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The Stopped Clocks
Author: BobR    Date: 07/18/2013 13:09:25

The old saying goes that a stopped clock is right 2 times a day (this was back in the old days when clocks still had hands). The notion is that someone who seems to be wrong all the time does get it right every once in a while. This is the case with Republican politicians. Even though they support stupid stuff like rejecting a gun ban sale to suspected terrorists or ending cumpulsory education, every once in a while they do the right thing, and deserve credit where credit is due.

Sometimes this means joining Democrats in a bipartisan fashion to get something done that needs to get done. The most recent example of that is a bill being championed by senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) to address sexual assault in the military. Joining her on this are senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX):
Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have joined an upstart effort to remove the chain of command from military sexual assault cases, POLITICO has learned.

The tea party favorites give the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, critical conservative cover as she battles the Pentagon and hawks in both parties on her proposal to create a new prosecution system for major military crimes.
[...]
Gillibrand already has 32 cosponsors and the addition of Paul and Cruz provides a powerful political message as she continues to lobby for more votes in face-to-face meetings on the Senate floor.

So good on them. Considering I despise most of their positions, it is tough to grudgingly give them credit here, but they certainly deserve it.

Along similar lines, we have House representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) joining forces to reinforce the Voting Rights Act, now that the SCOTUS has gutted its most important provisions:
Sensenbrenner echoed that message. He characterized the VRA as the single most successful anti-discrimination law of the last half-century, and warned that a failure of Congress to act would "undermine the progress that has been made over the last 50 years."

"Free, fair, and accessible elections are sacrosanct, and the right of every legal voter to cast their ballot must be unassailable," he testified. "Voter discrimination still exists, and our progress toward equality should not be mistaken for a final victory."

So there is a very real possibility that the VRA will be updated and redeployed. This is good news as states implement ever more draconian voting laws, in the form of required ID, restricted hours, and distribution of voting machines.

Sometimes, though, a Republican will break ranks with their own, and publicly disagree. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) did just that after Senator Lindsey Graham (R-NC) suggested that the U.S. should boycott the Olympics in Russia because they are not extraditing NSA leaker Edward Snowden:
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lit off a firestorm Tuesday when he told The Hill the U.S. should consider a boycott if the National Security Agency leaker gets asylum from Russia.

The USOC said this would only punish U.S. athletes, while Boehner said Graham was "dead wrong."

"Why would we want to punish U.S. athletes who've been training for three years to compete in the Olympics over a traitor who can't find a place to call home?" Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters when asked about the comments.

He's exactly right about that, and Senator Graham is completely wrong. The boycott would make us look petty, as well as uncaring about the kids (mostly) who've waited for their Olympic moment their entire lives. So kudos to Boehner for saying the right thing instead of providing cover for his party-mate. Kudos to him as well for supporting what appears to be similar to a key component of the DREAM Act.

So now that we've given credit where credit was due, we now return you to our normal coverage of Republican stupidity, like House Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) saying that killing the immigration bill will make Hispanics realize that Republicans actually like them.

No - really...
 

96 comments (Latest Comment: 07/19/2013 01:40:37 by Raine)
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Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:15:21
good morning.

MCDonnell is going down. WaPo just released a slew of emails that show how complicit he is with Star Scientific.

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:17:22
Wow, between all of that and John MCCain working to get appointments filled I'm a little dizzy.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 13:18:45
So I clicked on the Louie Gohmert because his combination of buck-ass stupidity and bat crap crazy is like catnip for me. The picture there is priceless! Louie's got some serious crazy face going on there!

Not to mention the stuff he says is his wonderful mix of stupid and crazy. This is why he is my favorite GOP fool at the moment.

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:19:43
RICHMOND — Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the wealthy nutritional supplement maker at the center of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s gifts scandal, met with Virginia’s health secretary to pitch his product at the recommendation of the governor, according to an e-mail his assistant wrote the day of the November 2010 meeting.

“This email is to confirm a meeting between Jonnie Williams and Secretary Bill Hazel on Thursday, November 4th at 9:00 am,” Monica Block, McDonnell’s scheduler, wrote to Williams’s assistant in a message two days before he sat down with Hazel, the state’s secretary of health and human resources.
Shit is getting deep. The Cooch must be getting a little sweaty around the collar.

