At The Overpass Blog

Thank you Jan Brewer

attheoverpass — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:29:46 +0000

Any better way to court the Hispanic vote in AZ, other than aguing with the unpopular (finger wagging) Governor?

Oh C’Mon

attheoverpass — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:14:27 +0000

“…nearly half of all persons under 30 did not go to work today.”

— Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, in the GOP response to the State of the Union address, Jan. 24, 2012

Uhhm… that could be because a lot of men under 30, say those between 16-21 don’t go to work anyway. They go to school.

Thomas Friedman

attheoverpass — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:59:52 +0000

In today’s NYT, Thomas Friedman, the pied piper of all things global, opines that “average is over.’ According to Mr. Friedman, global competition has drastically raised the level of productivity demanded of workers. As a result an “average” worker can no longer expect an “average” middle class lifestyle.

So what happens to the vast majority of workers throughout the world who are, by definition, average? Do we just consign them to the lower classes in the name of social Darwinism? I suspect that gets the Ayn Rand crowd excited, but it is hardly a very realistic or humane policy.

The Rick James of the GOP

attheoverpass — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:02:47 +0000

Marianne Gingrich on Thursday night reiterated her claim that her ex-husband, Newt Gingrich, asked her for an open marriage in 1998.

Supefreak/Superfreak/He’s Superfreaky…

Its Back ….

attheoverpass — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:08:03 +0000

You thought it was gone. You thought they repudiated it. But its back. The Southern Strategy, the Republican’s infamous tactic of stoking racial stereotypes and fear to capture the white southern electorate made a comeback Monday night as Newt ‘Superfreak” Gingrich called out the President as the “Food Stamp President.” Gingrich’s remarks, which conjured up the vision of lazy, entitled African Americans, did draw a tough question fom Juan Williams, but probably won over some rednecks.

Its like a mosquito bite you cannot stop scratching. Southern voter’s resentment and misplaced anger with blacks is definetly the Republican tickle spot.

Quote of the Day

attheoverpass — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:26:07 +0000

“You know I think it’s fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms. But the president has made this part of his campaign rally. Everywhere he goes we hear him talking about millionaires and billionaires and executives and Wall Street. It’s a very envy-oriented, attack-oriented approach.” Mitt Romney refering to the debate on income inequality.

I am just glad Mitt did not come off as elitist, insular or smug.

That’ Just Her Though

attheoverpass — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:21:59 +0000

“I’d drop trou and do it too. That’s me, though. I want a million cool points for these guys.”

-conservative radio host Dana Loesch on Marines who urinated on Taliban corpses in Afghanistan

Attractive and completely amoral. How often do you find that in a woman outside an investment bank … or a reality show.

Well…Yeah

attheoverpass — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:20:18 +0000

A group of consevative religious types have authored a long letter opposing gay marriage. According to the group, legalizing gay mariage will force them to be more vigilant about their anti-gay stances and they will be “marked [them and their members] as bigots, subjecting them to the full arsenal of government punishments and pressures reserved for racists.”

So lets get the logic straight. If you legalize gay marriage, we will have to oppose it, and people will not like that, and they will call us bigots. According to the group this will infringe on their freedome of religion. Uhmmm.. Freedom of religion does not impose a duty on anyone to like you. They must simply tolerate you and not discriminate against you.

Guys, if enough people call you bigots, maybe its you, not them.

King of Bain

attheoverpass — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:45:56 +0000

Many of you have probably seen the “King of Bain” video circulated by Newt Gingrich supporters. The video is a 28 minute examination of the way Mitt Romney’s old elmployer, Bain Capital, does business. In particular, the video focuses on four deals where Bain took a stake in a company only to sell off its parts or drive it into bankruptcy. The result was lost middle class jobs and bountiful profits for Bain investors.

The video has certain inaccuracies and exaggerations and query whether Romney can be held responsible for the deals even though he was Managing Director of Bain during each of them. All told, I think spotlighting the films inaccuracies misses the point. Capitalism Bain Style, which only seeks to maximize investment return without any regard for stakeholders in the company, is an overdue subject of debate. Over the last 30 years we have seen the rise and fall of leveraged buyouts, the rise in offshoring labor, and the growth of the roll up strategy pioneered by Bain. All have had devastating impacts on our economy, while enriching the few who had capital to invest. All of this is justified in the name of efficiency and “maximizing shareholder value.” While it is ironic that Republicans are now questioning the wisdom of slash and burn capitalism, this doesn’t undermine the central message of the piece: in the private sector Mitt Romney oversaw precisely the type of deals that have left this country a hollowed out shell. That is a topic worthy of scrutiny. Arguing about who fired the fatal shot in a firing squad seems to miss the forest through the trees.

NCIS for Real

attheoverpass — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Video circulating on the web shows the members of a Marine sniper team in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban soldiers. Def Secretary Panetta has called the behavior “deplorable” and the NCIS has launched an investigation.