HorsesAss.Org

It’s that time of year again. When Saint Park(ing) magically tuns a few parking spaces throughout the city into tiny parks.

PARK(ing) Day happens every third Friday in September and is an opportunity for artists, activists, and community members to temporarily make parking spaces into parks. The event raises awareness about important issues like creating a walkable, livable, healthy city.

If any of those spaces are near you, and you have time at lunch, or whatever, check them out.

Patty Murray’s press release about the GOP killing the Veterans Jobs Corps Act.

“It’s both shocking and shameful that Republicans today chose to kill a bill to put America’s veterans back to work. At a time when one in four young veterans are unemployed, Republicans should have been able, for just this once, to put aside the politics of obstruction and to help these men and women provide for their families.

“But this vote is stark reminder that Senator McConnell and Senate Republicans are willing to do absolutely anything to fulfill the pledge he made nearly two years ago to defeat President Obama. It doesn’t matter who gets in their way or which Americans they have to sacrifice in that pursuit, even if it’s our nation’s veterans.

“It’s unbelievable that even after more than a decade of war many Republicans still will not acknowledge that the treatment of our veterans is a cost of war. Today they voted down a fully paid for bill that included bipartisan ideas to put veterans in jobs that will allow them to serve their communities. Jobs that would have helped provide veterans with the self-esteem that is so critical to their successful transition home.

“Today Senate Republicans told the less than 1% of Americans who have spent the last decade serving and sacrificing for the other 99% of Americans that they are not willing to honor that sacrifice with new investments in their well-being when they return home.”

I hate that we went to war in Iraq. I hate that the war in Afghanistan is still going on (and I wasn’t happy with it from the beginning, although unlike Iraq, I understood the case for it). But as long as we decide to go to war, we’d damn well better make sure we do right by the people who fight it.

– Increases in human services in Seattle.

– Romney’s Responsibility Map

– Who could have predicted tolling 99 would be a problem?

– How dead is the Romney campaign?

– GIF Parade!

– I’m voting for whichever candidate like pudding pops!

I’ve been walking from downtown to Drinking Liberally in these nice summer evenings. Last Tuesday, I was running late. I suppose I could have taken my bike or the bus. But, this may have been the last time it’s nice enough for a stroll up there, so I decided I’d make up some of the time on the Streetcar (SLUT if you insist). I’ve got a Puget Pass on my ORCA Card (ORCA if you insist) and I know what you’re supposed to do:

The Seattle Streetcar will eventually be retrofitted with ORCA card readers; until the card readers are in place, ORCA cardholders can show their card as proof of payment on the Seattle Streetcar.

I feel a bit strange just getting on, having the card in my wallet. It sort of feels like stealing the ride, even though it’s following the rules.

Mitt Romney has a blunder problem.

It started years ago, but it really seem to take off with Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom’s, “It’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch” comment. Since then, we’ve had “7-11 cookie gate,” Mitt dissing the Olympics host country’s preparedness for the games, mentioning the head of MI-6, and so on.

Until recently, most of the blunders haven’t been substantively rich. (A couple of exceptions: “Corporations are people too, my friend!” and an old Op-Ed with the title, “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt!”.)

But the two most recent blunders are really different—they are likely to leave a lasting and meaningfully negative impression of Romney in the minds of many Americans.

The botched statement following the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens in Libya was factually wrong, repulsively insensitive, and wholly unpresidential. It was a sign of a campaign in desperation, trying anything to the exclusion of taste, good judgement, dignity, and statesmanship.

Mitt’s Blunder of the Week this week reveals Mitt Romney to be a duplicitous asshole. He was caught dissing 47% of Americans—saying things he would never say out in the open—to an elite group of wealthy donors at a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser.

Romney’s statement removed all doubt that he has contempt for less fortunate Americans and views their circumstance not even with indifference, but as some sort of blight on the rest of America.

We now have a couple of polls to assess the negative effect of Romney’s statement on people:

Reuters/Ipsos: The statement makes 43% of voters viewed Mitt Romney less favorably.
Reuters/Ipsos: 59% felt Romney was unfairly dismissing a big chunk of Americans as victims.
Gallup poll: The statement makes 36% less likely to vote for him.
Gallup poll: The statement makes 20% more likely to vote for him.

The effect on the race? Although the latest blunders will not be fully captured in aggregate state head-to-head polling for a couple of weeks, we can look at other more immediate indicators.

