As former Illinois Rod Balgojevich spends his first full day behind bars, contributing RP Jeff Smith offers him a few educated tips:
After spending a year in federal prison on an obstruction of justice charge stemming from a 2004 congressional campaign violation, I have a few tips for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich as he heads for prison.
1. As your grandma probably taught you, God gave you two ears, two eyes and one mouth — use them in proportion.
• When you get to prison, listen, watch and learn. You’ll have a hundred questions on your first day and in one month you will know the answer to 90 of them without having to ask and risk looking stupid.
•Don’t ever ask anybody about their crime. If they want to tell you what they did, fine. But you won’t know if they’re telling the truth. And if you ask and strike a nerve with someone, the result may not be pretty.
•Don’t talk about how you got railroaded. So did everyone else.
•Don’t ask anything about anyone’s family; it will be a sore subject with many, especially those who have not seen or heard from their children or ex-wives in years.
•Don’t ever talk about how much time you have. Someone else has more.
Read the rest of… Jeff Smith: Advice for Blago on His First Day in Jail
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
A friend on Sunday I hadn’t seen in a while said to me, “Hey, you’ve put on some weight recently, haven’t you?”
It was a gentle, friendly comment. Not insulting.
I said, “Well, I’m involved in a international protest and am on a “diet strike” until justice prevails. This is day 14 of not going on a diet.”
My friend paused for a moment and then realized it was safe to laugh–and did.
“What protest?” he asked?
“Well, that’s sort of fluid right now….I haven’t exactly decided yet. But I was ready to commit to my form of protest and wanted to get a head start.”
“You ain’t right” came back the answer.
I get that response more often than I care to report.
The important point is “You ain’t right” isn’t the insult it seems at first blush. In fact it’s kind of a back handed compliment.
Anyway, that’s my status update. And I’ve narrowed my choices for protesting. And today is day 19 of my “diet strike”—and there is no turning back at this point.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Mar 7, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET
Sorry Coke lovers… the Center for Science in the Public Interest says the caramel color used in many sodas causes cancer. [USA Today]
Mad Man fans can’t imagine a world without the charismatic Don Draper. But NY Mag writers took Don’s stats and history to a real actuary to see how long they predict he’ll be around. [NY Magazine]
Talk about a catch 22: both antidepressant use and untreated depression in pregnant women can lead to risks for babies. What should expectant moms do? [Time]
In new research, one in five pilots reported making a serious error on the job due to sleepiness. [Wall Street Journal]
Is it stress and anxiety to blame for your constant nodding off… or is it narcolepsy? [NY Times]
By Krystal Ball, on Mon Mar 5, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Rush Limbaugh issued an apology this weekend for calling Sandra Fluke a prostitute and a slut after she testified before Congress on women’s health care. This “apology” occurs after three days of Limbaugh slut shaming Ms. Fluke, insulting her parents and saying that Fluke should make a pornographic movie for his titillation.
On the fourth day, after a public outcry and the loss of at least six national sponsorships due to BoycottRush.organd similar efforts, Mr. Limbaugh now regrets his choice of words. This was too little, way too late. Especially since Mr. Limbaugh has a long history of offensive and vulgar comments.
No business should associate itself with such a pattern of repeated, reckless, personal abuse. If Rush wants to continue to have the opportunity to demean women in the future, that is his right. Good companies have many opportunities to promote their businesses without having to subsidize the denigration of women. Sandra Fluke wasn’t the first woman to be smeared by Rush Limbaugh, but she needs to be the last.
Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives held a hearing on access to contraception that included no women. Chairman Daryl Issa denied a Georgetown law student, Sandra Fluke, permission to speak on the absurd grounds that the hearing was about religious freedom, not birth control. After Democrats held their own hearing in which Fluke gave passionate, thoughtful testimony about a friend who lost an ovary because she couldn’t afford the birth control pills that would have reduced her ovarian cysts, Rush Limbaugh apparently felt the need to weigh in and decided to do so in the shameful, loathsome way that only Rush could. As I could never improve upon the words themselves for a distillation of the soul of Rush Limbaugh, here they are:
“What does that make her (Fluke)? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute,” he said. “She wants to be paid to have sex. She’s having so much sex she can’t afford the contraception.” As if that wasn’t enough, he had to insult the most powerful woman in the legislative branch and Sandra’s parents:
“Can you imagine if you’re her parents how proud of Sandra Fluke you would be?” he said. “Your daughter goes up to a congressional hearing conducted by the Botox-filled Nancy Pelosi and testifies she’s having so much sex she can’t afford her own birth control pills and she agrees that Obama should provide them, or the Pope.”
Martin Bashir said he was left speechless on Thursday after hearing what he called “idiotic comments” made by Rush Limbaugh about Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student who was denied the right to speak at acontroversial Republican hearing on contraception.
“So, Miss Fluke and the rest of you feminazis. Here’s the deal. If we’re going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch,” Limbaugh said.
Bashir reread what he called Limbaugh’s ludicrous thoughts and asked his panel to comment. Democratic strategist Krystal Ball called Limbaugh “despicable,” “disgusting,” and a “loathsome individual.” She also defended Fluke and said Limbaugh was trying to shame her.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Feb 29, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET
What’s your biggest regret? Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that for most Americans, it’s a missed romantic opportunity. [NY Times]
Feeling a little back pain or numbness? Your skinny jeans or stilettos may be to blame. [Wall Street Journal]
New research from Britain shows common sleep medications may be linked to a shorter lifespan. But don’t stress yet, insomniacs– many doctors are doubtful of the study’s validity. [CNN]
When is it okay to give your child a sick day home from school… and when is it okay to send them, despite their sniffles? [Washington Post]
New research shows that richer people are often less ethical because they view greed differently than other demographics. [Time]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Mon Feb 27, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET
Good morning, RP readers! Are you dreading your week before it starts? New research shows that your case of the Mondays may be caused by your brain. [CNN]
By Krystal Ball, on Mon Feb 27, 2012 at 8:30 AM ET
Our own contributing Krystal Ball helped change an imminent government policy in Virginia last week. After helping expose the implications of a proposed state law that would have required transvaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortion, Governor McDonnell withdrew his support.
Here’s Krystal on MSNBC’s “Martin Bashir Show” last week:
MSNBC’s expert on abortion Krystal Ball: “So, Virginia is my home state and I actually ran for Congress there in 2010. So this hits very close to home for me also being a woman. What they are saying in Virginia is not only do women have to undergo an ultrasound, they have to undergo a trans-vaginal ultrasound. Mandatory state probing, okay. That’s what this legislation is talking about.”
“It actually meets the Virginia definition of rape.”
And here’s Krystal’s piece from last week’s The Recovering Politician:
State mandated-transvaginal probes!
Well Virginia, you certainly know how to get a gal’s attention. This weekend I went home to Virginia, partly to give my parents their granddaughter fix but partly to survey the political landscape. My home state has suddenly become the focus of national attention due to extreme anti-woman legislation that looks ready to be passed by the Republican legislature and could yet be signed into law by Republican Governor and vice presidential hopeful Bob McDonnell. The truth is that Virginia’s lady problems go way beyond what I like to call PAP (Probes and Personhood).
For years, a slim Democratic margin in the Virginia Senate and a hold on the governorship kept extreme legislation from becoming law. But since Republicans took over both chambers and the governor’s mansion, each bill has been more hard-edged than the last. With PAP, the Virginia GOP seem to finally have crossed a line — and it may well doom McDonnell’s national ambitions.
Read the rest of… Krystal Ball: Transvaginal Ultrasounds Are Akin to Rape
By Krystal Ball, on Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 8:30 AM ET
State mandated-transvaginal probes!
Well Virginia, you certainly know how to get a gal’s attention. This weekend I went home to Virginia, partly to give my parents their granddaughter fix but partly to survey the political landscape. My home state has suddenly become the focus of national attention due to extreme anti-woman legislation that looks ready to be passed by the Republican legislature and could yet be signed into law by Republican Governor and vice presidential hopeful Bob McDonnell. The truth is that Virginia’s lady problems go way beyond what I like to call PAP (Probes and Personhood).
For years, a slim Democratic margin in the Virginia Senate and a hold on the governorship kept extreme legislation from becoming law. But since Republicans took over both chambers and the governor’s mansion, each bill has been more hard-edged than the last. With PAP, the Virginia GOP seem to finally have crossed a line — and it may well doom McDonnell’s national ambitions.
In 2009, the Democratic nominee for governor, Creigh Deeds, was swept away by a rising tide of anti-Obama Tea Party fervor and Bob McDonnell became governor, pledging to focus like a laser on jobs. In fact, his campaign slogan was “Bob’s for Jobs.” Poor Creigh didn’t stand a chance against someone whose name actually rhymed with jobs! Democrats, however, held onto the State Senate by a slim two-seat margin. The divided government was good for McDonnell, who clearly harbors national ambitions for 2012 and beyond. The Democratic Senate acted as a levee holding back the steady flow of extreme legislation coming out of the Republican House of Delegates. In addition to keeping the worst laws off the books, the Democratic Senate unknowingly did a favor for Bob McDonnell by saving him from becoming the critical deciding factor between Republican red-meat radicalism and mainstream sentiment in an increasingly purple state.
Read the rest of… Krystal Ball: How the Virginia GOP Could Tank Bob McDonnell’s Political Fortunes
After spending a year in federal prison on an obstruction of justice charge stemming from a 2004 congressional campaign violation, I have a few tips for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich as he heads for prison.
•Don’t ever ask anybody about their crime. If they want to tell you what they did, fine. But you won’t know if they’re telling the truth. And if you ask and strike a nerve with someone, the result may not be pretty.
