Where I Endorse a Company That I Try to Avoid

It's an auto body shop, and so it's not a place where you want to go unless you have to.

Who wants to be rear-ended by some inattentive bloke in a Ford, but if you do I highly recommend Iggy's Auto Body.

He is competent, timely, and above all, honest.

(on edit)

Contact information:
Iggy's Auto Body
2929 Industrial Park Dr., # N
Finksburg, Maryland 21048

Phone    (410) 526-2900

I'm Not Sure that Hillary Wants this Endorsement………

Charles Koch just said that Hillary Clinton might make a better President than the potential Republican nominees:

Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, a key source of financing for conservative Republican causes along with his brother, said Democrat Hillary Clinton might make a better president than the candidates in the Republican field.

Koch, in an interview to air on Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program, said that in some respects Bill Clinton had been a better president than George W. Bush, who Koch said had increased government spending. Then when asked if Hillary Clinton would be a better president than the Republicans currently running, he said, "It's possible, it's possible."

Not a big surprise.

After all, Hillary is arguably the best Republican in the race.

Endorsements in the Maryland and Pennsylvania Senate Races

In Maryland, I endorse Donna Edwards, because on every issue where they differ, she is right, and Chris Van Hollen is wrong.

While he now disavows this position, he has been receptive to cutting Social Security, which is reason to never support him in the primary.

In Pennsylvania, the Senate Primary race is between Joe Sestak and Katie McGinty.

Sestak would be a slam dunk in this campaign, except for the fact that he defeated Arlen Specter, who had switched parties to Democrat, in the 2010 primary, which has so enraged Chuck Schumer that he has dumped a ton (something around $2 million) of money on the non-entity (she came in a distant 4^th in a 4 man race for Governor in 2014) Mcginty.

She's never held elective office, so there's not a whole bunch of record to go after, but she has taken a lot of energy money, including over $100,000.00 from fracking interests, and she's trying to run as an environmentalist.

So, it's clear that she thinks that you fool enough people for long enough to get into office, and her dismal performance in the gubernatorial primary 2 years ago does not bode well for her ability as a campaigner, so no, just no.

Please, make Chuck Schumer cry.

Yeah, He Endorsed Joe Lieberman Too.

Barack Obama just endorsed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, because while he killed Osama bin Laden, he really hates liberals:

While President Barack Obama won’t tell us who he will be supporting in the general election, one candidate he has fully endorsed is Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Wasserman Schultz is currently running for her life in Florida against the first Democratic congressional opponent she has faced during her time in the House. Opponent Tim Canova is running on the idea that Wasserman Schultz is far too corrupt and indebted to Wall Street to effectively represent the people of her district. Canova has endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders and has been backed by some of the same groups that Sanders is.

President Obama does not often endorse candidates in House primaries, so his support for Wasserman Schultz is telling.

Interestingly enough, this came shortly after the Florida Democratic Party was shamed into providing voter lists to Mr. Canova:

Last week, the Florida Democratic Party — and Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz — took some serious heat after it banned upstart congressional candidate Tim Canova from using the party's voter data files, which help candidates research and contact supporters. But the Florida Democratic Party reversed its decision yesterday, party spokesperson Max Steele has confirmed to New Times.

Improbably, this was the second voter-data scandal to ensnare Wasserman Schultz this election cycle. In December, Wasserman Schultz, acting as chair of the Democratic National Committee, temporarily banned Bernie Sanders from accessing the DNC's voter data files after his campaign staffer was caught hacking into Hillary Clinton's campaign data. (The information allows candidates to research and contact potential supporters in their area.) But the move backfired, and Wasserman Schultz has since been accused of intentionally trying to sink Sanders' chances at the presidency. Sanders sued, the move was overturned, and critics across the country have called for her ouster. She's had a bad few months.

In something of a twist, Canova, who once advised Sanders on Wall Street reform, then said he had also been denied access to that very same data. This was due to a Florida Democratic Party rule, instituted in 2010, which bans candidates running against incumbents from using the information. In an interview, Canova called the rule "undemocratic" and said the party was acting to protect Wasserman Schultz.

