Chicago investigating mysterious robo-calls that caused 2,000 election judges not to show up on election resulting in seven hour long lines at the polls. Want to guess which political party was responsible?

Courtesy of Think Progress: 

Chicago election judges received misleading and factually incorrect robocalls before the midterm, causing close to 2,000 of them to not show up on Election Day. As a criminal investigation gets underway, the Chicago Sun-Times has tied the calls to two Republican activists while the Republican Party has denied involvement and distanced itself from the party members who it claims acted alone. (Yeah, sure they did.)

An unknown number of election judges received one or more automated phone calls that informed them about an additional required training session or told them they needed to vote a certain way in order to keep their position. As a result, polling places across the city were understaffed and lines reached seven hours in some precincts. A smaller number of voters were turned away from certain locations. 

The city was forced to dispatch standby election judges when some polling places had just one or no election judges present at 6 a.m. when polls were scheduled to open. At the time, the Chicago Board of Elections said it didn’t know who made the calls or why they were sent out. The Cook County State’s Attorney has launched a criminal investigation and Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for hearings on the robocalls.

Of course this is on top of gerrymandering that has made some Republican strongholds bullet proof, and the influx of enough corporate money to drown a medium size city under a tidal wave of dollar bills.

You know I did not play too many team sports growing up as I don't work or play well with others. However I did compete in individual sports like powerlifting, wrestling, and martial arts.

And I cannot think of one of my coaches or instructors who would EVER have encouraged me to cheat in order to win. Even if winning were the most important thing in the world to them.

I was raised to try my hardest, refuse to give up, and to accept defeat graciously if I could find no path to victory.

Losing sucks balls. But winning, when you know you do not deserve to win, well that would shame me to my very core.

And what type of people do we have running our local and federal governments, if they have no problem showing up for a job that they know they do not deserve? How can we expect them to be ethical and honest, if they got where they are by being the exact opposite?

Because if you have to cheat, lie, and bully in order to get into a position of power, than that is the very last place you should be. 

Class size not an issue so long as you have "high quality" teachers? On what planet?

Courtesy of the Chicago Teacher's Union: 

There's a lot at stake in the closing debate for Chicago Public Schools, which sees eliminating redundant facilities as one piece of a long-term strategy to force efficiencies and address a chronic fiscal crisis. 

For parents and students, the prospect of being shifted away from familiar, nearby schools — even those where student performance lags — can be a daunting and even scary prospect in a city where crossing more streets brings with it expense, inconvenience and safety concerns. 

Michelle Harris, president of the Local School Council at May Elementary in the Austin neighborhood, also sees the consolidation efforts as a threat to school quality. 

"In western suburbs like Forest Park, where my kids used to go to school, they sure wouldn't be OK with 30 students in a classroom," Harris said. "When there's more children in a classroom, there's less learning time and less personal time with the teacher." 

May is one of the 129 schools under consideration for closing. This year there are 463 students enrolled at May, under half its ideal capacity as figured by school officials. 

Becky Carroll, a CPS spokeswoman, argued that big classes don't necessarily hamper learning. 

"It's the quality of teaching in that classroom," Carroll said. "You could have a teacher that is high-quality that could take 40 kids in a class and help them succeed."

I am having a VERY hard time believing that a spokesperson for public schools said this.  It literally makes me want to bang my head on the desk in frustration.

Yes it certainly does help to have a good teacher. However these people are educators NOT wizards!

They can teach, perhaps their teaching can even be categorized as"high-quality," but that is only part of the challenge.

They also have to deal with the different learning capabilities of the students in their classroom. The teacher may be "high-quality" but it is unlikely that in a room full of 40 students that they can all be categorized as such.

This teacher will invariably have students that have IEP's and require special attention, students that did not get enough sleep, students that were passed through the system even they are still several grades behind their peers, students that are hungry because there is not enough food at home, and students who have behavioral problems whihc result in disruption within the classroom.

This "high-quality" teacher might be able to adequately educate 75% of her class in this atmosphere, but at least a quarter of them will fail, or learn so little that they might as well have failed.

