“Prankster” is a cutesy attempt to pretty up the ugly fact that Mittens is a mean ass bully, a vicious little bastard. Someone that certainly shouldn’t be elevated to the highest office in the US, if not the world. Unless you feel like being the recipient of his “pranks”. I wonder what kind of “pranks” a guy with that sort of arsenal could get up too? Would it still be cute then?
• Open Thread: Via LGF, another reminder that “Mitt” Romney is a mean prick, even to his own “beloved” property family. Pro tip, Willard: If you’ve finished puberty and people are still calling you a “prankster”, it’s time to re-examine your life, because what they’re really saying is you’re a bully who lacks the balls to own up to his desire to hurt people.
• Mitt Romney’s Sons Explain More of their Dad’s Totally-Not-Evil ‘Pranks’: The Romney sons were alarmingly blithe about their dad’s physical intimidation-based sense of humor last night, recalling with affection how he loves shoving their faces into food under the guise that they should smell it and the one time that their dad, the Presidential hopeful, wrote “HELP” on the bottom of his friend’s shoes before the friend got married so that when the friend kneeled in front of the church, the whole congregation saw the word HELP on his shoes oh my god I’m wiping tears of joy and hilarity from my eyes. The most hilarious part is that Mitt is no longer friends with that guy! You know a prank’s good when it causes a friendship to end. Although Mittens loves dishing it out, as you could probably guess, he’s not excellent at taking it. When his son Josh attempted to prank his dad by grabbing his arm as he reached for a light switch leading into a dark and scary basement, the former Massachusetts governor tackled his son and asked, repeatedly, “Was it worth it? Was it worth it?!” Being a Romney sounds terrifying. [jezebel/ERIN GLORIA RYAN/21 Jun 2012]
US Politics:
• GOP hero Mitch Daniels and his ethics problem: The guy who sorted the books of Indiana by leasing the state highway for 75 years (leaving the state with no revenue for seven decades) has recently accepted the job as president of Purdue University in Indiana. It’s an unusual move since he has no experience in such a role, though he admits that he spent his “life reading, admiring, and attempting to learn from those who do.” Uh huh. The bigger issue and the one that raises obvious ethical issues is that he was hired by a board of directors that he hired himself while governor of Indiana. Daniels will jump from a salary of $107,000 to a comfortable position that likely includes a house and car plus a salary in excess of $500,000. That’s quite a jump for someone without any experience in academia. [americablog/Chris in Paris/23 Jun 2012]
Mistake? It’s FOX. When FOX does it, isn’t it always on purpose?
• Fox News Mixes Up Mitch Daniels, Jerry Sandusky: Fox News made a BIG mistake while discussing the Jerry Sandusky trial on Saturday. While the hosts were explaining the verdict, the network accidentally showed stock footage of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. “We had a technical problem and we were showing Gov. Mitch Daniels in the video when we were talking about Jerry Sandusky, so we apologize for that,” anchor Uma Pemmaraju said. [huffingtonpost/Alana Horowitz/23 Jun 2012]
• Conservatives target Republicans who back gay marriage: ‘You could lose your career’: One year after New York lawmakers voted to make same-sex marriage legal in the state, opponents of gay marriage are pledging to unseat the Republicans whose support was key to the law’s passage, saying they want to send a message to other legislators that there are “consequences” to their votes. The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes gay marriage, says it is funneling $2 million into the state to oust three state senators who voted to support the legislation. All three, Sens. Roy McDonald, Stephen Saland and Mark Grisanti, are facing primary challenges. A fourth GOP senator, Jim Alesi, already has said he won’t seek a ninth term due to local opposition over his pro-gay marriage stance. Alesi, 64, and his three fellow GOP senators joined 29 Democrats on June 24, 2011, to give the bill a 33-29 victory. Though Alesi told msnbc.com he was sad to leave office, he said the vote on gay marriage was “irrevocable” and decried the actions of NOM as “purely revenge” and “blind hatred.” [msnbc/Miranda Leitsinger/24 Jun 2012]
• Report: Paul Ryan being vetted for veep: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has submitted paperwork former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to be vetted for the vice presidency, according to the National Review. As The Fix wrote earlier this week, any vice presidential reporting should be taken with a big grain of salt, although the two have chemistry on the trail. [washingtonpost/Rachel Weiner/22 Jun 2012]
Arctic:
