After a controversial two-year run as Chairman of The Republican Party, Michael Steele is out as its chairman, and Wisconsin lawyer Reince Priebus is in.
Trouble is, after seven voting rounds and some anxiety on the part of Tea Party types who wanted , the Republicans have picked a person who's name they can't even say and many aren't pleased with.
Erick Erickson, who seems to have cleaned up his racist act over at RedState, wrote "I wish Reince Priebus well, look forward to learning how to say his name, and am excited to work with him." To which some of his readers commented on how they can't say his name:
pronunciation guide.
Does Reince rhyme with rinse? Or is it a long i sound? Or long e?
How about the last name?
Who is this Reince Priebus, anyway? Well, a quick look says the Chairman of The Republican Party of Wisconsin is "a partner in our Litigation Practice Group," according to Michael Best & Friedrich law firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they continue...
"Co-Chair of the Construction Group and Government and Public Policy Group. Currently, Mr. Priebus handles all aspects of corporate litigation...Before entering law school, Mr. Priebus worked in the Wisconsin legislature. During that time, Mr. Priebus also served as the Committee Clerk for the State Assembly Education Committee. During law school, Mr. Priebus clerked for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Los Angeles, California."
Priebus may be young and accomplished, but also a bit of a back-stabber. According to Riehl World View, Priebus, in going for the chairmanship of the GOP, may have pulled off a Machiavellian snatch worthy of politician Francis Urquhart.
Who?
Francis Urquhart is the fictional Tory Whip portrayed by the late Ian Richardson in the critically acclaimed TV Drama House of Cards. Urquhart used his proximity to the Prime Minster as a weapon to eventually cause the PM to resign under scandal.
Riehl World View reports that "Preibus, in addition to being party chair in WI, is the former right-hand man to Steele. He served has the campaign manager for Steele’s run for Chair and then took a staff job as General Counsel at the RNC, which would position him to approve all of Steele’s contracts with outside consultants or friends. Which he did, apparently."
Aside from backstabbing, er gaining votes from Steele's friends like gathering nuts for the winter, he's also known for this slip, calling Osama Bin Ladin, Obama. And...
Well, from the frying pan (Steele) to the fire (Priebus) go the GOP.
Stay tuned. Some extremist GOPers hate that Priebus was picked, saying he wrecked the donor base. A number of blogs have called for Conservatives to give their money to other organizations and not the GOP.
This is the 99er Tier 5 Daily Plan of Action beginning now and continuing throughout January, the only question is: How bad do you want it? Do you want this bad enough to consider these daily emails, faxes, and phone calls like the job you do not have now? Do you want it bad enough to recruit all of your contacts in your address book and ask them to do the same? Will you post this plan of action everywhere you can to reach as many people as possible?
The new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, R-Ohio - wants to hear from America. I suggest we all answer the call every day several times per day! His website invites all those outside his district to contact him... Gee Pelosi did not even do that! Live outside Ohio's 8th District? Contact Speaker John Boehner http://speaker.gov/Contact/default.aspx or speakerboehner@mail.house.gov
We need everyone with an email address to contact these addresses relentlessly! I myself have 11 email addresses and am sending 3 per day from each one of mine.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) announced on Jan. 7 that he would be collecting the resumes of the unemployed to "dramatize the shameful condition of unemployment and compel action to do something about it." For those wishing to participate in Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s resume collection/awareness program, resumes can be sent via e-mail to ResumesforAmerica@mail.house.gov
or by traditional mail to:
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
2419 Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC, 20009
***Now people it is true that we have done this before - BUT we did it on our own and nobody really was the point man in Washington DC to collect them and do anything with them! I would like to see hundreds of thousands of emails sent to this man every week. Send your own not once but several times and get your contacts to do the same.
U-Cubed is the union of the unemployed. If you are not a member then you are going to miss out on one of the most significant vehicles we 99ers will have this year to effect the change unemployed Americans need to survive and eventually THRIVE!
DID YOU KNOW: As many as 244,000 unemployed workers are missing out on receiving much-needed unemployment benefits, says a report by UnemployedWorkers.org.
In a long and bitter battle late last year, Congress voted to extend unemployment benefits an additional 13 months in states suffering from high unemployment. But 10 states eligible to receive the federal assistance have yet to pass legislation to accept the funds. Those states are Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming. WTF are they thinking ??
99ERS UNITE AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH You are encouraged to spread the word everywhere Unemployed Americans congregate paste that link and tell them to JOIN it is FREE and the leadership of this union ROCKS!!!!
