DOWNLOADS: (150)

PLAYS: (488)

Embed

As Rachel Maddow noted in her segment above, it looks like Indiana Gov. Mike Pence may be set to follow in Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's shoes and take over the title of Governor Ultrasound if he ends up supporting this bill that just passed his state's Senate.

Indiana Bill Would Force Women To Undergo Two Transvaginal Probes To Take A Pill (UPDATED):

A medication abortion pill, officially known as RU-486, is the earliest available abortion option for a woman. A patient could be as little as one week pregnant and take the pill to terminate. But despite the incredibly early stage at which the pill is administered, a new bill proposed in the Indiana State Senate would require women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound before they are permitted to simply swallow the medication.

Indiana’s effort follows a sweeping national trend to mandate the medically unnecessary and invasive procedure as a way to create barriers to abortion access. And theirs goes a step further, by also forcing clinics that administer the pill to meet all of the same requirements as a surgical abortion clinic: [...]

UPDATE: Indiana’s bill is actually twice as invasive as most forced ultrasound bills, the Huffington Post reports. The version that advanced out of a Senate committee today would require women to undergo two transvaginal probes — before and after taking the abortion pill. There’s no medically necessary reason to require an ultrasound after an abortion procedure, since women can simply take a blood test to see whether their hormone levels have returned to normal to verify that they are no longer pregnant.

DOWNLOADS: (157)

PLAYS: (1245)

Embed

Stories like this one aren't going to help the Republicans much with their so-called "rebranding' effort: Virginia is for lovers of their own currency:

Virginia sure has been a hotbed of activity on issues with national implications, hasn't it? Republicans in the commonwealth pushed a scheme to rig the electoral college (which failed soon after), launched an ugly redistricting scheme (which now appears doomed), and crafted absurd voter-ID bill (which seems likely to become law).

And while all of those are clearly important, this is the one that amazes me.

Virginia Del. Robert G. Marshall fears that a financial apocalypse is coming and only one thing can save the Commonwealth: its own currency.

The idea that Virginia should consider issuing its own money was dismissed as just another quixotic quest by one of the most conservative members of the state legislature when Marshall introduced it three years ago. But it has since gained traction not only in Virginia, but also in states across the country as Americans have grown increasingly suspicious of the institutions entrusted with safeguarding the economy.

Marshall's proposal sailed through the House of Delegates this week, passing by a two-to-one majority.

No, seriously.

Continue reading »

You've just got to love these Republicans. They attack teachers and their unions and their collective bargaining rights, and then turn around and expect them to do double duty as law enforcement. Here's what's becoming an all too common idea from the wingnuts out there who think more guns is the solution to everything: Oklahoma Republican’s bill would arm teachers and train them like law enforcement:

McCullough plans to introduce legislation that would give school teachers and administrators the right to carry firearms in school. Under current law in Oklahoma, it is a felony to possess a gun on school property.

“I’m going to err on the side of trusting my teachers if it comes down to it,” the lawmaker explained. “I am not going to trust a madman.”

And McCullough explained to KOKH’s Marisa Mendelson that parents shouldn’t worry because teachers would required to get the same type of Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) certification that police officers have.

“These teachers would be trained at the same level as our law enforcement are currently trained,” he said. “They would be trained in target acquisition, in marksmanship. They would be trained in all of the things that our current police officers are trained in.”

Oklahoma parent Tom Jones, however, wasn’t comforted by McCullough’s assurances.

“I don’t believe that’s the answer, I really don’t,” Jones insisted. “I’d have to ask, how are you going to screen the teachers? How do you know you don’t have a mentally ill person?”

Republican state Sen. Ralph Shortey is also on board with McCullough’s plan, but he said that he would allow any teacher with a concealed-carry permit to bring firearms into the school without additional training.

“When citizens have the liberty to protect themselves, they will do so, and they will do so responsibly,” Shortey told The Oklahoman.

These people aren't going to be happy until they take us back to the days of the wild, wild west. Virginia's Governor Ultra-Sound-McDonnell wants to do the same thing in his state as well: Virginia Governor McDonnell Wants More Guns In Schools.

And we heard the same from Texas wingnut Gov. Rick Perry: Rick Perry Tells Tea Party: Allow More Guns in Schools .

DOWNLOADS: (104)

PLAYS: (587)

Embed

Yesterday on Fox News Sunday, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan couldn't give specifics on the "math" behind Mitt Romney's tax plan and told host Chris Wallace that it "would take too long to explain" how their numbers are supposed to add up -- which they don't.

This Monday on MSNBC, host Andrea Mitchell didn't have any more luck getting Romney surrogate, Gov. Ultrasound Bob McDonnell to give her specifics as Chris Wallace did. McDonnell refused to directly answer any of her questions and instead, just continually changed the topic to attacking President Obama or talking about what governors are doing with state government budgets across the country.

It's a pretty sad day when these guys can't even handle an interview with Mrs. Greenspan or Fox's Chris Wallace without stumbling and twisting themselves into knots trying to defend their policies.

