingnuttery, building to a denouement of derp.

I think we should commemorate this unbroken string of total failures, so here are LGF's picks for the 7 most absurd, irrational, yet inadvertently hilarious Breitbart-related posts of the week:

Breitbart.com Publishes Ludicrous 'Not-Birther' Article (Wink)
"We're not Birthers!" said Joel Pollak, but Breitbart.com's audience got the Birther message loud and clear.

Literary Agent on Breitbart Bombshell: 'A Simple Mistake'
Literary agent completely destroys the Breitbart Not-Birther BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE. Wingnut audience could not possibly care less.

Week in Review: A Right Wing Fail-a-Ganza
Breitbart.com went ballistic over Elizabeth Warren's "plagiarism," called for her to be fired, and said she would "throw her daughter under the bus" to save herself ... after the plagiarism story was already debunked.

Fear the Vetting! Breitbart.com Editor Joel Pollak's Latest Bombshell Exclusive
BOMBSHELL! Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University! Why is that a bombshell again?

Breitbart Blogger Dan Riehl on the Trail of a Bombshell Obama Photoshop Phraud
The Phabulous Photoshopped Phootball Phraud.

Fear the Vetting! Breitbart.com Bombshell Exclusive: We Don't Have Obama's SAT Scores!
Another BOMBSHELL SCOOP, as the Breitbart gang revealed that they did NOT have Barack Obama's SAT scores, and didn't know what they were, but if they did have the scores, George W. Bush's would be higher.

Vetting Themselves: Breitbart Gang in Yet Another Ridiculously Massive Fail
"Barack Obama, the First Tea Partier!" What more do you need to hear?

Thursday Night Jam: Primus - Lee Van Cleef

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:47:34 PDT

Vimeo

Does Anyone Care That the GOP Presidential Candidate Courts Birthers?

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:32:25 PDT

Mitt Romney is appearing with Newt Gingrich next week at a fundraiser in Las Vegas, along with the highest-profile Birther conspiracy theorist in the nation: Gingrich to Join Romney (And Trump) at Vegas Fundraiser.

Newt Gingrich will make his first appearance with presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, on May 29 in Las Vegas.

NBC News has learned the former House speaker will attend a fundraiser for Romney at Trump Towers in Las Vegas Tuesday evening. Donald Trump will also attend.

The last time Gingrich and Romney were in Nevada together was in early February, amid a biter fight for the nomination.

The Myth of 'Obama the Socialist,' Part II

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:35:56 PDT

My previous page on Obama (found here) clearly showed that President Obama has presided over one of the "greatest periods of government austerity in recent memory."

To hammer home this point, there are a few more pieces of evidence I would like to share with you.

Firstly, consider the graph below (source):

It clearly shows what we already knew, that overall government spending under Obama is going down (though state and local spending is also being slashed).

Secondly, it shows that government spending under G.W. Bush increased dramatically. Where the Tea Party patriots were then we can only speculate about.

In fact, Federal spending is lower now than it was when President Obama took office, taxes today are lower than they were on inauguration day 2009, and the deficit this year is going to be lower than what it was on the day President Obama took office.

Whilst you let those facts sink in for a while, here is the graph that proves it (source):

And speaking of the national deficit, what caused it?

Well, according to TPM, "The vast bulk of the debt is the result of policies enacted during the Bush administration coupled with automatic increases in federal spending and decreases in tax revenue triggered by the economic downturn."

Using figures from the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities from May 2011, we see what current policies have caused it. If you're G.W. Bush, you may want to look away now (source):

To quote Andrew Sullivan:

No administration has reduced aggregate government spending as a precentage of GDP as much as Obama's in forty years. If you look at the full chart, back to George HW Bush, you reach an inescapable conclusion: the biggest spenders and borrowers are Republicans and the most fiscally conservative presidents have been Democrats.

To claim that President Obama is a "Big Government Socialist," a "Marxist," or a "Stealth Commie" may make for a good soundbite, but it's an outright lie.

As Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, "'Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not to his own facts."

Romney Insists Class Size Is Less Important Than 'School Choice'

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:48:49 PDT

Mitt Romney was on the defensive today at an education roundtable in Philadelphia, trying to tell teachers that smaller class sizes are less important than "school choice:" Romney Defends Class Size Stance to Teachers.

(CNN) - Mitt Romney, who is spending this week promoting a plan for America's public school system, spent Thursday morning defending his stance that smaller class sizes don't necessarily equate with better learning in schools.