What's more the strain of trying to teach this size classroom, year in and year out, will eventually burn this "high-quality" teacher out and send her running to the private sector in the hopes of finding some more reasonable classroom size in a private Christian school, where science is considered  unimportant and trouble makers are simply expelled.

Look I've worked in a number of classrooms, I was the support staff for those teachers, and I can tell you that even under optimum conditions some of these teachers barely make it to the end of the year with their sanity intact. There is tremendous pressure to succeed, and often not nearly enough support, leaving teachers terrified of failing their students.

The idea of expanding the class sizes and then holding the educators to some unreachable "high-quality" standard is cruel and  punitive, and will ultimately result in the failure of the school in which it takes place.

But what can you expect when a non-teacher tries to address the problems of education?

Rahm Emanuel hits one out of the park on behalf of President Obama.

Below you will find the full speech delivered by Rahm Emanuel's speech to the Iowa Democratic Party last night.  I know that many people have issues with Rahm, myself included, however I urge you to read what he said very carefully. He makes some very timely, and vital, points about our President, our country, and the Republicans who seem determined to destroy both.

Courtesy of TPM:

Thank you Sue. 

While we meet here tonight, the Republicans are having a debate across town. 

I’ve watched a number of them, and I’ve got to be honest, I never thought I’d say this, (pause) I’m beginning to miss Sarah Palin’s insights. 

Their debate was called the Thanksgiving Family Forum — which is fitting because I have never seen such a collection of turkeys. 

Look at their top candidates: Take Mitt Romney. He said he would be in Iowa tonight. (pause) We should have known he would change his mind. 

Newt was at the debate. I heard he had to leave early to spend the holiday with his loved ones … the salespeople at Tiffanys. 

And Herman Cain? I was actually hoping Herman would stop by today and see me before the debate, but he was at his tutorial on Libya. The scary part, his tutor was Rick Perry. 

In truth, the Republicans do have an impressive field… 

Governor Mitch Daniels, Governor Haley Barbour and former Governor Jeb Bush … 

The only problem, they’re not on the field. 

I just want you to think about this for a second. Think of our field in 2008. At our debates in Iowa, we had Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Senator Chris Dodd, and President Obama. 

Now think about their field: Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum … 

I’m beginning to feel sorry for Republican primary voters. 

Four years ago, at this very dinner — and many of you were in attendance — a young senator from Illinois, who was 23 points down in the polls, spoke to you in words you will never forget. With the promises he made in that speech, he began a journey that would change history — and he did it with your help. 

Now all of us may be a little older and a little grayer - or as my youngest daughter likes to say, “Dad they can say it’s salt and pepper, but for you, it’s all salt.” But we can remember what he said and what he believed was worth fighting for. 

He stood on this platform, and promised to end “a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged.” 

Republicans didn’t want to let it happen, and Democrats didn’t believe it could. Yet, tonight, the last of 170,000 of America’s finest are on their way home. The war is over. 

That is the change we believed in. That is the change we worked for. That is the change our president delivered. 

Palin is all a Twitter today!

Sarah has had very busy thumbs today.

First she suggests that the best solution to the problem in the Gulf of Mexico is to "pray away the stain".

Gulf disaster needs divine intervention as man's efforts have been futile. Gulf lawmakers designate today Day of Prayer for solution/miracle

THIS is the woman who threw a hissy fit on Bill O'Reilly's show about how the President was not doing enough to stop this spill?  And HER solution is to give up and pray to God for a miracle? You know maybe if the Republicans had not allowed the oil companies to write their own regulations we would not have to rely on divine intervention!  Did THAT ever dawn on little Miss "Drill Baby, Drill?"

Now I know the Repugs and the Palin-bots are going to try and make the case that President Obama asked for our prayers in his speech last week as well.  But the President was asking Americans to pray for strength in dealing with this crisis, NOT for a solution or miracle:

"This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again. What sees us through – what has always seen us through – is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it. Tonight, we pray for that courage. We pray for the people of the Gulf. And we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day. Thank you, God Bless You, and may God Bless the United States of America."