The party did not offer data access "to candidates challenging incumbent members of Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation," Steele told New Times earlier this month. "This policy has been applied uniformly across the board since 2010. We stand with our incumbent members of Congress, and we’re proud of the job they do representing the people of Florida. The Voter File is proprietary software created and owned by the Democratic National Committee that is maintained and operated by the Florida Democratic Party here in state."

………

After Canova put up a fight, the Florida Democratic Party reconsidered how Canova's case looked to the outside world, Steele says. The party made the choice today to give Canova, and only Canova, access to the file.

"Given the unique circumstances of having an incumbent member of Congress who is also the DNC chair who is being challenged by a Democrat (a situation that as you can imagine has never arisen), the FDP has decided to grant Mr. Canova access to the Voter File," Steele said via email. The file will cost $3,500 to access.

Steele reiterated that this will be a one-time policy change: "Given the dual nature of an incumbent who is also a national party chair, we’ve decided to grant Mr. Canova access to avoid any appearance of favoritism," he said. Other candidates who run against incumbents will be out of luck.

As an aside, they would not have done this, or at least not have done this so soon, unless there was a significant amount of loathing directed towards Wasserman Schultz in the state party.

Considering her refusal to support challenges to reactionary Cuban-American Republicans in competitive districts, I rather expect that there is no small amount of loathing among the locals there.

How Utterly Proper

Ben Carson has endorsed Donald Trump for Presisent, and capped it off by suggesting that it's all an act:

Ben Carson, the former pediatric neurosurgeon who dropped out of the Republican presidential race last week, endorsed Donald Trump on Friday, praising his "guts" and "energy."

"There are two different Donald Trumps," Carson said at the billionaire's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. "There's the one you see on the stage and there's the one who is very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully. You can have a very good conversation with him. That's the Donald Trump that you're going to start seeing more and more of."

Trump agreed with that assessment.

"I probably do agree. There's the public version … it seems to have worked over my lifetime," he said. "I think it's different than the personal one."

Moments later, though, Trump seemed to reject that idea.

"I don't think there are two Donald Trumps. I think there's one Donald Trump," he said.

This is aa whole world of mental dysfunction, as would be anticipated by putting Donald Trump and Ben Carson together.

The frightening thing is that one of them is the odds on favorite for the Republican nomination.

The Nation Endorses Bernie Sanders

It's the 3^rd endorsement in the magazine's 100+ year history.

The Nation's prior endorsements are Jesse Jackson in 1988, and Barack Obama in 2008, so they are batting .500.

This Ain't Just About Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. It's Also About Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

That's gonna leave a mark

Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who is generally considered someone to watch in the Democratic Party, has resigned from the Democratic National Committee to endorse Bernie Sanders:

Representative Tulsi Gabbard, Democrat of Hawaii, resigned as a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee on Sunday in order to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders for president.

The endorsement came a day after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary in South Carolina by a huge margin — she captured nearly 74 percent of the vote — in a signal of her support in the South right before several other Southern states vote in Tuesday’s primaries.

Ms. Gabbard explained her decision in a video on YouTube in which she said that, as a military veteran, she wanted the United States to avoid “interventionist wars of regime change.”

“As a veteran of two Middle East deployments, I know first hand the cost of war,” said Ms. Gabbard, one of the first female combat veterans to serve in Congress. “I know how important it is that our commander-in-chief has the sound judgment required to know when to use America’s military power and when not to use that power.

This is a harsh, and IMNSHO justified critique of Clinton's blithely bellicose foreign policy, but I have to think that a lot of this is that she no longer wants to deal with Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Just to remind you, Wasserman-Schultz banned Gabbard from the debate audience for calling for more debates, so I am inclined to think that part of this is being driven by her no longer wanting to work with the hacktacular DWS.

Based on various statements from the Beltway media, I get the sense that it is not only Representative Gabbard who is getting sick of Wasserman-Schultz.

The DNC chair appears to be high handed, self absorbed, and threatened by competence around her, and that is a toxic mix in any organization.