Romney participated in an education roundtable at a charter school in Philadelphia the day after laying out his education plan to Latino small business owners in Washington. Romney's plan emphasizes school choice over other factors, including efforts to reduce the number of students in classrooms.

Speaking of his time as governor of Massachusetts, Romney said he was frequently told that smaller class sizes would lead to better learning, but that certain studies advised otherwise.

"I came into office and talked to people and said, 'What can we do to improve our schools?'" Romney said at his Thursday event. "And a number of folks said we need smaller classroom sizes, that will make the biggest difference."

Romney went on to cite a study that showed no correlation between classroom size and performance, naming schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts as an example.

This is such a common right wing tactic that whenever someone like Romney cites a "study" to support a claim that seems counter-intuitive, you should always double-check to see what credible sources say about the matter. In this case, the fact is that the majority of credible studies show that smaller class sizes absolutely are an important factor in better education results: Education Week Research Center: Class Size:

Research, for the most part, tends to support the belief in the benefits of small classes. While not all studies on the subject have shown that students learn more in smaller settings—and some are still ongoing—most have linked smaller classes to improvements in achievement.

The biggest and most credible of those studies, Tennessee’s statewide Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio, or STAR, project, begun in the late 1970s, found that the learning gains students made in classes of 13 to 17 students persisted long after the students moved back into average-size classes (HEROS, 2011). What’s more, the Tennessee researchers found, poor and African-American students appeared to reap the greatest learning gains in smaller classes. After kindergarten, the gains black students made in smaller classes were typically twice as large as those for whites. Follow-up studies through the years have found the students who had been in small classes in their early years had better academic and personal outcomes throughout their school years and beyond (Krueger, 2001; Sparks, 2011).

Likewise, a 2001 evaluation of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education, or SAGE, class size reduction program by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that a five-year-old program of class-size reduction in Wisconsin resulted in higher achievement for children living in poverty. Research from Columbia University Teachers College in New York showed the context of class-size reduction can affect its success in improving student achievement (Ready, 2008). Similarly, Charles M. Achilles, one of the original principal researchers on the STAR study, has said researchers and policymakers will have difficulty replicating the improvements seen in the STAR study without including key elements of that program, such as early intervention and small class sizes of three years or more (Achilles, 2008).

The teachers at Romney's roundtable meeting were clearly rather aghast at his claims:

"I can't think of any teacher in the whole time I've been teaching, for 10 years, 13 years, who would say that more students would benefit them," Steven Morris, the teacher, said. "And I can't think of a parent who would say 'I would like my student to be in a classroom with a lot of kids with only one teacher.' So I'm kind of wondering where this research comes from."

Another teacher participating in the roundtable said unequivocally that he had too many students in his classroom.

"It's too large," the second teacher said. "It varies between classes, anywhere between 20 and 28. You can give more personalized attention to each student if you have a smaller class size."

Why is Romney emphasizing "school choice" over class size, even though most studies disagree with his approach? The most likely answer is that he's pandering to the religious right again, where "school choice" is a culture warrior code word for religion-based home schooling.

Former National Review Writer Renounces the Right

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:19:11 PDT

Today's must-read: Michael Fumento's My Break With the Extreme Right.

I was always way ahead of the curve. And my expos�s primarily appeared in right-wing publications. Back when they were interested in serious research. I also founded a conservative college newspaper, held positions in the Reagan administration and at several conservative think tanks, and published five books that conservatives applauded. I’ve written for umpteen major conservative publications – National Review, the Weekly Standard, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, among them.

But no longer. That was the old right. The last thing hysteria promoters want is calm, reasoned argument backed by facts. And I’m horrified that these people have co-opted the name “conservative” to scream their messages of hate and anger.

Read the whole thing...

Not This Again - Wingnut 'Expert' Zooms In, Sees Pixels, Uncovers Obama Photoshop Phraud

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:20:05 PDT

Not this again.

The idea of President Obama "photoshopping" images in order to carry out some kind of nefarious scheme has clearly gotten a death grip on the wingnut zeitgeist. They seem to assign some kind of mystical power to this meme; they believe that if they can finally convince the world at large that these pictures have been doctored, Barack Obama will be forced to hang his head in shame, immediately resign the presidency, and live the rest of his miserable life in his true country of birth, Kenya.

It's wingnut crack. They can't stop doing it, even as it destroys their brains.

