WHAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY STANDS FOR TODAY—————————–—

BRYAN FISCHER of the American Family Association loudly and gleefully mocks Mitt Romney’s questionable masculinity — Fischer spearheaded the charge to oust openly-gay adviser Richard Grenell from the Romney campaign. Fischer: “Let me ask you this question, people have raised this question, if Mitt Romney can be pushed around, intimidated, coerced, coopted by a conservative radio talk show host in Middle America, then how is he going to stand up to the Chinese? How is he going to stand up to Putin? How is he going to stand up to North Korea if he can be pushed around by a yokel like me? I don’t think Romney is realizing the doubts that this begins to raise about his leadership. I don’t think for one minute that Mitt Romney did not want this guy gone; he wanted this guy gone because there was not one word of defense, not a peep, from the Romney camp to defend him. They just went absolutely stone cold silent, they put a bag over Grenell’s head, they even asked him to organize this phone conference and they didn’t even let him speak at the conference that he organized.” – Bob Cesca

• PANDER-MODE: The resignation of Richard Grenell, the recently appointed and openly gay foreign policy spokesman for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, was as sudden as it was shocking. It was also yet another disturbing sign that the Romney campaign is still in pander mode when it comes to the anti-gay right. Which is exactly the wrong direction for the presumptive GOP nominee to be moving in. Because according to a wide variety of poll data, Republican voters, unlike most of the politicians vying for their support, largely support gay rights. – David Lampo

WEALTHY PEOPLE FACTOID: The Bluegrass Boondoggle gives a special tax break to millionaire horse owners, costing the government $126 million over 10 years. Though McConnell now decries wasteful spending, he publicly touted the millionaire-only earmark in 2008, and the GOP has done everything it can to preserve the tax break since. The House GOP budget, which gives massive tax breaks to the rich that Republicans say will be paid for by closing tax loopholes, doesn’t touch the Bluegrass Boondoggle. – On Derby Day, How Republicans Help Millionaire Horse Owners Pay Less In Taxes

MITT ROMNEY promises to create eleventeen million jobs (and everyone will have servants) – Incidentally, since Romney is proposing a complete return to Bush economic policies, it might be interesting to note the average rate of job creation during Bush’s first 7 years in the White House — that is, his record even if you ignore the catastrophe at the end. And that average monthly rate, from the BLS, was … drum roll … 66,000. – Paul Krugman

FAMILY VALUES and one Republican’s magic sperm — Back in 2010, conservative politician Bill Johnson (R-Ala.) was focused on running for the governor. Two years later, his wife claims he is moving to the other side of the world to fancy a different lifestyle. In a Sunday interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kathy Johnson told the newspaper that her husband has returned to the southwestern Pacific island where he made headlines in December 2011 for allegedly donating sperm to lesbian couples. “He is obsessed with this,” the former Miss America finalist told the Herald. “He doesn’t want to stop.” [...] In Sunday’s New Zealand Herald interview, Kathy told the paper that Bill had donated sperm to women wanting children at least 50 times over a handful of months. Former Alabama Gubernatorial Candidate ‘Obsessed’ With Sperm Donation

PAT ROBERTSON describes how God directed him to build the Christian Broadcasting Network (Unfortunately ’God’ is what Robertson calls the next door neighbor’s evil dog, who talks to him whenever he’s in the backyard) – Pat Robertson delivered a speech as part of the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “Week of Prayer” where he described how God directed him to create CBN during a gathering of people at Cape Henry, where Christopher Newport’s ships made landfall in 1607. – rightwingwatch.org

THE LIBERAL MEDIA Sunday Show lineup: Five shows and only one woman was invited to represent over half of humanity, and CBS’ Face the Nation wisely chose Michele Bachmann for that job. And ABC This Week has a very special guest, one who very rarely makes tv appearances, so get your Tivo ready: John McCain! – TPM

PRESIDENT OBAMA / DEMOCRATS————————————————————

CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: It’s still about hope, it’s still about change – “Over and over again, they’ll tell you that American’s down now, and they’ll tell you who to blame, and ask if you’re better off that you were before the worst crisis in our lifetime,” Obama said. “We’ve seen that play before, but you know what, the real question. The question that will actually make a difference in your life and in the lives of your children is not just about how we’re doing today, but how we’ll be doing tomorrow.” Obama also drew a sharp contrast with Mitt Romney, arguing that he is a stooge of Republicans in Congress, bent on cutting taxes for the rich and cutting spending on everyone else. “Republicans in Congress have found a nominee who is willing to rubber stamp this agenda,” Obama said, trying to tie Romney to the most unpopular institution in America. Mocking Romney’s declaration that corporations are people last year, Obama said, “I don’t care how many different ways you try to explain it, corporations aren’t people. People are people!” — Buzzfeed

• OBAMA SAID Romney called it “tragic” to end the war in Iraq and doesn’t want a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan. “After a decade of war that’s cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, the nation we need to build is our own,” Obama said. On Medicare, Obama said he would “never” allow it to become a voucher program, and defended his health care overhaul. And he explicitly made the election in part a referendum on the rights of women — from health insurance to birth control. “We don’t need another political fight about ending a woman’s right to choose or getting rid of Planned Parenthood or taking away affordable access to birth control,” he said. “I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons…We are not turning back the clock…We are moving forward!” – Obama Kicks Off Campaign With a Roar

JOE BIDEN endorses same-sex marriage – Biden made his remarks during an appearance on Meet the Press, telling host David Gregory that he is “absolute comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women.” He added, however, that “the President sets the policy.” Biden has backed equal rights for the LGBT community throughout his career, but this is the first time he has publicly acknowledged his support of full marriage rights. – ThinkProgress

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BILL CLINTON robo-calls in opposition to NC Amendment One –

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image: Daily Kos