Barackface

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Is Hillary Running?

So far I have said no, because she has said no, many, many times. No, she is not running in 2016. Although the noise is deafening. The Clinton brand name is a strong one.

She is qualified. Super qualified. No doubt about it. She might be the most qualified person for the job by now.

This reminds me of 2003. Bill Clinton tried to move heaven and earth to try to get her to run. She absolutely refused. She is refusing now.

She is talented, she is qualified, she is prepared. And her elevation would be quite a statement against sexism and ageism. I never thought she was too old. Ronald Reagan was not too old, Joe Biden is not too old. Hillary is not too old. And she is a progressive dream. It will be like FDR's third term. It will be pretty much a no contest election.

But she is not running. That's what she has been saying.

She is the most popular politician in America. She has a mate who is quite a politician. I have been following this couple since 1991. I was in Nepal back then.

I think she will rest for a year. Then she will write a book. Year three she will go on a book tour. And then she might not be able to resist. If she runs no one stands a chance. Bobby will have to run for Governor of another state, since the poor guy is term limited! (Bobby Is Going To Run And Win In 2016)

2008 was personally hard for me. I was conflicted between the idea of the first black president and the first woman president.

If she runs, she will win. And she will do two terms. FDR did not do four terms.

Who do you think she will pick for running mate? How about a woman? I like the idea of two women running the show.

Hillary running and winning could be the best possible thing that could happen to Barack Obama's legacy. If she runs 2016 would be the most uncontested presidential campaign in history.

Did I mention? She has been an excellent Secretary of State.

She has been vetted many, many times over. She is post-sleaze. There is no mud anyone can throw on her. Everything has been tried.

As for agenda, this is my wish list.

Gigabit wireless broadband for every human being.
Budget surpluses like Clinton 42.
A female running mate.
A female Secretary of State. (White men have been running the show for so long, having just one female in the Oval Office might not be enough.)
Universal health care.
Universal lifelong education.
Universal credit access in all income brackets.
A trillion dollars into global microfinance.

‘Rodham’ the movie: How to cast Hillary and Bill Clinton?
Why Hillary Clinton Would Be Strong in 2016 (It’s Not Her Favorability Ratings)

Mrs. Clinton might be the most polled about American in history, other than those who have actually become president. ..... The release of the Senate Whitewater committee’s report in June 1996, which largely lacked substantive proof of wrongdoing by Mr. or Mrs. Clinton, seemed to help relieve the strain on her popularity .... Perhaps Mrs. Clinton’s most impressive attribute is her ability to withstand criticism — and often emerge the stronger from it. If she runs for president again, she will surely receive plenty of it.

Newt Gingrich: If Hillary Clinton Runs In 2016, Republicans 'Incapable Of Competing' (VIDEO)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regularly brushes off the idea of a 2016 presidential bid. .... A recent Washington Post poll found that 57 percent of people would support Clinton as a 2016 presidential candidate.

Axelrod: Hillary Clinton 'First Among Equals' for 2016 Nomination

“I think the reality of a woman getting elected the president of the United States may be an even more powerful incentive in 2016.” .... how the Democratic establishment would treat 2016: If Clinton gets in, everyone else should get out. ..... The warning extends even to Vice President Joe Biden. Asked about Biden, Axelrod praised his tenure as Obama’s No. 2 and called him a “very formidable candidate.” But among all possible candidates, Axelrod called Clinton “first among equals.” .... "I think a lot of the race is going to center on whatever decision Secretary Clinton makes,” he said. .... It’s unusual that a sitting vice president is considered the second-choice successor to the president, but few believe Biden could defeat Clinton .... Democrats also have a strong desire to nominate a female candidate ..... Clinton’s effusively praised four-year stint as secretary of State and former President Clinton’s tireless campaigning this year on Obama’s behalf. ..... Of course, all of this depends on whether Hillary Clinton runs. And for the umpteenth time this week, the soon-to-be-jobless Clinton—looking forward to a break after stints as first lady, New York senator, and Cabinet secretary—sounded like anything but a candidate eager for another crack at the nation’s highest office. In an interview that aired on Wednesday on ABC, she admitted to Barbara Walters that she is exhausted. “To be honest, I am. When I do something I really want to do it, I want to do it to the best of my ability. That means I pretty much work all the time.” ..... She reiterated that she has no plans to run for office again.