BREAKING NEWS: I was just able to confirm before today’s Jobless Talk Show that Rick Sloan will be my special guest next week and he will take your calls too so Bring your U-Cubed questions next week and get them answered by the MAN himself! Mr. Rick Sloan on Jobless Talk January 21, 2011.
I encourage you to cultivate that fighting spirit within you - DO NOT GIVE UP OR GIVE IN TO depression and apathy as they truly are your enemies every bit as much as some may feel certain members of Congress have been to the unemployed. BUT DO NOT USE THAT as an excuse to indulge your lessor angles or demons by physically harming people you feel deserve such. That is insanity and has no place in a civilized society. If you use your anger as a motivating force to propel you off the couch and into the visibility of taking it to the streets - YOU MUST allow your humanity to direct and guide you. Love is far more powerful than hate.
Theodore Roosevelt (my favorite President ever) said “Believe you can and you're halfway there.” another relevant quote of his that I LOVE is - “The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything.”
Oh how true that is! And hopefully it can help explain the missteps we have suffered together in the 99er Nation over the past year especially! We made mistakes, fell short of our goals and within our community have wasted precious time, energy and momentum by often fighting amongst ourselves. Speculation on what may or may not work, on what was being reported that may not be true or whose ego was running rampant. Most of that rubbish was offered up by ignorant wannabes who were envious of those who actually got out there and tried to do what we could to make things happen. Some criticism may have been justified but should NEVER been used to attack those within our ranks willing to do whatever it took to be heard and help in any way possible. I feel so strongly that the ONLY failure truly is not to try and keep trying until we find what is going to work!
When I write my articles I am attempting to do just that. I try to do so in a way that stirs up 99ers from their justifiable discouragement and inevitable apathy! But Not ever as a call to violence and I assume my readers are intelligent enough to understand just that....but I’ll be damned it there aren’t alway a few real thick headed commenters out there who either really still don’t GET IT about me and what I always try and do or if they are just playing dumb in order to justify their own laziness not wanting to participate in these vital campaigns. We cannot just do one thing people. We need do do it all every chance we have to make our voices and need heard NOW!!!
Let’s get her done 99er Nation!!!!
On a side Note: My graphics genius Bud Meyers from Bud’s blog has been getting a lot of national attention recently from CNN and other media outlets re: his press Release yesterday that read more like a suicide note. Some concerned 99ers actually tracked him down and phoned the authorities to preform a welfare check on the resident of Los Vegas, NV.
From Huff Po today:DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - A Nevada man who's been out of work nearly two years wrote on his blog Thursday that he's tired of being tired. "As I see my life winding down in about three more weeks I have pondered the absence of relevance in my past life, and the lack of significance my passing will be to the world," wrote Bud Meyers, a 55-year-old former casino bartender. Bud's out of money, he wrote, and facing eviction in less than a month. "I'm tired of hoping when after all I've had for over two long years has been isolation, loneliness, disappointment, anger, frustration, and depression while engaging in useless efforts to find work and survive. But no matter how difficult that has been, now I must face the stark reality of the last three weeks of my life." This was apparently construed by somebody as a suicide threat. Bud told HuffPost two police officers paid him a visit yesterday. "They said one of my Facebook friends contacted them and feared I might try to kill myself because of that article," he said. "I said whoever read my article misconstrued it." CNN's Ali Velshi said on-air today he saw Bud's story via Twitter. "Bud, I think you're listening, so hang in there," he said. "You're not forgotten by everyone. You're in our heart and thoughts." Hang in there, Bud! [PRLog]
[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]
For the first time, I decided to share my movie awards predictions for the Golden Globes via video.
The Golden Globes airs this Sunday and my plan is to watch it from the comfy confines of the Balboa Theater in San Francisco. Gary Meyer's done a great job in keeping The Balboa "relevant" during tough times for theaters.
But I digress.
My choices for the major Golden Globes awards are these:
For Best Picture Drama, The Social Network. The picture's gained so much acclaim it's hard to see what can block it from an eventual Oscar Best Picture.
Best Performance by an Actress - Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole. I can't see Natalie Portman getting this one, but on the other hand, stranger things have happened.
Best Performance by an Actor - I picked Colin Firth for The King's Speech, but Jesse Eisenberg could steal this one for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. If you've ever met Mark, Jesse's dead on him. But my feeling is Colin gets the nod here.
