Symmetry required it: 2012 american general election thread #2

Fascinating to watch the Romney campaign constant changing of the subject from the one issue that actually works for them

But then again maybe racism ends up being their best weapon. Welfare recipients vs Muslims. Whatever works

Meanwhile:

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-09-11/5-more-charged-ft-stewart-military-militia-case

I just got an email from Beyonce titled "I don't usually email you"

lol, why you lyin' girl

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/us-identifies-anti-muslim-filmmaker/story-fnd134gw-1226473817626

A US law enforcement official says a man named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula is behind the anti-Muslim film that has sparked mob attacks on US missions in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

A man who calls himself Sam Bacile has said he created the film, but The Associated Press has connected Nakoula to the Bacile persona.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The self-proclaimed director of Innocence of Muslims initially claimed a Jewish and Israeli background. But others involved in the film said his statements were contrived as evidence mounted that the film's key player was a southern Californian Coptic Christian.

Nakoula, 55, told The Associated Press in an interview outside Los Angeles that he managed logistics for the company that produced the film.

the coptic community has suffered more overt bigotry and harassment in egypt recent, this will probably not help matters.

part of me would be okay with just throwing this guy to the angry mob tbh

he's in california! any anti-coptic mob will pick a local out for you tho.

Romney is like a Republican Dalek.

This is perfect.

I just got an email from Beyonce titled "I don't usually email you"

lol, why you lyin' girl

lol

How come I never get any famous people emailing me? Is there any sort of competition out there, like a scavenger hunt or Pokemon? I got Kal Penn! I got Beyonce! There should be.

I could email you.

So Rumsfeld is back and weighing in on twitter. Great

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/13/13843732-rumsfelds-misguided-self-defeating-standards

Ned, I smell a book: "Ned Ragget Emails America."

I'm sure that Ned Ragget guy can do what he wants, I was talking about me.

Meantime:

http://gawker.com/5942994/is-the-mysterious-director-of-muslim-innocence-a-convicted-fraudster-named-nakoula-basseley-nakoula

(Builds on that AP bit.)

Sorry, didn't mean to misspell. Distracted. Still, gives me an idea to launch a cheap Ragget knockoff line. http://nedragget.tumblr.com/ not claimed yet ...

"Sam Bacile" is remarkably close to "imbecile."

danger room's reporting has been really good the last few days

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/anti-islam-flick/

He went by many names, the man who helped produce “The Innocence of Muslims,” the inflammatory video now roiling the Middle East: Matthew Nekola; Ahmed Hamdy; Amal Nada; Daniel K. Caresman; Kritbag Difrat; Sobhi Bushra; Robert Bacily; Nicola Bacily; Thomas J. Tanas; Erwin Salameh; Mark Basseley Youssef; Yousseff M. Basseley; Malid Ahlawi; even P.J. Tobacco.

Kritbag Difrat!

But turn it around and ... Tarfid Gabtrik! Now it all makes sense.

surprised he didn't work Mr. Mxtzyplyk in there

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/13/anti-islam-trailer-police-california

kudos to the photo eds there

Coincidentally, KRITBAG was my Scrabble rack this morning. Couldn't find a 5 letter word to stretch from the center star to the double word score.

Batik?

Ooh, nice.

http://www.libertarianclothing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/800x600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/t/a/tank_crop.jpg

^i know someone who owns that...

More!

http://m.gawker.com/5943158/meet-the-director-of-muslim-innocence-a-mystery-man-named-alan-roberts

I don't know what's more fucked up, that some lame ass dude could spark riots around the world with his stupid youtube video, or that some stupid youtube video can spark riots around the world, period.

How exactly do we know these riots are sparked by this video?

I think it's entirely anecdotal from what protesters are telling reporters on the scene

Paul Ryan - "I disagree with the original statements that the embassy put out...that the administration put out in Cairo."

I'm really upset with the quality of the presidential administration at my local DMV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUtzZGD91ck

that last paragraph of the Juan Cole post:

A little-noted major event of Wednesday was the democratic selection of a new prime minister in Libya for the first time in the country’s history. Mustafa Abushagur defeated the Muslim Brotherhood candidate handily. Abushagur for a long time taught college in the US, at the University of Alabama Huntsville. Libyans again showed themselves nationalist and non-fundamentalist. This remarkable achievement, and what it portends for the shape of Libyan politics, will be drowned out by the atrocity in Benghazi, but it is the development that is likely to be marked by future historians as a turning point in Libya and in the Middle East.

had me digging up the dude's wiki.

