World News Korner

Courtesy of Salon:

Stephen Colbert is dealing with the fallout from a tweet sent out on his show’s behalf — and doing so on-air by imagining his show really getting cancelled.

Last week, the Twitter feed @ColbertReport, affiliated with the Comedy Central series, tweeted an out-of-context joke from a segment mocking the Washington Redskins’ owner and his attempts to reach out to the Native American community without changing his team’s offensive name. The #CancelColbert hashtag immediately caught fire, and Colbert opened his show by depicting the studio shutting down… his writers walking out dejected… Manhattan freezing over… the famous 1970s-ad Native American shedding a single tear… all manner of dystopia.

The actor B. D. Wong, himself Asian, appeared as a therapist of sorts to explain to Colbert, dressed in Redskins regalia and lying on a couch, that he was having a horrible dream. “This is still ‘The Colbert Report,’” Colbert announced.

It was, all in all, a pretty audacious gambit — to openly mock those who’d sought to get Colbert fired by rubbing in their face that it’d never happen, and to bring in one of America’s most prominent actors of Asian extraction to aid in a non-apology. In his opening monologue, following an audience chant (“Ste-phen! Ste-phen!”) Colbert joked about how offensive it was that his shoes were made in Vietnam (rather than in China) and how upset he was that iPhone’s emojis are growing more diverse thanks to the “P.C. police.”

And, yes, Colbert directly addressed the controversy: In a segment called “Who’s Attacking Me Now,” Colbert joked that “we almost lost” and then went through just how the controversy went down, through a sort of mirror-world reality whereby “Colbert,” the conservative on-air persona, saw his attempts to support his fictitious and racist alter ego get misinterpreted online.

I was hoping that Colbert would take this and run with it, and he did it spectacularly.

He managed to take advantage of the "controversy" to continue to point out the hypocrisy of going after him and leaving the Redskin's new "out reach" to the native American community virtually untouched.

If you did not see the show last night I highly suggest that you click the links provided above and enjoy seeing the master at work.

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Of course many of you saw the above graphic the other day, from Palin's Facebook page.

When I posted it I did not know a thing about this Julianne Ortman woman.

But thanks to all of your tireless research I now know some things about this Julianne Ortman woman. And they of course demonstrate how unfit she is to challenge the great Al Franken, and how perfectly logical it was that Sarah Palin, a woman who lies like some people breathe, to endorse her.

You see she is a liar as well.

This is from a a post on City Pages from August:

On her website, Ortman, an MNGOP Senator from the southwest suburbs who is seeking the GOP endorsement to challenge Al Franken next year, claims that she, in partnership with her husband Ray, has argued "several very high profile and ground-breaking cases in state and federal court, and in the United States Supreme Court."

Furthermore, her Facebook page suggests she was directly and personally involved in the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Obamacare, stating she "was one of many from across the nation who argued in the Supreme Court that the plan violated the limits of the Commerce Clause; ultimately the Court agreed, but upheld the mandates in Obamacare as a constitutional use of Congress's power to tax."

So according to this Senate hopeful, she was instrumental in almost stopping the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Gee, if only that were true.

However a local Minnesota Republican activist, decided to check out Ortman's claims.

Guess what?

@mbrodkorb Her sentence as a whole is wrong, because she rep'd no businesses in U.S. Supreme Court. Like the "defamation" in Workman suit.
— AliasNielsBohr (@AliasNielsBohr) August 11, 2013

This AM: Supreme Court official said Ortman hasn't argued a case, nor is there a record of her being admitted to the Supreme Court Bar.
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) August 9, 2013

Also this AM: Supreme Court official said neither she nor her husband had argued cases "in the [US] Supreme Court", as her bio claims.
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) August 9, 2013

Bad day for @JulianneOrtman's campaign. One of the worst examples of resume padding by a candidate in MN. Clumsy response & story continues.
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) August 9, 2013

Ortman claimed she "argued in the Supreme Court" against ObamaCare, yet records show she voted in MN Senate during 3 days SCOTUS heard case
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) August 11, 2013

Yeah Senator Franken should have NO problem swatting this fly.

Even BEFORE the Sarah Palin kiss of death.