• Russia’s new military units for Arctic no threat to Canada: DND: Russia’s creation of new military units for the Arctic and its decision to conduct a survey of its seabed in the region doesn’t pose a threat to Canada, Defence Department analysts have concluded. Last year, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced his country’s intention to create two new brigades, totalling nearly 10,000 troops, to protect its interests in the Arctic. The forces are to be used to secure Russian borders and, like Canada, the Russians are also beefing up their coast guard and looking to exploit natural resources in their northern territory, according to DND. “While many observers have commented in the media on Russia’s perceived provocative actions in the Arctic, there has yet to be any serious cause for alarm,” the analysts wrote in a July 2011 briefing for Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino. “Russia has a right to station its troops wherever it wants on Russian territory,” the briefing added. [vancouversun/David Pugliese/23 Jun 2012]
Paraguay:
• Growing hostility to new Paraguayan government: The new Paraguayan government yesterday received more signs of rejection of countries in the region to consider the dismissal of Fernando Lugo attempted against democracy, but not yet resolved the mystery about what position MERCOSUR and UNASUR taken as a whole. The show got more aggressive in Argentina and Brazil, with the announcement of withdrawal of its ambassador in Asuncion. Argentina Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Fernandez government “has ordered the immediate withdrawal of its ambassador in Asuncion, leaving the diplomatic mission headed by a chargé d’affaires, while restoring the democratic order” in Paraguay. Meanwhile, yesterday joined the protests Cuba, Peru and the ALBA block. [Spanish: El nuevo Gobierno paraguayo recibió ayer más muestras de rechazo de países de la región que consideran que con la destitución de Fernando Lugo se atentó contra la democracia, pero aún no se ha despejado la incógnita sobre qué posición tomarán Mercosur y Unasur en su conjunto. La muestra más contundente la dieron Argentina y Brasil, con el anuncio de retiro de sus embajadores en Asunción. La Cancillería argentina informó en un comunicado que el Gobierno de Fernández “ha dispuesto el inmediato retiro de su Embajador en Asunción, quedando la representación diplomática a cargo de un encargado de negocios, mientras se restablezca el orden democrático” en Paraguay. Entretanto, ayer se sumaron a las protestas Cuba y Perú, además del bloque de la ALBA.][Agencies/24 Jun 2012]
F.D.Brightly
You’re not a “prankster” [Shorter Question Everything]
“Prankster” is a cutesy attempt to pretty up the ugly fact that Mittens is a mean ass bully, a vicious little bastard. Someone that certainly shouldn’t be elevated to the highest office in the US, if not the world. Unless you feel like being the recipient of his “pranks”. I wonder what kind of “pranks” a guy with that sort of arsenal could get up too? Would it still be cute then?
• Open Thread: Via LGF, another reminder that “Mitt” Romney is a mean prick, even to his own “beloved”
propertyfamily. Pro tip, Willard: If you’ve finished puberty and people are still calling you a “prankster”, it’s time to re-examine your life, because what they’re really saying is you’re a bully who lacks the balls to own up to his desire to hurt people.• Mitt Romney’s Sons Explain More of their Dad’s Totally-Not-Evil ‘Pranks’: The Romney sons were alarmingly blithe about their dad’s physical intimidation-based sense of humor last night, recalling with affection how he loves shoving their faces into food under the guise that they should smell it and the one time that their dad, the Presidential hopeful, wrote “HELP” on the bottom of his friend’s shoes before the friend got married so that when the friend kneeled in front of the church, the whole congregation saw the word HELP on his shoes oh my god I’m wiping tears of joy and hilarity from my eyes. The most hilarious part is that Mitt is no longer friends with that guy! You know a prank’s good when it causes a friendship to end. Although Mittens loves dishing it out, as you could probably guess, he’s not excellent at taking it. When his son Josh attempted to prank his dad by grabbing his arm as he reached for a light switch leading into a dark and scary basement, the former Massachusetts governor tackled his son and asked, repeatedly, “Was it worth it? Was it worth it?!” Being a Romney sounds terrifying. [jezebel/ERIN GLORIA RYAN/21 Jun 2012]
US Politics:
• GOP hero Mitch Daniels and his ethics problem: The guy who sorted the books of Indiana by leasing the state highway for 75 years (leaving the state with no revenue for seven decades) has recently accepted the job as president of Purdue University in Indiana. It’s an unusual move since he has no experience in such a role, though he admits that he spent his “life reading, admiring, and attempting to learn from those who do.” Uh huh. The bigger issue and the one that raises obvious ethical issues is that he was hired by a board of directors that he hired himself while governor of Indiana. Daniels will jump from a salary of $107,000 to a comfortable position that likely includes a house and car plus a salary in excess of $500,000. That’s quite a jump for someone without any experience in academia. [americablog/Chris in Paris/23 Jun 2012]
Mistake? It’s FOX. When FOX does it, isn’t it always on purpose?