UPDATE: Here's more from Think Progress who flagged this segment Monday as well -- GOP Governor: Asking Whether Romney’s Tax Plan Adds Up Is ‘A Laughable Question’:

Asking the Republican presidential ticket to explain how it plans to give a the massive tax cut to the rich while still balancing the budget and avoiding tax increases on the middle class is “laughable,” Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday. [...]

The Romney campaign has faced calls from Democrats, the media, and even other Republicans to get more specific about its tax and budget plans, but has thus far refused. That’s fine with McDonnell, an oft-used Romney surrogate, who could neither explain Romney’s tax plan nor name a single specific spending cut Romney would make as president:

MITCHELL: Where is the math, and is Mitt Romney going to be under pressure in this debate to produce some specifics about how it will all add up?

MCDONNELL: Well, Andrea, first, that’s a laughable question. Where’s the president’s plan? He’s had four years. 23 million people don’t have work. So let’s start with that, the president’s policies haven’t worked.

MITCHELL: The question was asked by Chris Wallace on Fox, it’s being asked by other Republicans. Where is the math? How do you add up those tax cuts even eliminating some deductions? Which deductions would you eliminate? Let’s be specific. And how will you do that and reach deficit reduction? Which programs will be cut?

MCDONNELL: The question is how do you get America back to work? What Paul Ryan just said on your clip is you, you flatten the base and increase the, I mean excuse me, you increase the — you reduce the number of deductions that are out there and you expand the base. That’s typically what works. That can be done in a revenue-neutral fashion, I think that’s what Paul Ryan has proposed, and what that does is make America more competitive.

Romney’s tax plan either adds up to budget-busting deficits or tax increases on middle class families, as the Tax Policy Center found when it filled in the gaps of Romney’s plan in the most generous fashion. Read on...

DOWNLOADS: (84)

PLAYS: (654)

Embed

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign on Wednesday partied with wealthy donors on a 150-foot yacht that flies the flag of the Cayman Islands, according to an ABC News report.

Members of the Romney Victory Council, who have each raised more than $1 million for the candidate, mingled with Romney's brother, Scott, and other relatives in Tampa aboard the luxury yacht "Cracker Bay."

While they waited outside the unadvertised event, ABC News snapped photos of the Cayman Islands civil ensign flag flying on the yacht's stern.

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) was reportedly scheduled to speak to the more than 50 people attending.

"It was a really nice event," billionaire energy industry executive Wilbur Ross told the network. "These are good supporters."

Romney came under fire earlier this year when it was revealed that he had millions stashed in the Cayman Islands, a notorious tax haven. In August, Vanity Fair reported that Romney still had a personal stake in at least 12 of Bain Capital's Cayman Island funds, worth up to $30 million.

The candidate recently insisted to Fox News host Chris Wallace that "there was no reduction — not one dollar reduction — in taxes by virtue of having an account in Switzerland or a Cayman Islands investment."

"I think it's ironic they do this aboard a yacht that doesn't even pay its taxes," a woman who lives at the marina where Cracker Bay is moored told ABC News.

DOWNLOADS: (150)

PLAYS: (926)

Embed

We can now add Gov. Transvaginal Ultrasound Bob McDonnell to the list of Republicans who are trying to pretend like there's some wiggle room in their extremist anti-abortion platform they just passed this week, which has no exceptions for rape or incest. If Republicans had wanted those exceptions, they'd be in the platform, period. They're not, but the personhood language is.

McDonnell and Blackburn and Priebus can tell the voters otherwise until they're blue in the face, but it's not going to change the fact that their party's platform is way to the right of where most Americans and even most Republicans are on the issue of abortion.

McDonnell: GOP Platform Doesn’t Make Judgment On Rape, Incest Exceptions:

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, chairman of the Republican Party's platform committee, said that the party's platform affirms their opposition to abortion and does not address the issue of exemptions in an interview on ABC's "This Week."

"George, you're just reading it wrong," McDonnell said to host George Stephanopoulos, who said he doesn't see an exception in the abortion plank. "That's been there for 30 years. There are multiple human life amendments that were introduced 20, 30 years ago. Some of them had exceptions, some of them didn't."

McDonnell reiterated his point: "The party didn't make any judgment on that. It's a general proposition to say we support human life. The rest of those details are up to the states and the people respectively, George, and that's simply not covered. It's something up to Congress and the states."

McDonnell's position is in line with how the RNC has been explaining their platform after it received a lot of attention this week in the wake of the Todd Akin controversy.

Full transcript below the fold.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (309)

PLAYS: (4567)

Embed

This Tuesday at the Republican National Convention, their platform committee, led by Gov. Bob McDonnell, approved anti-abortion language that has no exceptions for rape, right in the middle of the dust up with Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin and his statement about "legitimate rape" that had Republicans demanding that he drop out of that race.

As Rachel Maddow pointed out that same evening, Gov. McDonnell was so desperate to be the vice presidential pick this year that for a while he was trying to run away from his own positions on the topic, but now that he was passed over, here he was, putting that same extreme language into their official platform at the convention instead. And what is Mitt Romney trying to do? Run from it as fast as he can of course.

