Thanks to the Daily Mail!

Something strange is going on among the GOP presidential contenders…

They’re seeking Donald Trump’s approval!

Recently, several of the potential nominees have headed to New York City to meet with the Donald, who very publicly considered a shot at the presidency himself.

Aligning themselves with Trump could help Republicans in a GOP primary because conservatives who make up the base of the party generally cheer him. But candidates risk losing moderates, independents and other general election voters turned off by Trump’s crusade against Obama’s birth certificate.”

So far, Trump’s guest list includes Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney (who chose to forgo any photo op). The next candidate on his schedule is Herman Cain.

Will the Donald’s support make any difference once the primaries begin? Or, are these candidates just securing their spot on the first season of The Republican Apprentice?

Courtesy of CNN

Yikes!! Weird Record Holders?

Sarah Palin saved by “Lamesteream media”?

‘X’ now a gender option in Australian passports ?

Americans perceptions on Same Sex Marriage?

and………..

Some Chinese Students won’t bite the Apple?

Thanks to the Christian Science Monitor!

If it walks like a government and talks like a government…US recognizes Libyan opposition.

Sarah Palin throws her hat into the ring…of the debt ceiling debate.

And speaking of debt, what about using the piles of dollar coins in stashed away in government vaults?

Faceoff!  U.S. and Japan compete in the Women’s World Cup.

And while you’re inside avoiding Carmegeddon, check out the 4 worst traffic jams ever.

This week’s GOP debate looked a little like Snow White and the 6 dwarfs. The female lead being played by Presidential newcomer Michelle Bachmann.

Who is this Michelle Bachmann? She is the three term Congresswoman from Minnesota with long standing conservative credentials.

She has been the swooning darling of Tea Party movement. Maybe more impressively, She is a mother of 5 and a foster mother to twenty-three!

Although not as famous as Sarah Palin, she is beginning  to steal some of the right wing thunder from her Alaskan sister.

Michelle is a history buff and a huge fan of New Hampshire. She noted the debate took place in the same state as the Battles of Lexington and Concord (her words not ours).

Palin remains the better storyteller, though, as Colbert depicts her take on Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride

But back to Bachmann. The debate was certainly not her first appearance, but she used it to announce her candidacy in the 2012 Presidential race. Some would argue that her performance surpassed that of Palin’s, who famously stumbled in the Couric hot seat. You can be the judge of her debating chops.

She brings high energy, charisma and proven fundraising ability to the race to nominate a Republican challenger to Obama. She also is known for unyielding stances, biting commentary and high-profile gaffes.

While Bachmann is known for her striking statements, she is quite articulate compared to clumsy Ms. Palin, as The New York Times reports:

Ms. Palin’s absence created an opening for Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who is similarly well liked by grass-roots Tea Party Republicans — and whose supporters have sought to present her as more substantive and better rooted in policy than Ms. Palin is.

According to political blogger Nate Silver, Bachmann not only has advantage over Palin, but candidacy potential:

She has considerably better favor-ability ratings — Americans who are familiar with her split about evenly on whether they like her or not, which is not true for Ms. Palin…it’s possible that [Palin's] missed her moment — whether or not she decides to run. Rather than being a proxy for Ms. Palin, Ms. Bachmann may instead be preferred to her in the eyes of Republican voters.

Bachmann lurched into the nations living room when she provided a surprise Tea Party response to President Obama’s State of the Union in January (see above).

In addition to being a fiscal conservative she is also a social conservative with evangelical roots. Sample: She accused Planned Parenthood of encouraging sex trafficking.

While she has claimed to be bi-partisan, she now expresses regret of reaching across party lines in the case of Libya.

There will, no doubt, be much written about this photogenic candidate. Some of these words will be penned by her… she has a memoir due to be published in the months ahead.

Image courtesy of the BBC

Heating up in Syria: 28 Syrian protestors killed in clashes with government forces.

Sarah said what? Release of Palin interviews reveals insight into her term as governor…and her unique colloquialisms.

In or Out? Will Texas Governor Rick Perry be joining the GOP field?

Step away from the sprouts: E. Coli outbreaks blamed on German sprout source.

Oops I Did It Again! Comedian Tracy Morgan apologizes for his homophobic remarks during a show…is it enough?

