Sarah Palin Honors Vets With Photo Of Herself On A Motorcycle

Happy Memorial Day! It is time to honor America’s War Heroes, meaning Sarah Palin. America’s favorite snowbilly grifter showed up Sunday at “Rolling Thunder,” a non-partisan organization which raises awareness of veterans’ issues through the display of motorcycles that run on Muslim-Arabian fuel.

Palin attracted a crowd of rally-goers eager to honor Sarah’s service in foreign wars, we guess. Sadly, she didn’t get to make a speech thanking these people for honoring her terrible sacrifices, so instead she just scrawled the words “justice rolls” on her hand in ink. Is this biker-gang humor? READ MORE »

Mag: Ailes’ Bomb-Proof Office Protects Him From ‘Those Gays’

Did you know that Fox News chief Roger Ailes has a specially bomb resistant office to protect him from al Qaeda and the gays?

—Josh Marshall

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-28-11

GOP Agenda Setting: Fox Strains To Make Debt "Top Issue"
Fox News figures have aggressively pushed the canard that national debt is the number one issue facing America. Yet experts argue that job growth and the economy should be our top priority instead -- a sentiment shared by voters, according to public opinion polls. Read More

Conservative Media Mangle Memo To Attack The NLRB
Conservative media outlets are deriding a memo recently released by the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that it "shows that the board wants to give unions much greater power over employers and their investment and management decisions." In reality, the memo addresses a narrow portion of labor law that requires employers to bargain with unions if labor costs are a factor when businesses decide to relocate. The changes contemplated in the memo would simply "encourage the use of bargaining rather than after-the-fact assessment of whether bargaining might have been successful." Read More

Special Report's Bret Baier Uses Loaded Term "Illegals"
Fox News' Bret Baier, using the word "illegals" to describe undocumented immigrants in the United States, said that a U.S. Supreme Court decision would have the effect of "penalizing businesses for hiring illegals." However, prominent media outlets and journalists' associations have denounced the use of the term "illegals," noting that it "skew[s] the public debate on immigration issues." Read More

Toadies - Possum Kingdom

Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

After Voting To Slash Funding For The EPA, Rep. Barletta Now Outraged It’s Not Doing More In His District

THINK PROGRESS

Three months after voting to eliminate funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) now says he’s outraged that the EPA isn’t doing more to protect the health of residents in his district. Barletta is insisting that the agency pay special attention to an area in Pittson, PA, after one resident alleged that a tunnel near a Superfund site gave him cancer. The EPA held an open house and information session to address the concerns of residents in the area, but said it did not plan to conduct further testing. This outraged Barletta, who called their decision “unacceptable”:

On Wednesday, Barletta sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson asking the agency to perform additional testing in the Carroll/Mill Street neighborhood.[...]“Frankly, this is unacceptable. The EPA’s own Web site indicates that one of the agency’s primary reasons for existence is to ensure that ‘all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work.’”[...]

“I was surprised to hear an EPA official basically tell the residents of the Carroll/Mill neighborhood that they would not conduct soil and water testing to find answers. It is absolutely the EPA’s job, and I’m going to make sure that job is done. The residents are scared, and they deserve answers and peace of mind.”

That’s an ironic position for Barletta, considering how often he’s tried to prevent the EPA from doing its job. In February, Barletta voted with the rest of the Republican-controlled House for an amendment that slashed funding for the EPA. Republicans were retaliating against the agency for its efforts to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), one of the authors of the amendment, said, “The era of EPA overstepping its authority by imposing over-burdensome and unnecessary regulations at the expense of American businesses is over.”

Barletta’s vote to gut funding for the EPA flew in the face of popular opinion in his own district. A survey by Public Policy Polling found that 70 percent of voters in Barletta’s 11th Congressional District opposed Barletta’s vote to block the EPA from setting limits for carbon dioxide pollution. Those opposed included 58 percent of independents and 53 percent of Republicans. Voters also opposed Barletta’s votes to “prevent the EPA from reducing arsenic, mercury and other toxic pollution from cement kilns, or from collecting any data about carbon and other pollutants.”

It’s pretty audacious to attack an agency for not doing enough mere months after attacking them for doing too much. Barletta should hope his constituents have short memories and forget his attempts to stop the EPA from upholding health standards that Republicans insisted were a “burden” to business.

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-27-11

WSJ Op-Ed Denies Dangers Of U.S. Mercury Emissions
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed attacking EPA's proposal to limit toxic air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants, Willie Soon and Paul Driessen obscure the challenges posed by U.S. mercury emissions, which they say pose "minuscule risks." Read More

Fox Attacks Science By Hyping Misleading Claims About National Science Foundation Funds
Following a report released by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) accusing the National Science Foundation (NSF) of "mismanagement of taxpayer funds," Fox News seized on the report making a series of misleading claims about the NSF-funded studies in the report. Read More

Ailes' Reported "Personal Paranoia" About Muslims, Gays Mirrored On Fox
In a May 25 Rolling Stone article on the "Fox News Fear Factory," Tim Dickinson reported that Fox News chairman Roger Ailes "has a personal paranoia about people who are Muslim -- which is consistent with the ideology of his network" and that Ailes "lived in fear that gay activists would try to attack him in retaliation over his hostility to gay rights." Indeed, Ailes' reported "personal paranoia" has been mirrored on Fox, which has a long history of smearing and attacking Muslims and the LGBT community. Read More

Right-Wing Media's Relentless False Attack: Obama Does Not Support Israel
Right-wing media have claimed that President Obama attacked Israel in his recent restatement of U.S. policy that a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 borders with agreed upon swaps. These criticisms follow a long series of falsehoods, distortions, and smears advanced by the right-wing media to claim that Obama and his administration are anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic. Read More

Right-Wing Media Attack Obama Over Medicare "Cuts" As They Praise Ryan Plan, Which Includes Same "Cuts"
Right-wing media figures are claiming that Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal does not cut Medicare spending, while accusing President Obama of having "cut" $500 billion from Medicare as part of the Affordable Care Act. In fact, these "cuts" come through eliminating parts of Medicare "seen as ineffective or wasteful," and Ryan's plan retains this $500 billion in reductions, while increasing out-of-pocket costs for seniors. Read More

Denied By God, Rick Perry Now Wants To Be President

As every other “serious GOP candidate” but Mitt Romney decides they don’t want to lose to Obama next year, Rick Perry has been sitting in his office in Texas wondering if maybe this is the way God is telling him to run for president. After all, Rick is a white Christian of the approved Tex-American variety, while Mitt Romney is a spooky Obamacare Mormon from liberal Taxachusetts.

The problem for Rick is that God has denied him, repeatedly. You might recall that Perry prayed to the Lord Jesus and demanded rain be poured from Heaven directly to Texas, to stop the multitude of plagues — wildfire, drought, literacy — threatening the Texas way of life. And God refused. God heard Rick’s prayer, and verily he responded with an indifferent, “Nah dude.” READ MORE »

Rich GOP Entertainer Urges Seniors To Accept Destruction of Medicare

About 55 years ago, American kids who weren’t allowed to buy “race records” by the likes of Chuck Berry or Fats Domino were helpfully directed by white shopkeepers to safe, white versions of the popular songs by a very white pop singer named Pat Boone. He wasn’t some colored hoodlum with the greasy hair and the sex ideas!

No, he was just a clean-cut college boy, and the college was probably Bob Jones University or Liberty University or whatever the middle-1950s version of those places might’ve been … and from history we know that actually the entirety of America was like those places, so anyway … sorry, we’ve lost our point and can’t do these ginormous Wonkette sentences quite so effortlessly as some of our predecessors. Back to the TXT version with ADHD: Wealthy old white nostalgic entertainer Pat Boone says go ahead and kill Medicare, because he is rich and doesn’t need it. READ MORE »

Obama Didn’t Shift U.S. Policy On Israel

TPM

There has been so much uproar in the last week over President Obama's statements about Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations beginning around 1967 borders - along with land swaps -- that TPM wanted to lay out the record on whether this policy really amounted to a shift - if even ever so slightly - from the policies of previous administrations.

Prime Minister Netanyahu flat-out rejected any return to 1967 boundaries a week ago Friday during a tense meeting at the White House, saying that such a plan was "indefensible." Days later, to rapturous applause at a joint session of Congress, he once again turned down any suggestion that Israel withdraw to its 1967 borders, although by then he and Obama appeared to have mended some fences after Obama gave a speech to the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee reiterating his commitment to Israel as close friend and ally.

But does Obama's position constitute a tangible shift in U.S. policy towards the peace process, or is it merely an affirmation of a long-recognized understanding?

There are times when previous administrations seem to have spoken Obama's argument nearly verbatim and times when they parsed their words a little more carefully. But the basic point was the same -- that a future peace plan must be based upon the 1967 lines with adjustments or "land swaps" as needed. Perhaps the only difference was a subtle shift in emphasis and the fact that Obama's statement was the first time he, as President, explicitly referred to the 1967 boundaries, a long-running flash-point...................

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-26-11

Right-Wing Media Revive Medicare Rationing Falsehood Following GOP's NY-26 Loss
Right-wing media have recently attempted to renew the falsehood that the health care reform bill will create an advisory panel for the purpose of rationing care, in part in response to an upset Democratic victory in a special congressional election in New York state. In fact, experts have dismissed the claim that the Independent Payment Advisory Board will ration care, and the legislation specifically prohibits the panel from rationing. Read More

Fox's Tantaros Falsely Claims Ryan Plan "Doesn't Drive Up The Costs" Of Seniors' Health Care
Fox News contributor Andrea Tantaros recently claimed that Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget proposal would not "drive up the costs" of Medicare because "[Ryan is] bringing it to the private market." In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that under Ryan's plan, seniors' out-of-pocket health care costs would more than double. Read More

Conservative Media Revive Misleading Claim That Health Care Reform "Cut" $500 Billion From Medicare
During the debate over Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to phase out Medicare, conservatives in the media have revived the misleading claim that the Affordable Care Act contained "$500 billion in Medicare cuts." In fact, the "cuts" will come through eliminating parts of Medicare "seen as ineffective or wasteful," and experts predict that the quality of care under Medicare will not be shortchanged. Read More

WikiLeaks: Saudis often warned U.S. about oil speculators

What role Wall Street investors play in the high cost of oil is a hotly debated topic in Washington. The Obama administration, the Bush administration before it and Congress have been slow to take steps to rein in speculators. The Saudis, however, have struck a steady theme for years that something should be done to curb the influence of banks and hedge funds that are speculating on the price of oil, according to diplomatic cables made available to McClatchy by the WikiLeaks website. » read more

How Roger Ailes Built the Fox News Fear Factory

The onetime Nixon operative has created the most profitable propaganda machine in history. Inside America's Unfair and Imbalanced Network

At the Fox News holiday party the year the network overtook archrival CNN in the cable ratings, tipsy employees were herded down to the basement of a Midtown bar in New York. As they gathered around a television mounted high on the wall, an image flashed to life, glowing bright in the darkened tavern: the MSNBC logo. A chorus of boos erupted among the Fox faithful. The CNN logo followed, and the catcalls multiplied. Then a third slide appeared, with a telling twist. In place of the logo for Fox News was a beneficent visage: the face of the network’s founder. The man known to his fiercest loyalists simply as "the Chairman" – Roger Ailes.

“It was as though we were looking at Mao,” recalls Charlie Reina, a former Fox News producer. The Foxistas went wild. They let the dogs out. Woof! Woof! Woof! Even those who disliked the way Ailes runs his network joined in the display of fealty, given the culture of intimidation at Fox News. “It’s like the Soviet Union or China: People are always looking over their shoulders,” says a former executive with the network’s parent, News Corp. “There are people who turn people in.”.............

Senate Republicans Vote Overwhelmingly To End Medicare

TPM

The GOP continued its bloody walk into the Medicare buzzsaw Wednesday, when 40 out of 47 Senate Republicans voted in support of the House GOP budget, and its plan to phase out and privatize the popular entitlement program.

The test vote failed by a vote of 57-40. But the roll call illustrates that Medicare privatization -- along with deep cuts to Medicaid and other social services -- remains the consensus position of the GOP despite the growing political backlash against them.

Voting with all of the Democrats against debating the plan were Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) -- both 2012 incumbents -- along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Rand Paul (R-KY) voted against it because it wasn't radical enough.

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) did not vote.............

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-25-11

Right-Wing Media Compare Gore To Fringe Preacher Who Incorrectly Predicted Rapture
Right-wing media have recently smeared former Vice President Al Gore and global warming activists by comparing them to Harold Camping, the fringe preacher who incorrectly predicted the Biblical day of rapture would occur on May 21. Right-wing media have previously smeared the scientific consensus on global warming as a "cult." Read More

Right-Wing Media Falsely Claim Netanyahu "Rejected" Obama's Border Plan
Right-wing media have falsely claimed that in his May 24 address to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "rejected" President Obama's plan to create an independent Palestinian state that "should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps." In fact, Netanyahu made clear in his speech that his comments were not a rejection of Obama's proposal and thanked Obama for his "steadfast commitment to Israel's security." Read More

"Too Much Guinness": Right-Wing Media Again Smear Obama As A Drunk
Right-wing media have seized on President Obama's use of the incorrect date when signing the Westminster Abbey guest book to claim that Obama has had "too much Guinness" during his trip. This follows the conservative media's other attacks on the president's trip to Europe, as well as their history of baselessly smearing Obama. Read More

Beck Uses Supreme Court Ruling Myth To Accuse Van Jones Of Orchestrating A Mass Prison Break
Glenn Beck, referencing a recent Supreme Court decision determining that California prison conditions constitute "cruel and unusual punishment," absurdly accused former White House advisor Van Jones of orchestrating a plot to release prisoners "out onto the streets." But California state officials have proposed shifting low-level offenders to county jails and other facilities as a response to the court ruling, rather than releasing large numbers of prisoners. Read More

Voice Of The Opposition: Fox News Adopts GOP's "Mediscare" Talking Point To Defend Ryan Budget
Fox News, continuing its role as the communications wing of the Republican Party, has adopted the GOP talking point that Democrats are using "'Mediscare' Attacks" against Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to replace Medicare with vouchers. Read More

Chart: Bush Policies Dominant Cause Of U.S. National Debt

TPM

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer made this argument in broad strokes on Monday. Hard numbers back it up.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has updated and refined a widely cited chart, laying out the origins of the country's current fiscal trajectory. And as before, the lion's share of the problem comes from ongoing George W. Bush-era policies -- particularly deficit-financed tax cuts, which eliminated Clinton-era surpluses and left the Treasury poised for a huge hit when the financial crisis and economic downturn further eroded federal revenues.

By the end of the decade, CBPP projects that, on the current trajectory, the Bush tax cuts, exacerbated by the economic downturn, combined with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will account for the significant majority of public debt as a share of GDP.

Without those factors, and without the need for stimulus measures under President Obama, CBPP projects that the debt-to-GDP ratio would have dropped under both Presidents Bush and Obama.

Obama is looking like a 2008 Republican

Editor's note: James Carville is a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, appearing frequently on CNN's "The Situation Room" as well as other programs on all CNN networks. Carville remains active in Democratic politics and is a party fundraiser.

(CNN) -- As I sat watching the hysterical and apocalyptic reaction to President Barack Obama's speech addressing the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, in which he endorsed a position that was previously advocated by George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, opposition leader Tzipi Livni and even Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, it got me thinking about the other vicious attacks on the president's previous policies.

Let's start with the president's decision to continue George W. Bush's TARP -- the successful program that averted a financial collapse and bailed out the automotive industry.

I've always wondered why Bush didn't try to lay some claim to the successful outcome of that situation instead of expecting to be credited with the downfall of Osama bin Laden, which he actually had very little to do with.

The fact that Obama promoted the individual mandate health-care plan previously endorsed by Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty had the GOP up in arms.

But boy, what really got the boys on Fox News, talk radio and the Tea Party gassed up was when Obama praised Pawlenty, McCain and Romney's cap-and-trade carbon-control plan. And I almost forgot his stimulus program was attacked by John Huntsman for not being large enough.

But then again, it's hard to to top the doomsday predictions that resulted when the chairman of the Federal Reserve (who, by the way, was appointed by George W. Bush) instituted a program that was advocated by Ronald Reagan's favorite economist, the late Milton Friedman, who is universally acknowledged to be the most influential conservative economist of the 20th century..................

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-24-11

Fox Distorts Supreme Court Ruling To Claim Inmates In Overcrowded CA Prisons Will "Get Out Of Jail Free"
Fox News aired several segments claiming that the Supreme Court's May 23 ruling -- which determined that overcrowding in California prisons is so extreme it amounts to "cruel and unusual punishment" -- would result in the state setting "at least 46,000 [prison inmates] free." In fact, state officials have proposed shifting low-level offenders to county jails and other facilities rather than releasing large numbers of prisoners; further, the number of affected inmates is estimated to be about 32,000 or 33,000, not "at least 46,000," as Fox claimed. Read More

Right-Wing Media Predictably Attack Obama For Going To Europe After Tornadoes
Right-wing media have attacked President Obama for traveling to Europe following the tornadoes in Missouri. However, the administration's response to the tornadoes has continued during Obama's trip to Europe, and Missouri officials have praised the administration's response. This follows a long history of right-wing media attacking Obama for focusing on more than one issue at a time during crises and trying to label various crises "Obama's Katrina." Read More

Right-Wing Media Attack Geithner For Staving Off Economic Disaster
Right-wing media have attacked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for using federal workers' pension funds to ensure that the government meets its obligations for the short-term while lawmakers and the White House try to reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling. In fact, Geithner's actions are in line with those of the Treasury Department under former Presidents Bush and Clinton, the government is legally required to reimburse the program once the debt limit is increased, and economic disaster could have occurred had Geithner not taken these measures. Read More

Ailes And Beck Agree On Lunatic "Civilian National Security Force" Conspiracy Theory
As Media Matters has documented, Glenn Beck has repeatedly pushed the lunatic theory that, based on a 2008 campaign speech by President Obama calling for a "civilian national security force," Obama wants to create "his own army." It now turns out that Beck's current boss at Fox News, Roger Ailes, has reportedly pushed a similar theory, claiming that Obama proposed a "national police force." Read More

Special Report Whitewashes Expert Criticism To Help Ryan's Medicare Messaging "Sink In"
Fox News host Bret Baier, ignoring experts who have said Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to replace Medicare with vouchers would harm seniors, asked whether Ryan's argument that he is actually defending Medicare is "sinking in" with voters. Read More

Fox Message Testing: Week-Long Series To Label Safety Net Beneficiaries "Takers"
Fox Business is running a week-long attack on the social safety net, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, labeling beneficiaries of these programs "takers." This messaging comes on the heels of a National Bureau of Economic Research study that concluded that these programs are highly effective at keeping people out of poverty. Read More

God Wants You To Wear A Hat

Gingriches Rang Up Big Tiffany & Co. Bill While Jeweler Was Lobbying Her House Committee

TPM

Tiffany & Co. was actively lobbying the House committee Newt Gingrich's wife Callista was working for at the time the couple had a $250,000 to $500,000 revolving charge account with the famed jeweler, Jeff Stein reports.

The "diamond and silverware firm was spending big bucks to influence mining policy in Congress and in agencies over which the House Agriculture Committee -- where she worked -- had jurisdiction," according to Stein.

Filings by Tiffany's lobbyist, Cassidy & Co., and other government records show that the firm's spending on "mining law and mine permitting-related issues" in Congress, as well as the Forest Service, the Interior Department, and Interior's Bureau of Land Management shot up sharply between during the period when Callista Gingrich was chief clerk at the House Agriculture Committee.

The company's lobbying expenditures went from about $100,000 in 2005 to $360,000 in 2009, according to records assembled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Stein reports.

A spokesman for Gingrich and representatives of the jewelry company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Newt Gingrich has previously touted his Tiffany's bill as evidence of his fiscal responsibility because he paid it off in full. Newt Gingrich also claimed the revolving charge account with Tiffany & Co. came interest-free, but the high-end jewelery company doesn't appear to offer such a deal to your average Joe, the Washington Post reports.

The Agenda Project: America The Beautiful

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-23-11

Tea Party Confessions: "There Would Not Have Been A Tea Party Without Fox"
In a May 22 New York magazine article, Tea Party Express founder Sal Russo boasted that "there would not have been a tea party without Fox." Indeed, Russo is correct: Media Matters has extensively documented Fox News' relentless promotion of the Tea Party Express. Read More

Fox Baselessly Claims Obama Might Give A "Bailout" To Ireland
Without citing any source, Fox claimed that President Obama's visit to Ireland might include discussions of a U.S.-funded "bailout" for Ireland. In fact, such claims are baseless; Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny reportedly briefed Obama on Ireland's position regarding a European Union bailout, but there have been no reports that he did or plans to ask Obama to directly intervene in negotiations on Ireland's behalf. Read More

Mixed Message: Right Attacks Obama For Both "Flip-Flop[ping]" And "Doubl[ing] Down" On Israel
The right-wing media have reacted to President Obama's speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) by complaining either he "flip-flop[ped]" or "double[d] down" on his previous comments or both. However, in his speech to AIPAC, Obama simply reiterated his earlier call that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians should be "based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps." Read More

Steve Milloy Advises Republicans To Spread Climate Misinformation
In a Washington Times op-ed, Steve Milloy responds to the National Research Council's warnings about the threat of climate change by offering false and misleading talking points to potential Republican presidential candidates. Read More

Ailes Reportedly "Fell Hard" For Chris Christie -- So Did Fox News
New York magazine reports that Fox News CEO Roger Ailes "fell hard" for Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) and recently "encouraged him to jump into" the Republican presidential race. Fox News similarly "fell hard" for Christie, with on-air figures lavishing praise on him, asking him about a presidential bid, and giving him ample airtime in the run-up to his 2009 election. Read More

Hannity Falsely Claims "No President" Before Obama "Has Ever Suggested" 1967 Israeli Borders
Sean Hannity falsely claimed that "no president" before Obama "has ever suggested" that borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps. In fact, Obama's comments are in line with those of President George W. Bush, who also supported a two-state plan based on pre-1967 borders. Read More

Hannity Falsely Claims "No President" Before Obama "Has Ever Suggested" 1967 Israeli Borders
Sean Hannity falsely claimed that "no president" before Obama "has ever suggested" that borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps. In fact, Obama's comments are in line with those of President George W. Bush, who also supported a two-state plan based on pre-1967 borders. Read More

Tim Pawlenty wiped a serial child molester’s record clean in 2008

RAW STORY

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty formally announced his campaign seeking the GOP nomination for the presidency Monday morning, but by midday, his political past had already caught up to him. Reporting by Minneapolis City Pages' Nick Pinto brought to attention a pardon then-Gov. Pawlenty granted to a sex offender in October 2008, which is sure to haunt the candidate throughout his campaign: the man Pawlenty pardoned was later arrested again for molesting his daughter more than 250 times in an eight-year span, including six years prior to his pardon.

Jeremy Giefer served 45 days in prison in 1994 after being convicted of statutory rape. However, because he married the then-14-year-old girl and stuck around to father the child they conceived together, he begged the state for an extraordinary pardon, which would no longer require Giefer to report himself as a sex offender.

The board — which includes the Minnesota attorney general, the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and the governor (Pawlenty, at the time) — voted unanimously to pardon Giefer.

The damning details came in November 2010, when Giefer was again arrested on counts of sex with an underage girl — this time with the daughter he had conceived with Susan before his first rape charge. According to the complaint his daughter, identified in court documents as C.G., filed, Griefer would often make her have sex with him or perform oral sex on him as a favor before he would give her permission to do things, and that he put her on birth control when she was 15 years old so that she wouldn't get pregnant when he raped her without a condom. The abuse started when she was 9 years old..............

Scott Brown Now Attacks GOP Medicare Plan He Recently Praised

Scott Brown was praising Medicare phase out only a couple weeks ago and saying he'd vote for it. Then he hedged. And now he's criticizing phase out in an oped in Politico and saying he'll vote against.

—Josh Marshall

Fox News President Roger Ailes thinks Sarah Palin ‘is an idiot’

RAW STORY

Roger Ailes, the president of the Fox News Channel, is not fond of former Alaska governor and Fox News contributor Sarah Palin, according to sources.

“He thinks things are going in a bad direction," a Republican close to Ailes told Gabriel Sherman of the New York Magazine. "Roger is worried about the future of the country. He thinks the election of Obama is a disaster. He thinks Palin is an idiot. He thinks she’s stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven’t elevated the conservative movement."

Ailes was also frustrated with Palin after she refused to heed his advise in the aftermath of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, referring to Palin as a "loose cannon."

He advised Palin to "lie low" and wait to respond to media reports highlighting some of her violent rhetoric, but instead of waiting, Palin accused her critics of "blood libel."

"Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn," Palin said via Facebook. "That is reprehensible."

She joined the Fox News Channel as a contributor in 2010............

If You’re Reading This, You’re In Heaven!

Welcome to the official newsletter of Heaven! Yes, the Rapture happened, and you won! You’re in Paradise! (Sorry it’s exactly like the world you left behind; perhaps you should appreciate the world you left behind a little more!)

We are too a-scared to wait up until whenever the rapture is supposed to hit California and suck 89-year-old Oakland-based doomsday predictor Harold Camping back to his watery grave, so we’ll just schedule this post to publish in the morning. But we have grabbed some news bits from New Zealand, which apparently has yet to be destroyed by Jeebus Quakes even though it’s well after 6 p.m. local time. READ MORE »

Israeli Opposition Leader Backs Obama On 1967 Borders, Says Netanyahu ‘Violated’ U.S.-Israel Relations

THINK PROGRESS

Last week, President Obama said that “a lasting peace” between the Israelis and the Palestinians “will involve two states” and that “the borders of Israel and Palestine be based on the 1967 lines.” The American right has since accused Obama of selling out Israel despite the fact that the idea Obama proposed isn’t really all that controversial. Mitt Romney said the President threw Israel “under the bus,” while others like Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said the President “betrayed” Israel and that “Obama’s call for 1967 borders will cause chaos, division & more aggression in Middle East & put Israel at further risk.” Yet Israel’s opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, reportedly backs Obama’s rhetoric, and she chastised Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu for coming out against the Obama administration:

Tzipi Livni, leader of Israel’s opposition Kadima party, also backed Mr Obama’s two-state solution and accused Mr Netanyahu of putting Israel at risk in order to save his right-wing coalition.

“The prime minister has violated relations between Israel and the United States,” she said, speaking after Mr Obama’s speech but before the Oval Office meeting. “He has endangered the security of Israel and its power of deterrence.”

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-20-11

Right-Wing Media Attack Obama For Announcing Israel Policy Espoused By Bush, Former Israeli Prime Minister
Right-wing media have launched a torrent of attacks on President Obama for saying that "[w]e believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states." In fact, Obama's policy is in line with statements made by former President George W. Bush, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and others. Read More

Doocy Falsely Claims Obama "First President" To "Suggest" 1967 Israeli Borders
On Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy falsely claimed that, in his address on the Middle East, President Obama became the "first American president" to "suggest" that the borders of Israel and Palestine should be "based on what things were like back in 1967." In fact, Obama's comments are in line with those of President George W. Bush, who also supported a two-state plan based on pre-1967 borders. Read More

Right-Wing Media Portray Partition Plan Supported By Israelis, American Jews As Simply The "Palestinian Plan"
Following President Obama's May 19 speech on the Middle East, right-wing media have characterized Obama's call for the creation of a Palestinian state "based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps" as Obama "sid[ing] with the Palestinians." However, this characterization obscures the fact that Obama's plan has Israeli and Jewish support; for instance, the leader of the Israeli opposition party and several American Jewish organizations applauded Obama's plan, and prominent Israelis have previously supported similar plans. Read More

Media Matters Revisits Right-Wing Media Prophesies That Obama Is The Antichrist
As attention turns to speculation that May 21, 2011, will be the Biblical day of rapture, Media Matters revisits a litany of fringe right-wing media figures who foretold that President Obama might just be the Antichrist - the latest in a long line of world leaders presaged as "the beast." Read More

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-19-11

Dobbs Argues E-Verify Should Be Mandatory Because "It Works"
Fox Business host Lou Dobbs claimed that the E-Verify program, which allows employers to automatically check the immigration status of newly hired employees through government databases, is 99 percent effective, and argued that the government should make it mandatory because "it works." In fact, federal government studies show that the program has errors and can lead to discrimination. Read More

Fox, Purveyor Of "Death Panel" Myth, Continues To Decry Dems' Supposed Medicare "Scare Tactics"
Fox News hosts and contributors have repeatedly asserted that the Democrats are engaging in "scare tactics" to fearmonger about Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan to reform Medicare. However, Fox News hosts have used their shows as platforms to fearmonger about the mythological "death panels" that will result from "Obamacare." Read More

Fox Seizes On Immigrant Bust To Criticize Obama's Immigration Record
Fox & Friends seized on a story of over 500 migrants who were caught packed into trucks in Mexico to attack President Obama's claim that "far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally." But immigration data supports Obama's claim that illegal border crossings have decreased. Read More

Conservative Media Calls For Filibustering Liu Despite Prominent Bipartisan Support
As Media Matters has previously reported, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has filed a cloture petition on President Obama's nomination of Goodwin Liu to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the ninth Circuit. Despite bipartisan support for Liu by prominent conservative politicians, the right-wing media have continuously attacked the nominee, and in some cases called for a filibuster of the nomination. Read More

Right-Wing Media Twist The Facts On Right-To-Work States
Right-wing media have used the recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) lawsuit against Boeing -- reportedly brought because Boeing may be violating federal labor laws -- to claim that right-to-work states improve wages and profits for companies, while also protecting workers from being "forced" to join unions. In fact, studies have shown that wages are lower in right-to-work states, some states have seen businesses leave after passing right-to-work laws, and labor organizations in non-right-to-work states cannot force workers to join unions. Read More

Right-Wing Media's Deranged Attack: Obama "Sided With Terrorists"
Right-Wing media unleashed a crazed onslaught after President Obama's speech on the Middle East, outrageously asserting that Obama "sided with terrorists" by saying that the 1967 borders should guide negotiations over the formation of a Palestinian state. But this position is nothing new, and American Jewish groups praised today's speech. Read More

Rep. Webster Threatens To Kick Out Town Hall Constituent For Asking About Raising Corporate Taxes

THINK PROGRESS

The town hall backlash that began last month over the Republican plan to end Medicare and extend tax breaks for the wealthy is showing no signs of abating.

Rep. Dan Webster (R-FL) encountered many angry constituents Tuesday night during a town hall meeting outside Orlando. Attendees repeatedly admonished Webster for his support of the Ryan budget and pleaded with him to do more to ensure corporations pay their fair share in taxes.

One such constituent was Falcon Taylor. She asked why he was ruling out any tax increases, noting that previous Republican presidents had balanced budgets by raising taxes along with lowering spending. Webster responded that the problem was future generations would end up footing the bill. Taylor instead encouraged Webster to help close the nation’s budget deficit by raising taxes on corporations, many of whom are currently paying little to nothing in corporate income taxes. Moving in towards Taylor’s seat, Webster threatened to have her removed from the town hall, telling her “you’re making a choice of whether you want to stay or not.” Two other constituents then walked out in protest:..................

WND: Esquire Taking Orders From White House To Destroy WND Book

This morning, Esquire‘s politics blog put up a fake joke post about WorldNetDaily’s Joseph Farah finally coming around and realizing he was wrong about President Obama’s birth certificate, and was pulling back the release of his hilarious fact-denying organization’s new book on the matter.

The joke here is that it goes against the very biology of Farah to change his mind of the face of glaring facts that disprove the various conspiracy theories that are his business. But because the goal of the news media today is not to report news, but to be the first to aggregate somebody else’s work, a few media people didn’t really read it and reported this joke as fact. This is, of course, yet another plot by the White House to silence Farah, he says. READ MORE »

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-18-11

Fox Revives Health Care Rationing Myth
On Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor and former Republican Congressman John Shadegg falsely claimed that the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) created by the health care reform bill would "decide to lower reimbursement rates, essentially rationing care." In fact, the bill specifically prohibits the board from making "any recommendations to ration health care." Read More

One Fell Swoop: Right-Wing Media Use Green Ribbon Schools Program To Attack Education, Conservation, Gore, Obama
Following the Department of Education's announcement of the Green Ribbon Schools program, which recognizes schools for "engaging students on environmental issues" and "addressing environmental issues," the right-wing media jumped on the campaign as an excuse to attack environmental literacy, the Department of Education, former Vice President Al Gore, and President Obama. Read More

Fox Omits Guest's Anti-Health Care Reform Ties
Fox & Friends hosted Dr. Donald Palmisano to attack the health care reform law but did not disclose that Palmisano is the head of the Coalition to Protect Patients' Rights, an anti-health care reform organization managed by the right-wing lobbying firm DCI Group. Instead, co-host Steve Doocy only identified Palmisano as an "author," a "lawyer," and the "former American Medical Association President." Read More

Right-Wing Media Still Misinforming About Money-Saving, Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Right-wing media have continued to attack energy standards that will phase out inefficient light bulbs by 2012, claiming the bill will "ban" incandescent light bulbs and force consumers to instead purchase either $50 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs or "dangerous" compact florescent lights (CFL). In fact, the bill only bans inefficient incandescent light bulbs, and efficient bulbs -- whose prices vary considerably depending on the type of bulb and are also projected to drop -- will save consumers money in the long run; experts have also said that concerns over mercury in CFL bulbs are overstated. Read More

"Corrupt": Fox News Launches Fact-Free Attack On Health Care Reform Waivers
Fox News, amplifying a fake controversy started by the Daily Caller, is claiming that 38 health-care reform "waivers" granted to businesses in Northern California are evidence of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and President Obama's "corruption." But the business owner who actually requested the waivers said that they were in no way connected to Pelosi and were part of an annual request for businesses throughout the country, not just in Pelosi's congressional district. Read More

Economists Dismantle Conservative Media's Latest "Stupid" Attack On Stimulus
The right-wing media is hyping a study that attempted to measure the state-by-state unemployment effects of the stimulus, to claim that the bill actually destroyed jobs. But economists, including Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, have raised questions of "cherry picking" and dismissed the study's findings. Read More

Fox's "Straight News" Anchor Martha MacCallum Regularly Advocates GOP Positions
Fox News defends its credibility as a legitimate news outlet by claiming that there is a dividing line between its news and opinion programming. Purported "straight news" anchor Martha MacCallum, however, has a long record of echoing GOP talking points to advocate for conservative policies. Read More

Sex News 05-17-11

• Sex is too massive, not to have rules
  Sex is always potentially extremely troubling. It can cause all sorts of ruckus in all sorts of lives on an endless basis

• Preferences inside women's sexual brains
  What turns women on?

• People who like to have sex dressed as Tigger
  Liz Langley explains furries or plushies

• How my masturbation has evolved
  LilithLand describes how her masturbation techniques have changed over type

• Piss- A short film about relationship
  Piss is a short film about a man who is unable to comply with his partner's sexual fantasy

• Condom helps men keep their erection longer
  A new condom is designed for men who have trouble keeping erections specifically while using a condom.

• Do clothes objectify young girls?
  Does sexy clothing give girls negative feelings of body image

• Naturist arrested for indecent exposure
  A 62-year-old British man has been charged for causing his neighbours distress. They live 150m away

• Cinematic Quality Porn
  Blue Artichoke Films in Amsterdam is making a name for itself by producing cinematic quality porn

• Masturbation is Healthy
  Sexpertkelly explains why it is good for you

• 15 pieces of sex trivia
  For example, did you know that the sperm of a mouse is longer than the sperm of an elephant

• The Return of the "Hooker Teacher"
  It's not uncommon for teachers moonlighting in the sex industry to be fired

• Can science explain porn addiction
  The idea of porn as an external factor that takes over your system fails to recognize sexual histories and user conceptions of sexuality

• I won't do that for love
  Some people won't have sex with the lights on, others won't engage in oral sex

• Does penis size matter?
  Bigger is not always better.

• Semen: nature's anti-depressant
  Semengate, as it's been called, involves a scientific paper that suggests semen has anti-depressant properties

• Middletons get porn film offer
  Vivid Entertainment has offered Pippa Middleton $5-million to appear in a scene for a porn film. Her brother James has been offered one million. [more]

• The Modern Virgin
  One of the most intriguing parts about being a modern virgin is that everyone assumes that you are not a virgin [more]

• Is no-strings sex a viable option?
  How acceptable to a potential male partner would I be, if I told him I just wanted some awesome sex without a relationship

• Barcelona to ban bikinis and public nudity
  Barcelona authorities have passed a law banning nudity and "near nudity" in the city centre

• How did You Lose Your Virginity?
  Treasured stories, but not necessarily happy ones

• Feminist porn faces hardcore critics
  Pornography and feminism aren't the most obvious bedfellows. [more]

• Is There A Sex Toy Double Standard?
  Amelia McDonell-Parry admits that if a dude she liked, confessed to using a sex toy to masturbate, she would be weirded out

• Swinging: when it doesn't quite work out
  KissingBlue explains how her partner and her, can meet up with another couple, but it doesn't always go to plan

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-17-11

Fox Launches Misleading Attack On Postal Service
On Fox & Friends, Fox Business host Stuart Varney attacked the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for seeking a "bailout" because if it "were run like a business," the USPS would be "cutting costs" and wouldn't need federal assistance. In fact, the USPS has been cutting costs for years, and like the USPS, hundreds of private businesses have recently received federal assistance Read More

Right-Wing Media Largely Ignore Birtherism To Blame Media "Attacks" For Trump's Dropping Out
Following reports that Donald Trump will not be running for president, the right-wing media absurdly blamed "the media" for "attacking" Trump, largely ignoring Trump's embrace of birtherism. Read More

Media Conservatives Disregard Economic Benefits Of Immigration Reform
The right-wing media is attacking President Obama for discussing immigration reform rather than focusing on the economy, but researchers have estimated that immigration reform can add $1.5 trillion to GDP and create 900,000 jobs. Read More

Constituents Laugh At GOP Rep. Quayle For Denying Existence Of Billions In Special Oil Subsidies

THINK PROGRESS

Last month, ThinkProgress took note of a strange new defense of oil subsidies: denying their existence. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), a top recipient of oil industry campaign contributions, defended billions in targeted oil subsidies by telling a constituent that they don’t exist, so Congress shouldn’t cut them. Now, it appars freshman Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ) is adopting Bishop’s novel defense.

At a town hall in Anthem last night, Quayle was asked by a constituent why he had pushed to cut services for the elderly and women while pushing massive tax cuts for the rich and tax subsidies for the oil industry. In a condescending manner, Quayle demanded that the constituent name the specific subsidies targeted towards oil companies. The constituent didn’t miss a beat, and reminded him that the Senate just last week held a hearing where oil industry CEOs defended billions in special taxpayer money. Quayle then went on to deny that any of the subsidies used by the oil industry are at all targeted:

CONSTITUENT: I’d like to know why you’d like to do this on the backs of seniors, and of women. All the cuts are going to hurt seniors, future seniors, and women! Your attacks on Planned Parenthood are hurting women who need healthcare. [...] And why are you are choosing that way rather than cutting oil subsidies [...]

QUAYLE: In terms of the oil subsidies, if we’re going to address it, can you just tell me what oil subsidies you’re talking about so I could have better information on what to expand on it?

CONSTITUENT: Why were the oil companies coming to defend their subsidies in front of the Senate? Those subsidies, anything in which we give them money when they’re making billions off of us every day.

AUDIENCE: That’s right!

QUAYLE: The things they were talking about were actually tax deductions that corporations across all sorts of sectors take in terms of R&D, in terms of equipment deductions, the life of the equipment, those were the deductions that they were talking about and it’s not specific to the oil industry [...]

[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER].................

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-16-11

Buyer Beware: Why Advertisers Should Still Be Wary Of Financially Supporting Fox News
Before Glenn Beck announced that his Fox News show is ending, more than 300 advertisers had dropped their ads from the show due to Beck's reckless vitriol, demonstrated pattern of deceit, violent rhetoric, repeated use of racially charged rhetoric, and propagation of anti-Semitic stereotypes. However, even with Beck leaving, advertisers have plenty of reasons to be concerned about associating their brands with Fox News, as extremist rhetoric pervades the network, from the management to the so-called "news" shows to other Fox personalities. For example: Read More

Fox Distorts Trustees' Report To Fearmonger About Social Security And Medicare
Fox & Friends distorted a recent Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees report to fearmonger about the programs' solvency by claiming that the report significantly revised the date at which the Social Security trust fund would no longer be solvent. In fact, the report changed the projected solvency of the Social Security trust fund by just one year, and after that point the fund would continue to pay out benefits at 77 percent; and even without legislative action, after 2024, Medicare payments would continue to be funded for an additional 60 years at levels between 75 and 90 percent. Read More

CALLISTA GINGRICH IS A STEPFORD WIFE!

ATLANTA – Newt Gingrich announced he is running for President in 2012 and that his wife is a robot.

Callista Gingrich, goes everywhere with her husband. She is in the foreground of his new campaign website, over which her beaming blonde visage looms as large as his.

The former speaker’s wife co-signs his organization’s e-mails, produces his movies, appears beside him on Fox News, and even reads his work...

Read More »

Black Person Allowed To Read Poem At White House Despite Everything

We don’t know what happened to this country, but apparently a negro rapper was allowed inside the White House to read his so-called “poetry,” like black people have ever written poetry. There was a time, honestly, when black people were kept to the various servant and kitchen positions in the White House. But not with this president, no sir. We’ve never heard of this rapper “poet” minority, but VIBE senior editor Sarah Palin said he’s no good! That’s enough for us. (We always trust crazy old white grandmas in Alaska when it comes to choosing our hip hop.) READ MORE »

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-11-11

Conservative Media Defend Boeing's Alleged Attempt To Violate Union Workers' Rights
Conservative media figures have claimed that the National Labor Relations Board is seeking to ban companies from moving to states with lax labor laws by filing a complaint against Boeing's decision to move the production facility for its new 787 Dreamliner to South Carolina. In fact, the NLRB's general counsel has alleged that Boeing moved its 787 production line in retaliation for strikes by Boeing workers at its Seattle-area plant, which, if proven true, constitutes a clear violation of federal labor laws. Read More

Fox & Friends Distorts Obama's Record On Border Security
Fox & Friends repeatedly suggested that because of a joke President Obama made during a recent speech about immigration, he is not taking border security seriously. But Fox & Friends ignored that deportations of illegal immigrants have increased under Obama, and the number of border patrol agents and funding for border security projects have also increased. Read More

Fox Business Host Falsely Claims Baby Boomers Will "Bankrupt" Social Security "In A Couple Of Months"
Fox Business host Andrew Napolitano falsely claimed that the retirement rate of baby boomers is "going to bankrupt the [Social Security] system in a couple of months." In fact, the level of Social Security revenues and benefits were specifically modified in 1983 to account for baby boomers' retirements, and the program is projected to remain completely solvent and pay full benefits until 2037. Read More

Metallica- Welcome home (Sanitarium)

metallica - enter sandman

Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl

Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams

Media Matters Daily Summary 05-10-11

University Officials Conclude Latest Investigation Discrediting Breitbart
University of Missouri officials Monday issued a statement concluding that Andrew Breitbart-promoted videos smearing university lecturers were "highly distorted through splicing and editing." This is just the latest investigation to discredit deceptively edited videos promoted by Breitbart. Read More

Conservative Media Defend Tax Breaks For Big Oil With False Claim About Gas Prices
Conservative media claim that recent proposals to repeal tax breaks for the five largest oil companies will "make gasoline more expensive." However, energy experts say that cutting the tax incentives will have little to no effect on prices at the pump. Read More

Right-Wing Media Freak Out Over GOP's Emergency Alert Plan
Following the announcement of a new national emergency alert system that will alert the public to significant emergencies via mobile phone messages, right-wing media have attacked the plan, claiming that it will allow "Dear Leader Obama To Send You Text Messages." But the plan was implemented as a result of legislation introduced by GOP Sen. Jim DeMint that was overwhelmingly passed by Congress in 2006 and accompanied by an executive order signed by President Bush. Read More

Library of Congress Debuts 'National Jukebox' Crammed With Rare Sounds

TPM

The Library of Congress is one of the most splendid resources in the country--which is terrific, if you're in DC. For those who aren't (and even who are!), the Library's putting a massive audio archive online, for free.

The "National Jukebox," available on a streaming-only basis, unfortunately, is a massive trove of audio recordings. Music, speeches, humor readings--spanning decades of American history. The original words of Teddy Roosevelt. "Rhapsody in Blue" with George Gershwin on piano. Serious national gems. And, due to some cuddling with Sony, the label's entire pre-1925 catalog will be accessible, encompassing a significant (and widely forgotten) musical past.

Accompanying the huge sonic repository is a ton of album and label artwork, as well as biographical information on artists (which you'll probably need for artists so dead that Sony gave them away for free). Right now the only thing I can hear is a million history teachers across the country, filled with glee. And an opera from 1919. [Library of Congress]

The original version of the story appears here: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/vip/~3/eQcEacZoBXI/library-of-congress-debuts-national-jukebox-crammed-with-rare-sounds

Whirlpool Paid No Taxes Over The Past Three Years, Got A $64 Million Tax Refund In 2010

THINK PROGRESS

As ThinkProgress has been reporting, Main Street America’s services, investments, and jobs are under attack while many of the nation’s wealthiest individuals and corporations are getting away with paying little to nothing in federal income taxes. Today, BusinessWeek reports that Whirpool, the world’s largest appliance maker, has been a major tax dodger. The company had negative income tax rates over the past three years, and reported a $64 million income tax benefit last year. It expects similar results this year:

Sales at the appliance maker rose 7 percent to $18.4 billion last year after dropping during the housing slump of the previous two years. In the year-earlier quarter, the company attributed a rise in revenue to increased productivity.

Whirlpool had negative effective income tax rates in 2010, 2009 and 2008. Last year, the company reported an income tax benefit of $64 million and an effective tax rate of negative 10.9 percent, according to company filings. The company expects a similar tax benefit in 2011, corporate controller Larry Venturelli told analysts today.

Whirlpool is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Its first-quarter profits are up 3 percent as compared to last year and the company “raised its prices by between 8% and 10% [last] month to offset higher raw material costs.”

9 In 10 Americans Blame Wall Street And Big Oil For Spiking Gas Prices

THINK PROGRESS

Americans know who’s to blame for spiking gas prices: Big Oil and Wall Street.

As oil prices have skyrocketed, sending gas prices surging to $4 a gallon or more around the nation, American families have suffered. Although the surging prices threaten the national economic recovery as Americans cut back their household spending and driving, oil companies and commodity speculators have reaped billion-dollar payouts. Fossil-funded conservatives blame environmental regulations and President Obama, but a new poll by Opinion Research Corporation for CNN shows that the American public, no matter what party, know that they can just follow the money to find who’s to blame. Nine out of ten Americans believe that oil companies and speculators are to blame for the recent increase in gas prices:

– 89 percent of Americans believe oil companies deserve a great deal of (61 percent) or some (27 percent) blame for the recent increase in gas prices.

– 90 percent of Americans believe Wall Street speculators deserve a great deal of (59 percent) or some (31 percent) blame for the recent increase in gas prices.

Remarkably, the poll found that a majority of Americans of every ideological stripe — Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative — believe that oil companies and speculators deserve a great deal of blame for gas prices. Only self-identified Tea Party supporters break with the rest of the American public, with about 4 in 10 putting the onus on Big Oil and Wall Street.

By comparison, only a quarter of Americans believe that Obama, Republicans, or environmental policies deserve a great deal of blame. (About half of Tea Partiers put most of the blame on Obama and environmental regulations.)

Goldman Sachs, a top commodity speculator, smashed investor estimates with its first-quarter profits, just after admitting a speculative bubble was driving up oil prices and hurting the US economy. Exxon made $5 million an hour the first three months of this year, while complaining that Congress is considering taking away the tax subsidies that have allowed it to pay zero income taxes. Koch Industries, as a top oil distributor, refiner, and trader, is funneling a fraction of its billion-dollar profits to conservative politicians and lobbyists who fight oil market regulation. Glencore, the world’s largest diversified commodities trader, is planning one of the largest IPOs in history, creating four new billionaires and several hundred millionaires.

Republicans in Congress are now fighting attempts to rein in speculators and end subsidies for oil companies.