Nancy Pelosi: Hillary Clinton should run in 2016
Are Republicans really 'incapable' of beating Hillary Clinton in 2016?

Clinton holds a 60 percent favorability rating – higher than former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (39 percent), Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida (33 percent), Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin (47 percent) and Vice President Joe Biden (46 percent) .... As Democratic strategist and Clintonite James Carville said on ABC’s "This Week" Sunday, “Every Democrat I know says, ‘God, I hope she runs. We don't need a primary. Let's just go to post with this thing.’ ” ..... Clinton's current popularity, as we've written before, is in part a reflection of the nonpartisan role she's taken as secretary of State, as well as the nostalgia surrounding her husband's now-well-in-the-past White House years. If she were to become an official candidate – coming under attack from rivals, subjected to much harsher scrutiny in the press – it probably wouldn't take long for much of that warmth to fade.

'I am... not only healthy, but have incredible stamina and energy:' Yoga enthusiast Hillary Clinton says she's not too old to run for president in 2016

While she maintains publicly that she has little interest in running for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton doesn't want anyone to think she is too old for the job ... At the same time, Clinton acknowledged that she's exhausted and just wants to 'kick back.' ..... 'Being on planes.. as much as I am, takes something out of anybody, doesn't matter how old you are, or how often you've done it,' she said. Clinton added that she swims and does yoga regularly to keep herself fit and replenish her energy. ..... The soon-to-be former secretary of state said that while 'all doors are open' in terms of her future plans, she has little interest in anything beyond rest and repose for at least the first couple months after her resignation becomes effective. ..... 'I've said I really don't believe that's something I will do again,' she said. ..... Clinton's version of kicking back means reading, writing and resting after traveling and working nonstop for the last couple years. .... she has traveled close to one million miles across 112 countries. ..... 'I go into places where people are lying to me, where people are arguing terrible things to their own people,' she said. 'You know you have to keep finding ways to connect with these people, try to move them somehow toward better behavior. It takes a lot of thought but you have to be rooted yourself to have any chance of doing it.' ..... Walters asked Clinton about her laid-back hair style, which is a topic of much consternation among celebrity bloggers .... 'I do not travel with any hairdresser, or anybody, to help me do that, and I'm not very competent myself. I've been admitting that for years, which should be obvious to everyone.

Hillary set to 'buy a Hamptons house where she and Bill can plot her plans for 2016' and Newt Gingrich even admits that the Republicans have no one that could beat her

The compliment is particularly surprising considering that Gingrich and Bill Clinton famously sparred when they were rivals in the 1990s, and Gingrich was the one to push for the investigation of the then-President's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. ..... A home befitting two of the country's biggest political heavyweights would easily run in the multi-million dollar range, any the couple are known to enjoy the benefits of a lifestyle that allows private jet use. .... As recently as September 30 of this year, Hillary still has $73,000 remaining of her campaign debt...... She reportedly thinks that one of her biggest mistakes in her last presidential bid was announcing too early, so if she goes for it again, she likely won't say so publicly until mid-2015 .... Speaking engagements and a new book about her time as Secretary of State are two other options for the ways to fill the time- and her bank accounts- but the frankness of those potential opportunities will be limited if she does eventually decide to run for president again.

Hillary Clinton Talks About Her Future, Politics and Hair
Barbara Walters to Hillary Clinton: Are you too old to be president?
Hillary Clinton: At 69, will Hillary Clinton be too old to run for president in 2016?

Certainly not too old--John McCain was 72 when he ran in 2008, and Ronald Reagan was 73 when he ran for his second term in '84. That said, Secretary Clinton has been very clear that she's not planning to run in 2016.

Hillary Clinton For President: Why This Would Be the Best and Worst Choice For Democrats in 2016
How Old Will Hillary Clinton Be in 2016?

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Doing The Right Thing

Republican Party (United States) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I feel like the Republicans did not go far enough. Now I fear the Democrats will not go far enough.

"Two-thirds of all federal spending comes from entitlement spending - that means when you wake up in the morning, two-thirds of the money is already spent. By 2020, that goes up to 90%."

