TresSugar

Front Page: 2010 Conservative Women Calendar Coming Soon

TresSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:20 -0700

The 2010 "Great American Conservative Women" calendar will be released this week by the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute. - Huffington Post
At least 141 people have died after an earthquake caused a tsunami in Samoa. - Bloomberg
As a fugitive, director Roman Polanski enjoyed a life of luxury. - NY Daily News
The Senate Finance Committee has rejected the first two attempts to include a public option in the healthcare reform bill. - New York Times
More people are receiving treatment for HIV thanks to falling drug prices and increased testing. - BBC News

Tea Parties Prove Conservatives Are Growing (Grass) Roots?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:00:38 -0700

A revolution might be coming this Wednesday, April 15. Antitax protests, known as tea parties, have been brewing around the country, and they could boil over on tax day. T.E.A. stands for "taxed enough already."

On Wednesday, conservatives around the country will evoke the spirit of the American Revolution. Some of the transgressions of congress and the president to be protested include: voting for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it; spending trillions of borrowed dollars; wanting government-controlled health care; trying to take wealth and redistribute it to others; and appointing a defender of child pornography to the number-two position in the Justice Department.

Basically there's a lot going on. Some sample slogans offered by TeaPartyDay.com? Party Like it's 1773. Obamanomics: Chains You Can Believe In. Commander and Thief. Your Mortgage Is Not My Problem. Liberty Is All the Stimulus We Need.

Economist Paul Krugman thinks the Tea Parties, which he calls AstroTurf - aka fake grass(roots) - should be mocked. To see why, read more.

He writes that the movement, organized by the usual suspects, makes inaccurate accusations:

President Obama is being called a “socialist” who seeks to destroy capitalism. Why? Because he wants to raise the tax rate on the highest-income Americans back to, um, about 10 percentage points less than it was for most of the Reagan administration. Bizarre.

What do you make of the tea parties?

Glenn Beck's Tactics: Dangerous, Delusional, or Dead On?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:30:01 -0700

By now we all know that Glenn Beck is a little extreme in his rhetoric. Well yesterday he took his impersonation of President Obama to the next level. The Fox News host imitated the president by pouring "gasoline" on an "average American." The manic metaphor was supposed to explain that Barack Obama is setting the American public on fire by apologizing to the "Frenchy French," sort of bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, hinting toward a change in Cuban policy, taking on immigration, and pushing through his budget. Beck said Obama was "spending money that leads only to slavery."

Take a look, it gets extra intense toward the end, and tell me what you make of it?

Conservative Imagines Dream Obama Administration

CitizenSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0800

Conservative columnist David Brooks has outlined his vision for an Obama Administration all Americans could get behind. In today's New York Times he painted a picture of an American leadership free from extreme partisanship and ideology:

Walking into the Obama White House of my dreams will be like walking into the Gates Foundation. The people there will be ostentatiously pragmatic and data-driven. They’ll hunt good ideas like venture capitalists. They’ll have no faith in all-powerful bureaucrats issuing edicts from the center. Instead, they’ll use that language of decentralized networks, bottom-up reform, and scalable innovation.

Brooks went on to suggest that Obama appoint Republicans to crucial positions, push policy with broad support such as middle-class tax relief and an energy package, and hold off on health care reform until success in fixing the economy and reducing the budget defect has helped gain the trust of most Americans.

Do you think the Obama Administration can succeed in pleasing both conservative and liberal Americans? What does change you can believe in look like?

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Political Barometer: How Conservative or Progressive Are You?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:30:45 -0700

With over two-thirds of Americans favoring progressive ideals, America seems to be getting bluer by the year. We are center-left on government, the economy, and domestic politics, but a little less so on cultural and social issues, according to a 2009 survey.

Because there's nary a better way to define yourself than with a quiz, the Center For American Progress has 40 questions to measure how conservative or progressive you are. Zero is the most conservative, and the scale goes on up to 400, the most progressive.

America's average? 209.5. Now go take it and tell us where you land.

Where I'm Clicking Now: ConservativesForChange

LibertySugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:40 -0700

With the electoral map looking like it might be wearing a dramatic shade of blue this Fall, I have to wonder who these trendsetters are. Not the independents or moderates, but those defying voting history and voting for the other party's candidate.