Tonight's episode in the Parade of Ridiculous Photoshop Outrages is brought to us by the always wacky American Thinker, where once again we have a so-called "Photoshop expert" who doesn't seem to understand how JPEG compression works, zooming in and analyzing the pixels to impress the rubes: The Illusion of Obama's Bin Laden Raid Situation Room Leadership.

I don't even know what to say about this kind of bizarre right wing craziness any more. There's no point in debunking it; first, it's too freaking easy, and second, they just don't care and it doesn't stop them from repeating it endlessly with less self-awareness than your average parrot.

But here's all you need to know about American Thinker's "Photoshop expert" Mara Zebest: she's been a Birther since 2008, and joined Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's "Cold Case Posse" to push the crackpot theory that Obama faked his birth certificate. So her credentials are impeccable for an appearance at American Thinker, but "Photoshop expert" is a bit of a stretch.

I have to say, though -- Floating Hand Problem is a great band name.

Also see:
Debunking Mara Zebest
Amazon Customer Discussions: Mara Zebest - Oh Dear!

Vetting Themselves: Breitbart Gang in Yet Another Ridiculously Massive Fail

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:43:15 PDT

OK, I'm now nearly convinced that the Breitbart.com gang are just trolling the Internets with these mind-bogglingly ridiculous VETTING articles. I mean, nobody could possibly take this kind of absurd, over the top propaganda seriously, could they?

EXCLUSIVE - THE VETTING - BARACK OBAMA, THE FIRST TEA PARTIER.

Well, it may be damned hard to believe anyone could be this strange, but they really are serious about this stuff.

Breitbart blogger John Sexton's EXCLUSIVE BOMBSHELL: a photo that's been available to the public for 15 years, showing Barack Obama leading a Fourth of July parade in 1997, in a Revolutionary War era costume.

Sexton wants his audience to believe that the costume makes Obama exactly the same as a Tea Party member. Let the sheer stupidity of that one sink in for a minute.

The rest of Sexton's hilarious derp-filled piece is basically an extended whine about those monstrous liberals who mocked the Tea Partiers by calling them "teabaggers."

Monstrous liberals like, oh, for example, their founder Andrew Breitbart, who declared in May 2010 that he was Proud to Be a Tea Bagger.

A screenshot of Andrew Breitbart's brave, forward-thinking declaration of teabaggishness:

Breitbart's post still exists on the new Breitbart.com, but oddly enough, they seem to have removed his byline from it: I'm Proud to Be a Tea Bagger.

That 'Obama Spending Binge?' Another Right Wing Myth

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:15:51 PDT

Rex Nutting of MarketWatch posted this very interesting debunking of a persistent right wing myth: Obama Spending Binge Never Happened.

Here are the facts, according to the official government statistics:

� In the 2009 fiscal year — the last of George W. Bush’s presidency — federal spending rose by 17.9% from $2.98 trillion to $3.52 trillion. Check the official numbers at the Office of Management and Budget.

� In fiscal 2010 — the first budget under Obama — spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion.

� In fiscal 2011, spending rose 4.3% to $3.60 trillion.

� In fiscal 2012, spending is set to rise 0.7% to $3.63 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of the budget that was agreed to last August.

� Finally in fiscal 2013 — the final budget of Obama’s term — spending is scheduled to fall 1.3% to $3.58 trillion. Read the CBO’s latest budget outlook.

Over Obama’s four budget years, federal spending is on track to rise from $3.52 trillion to $3.58 trillion, an annualized increase of just 0.4%.

There has been no huge increase in spending under the current president, despite what you hear.

Tuesday Night Jam: Hot Chip - Night and Day (With Reggie Watts)

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:09:12 PDT

YouTube Video

Iowa GOP Releases Platform, Goes Full Metal Wingnut

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:43:22 PDT

Text of the Platform here

First off, they decide to disregard any Supreme Court decisions they disagree with:

We disagree with Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton as 'settled law.' Under the Tenth amendment, these Supreme Court decisions have no authority over the states.

They're on board with nullification:

We support constitutional state sovereignty including nullification of federal oversteps.

UN conspiracy to take over the world? Yeah, we got that.

We demand that the term 'sustainable development' be defined, vetted, and controlled by county and state agricultural agencies whose private property it impacts rather than the UN, other international or Agenda 21 agencies, or any federal organization.

A shout out to the Breitbart crowd and their legacy.

We call for a full investigation of the organization formerly known as ACORN and its allied organizations, call for full prosecution of those involved in any illegalities discovered, and call for elimination of government funding of such organizations.

