SunSeeker
SunSeeker's JournalThe Media’s 2016 Presidential Fantasies
A refresher: The president beat Clinton in a 50-state primary that she nearly won, by the end, as the salience of the Iraq War faded. Obama trounced Clinton in most of the caucuses, building a delegate margin, but he only stayed competitive because of black voters in Southern primary states. Obama was fading until the South Carolina primary, when an electorate that was mostly black gave him a landslide that polling hadn’t predicted. There were 35 primaries to go: Clinton won 21 of them. (That number includes the Florida and Michigan races, which held votes but saw no campaigning due to a party dispute. Still, Clinton won them.) Of the states that went for Obama, only six of them—Illinois, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin—gave him the win among white voters.
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The point isn’t just that Hillary Clinton is the Democratic front-runner. No one doubts that; everyone’s a little bored by that. The point is that it’s risky, weak strategy to make a presidential primary the test kitchen for policy change. Conservatives learned this brutally in 1972 when they urged Ohio Rep. John Ashbrook to run against Richard Nixon. “What I fear is a dissipation of our strength,” wrote William F. Buckley to a friend. He was perceptive: Ashbrook won a wan 9.7 percent of the New Hampshire vote, and Nixon was emboldened to ignore the right.
Over time, conservatives stopped expecting a president to get elected, lead, and solve all their problems. They built a grassroots machine and a litany of policy goals—the activists would speak, and the president would nod along. By 2012, Grover Norquist could tell a national conferencethat the next Republican president need only come to the job “with enough working digits to handle a pen.” That’s where progressives need to get, that un-glamorous and under-covered triumph of movement over party. Maybe, like Ron Paul, they can use a campaign to build the ranks. But if the Obama experience hasn’t taught them that a dreamy presidential candidate won’t bring about paradise, what will?
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/11/elizabeth_warren_hillary_clinton_and_2016_speculation_media_is_applying.html
Obama stands by promise that "you can keep your plan"
Amid reports of millions of Americans losing their insurance because of new Obamacare regulations, President Obama on Wednesday stood by his promise that those who liked their coverage before the Affordable Care Act became law could keep that coverage.
"If you had one of these substandard plans before the Affordable Care Act became law, and you liked that plan, you were able to keep it," the president said in Boston. Mr. Obama addressed the ongoing controversy over the Affordable Care Act from Faneuil Hall, where in 2006 then-Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., signed the Massachusetts health law that served as a model for the federal law.
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The dropped plans seemingly violate Mr. Obama's 2009 campaign pledge that, "If you have insurance that you like, then you will be able to keep that insurance."
The president said Wednesday that the notices sent to consumers suggest that they're losing their coverage "somehow because of the Affordable Care Act." He argued, however, that consumers only lost coverage if insurers altered those policies at all after the law took effect. In that case, Mr. Obama said, insurers had to "replace them with quality, comprehensive coverage."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57610109/obama-stands-by-promise-that-you-can-keep-your-plan/
Chillin' At Bolsa Chica
It's October in Southern California, my favorite time of year here. The crowds are gone from the beaches, but the weather is still like summer with no June gloom. Here's some pics I took with my cell phone while hanging out at Bolsa Chica State Beach on Sunday afternoon. The surf was flat but still a great day to just chill.
Why Hasn’t Assad Been Charged With War Crimes?
Unfortunately, international law is once again protecting Assad’s violations of international law. Syria is not a state party to the ICC (neither, for what it’s worth, is the United States) and therefore its prosecutors don’t have jurisdiction over crimes committed there. For Assad to be charged by the ICC, he would have to be referred by the U.N. Security Council which, as with an authorization for military intervention, isn’t going to happen as long as Russia and China have seats. Marc Lynch discussed a few other possible avenues for Assad’s prosecution a few weeks ago, but for now, a prosecution seems extremely unlikely, even as the Syrian government commits exactly the sort of crimes the court was set up to deal with.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2013/09/05/assad_s_war_crimes_why_hasn_t_he_been_charged_with_war_crimes_by_the_international.html
Pa. Child Porn Victim Sues Viewers for $150k Each
Source: ABCNews.com
A child pornography victim from Pennsylvania is using a law that carries her name to seek at least $150,000 each from her father, 13 other jailed men and anyone else who viewed explicit images of her.
"Masha's Law" is named for Masha Allen, a Russian orphan adopted at age 5 by divorced Pittsburgh-area millionaire Matthew Mancuso. He's in prison for making and posting about 200 sexually explicit images of her that authorities believe have been viewed millions of times online.