In Palin's next Tweet she simply wishes the men in her family a happy Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day, Todd! Chuck! Jim! Bob! Thanks for working so hard, loving unconditionally, supporting always. We're baking you a cake :)

Nothing wrong with that.  And I am sure that the fact she omitted Levi Johnston,  the father of her grandchild, was simply an accident, and NOT because she is so pissed that he is (allegedly) porking her daughter again that she can't see straight. I mean she would have to be such a hateful bitch if THAT were true.  Now wouldn't she?

And speaking of hateful bitches you have GOT to see her latest Tweet.

RahmEmanuel= as shallow/narrowminded/political/irresponsible as they come,to falsely claim Barton's BP comment is "GOP philosophy"Rahm,u lie

You know I don't want to read to much into this, but I think there may be the slightest possibility that Palin might not like Rahm Emanuel very much.  Or am I being too sensitive?

Wow!  Is she pissed or what?  She even channeled a little Joe Wilson there. Can you believe she used that kind of language on Father's Day?  The only caveat is that Rahm Emanuel probably calls HIMSELF worse things then that when he cuts himself shaving.

Still in one tweet Palin is polishing up her Christian credibility by asking everybody to pray to God, and two tweets later she is screaming hateful things at a public servant.  I mean just what kind of church did this woman go to anyway?  Oh yeah, how could I forget?

Sarah Palin on The Factor talking about the Teabaggers and complaining that The Family Guy attacked her family.

Part One:



In this clip Sarah Palin claims not to have seen ANY extremism among the teabaggers, and blames the media for WANTING to see that. I found it particularly interesting that Sarah Palin made the point that the "birthers" should not have their 1st amendment rights taken away, especially after she had both Dennis Zaki and I escorted out of a public book signing event by the Wasilla police.

The part near the end where O'Reilly tries to get Palin to explain how a disorganized bunch of lunatics like the teabaggers can get organized to become a political force while Palin just keeps throwing out pathetically inadequate talking points should be proof positive to anybody looking toward Sister Sarah for leadership that she is simply an empty shell and has NOTHING of substance to offer anyone.

Part Two



Sarah Palin can see into the future? Then she must have known she was going to lose that last election. Gee I wonder why she seemed so surprised? (Did you see Piper race to rescue Trig from her mother's careless embrace?)

Sarah goes on to compound the lie that Bristol wrote the Facebook response to the Family Guy episode. (Oh I wish I could divulge who I talked to today that told me that there was NO way that Bristol wrote that post! Maybe soon.)

In her effort to make it seem that her condemnation of Rahm Emanuel's use of the word "retarded", and her defense of Rush Limbaugh's repeated use of the word "retards" is not hypocritical, she totally misrepresents BOTH of them. Palin claims that Emanuel called "a group of people he disagreed with effing retards". That is not true. What he DID was to say that the plan of progressives to place ads attacking Democrats for not supporting the Health Care bill was "fucking retarded". He did not call any person a retard.

And Palin's claim that Rush was using "satire" to bring to light what Emanuel said is also patently false. In fact Rush was making fun of the fact that people like Sarah Palin were getting their panties in a wad over the use of the word.

"Our political correct society is acting like some giant insult’s taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards," Limbaugh said on the show. "I mean these people, these liberal activists are kooks.

"They are loony tunes. And I’m not going to apologize for it, I’m just quoting Emanuel. It’s in the news," he continued.

"I think their big news is he’s out there calling Obama’s number one supporters f’ing retards. So now there’s going to be a meeting. There’s going to be a retard summit at the White House.

So in Sarah Palin's mind using the word "retarded" in a closed door session to describe an idea that Rahm Emanuel does not like, and having a Down Syndrome teenager on an animated show with a selfish attitude, is terribly wrong and must suffer a Palin style Facebook smackdown. But Rush Limbaugh calling people "retards", and broadcasting that there will be a "retard summit" on the public airwaves is perfectly okay?

You know lady, that logic is fucking retarded. I just thought somebody should point that out.

SNL: Rahm Emanuel apologizes for using the word "retarded". Well kinda.