Markets rally on US fiscal cliff deal

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year

Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Third Front Needs A New Name

What Is Nitish Thinking?
Nitish Might Not Have The BJP Option
The Nitish Magic

The NDA is a good name, as is the UPA. The Third Front is not a good name. Even the name National Front is better. Or perhaps a three letter acronym. The name Third Front has too much of a non-Congress, non-BJP sting to it.

The Third Front needs a new name and a proper structure. If it is not going to become one unified party, there needs be some kind of a confederate structure.

If both Mayawati and Mulayam can get together to prop up the Congress government, they can perhaps together prop up Nitish Kumar.

The Third Front needs a new name, a leader who is projected as the PM candidate months before the elections, an organizational structure that makes it some kind of a a confederate, and a common national manifesto that is centered around Nitishism: rapid development.

Name: National Front (NF). PM candidate: Nitish Kumar. A steering committee of the presidents of all member parties that meets every three months in Delhi or as often as necessary. When there is no consensus decisions are taken through voting where each president has a weight in proportion to how many MPs his/her party has in Delhi. The Steering Committee of the National Front should be similar to the central committee of the Congress or the BJP. And Nitish should make a repeat of his Bihar performance. All his cabinet members must declare their assets on the internet. The manifesto would be easy to write. Nitish has to make a repeat of what he has already done in Bihar.

I think 2014 will catapult Nitish Kumar as the PM of India, Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition, and Narendra Modi will continue as the Chief Minister of Bihar.

As Power Flows to Regional Bosses, Questions Rise on India’s Economy

power is now radiating to regional political chieftains, who are teasingly considering a new national political alignment, a so-called third front to compete with the two national powers, the Congress Party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ..... In past decades, third-front governments have twice taken power and have twice collapsed because of internal bickering, a prospect of instability certain to be unappealing to those in New Delhi and Washington who are eager for India to become a stable and influential player in Asia. Most analysts are skeptical that a true third front will take power in the near future, but they agree that the clout of regional leaders is growing. ..... Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of the state of Bihar, has hinted that his regional party could join any coalition that granted his state special status. Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Orissa, has expressed support for a third-front coalition. Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, has also spoken suggestively about a new political alliance. .... Most analysts predict that both the Congress Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party will lose seats in the next election, but that one of the dominant parties will ally with some combination of the regional bosses to form a government, possibly even agreeing to elevate one of them to serve as prime minister.

Modi Momentum

Modi has attracted a lot of attention since his poll win, but his very name crumbles the NDA. None of his key allies are excited. And people like Naidu are staying away for good.

There is a paradox here. Modi is the BJP's obvious candidate for PM. But Modi at the helm destroys the NDA. The BJP is left alone.

Modi did not field a single Muslim candidate in Gujrat. That is quite a statement. And it is hard to believe the RSS did not play a key role in the 2002 riots. The train fire might have been accidental.

What Is Nitish Thinking?
Nitish Might Not Have The BJP Option
Modi's Night
The Nitish Magic

English: Image of Narendra Modi at the World Economic Forum in India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nitish's Bihar overtakes Modi's Gujarat as fastest growing state in the country

10.9 per cent .... Bihar was the slowest growing state during 2001-05 period with GDP figure of 2.9 per cent. However, between 2006 and 2010, it grew at 10.9 per cent, becoming the fastest growing state and shedding the tag of BIMARU (an acronym for sick states)...... Gujarat was the fastest growing state between 2001 and 2005 with figure of 11 per cent. But during 2006 and 2010, its growth dipped to 9.3 per cent and was overtaken by Bihar and four other states -- Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Orissa. ..... Average GDP growth of top five states was 9.10 per cent in 11th five year plan, up from 7 per cent in 10th plan and 5 per cent in 9th plan.

Modi's effort to rope in TDP and TRS into NDA fold falls flat

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi 's attempt to rope two major political parties in Andhra Pradesh - Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) - into the National Democratic Alliance fold has fallen flat..... Naidu has not been in good terms with Modi since the 2002 communal riots in Godhra. In fact, the TDP president was the first person to demand the sacking of Modi after Gujarat riots and had even threatened to withdraw support to the NDA then. Though he was pacified by senior BJP leaders like M Venkaiah Naidu, such was the animosity of Naidu towards Modi that he refused to nominate another TDP MP as the Lok Sabha Speaker, after the death of G M C Balayogi in a helicopter crash in March 2002, in protest against the Gujarat riots. ..... In August 2003, too, Naidu stalled the scheduled visit of Modi to Hyderabad to participate in Ganesh Nimajjan festivities on the grounds that it would trigger communal riots in the city. ..... Modi's strategy could be gathering the support of new allies to the NDA in the post-2014 election scenario as part of his efforts to prop up his candidature as the next Prime Minister. .... "Let us stick to our anti-Congress and anti-BJP stand and keep up our identity. We are gradually getting rid of our stigma which we got by allying with the BJP. Any inclination towards the BJP would damage our secular image," he told the party leaders

