Alba Gu Brath!

What’s The Toy That Comes Inside The Cereal Box — A 527?

FROM MY GOOD FRIEND HOWARD MORTMAN'S EXTREME MORTMAN.

The so good folks at So Good blog alert us to this fabulous development…

Of course, if the campaign turns even nastier, we’ll likely see this next …

[From What’s The Toy That Comes Inside The Cereal Box — A 527?]

The Heller Gun Decision Week 15--Legal and Political Developments ... - California Progress Report

The Heller Gun Decision Week 15--Legal and Political Developments ... California Progress Report, CA - 1 hour ago The NRA touts the fact that HB 1845 contains: (i) an anti-Katrina “Emergency Powers” provision prohibiting any government agency from arbitrarily ...

[From The Heller Gun Decision Week 15--Legal and Political Developments ... - California Progress Report]

RIDICULOUS: Brad Pitt Flick Costs Louisiana Taxpayers $27 Million!!!!!

FROM PEREZ HILTON:

Looks like you can lump Hollywood into that pile of crappy, greedy people mooching off of the American taxpayer.

On Saturday, the New York Times reported on the millions of dollars from states that have been going straight to the pockets of Hollywood studios to finance movies via tax breaks.

Hollywood is just as bad as those shady Wall Street finance people!

For example, Louisiana taxpayers funded $27 million of Brad Pitt's $167 million dollar movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The paper also notes that this is the state’s biggest movie payout to date!

Hollywood producers and studios claim that the state tax breaks allow them to keep entertainment jobs in the U.S. and create jobs.

But, au contraire!

The report points to the case of a straight-to-DVD Wesley Snipes and Cybil Shepherd-starring picture called Hard Luck filmed in the state of Rhode Island.

The seaside state gave Hard Luck $2.65 million in tax breaks, but Rhode Islander's only netted $1.9 million in return.

Why don't the politically 'active' stars take on their own greedy industry.

Ahem, Brad?

Did that Benjamin Buttons movie generate more than $27 million in revenues for Louisiana?

[Image via Doug Meszler/WENN.]

[From Brad Pitt Flick Costs Louisiana Taxpayers $27 Million!!!!!]

WHAM 13: Jon Powers: M.I.A.?

Channel 13 WHAM is reporting on the misterious move of former candidate for NY's 26th congressional district Jon Powers.

Jon Powers: M.I.A.?

See also the 26th District Blog at: 26th DIstrict Blog

Jon Powers is proving to have been a completely manufactured candidate who "asked not what he could do for the 26th district but what the 26th district could do for Jon Powers." I hold back my greatest scorn for the party regulars who hoisted this hack on us, proclaiming him to be the district's savior. Shame.

Presidential Map Quest

From Congressional Quarterly:

Just in time for the conventions and the final stretch to Election Day, our own presidential map game is now online.

CQ Politics offers three new interactive maps to navigate the presidential election:

The CQ Race Ratings map displays our competitiveness ratings by state (click any state for details). Right now, we've got Barack Obama at 255 Electoral Votes (15 short of the winning 270), John McCain at 213 and No Clear Favorite in six key states (Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada and Ohio).

Don't like our prediction? Try your own with the Scenario Builder map, where you can make your own projections on the election outcome.

And the Historical View map shows state-by-state election results since 1968.

Click Here to get started.

Gas as an economic engine?

What if the Federal and State gasoline taxes were "suspended," for the summer as some politicians had proposed?

Now that prices are falling would the added relief of a temporary tax suspension have acted as an economic stimulus at just the time it is need most?

We'll never know.

wwn

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Chris Lee Fundraiser BBQ in Greece

Yesterday afternoon I attended the Chris Lee BBQ at the Greece Canal Park. In a toasty Millennium Lodge, Lee's supporters gathered to get their opportunity to talk to the candidate about the race and issues facing the district. Joining him was his wife Michelle and their young son.

Also on hand were the Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, State Senator Joe Robach, Monroe County GOP Chairman and State Assemblyman Hon. William D. Reilich, Town of Greece Supervisor Jack Auberger, Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo, Monroe County Court Judge Hon. Elma E. Bellin and others.

After introductions by Auberger and Relich, Lee addressed his supporters on topics ranging from the economy to the Democrats vying to be his opponent in November.

The crowd seemed energized with the news of The Rothenberg Political Report's adjustment of its assessment of NY's 26th Congressional District Race to "Toss-Up/Tilt Republican." A change Rothenberg characterizes as a "move benefiting Republicans."

wwn

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The Real Jon Powers

3rd time candidate Jack Davis has launched this attack site on Democratic primary rival Jon Powers. Things could get interesting around NYs 26th before it's all over.

The Real Jon Powers

1st Obama now Olbermann? Say it ain't so! FISA Flip Flops.

TVNewser is reporting on the apparent flip flop on FISA not of presumed Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama but of MSNBC resident left wing apologist/front man Keith Olbermann?

Doesn't a major flip flop on a core issue used to bash the Bush administration for overreaching during the war on terror earn at least an also ran for WORSE PERSON OF THE WEEK?

Several weeks ago TVNewser reported about growing concerns at NBC News by some staffers over Olbermann's antics including overt on air fawning over Barack Obama. Staffers worry that such on air behavior is stripping the Peacock's news department of its image of objectivity. They are concerned that more and more they look to be in the tank for Obama and are acting as an organ of the Democratic National Committee.

