The Politics Thread

[dragonflies]

Well gee I work for a living, and work my a$$ off and I get more take home pay and more back on my taxes thanks to Obama, if you don't, then clearly you didn't set it up correctly to have it taken out as it should.

[DRW50]

Tim Scott will be SC's new senator.

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/tim-scott-to-succeed-demint-in-senate-85169.html?ml=po_r

While I can't deny the symbolic power of a black senator in a state like South Carolina (I have my share of history with the state so I'm not saying that just as some type of elitism), I dread the stories which will tell us about how the Republicans now love minorities and how Scott will likely be used to sell hardcore social and fiscal conservatism.

[DRW50]

RIP Sen. Daniel Inouye, war hero, Hawaii's first Congressman, a senator since 1962.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/us/daniel-inouye-hawaiis-quiet-voice-of-conscience-in-senate-dies-at-88.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[Ann_SS]

Great man.

RIP, Daniel.

[Money]

So Boehner's plan B has been shut down and yet Obama is being way too conciliatory with these negotiations. He's once again offering compromise and offering a smaller package that would extend the Bush-era tax rates on income below $250,000. The Republicans have shown absolutely no sign of even attempting to reach a deal that will save this country and Obama should be aggressive. His conciliatory rhetoric isn't flying with me at all.

[Soapsuds]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mitt-romney-no-desire-president-tagg-says-191236665--election.html

Pathetic

[Roman]

Yes, Mitt did everything possible to win an office he never wanted.

They MUST HAVE stolen my father's weed from our basement. that is all i can come up with.

[marceline]

What's really pathetic is all the super pac money thrown at a man who didn't really want the job. This just brings home all over again how delusional Rove, Adelson and the rest really are.

[DRW50]

Adelson wanted Gingrich first (that sure would have gone well). I think Romney wanted to be President, he just didn't want the campaign. Boo hoo.

Meanwhile, another potential Obama nominee is sinking, and while some is due to his bigoted past statement on gays, most is due to the eternal flashpoint of Israel.

http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-wavers-hagel-considers-others-defense-174858843--politics.html

And this "we're so bored!" whine reminds me why I hate the media.

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/fiscal-cliff-media-85447.html?hp=l4

And - surprise surprise - Scott Brown is currently favored to win Kerry's Senate seat. Ugh.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/12/20/senator-scott-brown-leads-democrats-new-poll-special-election-were-held-today/68XOg0uZMBoUNWM2hEFd5L/story.html

[juppiter]

Mitt Romney didn't want to be president? Please. A sad version of "you can't fire me I quit" because he's embarrassed to be beaten by a black guy.

[wingwalker]

I can buy the argument that Mitt never really wanted to be President. There is usually two types of presidential candidates. Those that have always wanted to be president, that have that instinct, or "fire in their belly" and passion to run, and those candidates which have never had any personal ambition to run and are talked into running for one reason or another. The candidates with the fire and passion nearly always win (and generally make better presidents). Now this could be a case of "you can't fire me I quit", that does seem like a Mitt Romney thing to do, but I never saw from any of Mitt's speeches the personal disire or ambition to be president. He always came across as someone doing it out of obligation.

[DRW50]

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/report-replacing-inouye-down-to-3-85509.html?hp=f1

Not too sure what happened there. Perhaps the governor was trying to show he was boss, and not just go with what Inouye wanted. I imagine this causing controversy, especially since his pick is a white man.

[Delia]

And it seems that all the other candidates were Asian, women, or both.

Republicans will probably gloat now. They'll say they appointed Tim Scott (an African American) to the senate from South Carolina but the democrats selected a white guy over a bunch of Asian women in a state (Hawaii) that is 60% minority.

[ReddFoxx]

Inouye wanted Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, but that would have opened up her House seat and because of Hawaii's all party special election system, Republicans could have picked it up with a plurality. Besides that, Inouye encouraged another candidate to run for Governor in 2010 rather than back Abercrombie, which ticked off Abercrombie. The last thing he was going to do was appoint who Inouye wanted.

Schatz is qualified, though, having served multiple terms in the legislature and having been Lt. Governor for the past couple of years. In the case of Tim Scott, he was elected to one state House term before he ran for Congress and before that had only served one city council term. If he wasn't black, he'd have never been on the list at all.

[DRW50]

There's been some talk that the main woman (Congresswoman Hanabusa) has ethical scandals, or is seen as too old (60), or has conflict with Maizie Hirono, the other senator. Still, the optics aren't good.

Looks like we're going over the cliff.

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/fiscal-cliff-deal-increasingly-unlikely-85511.html?hp=f1

Ridiculous and slightly scary story about the implosion of Dick Armey's group Freedomworks, complete with Armey and entourage waltzing into the building and escorting some employees out at gunpoint.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/freedomworks-tea-party-group-nearly-falls-apart-in-fight-between-old-and-new-guard/2012/12/25/dd095b68-4545-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_print.html