MADDOW: You know, if this is your policy position, you either have to explain and defend that policy position, or it can't be your policy position. You can't both have that as your position and never have to be held accountable for it. It is the position of your vice presidential nominee, and it is his voting record, and it is his policy record. And it is about to be the official party platform that you are running on. And your people were there shaping that platform when it wound up in there.

But that's not you? What's you then?

Whatever's convenient Rachel. Etch-a-Sketch doesn't ever expect to be held accountable for anything he's said or done. And in the mean time, Akin is refusing to drop out of the race, so we can look forward to Romney at least continuing to be pushed about whether he agrees with Akin or not and if he doesn't, why did he pick Paul Ryan for a running mate?

DOWNLOADS: (304)

PLAYS: (766)

Embed

As TPM noted, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell begrudgingly admitted that President Obama's policies have helped his state, undermining Mitt Romney's arguments that his policies have made the economy worse: Bob McDonnell: OK, Obama Deserves A Little Credit:

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) on Sunday sought to thread the needle between touting Virginia’s improving economic outlook and blaming President Obama for the nation’s woes — and ended up going somewhat off script.

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, he initially resisted, but host Candy Crowley cornered the Mitt Romney surrogate into giving Obama a little bit of credit for Virginia’s lower-than-average unemployment rate.

“Did [the stimulus] help us in the short-run with health care and education and spending to balance the budget? Sure,” McDonnell said. “Does it help us in the long-term to really cut the unemployment rate. I’d say no.”

Crowley followed up: “So just a tiny bit of credit to the president?”

“Well sure,” the governor responded. “I think there are national policies that have had some impact.”

McDonnell’s argument — that Obama helped a little but not enough — contradicts Romney’s core 2012 message, which is that Obama has made the economy worse. It reflects the pitfalls of the overarching Republican message that the economy is lousy while many GOP governors elected in 2010 tout improvements in their states.

But McDonnell also did his best to attack Obama — specifically his energy policies and “over-burdensome” regulations — and make the case for his candidate.

As Think Progress reported back in 2010, when McDonnell was out there taking credit for his state's economy and their ability to balance their budget: Despite His Anti-Government Rhetoric, Gov. McDonnell’s Budget Surplus Results From Government Assistance:

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (342)

PLAYS: (3850)

Embed

Chris Matthews just couldn't seem to make it through another segment talking about the Republican's recent overreach with their assault on women's access to affordable contraceptives without bringing on the Catholic bishops favorite water carrier, Melinda Henneberger.

Henneberger's recent piece at The Washington Post attempts to blame Democrats for ginning up the recent debate purely for political and fundraising purposes as though the backlash against the actions of the Catholic bishops and some of the recent statements from presidential candidate Rick Santorum, or the invasive transvaginal ultrasound bill that it appears Virginia Bob McDonnell has now backed off of, was not real or sincere.

Thankfully Salon's Joan Walsh was there to push back at Henneberger's assertions and I'll just lead readers over to her column where she has more on the interview above -- Did crafty Dems make contraception a campaign issue? :

First Rush Limbaugh, now the Washington Post women's blog, claim the GOP was set up by its enemies on birth control

Did you know the GOP doesn’t want to be talking about contraception? That it’s an issue ginned up by opportunistic Democrats? Rush Limbaugh made that case last week (while also insisting Republicans would win an election decided on culture war issues, so I’m not sure what his problem was.) But Wednesday it made its way to the Washington Post’s women’s blog, in a piece by Melinda Henneberger headlined: “It’s Democrats who are putting focus on birth control.”

Now, Henneberger is not a Republican. She’s a sorta-liberal, a veteran of the New York Times, Huffington Post, Slate and Politics Daily, who too often gives Republicans the benefit of the doubt, particularly when it comes to reproductive health issues. She emerged as a leading voice criticizing President Obama’s decision to require all employers, even religiously affiliated ones (though not churches) to provide contraception coverage in health insurance policies. You know my stand on that. But her questionable views on the politics of birth control got my attention a few weeks earlier, when she carried water for Rick Santorum and let him whine in an interview that Salon’s Irin Carmon had been unfair to him in her piece “Rick Santorum is coming for your birth control.”

Much more there where Walsh takes Henneberger's arguments apart, so go read the rest.

Transcript below the fold.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (56)

PLAYS: (155)

Embed

We've been down this road before and it only took a week for TPM's Sahil Kapur's prediction to be correct that this trial balloon for Republican governors trying to take credit for the economy improving being one of their talking points we're going to hear more of, this time with Virginia's wingnut Gov. Bob McDonnell repeating it during their weekly Republican response to President Obama's weekly address.

For a reminder of why McDonnell is just as full of it this week as he was last week, I'll refer back to my post from here -- Gov. Bob McDonnell: Economy is Recovering Because of What Republican Governors Are Doing, Not the President.

I didn't see McDonnell on the list of Sunday show hackery this weekend, but I believe he agreed to make an appearance on Rachel Maddow's show this week. I look forward to seeing whether she calls him out for the fact that these Republican governors he's touting here have done nothing but do their best to destroy, weaken and sabotage our economy with the help of their cohorts in the Senate and House in order to make President Obama a one term president, which is their political goal, if he actually shows up for the interview.

Transcript below the fold.

Continue reading »