Politics

Last night Hillary Clinton told Rachel Maddow that DOMA and DADT were “defensive actions” taken by her husband. Andy Towle has the quote: “On Defense of Marriage, I think what my husband believed – and there was certainly evidence to support it – is that there was enough political momentum to amend the Constitution of the United States of America, …

Brian Tashman reports at Right Wing Watch: Today, Jeb Bush joined televangelist Pat Robertson for an ostensibly nonpartisan presidential forum, where the former Florida governor received a warm introduction from Religious Right legal activist Jay Sekulow, whose son just so happens to work for Bush. Robertson himself has put Bush at the top of his 2016 “dream ticket.”Towards the end …

The Bush campaign is running out of the money and nobody is happier than Breitbart, where they love to mock Bush’s fluency in Spanish. They write: Going well beyond prudent cost cutting and a defensive posture, Team Jeb Bush will begin making such significant campaign cuts effective November 1, they can’t be seen as anything other than a big red …

According to some nutjob named Eric Miller, Indiana businesses and legislators are secretly conspiring to pass a broad LGBT rights bill on the first day that the state legislature convenes. Which would be just AWFUL. The Indianapolis Star reports: The video appears to target leaders of the Republican-controlled General Assembly, where gay rights issues have put them in the middle …

And nobody was surprised. Via CNN: Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee ended his long-shot bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination Friday, his campaign announced in a statement. Chafee is set to speak on his decision momentarily at the DNC’s annual Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington. “As you know I have been campaigning on a platform of Prosperity Through …

Despite the lack of full-throated support from Teabagistan following Tuesday’s ultimatum, Paul Ryan this afternoon declared his intention to run for House Speaker. Ryan says that he believes that Republicans in the House are “ready to move forward as one, united team.” Uh huh. Ryan is expected to easily win next Wednesday’s GOP vote.

Some welcome lightheartedness on Capitol Hill: Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) outlasted a team of journalists Wednesday night to win the National Press Club’s “Politicians vs. Press” spelling bee. The event, a fundraiser for the National Press Club Journalism Institute, pitted a team of seven journalists against seven lawmakers. Helping to judge the competition were 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee co-champions …

For the first time ever, Donald Trump is behind Ben Carson in an Iowa poll issued early today. Trump has responded by suggested that the brains of Iowa voters have been damaged by chemicals in the corn. This, we suspect, will not go over well in the Hawkeye State. UPDATE: Deleted!

We’ll enjoy seeing The Donald spin suddenly being behind by eight points in Iowa. CNN reports: Ben Carson has knocked Donald Trump from his perch atop the field in Iowa, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll of Iowa Republicans. Carson has opened up an 8 percentage point lead over Trump with the help of women and white evangelicals, who …

Canadian LGBT news site Xtra recounts newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s positions on LGBT rights in an amusing clip that opens by praising his looks. They write: “Not only does Justin Trudeau have great hair and a hot body, he also promised the LGBT community he’d move forward on several important issues if elected, such as adding gender identity to …

Here’s some Tea Party double-speak for you: Hard-line conservatives cleared a path Wednesday for Rep. Paul Ryan to become House speaker when some of his most disgruntled fellow Republicans signaled that they would support his bid for the top job. The decision to back Ryan by the House Freedom Caucus, a group of nearly 40 lawmakers that has risen in …

“Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian™, presents a video on how the Ten Commandments are the basis for all American laws. Or not. Special Guests (in alphabetical order) are God, Sarah Palin, and George Washington.” (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

“The Vice President’s decision not to enter the 2016 race is a major blow for Democrats, who now will almost certainly be saddled with their unpopular and scandal plagued front-runner Hillary Clinton. Vice President Biden was the most formidable general election candidate the Democrat Party could have fielded, and his decision not to challenge Hillary Clinton greatly improves our chances …

The Hill reports: House Republicans will hold elections to nominate a new Speaker on Oct. 28, two days before Speaker John Boehner is expected to resign from Congress, Boehner told GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Wednesday. Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday night he’ll run for the top job if he can win support from three …

Last night Paul Ryan declared that he would “gladly serve” as House Speaker – but only if far-right Republicans vow to support him without complaint. That, of course, has not gone down well in Teabagistan. Over at Breitbart, where multiple daily anti-Ryan pieces have been running for weeks, Ryan’s statement has resulted in renewed fury.

Ever since Kevin McCarthy abruptly dropped his bid for House Speaker, Breitbart has been running multiple daily attacks on that also terrible RINO, Paul Ryan. Tonight Ryan declared that he MIGHT serve as Speaker – but with a whopping proviso aimed squarely at Teabagistan. The Washington Post reports: Ryan met Tuesday evening with tea party hard-liners and later with the larger …

The Associated Press throws some delicious shade: After missing almost a third of Senate votes this year, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio made a rare appearance in the Senate Tuesday — to try and pass a bill that would crack down on federal employees who fail to do their jobs. “This should actually be the rule in the entire government,” …

Ooh, snap! The Clinton campaign today needled her GOP opponents by posting a clip which features them saying very nice things about her “until she decided to run for president.” Appearing in the clip: Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Donald Trump.

Ben Carson and Donald Trump continue to hold a commanding lead in the latest CNN/ORC poll as Carly Fiorina rejoins the rest of the GOP field further behind. CNN reports: Fiorina has lost 11 points in the last month, declining from 15% support and second place to 4% and a tie for seventh place. At the same time, Carson has gained …