Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is stepping down as president and CEO of Liberty Central, the Tea Party-affiliated think tank she founded, according to the Washington Post. Liberty Central spokesperson Caitlin Carroll (of CRC Public Relations) told the Post’s Amy Gardner that Thomas was relinquishing control of the organization to spare the organization the “distractions” caused by Thomas’s celebrity. From the Post:
“She’ll take a back seat so that Liberty Central can continue with its mission without any of the distractions,” Carroll said. “After discussing it with the board, Mrs. Thomas determined that it was best for the organization.”
Only minutes into his press conference, President Barack Obama committed a grave political sin: repeating — and amplifying from the presidential podium — the opposition’s talking point. In this case, it was the Tea Party’s accusation that the whole of the Obama agenda represents a more “intrusive” government, and one that “over-reach[ed].” Honestly, I thought my head might explode. READ FULL POST
Chips Ahoy!
Slouching toward Jerusalem
Dragon for Fear
Fear-inspiring characters ride the dragon.
This guy got love all day.
Overflow from the Mall on the steps of the National Archives.
Oh, the irony.
I think he's on Team Fear.
Who says the Tea Party owns the regalia of America's founding?
Gonna wash out your mouth with soap, snakey-pooh!
Or I'll be really mad!
Submitted without comment.
Wahhh!
Well, that's not very nice.
Hallelujah!
Well, some of us.
Nancy Nanion of Washington, D.C., dressed as an oil spill.
Uncle Sam sez
Actually, no, I don't.
One family, from three states -- left to right: Kansas, Texas, New York.
Point taken.
Killjoy was here.
Don't forget the marshmallows.
NOTE: I didn't shoot this pic, but is sure is sweet. (From a friend of editor Tara Lohan.)
And a great day was had by all.
Editor’s note: For a different take, check out Mark Ames’ piece, which argues that the “Rally to Restore Sanity” merely served as a means for liberals to demonstrate that they are smarter than the Tea Partiers.
The aerial photos are in, settling any dispute between who was the best draw of protesters to the National Mall, Glenn Beck or Jon Stewart. The Comedy Central host won hands down over the Fox News Channel host, bringing hundreds of thousands — most of whom likely identify as liberal — to the nation’s capital for his Rally to Restore Sanity, which, in its naming, at least, was a repudiation of Beck’s Restoring Honor rally, held at the opposite end of the Mall two months ago.
But those who hoped to hear from Stewart and his colleague, Stephen Colbert, an outright condemnation of the Tea Party movement, at whom his call for “sanity” appeared to be aimed, were destined for disappointment. Stewart instead took aim at Congress the television news media — particularly cable talk shows in both the liberal and conservative camps. At times, Stewart strained, in a presumed attempt at balance, to present a pox-on-both-their houses argument.
Rumors have been flying lately that former Pres. Bill Clinton urged Democrat Kendrick Meek to drop his bid for Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat in order to deprive the Tea Party-backed Marco Rubio of a win next week. Also in the race is Gov. Charlie Crist, who was a Republican until he appeared headed for defeat in the G.O.P. primary. Crist jumped ship in August, and became an independent. Clinton today issued a statement denying the rumors. Sort of.
If you’re in the D.C. area, please join me tonight for a discussion of the Tea Party movement and AlterNet’s new anthology, Dangerous Brew: Exposing the Tea Party’s Agenda to Take Over America.
If you’re on Facebook, please RSVP here.
Book release: Dangerous Brew, by Don Hazen & Adele Stan
| Time | Monday, October 25 · 6:30pm – 8:00pm |
|---|---|
| Location | Busboys & Poets – 5th & K Location 1025 5th Street NW Washington, DC |
| More Info | Note that this is the location near the Convention Center — NOT the U Street restaurant. Please join Adele M. Stan, Sarah Posner and Stephanie Mencimer for a discussion and signing of AlterNet’s latest book release, Dangerous Brew: Exposing The Tea Party’s Agenda to Take Over America, an anthology co-edited by Stan and Don Hazen, and featuring pieces by Posner, Mencimer and Stan. We’re eager to hear your thoughts and take your questions about this latest incarnation of America’s right wing. What do Tea Party supporters want? What motivates them? Is this a movement created by Glenn Beck and David Koch, or something more organic? What role is played by race in this largely white movement? We’ll talk about all of this and more, so please join us! |
Well, Ginni Thomas — how’s that apology demand workin’ for ya?
You may recall that two days ago, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called Anita Hill, demanding an apology for accusations of sexual harassment that Hill made against Thomas at his nomination hearing for this seat on the high court.
Talk about a strategic blunder. The controversy, long consigned to the history books, is now reignited, thanks to the decision of Thomas’s former girlfriend, Lillian McEwen, to come forward with her recollections of Thomas’s behavior toward women in the workplace, and his purported “obsession” with porn — accusations that echo what Hill told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991. READ FULL POST
If the latest Rasmussen survey of likely voters is to be believed, in the Colorado governor’s race, anti-immigrant gadfly Tom Tancredo is polling within four points of the frontrunner, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat. The Rasmussen poll shows Hickenlooper at 42 percent, Tancredo at 38 percent and Republican Dan Maes at just 12 percent. READ FULL POST
This simple little video from my former employer, the American Federation of Government Employees, seems to have hit a nerve among Tea Partying right-wingers. It simply shows a mob populated by the likes of Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio; and RNC Chairman Michael Steele calling for the death of veteran’s benefits, Social Security, unspecified government services, as well as pay cuts for federal employees. Nothing there that’s really disputable.
(I reported here on Rep. Michele Bachmann’s call for an end to Social Security.)
But let you be the judge. (And check out the comments section; better yet, add your own.)
The New York Times‘ Mike McIntire has a great piece of enterprise journalism on the paper’s front page today, outlining how interest groups with generic-sounding names can wield undue influence in a state’s electoral politics, even if the “group” is just one political operative halfway across the globe. Of course, that influence is greatly helped if you’re in a partnership with former Bush adviser Karl Rove:
“Americans for Job Security has no purpose other than to cover various money trails all over the country,” the staff of the Alaska Public Offices Commission said in a report last year.
[...] READ FULL POST
