The Wrap-Up: December 6, 2011

Jamey Rodemeyer (1997-2011)

The Supreme Court may hear an appeal over Texas' redistricting map.

 The students who bullied Jamey Rodemeyer have been suspended by the school. Too bad they did this months too late to keep 14 year-old Jamey from committing suicide because of the abuse.

The racial improprieties that helped lead to the bursting of the housing bubble were apparently intentional.

The Kentucky church that barred interracial couples from church membership has been overruled.

While Mitt Romney keeps calling himself a "job creator," at least one (if not more) of his business partners is saying otherwise. His GOP rivals should send this guy a Christmas basket. This is seriously fodder that he can, and should, be clobbered over the head with.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R-VA)

Speaking of Mitt, former Vice President Dan Quayle is set to endorse him today. Surely Romney will have this race in the bag as a result...

Two years out and this Gubernatorial race in Virginia is already heating up, and the GOP may hand it to the Democrats...if they can field a viable candidate (my favorite part of the article is the second sentence).

Holy draconian punishment Batman! For the irredeemable crime of burping during class, a kid was sent to juvie and suspended from school for the rest of the year. There really aren't words for how absolutely stupid things like this are.

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A policy may be adopted in North Carolina where adopting certain "bully breeds" will be banned and said dogs would be killed. Anyone else get a whiff of genocide from this story?

It turns out that the owners of Zucotti Park (where Occupy wall Street has been centered) are some of the very same tax-dodgers that the protesters have been fighting against. Small wonder said owners tried to get the protesters evicted.

Over the weekend, Australia's ruling party voted to endorse marriage equality. The nation's only real hurdle: the Prime Minister.

And lastly, Michigan music teacher tried to make "Deck the Halls" less...gay. Some of the responses to this story are hilarious.

One Year & Counting

As of today, Election Day 2012 is one year away. As important as the presidential campaigns are, don't forget congressional, state, and local contests as well. They are extremely important too. If you have been walking through this election cycle so far with eyes closed and mind asleep, it's definitely time to wake up and pay attention.

Election 2012: Perry's Extraction (i.e. Tax) Plan

Election 2012: Is Cain Ready For Primetime?

Election 2012: 999 Under the Microscope

Herman Cain: Color Blind, Deaf & Dumb

Pawlenty Puckers Up

Tim Pawlenty has no shame and has no dignity.

I also find it amusing how Pawlenty tries to make it seem as though him through his massive amount of supporters behind Romney actually means something (P.S. it doesn't).

Rick Perry: Facts Don't Matter!!!

Mitt Romney's Jobs Problem

Pat Robertson on Presidential Qualifications

There are three problems that jump out at me from this video;

1) Pat Robertson is a hypocrite. He had not been a mayor or a governor when he ran for president (as the clip showed at the end).

2) How about we let the people decide who is and is not qualified to be President. That is the purpose of the democratic process.

3) George W. Bush was the governor of a large state. That did not end well for anyone.

Best Church Sign Ever!!!

Tool Time Award: Rabbi Yehuda Levin

An Open Letter to Rick Santorum

Dear Mr. Santorum,

Recently, I came across this video of you speaking with some of your reporters:

I have to point out some factual inaccuracies you have made, as well as other problems with these statements.

-Comparing anyone's relationship - whether you agree with it or not - to a napkin, a paper towel, a car, or any other inanimate object is not just incredibly insulting (though it seems that this is the point), it just sounds incredibly ignorant and foolish. It is not what most people want to hear for someone who is seeking to lead more than 300,000,000 people, especially given that fact that this nation faces far more pressing issues than the differences between a napkin and a paper towel.

-Yes marriage existed before there was the English language or a state, but it also existed before Christianity.

-Your contempt for the Lawrence vs. Texas decision shows that you are not for small non-intrusive government, but rather you are for a government that reaches into every aspect of people's lives, not matter how private or intimate. That is not conservative at all.

-Lastly, the fact that you actually think how people, the vast majority of whom you will never come into contact with, is your business is incredibly pretentious, not to mention it goes against one of the primary pillars of society: self-determination. How one lives their life is not for you to dictate any more than it is anyone else's business to tell you how to live your life. You have proven time and again how little you know about a nation and a people that you intend to govern. Let me tell you in very clear terms that anyone can understand: My life and how I live it IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS!!!

-Rob from VA

Rick Santorum's Marriage Problem

Rick Santorum, who is running for the Republican Presidential nomination has a substantial marriage problem. No I'm not talking about between he and his wife. He, being the very staunch social conservative that he is, is against marriage equality. I have heard that stance explained in many different ways by many different people. While I disagree with all of the explanations, I have to say that Santorum's have been particularly bad. Why? His problem is that he repeatedly has compared marriage and marriage equality to random objects. Let's roll through the list; napkins and paper towels, water and beer, tea and basketball, and the latest was cars and trees (did I miss anything?). It sounds more like a game of "I Spy" than a serious presidential contest. This man is campaigning ultimately to become the leader of the free world and these are the best talking points that he can come up with? It is particularly bad that these are the issues he is harping on when the unemployment rate is over 9%. People are looking for what candidates will do about the jobs situation and Rick Santorum is looking around to see what he will compare marriage to next.

It's little wonder that his poll numbers are so anemic.

A Message From Texas

Obama's Last Best Hope is in Revolt

Iowans to Romney: Corporations Aren't People

Romney placed seventh in the Iowa Straw Poll this past weekend.

The Inevitable Happens: Pawlenty Ends Bid

I have seen many clips where Cenk Uygur (of The Young Turks) talked about Pawlenty being a joke of a candidate and the only people giving him the time of day weren't voters, just the media. Looks like he was correct.

The Primary Issue

The person being interviewed is Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). This clip came to my attention from "Think Progress."

I voted for President Obama in the 2008 election and, given he was running against John McCain, I don't regret that. However, he has compromised too many fundamental progressive principles, the same principles that many voted for him to uphold. Perhaps, him being pushed pulled away from his seemingly corporative direction would be a good thing, especially for those of us who aren't super-rich.

2012: Pawlenty Latest Ad Fails