The FBI sought the identity of the child known as the "Internet Girl" or "Disney World Girl" and located Masha in 2003, when she was 10. She is now 20 and has changed her name to regain some measure of privacy after testifying in Congress.
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Mancuso, an engineer in his mid-40s, had sought to adopt a girl between the ages of 4 and 6, explaining that he wanted to make up for his strained relationship with his teenage daughter, according to the Congressional hearing transcript. He then repeatedly raped and sexually abused Masha on camera, sometimes during trips to Disney World.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/pa-child-porn-victim-sues-viewers-150k-20082501
Why would you relay a right wing tool's propaganda tweet here?
The attendance was zero because the 8 am rally didn't happen. It was cancelled due to rain. At least the Washington Times admitted as much when reporting this nonstory. Why did you run with it? And why are you taking tweets from that Fox tool Kerpen as gospel?
Bradley Manning Apologizes; Defense Cites Rough Childhood, Gender Identity Disorder
Source: abcnews.com
During a sentencing hearing for Army PFC Bradley Manning, a military court heard an apology from the soldier, tales of a tough childhood from his sister, and two experts explaining how Manning's gender identity disorder contributed to his decision to release American secrets.
"First, your honor, I want to start off with an apology," Manning told the court after taking the stand to make an unsworn statement. "I am sorry that my actions hurt people. I 'm sorry that they hurt the United States.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/bradley-manning-apologizes-for-espionage-cites-rough-childhood-gender-disorder/
Christie spends $4.7 million of Sandy money on ads starring him
Chris Christie has released his first wave of campaign ads for the 2016 presidential elections! Oh no wait, no, these are not campaign ads, they are Jersey Shore tourism ads, can’t you tell? They are public service ads to promote tourism! Because everybody wants to go to a beach full of Chris Christies. That’s why it is totally okay for Christie to spend $4.7 million from Hurricane Sandy relief money with some PR firm called MWW — which happens to be $2 million MORE than another bid — on shameless self-promotion, or, as the always yelling Christie yells it, this selfless effort to promote tourism. These particular ads also cost more because they had Christie starring in them.
Read more at http://wonkette.com/524899/chris-christie-gobbling-up-federal-sandy-muneez-to-make-commercials-starring-him#YgpjLtTXrAhWVKAZ.99
47,000 people, George Takei sign petition to move Sochi Olympics to Vancouver
Source: GlobalNews.ca
An online petition to move the upcoming Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia to Vancouver is gathering steam. 47,000 people have signed the petition so far, a dramatic increase from 6,000 signatures on Monday.
Russia is facing growing international pressure over the country’s “gay propaganda” laws.
The Russian Sport Minister has said the country intends to enforce its laws against visiting LGBT athletes, trainers and fans.
The petition, started by the organization ‘Equality for All,’ is pitching Vancouver as the ideal place to move the Games.
It points out Vancouver successfully held the games in 2010 and the facilities are already in place.
Read more: http://globalnews.ca/news/767168/47000-people-george-takei-sign-petition-to-move-sochi-olympics-to-vancouver/
As of the time of this post, there are now over 72,000 signatures. The link for the petition: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/international-olympic-committee-ioc-relocate-the-2014-winter-games-to-vancouver-2
Mexicans outraged by humiliation of Indian boy
A 10-year-old Indian street vendor whose humiliation by a city inspector tugged on the heart strings of Mexicans after a video of it appeared on social media was showered Friday with attention and the offer of a scholarship.
The video shows the poor, sandal-clad Tzotzil boy selling candy, cough drops and apparently cigarettes out of a wicker basket in Villahermosa, the capital of the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. State officials say the boy, Manuel Diaz Hernandez, was trying to earn money to buy his own school supplies.
A city inspector, identified as Juan Diego Lopez, spots the boy, confronts him and takes several packs of cigarettes from his basket. It is prohibited in Mexico for minors to buy or sell cigarettes.
In the video, Manuel can be seen weeping inconsolably as the inspector forces him to take all the candy in his basket, handful by handful, and toss it on the pavement. The cost of the candy and cigarettes could well be more than the boy would earn with a week's work.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57595789/mexicans-outraged-by-humiliation-of-indian-boy/
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This is how the revolution in Tunisia started...
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Gender: Do not displayHome country: USA
Current location: Southern California
Member since: Sun Mar 20, 2011, 12:05 PM
Number of posts: 51,550