And of course, smaller government by destroying every organization responsible for environmental or business regulations or those which help the average person:

We support the elimination of the departments of Agriculture, Education, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Energy, Interior, Labor, and Commerce as well as TSA, FDA, ATF, EPA, National Endowment for the Arts, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.

And last but not least, the crowning gem on this temple of derpitude -

We insist that a candidate prove that he or she meets all requirements for that office prior to being placed in nomination, including proof of United States citizenship.

Your Iowa GOP party platform! Lets give them all a hand!

Fear the Vetting! Breitbart.com Bombshell Exclusive: We Don't Have Obama's SAT Scores!

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:36:25 PDT

It's one BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE after another at the site that Andrew Breitbart built! Man, these guys are ON FIRE!

Stand back, because the VETTING continues with an astounding new breaking news story by Charles C. Johnson (no, it's NOT ME): EXCLUSIVE: THE VETTING - DID OBAMA HAVE LOWER SAT SCORES THAN GEORGE W. BUSH?

So, in order to make such a bold pronouncement, Charles C. Johnson must have obtained the long-sought SAT scores of Barack Obama, right? After all, he says they've ESTABLISHED it.

Wow! What a BOMBSHE... oh wait. You mean, he didn't get the SAT scores? So what's the basis for this claim?

Breitbart News has learned that the transfer class that entered Columbia College in the fall of 1981 with Obama was one of the worst in recent memory, according to Columbia officials at the time.

That's it?

They're kidding, right?

Nope, not kidding. (These people are out of their freaking minds.)

Gateway Pundit Enraged By President Obama Complimenting Joplin Students For Working Together

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:43:17 PDT

"Gateway Pundit" Jim Hoft, St. Louis's resident birther blogger, was frothing-at-the-mouth angry this morning over what he said was the "socialist message" of President Obama's commencement speech to the graduating class of Joplin, Missouri, a city ravaged by a devastating tornado last year. What was the evidence for Hoft's claim (not that a birther cares about evidence)? Here's the passage he highlighted:

'The road has been hard. The day has been long. But we have tomorrow, so we march. We march together,' he said on the first anniversary of the deadly tornado strike...

'As you begin the next stage in your journey, you will encounter greed and selfishness; ignorance and cruelty. … You will meet people who try to build themselves up by tearing others down; who believe looking after others is only for suckers,' he said.

'My deepest hope for all of you … [is that] you can serve as a reminder that we're not meant to walk this road alone; that we're not expected to face down adversity by ourselves,' he told his audience. 'We're stronger together than we are on our own.'

So, in other words, President Obama is saying that people need to work together and care about their fellow citizens. And, of course, he was saying this in the context of a town that was completely devastated by a tornado and had been doing a good job rebuilding precisely because people in the town were willing to work together and had been getting help from other Americans.

I honestly don't know how someone could be so ridiculous as to think that helping other people out and not being selfish is "evil." As @jbposnanski pointed out on Twitter, Hoft has all the makings of a cartoon villain, openly rooting for greed and selfishness while condemning "working together." Hoft's sentiments, of course, are also completely at odds with the Golden Rule and the New Testament, though he's happy to use his Christian beliefs to bash others. What a piece of work.

By the way, here's the local coverage of the President's visit.

Outrage Fail: 'Vulgar Comments From The Left' Not Actually From The Left

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:59:37 PDT

Right-wing bloggers (Michelle Malkin, Adam Baldwin, Katie Pavlich) have been hyping a story lately of a 16-year old conservative girl who was purportedly subjected to "vulgar comments from progressives" after recording a youtube video arguing in favor of the North Carolina amendment outlawing gay marriage. The girl is now scheduled to appear on Fox and Friends on Wednesday morning to pass along her story.

The original post from the girl included four purported examples of "vulgar comments from the Left," and I absolutely condemn the comments (though one is not really in the same class as the others). But one thing that jumped out immediately was that one of the comments ( "I repeat queerbait, don't expect me to endorse it!") was from someone named "ACORNSUCKS." Yeah, that name doesn't exactly sound like someone from "the Left." In fact, if you look at ACORNSUCK's youtube page, you'll see that the account routinely favorites videos about Mitt Romney. Furthermore, in the original youtube comments, it's pretty clear that ACORNSUCKS is defending the youtube video and attacking people arguing in favor of gay marriage. For example:

So the author was being deliberately dishonest to suggest that this comment was representative of "the Left."