The average of national polls has moved in Obama’s favor over the past week. The Real Clear Politics average has moved up from a tie two weeks ago to about a +3% advantage for Obama. Likewise, Intrade Prediction Market has seen Obama’s share price surge to its highest median price ever.

Mitt Romney just pulled a reverse Etch-A-Sketch. He has been tacking back to the center from his “severely conservative” (a.k.a. Teabaggy) position he needed to get him through the G.O.P. primary. He has now “reset” himself to a position that is far to the right of most Americans.

He’s no longer viable.

What remains to be seen, is how much down-ballot damage he can cause….

Joel Connelly reports on Archbishop of Seattle, J. Peter Sartain’s opposition to marriage equality.

God is the “author of marriage,” the archbishop argues in the video, posted on the Archdiocese of Seattle website.

The state’s three Catholic dioceses are intensifying their campaign against same-sex marriage in the form of bishop’s statements, “teaching” documents and videos — none of which show up in report’s to the state’s Public Disclosure Commission.

Yet, the instruction of how to vote is unmistakable in Sartain’s video, which can be viewed at http://www.seattlearchdiocese.org/Conscience/Statements.aspx He says:

“We urge our Catholic people to uphold our consistent Catholic teaching on marriage for the good of the Church, society, husbands and wives and their children. Therefore, we bishops reject the redefinition of marriage as a ‘civil contract between two persons’.”

Well, the marriage in a church isn’t a civil contract. So when you marry a lady and a gent, they’ll be married in the eyes of God. If that’s meaningful to them, well, great. But those people have always had the opportunity for their marriage to just be a contract. If R-74 passes, it’ll just expand that to gay couples too, but the Catholic Church can keep not marrying gay people.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I hope the Church will reconsider who they marry, if R-74 passes or not. They’re simply wrong about this one. Every time they say a gay relationship is less than a straight one, it’s harmful to the least among us*, and it’s awful when a Christian organization does that. But that’s their right, if R-74 passes or not.

* There was some discussion in the comments, so just to be clear: gay and lesbian couples are as legitimately couples as any other. I was referring to how society generally treats them, and the Church’s obligations to its members who are considered less than by society. The wording made it sound like I might think gay couples are less than or that they ought to be considered less than, and that’s not the case.

Hey, remember when I thought I’d write about Mitt Romney’s book? I’m still doing that, I swear! But, Romney’s recently released jackass comments, and this post on it in particular, have me thinking about this chapter I made fun of a while ago. Specifically, he tries to lay claim to the idea that the GOP are now the party of the institutions that Truman set up in the wake of the Second World War. No it doesn’t make sense. But it’s hard to lay claim to that when, as Melissa McEwan points out:

MITT ROMNEY THINKS PEOPLE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FOOD. MITT ROMNEY THINKS PEOPLE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FOOD!!! OMFG MITT ROMNEY, CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THINKS HUMAN BEINGS!!! WHO LIVE!!! IN THIS COUNTRY!!! AREN’T ENTITLED TO FOOD!!!

You see, one of the most important documents that the UN ever passed was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It’s as powerful a statement of our common humanity as when it was ratified in 1948. From article 25 (emphasis mine):

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

The idea that there’s some good in letting people starve to death seems at odds with what Truman left us.

Please join us tonight for an evening of politics and conversation over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier for Dinner.

Tonight, bring along you own Secret Tape to share!

(As Mitt requested, the full video is now available, here.)

Can’t make it to Seattle’s DL tonight? There are lots of other Washington state chapters of DL meeting over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter meets. The Longview and South Seattle chapters meet on Wednesday. The Spokane chapter and Drinking Liberally Tacoma meet this Thursday. And on Monday, the Yakima, South Bellevue and Olympia chapters meet.

With 228 chapters of Living Liberally, including thirteen in Washington state four in Oregon and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter that meets near you.

– Romney said some awful things to his wealthy supporters.

– But of course, both sides do it.

– 4755 Fauntleroy development: 1st look at street-level ‘concepts’

– Today in No Shit, Sherlock.

– Don’t throw tomatoes at the Vancouver Education Association.

– Candy corn is a flavor that doesn’t work in candy corn. Maybe don’t add it to Oreos.

Over at Publicola, they have Elway Poll’s recent numbers for the initiatives. It looks bad for all of the initiatives.

The Elway poll, in contrast, shows three of the four statewide ballot measures (gay marriage, pot*, and the two-thirds rule) “teetering on the edge of victory,” with just 50 to 51 percent support. The fourth, charter schools, is leading but has the support of just 47 percent of likely voters.

It’ll be pretty awful if gay people can’t get married or if Washington State is still arresting people for possession of marijuana. Still, as an anti-initiative person, I’m always glad that it’s tough to pass an initiative. Of course R-74 isn’t an initiative, so that’s a little different.

But in general, if people in Washington are skeptical of the process, that’s probably good overall.

[Read more…]

– McGinn’s budget has more money for rail and for cops and a gunshot locator.

– Obama has totally failed Czechoslovakia.

– Bill Clinton came to town.

– This BikePAC fundraiser looks like fun.

– Who Paul Ryan spoke with at the values voters summit (h/t).

– I feel your pain. It brings me joy.

Last week’s contest was won by milwhcky. It was the north Oahu beach where scenes from the show “Lost” were filmed.

This week’s location is somewhere in Washington state, good luck!

[HA Bible Study is on hiatus through the November election as we honor Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney by studying the scriptures of his Mormon religion.]

Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:23
And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

Discuss.

Thom: Why the G.O.P. doesn’t want the Fed to help.

Liberal Viewer: FAUX News bias in editing Warren video.

Ed and Pap: Cheney’s incompetence killed 3,000 Americans.

Ellen makes ‘nice’ political ads for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

Sam Seder: Rand Paul is SCHOOLED on government jobs under Obama.

Bill Maher: It’s a Significantly Less Wonderful Life.

Let’s talk about values.

Daily Show: How to spin doctor a story.

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

Buzz60: Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Pat Boone indicate that the Birfer movement is over.

Young Turks: Snoop Dog, “Bush Fucked up for 8 years, vote Obama.

Jonathan Mann: Bearhug the President.

Sam Seder and Glenn Greenwald: Getting away with torture.

Greenman: An interview with Mauri Pelto about retreating glaciers in the Pacific Northwest:

Lawrence O’Donnell: NBC battleground poll shows big leads for President Obama.

Chris Mathews plays FDR clip that perfectly describes Republicans.

Willard!

• Ann Telnaes: Romney tries another strategy to get a bounce in the polls
• Slate TV: Democrats turn Tables and question Romney’s national security competence.
• Top five reasons why Mitt won’t release his tax returns.
• Tagg and Craig with Romney Rock!
• Buzz60: Swing states are swinging to Obama.
• Slate TV: Romney spoiler—Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson on ballot in 47 states.
• Thom and Pap: Media ignores Romney lies in favor of politicization
• Maddow: War on Women in VA could cost Romney the race.
• Young Turks: Conservatives defending Romney’s erroneous statement on Libya.
• Zina Saunders: The Romney Identi-Kit.
• Young Turks: Romney’s “embassy” comments backfire.
• The Cheeters.
• The three branches of Mitt Romney’s ‘Neo-CON’ foreign policy
• Slate TV: Romney’s attack backfires.
• Sharpton: Romney campaign hands out ‘Talking Points’ on Libya
• Maddow: Ryan shares billing with “former Terrorist” at fringe conference.
• Buzz60: Kanye West new song takes on Mitt Romney’s taxes.
• Thom: Romney finds a new way to lie.
• Slate TV: Kanye West, “Mitt Romney Don’t Pay No Tax”
• Ann Telnaes: Mittstep.

Maddow: Judge says Walker’s union-stripping law is unconstitution.

Young Turks: Bachmann or Palin…who’s CRAZIER???

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

“Obama Style”: a hit video that simply destroys Obama.

Sam Seder: Bush’s 9/11 fail is far worse than you thought!

G.O.P. Voter Suppression Efforts

• Pap and Thom: G.O.P. steps up voter suppression efforts.
• Sam Seder: G.O.P. makes it difficult to register in Florida.
• Thom: Voter ID goes to PA Supreme Court.
• Maddow: Exposing the G.O.P. voter suppression effort.

White House: West Wing Week.

Kimmel: This week in unnecessary censorship.

Young Turks: Poll shows some Republicans think Mitt Romney killed bin Laden.

Liberal Viewer: FAUX News suggests Obama hates God.

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

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