via Politico:

"The Kentucky Republican’s office will blast out his rebuttal to Obama’s speech via social media and his email list...Paul joins two other Republicans who will deliver reactions to Obama’s address Tuesday: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington will deliver the official GOP response, while Sen. Mike Lee of Utah will deliver the tea party address

dear god, he's live-snarking the SOTU address. someone at gawker offer him a job

didn't Penn Jillette do an MST3K shadoramma live snark on the SOTU one year??

i don't know how i got on the Democrat fund-raising list, but they're danged whiny doomsday bitches about being outspent by the koch brothers

It's hilarious that Corbett isn't accepting Medicaid yet. What is he waiting for? November when he's down by 10 points?

It's a sign of Republican insanity that they're all chomping at the bit to deliver what has to be the least productive political speech one can imagine--the rebuttal to the SotU. If they're memorable, it's usually for the wrong reasons. I mean, it sunk Jindal's career. I suppose Jindal's career would've eventually been sunk by something, but still.

Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor as ambassador

"I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees." Oh McCain

jerseyhoya wrote:Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor as ambassador

"I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees." Oh McCain

For non-3rd world hell holes, I thought giving ambassadorships to top donors was pretty much SOP.

jerseyhoya wrote:Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor as ambassador

"I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees." Oh McCain

be it hereby known that Jerz is eagerly posting the "news-itorial" sniping of one Olivier Knox, "...Congressional correspondent for Agence France-Press"

Reminder: the FRENCH live in France, and are principal consumers of Agence France-Press content

TenuredVulture wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor as ambassador

"I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees." Oh McCain

For non-3rd world hell holes, I thought giving ambassadorships to top donors was pretty much SOP.

All recent presidents have nominated donors, though Obama's done it a bit more. The article is poorly titled. Could've been better as 'Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor who declined to read any of the briefing materials provided to him by the State Department before his confirmation hearing as ambassador"

jerseyhoya wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor as ambassador

"I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees." Oh McCain

For non-3rd world hell holes, I thought giving ambassadorships to top donors was pretty much SOP.

All recent presidents have nominated donors, though Obama's done it a bit more. The article is poorly titled. Could've been better as 'Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor who declined to read any of the briefing materials provided to him by the State Department before his confirmation hearing as ambassador"

Is there any actual proof of this? Or is it just because it's happening now, and President Obama's administration is being scrutinized a lot more closely than previous Presidents?

slugsrbad wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor as ambassador

"I have no more questions for this incredibly highly qualified group of nominees." Oh McCain

For non-3rd world hell holes, I thought giving ambassadorships to top donors was pretty much SOP.

All recent presidents have nominated donors, though Obama's done it a bit more. The article is poorly titled. Could've been better as 'Watch what happens when Obama picks a top donor who declined to read any of the briefing materials provided to him by the State Department before his confirmation hearing as ambassador"

Is there any actual proof of this? Or is it just because it's happening now, and President Obama's administration is being scrutinized a lot more closely than previous Presidents?

Report: Nearly 80% of Obama’s Top Bundlers Given “Key Administration Posts”

And according to the American Foreign Service Association, President Obama has nominated more “political” appointees for ambassadorships versus foreign service candidates than any president in at least the past 20 years. A full 36.2% of Obama’s ambassadors are political, while just over 30% of Bush’s were political. Former President Clinton, 27.82% were political, for President George H.W. Bush, 30.3% were political.

That's from back in his first term

President Obama’s Second-Term Ambassadorial Nominations - from The American Foreign Service Association
Updated January 23, 2014
Political: 39/52.0%
Career: 36/48.0%

Looking at the AFSA website, President Bush nominated more political ambassadors (136 vs. 119) but had more nominations (thus a lower percentage). Of course President Obama has plenty of time to catch up, but for now it's disingenuous to say he has "done it a bit more". More correctly, I guess you could say he's done it with a higher disparity between political and career ambassadors. Then again, I don't even know why this is a deal (big or small).

jerseyhoya wrote:

And according to the American Foreign Service Association, President Obama has nominated more “political” appointees for ambassadorships versus foreign service candidates than any president in at least the past 20 years. A full 36.2% of Obama’s ambassadors are political, while just over 30% of Bush’s were political. Former President Clinton, 27.82% were political, for President George H.W. Bush, 30.3% were political.

That's from back in his first term

President Obama’s Second-Term Ambassadorial Nominations - from The American Foreign Service Association
Updated January 23, 2014
Political: 39/52.0%
Career: 36/48.0%

these are vast disparities with implications vital to our nation's security

no

just who do the McDonnells think they are?

more accurately, who have they been imagining they are

I mean living beyond their means, and ringing up steep debts, etc, like ratty-ass libruls - gotta be an embarrassment to repubs nationwide who the ex-gov clearly imagines he can recruit to back him on his "this prosecution is a trumped-up witch hunt, tactic never before employed etc" defense angle

lol at Mike Huckabee. The Republicans = the gift that keeps on giving.

drsmooth wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:

And according to the American Foreign Service Association, President Obama has nominated more “political” appointees for ambassadorships versus foreign service candidates than any president in at least the past 20 years. A full 36.2% of Obama’s ambassadors are political, while just over 30% of Bush’s were political. Former President Clinton, 27.82% were political, for President George H.W. Bush, 30.3% were political.

That's from back in his first term

President Obama’s Second-Term Ambassadorial Nominations - from The American Foreign Service Association
Updated January 23, 2014
Political: 39/52.0%
Career: 36/48.0%

these are vast disparities with implications vital to our nation's security

no

To be fair to JH, he claimed no such thing. And we should all by now know about the denominator problem, otherwise, we're left saying dumb things like Mississippi has lower poverty than Connecticut.

Can't we just enjoy the video???

Werthless wrote:Can't we just enjoy the video???

I'm remiss in failing to report how much I enjoyed the "Michelle dunks" gif you shared

I was dismayed to find that when I shared it with colleagues they'd mostly already seen it

(guess I'm still always the last to know anything)

Werthless wrote:Can't we just enjoy the video???

Actually, it WAS enjoyable watching two rich know-nothings squirm while trying to answer what should have been fairly basic questions for people heading to the posts to which they are heading. It was like watching the Democratic version of Sarah Palin. TBF, I could not have answered those questions either BUT I was also not nominated to be the Ambassador to either Hungary or Norway. I loved McCain's close.