At this point even pandering to Israel will not save her.
"Bachmann would keep troops in Iraq past 2012
Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann said yesterday that the United States should keep troops in Iraq past the end of this year - even as she acknowledged that the conditions under which the Iraqis might allow that would be untenable.
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Occupation Iraq Cut Short
Bachmann also suggested that Iraq should pay back the United States for leading the war, which deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. “Iraq should reimburse the US fully for the amount of money we spent to liberate these people,’’ she said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.’’ “They are not a poor country.’’
I'm so sickened and disgusted by such an attitude because the exact opposite is true. AmeriKa should be compensating Iraqis for the millions dead, the destroyed infrastructure, and environmental poisoning of the place -- all over damnable lies.
Problem is we can never truly repay the sufferings we have visited upon the Iraqi people. No amount of money can ever repair the hell we have put them through and now in.
*************************
Bachmann said the United States spent more than $800 billion and lost 4,400 American lives and has nothing to show for it. The war also caused thousands of Iraqi deaths and threw the country into upheaval.
Well, she is right about nothing to show for it (except fat war-profiteer profits over the last ten years and a further enslavement as a nation to banksters).
“We’ve been kicked out of Iraq by the people we expended our blood, treasure, and toil to liberate,’’ she said.
That's right.
Historically, Bachmann said, the United States has always left troops behind to secure the peace after any conflict.
Oh, is that what empires built upon war do?
She said it should do the same in Iraq, to ensure that Iran does not exert its influence there....
Yeah, and leave our boys as a bulwark against Iran after Israel attacks them?
--more--"
Related: Occupation Iraq: US Returning in 2012
Of course, we all know why they are there and why they will not be coming home:
"Bachmann would consider use of force against Iran
Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said yesterday that she would not rule out the use of force in responding to an alleged Iranian attempt to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States.
Related: U.S. Government Uses Texas Used Car Salesman to Sell Terror Plot
Sorry, propaganda press, but I'm not buying that one.
“I would consider the use of everything that we need to do to maintain the safety and security of the American people,’’ the Minnesota representative said on ABC’s “This Week.’’
The Justice Department charged two people who allegedly used a Mexican drug cartel in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador on US soil.
The plotters allegedly discussed bombing a Washington-area restaurant.
Bachmann called the alleged plot a “tremendous act of aggression,’’ noting that it could potentially have killed or injured hundreds of innocent Americans.
She used the plot to bolster a common Republican critique of the Obama administration: that the president has weakened America’s standing in the world. Bachmann said the plot shows that Iran sees America as less of a threat.
--more--"
Related: Bailing on Bachmann
They know it's a lost cause.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Ladies Like Romney's Looks
The consummate corporate creation.
"Female voters drawn to Romney this time; Economic focus, image resonating" by Matt Viser | Globe Staff, November 07, 2011
EXETER, N.H. - Over the course of Mitt Romney’s second presidential campaign, his advisers have repeatedly seen something in public and independent polls that was not true in his previous campaigns: he’s regularly winning a larger share of support among women than men.
“We’ve seen that difference for a while,’’ Neil Newhouse, Romney’s pollster, said last week after delivering a presentation in Washington on “Walmart Moms,’’ which he views as a key demographic in the upcoming election. “It may be that, to women, experience makes more of a difference. Experience, leadership - it’s the intangibles.’’
“He is just a gentleman. He’s a good man, a good American family man,’’ Linda Thurlow, a 45-year-old stay-at-home mother from York, Maine, said as she prepared to take the ice at a local hockey rink here.
Romney’s strength with female voters - they support him by about five percentage points more than men do - was not something he saw in his 2002 campaign for governor nor his 2008 presidential run.
This time around, Romney’s campaign has significantly softened his image. He rarely wears a suit and tie and he downplays talk of social issues, such as opposition to abortion, and focuses on economic concerns. He often talks about his family - his son Tagg recently sent a video on Twitter of Romney tossing snowballs with the family - and his wife, Ann, has been a frequent presence on the stump.
Related: Nominating Romney Means Return of Bush
I recall the ladies supposedly liked him, too.
During a recent trip to Nashua, for example, she talked of the rivalry she and her future husband had in a college poetry class. She also grew emotional as she told a group of women how supportive her husband has been during her battles with multiple sclerosis.
“He said, ‘I’m fine with you if you’re in the wheelchair, that doesn’t matter to me, I love you for who you are,’ ’’ she said. ‘ “I don’t care whether you can’t get dinner on the table anymore, I don’t care. I can eat toast and cereal for the rest of my life. But together we can still do anything.’ ’’
Not to be callous, but I'm sure the bank account helps.
The approach resonates with some voters. According to a Fox News poll, Romney got the support of 23 percent of Republican women nationally, compared with 17 percent for Georgia businessman Herman Cain; 11 percent for Governor Rick Perry of Texas; and 10 percent for Newt Gingrich, former House speaker.
The ladies don't like the good Dr. Ron Paul?
Cain’s support was overwhelmingly from men, while backing for Gingrich and Perry was more evenly divided. The poll was taken before Cain’s campaign was engulfed last week with controversy as he was forced to respond to allegations of sexual harassment.
See: The Cain Kerfuffle
The emerging trend could also hurt Romney, since men tend to vote in greater numbers. In a Quinnipiac Poll released last week, men were more likely than women to hold Romney’s health care plan, his changed positions on issues, or his more moderate political background against him.
But Romney, the overwhelming front-runner in New Hampshire, could be helped by the female vote in the Jan. 10 primary.
“Among Republicans, about 60 percent of voters are going to be men, and 40 percent women,’’ said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. “If Romney is able to get, say, an extra five percentage points among women than he does men, that certainly is a buffer against any insurgent candidate who’s going to challenge him.’’
They must be referring to Ron Paul there. Just setting up the narrative for a stolen selection,
'er, election process.
--more--"
I wonder how much the ladies will like his budget:
"Romney proposes wide cuts to budget; Social Security, health programs targeted" by Donovan Slack | Globe Staff, November 05, 2011
WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney unveiled a sweeping budget-cutting plan yesterday that would make significant cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and dramatically shrink the federal government, slashing funding to Amtrak and programs supporting the arts and public broadcasting.
As he increases military spending.
If elected president, the former Massachusetts governor said, he would gradually increase the eligibility age for Medicare and Social Security and turn Medicaid into a block-grant program that would cap payments to states for health care for the poor and disabled at fixed amounts.
Woa!
Another $300 million would be cut from subsidies for family planning and tests for sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer, on the grounds that the funds indirectly support groups that provide “abortions or abortion-related services.’’
That make you ladies happy?
Overall, the plan would cut some $500 billion annually from the federal budget as of 2016, he said in a speech at the Defending the American Dream summit of Americans for Prosperity.
Isn't that a Koch brothers conference?
Related: Romney tax plan would save Koch Bros up to $8.7 billion each
Why would the Globe hide that?
Romney campaign advisers said the pace and scope of changes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid had yet to be decided, but they said current and soon-to-be beneficiaries would not be affected.
The plan resembles one released earlier this year by Representative Paul Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee....
That plan did not go over very well, either.
--more--"
"Business donors shift to Romney" by Beth Healy | Globe Staff, October 27, 2011
A sentiment that’s gathering steam in the financial world, even among well-heeled Democrats and independents. Many who once had high hopes for Obama say they have lost faith in his ability to fix the nation’s ailing economy. What’s more, some are disenchanted with an administration they believe is stoking anger over high unemployment and is appeasing Occupy Wall Street-style protesters....
Talk about biting the hand that forks over taxpayer loot.
--more--"
"Romney returns to N.H. in the lead" October 25, 2011|By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent
This month, Romney has polled at around 40 percent in New Hampshire, double the support of any of his opponents. Businessman Herman Cain and Representative Ron Paul of Texas are the closest challengers.
And yet he is ignored -- mostly.
Yeah, he scares the s*** out of some people.
But Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor, is emerging as Romney’s most aggressive critic. While Cain is generally popular among Tea Party movement affiliates and Paul is an icon among libertarian-leaning Republicans, Huntsman, who has staked his campaign on New Hampshire, is trying to appeal to the independents and moderates who have gravitated toward Romney....
Why the focus on Huntsman when Paul is a more credible candidate?
But in New Hampshire, Huntsman and the others will have to contend with sentiments like those voiced in a handmade sign held by a Romney supporter this morning. “Welcome to Romney Country.’’
Translation: the fix is in!
--more--"
"Female voters drawn to Romney this time; Economic focus, image resonating" by Matt Viser | Globe Staff, November 07, 2011
EXETER, N.H. - Over the course of Mitt Romney’s second presidential campaign, his advisers have repeatedly seen something in public and independent polls that was not true in his previous campaigns: he’s regularly winning a larger share of support among women than men.
“We’ve seen that difference for a while,’’ Neil Newhouse, Romney’s pollster, said last week after delivering a presentation in Washington on “Walmart Moms,’’ which he views as a key demographic in the upcoming election. “It may be that, to women, experience makes more of a difference. Experience, leadership - it’s the intangibles.’’
The small but persistent gender gap seems to have emerged because, women say, they appreciate Romney’s values, family story, business background - and, yes, his chiseled good looks - while being less interested in the ideological critiques that seem to be causing him more problems with male voters. It amounts to seeing him through a different lens.
Romney’s strength with female voters - they support him by about five percentage points more than men do - was not something he saw in his 2002 campaign for governor nor his 2008 presidential run.
This time around, Romney’s campaign has significantly softened his image. He rarely wears a suit and tie and he downplays talk of social issues, such as opposition to abortion, and focuses on economic concerns. He often talks about his family - his son Tagg recently sent a video on Twitter of Romney tossing snowballs with the family - and his wife, Ann, has been a frequent presence on the stump.
Related: Nominating Romney Means Return of Bush
I recall the ladies supposedly liked him, too.
During a recent trip to Nashua, for example, she talked of the rivalry she and her future husband had in a college poetry class. She also grew emotional as she told a group of women how supportive her husband has been during her battles with multiple sclerosis.
“He said, ‘I’m fine with you if you’re in the wheelchair, that doesn’t matter to me, I love you for who you are,’ ’’ she said. ‘ “I don’t care whether you can’t get dinner on the table anymore, I don’t care. I can eat toast and cereal for the rest of my life. But together we can still do anything.’ ’’
Not to be callous, but I'm sure the bank account helps.
The approach resonates with some voters. According to a Fox News poll, Romney got the support of 23 percent of Republican women nationally, compared with 17 percent for Georgia businessman Herman Cain; 11 percent for Governor Rick Perry of Texas; and 10 percent for Newt Gingrich, former House speaker.
The ladies don't like the good Dr. Ron Paul?
Cain’s support was overwhelmingly from men, while backing for Gingrich and Perry was more evenly divided. The poll was taken before Cain’s campaign was engulfed last week with controversy as he was forced to respond to allegations of sexual harassment.
See: The Cain Kerfuffle
The emerging trend could also hurt Romney, since men tend to vote in greater numbers. In a Quinnipiac Poll released last week, men were more likely than women to hold Romney’s health care plan, his changed positions on issues, or his more moderate political background against him.
But Romney, the overwhelming front-runner in New Hampshire, could be helped by the female vote in the Jan. 10 primary.
“Among Republicans, about 60 percent of voters are going to be men, and 40 percent women,’’ said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. “If Romney is able to get, say, an extra five percentage points among women than he does men, that certainly is a buffer against any insurgent candidate who’s going to challenge him.’’
They must be referring to Ron Paul there. Just setting up the narrative for a stolen selection,
'er, election process.
--more--"
I wonder how much the ladies will like his budget:
"Romney proposes wide cuts to budget; Social Security, health programs targeted" by Donovan Slack | Globe Staff, November 05, 2011
WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney unveiled a sweeping budget-cutting plan yesterday that would make significant cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and dramatically shrink the federal government, slashing funding to Amtrak and programs supporting the arts and public broadcasting.
As he increases military spending.
If elected president, the former Massachusetts governor said, he would gradually increase the eligibility age for Medicare and Social Security and turn Medicaid into a block-grant program that would cap payments to states for health care for the poor and disabled at fixed amounts.
Amtrak would lose all government subsidies, and Romney would slice $600 million from the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Legal Services Corporation, which subsidizes legal services for the poor.
“There are some who are going to argue that fiscal responsibility is heartless and immoral,’’ Romney said. “No, what’s heartless is to imperil our children, and what’s immoral is to imperil the strength of a nation that was founded under God and preserved by his hand.’’
Another $300 million would be cut from subsidies for family planning and tests for sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer, on the grounds that the funds indirectly support groups that provide “abortions or abortion-related services.’’
That make you ladies happy?
Overall, the plan would cut some $500 billion annually from the federal budget as of 2016, he said in a speech at the Defending the American Dream summit of Americans for Prosperity.
Isn't that a Koch brothers conference?
