It’s seems like an epidemic among Republicans these days. Earlier this week it was Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3). Today we have ourselves another cowardly Republican on full display.

This time it’s Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA-7) cowering at the thought of appearing before an un-screened crowd:

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is abruptly pulling out of a scheduled Friday lecture on income equality at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School, according to the school.

[…] According to Cantor’s office, the Congressman pulled out after discovering that the speech would be open to the public and seeing reports that the university was allowing protestors to gather on the campus itself.

I cannot substantiate the rumor that instead of giving the speech, Cantor held a meeting with Herrera Beutler and Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA-8) to draft the bylaws of the G.O.P. Coward’s Club.

Freshman Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3) got a little attention today from the national press. And, um…it wasn’t exactly a profile in political courage.

The original story comes from The Columbian (my emphasis):

Who should be informed of the opportunity to meet with their elected officials? Who decides how that should happen? According to U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, she does.
[…]

On Friday The Chronicle in Centralia received a phone call from Herrera Beutler staffer and Communications Director Casey Bowman informing the newspaper of the meeting. Bowman asked that a meeting announcement not be placed in the paper. However, he did invite the paper to cover the event.

The Chronicle refused his request and published an announcement in Saturday’s paper.

The reason for not publishing an advance notice of the meeting was the fear that people from outside the immediate area could come and “just yell” at the congresswoman “whatever’s on their minds,” Bowman said Friday.

Perhaps Herrera Beutler can get together with Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA-8) and charter a G.O.P. Coward’s Club.

Robert Mac hosts a debate between incumbent King County Council member Jane Hague and her challenger Richard Mitchell:

Publicola has a brief recap but, man, it’s worth watching the whole thing.

Who do you think does better, and why?

I got to the Ale House a bit late, but here is the open thread….

5:18: Wow…the five minutes I’ve watched has been a big hatefest on Cain’s 999 tax plan. Funny how Republicans suddenly embrace reality when it gives them something to crush their opponent with.

5:20: Apples and oranges. Double-topping pizza for only $9.99: Feast of the top .999%

5:22: The Newtster still insists on being called, “Mr. Speaker”. What a putz!

5:23: Michele wants to “Go back to the miracle of Ronald Reagan’s plan”, “abolish the tax code”, “flatten taxes”. My god, is she an idiot!

5:26: Once again, Rick Perry is caught napping. He doesn’t have a rival tax plan. Instead he wants to talk unemployment. That’s sooooo last month.

5:29: Rick Santorum shouldn’t show his teeth like that. People’ll think he’s British…..

5:34: Michele Bachmann points out that the Obama administration is arguing with itself over the CLASS act. Not really. A good discussion of CLASS come from Ezra Klein.

5:39: Ron Paul is in fine babbly form this evening!

5:42: Rick Perry’s health care plan is to prosecute those who hire “illegals”?!? (Like Mitt Romney, apparently?) I’m feeling healthier already!

5:45: It pains me to say this, but Mitt made mincemeat of Rick Perry over the interruptions and also the “hiring illegals” business.

5:50: Perry had a strong “border” comeback after the “illegals fiasco”, but it was prepared. After Bachmann’s babblery, Perry babbles back.

5:52: Perry tries mining the “Mitt Hires Illegals” again. Less disastrous.

5:53: A Hispanic man just asked a question. Who will be first to ask if CNN checked his citizenship documents?

5:55: I have no idea what Ron Paul just spewed about putting people in groups and group mentality.

5:57: Bachmann: America has problems with magnets and anchor babies. Magnets and anchors can be quite unwieldy! So…good point.

6:03: The Mittster solution to nuclear waste: Let the states BID on it!

6:04: Rick Perry just said that the Government shouldn’t subsidize energy in any form. Wait…wasn’t that his entire fucking Jobs Plan?!?

6:08: Huh…Michele Bachmann is a mom?

6:12: Ron Paul just admitted he is incompetent.

6:18: Fuck…a group of noisy diners just sat down at the table behind me. I could barely hear the debate as it was. Fortunately, the closed caption text is on. Looking at the bright side…is’s good practice for old age!

6:21: Candidates are now going through their pre-prepared statements on “faith”. Fucking YAWWWWWWNNNNN. None of them are going to go there about Mormonism, obviously. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair with Huntsman not there….