Conservatives For Change interviews Republicans who have not fallen in line, but have chosen their candidate with thought and, in many cases, reservation. Of course, that candidate is Barack Obama, but who's counting. Besides everyone?

Is this too touchy feely? The explanation you've been waiting for? Anyone here voting for a candidate they never imagined?

Speed Read! Jon Stewart Takes on Rogue Warrior Sarah Palin

TresSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:30:58 -0800

Jon Stewart explains that his problem with Sarah Palin has nothing to do with her looks or her family. - Daily Show
Texas may have accidentally banned all marriage when it banned gay marriage in 2005. - The Frisky
Sexist man alive Jon Hamm is missing from People's Sexiest Men Alive list. - Best Week Ever
Conservatives are over Carrie Prejean thanks to her sex tapes. - The Daily Beast
Old law still bans women from wearing pants in Paris. Ouf! - Telegraph
John Kerry's daughter Alexandra was arrested on suspicion of DUI. - TMZ
Brush up on New Moon before you see the movie. - BuzzSugar
Literary Review's bad sex in fiction award. - Guardian
Computer nerds strip for charity. - Huffington Post

Rhode Island Governor Vetoes Same-Sex Funeral Rights

TresSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Rhode Island's state legislature thought it would be a good idea to give same-sex partners the right to plan each other's funerals when one partner passes away. It's a right married couples have, of course. But Gov. Don Carcieri said: not so fast! The socially conservative leader vetoed the bill because it's part of a "disturbing trend" threatening heterosexual marriage. I'm confused. How does a gay person planning a loved one's funeral have anything to do with someone else's marriage?

Those who support the veto point out that Rhode Island recognizes neither gay marriage nor civil unions. Still, many people are shocked that the governor would intervene to deny same-sex partners some comfort during a hard time. The state's attorney general has called the veto "cruel and heartless," and lawmakers in the Democratically-controlled legislature said they would work to override the veto. Hopefully they will succeed!

Healthcare Bill Restricts Coverage For Abortions

TresSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0800

If you thought Democrats were pro-choice, you might want to think again. The recently passed healthcare bill coming out of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives could significantly decrease access to abortion even for Americans on private insurance plans.

After a 290-194 vote, the House passed an amendment Saturday that bans the use of federal funds to cover abortion for anyone using the public healthcare plan. The amendment also prevents private insurers from covering abortions for anyone getting a tax credit to help pay premiums. The amendment is being called the biggest victory in years for abortion opponents.

Under the bill, there will be many more Americans receiving tax credits to help pay for insurance - any family of four making less than $88,000 a year will be eligible for the subsidies, and if they take the credits, they will not be allowed to use them to purchase a plan that covers abortion. Pro-choice advocates argue that the new legislation will lower access to abortion coverage even for those receiving no tax aide because private insurance companies will have an incentive to drop abortion coverage from their plans so they can compete for customers receiving federal subsidies. The implications could be substantial since right now 90 percent of insurers cover abortion to some extent.

Pressure from conservative Democrats and the pro-life lobby helped get the amendment passed. While I'm not surprised abortion isn't being treated like every other legal medical procedure, I am a little shocked that the bill's implications go so far to limit abortion coverage for women who are not receiving any federal funding. Do you think the House did the right thing?

Texas Republicans Vote for Clinton - Good Strategy?

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:30:49 -0800

Not sure if you caught The Notion link in Link Time about Rush Limbaugh's master plan to help Republicans win. The conservative radio personality urged Texas Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. On Tuesday night, Rush told Fox News:

They're in the midst of tearing themselves apart right now. It is fascinating to watch, and it's all going to stop if Hillary loses.

I've heard accounts from Texas poll workers, who say Republicans in fact voted for Clinton. One Texan Republican, turned Hillary "supporter," wanted her vote to count, but was angered by the big "Democrat" stamp placed on her ballot. You can't have your spoiler and eat it, too!

The Dems have tried this trick before. DailyKos.com urged Michigan Dems to vote for Mitt Romney. What do you think about Rush's strategy? Are the Republicans benefiting from a drawn-out Democratic primary?

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