Related: Romney tax plan would save Koch Bros up to $8.7 billion each
Why would the Globe hide that?
Romney campaign advisers said the pace and scope of changes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid had yet to be decided, but they said current and soon-to-be beneficiaries would not be affected.
The plan resembles one released earlier this year by Representative Paul Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee....
That plan did not go over very well, either.
--more--"
But Mitt has the $upport that matter$:
"Business donors shift to Romney" by Beth Healy | Globe Staff, October 27, 2011
A sentiment that’s gathering steam in the financial world, even among well-heeled Democrats and independents. Many who once had high hopes for Obama say they have lost faith in his ability to fix the nation’s ailing economy. What’s more, some are disenchanted with an administration they believe is stoking anger over high unemployment and is appeasing Occupy Wall Street-style protesters....
Talk about biting the hand that forks over taxpayer loot.
--more--"
"Romney returns to N.H. in the lead" October 25, 2011|By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent
This month, Romney has polled at around 40 percent in New Hampshire, double the support of any of his opponents. Businessman Herman Cain and Representative Ron Paul of Texas are the closest challengers.
And yet he is ignored -- mostly.
Yeah, he scares the s*** out of some people.
But Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor, is emerging as Romney’s most aggressive critic. While Cain is generally popular among Tea Party movement affiliates and Paul is an icon among libertarian-leaning Republicans, Huntsman, who has staked his campaign on New Hampshire, is trying to appeal to the independents and moderates who have gravitated toward Romney....
Why the focus on Huntsman when Paul is a more credible candidate?
But in New Hampshire, Huntsman and the others will have to contend with sentiments like those voiced in a handmade sign held by a Romney supporter this morning. “Welcome to Romney Country.’’
Translation: the fix is in!
--more--"
The Cain Kerfuffle
Being a misogynist womanizer is what it takes to be president?!
"Cain clarified his position on abortion [saying] he opposes abortion even in a case of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake."
Pretty harsh, Herman!
"Cain sees ‘witch hunt’ in harassment report; Website alleges settlements paid to two accusers" November 01, 2011|By Kasie Hunt, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has seemed to weather a series of stumbles. The former radio talk show host had to clarify recent statements on abortion, the treatment of terrorism suspects, and the placing of an electrified fence along the US-Mexico border. He’s also shrugged off questions that have started to surface about his management style, including criticisms about a lackluster approach to his own presidential campaign. He lags his top competitors in organization and fund-raising.
The new allegations could hurt Cain’s efforts to reassure the Republican establishment that someone with so little political experience - and who hasn’t been fully vetted on a national stage - is prepared to go up against President Obama next fall.
It then occurred to me that Cain's whole rise has been one massive diversion and distraction to give the pundits something to talk about and let the print media waste tons of space.
Think about it, readers. The SEX STUFF was OUT THERE and KNOWN before the media decided to "discover" this. They have been holding it back and waiting. All the political coverage is scripted crap, folks.
But there were signs that conservatives were rallying behind him, attacking the report as inaccurate and perhaps racially motivated....
I don't see it that way. I see Cain as a media-driven tempest in a teapot.
--more--"
"1 of 2 Cain accusers was reportedly paid $35,000" November 02, 2011|New York Times
WASHINGTON - Disclosure of the cases has rocked Cain’s campaign just as he was surging in polls....
HMMMMMMMMMM!
The nature of the encounters between Cain and the women remained murky....
Murky is a word the AmeriKan media uses when it is covering up something.
See: Britain's $unday Bloody $unday
The developments put new pressure on Cain’s campaign, as his own accounts evolved over a second day yesterday and new details raised questions over exactly what had taken place at the association.
Which have been known for years.
--more--"
"Cain accuses GOP rival of plotting smear campaign; Points to adviser in Perry camp as new charges arise" November 03, 2011|By Jeff Zeleny, Jim Rutenberg, and Michael D. Shear, New York Times
WASHINGTON - A defiant Herman Cain accused Governor Rick Perry of Texas, a Republican rival, of orchestrating a smear campaign to destroy his presidential candidacy, as additional accusations emerged yesterday that Cain made unwanted sexual overtures to women while he led the National Restaurant Association more than a decade ago.
As he sought to contain the fallout that consumed his campaign for a third day, Cain shifted his blame from the media to the Perry campaign....
The finger-pointing behavior of a guilty man.
Interviews with more than a dozen people during the past three days paint a picture of his 1996-99 tenure at the National Restaurant Association that is at odds with his insistence that he never harassed anyone. Several people who worked at the association said they knew of episodes that women said had made them uncomfortable dealing with Cain....
The AP reported yesterday that the third woman had considered filing a workplace complaint against Cain about incidents that included an invitation to his apartment.
While Cain sought to project an air of normalcy around his campaign, which continued to do well in fund-raising, he appeared far more agitated than he had been earlier in the week. At one point, he screamed, “Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!’’ as a scrum of photographers surrounded him.
The intensifying questions were putting Cain’s tenure at the National Restaurant Association under a microscope, and interviews with several former employees painted a picture of a chief executive who was always game to socialize with his staff.
That's what AmeriKa's media puts undr it's microscope? A slide of shit?
Living away from his family while working at the association headquarters in Washington, he was as ready to go out after work, as were many of the younger single employees, several former staff members said.
The gatherings had a mix of restaurant industry bravado, innuendo, and joking, these people said, and Cain joined right in....
Cain’s decision not to respond to the allegations in detail, and the addition of new descriptions of allegations, seemed likely to keep pressure on him and the association to provide more information about the accusations.
Meaning the media is running with this salacious story.
--more--"
"Cain’s unorthodox strategy doesn’t focus on Iowa or N.H.; Before scandal, biggest challenge was breaking mold" November 03, 2011|By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff
Before his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination ran into a squall of stories about sexual harassment complaints when he ran the National Restaurant Association, Herman Cain was charting the most unconventional course of this, or perhaps any other, campaign season.
The former business executive, who has been soaring in polls, is now trying to fight off reports that suggest a pattern of improper behavior toward female employees of the trade group while he was its president in the late 1990s. On Sunday, Politico reported the organization settled two cases with cash payments and yesterday the Associated Press reported a third woman had come forward with a similar complaint.
The flurry of allegations, and Cain’s bungled response, have created a crisis for a candidacy that had all but rewritten the campaign handbook, ignoring the axiom that face time with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire is an essential step toward winning the party’s nomination.
Over the last three months, Cain has all but ignored Iowa and New Hampshire - which will hold the first nominating contests in January. He has spent more than half his days in electorally marginal states, often to promote his new book, “This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House.’’
Meanwhile, in Iowa, the caucus state that kicks off the process, Cain is flouting the decades-old rule of thumb - organize, organize, organize and get hot at the end. The Georgian may be planning to get hot at the end but has spent little time with actual voters and has been slow to build the campaign infrastructure to pull committed supporters to precinct locations in the Hawkeye State on Jan. 3.
Making those MSM media polls smell like s***.
Other candidates are breaking from tradition by focusing on just one of the early primary states. Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania have spent nearly half their days, usually with multiple appearances, grinding through Iowa events trying to build their “hard count’’ of supporters who say they will turn out for them at the caucuses, their public schedules show.
In New Hampshire, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman has burrowed in, spending more than two thirds of his days in the site of the first primary, as have long shots Buddy Roemer, a former governor of Louisiana, and Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico.
But none of the candidates who are focusing mostly on one of the first two states has much to show for the effort, judging from their low standing in polls....
Except the unmentioned Ron Paul, sigh.
--more--"
"Accuser’s lawyer says Cain lied; Describes pattern of harassment over two months" by Michael D. Shear and Jim Rutenberg | New York Times, November 05, 2011
WASHINGTON - The lawyer for one of the women who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment said yesterday that Cain engaged in a “series of inappropriate behaviors and unwanted advances’’ toward his client over two months in the 1990s, and he directly accused Cain, a Republican presidential candidate, of not telling the truth about his behavior....
He's qualified to be president!
Cain yesterday sought to move past the controversy. At a gathering of conservatives in Washington, he received thunderous applause for his forceful stump speech while his chief of staff declared on television that the campaign would no longer answer questions about the matter.
“We look forward to focusing our attention on the real issues impacting this country - like fixing this broken economy and putting Americans back to work through our 9-9-9 plan, as well as strengthening national security,’’ said J.D. Gordon, a spokesman for Cain.
The what plan?
The first scandal of the 2012 campaign has consumed the entire week and distracted the Republican Party from its ultimate goal of defeating President Obama. It has led to finger-pointing and fierce exchanges among the Republican rivals but could prove to be a clarifying moment in the still-unsettled race....
One early snapshot of public opinion would suggest that Cain’s candidacy has not been diminished in the eyes of voters. A Washington Post/ABC News poll yesterday found that 7 in 10 Republicans say the allegations do not matter when it comes to selecting a presidential candidate.
Unless his name is Bill Clinton, right?
The controversy around Cain, which intensified as the week wore on, is not likely to subside as long as differing accounts keep emerging....
Meaning the AmeriKan media has a hold of this one.
It remains an open question how long the spectacle will hang over the presidential race.
Until Cain drops out.
--more--"
"Cain accuser faced hostile workplace after alleged advances" November 04, 2011|By Jim Rutenberg and Jeff Zeleny, New York Times
WASHINGTON - One of the women who accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment while working for him at the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s said that the workplace turned hostile after she complained about advances he made toward her during a work-related outing, several people familiar with her account at the time said in interviews.
The advances were said to have taken place during a festive night in which Cain and several younger staff members imbibed until late in the evening, and his flirty banter with the woman crossed over into propositions that she leave with him, these people said, speaking in separate interviews and on the condition of anonymity.
One person with direct knowledge of her account at the time said that the woman - roughly two decades Cain’s junior and serving in a lower-level position - rebuffed him but he continued to make advances.
“She was uncomfortable, and it was inappropriate from the start,’’ this person said. “He was persistent.’’
Cain has repeatedly denied that he did anything inappropriate, although he has acknowledged that at least one severance payment was made to an accuser. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the new accounts of the incident yesterday.
Three people familiar with the details of the woman’s account said that after the incident she complained to higher-ups at the association. She came to feel that there was a “change of attitude,’’ from her bosses toward her afterward, they said, adding to her discomfort and leading her to finally decide it would be best to leave.
It was then that the deal to pay her a severance of $35,000 - roughly a year’s salary - was struck between a lawyer for her and the Restaurant Association’s general counsel, they said.
The severance agreement was unusual not only for its size, three people familiar with it said, but also for its confidentiality provision.
The woman is said by friends to be upset that an episode she had hoped to put behind her more than a decade ago is now resurfacing in such a public way, although she is also said to be displeased with the way that Cain has minimized the harassment allegations....
Cain has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct, alternately describing the accusations as “a witch hunt’’ by the media, a political vendetta from liberals, and a plot by operatives for a Republican rival, Governor Rick Perry of Texas. And in a radio interview with Sean Hannity yesterday, Cain he said he did not flirt with or proposition any women he worked with, calling such charges a “fabrication.’’
After a round of interviews earlier this week that followed the initial report about the accusations in Politico on Sunday night - in which Cain gave conflicting accounts of the alleged incidents but spoke about none of in great detail - the candidate has sought to move past them, refusing to answer questions during a visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
But yesterday brought new descriptions of the encounters with Cain, and details of the Restaurant Association’s handling of the matters....
The continuing stream of details about the harassment allegations have engulfed Cain’s campaign and have increased pressure on him to further explain his actions if he hopes to move beyond what has become a crisis confronting his presidential bid.
A handful of top supporters, contributors and friends of Cain were urging him Thursday to stop talking about the sexual harassment allegations and stop placing blame on his rivals, one adviser said.
Cain has found some pockets of support.
A “super PAC’’ backing the candidate released a video yesterday declaring that he was the victim of a “high-tech lynching’’ like that of Justice Clarence Thomas.
--more--"
"Latest Cain accuser first to go public; Describes encounter, tells him to ‘come clean’" by Shira Schoenberg | Globe Correspondent November 08, 2011
A fourth woman yesterday accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexually inappropriate behavior, this time putting a name and a face on the allegation and ratcheting up a problem that has dogged his campaign for the past week.
Sharon Bialek, of Chicago, became the first woman to publicly identify herself as an alleged victim of Cain. At a news conference in New York City, Bialek said he made unwanted advances as they sat in a car in July 1997 in Washington, D.C., after a dinner at which she asked for help finding a job. When Bialek objected to his advances, she said, Cain replied, “You want a job, right?’’
The Cain campaign immediately issued a denial. Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon wrote in a statement. “Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone.’’
Pretty broad denial.
Thus far, Cain has managed to hold his own in political polls, despite the earlier allegations....
Bialek, described by her lawyer as a registered Republican, is a homemaker and single mother who previously worked for two radio stations and hosted a television cooking show....