6:22: Rick Perry talking about “the founding fathers” is like Mike Tyson talking about nuclear physics….

6:25: A “question from the audience” CLEARLY being read off of a screen. Sheesh. What bullshit!

6:28: Was it a Closed Caption error or was the Newtster talking about “illeteral politicians”???

6:31: Herman Cain: “Policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists”…but maybe we can send ’em some pizza and coke….

6:33: Let’s step back for a moment. Is it my imagination, or is Anderson Cooper, essentially, trying to simply drag the most controversy out of the “debaters”? Seriously…the substance is excessively thin, but the show ain’t half bad!

6:40: Damn…even Ronald Reagan’s movie roles are sacred to the Republicans. They are in a FUCKING REAGAN CULT!!!!!!

6:42: Okay…I’m outta here. I have to go to a birthday dinner a couple of doors down. It has been another enjoyable debate, watching Republicans presidential wannabes trying to out-crazy each other.

So far, it seems that Herman Cain has succeeded in not being destroyed. Perry is toast…very burnt toast that has been thrown into the kitchen sink only to get soggy. What a mess. Michele, “Mr. Speaker”, and Santorum (eeewwwww!) are where they started—amusing sideshows. Romney still comes off as the condescending prick he probably really is…and he continues to be the reluctant choice of Republicans. Oh, yeah. Ron Paul…still the fucking kook-job he has always been.

And that concludes another fascinating episode of “The GOP Primary Asylum Reality Show.” And may God HELP America!

If you have the chance this evening, do show up at the Reject Rove Rally and let Rob McKenna know what you think of him hanging out with one of the architects of Shrubs Great Big Military Adventure in Iraq, renditions, torture, etc.

And then join us for Drinking Liberally, Seattle for another evening of politics under the influence. We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. at 8:00 pm. Some folks will probably be there earlier to watch the Republican Debate and have dinner.

Can’t make it? The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight beginning at 7:00pm. Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets this Thursday, 7:00pm at the Hub Restaurant. And the Everett chapter of Drinking Liberally meets at the Buzz Inn in Snohomish next Monday at 7:00 pm.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, chances are good there is one near you.

Karl Rove is in town tonight to raise money for Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna.

Apparently Rob McKenna is okay with receiving the help of a co-conspirator in the Iraq war, illegal renditions, and the U.S. policy of torturing prisoners adopted under the Bush administration.

Anything for power, huh Rob?

The Democrats are holding a Reject Rove Rally this evening:

We will be at the corner of Bellevue Way (NE 104th Ave). and 6th St. Important Note: 104th Ave. is better known as Bellevue Way. We’ll be on the southeast corner on the sidewalk, directly opposite the Bellevue Westin and in front of the Bellevue Arts Museum. The rally starts at 5:30 pm, but please show up a little earlier than that.

If you have the chance, show up and let Rob McKenna know what you think of him hanging out with a fucking war criminal.

Goldy captures remarkable video that shows an interview and the subsequent arrest of a defiant protester at the Seattle Occupation.

The woman has the audacity of building an un-permitted “structure.” It has a sleeping bag foundation (likely not up to seismic or structural codes). Goldy tells me that, aside from asking her to move, they didn’t really take any action until she erected the top portion of the structure, consisting of umbrella-based roofing materials supported by her own arm (certainly not up to structural standards). The city had no choice but to eliminate the dangerous, illegal structure.

As it happens, it was the woman’s only home.

The police first “disarmed” the perpetrator of un-permitted housing construction by taking away a paper cup from her hand and the cigarette from her mouth. It wasn’t just a cup, though, as one cop found out when he pulled the lid off and became moistened by the coffee within.

Dominic Holden has a follow-up report (emphasis in original):

“The only people who we arrest with umbrellas are the people with umbrellas who take their cups of hot coffee and dump it on officers,” says Sergeant Sean Whitcomb. He says you can see in the video below, at about the 1:00 minute mark, the woman “take her hand and forcefully slosh the coffee on one of the officer’s legs.”
[…]

The Seattle Police Department is asking prosecutors to charge her with obstruction, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor assault (for the coffee thing). She was one of eight people arrested this morning, Whitcomb says.

A clear case of assault with “hot coffee.”