Narendra Modi being propped up in UP as BJP puts him alongside Vajpayee in hoardings

more than two dozen huge hoardings came up here with photographs of both Vajpayee and Modi..... the party may be accepting that Modi was its best bet for Lok Sabha 2014 ..... BJP MP from Lucknow Lalji Tandon has said he would be "more than happy" if Modi contests the Lok Sabha election from Lucknow, which was earlier held by Vajpayee....... admit that Modi was "by far the tallest leader in the BJP"..... "He is a very tall leader, has a clean image and had given an efficient administration to Gujarat" .... many BJP leaders feel that a development-led pro-Hindu branding of Modi could reap rich dividends in Uttar Pradesh

Can Modi Do More?

As he had done while choosing party office-bearers two years ago, Modi reduced the average age of the 17-member ministry from 65 to 55. ..... Modi has a definite plan for his new innings in Gujarat. He feels there has been enough focus on investment and manufacturing and now it should be on the training of skilled manpower, knowledge-sharing and modern technologies in agriculture. "Training of skilled manpower will be one of our main focus areas from now onwards," Modi ..... wrong selection of candidates and party infighting, apart from the opposition of state government employees to the Modi government because of certain policies, cost BJP around 15 seats. ..... BJP is estimated to have lost as many as eight seats to the anti-Modi voting by disgruntled state government employees. Among these eight seats were Godhra, Lunawada, Sojitra and three in Saurashtra. Modi had to pay for his uncompromising nature in this case. ..... Political pundits believe Modi might have reinvented himself finally as a development icon but in the next six months he will have to give a brand new spin to his slogans of "Development Without Discrimination" and "Sauno Saath, Sauno Vikas (Support of All, Development for All)" to strike a chord with voters nationally. For that to happen, changing his anti-Muslim image will also be crucial. ..... Modi did not field even a single Muslim candidate in the state Assembly polls. Further ammunition has been handed to his detractors by the latest National Development Council figures bracketing Gujarat with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar among four states where urban Muslims are poorest.

Narendra Modi steals the limelight at NDC meet
Next Stop Delhi?
Delhi gangrape victim took tuitions to pay for her education

Narendra Modi Keeps Away From Nitish Kumar At NDC

This time, though, it was different. Modi kept away from the 'gatecrash handshake' with Kumar who is known to live in dread of being ambushed by the Gujarat chief minister. ..... Modi has the stigma of 2002 riots that refuses to go away.

Special state status issue: Fireworks expected at NDC meet today

Emboldened by his comprehensive victory in the recent assembly elections, Modi is likely to adopt an extremely aggressive stance. The Centre, on its part, is likely to launch a counter-attack against Modi by citing that the state has been a laggard in alleviating poverty among minorities. .... Like Kumar, Patnaik has also been demanding a special status for his state.

Nitish refuses comment on Gujarat election results

With the boss silent on the issue, no leader, minister, office-bearer or spokesman of the Janata Dal (U) uttered a single word on Narendra Modi's hat-trick. .... He also took stock of the situation relating to changing of 72,000km of electricity wires in the state which are in bad condition. Out of this, 19,000km of wires have been replaced while work was in progress on the rest, he said. The meeting also reviewed renovation work in power plants at Kanti and Barauni and status of new power projects.