Bialek is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, who previously represented celebrities such as the family of Nicole Brown Simpson during the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Allred said Bialek is not filing a lawsuit.
You might as well hand over your balls right now, Herm.
At yesterday’s news conference, Allred said she had sworn statements from Bialek’s boyfriend and a male friend of Bialek attesting that she had told them of Cain’s alleged misconduct at the time it occurred. Allred did not release the statements.
Bialek is the first alleged victim to say that Cain touched her; the other women alleged that his behavior was suggestive and made them uncomfortable, but they did not allege physical contact. Attorneys say the accusations of unwanted sexual touching, if true, would be a clear case of sexual assault....
Cain will not face criminal charges because the statute of limitations in the District of Columbia - as in most states — would not allow them 14 years after an event.
“There’s no chance of a case,’’ said Leonard Kesten, an employment attorney in Boston who handles sexual harassment cases.
Kesten said it is not unusual for an alleged victim not to come forward earlier in a case involving a prominent person. “The more powerful the person, the harder it is for a person to come out with this stuff,’’ Kesten said.
What the new allegations mean for Cain’s political future is unclear. The former Godfather’s Pizza executive has no political experience and was dismissed as a marginal candidate for much of the campaign, before skyrocketing in the polls during the last month. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll out yesterday found Cain statistically tied for the lead with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.
Kim Schmett, an Iowa attorney and former chairman of the Polk County Republican Party, said he believes Iowa voters will give Cain the benefit of the doubt “until they have a reason not to.’’ But Schmett said Cain will have to talk about what happened and “convince people it’s not an ongoing problem.’’
Wayne Lesperance, professor of political science at New England College in New Hampshire, predicted that Cain’s support will begin to erode soon. Cain has run a nontraditional campaign, ignoring the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, and has had some staff shake-ups.
“The lack of organization in his campaign is really going to come out to bite him,’’ Lesperance said. “The ability to respond in New Hampshire and other places isn’t there.’’
If Cain’s candidacy does falter, several Republicans could benefit. “Most of the pundits have said how lucky Mitt Romney is,’’ said Dorothy James, a professor of government at Connecticut College who specializes in presidential politics. James said although Romney has had trouble broadening his base of Republican support, no other candidate has been a consistent challenger.
Except Ron Paul, but.... sigh.
Lesperance said if Cain’s support falters, other candidates looking to challenge Romney — Governor Rick Perry of Texas or Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker — may pick up support....
Or Ron Paul, but.... sigh.
--more--"
And who remembers 9-9-9 now?
"Cain’s plan may result in tax hikes" October 19, 2011|By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan would raise taxes on 84 percent of US households, according to an independent analysis released yesterday, contradicting assertions by the Republican presidential candidate that most Americans would see a tax cut.
I think everyone knew that when they heard it.
The Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank, said low- and middle-income families would be hit hardest, with households making between $10,000 and $20,000 seeing their taxes increase by nearly 950 percent....
While the top would get cuts.
Households with the highest incomes, however, would get big tax cuts. Those making more than $1 million a year would see their taxes cut nearly in half, on average, according to the analysis.
Among those in the middle, households making between $40,000 and $50,000 would see their taxes increase by an average of $4,400, the report said. Those making between $50,000 and $75,000 would see their annual tax bill go up by an average of $4,326....
--more--"
Related: Globe Raising Cain
Time for Cain to quit.
Next Day Update:
Herman Cain, seeking to salvage his candidacy and his reputation from allegations of sexual harassment, used a nationally televised news conference yesterday to assert that he has no recollection of meeting one of his accusers and has never harassed anyone.
By turns defiant and frustrated, Cain vowed to stay in the race and blamed “the Democrat machine’’ for orchestrating the accusations against him....
The named lady is a registered Republican!
And now it is not the media or Perry, it's the Democrats?
How come Cain isn't being called a "conspiracy theorist," 'eh?
Cain’s campaign, meanwhile, sought yesterday to undercut Bialek’s credibility.
In an e-mail titled, “Who is Sharon Bialek?’’ the campaign pointed to news reports that said Bialek has worked for nine employers over the last 17 years, and has filed for bankruptcy twice. The campaign also listed six lawsuits in which Bialek was named as the defendant.
“The fact is that Ms. Bialek has had a long and troubled history, from the courts to personal finances - which may help explain why she has come forward 14 years after an alleged incident with Mr. Cain, powered by celebrity attorney and long-term Democrat donor Gloria Allred,’’ the e-mail reads.
Problem is IT AIN'T JUST HER!!
But Cain’s Republican rivals were not so quick to dismiss Bialek’s accusations.
Can you read the writing on the bathroom wall, Herm?
After sidestepping questions about the controversy, many of the candidates began speaking out about them yesterday, the day before a CNBC-sponsored debate at 8 tonight in Michigan.
Mitt Romney, who is tied with Cain in national polls, was perhaps the most pointed. He called Bialek’s accusations “particularly disturbing’’ and said, “They’re going to have to be addressed seriously.’’ Rick Santorum called them “very troubling.’’ And Newt Gingrich said, “It’s not just some anonymous tip. Clearly, Herman Cain has to answer the charges. He has to explain what happened.’’
Meanwhile, there were indications that Iowa voters, who initially seemed willing to brush aside the allegations as anonymous attacks, may be increasingly concerned with them less than two months until the caucuses....
Can I call ''em or what, dear readers?
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"Cain clarified his position on abortion [saying] he opposes abortion even in a case of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake."
Pretty harsh, Herman!
"Cain sees ‘witch hunt’ in harassment report; Website alleges settlements paid to two accusers" November 01, 2011|By Kasie Hunt, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has seemed to weather a series of stumbles. The former radio talk show host had to clarify recent statements on abortion, the treatment of terrorism suspects, and the placing of an electrified fence along the US-Mexico border. He’s also shrugged off questions that have started to surface about his management style, including criticisms about a lackluster approach to his own presidential campaign. He lags his top competitors in organization and fund-raising.
The new allegations could hurt Cain’s efforts to reassure the Republican establishment that someone with so little political experience - and who hasn’t been fully vetted on a national stage - is prepared to go up against President Obama next fall.
It then occurred to me that Cain's whole rise has been one massive diversion and distraction to give the pundits something to talk about and let the print media waste tons of space.
Think about it, readers. The SEX STUFF was OUT THERE and KNOWN before the media decided to "discover" this. They have been holding it back and waiting. All the political coverage is scripted crap, folks.
But there were signs that conservatives were rallying behind him, attacking the report as inaccurate and perhaps racially motivated....
I don't see it that way. I see Cain as a media-driven tempest in a teapot.
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"1 of 2 Cain accusers was reportedly paid $35,000" November 02, 2011|New York Times
WASHINGTON - Disclosure of the cases has rocked Cain’s campaign just as he was surging in polls....
HMMMMMMMMMM!
The nature of the encounters between Cain and the women remained murky....
Murky is a word the AmeriKan media uses when it is covering up something.
See: Britain's $unday Bloody $unday
The developments put new pressure on Cain’s campaign, as his own accounts evolved over a second day yesterday and new details raised questions over exactly what had taken place at the association.
Which have been known for years.
--more--"
"Cain accuses GOP rival of plotting smear campaign; Points to adviser in Perry camp as new charges arise" November 03, 2011|By Jeff Zeleny, Jim Rutenberg, and Michael D. Shear, New York Times
WASHINGTON - A defiant Herman Cain accused Governor Rick Perry of Texas, a Republican rival, of orchestrating a smear campaign to destroy his presidential candidacy, as additional accusations emerged yesterday that Cain made unwanted sexual overtures to women while he led the National Restaurant Association more than a decade ago.
As he sought to contain the fallout that consumed his campaign for a third day, Cain shifted his blame from the media to the Perry campaign....
The finger-pointing behavior of a guilty man.
Interviews with more than a dozen people during the past three days paint a picture of his 1996-99 tenure at the National Restaurant Association that is at odds with his insistence that he never harassed anyone. Several people who worked at the association said they knew of episodes that women said had made them uncomfortable dealing with Cain....
The AP reported yesterday that the third woman had considered filing a workplace complaint against Cain about incidents that included an invitation to his apartment.
While Cain sought to project an air of normalcy around his campaign, which continued to do well in fund-raising, he appeared far more agitated than he had been earlier in the week. At one point, he screamed, “Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!’’ as a scrum of photographers surrounded him.
The intensifying questions were putting Cain’s tenure at the National Restaurant Association under a microscope, and interviews with several former employees painted a picture of a chief executive who was always game to socialize with his staff.
That's what AmeriKa's media puts undr it's microscope? A slide of shit?
Living away from his family while working at the association headquarters in Washington, he was as ready to go out after work, as were many of the younger single employees, several former staff members said.
The gatherings had a mix of restaurant industry bravado, innuendo, and joking, these people said, and Cain joined right in....
Cain’s decision not to respond to the allegations in detail, and the addition of new descriptions of allegations, seemed likely to keep pressure on him and the association to provide more information about the accusations.
Meaning the media is running with this salacious story.
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"Cain’s unorthodox strategy doesn’t focus on Iowa or N.H.; Before scandal, biggest challenge was breaking mold" November 03, 2011|By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff
Before his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination ran into a squall of stories about sexual harassment complaints when he ran the National Restaurant Association, Herman Cain was charting the most unconventional course of this, or perhaps any other, campaign season.
The former business executive, who has been soaring in polls, is now trying to fight off reports that suggest a pattern of improper behavior toward female employees of the trade group while he was its president in the late 1990s. On Sunday, Politico reported the organization settled two cases with cash payments and yesterday the Associated Press reported a third woman had come forward with a similar complaint.
The flurry of allegations, and Cain’s bungled response, have created a crisis for a candidacy that had all but rewritten the campaign handbook, ignoring the axiom that face time with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire is an essential step toward winning the party’s nomination.
Over the last three months, Cain has all but ignored Iowa and New Hampshire - which will hold the first nominating contests in January. He has spent more than half his days in electorally marginal states, often to promote his new book, “This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House.’’
Meanwhile, in Iowa, the caucus state that kicks off the process, Cain is flouting the decades-old rule of thumb - organize, organize, organize and get hot at the end. The Georgian may be planning to get hot at the end but has spent little time with actual voters and has been slow to build the campaign infrastructure to pull committed supporters to precinct locations in the Hawkeye State on Jan. 3.
Making those MSM media polls smell like s***.
Other candidates are breaking from tradition by focusing on just one of the early primary states. Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania have spent nearly half their days, usually with multiple appearances, grinding through Iowa events trying to build their “hard count’’ of supporters who say they will turn out for them at the caucuses, their public schedules show.
In New Hampshire, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman has burrowed in, spending more than two thirds of his days in the site of the first primary, as have long shots Buddy Roemer, a former governor of Louisiana, and Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico.
But none of the candidates who are focusing mostly on one of the first two states has much to show for the effort, judging from their low standing in polls....
Except the unmentioned Ron Paul, sigh.
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"Accuser’s lawyer says Cain lied; Describes pattern of harassment over two months" by Michael D. Shear and Jim Rutenberg | New York Times, November 05, 2011
WASHINGTON - The lawyer for one of the women who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment said yesterday that Cain engaged in a “series of inappropriate behaviors and unwanted advances’’ toward his client over two months in the 1990s, and he directly accused Cain, a Republican presidential candidate, of not telling the truth about his behavior....
He's qualified to be president!
Cain yesterday sought to move past the controversy. At a gathering of conservatives in Washington, he received thunderous applause for his forceful stump speech while his chief of staff declared on television that the campaign would no longer answer questions about the matter.
“We look forward to focusing our attention on the real issues impacting this country - like fixing this broken economy and putting Americans back to work through our 9-9-9 plan, as well as strengthening national security,’’ said J.D. Gordon, a spokesman for Cain.
The what plan?
The first scandal of the 2012 campaign has consumed the entire week and distracted the Republican Party from its ultimate goal of defeating President Obama. It has led to finger-pointing and fierce exchanges among the Republican rivals but could prove to be a clarifying moment in the still-unsettled race....
One early snapshot of public opinion would suggest that Cain’s candidacy has not been diminished in the eyes of voters. A Washington Post/ABC News poll yesterday found that 7 in 10 Republicans say the allegations do not matter when it comes to selecting a presidential candidate.
Unless his name is Bill Clinton, right?
The controversy around Cain, which intensified as the week wore on, is not likely to subside as long as differing accounts keep emerging....
Meaning the AmeriKan media has a hold of this one.
It remains an open question how long the spectacle will hang over the presidential race.
Until Cain drops out.
--more--"
"Cain accuser faced hostile workplace after alleged advances" November 04, 2011|By Jim Rutenberg and Jeff Zeleny, New York Times
WASHINGTON - One of the women who accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment while working for him at the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s said that the workplace turned hostile after she complained about advances he made toward her during a work-related outing, several people familiar with her account at the time said in interviews.