Except that, as Goldy’s video timestamp shows, the coffee was no less than 38 minutes old at the instant it was used to assault the officer (and it was possibly much older).

And, contrary to Sergeant Whitcomb statement, the moistening/flesh-scorching incident took place after the police had begun detaining her, not before.

In any case, we certainly wish the officer a speedy and full recovery from his coffee burns and a complete dehydration from the moistening. And thank god(s), that when he pulled the lit cigarette from her mouth, the pain of his first injuries didn’t cause him to plant his palm on the lit end of the cigarette.

Thankfully, the dangerous structure was torn down without additional injury to Seattle police officers or innocent bystanders.

Postscript:

As a non-resident of Seattle, I don’t typically have much to say about the Seattle Mayor—I simply don’t have a dog in that race. It seems to me, this video is the nail in the coffin of Mayor Mike McGinn’s reelection prospects. Simply put, his handling of the Occupy Seattle protest has come off as bipolar.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and the Very Very Ugly.

Ann Telnaes: Taxpayer killing of the unborn….

White House: West Wing Week.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks: Senator:

Thom: Did Republicans just prove they only care about the top 1%?

Occupied:

• Ann Telnaes: Gingrich, Cain and Cantor on “wall street mobs”.
• Young Turks: Occupy Wall Street epic win.
• Alonya: Speaking to the occupiers.
• Mark Fiore: Then meets now.
• Thom: We are the 99%…let’s get to work.
• Olbermann with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West on occupy Wall Street.
• Ed and Pap: Stop the looting, start the prosecuting.
• Aloyna: Bloomberg backs down.
• Young Turks: Conservatives claim OWS is anti-Semitic
• Ann Telnaes: Newt Gingrich’s trash talk.

Jimmy Kimmel talks to kids about politics.

Ed with some Psychotalk from John Boehner.

ONN: Obama’s approval soars after punching Wall Street banker in the face.

Koch Gives Cancer:

• Thom: Koch and Cancer.
• Young Turks: The Koch Brothers cause cancer.

Tom with more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Radio host Neal Boortz crazies his way to Worst Person in the World.

The GOP Primary Asylum:

• Jimmy Fallon: GOP political ads (via Huffington Post).
• Aloyna: MSM primary political games.
• Ann Telnaes: Palin ain’t running.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain takes the lead!
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Inside 999.
• Herman Cain: Revolution 999 (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Newsy: Is Cain’s 999 tax feasible?
• Aloyna’s Happy Hour: Bachmann goes all 666 at debate
• Ann Telnaes: Christie will not run
• Thom: Values Voter bigotry over Romney’s faith.
• Young Turks: Ron Paul’s eyebrow?
• Pap: Who’s pulling the strings for Rick Perry?.
• Ed with some Psychotalk from Gov. Rick Perry.
• Young Turks: 999 or 666?
• CNN: Romney policies run up against reality.
• Tweety: The ‘Two Faces’ of flip-flopping specialist Willard Mitt Romney
• Mitt Romney through some Bad Lip Reading:
• Ed: Rush disavows Mitt’s conservative credentials.
• Young Turks: Newt’s moment of crazy.
• Actual Audio: Herman Cain versus the protesters.
• Susie Sampson: Social Security and the Romney-Perry Showdown!

Jimmy Starline, member of the County Board of Commissioners in Camden County, Ga is Worst Person in the World.

Thom: Dems fire-up to fire Walker.

More Hank, Jr.:

• Young Turks: Hank goes on The View.
• Barely Political: Hank’s apology.

Aloyna’s Tool Time: FL Gov. Rick Scott and the Liberal Arts.

Newsy: Parts of Alabama immigration law blocked.

Sam Seder: Corporate tax dodgers are destroying the economy.

Sharpton: The GOP “jobs plan”.

Kill ’em Dead:

• Young Turks: FL lawmaker wants firing squads.
• Aloyna’s Tool Time: FL Sen., Ol’ Sparky, and Firing Squads.

Rush Limbaugh is back in the saddle as Worst Person in the World.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Publicola announces the Friday Jolt winner of the day:

Anyone who’s thinking of running against US Rep. Dave Reichert.

US Rep. Dave Reichert tainted his reputation as a green Republican—one of the Democrats’ big problems when taking him on—by voting for a coal bill today that will weaken coal ash regulations and take the EPA completely out of the picture.