• Fox News Mixes Up Mitch Daniels, Jerry Sandusky: Fox News made a BIG mistake while discussing the Jerry Sandusky trial on Saturday. While the hosts were explaining the verdict, the network accidentally showed stock footage of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. “We had a technical problem and we were showing Gov. Mitch Daniels in the video when we were talking about Jerry Sandusky, so we apologize for that,” anchor Uma Pemmaraju said. [huffingtonpost/Alana Horowitz/23 Jun 2012]
• Conservatives target Republicans who back gay marriage: ‘You could lose your career’: One year after New York lawmakers voted to make same-sex marriage legal in the state, opponents of gay marriage are pledging to unseat the Republicans whose support was key to the law’s passage, saying they want to send a message to other legislators that there are “consequences” to their votes. The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes gay marriage, says it is funneling $2 million into the state to oust three state senators who voted to support the legislation. All three, Sens. Roy McDonald, Stephen Saland and Mark Grisanti, are facing primary challenges. A fourth GOP senator, Jim Alesi, already has said he won’t seek a ninth term due to local opposition over his pro-gay marriage stance. Alesi, 64, and his three fellow GOP senators joined 29 Democrats on June 24, 2011, to give the bill a 33-29 victory. Though Alesi told msnbc.com he was sad to leave office, he said the vote on gay marriage was “irrevocable” and decried the actions of NOM as “purely revenge” and “blind hatred.” [msnbc/Miranda Leitsinger/24 Jun 2012]
• Report: Paul Ryan being vetted for veep: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has submitted paperwork former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to be vetted for the vice presidency, according to the National Review. As The Fix wrote earlier this week, any vice presidential reporting should be taken with a big grain of salt, although the two have chemistry on the trail. [washingtonpost/Rachel Weiner/22 Jun 2012]
Arctic:
• Russia’s new military units for Arctic no threat to Canada: DND: Russia’s creation of new military units for the Arctic and its decision to conduct a survey of its seabed in the region doesn’t pose a threat to Canada, Defence Department analysts have concluded. Last year, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced his country’s intention to create two new brigades, totalling nearly 10,000 troops, to protect its interests in the Arctic. The forces are to be used to secure Russian borders and, like Canada, the Russians are also beefing up their coast guard and looking to exploit natural resources in their northern territory, according to DND. “While many observers have commented in the media on Russia’s perceived provocative actions in the Arctic, there has yet to be any serious cause for alarm,” the analysts wrote in a July 2011 briefing for Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino. “Russia has a right to station its troops wherever it wants on Russian territory,” the briefing added. [vancouversun/David Pugliese/23 Jun 2012]
Paraguay:
• Growing hostility to new Paraguayan government: The new Paraguayan government yesterday received more signs of rejection of countries in the region to consider the dismissal of Fernando Lugo attempted against democracy, but not yet resolved the mystery about what position MERCOSUR and UNASUR taken as a whole. The show got more aggressive in Argentina and Brazil, with the announcement of withdrawal of its ambassador in Asuncion. Argentina Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Fernandez government “has ordered the immediate withdrawal of its ambassador in Asuncion, leaving the diplomatic mission headed by a chargé d’affaires, while restoring the democratic order” in Paraguay. Meanwhile, yesterday joined the protests Cuba, Peru and the ALBA block. [Spanish: El nuevo Gobierno paraguayo recibió ayer más muestras de rechazo de países de la región que consideran que con la destitución de Fernando Lugo se atentó contra la democracia, pero aún no se ha despejado la incógnita sobre qué posición tomarán Mercosur y Unasur en su conjunto. La muestra más contundente la dieron Argentina y Brasil, con el anuncio de retiro de sus embajadores en Asunción. La Cancillería argentina informó en un comunicado que el Gobierno de Fernández “ha dispuesto el inmediato retiro de su Embajador en Asunción, quedando la representación diplomática a cargo de un encargado de negocios, mientras se restablezca el orden democrático” en Paraguay. Entretanto, ayer se sumaron a las protestas Cuba y Perú, además del bloque de la ALBA.][Agencies/24 Jun 2012]