The advances were said to have taken place during a festive night in which Cain and several younger staff members imbibed until late in the evening, and his flirty banter with the woman crossed over into propositions that she leave with him, these people said, speaking in separate interviews and on the condition of anonymity.
One person with direct knowledge of her account at the time said that the woman - roughly two decades Cain’s junior and serving in a lower-level position - rebuffed him but he continued to make advances.
“She was uncomfortable, and it was inappropriate from the start,’’ this person said. “He was persistent.’’
Cain has repeatedly denied that he did anything inappropriate, although he has acknowledged that at least one severance payment was made to an accuser. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the new accounts of the incident yesterday.
Three people familiar with the details of the woman’s account said that after the incident she complained to higher-ups at the association. She came to feel that there was a “change of attitude,’’ from her bosses toward her afterward, they said, adding to her discomfort and leading her to finally decide it would be best to leave.
It was then that the deal to pay her a severance of $35,000 - roughly a year’s salary - was struck between a lawyer for her and the Restaurant Association’s general counsel, they said.
The severance agreement was unusual not only for its size, three people familiar with it said, but also for its confidentiality provision.
The woman is said by friends to be upset that an episode she had hoped to put behind her more than a decade ago is now resurfacing in such a public way, although she is also said to be displeased with the way that Cain has minimized the harassment allegations....
Cain has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct, alternately describing the accusations as “a witch hunt’’ by the media, a political vendetta from liberals, and a plot by operatives for a Republican rival, Governor Rick Perry of Texas. And in a radio interview with Sean Hannity yesterday, Cain he said he did not flirt with or proposition any women he worked with, calling such charges a “fabrication.’’
After a round of interviews earlier this week that followed the initial report about the accusations in Politico on Sunday night - in which Cain gave conflicting accounts of the alleged incidents but spoke about none of in great detail - the candidate has sought to move past them, refusing to answer questions during a visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
But yesterday brought new descriptions of the encounters with Cain, and details of the Restaurant Association’s handling of the matters....
The continuing stream of details about the harassment allegations have engulfed Cain’s campaign and have increased pressure on him to further explain his actions if he hopes to move beyond what has become a crisis confronting his presidential bid.
A handful of top supporters, contributors and friends of Cain were urging him Thursday to stop talking about the sexual harassment allegations and stop placing blame on his rivals, one adviser said.
Cain has found some pockets of support.
A “super PAC’’ backing the candidate released a video yesterday declaring that he was the victim of a “high-tech lynching’’ like that of Justice Clarence Thomas.
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"Latest Cain accuser first to go public; Describes encounter, tells him to ‘come clean’" by Shira Schoenberg | Globe Correspondent November 08, 2011
A fourth woman yesterday accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexually inappropriate behavior, this time putting a name and a face on the allegation and ratcheting up a problem that has dogged his campaign for the past week.
Sharon Bialek, of Chicago, became the first woman to publicly identify herself as an alleged victim of Cain. At a news conference in New York City, Bialek said he made unwanted advances as they sat in a car in July 1997 in Washington, D.C., after a dinner at which she asked for help finding a job. When Bialek objected to his advances, she said, Cain replied, “You want a job, right?’’
Yesterday Bialek called on Cain to “come clean — admit what you did and then move forward.’’
Pretty broad denial.
Thus far, Cain has managed to hold his own in political polls, despite the earlier allegations....
Bialek, described by her lawyer as a registered Republican, is a homemaker and single mother who previously worked for two radio stations and hosted a television cooking show....
Bialek is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, who previously represented celebrities such as the family of Nicole Brown Simpson during the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Allred said Bialek is not filing a lawsuit.
You might as well hand over your balls right now, Herm.
At yesterday’s news conference, Allred said she had sworn statements from Bialek’s boyfriend and a male friend of Bialek attesting that she had told them of Cain’s alleged misconduct at the time it occurred. Allred did not release the statements.
Bialek is the first alleged victim to say that Cain touched her; the other women alleged that his behavior was suggestive and made them uncomfortable, but they did not allege physical contact. Attorneys say the accusations of unwanted sexual touching, if true, would be a clear case of sexual assault....
Cain will not face criminal charges because the statute of limitations in the District of Columbia - as in most states — would not allow them 14 years after an event.
“There’s no chance of a case,’’ said Leonard Kesten, an employment attorney in Boston who handles sexual harassment cases.
Kesten said it is not unusual for an alleged victim not to come forward earlier in a case involving a prominent person. “The more powerful the person, the harder it is for a person to come out with this stuff,’’ Kesten said.
What the new allegations mean for Cain’s political future is unclear. The former Godfather’s Pizza executive has no political experience and was dismissed as a marginal candidate for much of the campaign, before skyrocketing in the polls during the last month. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll out yesterday found Cain statistically tied for the lead with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.
Kim Schmett, an Iowa attorney and former chairman of the Polk County Republican Party, said he believes Iowa voters will give Cain the benefit of the doubt “until they have a reason not to.’’ But Schmett said Cain will have to talk about what happened and “convince people it’s not an ongoing problem.’’
Wayne Lesperance, professor of political science at New England College in New Hampshire, predicted that Cain’s support will begin to erode soon. Cain has run a nontraditional campaign, ignoring the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, and has had some staff shake-ups.
“The lack of organization in his campaign is really going to come out to bite him,’’ Lesperance said. “The ability to respond in New Hampshire and other places isn’t there.’’
If Cain’s candidacy does falter, several Republicans could benefit. “Most of the pundits have said how lucky Mitt Romney is,’’ said Dorothy James, a professor of government at Connecticut College who specializes in presidential politics. James said although Romney has had trouble broadening his base of Republican support, no other candidate has been a consistent challenger.
Except Ron Paul, but.... sigh.
Lesperance said if Cain’s support falters, other candidates looking to challenge Romney — Governor Rick Perry of Texas or Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker — may pick up support....
Or Ron Paul, but.... sigh.
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And who remembers 9-9-9 now?
"Cain’s plan may result in tax hikes" October 19, 2011|By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan would raise taxes on 84 percent of US households, according to an independent analysis released yesterday, contradicting assertions by the Republican presidential candidate that most Americans would see a tax cut.
I think everyone knew that when they heard it.
The Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank, said low- and middle-income families would be hit hardest, with households making between $10,000 and $20,000 seeing their taxes increase by nearly 950 percent....
While the top would get cuts.
Households with the highest incomes, however, would get big tax cuts. Those making more than $1 million a year would see their taxes cut nearly in half, on average, according to the analysis.
Among those in the middle, households making between $40,000 and $50,000 would see their taxes increase by an average of $4,400, the report said. Those making between $50,000 and $75,000 would see their annual tax bill go up by an average of $4,326....
--more--"
Related: Globe Raising Cain
Time for Cain to quit.
Next Day Update:
"Cain denies accusations, vows to stay in race" by Michael Levenson | Globe Staff, November 09, 2011
Herman Cain, seeking to salvage his candidacy and his reputation from allegations of sexual harassment, used a nationally televised news conference yesterday to assert that he has no recollection of meeting one of his accusers and has never harassed anyone.
By turns defiant and frustrated, Cain vowed to stay in the race and blamed “the Democrat machine’’ for orchestrating the accusations against him....
The named lady is a registered Republican!
And now it is not the media or Perry, it's the Democrats?
How come Cain isn't being called a "conspiracy theorist," 'eh?
Cain’s campaign, meanwhile, sought yesterday to undercut Bialek’s credibility.
In an e-mail titled, “Who is Sharon Bialek?’’ the campaign pointed to news reports that said Bialek has worked for nine employers over the last 17 years, and has filed for bankruptcy twice. The campaign also listed six lawsuits in which Bialek was named as the defendant.
“The fact is that Ms. Bialek has had a long and troubled history, from the courts to personal finances - which may help explain why she has come forward 14 years after an alleged incident with Mr. Cain, powered by celebrity attorney and long-term Democrat donor Gloria Allred,’’ the e-mail reads.
Problem is IT AIN'T JUST HER!!
But Cain’s Republican rivals were not so quick to dismiss Bialek’s accusations.
Can you read the writing on the bathroom wall, Herm?
After sidestepping questions about the controversy, many of the candidates began speaking out about them yesterday, the day before a CNBC-sponsored debate at 8 tonight in Michigan.
Mitt Romney, who is tied with Cain in national polls, was perhaps the most pointed. He called Bialek’s accusations “particularly disturbing’’ and said, “They’re going to have to be addressed seriously.’’ Rick Santorum called them “very troubling.’’ And Newt Gingrich said, “It’s not just some anonymous tip. Clearly, Herman Cain has to answer the charges. He has to explain what happened.’’
Meanwhile, there were indications that Iowa voters, who initially seemed willing to brush aside the allegations as anonymous attacks, may be increasingly concerned with them less than two months until the caucuses....
Can I call ''em or what, dear readers?
--more--"
Chelsea's Slum Lord
"High-pay housing director resigns; Chelsea official agrees to Patrick's demand; $360,000 salary drew wide criticism" by Andrea Estes and Sean P. Murphy Globe Staff / November 3, 2011
The head of the Chelsea Housing Authority abruptly resigned his $360,000-a-year position last evening, hours after Governor Deval Patrick lambasted his salary as outrageous and demanded that he step down.
“If the governor feels that strongly about it, my effectiveness would have been seriously compromised,’’ Michael E. McLaughlin said.
Patrick also called on the five members of the board that approved McLaughlin’s contract and massive pay increases to step down. The governor temporarily froze state funding to the housing agency because McLaughlin allegedly deliberately underreported his pay to the state.
“Boiling is the word,’’ Patrick said in an interview. “It’s an outrage. Here we are flat-funding public housing, trying to hold on through the worst economy in living memory, and not only is the executive director feathering his nest, but he’s misrepresenting to us what he’s doing. That just can’t stand.’’
And not only that, the state is funneling hundreds of millions to banks and corporations every month.
Patrick joined a chorus of senior public officials condemning the salary paid McLaughlin, which skyrocketed from $77,500 since 2000. The Globe reported Sunday that McLaughlin had told state housing officials he made only $160,000, less than half his true salary, something he chalked up to “the rebel in me.’’
What an arrogant sack of shit.
Last night, McLaughlin continued to insist that “I more than earned my salary,’’ which is almost twice as large as that of his counterpart in New York City, but said he was wrong to not report the full amount to the state.
If he had the chance to do it over, “I would put down the full salary,’’ he said.
Attorney General Martha Coakley said she is “actively reviewing this matter’’ to see if McLaughlin broke any state law.
On the federal level, meanwhile, a US senator has asked the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate.
“What we’re seeing is an unprecedented coordinated effort by virtually every relevant agency going at this at the same time with one mission, to protect the taxpayers and try to prevent this abuse from being carried out,’’ said state Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan, who is also investigating.
Not to excuse this cretin; however, one wonders where all the whirling is in regard to the Wall Street banks that ripped us all off while fraudulently seizing homes and sinking the world economy.
McLaughlin, 66, a former state legislator and Middlesex County commissioner who has deftly escaped trouble over his nearly 50-year career, initially declined to comment on the governor’s call for his resignation, saying he had not heard anything directly. But later in the evening, he contacted the Globe to announce his resignation.
“I have been a supporter of the governor since day one, and I feel this is the right thing to do,’’ McLaughlin said.
Henry Cordero - the longtime chairman of the Chelsea Housing Authority, who has said that McLaughlin was “worth every penny’’ of his pay - said he was surprised to learn that the governor who reappointed him to the job now wants him to resign. But Cordero said he had no intention of stepping down from the post that paid him $5,000 last year.
“Resign? Why would I resign? I’ve done nothing wrong,’’ Cordero said in an interview.
It is getting to the point where the scum that rise to the top of politics need to be tarred and feathered and then given a bath in the harbor.
McLaughlin is preparing to retire and collect perhaps the largest pension in Massachusetts history. Based on his total compensation and years of service, McLaughlin could qualify for a pension of $278,842 for life.
That's a YEAR! How many cops, teachers, and firefighters would that pay for?
McLaughlin defended his hefty paycheck, saying he is well paid because he turned around the troubled housing agency. He compared his performance running the housing agency to the achievements of his idol, Joe Montana, on the football field....
Well, what do you know, an IMMATURE as well as ARROGANT ASSHOLE!
--more--"
He can forget about Super Joe saving him with a miraculous comeback:
"HUD examines Chelsea agency; Investigators question housing employees; State looks at cutting pension for director" November 04, 2011|By Andrea Estes and Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff
Three federal agents questioned employees of the Chelsea Housing Authority yesterday, one day after their boss abruptly resigned amid an uproar over his $360,000 pay package, which he had concealed from state officials.
The investigators from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides much of the Chelsea agency’s funding, stopped employees at the door of the Locke Street administrative offices, asking their names and positions and whether anyone had asked them to shred documents.