AFL-CIO Declines to Endorse Clinton

For a while, at least:

In a win for Bernie Sanders, the AFL-CIO is delaying making it's endorsement in the surprisingly close Democratic presidential primary.

………

"Following recent discussion at the AFL-CIO’s Executive Committee meeting and subsequent conversations with many of you, I have concluded that there is broad consensus for the AFL-CIO to remain neutral in the presidential primaries for the time being and refrain from endorsing any candidate at this moment," Trumka said in the email.

Oh to be a fly on the wall for that Executive Committee meeting.

My guess is that committee did not want to deal with a pissed off rank and file, particularly when they want to energize them in the general election.

Also, I think that they are beginning to doubt her inevitability.

About that Congressional Black Caucus Endorsement of Hillary Clinton………

Not so much.

It was the PAC for the organization. Many CBC members were not consulted:

Cong'l Black Caucus (CBC) has NOT endorsed in presidential. Separate CBCPAC endorsed withOUT input from CBC membership, including me.

— Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) February 11, 2016

Funny, that.

How Utterly Proper

This really shouldn't be a surprise.

Palin has been feeling persecuted by the Republican establishment since 2009 or so, and unlike Ted Cruz, Trump does know how to be charming when he wants to close a deal, so there is a twisted internal logic to her endorsement of Donald Trump:

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee who became a Tea Party sensation and a favorite of grass-roots conservatives, endorsed Donald J. Trump in Iowa on Tuesday, providing him with a potentially significant boost just 13 days before the state’s caucuses.

“Are you ready for the leader to make America great again?” Mrs. Palin said with Mr. Trump by her side at a rally at Iowa State University. “Are you ready to stump for Trump? I’m here to support the next president of the United States — Donald Trump.”

Her support is the highest-profile backing for a Republican so far. It came the same day that Iowa’s Republican governor, Terry Branstad, said he hoped that Senator Ted Cruz would be defeated in Iowa. The Feb. 1 caucuses are a must-win for the Texas senator, who is running neck-and-neck with Mr. Trump in state polls.

The endorsement came as Mr. Trump was bearing down in the state, holding multiple campaign events and raising expectations about his performance in the nation’s first nominating contest.

As Mrs. Palin announced her backing, Mr. Trump stood wearing a satisfied smile as she scolded mainstream Republicans as sellouts and praised how Mr. Trump had shaken up the party. “He’s been going rogue left and right,” Mrs. Palin said of Mr. Trump, using one of her signature phrases. “That’s why he’s doing so well. He’s been able to tear the veil off this idea of the system.”

In literally related news, the son of Alaska's mom of the year, "Track Palin, Got Drunk And Beated Up A Lady With His Gun, Allegedly."

What a busy day for the Palin family! Sarah’s in Iowa making drunk faces about Makin’ America Great Again for Donald Trump, Bristol’s sitting at home COVERED in out-of-wedlock baby poo and “writing” internet letters about what a dick Ted Cruz is and OH LOL GUESS WHAT, Track Palin had to go to court, because he was arrested Monday night for beating up a lady, interfering with a domestic violence report, and also too brandishing a weapon while intoxicated.

Put in more Regular American talk, Track Palin was arrested for being a common drunk-brawlin’ Palin.

Allegedly.

Whoa if true, though, and we hope she’s OK. Here’s your press release from the Wasilla po-po’s office:

On 01/18/2016 at approximately 2204 hours, Wasilla Police responded to a residence for a disturbance. An investigation revealed Track Palin had committed a domestic violence assault on a female, interfered with her ability to report a crime of domestic violence, and possessed a firearm while intoxicated. Palin was arrested and charges of assault in the fourth degree (domestic violence), interfering with a domestic violence report, and misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree were forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. Palin was held without bail until arraignment.

UH-OH! We are so shocked by this behavior, young man.

As the saying says, "First as tragedy, then as farce".

I believe that this farce is called "The Wasilla Hillbillies."

I have a New Endorsement

Timothy Canova, who is running against Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in the Democratic primary.