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Courtesy of The Washington Post:

Many of the Republican Party’s most powerful insiders and financiers have begun a behind-the-scenes campaign to draft former Florida governor Jeb Bush into the 2016 presidential race, courting him and his intimates and starting talks on fundraising strategy.

Concerned that the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal has damaged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s political standing and alarmed by the steady rise of Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), prominent donors, conservative leaders and longtime operatives say they consider Bush the GOP’s brightest hope to win back the White House.

Bush’s advisers insist that he is not actively exploring a candidacy and will not make a decision until at least the end of this year. But over the past few weeks, Bush has traveled the country delivering policy speeches, campaigning for Republicans ahead of the fall midterm elections, honing messages on income inequality and foreign policy, and cultivating ties with wealthy benefactors — all signals that he is considering a run.

Many if not most of 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s major donors are reaching out to Bush and his confidants with phone calls, e-mails and invitations to meet, according to interviews with 30 senior Republicans. One bundler estimated that the “vast majority” of Romney’s top 100 donors would back Bush in a competitive nomination fight.

“He’s the most desired candidate out there,” said another bundler, Brian Ballard, who sat on the national finance committees for Romney in 2012 and John McCain in 2008. “Everybody that I know is excited about it.”

Jeb Bush's name has been bandied about for some time now, but with Christie out, and other potential front runners defining the term "unimpressive," it looks like the Republicans may want to go with a brand name candidate.

The problem of course is that the brand was badly damaged by George Bush, who took a once proud family name and defecated all over it.

Jeb might not be his brother's keeper, but he is certainly splattered with the same mud that was slung at his W for taking us into two unnecessary wars, almost destroying the economy, and tarnishing the reputation of America around the world.

I remain unconcerned becasue in a contest between two political dynasties, the Clinton name stands head and shoulders above the one to which Jeb finds himself shackled.

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Courtesy of Liberals Unite: Video footage shows students walking out on Dick Cheney while he was speaking at American University. The students were protesting his foreign policy, and calling him a “War criminal” as they left the arena.

Damn am I jealous!

I would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to walk out on Dick Cheney while yelling that he is a war criminal.

Like a dream come true.

Later the war criminal denied the allegations:

“The accusations are not true,” Cheney said.

During his vice presidency, three people were waterboarded, Cheney said. Waterboarding refers to either pumping a stomach with water or inducing choking by filling a throat with a stream of water, according to a report by NPR.

“Some people called it torture. It wasn’t torture,” Cheney said in an interview with ATV.

First off water boarding IS torture, and Americans believed that it was right up until we started to do it.

Second Dick Cheney is DEFINITELY a war criminal for helping to lie us into an unnecessary war, being instrumental in the outing of a CIA agent, and of course for supporting torture.

The guy is a complete POS and he deserves every bit of acrimony and hostility that comes his way.

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Courtesy of the LA Times:

President Obama's healthcare law, despite a rocky rollout and determined opposition from critics, already has spurred the largest expansion in health coverage in America in half a century, national surveys and enrollment data show.

As the law's initial enrollment period closes, at least 9.5 million previously uninsured people have gained coverage. Some have done so through marketplaces created by the law, some through other private insurance and others through Medicaid, which has expanded under the law in about half the states.

The tally draws from a review of state and federal enrollment reports, surveys and interviews with insurance executives and government officials nationwide.

This is looking better and better for those Democrats in red states moving forward, IF the Republicans continue to rely on their support of the Affordable Care Act to vilify them.

Democrats have much to be proud of and they need to sing it loud and long, and in response voters need to flock to the polls to show their support.

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Courtesy of Raw Story:

A Muslim victim of the Boston Marathon bombing has sued Glenn Beck for defamation and slander after the talk show host accused him of funding the attacks.

Race spectator Abdulrahman Alharbi filed a federal lawsuit against Beck and his companies, The Blaze Inc. and Mercury Radio Arts, and his radio syndicator, Premier Radio Networks.

The 20-year-old Alharbi was injured in the April 15 bombings, questioned as a witness, and consented to a search of his apartment.

Authorities quickly determined that Alharbi, a Saudi national of Middle Eastern descent, had no involvement in the attacks.

But Beck “repeatedly and falsely” identified Alharbi as an active participant in the bombings, the suit claims.