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:22:02
OMG* you sweet little B37



(* Oh my Gohmert)

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 13:24:18
Quote by Raine:
OMG* you sweet little B37



(* Oh my Gohmert)





Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 13:26:59
Morning

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:32:47
I have a feeling someone is going to be sacrificed in this tangled web... Trans-vag Bob isn't going to want to go to jail...
That same year, Cuccinelli disclosed receiving a gift valued at $800 for a temporary stay at the Goochland County residence of Jonnie R. Williams, the chief executive of a Glen Allen-based health supplement company. Cuccinelli's relationship with Williams, whose Star Scientific Inc. firm once marketed tobacco products, appears to evolve from there, according to records.

His staff said the attorney general acquired company stock in 2010, and the year after, when he also reported accepting nearly $13,000 in gifts from Williams.

More than a year after Cuccinelli's e-cigarette opinion, Williams, whose company is behind the smoking-cessation dietary supplement CigRx, filed a patent application for an "alkaloid composition for an e-cigarette."



Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 13:44:41
Gohmert has been repeatedly beaten with the stupid stick.

Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 13:50:26
Quote by Raine:
I have a feeling someone is going to be sacrificed in this tangled web... Trans-vag Bob isn't going to want to go to jail...
That same year, Cuccinelli disclosed receiving a gift valued at $800 for a temporary stay at the Goochland County residence of Jonnie R. Williams, the chief executive of a Glen Allen-based health supplement company. Cuccinelli's relationship with Williams, whose Star Scientific Inc. firm once marketed tobacco products, appears to evolve from there, according to records.

His staff said the attorney general acquired company stock in 2010, and the year after, when he also reported accepting nearly $13,000 in gifts from Williams.

More than a year after Cuccinelli's e-cigarette opinion, Williams, whose company is behind the smoking-cessation dietary supplement CigRx, filed a patent application for an "alkaloid composition for an e-cigarette."




very tangled - Maybe this is why Bolling has stepped away from both of them. Maybe they cede this years election then next time the Gov's seat is open that's when Bolling runs.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/18/2013 13:51:09
Good mornin' all..

Last day of the week for me.. tomorrow it's off to CT for the high school reunion. 20 years.. jeez! It should be interesting - good thing there's an open bar.

And then Saturday it's off to New York to Mom's with my best friend (and gf?). It took 12 years but she's finally meeting the 'rents (or should I say Mom & my uncle).

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:53:50
Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 13:54:36
What the Rational Wiki has to say about Rep. Gohmert:

Louie Gohmert is a Republican Representative from Texas (first elected in 2004) and an accomplished idiot. He continues Texas' long, well-deserved reputation of electing eminently stupid people to federal office. He survives by hewing as far right as he can go in a very far-right state, jumping on the "elect another true son of Texas" train in the 2004 election, the birther train in 2009 and the Tea Party movement in 2010 While a reasonably competent campaigner, as a politician, nothing he says accomplishes anything beyond wasting time, his proposed bills go nowhere, and his role on every House committee is to be a big dumb waste of space.


Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 13:54:55
Quote by Scoopster:
Good mornin' all..

Last day of the week for me.. tomorrow it's off to CT for the high school reunion. 20 years.. jeez! It should be interesting - good thing there's an open bar.

And then Saturday it's off to New York to Mom's with my best friend (and gf?). It took 12 years but she's finally meeting the 'rents (or should I say Mom & my uncle).
Wow! That's awesome, Scoop. I;m so happy for you.


Comment by BobR on 07/18/2013 13:58:19
Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 14:01:04
Quote by Raine:
great column about the deceptive brilliance of the Rolling stone Cover.

http://static.thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/files/2013/05/Dzhokhar-500x299.jpg


Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 14:01:12
Quote by Scoopster:
Good mornin' all..

Last day of the week for me.. tomorrow it's off to CT for the high school reunion. 20 years.. jeez! It should be interesting - good thing there's an open bar.

And then Saturday it's off to New York to Mom's with my best friend (and gf?). It took 12 years but she's finally meeting the 'rents (or should I say Mom & my uncle).



aawwww that's awesome!

Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 14:02:06
Quote by Mondobubba:
What the Rational Wiki has to say about Rep. Gohmert:

Louie Gohmert is a Republican Representative from Texas (first elected in 2004) and an accomplished idiot. He continues Texas' long, well-deserved reputation of electing eminently stupid people to federal office. He survives by hewing as far right as he can go in a very far-right state, jumping on the "elect another true son of Texas" train in the 2004 election, the birther train in 2009 and the Tea Party movement in 2010 While a reasonably competent campaigner, as a politician, nothing he says accomplishes anything beyond wasting time, his proposed bills go nowhere, and his role on every House committee is to be a big dumb waste of space.



translation - hit by the stupid stick


Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 14:09:11
I was watching the New Hour last night and they were discussing the DC living wage law. They doing this a panel discussion with a conservative and liberal of course. On the liberal side, some guy from the CAP or similar outfit. On the conservative side, Steven Moore for the WSJ editorial page. My question was why, News Hour, why? Steven Moore has a long track record for saying unsubstantiated horseshit that is about a mile long. Last night his biggest lie was say Wal Mart has a fifty year history of being one of the best anti-poverty programs, ever. Yes you read that right. Moore also uses the snarl term "super-minimum wage" for living wage. He also pulled out the dis proven canard that increasing the minimum wage kills job growth.

I sent a comment about him being on the program to the powers that be at the News Hour.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 14:10:11
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
What the Rational Wiki has to say about Rep. Gohmert:

Louie Gohmert is a Republican Representative from Texas (first elected in 2004) and an accomplished idiot. He continues Texas' long, well-deserved reputation of electing eminently stupid people to federal office. He survives by hewing as far right as he can go in a very far-right state, jumping on the "elect another true son of Texas" train in the 2004 election, the birther train in 2009 and the Tea Party movement in 2010 While a reasonably competent campaigner, as a politician, nothing he says accomplishes anything beyond wasting time, his proposed bills go nowhere, and his role on every House committee is to be a big dumb waste of space.



translation - hit by the stupid stick


When he fell out of the stupid tree, he managed to hit each branch on the way down.



Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 14:12:00
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
What the Rational Wiki has to say about Rep. Gohmert:

Louie Gohmert is a Republican Representative from Texas (first elected in 2004) and an accomplished idiot. He continues Texas' long, well-deserved reputation of electing eminently stupid people to federal office. He survives by hewing as far right as he can go in a very far-right state, jumping on the "elect another true son of Texas" train in the 2004 election, the birther train in 2009 and the Tea Party movement in 2010 While a reasonably competent campaigner, as a politician, nothing he says accomplishes anything beyond wasting time, his proposed bills go nowhere, and his role on every House committee is to be a big dumb waste of space.



translation - hit by the stupid stick


When he fell out of the stupid tree, he managed to hit each branch on the way down.




exactly

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 14:20:11
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
What the Rational Wiki has to say about Rep. Gohmert:

Louie Gohmert is a Republican Representative from Texas (first elected in 2004) and an accomplished idiot. He continues Texas' long, well-deserved reputation of electing eminently stupid people to federal office. He survives by hewing as far right as he can go in a very far-right state, jumping on the "elect another true son of Texas" train in the 2004 election, the birther train in 2009 and the Tea Party movement in 2010 While a reasonably competent campaigner, as a politician, nothing he says accomplishes anything beyond wasting time, his proposed bills go nowhere, and his role on every House committee is to be a big dumb waste of space.



translation - hit by the stupid stick


When he fell out of the stupid tree, he managed to hit each branch on the way down.





exactly


:Foghorn Leghorn voice: I say, I say that boy is about as dumb as pound of wet leather.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 14:21:43
Quote by BobR:
Issa getting a taste of his own medicine.

Ohhh yeahhhh....



Suck it up Darryl, it's good for you.

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 14:35:22
Georgia is in the daily lead for dumbass state of the Day.

DASOTeD

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 14:36:09
Quote by Raine:
Georgia is in the daily lead for dumbass state of the Day.

DASOTeD


How much you wanna bet he's got UGA paraphernalia in his mom's basement?


Comment by Scoopster on 07/18/2013 14:40:06
Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 14:40:07
Quote by Raine:
Georgia is in the daily lead for dumbass state of the Day.