Reichert goes from a pale green to ashen….

Coming out of the 2010 elections with avictory in taking the House, Republicans were boasting about their inevitable Senate victory in 2012. Now they may need to worry about simply keeping the House (via TPM):

…voters are starting to favor a Democratically-controlled Congress, as disapproval of the legislative body grows.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Wednesday showed a major gap between the two parties, with 48 percent of voters going for Democrats while 40 percent went for Republicans. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed a four point lead for Democrats, and Public Policy Polling showed a six point edge for Dems.

Two mistakes the Republicans made: First they let the extremist minority of their party (i.e. Teabaggers) drag them to the far right way-crazy, resulting in a year filled with seeming political chaos in Congress. What could have come off as principled defiance instead came off as sabotage.

Second, Republicans have gotten absolutely nothing productive done to solve the problems of a stalled economy and high unemployment. Negative, angry rhetoric is great stuff for giving voters an outlet for their angst and a common cause. But the voters wanted more than a big vent-fest…they wanted and expected real improvements. The Republicans failed to deliver. The voters are noticing.

TPM reports that some dumb-ass Florida state Rep. wants to eliminate lethal injection as a method to kill death row inmates…and replace it with execution by firing squad.

Drake said…his bill is a response to debate over the effectiveness of the cocktail of drugs currently used for lethal injections. “So, I say let’s end the debate,” he said. “We still have Old Sparky. And if that doesn’t suit the criminal, then we will provide them a .45 caliber lead cocktail instead.”

Some states, like Florida, still allow death row inmates to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. Drake’s bill would replace the lethal injection option with a firing squad.

Hmmm…if lethal injection is controversial because it may, potentially, be ineffective, how could a bullet to the head (or heart) be any less controversial from the perspective of effectiveness? There are numerous recorded cases of individuals surviving a firing squad, and in some cases, going on to recover from their injuries.

Man…those Floridians sound like a bunch of fucking barbarians to even think about such a method!

Oh wait….

At 12:17 a.m. Friday, convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner was pronounced dead after a Utah firing squad fired a volley of bullets into the murderer’s chest, where a target was pinned over his heart. It was the first execution by firing squad in the United States in 14 years.

That was in June of 2010!

I think Jon Huntsman would see an immediate rise in his poll numbers by pointing out that he was Governor of the state until about a year before this execution. Oh…and that, as Governor, he would have personally joined the firing squad.

Man…I’m glad I don’t live in one of those barbaric states like Florida or Utah. I mean, we don’t do shit like firing squads, do we?

Washington utilizes two methods of execution: lethal injection and hanging. Lethal injection is used unless the inmate under sentence of death chooses hanging as the preferred execution method.

Oh.

Well…if it’s good enough for Iran, Iraq and the KKK, I guess it’s good enough for us.

At least we’re pro-choice barbarians! I mean how often was the KKK all like, “Hey Boy, y’all prefer to be lynched by hangin’, by firing squad, or by gettin’ dragged behind a pick-up truck?”

Yes…we’re definitely superior.

The Occupy movement took over Red Square at the University of Washington today. Here are a few images from the event:

It’s Tuesday…which means its time for our weekly Occupy the Montlake Alehouse event. Please join us for an evening of politics under the influence at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. at 8:00 pm. Some of us will be there earlier for dinner.

Hell…some folks will begin the occupation at 5:00 pm to watch the Republican primary debate!

Can’t make it? Drinking liberally is all over the place! There are also meetings tonight in the Tri-Cities, Bellingham, and Vancouver, WA. Tomorrow night, Drinking Liberally Bremerton meets at 5:00pm. Next Monday, there are meetings in Olympia, Woodinville, Shelton, and Yakima.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, chances are good there is one near you.

The Sierra Club has released their report card for Washington state’s congressional representatives:

• Jay Inslee (D-01), A+
• Rick Larsen (D-02), A
• Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-03), F
• Doc Hastings (R-04), F
• Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-05), F
• Norm Dicks (D-06), A+
• Jim McDermott (D-07), A+
• Dave Reichert (R-08), C
• Adam Smith (D-09), A+

Notice a pattern?