Nepal's exports to China surged four-fold in current fiscal
It’s time to move over from being Factory to the West

its manufacturing has to become ‘Germany to the East’ ..... aims at a share of manufacturing of 25% in the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2022, about 12-14% medium-term growth in the sector and creation of 100 million jobs by 2022. Currently, manufacturing accounts 15% share of the sector in the GDP against 34% in China and 40% in Thailand ..... India spends less than 1% of its GDP on R&D while it is 3.47% in Japan, 3.4% in South Korea, 2.81% for the US, and 1.55% for China. .... “India is the largest importer of defence equipment. And that is one sector where India should focus to develop domestic abilities”

India to become bigger economy than UK by 2017

India will overtake the UK by 2017 to become the largest economy in the Commonwealth...... Britain, which has reclaimed its place as the world’s sixth largest economy from Brazil, will however, be larger than France by 2022 .... The next decade will see the BRIC nations, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, cement their economic dominance, as Europe suffers a gradual decline in standing ..... Germany will decline two slots from fourth to sixth, but France and Italy will be the biggest losers. France is expected to fall from fifth to ninth, and Italy from eighth to 13th ..... Brazil will be fifth and Russia will have climbed two places to seventh. .... China will remain the world’s second biggest economy, but will have closed the gap on the US.

At least one or two world-size banks needed to compete globally: Chidambaram

China, which has three among the top 20 banks in the world. "Banks in the country are governed by a sound financial system, rules and a very strong regulator .... during the crisis, 1,000 banks had collapsed in the US, starting with Lehmann Brothers, but in India, not even one bank collapsed, whether it was in public sector, private sector or banks with national or regional footprints

No Easy Route if Assad Opts to Go, or to Stay, in Syria

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria sits in his mountaintop palace as the tide of war licks at the cliffs below. ... Explosions bloom over the Damascus suburbs. .. His country is plunging deeper into chaos. .... East of the palace lies the airport and a possible dash to exile, a route that some say Mr. Assad’s mother and wife may have already taken. ..... A Damascus-based diplomat said Monday that Mr. Assad, despite official denials, is “totally aware” that he must leave and was “looking for a way out,” though the timetable is unclear. .... “powerful people in the upper circle of the ruling elite in Damascus are feeling that an exit must be found.” ..... increasingly empowered security officials, whom one friend of the president’s has come to see as “hotheads.” ..... the mood in the palace is one of panic, evinced by erratic use of weapons: Scud missiles better used against an army than an insurgency, naval mines dropped from the air instead of laid at sea. ..... even if Mr. Assad wanted to flee, it is unclear if the top generals would let him out alive ..... “They speak of the rebels like dogs, terrorists, Islamists, Wahhabis,” the friend said, using a term for adherents to a puritanical form of Islam. “This is why he will keep going to the end.” ..... he mainly wants to be a hero fending off a foreign attack ...... critics say the Assads used four decades in power not to promote meaningful ethnic and religious integration, but to cement Alawite rule with a secular face. ....... To put down an Islamist revolt in the 1980s, Hafez al-Assad bulldozed entire neighborhoods and killed at least 10,000 people. The son now presides over a crackdown-turned-civil war that has killed four times that many, and counting. ..... Assad’s reformist impulses were always meant only to bring access to the luxuries and approval of the West .... grew up in Damascus, reached out to and married into the Sunni elite, and was even mocked in his ancestral village for his Damascus accent

Envoy Meets With Assad as Russia Seeks Distance

Russia, Mr. Assad’s most important foreign backer, was moving forward with plans to evacuate Russian diplomats and other expatriates. ..... Some Russian expatriates working in Syria were abducted this month. .... diplomats in Damascus would be evacuated with the help of special forces, if necessary. The authorities are also prepared to send 100 officers from a special armed unit of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, called “Screen,” which was last used to evacuate Russian diplomats from Baghdad in 2003. .... Moscow’s deeply pessimistic prognosis for the region.

Here's What The 'Agent-15' Chemical Weapon Probably Used In Syria Does To People

The Gas effects started [a] few seconds after the area was shelled. Right after the shelling, patients described seeing white gas with odor, then they had severe shortness of breath, loss of vision, inability to speak, flushed face, dizziness, paralysis, nausea and vomiting, and increased respiratory secretions. Doctors who treated patients said that patients had pinpoint pupils and bronchospasm. Patients were treated in a field hospital. Gas masks were not available...... Referred to as an "incapacitating" chemical in military circles, the worst known non-lethal reactions to high doses of BZ include stupor, hallucinations and "regressive" phantom behaviors such as plucking at one's hair and disrobing...... Agent-15 is not nearly as lethal as Assad's stockpile of nerve and blistering agents— Sarin, VX, and Mustard — which can kill from the mildest direct exposure.