Oh, so ALL AMERICAN TAXPAYERS got RIPPED OFF by this scum, 'eh?
The federal investigators’ visit was part of a flurry of government actions in response to reports that Michael E. McLaughlin had become perhaps the highest-paid public housing official in the country.
Yes, a flurry of government action! They sure can get after it when the mood strikes!
Also yesterday, the state inspector general urged retirement officials to slash McLaughlin’s pension by more than half, saying the state never approved the $360,000 in pay that the benefit would be based on....
Why is he getting one at all?
--more--"
Related: Lies, exorbitant salary raise fears of wider corruption in Chelsea
Some fear Chelsea slipping back
Add IN$ULTING to the immature arrogance:
"On way out, housing chief cashed in; State orders Chelsea agency to halt payment on $200,000 in checks" November 05, 2011|By Andrea Estes and Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff
Former Chelsea Housing Authority executive director Michael E. McLaughlin instructed the office accountant to write him checks for more than $200,000 Thursday, just an hour before he left the office for good amid an uproar over his $360,000 annual pay package.
Incensed, state officials ordered the Chelsea Housing Authority to stop payments on the checks, but McLaughlin had already cashed one for more than $80,000.
McLaughlin said he was owed the money for unused sick, vacation and personal time during his 12 years at the authority, but state officials believe that McLaughlin’s entire contract may be invalid because he concealed his full pay from the state. Governor Deval Patrick demanded McLaughlin’s resignation Wednesday, saying he was “boiling’’ mad.
“When my investigator found these checks, he couldn’t believe his eyes,’’ said Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan. “The idea that he would be riding off into the sunset with a bag of cash is completely contrary to the interests of taxpayers.’’
The Chelsea Housing Authority offices at 54 Locke Ave. were swarming yesterday with nearly a dozen state and federal investigators, who found newly shredded documents. The agents from several agencies including Sullivan’s office and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seized computer hard drives and paperwork and quizzed employees....
--more--"
"Housing chief looked to friend to cut checks; McLaughlin put former bouncer in charge of finances" by Sean P. Murphy and Andrea Estes | Globe Staff, November 06, 2011
The office accountant who wrote former Chelsea Housing Authority executive director Michael McLaughlin checks for more than $200,000 on his way out the door is a longtime family friend who also helped him remove boxes from the housing authority after the office closed Wednesday night.
And you wonder why I am so down on politics?
James McNichols, who worked as a nightclub bouncer in Boston for nine years before he was hired to handle the finances of the Housing Authority in 2000, issued three checks totaling $200,948 to McLaughlin, who quit abruptly after Governor Deval Patrick demanded his resignation amid the furor over his $360,000 pay package.
Yeah, that qualifies him to run the finances of the housing authority.
The checkwriting incensed state officials, who immediately ordered Chelsea Housing Authority’s new interim director to stop payment. But McLaughlin had already cashed one for more than $80,000. Officials said they will try to get the money back....
I notice they have no such problem when you owe them taxes.
--more--"
Maybe he should be sentenced to live in the projects:
"Pay at top riles Chelsea tenants; Public housing residents say complaints ignored" November 07, 2011|By Travis Andersen and Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff
CHELSEA - Residents of the Scrivano Apartments, one of several managed by the Chelsea Housing Authority, say they already had plenty to complain about, from rodent infestations to cracked walls. Then news broke that the authority’s executive director, Michael E. McLaughlin, had concealed his real salary: $360,000.
“I think it’s outrageous,’’ said Danielle Gallant.
That was the view yesterday among tenants interviewed in the aftermath of McLaughlin’s resignation last week, and the public outcry following a series of Globe reports on his income.
Gallant and her boyfriend, Gene Vose, who are both 26, said during an interview yesterday in their two-bedroom apartment that McLaughlin’s lavish pay was especially jarring considering that the authority raised their monthly rent earlier this year from $485 to about $635, after accusing them of underreporting their federal disability benefits, a charge they deny.
Who do you think was paying that salary?
“They’re so fast to go after the tenants,’’ said Gallant, who has a young son and is due to give birth to another child next month.
Maria Gonzalez, 41, said she learned about McLaughlin’s salary Saturday from a neighbor. She said she was surprised, because workers have told her funding is not available to pay for certain repairs, including drafty windows, or to exterminate cockroaches and mice.
“And now they said they want to charge [tenants] for anything they fix,’’ said Gonzalez, a tenant for 14 years....
--more--"
"Housing receiver requested for Chelsea" by Maria Sacchetti | Globe Staff, November 08, 2011
CHELSEA - Several City Council members and community leaders urged Governor Deval Patrick yesterday to place the Chelsea Housing Authority in state receivership amid intensifying outrage over the ousted director’s $360,000 a year pay package.
In a letter, City Council president Marilyn Vega-Torres and others called for a full investigation of the agency, one that would go beyond former director Michael E. McLaughlin, whose pay, perhaps the highest for any public housing official in the United States, had been approved by the authority’s five-member board.
Many residents have complained about the authority’s maintenance record and sometimes harsh rent-collection policies, and some are now mulling a rent strike on Dec. 1, according to Vega-Torres and the other councilors....
--more--"
The head of the Chelsea Housing Authority abruptly resigned his $360,000-a-year position last evening, hours after Governor Deval Patrick lambasted his salary as outrageous and demanded that he step down.
“If the governor feels that strongly about it, my effectiveness would have been seriously compromised,’’ Michael E. McLaughlin said.
Patrick also called on the five members of the board that approved McLaughlin’s contract and massive pay increases to step down. The governor temporarily froze state funding to the housing agency because McLaughlin allegedly deliberately underreported his pay to the state.
“Boiling is the word,’’ Patrick said in an interview. “It’s an outrage. Here we are flat-funding public housing, trying to hold on through the worst economy in living memory, and not only is the executive director feathering his nest, but he’s misrepresenting to us what he’s doing. That just can’t stand.’’
And not only that, the state is funneling hundreds of millions to banks and corporations every month.
Patrick joined a chorus of senior public officials condemning the salary paid McLaughlin, which skyrocketed from $77,500 since 2000. The Globe reported Sunday that McLaughlin had told state housing officials he made only $160,000, less than half his true salary, something he chalked up to “the rebel in me.’’
What an arrogant sack of shit.
Last night, McLaughlin continued to insist that “I more than earned my salary,’’ which is almost twice as large as that of his counterpart in New York City, but said he was wrong to not report the full amount to the state.
If he had the chance to do it over, “I would put down the full salary,’’ he said.
Attorney General Martha Coakley said she is “actively reviewing this matter’’ to see if McLaughlin broke any state law.
On the federal level, meanwhile, a US senator has asked the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate.
“What we’re seeing is an unprecedented coordinated effort by virtually every relevant agency going at this at the same time with one mission, to protect the taxpayers and try to prevent this abuse from being carried out,’’ said state Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan, who is also investigating.
Not to excuse this cretin; however, one wonders where all the whirling is in regard to the Wall Street banks that ripped us all off while fraudulently seizing homes and sinking the world economy.
McLaughlin, 66, a former state legislator and Middlesex County commissioner who has deftly escaped trouble over his nearly 50-year career, initially declined to comment on the governor’s call for his resignation, saying he had not heard anything directly. But later in the evening, he contacted the Globe to announce his resignation.
“I have been a supporter of the governor since day one, and I feel this is the right thing to do,’’ McLaughlin said.
Henry Cordero - the longtime chairman of the Chelsea Housing Authority, who has said that McLaughlin was “worth every penny’’ of his pay - said he was surprised to learn that the governor who reappointed him to the job now wants him to resign. But Cordero said he had no intention of stepping down from the post that paid him $5,000 last year.
“Resign? Why would I resign? I’ve done nothing wrong,’’ Cordero said in an interview.
It is getting to the point where the scum that rise to the top of politics need to be tarred and feathered and then given a bath in the harbor.
McLaughlin is preparing to retire and collect perhaps the largest pension in Massachusetts history. Based on his total compensation and years of service, McLaughlin could qualify for a pension of $278,842 for life.
That's a YEAR! How many cops, teachers, and firefighters would that pay for?
McLaughlin defended his hefty paycheck, saying he is well paid because he turned around the troubled housing agency. He compared his performance running the housing agency to the achievements of his idol, Joe Montana, on the football field....
Well, what do you know, an IMMATURE as well as ARROGANT ASSHOLE!
--more--"
He can forget about Super Joe saving him with a miraculous comeback:
"HUD examines Chelsea agency; Investigators question housing employees; State looks at cutting pension for director" November 04, 2011|By Andrea Estes and Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff
Three federal agents questioned employees of the Chelsea Housing Authority yesterday, one day after their boss abruptly resigned amid an uproar over his $360,000 pay package, which he had concealed from state officials.
The investigators from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides much of the Chelsea agency’s funding, stopped employees at the door of the Locke Street administrative offices, asking their names and positions and whether anyone had asked them to shred documents.
Oh, so ALL AMERICAN TAXPAYERS got RIPPED OFF by this scum, 'eh?
The federal investigators’ visit was part of a flurry of government actions in response to reports that Michael E. McLaughlin had become perhaps the highest-paid public housing official in the country.
Yes, a flurry of government action! They sure can get after it when the mood strikes!
Also yesterday, the state inspector general urged retirement officials to slash McLaughlin’s pension by more than half, saying the state never approved the $360,000 in pay that the benefit would be based on....
Why is he getting one at all?
--more--"
Related: Lies, exorbitant salary raise fears of wider corruption in Chelsea
Some fear Chelsea slipping back
Add IN$ULTING to the immature arrogance:
"On way out, housing chief cashed in; State orders Chelsea agency to halt payment on $200,000 in checks" November 05, 2011|By Andrea Estes and Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff
Former Chelsea Housing Authority executive director Michael E. McLaughlin instructed the office accountant to write him checks for more than $200,000 Thursday, just an hour before he left the office for good amid an uproar over his $360,000 annual pay package.
Incensed, state officials ordered the Chelsea Housing Authority to stop payments on the checks, but McLaughlin had already cashed one for more than $80,000.
McLaughlin said he was owed the money for unused sick, vacation and personal time during his 12 years at the authority, but state officials believe that McLaughlin’s entire contract may be invalid because he concealed his full pay from the state. Governor Deval Patrick demanded McLaughlin’s resignation Wednesday, saying he was “boiling’’ mad.
“When my investigator found these checks, he couldn’t believe his eyes,’’ said Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan. “The idea that he would be riding off into the sunset with a bag of cash is completely contrary to the interests of taxpayers.’’
The Chelsea Housing Authority offices at 54 Locke Ave. were swarming yesterday with nearly a dozen state and federal investigators, who found newly shredded documents. The agents from several agencies including Sullivan’s office and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seized computer hard drives and paperwork and quizzed employees....
--more--"
"Housing chief looked to friend to cut checks; McLaughlin put former bouncer in charge of finances" by Sean P. Murphy and Andrea Estes | Globe Staff, November 06, 2011
The office accountant who wrote former Chelsea Housing Authority executive director Michael McLaughlin checks for more than $200,000 on his way out the door is a longtime family friend who also helped him remove boxes from the housing authority after the office closed Wednesday night.
And you wonder why I am so down on politics?
James McNichols, who worked as a nightclub bouncer in Boston for nine years before he was hired to handle the finances of the Housing Authority in 2000, issued three checks totaling $200,948 to McLaughlin, who quit abruptly after Governor Deval Patrick demanded his resignation amid the furor over his $360,000 pay package.
Yeah, that qualifies him to run the finances of the housing authority.
The checkwriting incensed state officials, who immediately ordered Chelsea Housing Authority’s new interim director to stop payment. But McLaughlin had already cashed one for more than $80,000. Officials said they will try to get the money back....
I notice they have no such problem when you owe them taxes.
--more--"
Maybe he should be sentenced to live in the projects:
"Pay at top riles Chelsea tenants; Public housing residents say complaints ignored" November 07, 2011|By Travis Andersen and Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff
CHELSEA - Residents of the Scrivano Apartments, one of several managed by the Chelsea Housing Authority, say they already had plenty to complain about, from rodent infestations to cracked walls. Then news broke that the authority’s executive director, Michael E. McLaughlin, had concealed his real salary: $360,000.
“I think it’s outrageous,’’ said Danielle Gallant.
That was the view yesterday among tenants interviewed in the aftermath of McLaughlin’s resignation last week, and the public outcry following a series of Globe reports on his income.
Gallant and her boyfriend, Gene Vose, who are both 26, said during an interview yesterday in their two-bedroom apartment that McLaughlin’s lavish pay was especially jarring considering that the authority raised their monthly rent earlier this year from $485 to about $635, after accusing them of underreporting their federal disability benefits, a charge they deny.
Who do you think was paying that salary?
“They’re so fast to go after the tenants,’’ said Gallant, who has a young son and is due to give birth to another child next month.