Check this shit out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_A.G._Abushagur#Career

turns out he got his masters & phd in electrical engin from Caltech. Taught at the U of Rochester, Alabama-Huntsville, and RIT. Did crazy NASA shit. Even led the effort to start up a satellite campus in dubai, then became president of RIT-Dubai.

An engineering professor is the PM of Libya. Excellent.

Oh how nice!

http://sanclemente.patch.com/articles/anti-islam-hate-video-consultant-sued-san-clemente-in-07

here's the email that got me to unsubscribe from the Democracy for America mailing list (they lost me at the bolded part):

If the contrast between Clint Eastwood and Bill Clinton weren't enough to illustrate the difference between Republicans and Democrats this year, consider this: over the past two years, Republican priorities have been driven largely by egomaniacs whose only agenda is to thwart President Obama.

It's a classic contest of good vs. evil -- the good guys (and gals) have been fighting for progress -- for affordable healthcare, for equality, for civil liberty, for jobs and for environmental protection. They've been struggling to protect everyday Americans from becoming victims of corporate greed. But their nemeses, Congressional Republicans, have done everything they can to hijack legislative priorities. Instead of fixing our economy and creating good jobs they've focused on limiting women's reproductive choices, taking away affordable healthcare from folks with pre-existing conditions or lifetime caps, letting oil companies run rampant with little to no oversight, and restricting our civil liberties.

That's what this election is about -- making things better for the 99% or making things harder for us. The heroes are standing up for us and the villains are standing up for Corporations and Wall Street. We can't let the bad guys win.

We want to hear from you -- who are your Congressional heroes? Who are the worst of the worst -- the villains of the House and Senate?

We're doing everything we can to win back the House and our last endorsements of this cycle will go to the Democrats you decide are real progressive champions. The leaders who can affect real change in the next Congress -- because far too much is at stake.

The House Hero and Senate Super-Star you select will receive our final federal endorsements of 2012. We'll bring organizing tools and action summits to help you fight against these GOP super-villains.

So who are your Heroes and Villains? Vote now.

For the next 52 days we must show the contrast between Democrats and Republicans so voters understand just what's at stake in this election. It's up to you to decide which progressive heroes and which villains make that contrast crystal clear.

Don't let the bad guys win.

-Kaili

Kaili Lambe, Political Campaign Manager
Democracy for America

ffs, if you're going to send me pandering nonsense, at least have the sense to have it be "win a date with Beyonce"

What's the matter with Kansas, part 27

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/09/romney-makes-play-key-snooki-vote/56874/

"I'm kind of a Snooki fan," Romney confessed. "Look how tiny's she's gotten. She's lost weight. She's energetic. Just her spark-plug personality is kind of fun."

More in that vein:

Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, were interviewed on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael for a show airing next Tuesday, Reuters reports.

One of Romney's revelations: "I'm kind of a Snooki fan. Look how tiny she's gotten -- her spark-plug personality."

He was also asked what he wore to bed at night and replied, "I think the best answer is as little as possible."

Meanwhile, Ann Romney confessed what she found while exploring the White House: "It was George Bush having a massage. He was covered up. I was so embarrassed that the next time I saw him I didn't know what to say. He looked at me and winked and said, 'I look pretty good, don't I?'"

The Washington Post reports the interview "brought shudders from some Republicans, who fear the Romney campaign is running aground in its final stretch."

Mitt Romney seems to be inordinately concerned with the sizes of things

they don't even know how weird they are

I didnt know if I should post this here or on seward's image macro thread but

http://imgur.com/L0x3I

http://i.imgur.com/L0x3I.jpg

fucking lol @ GWB tho

Oh man, this gets better:

Romney initially misfired when asked who he would like to play Ann in a movie about the Romneys.

"Gene Hackman," he said, having misheard the question and thinking he was supposed to say who he would want to play him.

"no no, who would play Ann"
"... Gene. Hackman."
"Really?????"
*looks offstage, shrugs* "Oh I guess I thought you meant me, I misheard or whatever. Tyler Perry."

that's gonna go viral

Actually I should've kept reading:

He finally settled on Michelle Pfeiffer for the Ann Romney role after pointing out Hackman had dressed up as a woman in the movie, "Bird Cage."

"Michelle Pfeiffer, he's got the legs for it."
"She."
"Whatever."