Best Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical - The Kids Are All Right. Not my favorite, but it's what I think the Golden Globes will do.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical - Annette Bening and for The Kids Are All Right. It's hard to pick against Hollywood royalty here.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical - I picked Johnny Depp for The Tourist, and I'm sticking to it, even in the face of my real favorite, Kevin Spacey in Casino Jack.
Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role - Helena Bonham Carter, who's received much praise for The King's Speech.
Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role - I can't see Michael Douglas not landing this. That would be a shock. Personally, his performance as a softer Gordon Gekko was perfect. But his battle with cancer, and victory, is worthy of celebration in this way.
That's it. Let's check in Sunday night and compare notes.
I have a few questions that have been nagging me about all the issues falling out around this past weekend’s tragedy in Tucson?
First, there’s been a lot of talk about how accused Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner is mentally unstable, crazedand out of his mind. People are looking at his smiling/ smirking mug shot and concluding that only a genuine psychopath would display such demeanor after killing 6 people in cold blood and injuring 14 more.
Personally I don’t know.. I never been around anyone who’s killed 6 people so I have no idea how they would act. I would imagine if it was me I’d be remorseful, but when I watch folks like Fox News commentator Glenn Beck telling us he wants to kill filmmaker Michael Moore or Bill O’Reilly saying he thinks Washington Post columnist Dan Milbank should be decapitated ,they seem to be jovial. They seem to relish in the idea of ending someone’s life.
Is that the mindset of a violent person? Are they all smiles? Is that why Loughner was smiling?
Accused Tucson Massacre killer Jared Lee Loughner smirking
When I heard former governor Sarah Palinunapologetically use gun rhetoric in describing how she wanted to eliminate her political opponents, she seemed pretty gleeful even after receiving complaints. One of those opponents who voiced concern was shooting victim Gabrielle Gifford, but Palin paid her no mind. She never stopped smiling.
Noting that a smiling Jared Lee Loughner indicates craziness, my question is; ‘Just how crazy is he?’
Is he too crazed to hold a political opinion? Does he know the difference between a socialist and a communist? Is he discerning the difference between a commentary from MSNBC host Keith Obermannand one by radio hosts Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage?
Perhaps a mentally unstable Loughner reacted and followed the leads of the loudest most ruckus voices around. After all, all the tough talk about ‘don’t retreat and reload’ is not hidden. It’s pretty much mainstream.Such rhetoric along with footage of angry Tea Party folks showing up to rallies with guns threatening to take their country back are shown on the highest rated news stations like Fox. Inflammatory rhetoric expressing violence comes off the mouths of some of the country’s most visible hosts, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.
In a staunchly conservative state like Arizona it’s almost impossible to escape a steady of diet these loud, in your face personalities and their violent rhetoric. Whether he leaned to the left or to the right, there’s no doubt he was exposed right-wing, Fox News-like pundits routinely denounce civility in both words and actions. There’s no doubt in mind that had an influence.
580 Freeway Shooter claims he was inspired by Glenn Beck
Now some folks reading are thinking what I’m saying is a bit far-fetched. The argument they’ll try to put forth is it’s not about the speaker it’s about the listener. They’ll insist that the person on the receiving end of a political tirade needs to be RESPONSIBLE for their actions. In other words, a pundit like Sarah Palin is not responsible for the way someone reacts to her public utterings?
A guy like Glenn Beck who fantasized about killing Michael Moore and crusaded against the Tides Foundation is in no way responsible for the near deadly actions of would be mass murderer Byron Williams, the 580 Freeway shooter who went toe to toe with police while en route to the Tide headquarters where he planned to lay in wait?
I asked these questions because some of the same people defending this violent rhetoric from political pundits and politicians weren’t too kind when it came to rap artists who invoked violent imagery to make a political point.
The most famous among these is Public Enemy who 2o years ago did the song ‘By the Time I Get to Arizona‘. Here, they wanted to bring attention to the fact that there were certain politicians who were refusing to allow the state to recognize the Dr Martin Luther King holiday, so they did a song that spoke to it.
Chuck D
In the accompanying video, the group showed black and white re-enactments of Civil Rights demonstrations which were juxtaposed with images of Chuck D and his armed crew the heading to the office of one of the Senators opposed to the holiday where they handed him a box of poisoned chocolates. As the video ends we see Chuck D blowing up the car of an unnamed elected official.
Needless to say folks went nuts over the video. Chuck D and Public Enemy were accused of fostering violence with some critics stating that there would be blood on their hands if anyone resorted to violence as a result of this video.