Maria Gonzalez, 41, said she learned about McLaughlin’s salary Saturday from a neighbor. She said she was surprised, because workers have told her funding is not available to pay for certain repairs, including drafty windows, or to exterminate cockroaches and mice.
“And now they said they want to charge [tenants] for anything they fix,’’ said Gonzalez, a tenant for 14 years....
--more--"
"Housing receiver requested for Chelsea" by Maria Sacchetti | Globe Staff, November 08, 2011
CHELSEA - Several City Council members and community leaders urged Governor Deval Patrick yesterday to place the Chelsea Housing Authority in state receivership amid intensifying outrage over the ousted director’s $360,000 a year pay package.
In a letter, City Council president Marilyn Vega-Torres and others called for a full investigation of the agency, one that would go beyond former director Michael E. McLaughlin, whose pay, perhaps the highest for any public housing official in the United States, had been approved by the authority’s five-member board.
Many residents have complained about the authority’s maintenance record and sometimes harsh rent-collection policies, and some are now mulling a rent strike on Dec. 1, according to Vega-Torres and the other councilors....
--more--"
Olver Makes It Easy For Massachusetts Redistricting
"As the state moves closer to enacting a redistricting plan that eliminates one of its 10 congressional seats, the two most likely scenarios pit the eastern part of the state against the western....
I want to secede from the state, I really do.
--more--"
Guess who is going to lose out as we always do?
"House districts may get shake-up; McGovern, Olver could face off Southeast may gain a seat" October 19, 2011|By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff
With the deadline fast approaching, Beacon Hill lawmakers are considering a major overhaul for Massachusetts’ tangled, gerrymandered congressional map, a new twist that could create political upheaval for the state’s 10 Democratic US representatives.
One scenario now under serious consideration would pair incumbents James P. McGovern, of Worcester, and John W. Olver, of Amherst, in the same district, forcing them to run against each other, according to Democrats informed of the latest proposals....
Lawmakers say the committee is trying to straighten out what have become convoluted congressional district lines drawn decades ago by Democrats in power for political reasons: to protect incumbents and keep the delegation free of Republicans....
Yeah, one-party fascism is fine if it is the right party, pfft.
The Senate chairman of the Legislature’s redistricting committee, Amherst Democrat Stanley C. Rosenberg, a close friend and political ally of Olver’s, must balance demands from his own constituents to keep two seats in Western Massachusetts with those from the Boston-based political establishment which feels that the region’s declining population should only entitle it to one congressman....
Maybe we could join with Vermont or New York.
The latest plan would call for McGovern, who normally carries his home city of Worcester by large voting margins, to campaign for a seat that would include heavily progressive towns such as Amherst, Northampton, and those in the Pittsfield area, as well as smaller communities in Hampshire, Berkshire, and Franklin counties that also vote heavily Democratic....
--more--"
Related: Welcome to My World
"Olver to retire; redistricting may ease; Could have faced McGovern in ’12" October 27, 2011|By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
US Representative John Olver, an Amherst Democrat, will retire at the end of his term in January 2013, ending a political career that dates back more than 40 years, and taking significant pressure off the congressional redistricting process in Massachusetts.
His announcement could offer one easy fix for what had been a sticky political problem for the state: Massachusetts is losing one of its 10 congressional seats, all held by Democrats....
--more--"
What my lasting impression of the man was him turning down a demand for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney for war crimes by a group of local lawyers because Pelosi was saying no dice.
"Map changes incumbents’ terrain; Keating will move to avoid race against Lynch" by Frank Phillips and Noah Bierman | Globe Staff, November 08, 2011
Legislative leaders released a sweeping plan for the state’s congressional districts yesterday that would straighten out a decades-old snarl of seats and create new political hurdles for some of the nine remaining members of the US House delegation....
The two Western Massachusetts districts would be completely revamped....
My county got split right down the middle.
Revamping is very likely to prompt several primary battles for incumbents and even give Republicans a serious shot at gaining a foothold in the all-Democrat delegation....
I'm shocked.
But “this is clearly not drawn for incumbents,’’ House cochairman, Michael J. Moran of Brighton said. “If it was, it would look a little different.’’
Even Republicans, who have been shut out of congressional seats for years, could have a shot of winning in the new configuration. That is particularly true in the North Shore district represented by John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat. Former Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei, a socially liberal Republican, said yesterday he plans to challenge the eight-term congressman....
The plan must now be approved by the full House and Senate before the Legislature’s session ends Nov. 16 and then be signed by the governor....
--more--"
I want to secede from the state, I really do.
--more--"
Guess who is going to lose out as we always do?
"House districts may get shake-up; McGovern, Olver could face off Southeast may gain a seat" October 19, 2011|By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff
With the deadline fast approaching, Beacon Hill lawmakers are considering a major overhaul for Massachusetts’ tangled, gerrymandered congressional map, a new twist that could create political upheaval for the state’s 10 Democratic US representatives.
One scenario now under serious consideration would pair incumbents James P. McGovern, of Worcester, and John W. Olver, of Amherst, in the same district, forcing them to run against each other, according to Democrats informed of the latest proposals....
Lawmakers say the committee is trying to straighten out what have become convoluted congressional district lines drawn decades ago by Democrats in power for political reasons: to protect incumbents and keep the delegation free of Republicans....
Yeah, one-party fascism is fine if it is the right party, pfft.
The Senate chairman of the Legislature’s redistricting committee, Amherst Democrat Stanley C. Rosenberg, a close friend and political ally of Olver’s, must balance demands from his own constituents to keep two seats in Western Massachusetts with those from the Boston-based political establishment which feels that the region’s declining population should only entitle it to one congressman....
Maybe we could join with Vermont or New York.
The latest plan would call for McGovern, who normally carries his home city of Worcester by large voting margins, to campaign for a seat that would include heavily progressive towns such as Amherst, Northampton, and those in the Pittsfield area, as well as smaller communities in Hampshire, Berkshire, and Franklin counties that also vote heavily Democratic....
--more--"
Related: Welcome to My World
"Olver to retire; redistricting may ease; Could have faced McGovern in ’12" October 27, 2011|By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
US Representative John Olver, an Amherst Democrat, will retire at the end of his term in January 2013, ending a political career that dates back more than 40 years, and taking significant pressure off the congressional redistricting process in Massachusetts.
His announcement could offer one easy fix for what had been a sticky political problem for the state: Massachusetts is losing one of its 10 congressional seats, all held by Democrats....
--more--"
What my lasting impression of the man was him turning down a demand for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney for war crimes by a group of local lawyers because Pelosi was saying no dice.
"Map changes incumbents’ terrain; Keating will move to avoid race against Lynch" by Frank Phillips and Noah Bierman | Globe Staff, November 08, 2011
Legislative leaders released a sweeping plan for the state’s congressional districts yesterday that would straighten out a decades-old snarl of seats and create new political hurdles for some of the nine remaining members of the US House delegation....
The two Western Massachusetts districts would be completely revamped....
My county got split right down the middle.
Revamping is very likely to prompt several primary battles for incumbents and even give Republicans a serious shot at gaining a foothold in the all-Democrat delegation....
I'm shocked.
But “this is clearly not drawn for incumbents,’’ House cochairman, Michael J. Moran of Brighton said. “If it was, it would look a little different.’’
Even Republicans, who have been shut out of congressional seats for years, could have a shot of winning in the new configuration. That is particularly true in the North Shore district represented by John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat. Former Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei, a socially liberal Republican, said yesterday he plans to challenge the eight-term congressman....
The plan must now be approved by the full House and Senate before the Legislature’s session ends Nov. 16 and then be signed by the governor....
--more--"
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sunday Globe Special: Qaqa in the Toilet
We say bathroom here in AmeriKa.
"Attacks by radical Muslim sect in Nigeria kill 67; Group vows more violence targeting weak government" by Jon Gambrell Associated Press / November 6, 2011
At least 67 people died in a wave of bombings and shootings carried out in northeast Nigeria overnight Friday, officials said yesterday, as frightened mourners left their homes to begin burying their dead. A radical Muslim sect known locally as Boko Haram claimed responsibility yesterday for the attacks, which represent the most coordinated and wide-ranging assault yet in their increasingly bloody sectarian fight with Nigeria’s weak central government. The sect, which wants the strict implementation of Sharia law across the nation of more than 160 million people, promised to carry out more attacks.
--nomore--"
Not even that will cover up the stink, Globe:
"At least 69 dead in north Nigeria sect attacks" by JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press – 1 day ago
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Residents fearfully left their homes Saturday to bury their dead in northeast Nigeria following a series of coordinated attacks that killed at least 69 people and left a new police headquarters in ruins, government offices burned and symbols of state power destroyed.
A radical Muslim sect known locally as Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks in Borno and Yobe states, with the worst damage done in and around the city of Damaturu. The group also promised to continue its bloody sectarian fight against Nigeria's weak central government, with residents nervously moving through empty streets, waiting for the next attack.
I'm already smelling the stink of intelligence agencies.
Also see: Haram Scare 'em In Nigeria
Oh, Nigeria has oil, does it?
"There's that fear that something might possibly happen again," Nigerian Red Cross official Ibrahim Bulama said.
In Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, a car bomb exploded Friday afternoon outside a three-story building used as a military office and barracks, killing many uniformed security agents, Bulama said.
Gunmen then went through the town, blowing up a bank and attacking at least three police stations and five churches, leaving them in rubble, officials said. Gunfire continued through the night and gunmen raided the village of Potiskum near the capital as well, witnesses said, leaving at least two people dead there.
On Saturday morning, people began hesitantly leaving their homes, seeing the destruction left behind which included military and police vehicles burned by the gunmen with the burned corpses of the drivers who died still in their seats.
Bulama spoke to The Associated Press by telephone Saturday morning from a common Muslim burial ground in the city as his family buried a relative and friend, a police officer who died after suffering a gunshot wound to the head in the fighting.
Officials anticipated a dusk-till-dawn curfew to fall over the town, though state officials repeatedly declined to comment on the violence. The violence destroyed federal offices, public buildings and an immigration office, said Aliyu Baffale Sambo, an official with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency.
Nigerian Red Cross statistics showed at least 65 people died in and around Damaturu. Four other people were killed by four bombs in Maiduguri, about 80 miles east, officials said. One of those blasts detonated around noon outside an Islamic college, another alongside a road, local police commissioner Simeon Midenda said.
Why would Muslim radicals bomb an Islamic college?
A short time later, suicide bombers driving a black SUV detonated their explosives outside the base for the military unit charged with protecting the city from Boko Haram fighters, military spokesman Lt. Col. Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed said. That blast injured several soldiers.
A Boko Haram spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview Saturday with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. A Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa promised that "more attacks are on the way."
He goes by the name of bullshit? HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
That is where my printed Sunday Globe cut it.
Before continuing I would just like to say that in addition to the insulting elitism and supremacism that comes forth in the paper every day, we now get this LAUGHING IN YOUR FACE JOKE!
Seriously, the spokesman calls himself caca?
Yeah, that IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE in the form of a NEWSPAPER!! I mean, really!!
"We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians," the spokesman said.
His comments come as human rights activists say soldiers have beaten and killed civilians while trying to search for the sect in Maiduguri.
Two suicide bombers detonated explosives inside vehicles in Maiduguri on Saturday night, but caused no casualties, police said.
Boko Haram wants to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, an oil-rich nation of more than 160 million which has a predominantly Christian south and a Muslim north. Its name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, but instead of schooling, it rejects Western ideals like Nigeria's U.S.-styled democracy that followers believe have destroyed the country with corrupt politicians.
I'm just not buying any of this sectarian bullshit anymore, sorry.
Boko Haram's attacks occurred ahead of Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, when Muslims around the world slaughter sheep and cattle in remembrance of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son.
Then it is sacrilegious murder, isn't it?
Police elsewhere in the country had warned of violence ahead of the celebration in Nigeria, a country largely split between a Christian south and a Muslim north. On Wednesday, police in Maiduguri had said they broke up a plot to bomb the city over the holiday.
Oh, now I am SMELLING STINKY GOVERNMENT HANDS all over the mess.
CUI BONO?
Going to be a CRACKDOWN now?
President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian who took office amid religious and political rioting that saw at least 800 die in April, canceled a trip to Bayelsa state for his younger brother's wedding Saturday, spokesman Reuben Abati said. He said the presidency did not consider those who launched the attacks "true Muslims," as the assault came during a holy period.
Nor do I! I have TOLD YOU what I THINK, and that has been based on years of observation and evidence!
Abati also promised that "every step will be taken" to arrest those responsible — the same pledge made again and again as Jonathan has visited other sites bombed by Boko Haram.
"The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction of what could have happened considering the scope of the threat," Abati said. "The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of the Nigerian people is not subverted by a minority (group) with a suicidal streak."