It appears that dissatisfaction with DWS, both in her district and inside the DC Beltway that The Hill, a bastion of inside the Beltway thinking has taken notice:

For Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the problems with the left just keep coming.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) chief has infuriated many Democrats with her handling of the party’s presidential primary debates. She drew further howls from liberals for deeming a whole generation of young women "complacent" about their abortion freedoms.

And now she's facing a primary challenge from a liberal Wall Street reformer who says she's a corporate shill detached from her district.

The challenge highlights the difficulty facing Wasserman Schultz as she juggles her dual roles as Florida representative and head of the DNC — duties that sometimes come into conflict.

Timothy Canova, a professor at the Shepard Broad College of Law in Florida's Nova Southeastern University, says Wasserman Schultz's positions on trade, criminal justice, consumer protection and drug policy reform — among others — are evidence that she's sold out to corporate interests at the expense of her constituents.

It marks the first primary challenge to Wasserman Schultz since her arrival on Capitol Hill in 2005.

Canova launched his bid last week on a platform that pulls more than a few pages from that of populist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Democratic presidential hopeful who's waged a surprisingly strong challenge to front-runner Hillary Clinton by attacking from the left.

In that mold, Canova is vowing to fight President Obama's trade agenda, reform the criminal justice system, rein in big banks and curtail the influence of money in politics — all issues where he sees Wasserman Schultz as vulnerable.

"People here on the ground — I hear left and right, you name it — are just dissatisfied that she's not responsive, she takes people for granted, and it's becoming evident in the way she votes on an awful lot of issues," Canova said Friday by phone.

"She takes a lot of corporate money, and she votes for corporate interests contrary to the interest of her own constituents."

Canova, a former aide to the late Sen. Paul Tsongas (D-Mass.), is pointing to a host of votes that, he says, make Wasserman Schultz a bad fit for the district.

He says she fought against new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidelines governing car loans and pay-day lenders.

He's quick to note that she opposed a 2014 Florida referendum to legalize medical marijuana, calling her "a drug warrior" in the pockets of a private prison industry that promotes incarcerations.

And he's highlighting the fact that she was one of just 28 House Democrats to support the fast-track trade bill that's greased the skids for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a huge international accord that's a top priority of Obama but remains anathema to liberals in his own party.

Canova said the TPP would be an environmental catastrophe for South Florida, which "is really facing, in the long-term, an existential problem with climate change and rising oceans."

"In a democracy, you have to hold your officials accountable," Canova said. "I was hoping somebody would step forward and challenge her. Nobody else would, and that's really the basis of the challenge."

Canova has a tough road ahead. Wasserman Schultz, as head of the DNC, is the most prominent Democrat in Florida; she's a prodigious fundraiser for the party; and she glided to a sixth term in 2014 with 63 percent of the vote.

Still, in an environment when political non-conformers like Sanders and Donald Trump have attracted support by simple virtue of their outsider status, Canova sees an opening.

"There's a perception … that she's bullet-proof here at home because she wins by big majorities," he said. "But she's never been challenged in a primary."

Washerman Schultz has faced some difficulty representing her district while also serving as a figurehead role for her party.

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz isn't having difficulties because she has duties as head of the DNC.

She is facing a backlash because she is a careerist political climber with no underlying beliefs beyond that, she is as dumb as a post, and she refuses to listen to people she needs for implementation of her agenda.

I am so hoping that she gets the boot in the primary.

In any case, I have added Dr. Canova to Matthew Saroff's Act Blue Page.

I Have an Endorsement for the Florida Senate Race

Rather unsurprisingly, it is Alan Grayson, who formally announced his entry into the Democratic primary:

The 2016 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida just got interesting.

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, the liberal firebrand whose unpredictability enthralls progressives and worries moderates, announced Thursday that he will run against the more centrist U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy for the Senate seat that would be vacated by current Sen. Marco Rubio, a candidate for the presidency.

“People understand what I stand for,” Grayson said on the WKMG television station in Orlando on Thursday. “They know I am a champion for justice, equality and peace and I do my best to help people in need.”