You know I think Andy Samberg should have been paid $100,000 for telling Sarah Palin off on national television. That was beautiful!

Hypocrisy thy name is "Palin".

In yesterday's RAM written Facebook rant, there is this an attack on Rahm Emanuel over this week old report from the Wall Street Journal.

The friction was laid bare in August when Mr. Emanuel showed up at a weekly strategy session featuring liberal groups and White House aides. Some attendees said they were planning to air ads attacking conservative Democrats who were balking at Mr. Obama's health-care overhaul.

"F—ing retarded," Mr. Emanuel scolded the group, according to several participants. He warned them not to alienate lawmakers whose votes would be needed on health care and other top legislative items.

Here is Mansour's....uh Palin's....uh....I don't know....somebody's response on facebook.

The Obama Administration’s Chief of Staff scolded participants, calling them, “F---ing retarded,” according to several participants, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

Just as we’d be appalled if any public figure of Rahm’s stature ever used the “N-word” or other such inappropriate language, Rahm’s slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them – is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking.

A patriot in North Andover, Massachusetts, notified me of Rahm’s “retarded” slam. I join this gentleman, who is the father of a beautiful child born with Down Syndrome, in asking why the Special Olympics, National Down Syndrome Society and other groups condemning Rahm’s degrading scolding have been completely ignored by the White House. No comment from his boss, the president?

Did you notice it could not simply be a regular person who relayed this information to Sarah? It had to be a "patriot". As if she would not deign to interact with just any old run of the mill American.

It is then that RAM/Palin goes off about wanting "her" child to grow up in a world "free from mindless prejudice and discrimination". Acting almost as if Palin was not the accelerant that started the blaze of racism and hatred that is so prominently on display at Teabagger rallies all across this nation.

However Palin's hypocrisy goes much deeper than that.

I am sure we all remember this tidbit from Levi Johnston.

After Tripp was born, Sarah would pay more attention to our son than she would to her own baby, Trig. Sarah has a weird sense of humor. When she came home from work, Bristol and I would be holding Trig and Tripp. Sarah would call Trig--who was born with Down syndrome--"my little Down's baby." But I couldn't believe it when she would come over and sometimes say, playing around, "No, I don't want the retarded baby--I want the other one," and pick up Tripp. That was just her--even her kids were used to it.

Sarah do you know what is infinitely worse than referring to the actions undertaken by a group of intelligent adults as "f**king retarded"?

Using the word "retard" to refer to an actual child diagnosed with Down syndrome, who is living in your home and looking to you for love and acceptance, that's what.

Your level of hypocrisy is stunning madam. So perhaps I should ask you the very same question posed in the title of your post, "Are You Capable of Decency, Sarah Palin?"

The country, just chock full of "patriots", await your answer.

Saturday Night Live last night was brilliant!

Oh yeah! I am loving "The Rock Obama". I think this may be the fantasy of a whole bunch of Democrats in this country.



I am not sure he is offering enough money. And oh don't I miss those Nigerian scam e-mails! I haven't heard from those people in over eight years.



Boy I wish I could get one of those electrodes. I know just the people who need one.

Last Night's SNL.

I actually would not mind if Rahm Emmanuel was this aggressive. We need a pitbull in the White House watching Obama's back.

Rahm Emanuel makes Cheney admit that he is indeed part of the executive branch. Hah, made you blink!

Dick Cheney's office is abandoning a justification for keeping the vice president's secret papers out of the hands of the National Archives, while asserting a new argument for withholding them.

Officials working for Cheney had tried to claim he is separate from the executive branch, but they will no longer pursue that defense, senior administration officials tell The Politico.

The decision follows a threat by Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), the No. 3 House Democrat, to try to cut off the office's $4.8 million in executive-branch funding, and a letter from Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) asking for the reasoning behind the argument.

Cheney's not so tough. He is so used to everybody kissing his ass that he is not ready for people to call him on his bullshit. He is just the typical schoolyard bully who needs to get punched in the nose to learn to stop being such a dick.

Oh, well I guess he will always be a Dick won't he.