The Liberal Curmudgeon

Jon Stewart Blasts “War On Religion” Claims

Published on 2012-02-14 20:26:00

Jon Stewart blasted religious leaders who compare President Obama’s stance on birth control coverage–an issue in which he’s clearly compromised–with a “war on religion” and the rise of Hitler. "Hitler did not 'start small,' " Stewart said. “His deliberate annihilation of a religion didn't kick off with insurance reform." Stewart also reassured religious leaders: “America isn’t Nazi Germany. And the secret police aren’t coming for you. Hell, the IRS isn’t even coming for you

Thomas Friedman: Perhaps The GOP Should “Sit This Election Out”

Published on 2012-02-12 23:35:00

Why are Republican primary voters unable to settle on a presidential candidate? Thomas Friedman writes that their party is “out of date,” unable to address today’s challenges. Until the GOP breaks away from its rigid and reactionary positions, he suggests that it should “just sit this election out.” Selections from “We Need a Second Party”: The party has let itself become the captive of conflicting ideological bases: anti-abortion advocates, anti-immigration activists, social conse

Jim Hightower: “Getting Stuck On America’s Economic Ladder”

Published on 2012-02-12 22:56:00

Jim Hightower comments that the Horatio Alger myth is proving to be just that–a myth. He cites recent studies finding that, despite the denials of Republicans, the U.S. now has less economic mobility than comparable nations. Hightower believes that “class stickiness” will persist “as long as top corporate and governmental leaders deliberately widen the chasm separating the rich from the rest of us.” Listen:(h/t: Best of the Left Podcast)

The Nation: Income Inequality "Wasn't An Act Of Nature"

Published on 2012-02-12 22:27:00

It is a point that can't be made too often: the economic injustice we have experienced over the past few years is due to deliberate policies. Rachel Maddow pointed out how the top one percent have thrived due to such policies since Reagan. The Congressional Budget Office reported on the trend toward regressive taxation. In an editorial, The Nation magazine reminds us that these policies and their consequences are the result of a campaign that benefits the wealthiest at the expense of the re

Tea Party Activist At CPAC: The Left "Changed The Definition Of Pedophilia"

Published on 2012-02-12 21:31:00

Tea Party activist Kevin Jackson said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), "I admire the level of fight that the left brings to what they do. We like keeping things, as they say, very civil." "Civil"? Does Jackson remember how "civil" the Tea Party was during the health reform debate? Does he watch Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh? Jackson then stated that the left "changed the definition of pedophilia." Right Wing Watch comments, "Jackson might be referring to frequent rig

Gingrich: Unemployment Benefits Violate The Declaration Of Independence

Published on 2012-02-12 00:47:00

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Newt Gingrich stated that those receiving unemployment benefits should sign up for a training program or get a degree. Like other Gingrich brainstorms, his proposal is not thought through. Who would pay for these programs? The unemployed? If they can't afford them, would they be paid for through taxes? Certainly conservatives would oppose that. Gingrich also assumes that those who take benefits for 99 weeks are

Saturday Night At The Liberal Curmudgeon: Ella Fitzgerald Sings "Round Midnight"

Published on 2012-02-12 00:47:00

We recently heard the Modern Jazz Quartet's instrumental performance of Thelonious Monk's jazz standard "Round Midnight." Now let's listen to a vocal rendition as only Ella Fitzgerald, the "First Lady of Song," could do it. The above is from a 1961 performance in England, with accompaniment by Oscar Peterson, piano; Ray Brown, bass, and Ed Thigpen, drums.

Court Strikes Down CA Gay Marriage Ban

Published on 2012-02-12 00:47:00

Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, NJ, recently made a powerful statement against Gov. Chris Christie's proposal to put gay marriage to a referendum. This week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit applied similar reasoning to Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California. The three-judge panel (two in favor, one dissenting) in San Francisco ruled that the proposition violated the equal protection rights of two gay couples involved in the suit. The decisi

Romney At CPAC: "I Was A Severely Conservative Republican Governor"

Published on 2012-02-12 00:47:00

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Mitt Romney desperately attempted to convince the crowd of his right-wing bona fides. Romney stated that he was "a severely conservative Republican governor." Romney resorted to this awkward modifier since he's proven to have no principles other than the desire to get elected. The crowd was not overwhelmed by his assurances of severity:“I have never heard anybody say, ‘I’m severely conservative,’” Rush Limbaugh

Elizabeth Warren: Romney Gets A Better Deal Than The Rest Of Us

Published on 2012-02-10 00:01:00

Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democratic senatorial candidate, is always worth listening to, whether the subject is the injustices of privatized health care, the dangers of deregulation or the necessity for progressive taxation. Speaking to Lawrence O’Donnell, Warren commented on the latter issue in regard to Mitt Romney. Watch:Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyO'Donnell: Do you understand the income category that Mitt Romney is in?Warren: Actually, I