He plans to campaign on giving seniors a Social Security raise, expanding the services covered by Medicare, reducing student loans and expanding access to healthcare.

“I don’t think Obamacare has gone far enough,” he told the Miami Herald after his announcement.

The race pits polar opposites against each other.

Grayson, 57, from Orlando, is known for his raucous style. In 2009, he described a proposed GOP healthcare plan as “if you do get sick, die quickly” and once compared former Vice President Dick Cheney to a vampire.

The Democratic Party establishment is supporting Patrick Murphy who, "Was a Republican until he ran for Congress in 2012," who voted for the Keystone Pipeline, the House kangaroo hearings on Benghazi, corrupt for profit colleges, donated to Mitt Rmoney in 2007, and is a member of the corporatist "New Democrat" caucus.

Hmmm.....The DSCC, which is effectively run by Chuck "Wall Street's Bitch" Schumer, is supporting a Wall Street loving faux Dem.

What a surprise.

Needless to say, Alan Grayson is now on Matthew Saroff's Act Blue Page.

I Have an Endorsement for Democratic Presidential Nominee

And it ain't Hillary, it's Bernie:

Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, announced Thursday that he was running for president as a Democrat, injecting a progressive voice into the contest and providing Hillary Rodham Clinton with her first official rival for the party’s nomination.

Avoiding the fanfare that several Republicans have chosen so far when announcing their candidacies, Mr. Sanders issued a statement to supporters that laid out his goals for reducing income inequality, addressing climate change and scaling back the influence of money in politics.

“After a year of travel, discussion and dialogue, I have decided to be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president,” Mr. Sanders said in an email early Thursday.

Mr. Sanders’s bid is considered a long shot, but his unflinching commitment to stances popular with the left — such as opposing foreign military interventions and reining in big banks — could force Mrs. Clinton to address these issues more deeply.

It won't force Clinton to address these issues, it will force her to pay lip service to her campaign.

I'm a bit starry eyed, but I want Sanders to win, so I have added him to Matthew Saroff's Act Blue Page.

Of course, I would expect a lot of establishment Dems to do whatever they can to subvert his campaign. (See McGovern in 1972)

A New Candidate That I Endorse

Connie Saltonstall, who is running against Bart Stupack in the primary in MI-1.

What can I say, she is not a Nearderthal on abortion, and she didn't get subsidised rent from the Christofascists known as the family, so she is now on Matthew Saroff's Act Blue Page.

Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) Endorses Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville)

This cross party endorsement for the MD-1 district is hardly a surprise.

His opponent, Andrew Harris, is a Paleolithic Republican, and he defeated Gilchrest in the primary.

Gore Formally Endorses Obama

Not a surprise, but I'm betting against his being the VP choice.

He's done that, and he's got a bloody Nobel prize now.

House whip James Clyburn Makes it Official

He is endorsing Obama, which comes as no surprise at all.

He's been an enthusiastic Obama since before the South Carolina primary, though I understand why he held off until now, given that he is the #3 guy in the House leadership.

Nutter to Campaign Hard for Hillary Clinton

Nope, it's not The Onion, it's Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who probably did not think that it meant all that much when he endorsed in December.

He's promising to campaign hard for.

Hell, no one in Pennsylvania expected it to matter.

Strange year, this.

Mostly though, I just liked the opportunity to use that headline.

The Bigots Are Going After Each Other Now

It appears that Bill Donohue, President of the "Catholic League" and all around bigot is upset because Texas Evangelical leader John Hagee, another bigot, has endorsed John McCain.

It seems that Hagee hates Catholics too, you see.

But Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement today that Hagee has written extensively in negative ways about the Catholic Church, "calling it 'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system.'"

"Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee," Donohue said.

I appreciate McCain's conundrum. If he disavowed bigotry, he'd lose at least 3/4 of the Republican party.

Pass the popcorn.

Hillary Gets New Mexico, McCain Gets Mitt

I think that Hillary got the better deal.

In any case, they finally finished counting the vote in New Mexico, and Romney endorses McCain.