Chemical war of words: Syrian govt, rebels trade accusations

Al-Qaeda-linked rebels allegedly used chemical weapons during a battle with government troops in the Darya district on the outskirts of Damascus, killing at least seven soldiers. .... it was yellow and caused death within an hour of being inhaled

Putin visits India, eyes arms sales, trade and political ties
"Fiscal cliff" talks turn sour, Obama threatens veto
Fiscal cliff: Barack Obama threatens to attack Republicans in inauguration speech
Barack Obama: I Dance Gangnam Style To Embarrass My Daughters
Gloomy predictions as Washington approaches the 'fiscal cliff'

"It's the first time that I feel it's more likely we'll go over the cliff than not," Sen. Lieberman said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” "If we allow that to happen it will be the most colossal consequential act of congressional irresponsibility in a long time, maybe ever in American history because of the impact it'll have on almost every American.” ..... “I believe the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes,” he said. “He senses a victory at the bottom of the cliff.” ...... “The truth of the matter is, if we do fall off the cliff after the president is inaugurated, he’ll come back, propose just what he proposed … and we’ll end up adopting it,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson, (R) of Georgia on Fox News. “Why not go ahead and act now?”

West Antarctica Warming Faster Than Thought, Study Finds

making central West Antarctica one of the fastest-warming regions on earth. .... a breakup of the ice sheet, over a period that would presumably last at least several hundred years, could raise global sea levels by 10 feet, possibly more.

“My final offer is this: nothing”
Tax fight sends GOP into chaos

Breaking Free: How Nitish Kumar Turned Bihar Into a Model of Indian Reform
From Bihar, a New Approach to Flood Control
Fall of Nitish govt is certain: Lalu Prasad
Nitish Kumar: The Chief Minister who changed Bihar
Nitish Kumar-ruled Bihar safer than Narendra Modi-led Gujarat: JD(U)
A Look Back: The Incredible Change in Bihar
Nitish Kumar: India’s Man from Hope?
Dramatic Change in India’s Poorest State
How Nitish Conquered Bihar
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar likely to consolidate Muslim vote bank after his Pak visit
Bihar bats for Nitish Kumar as PM
Nitish Kumar invites India Inc to Bihar
In driver's seat, Nitish Kumar moves Bihar into top gear
Nitish: Bihar migrants can never be a burden on anyone
Nitish Kumar: Engineering change in Bihar
Building on Bihar

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Live Pink Or Dye

I thought that was quite a turn of phrase.

Romney Is President

Mitt Romney is the president of white male America. .... Maybe the group can retreat to a man cave in a Whiter House, with mahogany paneling, brown leather Chesterfields, a moose head over the fireplace, an elevator for the presidential limo, and one of those men’s club signs on the phone that reads: “Telephone Tips: ‘Just Left,’ 25 cents; ‘On His Way,’ 50 cents; ‘Not here,’ $1; ‘Who?’ $5.” .... In its delusional death spiral, the white male patriarchy was so hard core, so redolent of country clubs and Cadillacs, it made little effort not to alienate women. The election had the largest gender gap in the history of the Gallup poll, with Obama winning the vote of single women by 36 percentage points. ..... As W.’s former aide Karen Hughes put it in Politico on Friday, “If another Republican man says anything about rape other than it is a horrific, violent crime, I want to personally cut out his tongue.” .... the more they insulted the president with birther cracks, the more they tried to force chastity belts on women, and the more they made Hispanics, blacks and gays feel like the help, the more these groups burned to prove that, knitted together, they could give the dead-enders of white male domination the boot ..... Romney was still running in an illusory country where husbands told wives how to vote, and the wives who worked had better get home in time to cook dinner. But in the real country, many wives were urging husbands not to vote for a Brylcreemed boss out of a ’50s boardroom whose party was helping to revive a 50-year-old debate over contraception. ........ More women voted than men. Five women were newly elected to the Senate, and the number of women in the House will increase by at least three. New Hampshire will be the first state to send an all-female delegation to Congress. Live Pink or Dye. ........ as Bill Maher said, “all the Republican men who talked about lady parts during the campaign, they all lost.” ..... The voters anointed a lesbian senator, and three new gay congressmen will make a total of five in January. Plus, three states voted to legalize same-sex marriage. ..... wanted to see an openly gay cabinet secretary and an openly gay ambassador to a G-20 nation.