NOM Threatening Starbucks in the Middle East over Marriage Equality in the USA

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Sunday November 11, 2012 · 2:22 PM PST

2012/11/11 · 14:22

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is frosted that Starbucks was a prominent supporter of the marriage equality referendum in Washington state. NOM is so irritated, in fact, that it's going to take the fight to Starbucks in...

... the Middle East.

The Huffington Post reports:

The Colorado Independent reports that officials from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) have vowed to make Starbucks (along with other companies that support same-sex marriage) pay a “price” in Middle Eastern countries that are hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. The statements were made during a Nov. 8 conference call, scheduled as a discussion of the 2012 elections which saw sweeping marriage equality victories in Maine, Maryland and Minnesota, as well as Starbucks' home state of Washington.

NOM dim bulb Brian Brown is actually threatening Starbucks' business:

"So for example, in Qatar, in the Middle East, we’ve begun working to make sure that there’s some price to be paid for this," Brian Brown says in audio recording of the conference call, which can heard on the Independent's website. "These are not countries that look kindly on same-sex marriage. And this is where Starbucks wants to expand, as well as India. So we have done some of this; we’ve got to do a lot more."

NOM's efforts will, of course, be wildly ineffectual, like being mugged by a hamster. Why this just makes me want to go out and get a double latte at the Starbucks and ponder the pathetic lameness of NOM.

UPDATE: When I first wrote the diary, I had not considered that NOM's efforts may lead to violence against Starbucks and its employees in the Middle East, as discussed in the comments. It's one thing to run a useless boycott in the U.S. but quite another when it could directly lead to violence. That's obviously no laughing matter at all, and the NOM folks should seriously consider their tactics before doing anything stupid with potentially dangerous consequences.

John Sununu-who-who?

NorCalSF

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Thursday November 08, 2012 · 7:04 PM PST

2012/11/08 · 19:04

Wasn't there a guy a few weeks ago with a lot of "U"s in his last name who said something silly about Colin Powell's endorsement of the President? Can't really quite remember his name.

Oh well. No matter. He must not be that important.

Sad days for Scalia, Thomas & Kennedy

NorCalSF

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Wednesday November 07, 2012 · 2:24 AM PST

2012/11/07 · 02:24

Supreme Court Justices Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy now have to wait at least four more years before they can retire.

I hope they have to wait at least 12 more years, although in all honesty Kennedy has been good on a few issues of concern.

But good news for Justices Ginsburg and Breyer should either one want to retire during the second term of the Obama Administration.

Romney Team Conceding NV?

NorCalSF

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Sunday November 04, 2012 · 8:48 PM PST

2012/11/04 · 20:48

Re-tweet from Lis Smith, OFA Director of Rapid Response:

Lis Smith ‏@Lis_Smith
#contractingthemap RT @tobyharnden Senior Romney aides privately conceding that Obama will win Nevada.

UPDATE: New tweet from Jon Ralston:

Jon Ralston
@RalstonReports
RT @tobyharnden: Senior Romney aides privately conceding that Obama will win Nevada./ Hmmm. Really? Is poor Ryan still coming? #charade

What's the power situation in Cleveland?

NorCalSF

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Sunday November 04, 2012 · 6:19 AM PST

2012/11/04 · 06:19

I read the other day that there is concern that several precincts in the area won't have power on Election Day. That is obviously a concern for Team Blue.

Voted in Houston - Some Observations

NorCalSF

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Saturday November 03, 2012 · 12:53 AM PDT

2012/11/03 · 00:53

I'm currently living in Houston on a work assignment even though San Francisco is my home. Yesterday was the last day of early voting in Texas, and I went to my precinct on West Gray Street in central Houston to cast my ballot.

Romney will win Texas handily. But there was a seemingly big turnout at the community center where the polling place was located. The crowd in line waiting to vote was also very diverse -- young/old, male/female, African-American, Latino, Asian, white. That's the present and even more so the future of Texas, which will one day make it a purple state, perhaps as early as 2016.

And, since I had my Texas voter registration card, I did not have to show my picture ID, thanks to a judge who barred the Texas Republicans' attempts to suppress the vote. The poll workers were polite and efficient. The whole process took less than 30 minutes.

Best Right Wing Sites ...

NorCalSF

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Thursday November 01, 2012 · 8:49 PM PDT

2012/11/01 · 20:49

... to watch on Election Night? I will presume that the President is on his way to re-election. So there is always more than a bit of schadenfreude in reading the right wingers' instant reactions to the election results as they come in.

Possible candidates for this exercise are the National Review's Corner and the perpetually tacky Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post. Any other good candidates?

538 / RCP / PEC Converging

NorCalSF

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Thursday November 01, 2012 · 2:57 AM PDT

2012/11/01 · 02:57

The results of Nate Silver's 538 model, Real Clear Politics' average tracker, and Sam Wang's model are starting to converge. As of 6 am ET on November 1st, the numbers are:

538: Obama 300 EV, Romney 238 EV (I rounded down for O, up for R)
RCP: Obama 290 EV, Romney 248 EV (the "No Tossup States" line)
PEC: Obama 303 EV, Romney 235 EV

Could it still swing to Romney? Yes, it could but increasingly looking very unlikely. If Romney were to win it would be akin to a "Dewey Defeats Truman" moment.

I'd much rather be in Obama's position than Romney's five days before the election.

Christie Praises Obama, Again

NorCalSF

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Tuesday October 30, 2012 · 4:51 AM PDT

2012/10/30 · 04:51

Well look who is praising Obama again this morning. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie just said on CBS Morning News:

"I can't thank the president enough for that," Christie said, referring to the major disaster declaration Obama signed for New Jersey, expediting federal aid to the state. "Cooperation from the president of the United States has been outstanding. He deserves great credit."

Story here at Talking Points Memo: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/...

Is Nate Silver the new Matt Drudge?

NorCalSF

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Sunday October 28, 2012 · 6:45 AM PDT

2012/10/28 · 06:45

I'm thinking about influence here.

I recall in 2004 that pretty much everyone in the chattering class lived and died by Matt Drudge's swirling siren. But not so much anymore. Actually, it seems that no one but the right pays him much attention anymore. Most other folks got his M.O. down and clearly see how Drudge tries to steer the national conversation though an extremely selective inclusion of stories -- and the swirly siren thingy too.

But the rising star this year seems to be Nate Silver and his 538 blog, at least in terms of covering the horse race and having influence on the narrative. The counter to this observation, however, is of course the large number of stories about "Mittmentum."

Thoughts?

Silver: Ohio is Not a Toss-Up (Right Now)

NorCalSF

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Saturday October 27, 2012 · 4:21 PM PDT

2012/10/27 · 16:21

Nate Silver looks at the polls from Ohio over the past ten days and finds that the President has a +2.4 lead over Romney. He concludes:

There are no precedents in the database for a candidate losing with a two- or three-point lead in a state when the polling volume was that rich... It is misinformed to refer to Ohio as a toss-up. Mr. Obama is the favorite there, and because of Ohio's central position in the Electoral College, he is therefore the overall favorite in the election

That is a nice, not so subtle critique of the media being "misinformed."

Full Silver blog post in the New York Times here.

Joe Klein's Brutual Romney Take Down

NorCalSF

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Thursday September 13, 2012 · 6:27 PM PDT

2012/09/13 · 18:27

Joe Klein of Time Magazine has written a devastating article about Romney's terrible, shameful and hollow campaign.

More below the fold.

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