This weekend, while millions of Americans worry about what will happen to them if the Supreme Court ignores precedent and invalidates Obamacare, Mitt Romney is doing his own unprecedented thing.
At a posh resort in the mountains of Utah, Romney has gathered some of the worst people in the world for three days of hobnobbing and strategizing.
The guest list features many of Romney's wealthiest donors—including royalty and titans of industry—along with numerous boring white guys vying to be his Number Two.
Attendees will participate in breakout sessions with titles such as: "Making a mockery of campaign finance laws"; "The difference between outsourcing and offshoring"; and, "I'm rich, bitch!"
Aside from the caterers and entertainers, very few women are expected to be present.
Sarah Palin totally ruined it for her gender.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL); Roundtable: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), Jonathan Martin (Politico) and Andrea Mitchell (NBC News).
Face the Nation: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R); Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D); Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R); Obama Campaign Deputy Manager Stephanie Cutter; Romney Campaign Senior Adviser Eric Fehrnstrom; Roundtable: Joe Klein (TIME), Dan Balz (Washington Post), Norah O'Donnell (CBS News) and John Dickerson (CBS News).
This Week: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA); Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Major Garrett (National Journal), Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal) and Democratic Strategist Hilary Rosen.
Fox News Sunday: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA); Billionaire Businessman T. Boone Pickens; Roundtable: Brit Hume (Fox News), Jeff Zeleny (New York Times), Former McCain Campaign Adviser Nicolle Wallace and Kirsten Powers (Daily Beast).
State of the Union: Romney Campaign Senior Adviser Ed Gillespie; Former Bush Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez; Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL); Susan Page (USA Today); Peter Baker (New York Times); Reliable Sources: Ryan Lizza (New Yorker); Dana Milbank (Washington Post); Amy Holmes (Glenn Beck TV); Maureen Ryan (Huffington Post); Adam Buckman (XfinityTV); David Zurawik (Baltimore Sun).
The Chris Matthews Show: Author David Maraniss; Kelly O'Donnell (NBC News); Howard Fineman (Huffington Post); Liz Marlantes (Christian Science Monitor).
Fareed Zakaria GPS: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I); Estonian President Toomas Hendrik; Nicholas Kristof (New York Times).
Up with Chris Hayes: Leila Hilal (America Foundation); Former State Department Speechwriter Elise Jordan; Michelle Goldberg (Daily Beast); Radio Host Sam Seder; Egyptian-American Journalist Mona Eltahawy.
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: an investigation into the work of controversial author Greg Mortenson (preview); an interview with billionaire investor Warren Bugget and his son Howard, whom he's chosen to succeed him (preview); and, a profile of number one ranked tennis star Novak Djokovic.
Virtually Speaking Sundays on Blog Talk Radio will feature: Bloggers David Dayen and Avedon Carol commenting on the corporate media's Sunday morning talk shows and their own observations from the past week.
On Comedy Central...
Jon Stewart suggested new ways for the Obama and Romney campaigns to respond to hecklers.
The Daily Show
Monday: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Tuesday: "Family Guy" Creator Seth MacFarlane
Wednesday: Actor Andrew Garfield
Thursday: Band Tenacious D
And Stephen Colbert was inspired by the Romneys' dancing horse.
The Colbert Report
Monday: Author Frank Deford
Tuesday: Author Richard Ford
Wednesday: Philanthropist Melinda Gates
Thursday: Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin
Elsewhere...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich decided that a background in education, let alone a college degree, is not a prerequisite for Board of Ed members.
Gov. John Kasich described his new pick for the Ohio Board of Education yesterday as "a man of great character,' "a man of faith" and a "great addition" to the board.
On Monday, Kasich appointed former Ohio State quarterback Stanley Jackson, 37, to replace Dennis Reardon on the 19-member board and serve the final six months of an at-large term. [...]
Jackson received the appointment after meeting with members of Kasich's staff, but he didn't provide a resume. The charter school for African-American males Jackson claims to have founded does not exist, according to the Department of Education, and yesterday Ohio State University confirmed to The Dispatch that Jackson didn't graduate from there.
Meanwhile...
Ohio Congressional hopeful "Joe the Plumber" joined the ranks of Allen West in arguing that gun control was responsible for the Holocaust.
Samuel "Joe The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, the 2008 campaign microcelebrity and Ohio congressional candidate, has an interesting theory about the Holocaust. Yesterday, Mr. Wurzelbacher released a campaign web video in which he blamed the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide on gun control laws.
"In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917 one-point-five million Armenians, unable to defend themselves were exterminated," Mr. Wurzelbacher says in the clip. "In 1939, Germany established gun control. From 1939 to 1945, six million Jews and seven million others unable to defend themselves were exterminated."
Mr. Wurzelbacher's video features footage of him on a shooting rage blasting fruits and vegetables with a shotgun. As the clip draws to a close, Mr. Wurzelbacher, gun in hand, proclaims, "I love America."
And, in other news...
One of Bruce Springsteen's biggest fans, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has a sad because The Boss won't even give him a "Fuck you."
Despite heroic efforts by Christie, Springsteen, who is still a New Jersey resident, will not talk to him. They’ve met twice—once on an airplane in 1999, and then at the 2010 ceremony inducting Danny DeVito into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, where they exchanged only formal pleasantries. (Christie does say that Springsteen was very kind to his children.) At concerts, even concerts in club-size venues—the Stone Pony, in Asbury Park, most recently—Springsteen won't acknowledge the governor. When Christie leaves a Springsteen concert in a large arena, his state troopers move him to his motorcade through loading docks. He walks within feet of the stage, and of the dressing rooms. He’s never been invited to say hello. On occasion, he'll make a public plea to Springsteen, as he did earlier this spring, when Christie asked him to play at a new casino in Atlantic City. "He says he's for the revitalization of the Jersey Shore, so this seems obvious," Christie told me. I asked him if he’s received a response to his request. "No, we got nothing back from them," he said unhappily, "not even a 'Fuck you.'"
Boo-urns!
- Trix