With this in mind, I decided to look at the other 3 comments used as examples of "vulgarity from the Left." Someone called TheAtheist79 said the following:

This bitch is Psycho!

OK, so this guy has "atheist" in his name, he's got to be a lefty, right? I don't know for sure, but it doesn't seem that way. The actual youtube account for TheAtheist79 is now gone. However, if you do a google search for "theAtheist79" what you find is a lot of comments in a lot of different places that are primarily focused on arguing against the existence of human-influenced climate change. For example:

So yeah, a climate change denier. Not exactly a defining trait of "the Left.'

Another comment was from funnykoreantv:

you think you're brave because you come out in public spewing your ignorance? no that just makes you foolish. the very reason you make a video is to spread ideas and discussion to people whom you've never met. so people make inferences from your video and its up to you to make sure you're complete with your portrayal. here, you portray stupidity and ignorance.

I can't really tell from the youtube profile whether this person is liberal or conservative, but the comment wasn't really that vulgar, at least compared to the others.

So that leaves the last, and definitely worst (illegal even?) comment from UniversalHourglass:

Hey, you really seem like one stupid c*nt. That being said, I'd still let you wrap yours lips around my c*ck.'

This is a more complicated case than the others. UniversalHourglass makes fun of conservatives in the video comments. And if you look at his youtube feed, he also clearly doesn't like Mitt Romney. On the other hand, he also hates Occupy Wall Street, and routinely uses the words "ni**ers" and "fa**ots." Furthermore, he tells both men and women that he would "do" them and even makes vulgar suggestions that he's pleasuring himself. In other words, if you look at his feed, the thing that stands out is not that he's "liberal" or "conservative," but rather that he's a completely unhinged looney who clearly intentionally says offensive stuff to get a rise out of people. So claiming that one nutbag that says offensive and perverted stuff to pretty much everyone on the internet, both left and right, is somehow revealing about "the Left" is clearly ridiculous.

So out of 4 claims of "vulgar comments from the Left" maybe one of them is 1/2 true. But on the bright side, that's a better batting average than James O'Keefe!

Breitbart Blogger Dan Riehl on the Trail of a Bombshell Obama Photoshop Phraud

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:24:47 PDT

Today, Breitbart.com ace blogger Dan Riehl tweeted the latest conspiracy theory to hit the wingnut blogosphere:

RT @AureliusPundit: Did White House dr Photo of President "Throwing" Football?- tinyurl.com/cdg8z7c

— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) May 21, 2012

The link goes to "Pundit Press," where "Aurelius" is analyzing the pixels in a photo tweeted by the White House...

Photo of the Day: President Obama throws a football @soldierfield after the @NATO dinner in Chicago: twitter.com/whitehouse/sta...

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 21, 2012

The Kenyan impostor can't slip such an obvious fake past the "I AM BREITBART" army, of course.

"Aurelius" zooms in on his screenshot of this tweet (which measures, by the way, 471 x 318), and discovers ... yes, the dreaded PIXELLATION! Proof of photoshop doctoring!

Why would the President want to fake a photo like this? Well, that's not what Aurelius is interested in - he's just asking questions!

Note the pixelation that occurs around the entirety of the President's head. Such deterioration does not exist anywhere else (at least so obviously) in the photo. Also note Mr. Obama's oddly large eyes. Additionally, President Obama is inexplicably looking upward, unless his target is sitting somewhere in the cheap seats 100 yards away. ...

So, is this picture doctored? It's up to you to decide. However, the fact that the White House may have altered a picture of the President throwing a football speaks to how despereate [sic] they are to perfectly manicure his public image.

Rather than post a lesson in how JPEG compression works and why a freaking screenshot of a low res image on Twitter would be expected to have exactly those kinds of compression artifacts, which would be wasted effort, I'll just direct any wingnuts who really want to search for an EXCLUSIVE BOMBSHELL SCOOP to the original photograph from the White House in their Flickr photostream, at a resolution of 4000 x 2760. (h/t: Gus.)

At the top of this post is a somewhat zoomed-out clip of the section in question, saved at fairly high quality. Happy pixel-hunting!

Former Bain Executive Said Romney Was Directly Responsible for Ampad Layoffs

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:41:59 PDT

Andrew Kaczynski discovered a 2002 interview that sheds more light on the situation with Mitt Romney's Bain Capital and the Ampad paper company, and it doesn't make Romney look any better: Former Bain Executive: Romney Bears Blame for Ampad Layoffs.

