Is This What The Secret Service Is Intended For?

[Cain spokesman JD Gordon] would not say how many Secret Service agents would be positioned with Cain, but the spokesman said the coverage began Thursday night in New York, where Cain taped an interview on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”On the campaign trail, Cain “draws anywhere from a dozen to 50 media at his events,” Gordon said. “When he gets out at a rally or a campaign stop, it has been increasingly common for media to be physically putting themselves and others in danger by trying to follow him with a lot of heavy equipment and cameras in close quarters like we saw yesterday

Friday Open Thread [11.18.11]

There is hope for us yet. In Arizona, the Arizona Supreme Court overturned Mein Fuhrer Frau Jan Brewer (R) and reinstated the chair of the state's Independent Redistricting Commission Colleen Mathis. This is an humiliating rebuke to the Republican Party in Arizona, who thought they could just removed the head of an independent agency without cause, or any good reason at all really, and no one would dare question them on it. Good for the Supreme Court to stand up to such bare partisan thievery.

OK, Occupy, that was stupid.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been incredibly successful in changing the debate in this country, away from austerity and budget cuts and slashing social programs to further enrich the rich, and toward unemployment and the horrible income disparity that is pervasive in our society. The Occupy movement has once again engaged and inspired the young into direct political action, which is wonderful. I still support the Occupy movement, but it is time the movement rethink its tactics. Today's Day of Action and the resulting arrests, violence and horrible traffic and transit disruptions in NYC and Philly will probably lose the protestors support they were already losing.

Just Evil.

Federal law enforcement authorities yesterday arrested a 21-year-old Idaho man suspected of shooting with a semiautomatic rifle at the White House on Friday night, as the Secret Service reported finding that at least one bullet had indeed struck the presidential residence. In response to this, on Twitter, the president of the College Republicans at the University of Texas, Lauren Pierce, had this to say:
“Y’all as tempting as it may be, don’t shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we’ve EVER had! #2012.”

Slam Quote of the Day

"He did ask if I could debate here in Washington on Monday. It is my understanding that such a letter has come in. Monday I'm going to be in Portland in the morning, I'm going to be visiting some of our labs. I'm in California in the afternoon, that's two. I can't remember what the third is." -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), quoted by Politico, rebuffing Rick Perry's request for a debate on overhauling Washington, DC.