The lawsuit also claims Beck questioned the motives of federal authorities who declined to arrest or detain the college student, reported Courthouse News.

“Let me just say this to those at the highest echelons of government,” Beck said April 21, according to World Net Daily. “We know who this Saudi national is, and it is in your best interest and the best interest of integrity and trust for the people of United States of America – it’s best coming from you, not coming from a news organization. It’s best coming from you. You have until (April 22). We have information on who this man is, (and) we know he is a very bad, bad, bad man.”

I remember the character assassination that Beck was promoting in those days right after the bombing. It was brutal, and he would NOT let it go.

Even after this guy was cleared by investigators, Beck kept saying that he had some secret evidence that would convict this guy.

Guess what? He didn't.

Good for this Abdulrahman Alharbi guy for holding him accountable.

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Courtesy of Mediaite:

The New York Daily News‘ Confidenti@l blog reported on Monday morning that, according to insider sources, Ronan Farrow‘s brand-new MSNBC talk show is already on the fritz reportedly because of disappointing ratings and a lackluster on-air presence.

“He sort of stinks on TV,” the anonymous network source told the newspaper. “He hasn’t turned out to be the superstar they were hoping for.”

According to the paper, MSNBC’s strategy was to bring Farrow onto the network in the hopes that his younger, social media-based audience would follow suit. “But that hasn’t happened,” the source declared. “Just because someone is a boy genius-turned-Twitter star doesn’t mean they deserve their own TV show.” Farrow’s show debuted with lackluster numbers in the key 25-54 demo.

I know that some of you got a little testy with me when I revealed yesterday, that Farrow's show was the only program that actually made me turn to Fox News, but now you see that I am far from alone in my disapproval.

Now look I am actually a big fan of the younger crop of hosts that MSNBC has these days. Crystal Ball, Alex Wagner, Chris Hayes, Steve Kornacki, and Ari Melber are all on my must watch list.

However Farrow always comes off as a high school kid who won a "Be a Newscaster for a Day" contest, and is struggling to sound like he knows what to do while delivering painful segues and stumbling through interviews with his much more polished interviewees.

To be honest along with AL Sharpton and Ed Schultz I have also had trouble listening to Andrea Mitchell, who has a hesitant, uncertain, manner in delivering her lines that I find maddening.

But at least Andrea gives a good interview, and she really knows her topic.

I am not sure that with more time on the job Farrow will improve or not, but I just know that IF his program survives, I will continue to channel surf away from it in the future.

The other day I actually found myself watching Rachael Ray. Fricking Rachael Ray!

This madness must stop!

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The shameful smear above just showed up on Palin's Facebook page a few hours ago.

Apparently she endorsed this Julianne Ortman woman a coupe of days ago, and then this juvenile BS was posted today.

Here is what the woman who is a national laughingstock said about the great Senator of Minnesota:

Al Franken’s career has been a joke; we all know this. The biggest joke of all though is not funny at all because the American people are the punch line. This joke? The fact that Franken has voted 100% (!) of the time with Barack Obama. This just proves what we already knew – Al Franken is a Big Fat Liberal.

Let’s give voters a contrast this fall: a clown vs. a Mama Grizzly, an Obama 100 Percenter vs. a Blue Star Mom, a talker vs. a doer, and a liberal Obama rubber stamp legislator vs. a proven conservative fighter.

Let’s make this proven conservative the one to take the fight to Al Franken this fall and make him the punch line. Julianne Ortman is the choice. She is good enough, she is smart enough, and doggone it, people like her!

That last part should read, she is far from good enough, not smart enough to even reject Sarah Palin's endorsement, and doggone it, nobody knows her.

Al Franken is that rare case of a well known celebrity who made the transition to politics and did an even better job in that arena.

Franken has done great work for the citizens of Minnesota, has done great work for the children, authored the Medical Loss Ratio amendment that forced insurance companies to pay 80% of premiums on actual health care costs, and just was recently honored for his work in providing access to mental health services by the American Psychiatric Association.

All that Sarah Palin has done in the field of mental health, is provide a walking talking example of somebody who desperately needs psychiatric services.

I somehow doubt that Franken is in any danger of losing his seat. Especially to someone who is endorsed by Sarah "Is my wig on straight?" Palin.

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