According to a 2002 interview with former managing director of Bain Capital Marc Wolpow, Romney was directly responsible for Ampad’s layoffs. Wopow and a fellow Bain partner sat on the board of directors of Ampad, and were responsible with carrying out the Bain business plan that caused the layoffs.

“My job was to maximize the profits to Bain Capital's partners from the Ampad transaction,” Wolpow told the Globe in 2002.

Wolpow said Romney was responsible for the business plan carried out by Bain in Indiana.”Mitt's employees executed that transaction,” he said. “We carried out the business plan. He was CEO of the firm.”

”I reported directly to Mitt Romney ... You can't be CEO of Bain Capital and say, `I really don't know what my guys were doing.”

Stunning Telescopic Video of Yesterday's Eclipse

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:40:26 PDT

YouTube Video

Still pictures will be available at http://www.corypoole.com

700 pictures through a Coronado Solar Max 60 Double Stack telescope were used to make this video. The Telescope has a very narrow bandpass allowing you to see the chromosphere and not the much brighter photosphere below it. The music was composed in Abelton Live.

(h/t: Dangerous Minds.)

Obama Campaign Ad: The Story of Bain Capital and Ampad

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:37:00 PDT

The new advertisement from the Obama campaign continues their devastating criticism of Mitt Romney's vulture capitalism techniques, with the story of the plundering of SCM Office Supplies.

YouTube Video

Meanwhile, Newark mayor Cory Booker is walking back his criticism of the Obama campaign's ads today -- but not entirely.

The Obama team saw Booker equating attacks on Bain Capital with attacks on Rev. Jeremiah Wright — he said almost exactly those words — and knew they had a political mess to clean up.

“This election, like all other elections, is going to be a choice between two candidates, two records and two visions for the country,” said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt on a conference call Monday morning. “We’ve not heard an affirmative vision from [Romney].”

Trur [sic] enough. But, it’s also clear from watching the entirety of Booker’s video that he isn’t really walking back his comments as much as he is trying to provide more context than is typically available on a Sunday show roundtable appearance.

Watch Booker’s video; it’s obvious he doesn’t like the negativity of the campaign — on both sides — and despite what we can only assume was heavy pressure by the Obama team to fix the glitch, he isn’t willing to entirely walk back his comments.

Sunday Night Jam: Bonnie Raitt - Used to Rule the World

Sun, 20 May 2012 17:47:46 PDT

Here's Bonnie Raitt way deep in the pocket at this year's New Orleans Jazz Fest, with "Used To Rule the World" from her great new album Slipstream.

YouTube Video

Right Wing Birtherism Is Back (Actually, It Never Left)

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:55:44 PDT

Yes, Birtherism is back. That idiotic article at Breitbart.com by Joel Pollak has opened the door for the Birthers to come rushing back in, babbling incoherently.

Actually, this craziness never really went away; if you've read any right wing blog for the past four years, or the comments at Fox News or Free Republic, you know that the Birther delusion is deeply rooted in today's right wing psyche. That's why the Breitbart.com article set them off in such spectacular fashion. The right is heavily invested in portraying the first black President as a dangerous, angry, un-American radical "other" from somewhere else, probably Kenya.

Here we see two spokesmen for the politically-connected American Family Association, Buster Wilson and the execrable Bryan Fischer, spouting Birther craziness and conspiracy theories while complaining that they're being labeled as "Birthers."

YouTube Video

And at the far right propaganda site Daily Caller, wingnut attack clown Jim Treacher (real name: Sean Medlock) has latched onto a new technique: he's going to call anyone who criticizes Birthers "Birthers." Yes, even President Obama himself: Why Was Obama a Birther Until He Decided to Run for President?

UPDATE at 5/20/12 12:22:56 pm

Treacher's tweets today are bizarre and childish, as usual:

@silviobreckman Obama was born in Hawaii. If you have proof to the contrary, Birther, let's see it.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2012

@silviobreckman Because you think Obama was born in Kenya. Prove it, Birther.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2012

@BigPapa1849 @silviobreckman Whatever you say, Birther.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2012

@BigPapa1849 @silviobreckman Prove you're not a Birther, Birther.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2012

@BigPapa1849 @silviobreckman If you want me to stop calling you a Birther, all you have to do is ask, Birther.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2012

@BigPapa1849 @silviobreckman Birther.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2012

Journalism, Daily Caller style.

Overnight Video: How a Bicycle Is Made (1945)

Sat, 19 May 2012 21:00:31 PDT

Vimeo