]]> http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2011/06/11/whatzup-today-june-11/feed/ 1 http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2011/06/05/romneys-rough-week/ http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2011/06/05/romneys-rough-week/#comments Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:36:37 +0000 YourOtherLeft http://www.usdemocrazy.net/?p=12387

Mitt Romney is running for president!

Okay, you probably could have predicted that. But no one could have predicted how rough his first week as an official candidate would turn out.

Having announced his candidacy early Thursday, Romney quickly found himself fighting off criticism and fighting for airtime.

The former Massachusetts governor’s conservative credentials have been being questioned since his name entered the ring for the GOP nomination. Things took a turn for a worse when the questioning turned into an all-out movement to stop his campaign, led by Tea Party leader and failed Senate candidate Joe Miller.

‘In a matchup against Obama, Tea Party voters are looking for a consistent constitutional conservative,’ said Miller. ‘We will never get behind Mitt Romney. On issues like gun rights, gay rights, abortion, immigration, and health care, Romney has flipped more than John Kerry flopped.’”

As if Romney’s record wasn’t detrimental enough, his campaign seemed to have trouble just getting mentioned in a week that featured a lot of buzz around other potential candidates. One of those causing a stir was Sarah Palin, whose bus tour seemed to steal the spotlight.

Sarah Palin crashed her red, white and blue bus into Mitt Romney’s party yesterday, sweeping into New Hampshire for the final leg of her multi-day East Coast tour as he was in the state declaring his candidacy for president.”

Jon Stewart provided some insight into another issue overtaking the media.

As for now, Romney’s main defense appears to be his business experience, at least that’s his opinion.

Image from Sarah PAC

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Sarah Palin kicked off her (somewhat surprising) “One Nation” bus tour of the Northeast. The former vice-presidential candidate and current TV-personality has already set off a storm of questions.

Is she laying the groundwork for a 2012 Presidential bid? Some see her road-trip as an over-the-top publicity stunt. But members of the press are asking another question altogether…where is she?

Sarah Palin and her advisers are refusing to tell members of the media where she is going on her current bus tour – and the former Alaska governor seems to be enjoying the cat and mouse game that’s resulted.”

Palin’s game of “keep the press guessing” has created an unusual (and potentially dangerous) situation on some of America’s highways.

Since Palin and her team won’t share where the potential candidate is headed, reporters and producers have little choice but to simply stay close to Palin’s bus. This has resulted in scenes of the Palin bus tooling down the highway followed by a caravan of 10 or 15 vehicles – including a massive CNN bus – all trying to make sure they don’t lose sight of the Palin bus.”

On Monday the bus headed through Pennsylvania, making stops in both Gettysburg and Philadelphia. By the evening, Palin had made it all the way to New York where she shared a dinner with fellow reality-TV star Donald Trump.

Where will it stop tomorrow? Well, only Sarah knows.

On Friday, the fireworks over the President’s speech continued as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to chat with the President.  The conversation could only be described as “tense”.

The official lines were they “acknowledged their differences”, reading between the lines it is more likely they “were ready to throttle each other”.

It seems Netanyahu wasn’t the only one ticked off at the President.

In Syria, protesters were angry at both their government and President Obama. Anti-government groups claim that Obama’s speech didn’t outline US support for their cause to the degree they were hoping for.

In a demonstration on Friday, shots were fired at Syrian protesters. 27 were killed, including a 10 year old boy. It appears the crisis in that country is growing deeper.

The Syrian government took shots at the President as well… suggesting President Obama stop lecturing Arab leaders and mind his own business.

To us, this shows that the situation in the Middle East is delicate, complicated, and hard to remedy.

We’re also looking forward to seeing how this will play out in the President’s reelection campaign. After all, Ms. Palin has suggested that she’s got the “fire in her belly” to make a Presidential Run in 2012.

Is your fourth-grader a bit sniffly? Make sure his buddy didn’t bring cocaine to school and pass it out (like this kid did).

This headline speaks for itself: “2012 Horror: Charlie Sheen ‘Winning’ Against Sarah Palin Among Independents In Presidential Poll”

Mom always said to be careful what you post on Facebook… You wouldn’t want your wife to see pictures your other wedding and get you arrested for polygamy… Would you?

And if you missed this video, you missed out:

Do a Web search for megabucks and you will get this: Google boss get $100 million payout

Will you go to SOTU with me? Congress gets ready to mix it up.

A possible piece of history gets a definite payout.

And, the Steelers and the Packers head to Super Bowl XLV.