Chris Hayes tried valiantly, Wednesday evening, to get Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania State Director Jennifer Stefano to explain exactly why conservatives were so upset that people who have already started their Obamacare applications by March 31 will have two weeks to complete those applications, and just why more people getting health insurance was such a horrible thing. It didn’t work.
She started out by asserting that this extra two weeks would take health care away from her children. Really. Hayes tried to get an explanation about how that exactly would happen, and Stefano insisted that the extra two weeks would “not allow people to go back and change this law,” and that the law has “made seven million people lose their insurance.” How that affects her own children remains a mystery. But she doesn’t need actual facts. She just needed to yell loud enough and long enough to not allow Hayes to counter. Which she did.
“As a mother, I take real offense that women are being forced to have no choices to cover their children,” Stefano continued.”What are you talking about?” an incredulous Hayes responded, before arguing that much of the “heavy lifting” under the law would be accomplished by expansion of state Medicare [sic—Medicaid] programs, which have been frequently been opposed by conservatives. […]
“Do you believe in Medicaid expansion?” Hayes asked.
“I have a real problem, when you talk about raising the poverty level, that’s people making $94,000 a year,” she said. “They’re not poor. That is taking resources from the poor.”
“Not on the Medicaid expansion,” Hayes said, shaking his head.
“The expansion of Medicaid is a moral issue, not an economic one” Stefano charged.
“That’s a math trainwreck, that’s not the Medicaid expansion,” he said.
The “interview” ultimately ended with Stefano playing victim, charging Hayes with trying to shut her up, just like Harry Reid did with Julie Boonstra, never mind that Hayes was giving her a slot on his show to air her grievances. It wasn’t just a math trainwreck, it was a reality trainwreck. Just what the Koch brothers ordered. You can watch the whole load of crazy here.
The good news, though, is that isn’t how Hayes’ day ended. Congratulations, Chris and Kate, on the new addition to your family.
During the March 26th edition of Fox’s On the Record, Donald Trump called PresidentObama’s comments about concerns over a nuke in Manhattan “absolutely the dumbest — I guess I have to say one– but maybe I can say the single dumbest statement I have ever heard a president make.”
Of course, The Donald had probably just returned from his high-rise laboratory where he gauges stupidity based on the rate at which his fingers gravitate toward Greta Van Susteren’s contact information. Sigh, it’s hard to argue with science.
But let’s give it the old college try. Here are some presidential quotes that out-dumb President Obama’s attempt to articulate his genuine fears concerning homeland security:
“The crotch, down where your nuts hang, is always a little too tight.” – Lyndon Johnson in a White House recording.
“I’m President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat anymore broccoli.” – George H. W. Bush, begging SNL‘s Dana Carvey to combine his talents.
“That depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.” – Bill Clintonrole-playing as Descartes before the Grand Jury.
Of course, dumb comments aren’t just silly, as Trump implies. How about quotes with grave and aloof implications:
“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” – George W. Bushto FEMA administratorMichael D. Brown.
“Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.” – Herbert Hoover in an address to the Nebraska Republican congress.
“When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.” – Richard Nixon in a 1977 interview with David Frost.
Now, Trump made no distinction between countries either, saying “I don’t mean just the president of this country.” There really only needs to be one example here (with apologies to Chávez and Putin):
“I am still the Hitler of the time.” – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at a state funeral.
Hmmm, let’s finish off this experiment with American business moguls, shall we? Ah, what luck, we only need one for this too:
“I have been right about almost everything.” – Donald Trump on the March 26th edition of Fox’s On the Record.
MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” is so much more than just a cable news show — it’s a family, as “The Daily Show” correspondent Samantha Bee demonstrated Wednesday night.
Bee gave the morning show the performance art treatment, showing how “Daddy Joe” Scarborough and “Mother Mika” Brzezinski gave birth to a cast of “boy pundits” who naturally always agree with their “dad” at Brzezinski’s expense.
Then she turned her attention to the co-hosts’ bevy of high-powered friends, from former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to Bono and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), because “if they’re not friends with Joe and Mika, they don’t exist! They’re nothing!”
Of course, those famous friends are part of the “Morning Joe” family, too — so when the media tried to pin the scandal around the George Washington Bridge lane closures on “Uncle Chris” Christie, Bee said, the family rallied behind him.