The best of the Republicans, Reichert, who was once taped confessing to pro-environmental votes as a way take environmentalists “out of the game”, only gets away with a C—and that’s based on his voting record.

The bottom line: Republicans are really, really bad for the environment.

Pap: No-tax, no-regulation Tea Partiers are killing America.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Young Turks: Turning your dead relatives into bullets.

Obama: The American Jobs Act.

The Republican Primary Asylum:

• Red State Update: Are Herman Cain, Ron Paul, an Rick Perry jackiebaggers?
• Newsy: Cain faces heat over statement that black voters are brainwashed.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Cain moves to the back of the bus.
• O’Donnell: 999 brainwash.
• Stephen: The rise of Herman Cain.
• Young Turks: Koch brothers are funding Herman Cain.
• Romney’s foreign policies sound just like Bush’s.
• Jon: Out with the Christie, in with the Romney.
• Romney’s policies run up against reality.
• Newsy: Whoda thunk? Christie isn’t running.
• Thom: A scorned love affair with Chris Christie
• Actual Audio: Chris Christie at the Reagan Library.
• Stephen on a post-Chris Christie G.O.P. field
• Sam Seder: It’s cool to be racist in the GOP primary.
• Jon on Rick’s family ranch.
• Newsy: Media writes Bachmann’s campaign obit.

Thom: Eric Cantor…no jobs bill, no safety net, no regulations…no! no! no!.

Young Turks: Did Senator Reid screw Senate Dems?

White House: West Wing Week.

Pap: The GOP’s cult mentality.

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber on the American Jobs Act.

Stephen: Obamacare and the Supremes.

Fleeced Palinistas:

• Newsy: Sarah’s out.
• Jon: Take the money and don’t run (via Political Wire):
• Ann Telnaes: Who to thank for former Gov. Sarah Palin.
• Stephen: A tragic end
• Young Turks: Down goes Palin!

Young Turks: FAUX News—we hire hot women for ratings.

Taxes on the wealthy: Reagan and Obama (via ThinkProgress).

Pap: Chris Christie’s Koch addiction.

Thom: Proof the Heritage Foundation flip flopped on ObamaCare:

GOP supporters take honors as Worst Person in the World.

Young Turks: Meghan McCain vs. Red State.

The Demise of al Qaeda Operative Anwar al-Awlaki:

• Newsy: Media misses the mark on Paul’s impeachment statement.
• Mark Fiore: Drone attack.

Newsy: DNA clears Texas killer after 25 years in prison.

Thom with some Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Hartmann: The Romney Rule vs. Buffet Rule.

Glenn Beck is back in the saddle as Worst Person in the World.

Occupied:

• Occupy your city
• Olbermann: First collective statement of Occupy Wall Street
• Sam Seder: Occupy Wall Street doesn’t need demands!.
• Newsy: Unions join the occupation.
• Sam Seder: Occupy Wall Street more popular than Congress & Tea Party…What next?
• Thom: American Exceptionalism versus Occupy Wall Street
• Olbermann: Portland police with infant.
• Susie Occupies LA.
• Young Turks: Republicans are “uncomfortable” with Occupy Wall Street.
• Republicans are on the side of Wall Street.
• Jon: Occupy Wall Street and the Tea party.
• Sam Seder: Occupy Wall Street will outlast Erin Burnett’s show.
• Hartmann: From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy America!
• Young Turks: Cenk talks with Occupy LA occupants.

The Tea Party’s not-so-funny comedian.

Young Turks: Scott Brown gets a bit sexist.

Pap: The GOP’s plan to raise taxes on the middle class.

Thom with another episode of The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Liberal Viewer: What does our jails say about us?

Rep. Wasserman Schultz talks about Eric Cantor’s comments on the American Jobs Act .

Hank and Hitler:

• Newsy: Hank Williams, Jr. pulled from MNF.
• Young Turks: Hank Williams, Jr. Obama Hitler comments.
• Sam Seder: Making sense of Hank’s statement.
• Ed and Pap: Fox’s new celebrity has-been.
• Hank apologizes
• Red State Update: Hank Jr. & Hitler, N-wordhead & Perry
• Young Turks: Hank Williams, Jr.’s fake apology.

Obama hosts the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Young Turks: Koch Brother’s benzene emissions.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.