What? Wait! I thought that MSNBC is now the lefts answer to Fox?

BTW, in other Olbermann news....15 Fox News Channel programs, including the morning gabber Fox and Friends, beat Countdown in the ratings.

wwn

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Contradicting Comments on Countdown?

Salon's Glenn Greenwald writes in great detail about MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann's apparent reversal on the FISA law.

In January, Olbermann unleashed a Special Comment aimed at Pres. Bush and the law, saying, "Illegal and unjustified spying on Americans under this flimsy guise of looking for any terrorists who are stupid enough to make a collect call or send a mass email."

On Wednesday night, as Greenwald writes, Olbermann's, "blind devotion," to Obama led him to describe, "Senator Obama also refusing to cower even to the left on the subject of warrantless wiretapping."

"Are we hoping for a Fox News for Obama, that glorifies everything he says and whitewashes everything he does?" asks Greenwald.

Obama's support of the FISA bill and subsequent blogosphere backlash is detailed here.

Last night, after Countdown aired, Olbermann issued a response, by way of the Daily Kos, to Greenwald and others.

continued...

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media

[From Contradicting Comments on Countdown?]

Regardless of outcome could America be short one Baldwin after November?

From NewsBusters.org

Stephen Baldwin Mocks Alec's 'I'm Leaving if Bush Wins' Pledge

Remember back in 2000 when actor Alec Baldwin allegedly promised to leave the country if George W. Bush was elected president?

Well, his brother Stephen was on Fox News's "Just In with Laura Ingraham" Wednesday evening, and apart from skewering celebrities for supporting Barack Obama "just because quote unquote they want change, whatever, without ever really fully recognizing who the best person for the job is," he also deliciously mocked his brother for still being in America despite his 2000 pledge.

What follows is his full discussion with Ingraham (video embedded right, h/t NBer LilyPearl):

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: Barack Obama has star power in Hollywood, of course, and he's also pulling in some serious cash. Democratic officials say he raised nearly $5 million smackaroos at a celebrity-packed fund raiser in L.A. last night. I wish I was there. Tickets were going for more than -- get this - - $30,000 a pop. How is that even possible? My friend -- I have to get it out there, actor Stephen Baldwin is here tonight, and he is a McCain supporter. Stephen, great to see you.

STEPHEN BALDWIN, ACTOR: Hey, Laura, great to see you, too.

INGRAHAM: Stephen, first of all, what is up with these celebrities? I hate to bring you on and have you speak for Susan Sarandon and Halle Berry and George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey and Morgan Freedman, Ben Affleck and all those folks, but it seems like the list, when you look at the celebrities for Obama versus the celebrities for McCain, it is kind of a lopsided situation.

BALDWIN: Well, I think that, you know, anything is possible in Hollywood, so the 30,000 a plate doesn't surprise me. What is mind blowing to me is first of all, you will have celebrities coming out just because quote unquote they want change, whatever, without ever really fully recognizing who the best person for the job is, which is kind of scary to me, but at the same time, what's blowing my mind is you see Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who were hating each other's guts two months ago now they're hugging, kissing. It just seems to me that party will literally do whatever it has to, whether it's authentic or not in order to win this election.

INGRAHAM: Well, I keep thinking of the things bothering Americans, Stephen, and we have talked on the radio about the cultural decline that people are worried about in this country. Let's just say gas prices. Let's talk about national security. Let's talk about the cost and quality of education. Why should we care what Sheryl Crow or Susan Sarandon or Tim Robbins or any of these people think about that? Why should any of that, and we're looking at the change video that was put together some months ago, why should we care about what any of them think about any of these issues?

BALDWIN: Well, I agree with you. I'm from Massapequa, Long Island. My dad was a school teacher. We grew up in a pretty normal, you know, slightly crazy adjust but a pretty blue collar -- Laura be nice, he can still kick my butt.

INGRAHAM: Alec and I are old friends. Didn't he tell you that? He and I love each other? I thought he was going to leave America. He promised to leave and he is still here last time I checked. We love the Baldwin family. Sorry.

BALDWIN: Now that you're saying this, I just want to say right now, Laura, that it's official, if Barack gets nominated, I will be moving out of the country. I just want to say that now. Now watch all the media have fun with that, but getting back to my point, exactly what you are saying is true. Here is what is freaky to me is the media and Hollywood is so convinced that Middle America and mainstream America cares what it thinks. That's what shocks me. You have all these celebrities that are going to come out behind Obama.

Whether he's the best guy for the job doesn't matter. He is the guy that will bring change. I love the questions that are outstanding. How is he going to bring the change? What is his plan? How is he going to do it?

INGRAHAM: Don't get me started.

BALDWIN: Nobody is answering these questions. The other thing that's pissing me off, if I can say it Laura...

INGRAHAM: You can't we're almost out of time.

BALDWIN: Why do they keep saying that four more years of McCain is four more years of Bush is the most stupid thing I have heard. It is totally untrue. I believe John McCain will be the next president of the United States and should be.

INGRAHAM: Stephen Baldwin, it's always great to see you. I know I'll see you on the radio. Thanks for being with us. Take care.

BALDWIN: Take care, God bless.

Despite Baldwin saying "nominated" instead of "elected," isn't it refreshing to hear from a Hollywoodan not drinking the Kool-Aid?

[From Stephen Baldwin Mocks Alec's 'I'm Leaving if Bush Wins' Pledge]