On the world stage that would be the rulers and leaders of the USraeli empire based on recent statements and reports regarding attacking Iran.
However, the Nigerian government faces an increasingly dangerous threat from Boko Haram. The group apparently has split into three factions, the AP has learned. One faction remains moderate and welcomes an end to the violence, another wants a peace agreement with rewards similar to those offered to a different militant group in 2009.
And the intelligence agency assets?
The third faction, though, refuses to negotiate and remains the most radical.
Yeah, that's them.
This faction is in contact with al-Qaida's North Africa branch and likely the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity according to embassy orders.
Oh, there IS CACA in the TOILET!!
Will someone PLEASE FLUSH!?
That sect likely is responsible for the increasingly violent and sophisticated attacks carried out in the sect's name.
You know, the things only intelligence agencies are good at.
In August, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital, which killed 24 people and left another 116 wounded.
An AP count shows the group has killed at least 329 people this year alone.
--more--"
"Attacks by radical Muslim sect in Nigeria kill 67; Group vows more violence targeting weak government" by Jon Gambrell Associated Press / November 6, 2011
At least 67 people died in a wave of bombings and shootings carried out in northeast Nigeria overnight Friday, officials said yesterday, as frightened mourners left their homes to begin burying their dead. A radical Muslim sect known locally as Boko Haram claimed responsibility yesterday for the attacks, which represent the most coordinated and wide-ranging assault yet in their increasingly bloody sectarian fight with Nigeria’s weak central government. The sect, which wants the strict implementation of Sharia law across the nation of more than 160 million people, promised to carry out more attacks.
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--nomore--"
Not even that will cover up the stink, Globe:
"At least 69 dead in north Nigeria sect attacks" by JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press – 1 day ago
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Residents fearfully left their homes Saturday to bury their dead in northeast Nigeria following a series of coordinated attacks that killed at least 69 people and left a new police headquarters in ruins, government offices burned and symbols of state power destroyed.
A radical Muslim sect known locally as Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks in Borno and Yobe states, with the worst damage done in and around the city of Damaturu. The group also promised to continue its bloody sectarian fight against Nigeria's weak central government, with residents nervously moving through empty streets, waiting for the next attack.
I'm already smelling the stink of intelligence agencies.
Also see: Haram Scare 'em In Nigeria
Oh, Nigeria has oil, does it?
"There's that fear that something might possibly happen again," Nigerian Red Cross official Ibrahim Bulama said.
In Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, a car bomb exploded Friday afternoon outside a three-story building used as a military office and barracks, killing many uniformed security agents, Bulama said.
Gunmen then went through the town, blowing up a bank and attacking at least three police stations and five churches, leaving them in rubble, officials said. Gunfire continued through the night and gunmen raided the village of Potiskum near the capital as well, witnesses said, leaving at least two people dead there.
On Saturday morning, people began hesitantly leaving their homes, seeing the destruction left behind which included military and police vehicles burned by the gunmen with the burned corpses of the drivers who died still in their seats.
Bulama spoke to The Associated Press by telephone Saturday morning from a common Muslim burial ground in the city as his family buried a relative and friend, a police officer who died after suffering a gunshot wound to the head in the fighting.
Officials anticipated a dusk-till-dawn curfew to fall over the town, though state officials repeatedly declined to comment on the violence. The violence destroyed federal offices, public buildings and an immigration office, said Aliyu Baffale Sambo, an official with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency.
Nigerian Red Cross statistics showed at least 65 people died in and around Damaturu. Four other people were killed by four bombs in Maiduguri, about 80 miles east, officials said. One of those blasts detonated around noon outside an Islamic college, another alongside a road, local police commissioner Simeon Midenda said.
Why would Muslim radicals bomb an Islamic college?
A short time later, suicide bombers driving a black SUV detonated their explosives outside the base for the military unit charged with protecting the city from Boko Haram fighters, military spokesman Lt. Col. Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed said. That blast injured several soldiers.
A Boko Haram spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview Saturday with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. A Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa promised that "more attacks are on the way."
He goes by the name of bullshit? HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
That is where my printed Sunday Globe cut it.
Before continuing I would just like to say that in addition to the insulting elitism and supremacism that comes forth in the paper every day, we now get this LAUGHING IN YOUR FACE JOKE!
Seriously, the spokesman calls himself caca?
Yeah, that IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE in the form of a NEWSPAPER!! I mean, really!!
"We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians," the spokesman said.
His comments come as human rights activists say soldiers have beaten and killed civilians while trying to search for the sect in Maiduguri.
Two suicide bombers detonated explosives inside vehicles in Maiduguri on Saturday night, but caused no casualties, police said.
Boko Haram wants to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, an oil-rich nation of more than 160 million which has a predominantly Christian south and a Muslim north. Its name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, but instead of schooling, it rejects Western ideals like Nigeria's U.S.-styled democracy that followers believe have destroyed the country with corrupt politicians.
I'm just not buying any of this sectarian bullshit anymore, sorry.
Boko Haram's attacks occurred ahead of Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, when Muslims around the world slaughter sheep and cattle in remembrance of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son.
Then it is sacrilegious murder, isn't it?
Police elsewhere in the country had warned of violence ahead of the celebration in Nigeria, a country largely split between a Christian south and a Muslim north. On Wednesday, police in Maiduguri had said they broke up a plot to bomb the city over the holiday.
Oh, now I am SMELLING STINKY GOVERNMENT HANDS all over the mess.
CUI BONO?
Going to be a CRACKDOWN now?
President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian who took office amid religious and political rioting that saw at least 800 die in April, canceled a trip to Bayelsa state for his younger brother's wedding Saturday, spokesman Reuben Abati said. He said the presidency did not consider those who launched the attacks "true Muslims," as the assault came during a holy period.
Nor do I! I have TOLD YOU what I THINK, and that has been based on years of observation and evidence!
Abati also promised that "every step will be taken" to arrest those responsible — the same pledge made again and again as Jonathan has visited other sites bombed by Boko Haram.
"The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction of what could have happened considering the scope of the threat," Abati said. "The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of the Nigerian people is not subverted by a minority (group) with a suicidal streak."
On the world stage that would be the rulers and leaders of the USraeli empire based on recent statements and reports regarding attacking Iran.
However, the Nigerian government faces an increasingly dangerous threat from Boko Haram. The group apparently has split into three factions, the AP has learned. One faction remains moderate and welcomes an end to the violence, another wants a peace agreement with rewards similar to those offered to a different militant group in 2009.
And the intelligence agency assets?
The third faction, though, refuses to negotiate and remains the most radical.
Yeah, that's them.
This faction is in contact with al-Qaida's North Africa branch and likely the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity according to embassy orders.
Oh, there IS CACA in the TOILET!!
Will someone PLEASE FLUSH!?
That sect likely is responsible for the increasingly violent and sophisticated attacks carried out in the sect's name.
You know, the things only intelligence agencies are good at.
In August, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital, which killed 24 people and left another 116 wounded.
An AP count shows the group has killed at least 329 people this year alone.
--more--"
Plymouth is a Party Town
Just shut that light off, will ya?
"SJC will study rate of OUI acquittals; Says confidence in judiciary paramount More than 80% go free in jury-waived trials" November 01, 2011|By Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff
The state’s highest court has opened a formal inquiry into whether the acquittal rate in drunken driving trials before judges, a rate that now eclipses 80 percent, is unusual and excessive, a step it called necessary to assure the judiciary’s integrity.
The Supreme Judicial Court announced the inquiry yesterday, the day after the Globe Spotlight Team reported that district court judges are acquitting accused drunk drivers at a rate that is about 30 percentage points higher than that of juries, a degree of leniency that specialists have said is virtually unsurpassed in the United States.
The SJC said the confidential review has already begun and is being led by Jack Cinquegrana, a former assistant US attorney and past president of the Boston Bar Association.
“Public confidence in the judiciary depends on its belief in the integrity of the judicial process, judges, and their decisions,’’ the justices said in a prepared statement. “To preserve the public’s trust and confidence, the courts must be, and must appear to be, fair and impartial in all cases.’’
And the fact they they no longer are in AmeriKa has destroyed that very confidence and trust -- if it was ever there at all.
The Spotlight Team reported that in some counties, the rate of not guilty verdicts by judges in drunken driving cases is soaring. Judges in Suffolk County, for example, are acquitting defendants 88 percent of the time in operating-under-the-influence cases. Plymouth County judges are ruling against prosecutors 86 percent of the time....
Maybe the judges are boozers.
--more--"
"Spotlight Report
A judicial haven for accused drunk drivers; Plymouth County’s courts may be the most lenient in OUI trials. Judges hear most cases without a jury and acquit just about everyone, leaving police and victims appalled.
***************************
In the real world of drunken driving enforcement, Maddaus should have been - would have been - in a load of trouble.
But this was not the real world. It was Plymouth County. He couldn’t have crashed in a safer spot.
As the Globe Spotlight Team reported last week, when judges in Massachusetts hear drunken driving cases in bench trials, without a jury, they are overwhelmingly inclined to find defendants not guilty. The statewide acquittal rate exceeds 80 percent, a finding that moved the Supreme Judicial Court to announce Monday it had appointed an investigator to review the pattern of verdicts.
If there is an epicenter for that judicial leniency, it is Plymouth County....
John E. Bradley Jr., the deputy first assistant district attorney, said “You have certain judges . . . who just don’t like convicting people of anything.’’
How horrid in the land of the free.
**********************
District Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly told the Spotlight Team in a recent interview that she believes her judges are calling them as they see them, weighing the evidence and rendering verdicts without fear or favor. The state’s 82 percent bench trial acquittal rate in operating under the influence cases, she said, is not evidence that “there’s something wrong here.’’
****************
Connolly offered a different explanation for why Plymouth prosecutors are complaining about bench trial acquittals. Sour grapes....
It's a loss on the record, and that always seems more important than truth or justice.
But the Spotlight Team’s examination of the cases handled by several judges in Plymouth County - and by especially lenient judges in other sections of the state - shows an almost complete unwillingness to convict, even in cases where the evidence against the defendant is overwhelming.
Consider:
No, I've had enough Boston Globe to drink.
--more--"
Let's get something clear. I'm not for drunk drivers all over the road. The fact is I have argued for strict prohibition on this page (more to make a point than its practicality). What to do with them in a cultural that promotes partying due to its economic benefit while sending an abstinence message to kids? I don't know.
"SJC will study rate of OUI acquittals; Says confidence in judiciary paramount More than 80% go free in jury-waived trials" November 01, 2011|By Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff
The state’s highest court has opened a formal inquiry into whether the acquittal rate in drunken driving trials before judges, a rate that now eclipses 80 percent, is unusual and excessive, a step it called necessary to assure the judiciary’s integrity.
The Supreme Judicial Court announced the inquiry yesterday, the day after the Globe Spotlight Team reported that district court judges are acquitting accused drunk drivers at a rate that is about 30 percentage points higher than that of juries, a degree of leniency that specialists have said is virtually unsurpassed in the United States.
The SJC said the confidential review has already begun and is being led by Jack Cinquegrana, a former assistant US attorney and past president of the Boston Bar Association.
“Public confidence in the judiciary depends on its belief in the integrity of the judicial process, judges, and their decisions,’’ the justices said in a prepared statement. “To preserve the public’s trust and confidence, the courts must be, and must appear to be, fair and impartial in all cases.’’
And the fact they they no longer are in AmeriKa has destroyed that very confidence and trust -- if it was ever there at all.
The Spotlight Team reported that in some counties, the rate of not guilty verdicts by judges in drunken driving cases is soaring. Judges in Suffolk County, for example, are acquitting defendants 88 percent of the time in operating-under-the-influence cases. Plymouth County judges are ruling against prosecutors 86 percent of the time....
Maybe the judges are boozers.
--more--"
"Spotlight Report
A judicial haven for accused drunk drivers; Plymouth County’s courts may be the most lenient in OUI trials. Judges hear most cases without a jury and acquit just about everyone, leaving police and victims appalled.
***************************
In the real world of drunken driving enforcement, Maddaus should have been - would have been - in a load of trouble.
But this was not the real world. It was Plymouth County. He couldn’t have crashed in a safer spot.
As the Globe Spotlight Team reported last week, when judges in Massachusetts hear drunken driving cases in bench trials, without a jury, they are overwhelmingly inclined to find defendants not guilty. The statewide acquittal rate exceeds 80 percent, a finding that moved the Supreme Judicial Court to announce Monday it had appointed an investigator to review the pattern of verdicts.
If there is an epicenter for that judicial leniency, it is Plymouth County....
John E. Bradley Jr., the deputy first assistant district attorney, said “You have certain judges . . . who just don’t like convicting people of anything.’’
How horrid in the land of the free.
**********************
District Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly told the Spotlight Team in a recent interview that she believes her judges are calling them as they see them, weighing the evidence and rendering verdicts without fear or favor. The state’s 82 percent bench trial acquittal rate in operating under the influence cases, she said, is not evidence that “there’s something wrong here.’’