DASOTeD



2 things I learned from that article -

1) there is some hard living down in GA cause that dude did not look 29, I would have pegged him for 40 easy.

2) "slap a ho" is another name for bath salts

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 14:51:11
Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 15:06:18
Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 15:09:32
Florida in the lead!


Comment by Scoopster on 07/18/2013 15:09:49

Apparently there's an entire sub-Reddit dedicated to news stories about the stupidity that is Florida.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/18/2013 15:11:40
Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 15:17:02
I know the penis story is satire, but how funny is it that they chose ATHENS?


Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 15:18:15
Glee news that isn't tragic - Dot-Marie and Jane Lynch got Emmy nods

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 15:18:53
Quote by Scoopster:
Linky: http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF_Florida/



Reddit is good, but it doesn't have the pithy headlines that Florida Man has on Twitter.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 15:21:37
Quote by Raine:
I know the penis story is satire, but how funny is it that they chose ATHENS?



Um, very?


Sadly, there is no Alabama Man.

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 15:24:58
Quote by wickedpam:
Glee news that isn't tragic - Dot-Marie and Jane Lynch got Emmy nods
That's great!

I;m not sure if Lynch is coming back to the show, but I really hope they bring more Beiste.




Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 15:27:48
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Glee news that isn't tragic - Dot-Marie and Jane Lynch got Emmy nods
That's great!

I;m not sure if Lynch is coming back to the show, but I really hope they bring more Beiste.





Beiste is one of my fave characters. Hard to say how the new season is gonna go - they have a lot to deal with now since the death. Such a shame. I kind of hope they write it into the plot in a respectful way.

Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 15:37:52
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Glee news that isn't tragic - Dot-Marie and Jane Lynch got Emmy nods
That's great!

I;m not sure if Lynch is coming back to the show, but I really hope they bring more Beiste.





Beiste is one of my fave characters. Hard to say how the new season is gonna go - they have a lot to deal with now since the death. Such a shame. I kind of hope they write it into the plot in a respectful way.
They've had a lot to deal with already. I (sadly) suspect they are going to have the character die. *sigh*




Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 15:42:22
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Glee news that isn't tragic - Dot-Marie and Jane Lynch got Emmy nods
That's great!

I;m not sure if Lynch is coming back to the show, but I really hope they bring more Beiste.





Beiste is one of my fave characters. Hard to say how the new season is gonna go - they have a lot to deal with now since the death. Such a shame. I kind of hope they write it into the plot in a respectful way.
They've had a lot to deal with already. I (sadly) suspect they are going to have the character die. *sigh*




my thoughts too - there is no way Finn would leave Rachel except in death.


Comment by Raine on 07/18/2013 15:53:07
Quote by wickedpam:
my thoughts too - there is no way Finn would leave Rachel except in death.

There doesn't seem to be any other realistic way.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 15:56:36
http://www.mostphotos.com/preview/365434/bus-in-ditch.jpg



Glee ditch. :ducks bricks:

Comment by wickedpam on 07/18/2013 16:02:14
pretty much


I could go into a Supernatural ditch since I've been watching Netflix but I think I'm the only one here who watches that

Comment by trojanrabbit on 07/18/2013 16:05:33
Quote by Scoopster:

Apparently there's an entire sub-Reddit dedicated to news stories about the stupidity that is Florida.

And Floriduh is the only state that has its own Fark.com tag. For example

Hero
Stupid
FAIL
Asinine
Interesting
Cool
Dumbass
Amusing
Sad
Florida
....

Just went out to get a battery for my 85 year old neighbor's cordless phone. Damn. 150 in the car. We don't get Excessive Heat Warnings around these parts very often at all. Tomorrow will be worse.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 16:08:24
Quote by wickedpam:
pretty much


I could go into a Supernatural ditch since I've been watching Netflix but I think I'm the only one here who watches that



Speaking of ditches, tonight 7PM eastern on SyFy, SHARKNADO!

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/18/2013 16:21:39
joke:

A programmer's wife tells him: ‘Run to the store and pick up a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen.’ The programmer comes home with 12 loaves of bread.”

12 loaves of bread! :tugs at collar: