The Hollywood Liberal

Beck’s Miracle
God Hates Bambi

Quote of the Day
“When you’re sent to an image consultant and said that you look like a stripper and talk bad and you’re hurting the campaign when, you know, there’s a pregnant teen there, it does a little bit to your self-esteem.”

— Meghan McCain, in an interview on the Daily Show, talking about her insecurity during her father’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Sandoval Still Way Ahead in Nevada
A new Las Vegas Review-Journal/Mason-Dixon poll in Nevada shows Brian Sandoval (R) with a solid 16 point lead over Rory Reid (D) in the race for governor, 52% to 36%.

Abercrombie Pulls Away in Hawaii Primary
A new Merriman River Group poll in Hawaii shows Neil Abercrombie (D) leading Mufi Hannemann (D) by 17% in the Democratic race for governor, 48% to 31%, with 12% supporting another candidate and 9% undecided.

The primary is on September 18.

The Xenophobic Right’s Weird Reaction to Hollywood Blockbuster ‘Machete’
Robert Rodriguez’s new film is madcap Mexploitation, but the paranoid crowd sees propaganda for the coming "race war."

Robert Rodriguez's new film is madcap Mexploitation, but the paranoid crowd sees propaganda for the coming "race war."

Why Rahm Emanuel’s Political Calculations Were 100% Wrong
Rahm’s attitude was that you could ignore progressive demands because, where could they go? Well, it turns out that the answer to that question is: home.

Rahm's attitude was that you could ignore progressive demands because, where could they go? Well, it turns out that the answer to that question is: home.

The Terror Faced by Arabs and Muslims in the Aftermath of 9/11
In an excerpt from "A Country Called Amreeka," navigating an environment hostile to muslims, a priest takes heart when a piece of history emerges from the rubble.

In an excerpt from "A Country Called Amreeka," navigating an environment hostile to muslims, a priest takes heart when a piece of history emerges from the rubble.

Should We Worry Whether Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality?
Author Gail Dines says today’s brutal pornography looks nothing like it did 15 years ago — and it’s damaged our ability to have intimate relationships.

Author Gail Dines says today's brutal pornography looks nothing like it did 15 years ago — and it's damaged our ability to have intimate relationships.

Martin Peretz: American Muslims Should Not Have 1st Amendment Rights
As Rosh Hashanah begins, and Ramadan ends, the virulent Muslim-baiting continues. The controversy over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” is only a pretense to express the hate that was already there. On Wednesday, the Republican leader in the House of…


First Amendment to the United States Constitution – First Amendment – Marty Peretz – Constitution – Islam in the United States

More Sign In Updates
We rolled out a new feature to the new sign in system this afternoon. If you look up at the upper left hand corner of the site, just below the TPM logo, there’s now a “settings” link. If you click…



Logo – Facebook – Online Communities – Social Networking – Twitter

‘America Speaking Out’ Against Republican Proposals On Republican Website

House Republicans have proudly touted their America Speaking Out website — which allows visitors to suggest and vote on various policy prescriptions — as a new and innovative way to involve the American people in the democratic process and the creation of federal policy. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) said the site is “revolutionizing the way we govern by engaging the American people and seeking your ideas for making things better.” Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said that America Speaking Out proves “the Democrat [sic] majority isn’t listening, but House Republicans will.”

But Republicans might want to look at what’s garnering interest on their own site, as the proposal receiving the most “interest” (and the second highest number of overall votes) in the job creation section is to “stop the outsourcing of jobs from America to other countries that do not pay taxes into the U.S. and stop the tax breaks that are given to these companies that are outsourcing.” Here’s a screenshot (from 5:27 p.m. yesterday):

As The Wonk Room explains, Democrats have proposed multiple pieces of legislation closing corporation tax loopholes that encourage the offshoring of jobs, and Republicans have opposed each one. So if America is speaking out so loud and clear, why aren’t Republicans listening?

Judge in California rules on military’s ban on openly gay service members
A federal judge in California said Thursday that the U.S. military’s ban on openly gay service members violates the Constitution, the most recent in a string of court rulings overturning restrictions on the rights of the country’s gay men and lesbians.


Gay – California – Gay Lesbian and Bisexual – Log Cabin Republicans – United States

Colombian paramilitaries extradited to the U.S., where cases are sealed
Since 2006, more than a dozen of Colombia’s most notorious paramilitary leaders have been extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges in U.S. District Court in Washington.


Extradition – Business – United States – Gary McKinnon – Shopping

Media to Terry Jones: You used us!
Gainesville, Fla. –With the world on standby for possible violent rioting over a proposed Koran-burning here, the most fraught moment of the day Friday involved church representatives and a huge, sweaty, frustrated media corps.


Terry Jones – United States – Government – Media – Watchdogs

Obama defends economic initiatives
President Obama said Friday that if the midterm elections become a referendum on which political party has the most effective agenda to improve the economy, rather than a decision on its current state, “the Democrats will do very well.”



Barack Obama – President – United States – History – Government

Obama’s Finally Speaking Like a Democrat
Bob Shrum, The Week
Written off for November. Bad polls and bleak news even in usually reliable blue states. Among the herd of prognosticators and analysts, an overwhelming consensus for a GOP takeover. To borrow the recent verdict of the Associated Press, “Time has all but run out for [the president] and his party.”But what this also describes isn’t recent. The time was 1948 and the president was Harry Truman. It was 1 a.m. when he addressed a dispirited Democratic convention, where the panic was almost palpable: Do we really have to run with this guy?

Tight Governor’s Race Brewing in Maryland

No Place for Entrepreneurship in Obama’s Economy
Samuel Staley, NRO
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