****************
Connolly offered a different explanation for why Plymouth prosecutors are complaining about bench trial acquittals. Sour grapes....
It's a loss on the record, and that always seems more important than truth or justice.
But the Spotlight Team’s examination of the cases handled by several judges in Plymouth County - and by especially lenient judges in other sections of the state - shows an almost complete unwillingness to convict, even in cases where the evidence against the defendant is overwhelming.
Consider:
No, I've had enough Boston Globe to drink.
--more--"
Let's get something clear. I'm not for drunk drivers all over the road. The fact is I have argued for strict prohibition on this page (more to make a point than its practicality). What to do with them in a cultural that promotes partying due to its economic benefit while sending an abstinence message to kids? I don't know.
A Loss For Winn
"Developer to admit campaign fraud; Prosecutors say Winn will plead guilty to charges he made illegal contributions" October 29, 2011|By Casey Ross, Globe Staff
The developer behind the failed Columbus Center project in Boston has agreed to plead guilty to funneling illegal campaign contributions to Massachusetts politicians as part of a seven-year scheme to win favorable political treatment for the massive development, prosecutors say.
Noooo.
Arthur Winn, 72, of Brookline is expected to formally admit his guilt in US District Court within days, an ignominious capstone to his grand dream of building a sprawling complex over the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Prosecutors alleged that Winn orchestrated a scheme in which he and one of his corporate affiliates, Winn Columbus Center Limited Partnership, funneled more than $150,000 in illegal donations to federal, state, and city politicians between 2002 and 2009 in the hope of getting their backing for public funds for the $800 million project.
In court documents, prosecutors said that Winn and his company got relatives, friends, and business associates to make contributions to political candidates and then secretly reimbursed them. A former Winn executive, Martin Raffol, has pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws by using company funds to reimburse contractors and suppliers who had donated to the candidates at his and Winn’s request.
The money was spread among candidates from both parties at all levels, including Governor Deval Patrick, former governor and current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Senator John Kerry, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, several congressmen, and candidates for an array of state and municipal offices.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Professor Wilkerson Cuts Her Own Class
None was charged with wrongdoing....
Really, Globe?
--more--"
"Developer donated to Calif. treasurer; Gifts were followed by Hub investment" by Casey Ross
The developer behind the failed Columbus Center project in Boston has agreed to plead guilty to funneling illegal campaign contributions to Massachusetts politicians as part of a seven-year scheme to win favorable political treatment for the massive development, prosecutors say.
Noooo.
Arthur Winn, 72, of Brookline is expected to formally admit his guilt in US District Court within days, an ignominious capstone to his grand dream of building a sprawling complex over the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Prosecutors alleged that Winn orchestrated a scheme in which he and one of his corporate affiliates, Winn Columbus Center Limited Partnership, funneled more than $150,000 in illegal donations to federal, state, and city politicians between 2002 and 2009 in the hope of getting their backing for public funds for the $800 million project.
In court documents, prosecutors said that Winn and his company got relatives, friends, and business associates to make contributions to political candidates and then secretly reimbursed them. A former Winn executive, Martin Raffol, has pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws by using company funds to reimburse contractors and suppliers who had donated to the candidates at his and Winn’s request.
The money was spread among candidates from both parties at all levels, including Governor Deval Patrick, former governor and current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Senator John Kerry, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, several congressmen, and candidates for an array of state and municipal offices.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Professor Wilkerson Cuts Her Own Class
None was charged with wrongdoing....
Really, Globe?
--more--"
"Developer donated to Calif. treasurer; Gifts were followed by Hub investment" by Casey Ross
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Boston Globe's Circulation CQD
Just let 'em go down.
"Circulation falls at Boston’s daily newspapers" by Johnny Diaz | Globe Staff, November 01, 2011
The nonprofit organization that measures newspaper circulation released figures yesterday showing continued declines in the six-month period that ended Sept. 30.
And I've rarely visited either; that explains (among other reasons) the paucity of posts here.
The Audit Bureau recently altered its methodology, dividing its figures into paid circulation for newspaper copies bought by the consumer, and a new “verified circulation’’ category for copies bought by third parties such as colleges. It also includes figures for readers who pay for digital editions.
And the Globe still declined? Is that why they are offering the 99¢ for a month special so early?
Nationally, daily paid circulation at The New York Times, whose parent company also owns the Globe, was 1,150,589. The figure, up 31 percent from the same period in the previous year, includes digital subscriptions, which the Times started to sell in March. The Times had the largest Sunday circulation in the nation: 1.6 million. Sunday home delivery grew for the first time in five years, increasing by 0.2 percent over the year before.
I haven't bought a Times since 2007. It was a New Year's resolution that stuck. Now I can barely stand the sight of them, and the thought of touching one.... ugh.
The Wall Street Journal, which also has a paid website, had the largest daily circulation nationally with more than 2 million, an increase of 1.7 percent.
That explains why newspapers read like they do; written by and for elites.
--more--"
Also see:
Globe Decline a Decade in the Making
The Boston Globe Admits Iraq Lies Killed It
And yet they have not stopped the agenda-pushing lying. Some people never learn.
"Circulation falls at Boston’s daily newspapers" by Johnny Diaz | Globe Staff, November 01, 2011
The nonprofit organization that measures newspaper circulation released figures yesterday showing continued declines in the six-month period that ended Sept. 30.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations reported The Boston Globe’s average daily circulation was 205,939, down about 7.5 percent from the same period last year.
Not because of this faithful fool.
The paper’s Sunday circulation was down about 2 percent from the previous year to 360,186.
And they lost a sure sale this weekend because of the storm.
“To see narrowing losses in our Sunday circulation is encouraging,’’ said Christopher M. Mayer, the Globe’s publisher. “On the bigger point, the report underscores the importance of newspapers having a digital and print strategy that offers readers compelling choices.’’
I thought I was jaded, but even I'm stunned by the self-deluded denial.
I wonder if the captain of the Titanic felt that way when he was told the pumps were working.
In September, the Globe launched a subscription-only website, BostonGlobe.com, in addition to its free site, Boston.com....
The Audit Bureau recently altered its methodology, dividing its figures into paid circulation for newspaper copies bought by the consumer, and a new “verified circulation’’ category for copies bought by third parties such as colleges. It also includes figures for readers who pay for digital editions.
And the Globe still declined? Is that why they are offering the 99¢ for a month special so early?
Nationally, daily paid circulation at The New York Times, whose parent company also owns the Globe, was 1,150,589. The figure, up 31 percent from the same period in the previous year, includes digital subscriptions, which the Times started to sell in March. The Times had the largest Sunday circulation in the nation: 1.6 million. Sunday home delivery grew for the first time in five years, increasing by 0.2 percent over the year before.
The Wall Street Journal, which also has a paid website, had the largest daily circulation nationally with more than 2 million, an increase of 1.7 percent.
That explains why newspapers read like they do; written by and for elites.
--more--"
Also see:
Globe Decline a Decade in the Making
The Boston Globe Admits Iraq Lies Killed It
And yet they have not stopped the agenda-pushing lying. Some people never learn.
Washington Keeps Poor Out in Cold
Anyone ever tell you anger can keep you warm?
"Snag delays heating aid in Bay State; Funds for oil can’t be released without federal authorization" by Erin Ailworth | Globe Staff, November 02, 2011
Thousands of low-income families in Massachusetts missed heating-oil deliveries as federal funding for heating assistance remained tied up in bureaucratic procedures in Washington.....
This as temperatures have plunged to below-normal levels right now.
I noticed that when the banks or Israel want something it is done within a week, no snags.
The delay - even if short-lived - is just the latest challenge facing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which has had funding cut even as demand jumps in the face of a weak economy and high unemployment. In past years, the program received as much as $5.1 billion, but last fiscal year received about $4.7 billion.
This year, with pressure to rein in mounting deficits, the Obama administration has proposed slashing the heating assistance program by nearly half, to $2.6 billion....
Is that the change you thought you were getting? Why didn't the Democrats rescind the Bush tax cuts and start the tax-the-rich talk three years ago so we could have avoided all this?
Yesterday, people lined up at the agency to apply for heating assistance, even though assistance would likely be delayed. Osrick Ellis, a 64-year-old Boston resident and first-time applicant, said he asked for help after being laid off from his job at Filene’s Basement.
While he has found part-time work, he makes half his previous earnings and expects to struggle to pay heating-oil bills - amounting to $2,000 to $3,000 each season. Ellis said, he and his wife use space heaters and wear sweaters, socks, and hats inside to keep warm.
Cynthia Burgos, 26, of Boston, earns $8 an hour working in retail. She conserves by setting her thermostat between 60 and 64 degrees, weather-stripping windows and doors, and keeping her kids bundled up....
Welcome to AmeriKa, readers.
--more--"
"Snag delays heating aid in Bay State; Funds for oil can’t be released without federal authorization" by Erin Ailworth | Globe Staff, November 02, 2011
Thousands of low-income families in Massachusetts missed heating-oil deliveries as federal funding for heating assistance remained tied up in bureaucratic procedures in Washington.....
This as temperatures have plunged to below-normal levels right now.
I noticed that when the banks or Israel want something it is done within a week, no snags.
The delay - even if short-lived - is just the latest challenge facing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which has had funding cut even as demand jumps in the face of a weak economy and high unemployment. In past years, the program received as much as $5.1 billion, but last fiscal year received about $4.7 billion.
This year, with pressure to rein in mounting deficits, the Obama administration has proposed slashing the heating assistance program by nearly half, to $2.6 billion....
Is that the change you thought you were getting? Why didn't the Democrats rescind the Bush tax cuts and start the tax-the-rich talk three years ago so we could have avoided all this?
Yesterday, people lined up at the agency to apply for heating assistance, even though assistance would likely be delayed. Osrick Ellis, a 64-year-old Boston resident and first-time applicant, said he asked for help after being laid off from his job at Filene’s Basement.
While he has found part-time work, he makes half his previous earnings and expects to struggle to pay heating-oil bills - amounting to $2,000 to $3,000 each season. Ellis said, he and his wife use space heaters and wear sweaters, socks, and hats inside to keep warm.
Cynthia Burgos, 26, of Boston, earns $8 an hour working in retail. She conserves by setting her thermostat between 60 and 64 degrees, weather-stripping windows and doors, and keeping her kids bundled up....
Welcome to AmeriKa, readers.
--more--"
Globe Goes Condo
Given the continuing decline in circulation maybe it is not a bad move.
"Condo sales climb in Boston; Median price drops slightly; luxury market fares even better" by Jenifer B. McKim Globe Staff / November 2, 2011
Home sales in Boston’s downtown condominium market rose by more than 22 percent in the third quarter as home buyers gained confidence in the city’s core residential areas, according to data released yesterday....
Home values dropping is a good thing, huh?
The luxury market - units that feature extras such as valet and concierge services - performed even better....
Related:
"Statistically, the recession ended in June 2009, but it’s been a tough slog since for nearly everybody. One exception: The number of people earning $1 million a year or more increased in 2010 by nearly 20 percent, the government reported last week."
Also see: Renting a Room in Boston
Post-recession, pay kept falling
Then it WAS NEVER REALLY a RECOVERY for EVERYONE ELSE, was it?
Larry Rideout, chief executive of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty based in Boston, said his company is among those selling more high-end homes, which, in turn, will help the broader market by expanding inventory as buyers sell their first homes and move to more expensive living quarters....
Yes, there isn't a foreclosure crisis, there isn't an unemployment crisis, there isn't a homeless crisis.
Yeah, there is SOMETHING TRICKLING DOWN on your head, Americans.
--more--"
"Condo sales climb in Boston; Median price drops slightly; luxury market fares even better" by Jenifer B. McKim Globe Staff / November 2, 2011
Home sales in Boston’s downtown condominium market rose by more than 22 percent in the third quarter as home buyers gained confidence in the city’s core residential areas, according to data released yesterday....
Home values dropping is a good thing, huh?
The luxury market - units that feature extras such as valet and concierge services - performed even better....
Related:
"Statistically, the recession ended in June 2009, but it’s been a tough slog since for nearly everybody. One exception: The number of people earning $1 million a year or more increased in 2010 by nearly 20 percent, the government reported last week."
Also see: Renting a Room in Boston
Post-recession, pay kept falling
Then it WAS NEVER REALLY a RECOVERY for EVERYONE ELSE, was it?
Larry Rideout, chief executive of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty based in Boston, said his company is among those selling more high-end homes, which, in turn, will help the broader market by expanding inventory as buyers sell their first homes and move to more expensive living quarters....
Yes, there isn't a foreclosure crisis, there isn't an unemployment crisis, there isn't a homeless crisis.
Yeah, there is SOMETHING TRICKLING DOWN on your head, Americans.
--more--"
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