Pat McCrory Doesn't Seem To Like Questions About Ethics…
Pat McCrory seems pretty irritable these days. Yesterday, he got into yet another tiff with an AP reporter trying to get to the bottom of his latest debacle. The governor continues to respond with utter contempt to questions about the eye-brow raising payout he received from a mortgage broker whose board he sat on as he took office in 2013. McCrory's response since this story broke has been damning enough -- the innocent are rarely so defiant. But his history of ethical shortcomings raises even more flags. We've already learned that he's downplayed his ties to an internet sweepstakes executive under indictment, and that he had a financial stake in Duke Energy when they spilled 39,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan river after McCrory helped loosen their regulations. It seems the more you dig, the more Pat McCrory conflicts of interests you uncover, so it's no wonder he gets a little short when you start asking questions.
Indiana Lawmaker Carrying Pence for President Legislation Is Tea Party To The Core
Indiana Governor Mike Pence wants to treat his current office as a concession prize and run for both re-election and president simultaneously. Unfortunately for the governor, it's against Indiana law...and the lawmaker attempting to change that for him provides a window into the worst of Pence's Tea Party politics. Meet State Senator Mike Delph, a famously combative Tea Partier who's had a hand in some of Indiana's most controversial legislation, including pushing a gay marriage ban, birther legislation, and Arizona-style immigration laws.
Introduced “Birther” Bill In Indiana
Delph Introduced “Birther” Bill In Indiana. According to The Hill, “Indiana Republican state Sen. Mike Delph, who’s still weighing a potential primary challenge to Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) next year, is pushing state lawmakers to take another look at his bill that would require presidential candidates to produce a birth certificate. Delph introduced a bill earlier this year to mandate presidential hopefuls produce the document in order to get on the ballot, but the measure is stuck in committee. Now, he wants a legislative study committee to take up the issue, hoping it will gain some additional traction, telling a local radio station that he thinks a ‘trust but verify approach’ is reasonable.” [The Hill, 4/19/11]
Home Field Advantage? NJ Front Pages Tee Off on Cowboy Christie
A quick look at Chris Christie's home state newspapers after he took a free private jet and tickets top the owner's…
TEA COZY: The New Crop of Extreme Tea Party Republicans Settling Into Washington
Today, the first of the 114th Congress, finds Tea Party favorites Representatives Ted Yoho and Louie Gohmert each planning to challenge John Boehner’s reelection as Speaker of the House. The Tea Party darlings’ bids for the speaker’s gavel might have long odds, but don’t let that fool you: nothing about the Republican Party’s extreme, Tea Party agenda has changed as a result of the GOP’s “rebrand.” Indeed, a quick scan of some of the newest members of the House being sworn in today shows just how extreme this latest crop of Tea Party Republican members of Congress truly are. Fortunately, American Bridge has done the work for you and included these Tea Partiers' top extreme hits in our new report:
Tea Cozy: The New Crop of Extreme Tea Party Republicans Settling Into Washington
Representing districts from Georgia to Maine, Virginia to Nevada, Illinois to Iowa, extreme Tea Party Republicans will be sworn today into the U.S. House of Representatives. Take Glenn Grothman in Wisconsin's 6th District to start. We've already detailed the long list of Grothman's greatest extreme hits, but as a quick refresher, the Congressman-elect has: proselytized about the “war on men,” fought for a seven-day workweek, and proposed a law to formally consider single parenthood a contributing factor to child abuse.New Video: Speaker Gohmert
Yesterday, amid growing interest within the Republican conference for a more conservative speaker, Louie Gohmert announced his intent to challenge John Boehner for the job. It's a prospect that could seem far-fetched, except this is a party who just stood by self-proclaimed "David Duke without the baggage" as their whip. Learn more at SpeakerGohmert.com.
American Bridge Submits Open Records Request Regarding Governor Christie's Travel
Below is a copy of the open records request American Bridge President Brad Woodhouse is submitting to the state of New Jersey regarding Governor Christie's travel to Dallas this weekend. --- To Whom It May Concern, It is known from press coverage that Governor Chris Christie, who has spent much of his time over the last year outside of New Jersey, was in Texas on Sunday, January 4. The following request is being made in accordance with the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.) and all other New Jersey open record laws. I am requesting copies of the following records: Travel Logs/Itineraries: Copies of all travel logs and itineraries of Governor Chris Christie from January 3, 2015, to January 5, 2015. Records should detail the date and time of travel, the destination, the purpose of travel and meeting, and whom Christie met as available. Outlook Calendar: Copies of all outlook calendars of Governor Chris Christie from January 3, 2015, to January 5, 2015.
Another Chris Christie Fumble
Chris Christie hasn't had much to smile about over the last couple years -- eight credit downgrades, a massive ongoing traffic scandal, falling approval ratings, and a slew of negative headlines about his volatile temper. But the controversial governor finally had a moment of bliss yesterday, as he left New Jersey for Dallas to watch his beloved Cowboys eke out a victory in the NFL playoffs. Unfortunately for Christie, his jump for joy last evening quickly turned into a morning of bad press. It seems a Jerry Jones bro-hug is about the only love Chris Christie is seeing these days. Check out the twitter storm that Christie's antics invited, as well the bevvy of stories below: Asbury Park Press: Chris Christie hug of Cowboys owner costs taxpayers "So, how much did the trip to Dallas this past weekend cost for the Christie party and his security detail? The Cowboys play next week in Green Bay, Wisconsin – if Christie makes the trip, how much will taxpayers pay?" New York Daily News: Chris Christie denied high five by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones after win over Lions "The lifelong Cowboys fan, who has been a regular in Jones’ box this year, wasn’t done partying as Fox cameras caught him practically floating into the Cowboys locker room."
Happy Holidays! Here are thousands of Jeb Bush's emails!
On Wednesday, the Washington Post published a story based on thousands of emails from Jeb Bush's time as governor of Florida, noting that Jeb plans to release the trove in a database at some point in the new year. But it's the holiday season, and nobody likes waiting for presents, so we're going ahead and sharing them widely for him. All of Bush's publicly available emails, obtained via public records request by American Bridge from the Florida Department of State, are now available here. Happy holidays, and rest assured, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scrutinizing Jeb's record.
Walker's DOT spends taxpayer dollars on Flintstone-era training video
Governor Scott Walker's got a joke for Wisconsin taxpayers. A bunch of actors in "Flinstones" cars walk into a roundabout, and.... Wait, never mind. That's the punchline. According to the Wisconsin Reporter, Walker's Department of Transportation spent $30,000 in 2013 on a new instructional video for navigating traffic roundabouts. In making the $30,000 video, WisDOT opted for a throw back to a fictional Stone Age and have actors walk around wearing cardboard car cutouts while the narrator describes proper roundabout protocol. That's right, a driver training video that uses the same technology as Fred Flintstone did for his commute to work on a dinosaur crane. It's a farce you have to see to believe.
What "War on Women"?
The one where Republicans not only don't trust women to make their own health care decisions, they feel a need to legislate that only what they view as "legitimate rape" entitles a woman to receive health care services. That war on women, folks. Republicans may talk about their rebrand, claim their 2014 victories show their problems with women have evaporated, but don't listen to the spin. Nothing has changed in the two years since failed Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin made his infamous comment about "legitimate rape." Case in point? A Missouri legislator named Rick Brattin who has proposed a bill that would, as reported by Mother Jones, "force a woman who wants an abortion to obtain written permission from the father first—unless she was the victim of 'legitimate rape.'"