Chuck pointed out it was basically political theater, but very few in the halls of power were trying to hear that. As far as they were concerned Public Enemy had crossed the line.
Another group that caught heat was Queens based groupScrewball who had an issue with then Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In ’99 around the time that police shot and killed an unarmed Amadu Diallo 41 times, the group did a song called ‘Who Shot Rudy?’ The song was widely cheered and accepted throughout many of NY’s Black communities where residents were at odds with the police. Many in the establishment including the Mayor weren’t happy. The group got a visit from NYPD who confiscated their recording equipment and CDs. I recall the outrage that was voiced toward the group..
‘How dare they call for the shooting of a public official ‘? , is what critics howled.
Like PE Screwball was told there would be blood on their hands should any violence go down.
We can list at least a dozen more examples where artists have caught heat over what was described as troubling politicized rhetoric. The list includes Sista Souljah who got a harsh rebuke from then president candidate Bill Clinton when she made racially charged remarks around the Rodney Kingriots. Clinton went after a Souljah as a way to prove to skittish voters he could stand up to Black leaders. When he heard that Jackson had invited Souljah to speak at his Rainbow Push convention, he dropped his harsh critic which is now known as Sista Souljah Moment.
Bay Area rapper Paris had his album delayed and he got a visit from the Secret Service when he released a song called ‘Bush Killa‘ which was featured on the album ‘Sleeping With the Enemy’. The track starts off with the mock assassination of President George Bush Sr . That caught folks attention. But what really made people angry and perhaps triggered the Secret Service visit was the inner sleeve album cover that showed Paris in a knit cap holding a rifle ready to shoot the President.
Paris described the song as a ‘revenge fantasy‘ and political art. All conversations along these lines went out the window as political pundits soundly rejected the political rapper accusing him of having gone too far.
In June of 2001, Boots Riley and his group the Coupreleased an album called Party Music where they had the World Trade exploding. Boots explained that he wanted to show a symbolism of capitalism being destroyed to underscore the political content of his album. It was no different then the video released a few years prior during the East-West Coast Battles where Snoop Dogg was depicted knocking down a building that characterized the NY skyline. It was symbolic.
When the 9-11 attacks took place, the Coup, who weren’t on too many people’s political hit list, suddenly found themselves under the microscope. The symbolism was taken seriously in quite a few circles. Some wanted to know if this album cover would encourage other acts of terrorism. Words likeUnpatriotic and Treasonous were bantered about when referring to a group that had been consistent with their political views for almost a 10 years before 9-11.
One of the more infamous rap songs where an artist came under fire for ‘influencing’ the public into destructive action was Ice Cube‘s ‘Black Korea‘ . This was a racially charged song where Cube targets Korean merchants in the hood for not liking Black people.
Fresh in his mind was the shooting death of 15 year-old Latasha Harlins,a Black girl who was killed by a Korean grocer. It sparked racial tension between Blacks and Koreans in LA and the Black Korea took things to new heights.
Ice Cube
When the Rodney King riots occurred, many Korean merchants were on the receiving end of anger being expressed. Cube was caught in the firestorm and blamed for helping bring harm to innocent people.
Cube defended the song as being a reflection of the political and racial climate at the time. Many others including quite a few political types though Cube was irresponsible with his words.
The point being expressed by citing these examples is that law enforcement and many of these political pundits when on the receiving end of harsh words no longer wanna uphold the ‘sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ adage . Suddenly we’re not having conversations about listeners being responsible. Sudeenly we’re’ concerned about the influence of the artist.
Is the GOP and Right wing trying to have it both ways?
I guess if we had time and space we could have a lengthy discussion about the war around cop killer type songs. Numerous artists ranging from Ice T toNWA and Ice Cube to Mac Dre to 2Pac have all faced not just a firestorm of criticisms but saw their songs banned, concert venues stipulate they could not perform their respective songs, lawsuits, a stinging letter from the FBI, labels dropping them etc. The list is long.
From where I sit, if everyone from the FBI on down to law and order politicos feel that a rapper and his video have undue influence on the public then the same rule applies to these right-wing talk show hosts and politicians like Sarah Palin. Glenn beck himself said it best.. He’s an entertainer. Sarah palin says she uses colorful rhetoric to appeal to folks.
Well if they’re entertainers and choosing words to ‘appeal’ to folks why can’t the same criticism and censoring actions that that Ice Cube and other rappers had to endure not apply to Sarah Palin and her gun totting rhetoric. What’s good for the geese is good for the gander.Right?