“Oh sure, my ‘Morning Joe’ family may fight and bicker and starf*ck like nobody’s business, but when the chips are down for one of our powerful friends, we pull together to attack anyone who questions them,” she said. “Because that’s what morning news shows do.”
Northwestern football players get a chance to unionize, Egypt’s military chief quits to run for president, and more
1. Government says Northwestern players have the right to unionize
In a move that is rekindling the debate over amateurism in NCAA sports, the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday declared that Northwestern University football players on full scholarships are in essence school employees, so they have the right to unionize. The NLRB said it would supervise the vote. If the majority backs a union, athletes at other private schools could follow. [Reuters]
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2. Egyptian military chief quits to run for president
Egypt’s Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced on state TV that he was resigning as head of the country’s military to run for president later this year, a move that many had long expected. Field Marshal Sisi was the one who yanked Egypt’s elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, from office in July. His supporters see him as the key to ending Egypt’s turmoil, but opponents say he has presided over widespread abuses. [BBC News]
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3. The number missing in Washington’s mudslide drops to 90
The number of people listed as missing after Washington’s massive mudslide dropped to 90 on Wednesday, from 176 the day before. Some names were believed to be duplicates. Twenty-five people have been confirmed dead, but several bodies have yet to be recovered from the mud and wreckage, which is 40 feet deep in some places. Firefighter Jan McClellan said the likelihood of finding survivors is dwindling, but that, “We live for that hope.” [CNN]
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4. Charlotte mayor resigns after his arrest on corruption charges
Mayor Patrick Cannon of Charlotte — North Carolina’s largest city — resigned Wednesday night after being arrested and accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. The 49-year-old Democrat, who took office just four months ago, allegedly accepted a briefcase stuffed with $20,000 in his office last month, and was scheduled to meet undercover FBI agents posing as businessman for another payoff in exchange for his influence. [Charlotte Observer]
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5. Obama meets with Pope Francis
President Obama met Pope Francis for the first time on Thursday at the Vatican. The talk came after several years of tensions between the Obama administration and Catholic church leadership over the Affordable Care Act’s coverage of contraception and other issues. The White House said the meeting would focus on area’s where the two leaders agree, such as their “shared commitment to fighting poverty.” [CNN]
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6. Judge declares Oklahoma’s execution law unconstitutional
A judge in Oklahoma ruled the state’s capital punishment law unconstitutional on Wednesdaybecause it prevents death-row prisoners from knowing what drugs will be used in executions. The challenge was filed by lawyers for two convicted murderers, Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner, who were scheduled to be executed this spring. The state maintained secrecy to protect suppliers, who have been running short of the drugs. [The Associated Press]
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7. Chicago train operator fell asleep before crash
The operator of commuter train that crashed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport reportedly told investigators she dozed off. “She did not awake until the train hit,” National Transportation Safety Board investigator Ted Turpin said Wednesday. Thirty people were injured when the eight-car train jumped onto the platform at the end of the track and crashed part of the way up an escalator and staircase leading into the airport on Monday. [The Associated Press]
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8. Bank of America settles mortgage bond lawsuit for $9.3 billion
Bank of America has agreed to pay $9.3 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency claiming that the bank sold faulty mortgage bonds to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The deal, announced Wednesday, ends one of the bank’s main legal problems left over from the financial crisis. The bank and its former CEO, Kenneth Lewis, also settled another suit alleging it misled investors about losses at Merrill Lynch & Co. [Reuters]
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9. Scientists find another dwarf planet far beyond Pluto
Astronomers have discovered a dwarf planet, 2012 VP113, far beyond Pluto, according to a study unveiled Wednesday in the journal Nature. The orbit of the 280-mile-wide rock — nicknamed “Biden” for its “VP” designation — comes to within 7.4 billion miles of the sun. Scientists long thought the zone was an empty wasteland, but this find, along with the 2003 discovery of another dwarf planet, Sedna, suggest it could be full of icy objects. [Los Angeles Times, CNN]
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10. Pope Francis accepts big-spending bishop’s resignation
Famously frugal Pope Francis has reportedly accepted the resignation of Germany’s Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst — the “bishop of bling.” Tebartz-van Elst had been on leave since October pending an inquiry into the $43 million he spent on his residence complex. He busted his renovation budget with purchases such as a $20,000 bathtub, but said the site’s historical status drove up costs. [Los Angeles Times]
The Fifth Column 