New Developments III

[Big Magilla]

A few thoughts on last night's election results:

It was something of an odd night, with the two highest-ranking races -- Governor of KY & MS -- meaningless blowouts for the party that already held the office. But there were a bunch of low-level results that made interesting fodder for the poli sci-ers among us.

Highest profile of course was the thumping rejection of John Kasich's Bust-dem-unions bill. Its repeal had been widely forecast in polling, but it was nice to see it hold up. More surprising -- because polling had been essentially 50/50 in both -- were the wide-margins on ME same-day voting and against MS "personhood".

Right-wingers will claim that these clear lefty victories are offset by the OH right-to-opt-out-of-the-mandate vote. It's hard to take that seriously, given that (1) it was a purely symbolic (and probably unconstitutional) bill that (2) neither party invested any money or muscle into and (3) amounted to a "would you like to be able to eat all the pizza and ice cream you want and never gain weight?" vote -- there was nothing in the bill about resuming elimination for pre-conditions, throwing all new registrees off the insurance rolls, all of which would happen were the health care bill to be voided in its entirety. (Actually, many on the left would be happy to get rid of the individual mandate section, as it would require more liberal moves to conform with the rest of the ACA)

Then there were lots of local items: the fomentor of the AZ immigration bill lost a recall election (to another GOPer, because the district is so red it was the only way to get rid of him); a staunch right-wing supporter of unpopular governor Snyder in MI was also recalled; Dems won the open State senate seat in IA that would have given the GOP full state control (and led to immediate banning of same-sex marriage); Dems held onto both houses in NJ. The only real downer was the outcome in VA, where the GOP -- by a hair (i.e., one seat that was decided by 86 votes) -- got to a tie in the state Senate, which gives them close to full control of their state' s government.

The upshot of all this? It's certainly impossible for Republicans to pretend the wave that carried them last November is still at full strength. Democrats probably don't want to get too excited by this, but their position in swing-y Ohio (where polling today shows Obama handily beating all GOP contenders) seems quite strong, much thanks to Kasich. And issues seem to be breaking strongly the Dems' way. Given that all off-year elections tilt at least a bit more GOP than presidential years, and also given that Obama's approval ratings are still below 50% at present, Dems have reason to hope this year is a harbinger of what could be an even better one next year.

Insignificant in the scheme of things, but I now live in the midst of New Jersey's very red Orange County. The incumbant Republican state senator and assemblymen were re-elected but, wonder of wonders, the entire four person local Brick Township board of Republicans was voted out and replaced by Dems, something I wasn't expecting.

[Dien]

He's such a mentally defective idiot, that Perry.

His response played out almost like an SNL sketch.

[Sonic Youth]

He's such a mentally defective idiot, that Perry.

[Mister Tee]

A few thoughts on last night's election results:

It was something of an odd night, with the two highest-ranking races -- Governor of KY & MS -- meaningless blowouts for the party that already held the office. But there were a bunch of low-level results that made interesting fodder for the poli sci-ers among us.

Highest profile of course was the thumping rejection of John Kasich's Bust-dem-unions bill. Its repeal had been widely forecast in polling, but it was nice to see it hold up. More surprising -- because polling had been essentially 50/50 in both -- were the wide-margins on ME same-day voting and against MS "personhood".

Right-wingers will claim that these clear lefty victories are offset by the OH right-to-opt-out-of-the-mandate vote. It's hard to take that seriously, given that (1) it was a purely symbolic (and probably unconstitutional) bill that (2) neither party invested any money or muscle into and (3) amounted to a "would you like to be able to eat all the pizza and ice cream you want and never gain weight?" vote -- there was nothing in the bill about resuming elimination for pre-conditions, throwing all new registrees off the insurance rolls, all of which would happen were the health care bill to be voided in its entirety. (Actually, many on the left would be happy to get rid of the individual mandate section, as it would require more liberal moves to conform with the rest of the ACA)

Then there were lots of local items: the fomentor of the AZ immigration bill lost a recall election (to another GOPer, because the district is so red it was the only way to get rid of him); a staunch right-wing supporter of unpopular governor Snyder in MI was also recalled; Dems won the open State senate seat in IA that would have given the GOP full state control (and led to immediate banning of same-sex marriage); Dems held onto both houses in NJ. The only real downer was the outcome in VA, where the GOP -- by a hair (i.e., one seat that was decided by 86 votes) -- got to a tie in the state Senate, which gives them close to full control of their state' s government.

The upshot of all this? It's certainly impossible for Republicans to pretend the wave that carried them last November is still at full strength. Democrats probably don't want to get too excited by this, but their position in swing-y Ohio (where polling today shows Obama handily beating all GOP contenders) seems quite strong, much thanks to Kasich. And issues seem to be breaking strongly the Dems' way. Given that all off-year elections tilt at least a bit more GOP than presidential years, and also given that Obama's approval ratings are still below 50% at present, Dems have reason to hope this year is a harbinger of what could be an even better one next year.

[Big Magilla]

Interestingly, Bialick is apparently a Tea Party memebr and both of these women are registered Republicans.

What bothers me is that there stories are apparently quite different. They don't show a pattern.

Bailick's description is clearly one of sexual harassment but it doesn't make sense. Why would the head of a corporation set her up in a hotel suite and then try to awkwardly seduce her in a car parked on the street? The other one's compliant, in the second instance at her other job, is so petty it is ridiculouus. The offending "harassment" was an e-mail that is less tame than something you would hear on daytime TV. The thing that bothered her the most, according to Cain, was that he gestured toward his chest, saying his wife and she were the same height, coming up to the level of his body. That is consistent with the nonsne in her latter claim, not the clear harassment claimed by Bialick.

[Sonic Youth]

Is this the same woman whose attorney issued a lengthy written statement late last week? Ever since that was released, I've started having my doubts, at least about that particular accuser. I have no will or inclination to search for it and read it again, but there was something about it that didn't sit well with me.

I'm ready to disregard this particular accuser. But there's still Bialek (whose media appearences, I should add, I haven't seen one millisecond of) and the several anonymous claims. Maybe they're all false, but I tend to think where there's smoke there's fire. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, which means a). these revelations are very much politically motivated, and b). he's a pig, too.

His charm was starting to wear off on me anyway.

[Big Magilla]

Despite his inexperience and political no-nothingness, Cain comes across as a likeable, fun to be around guy. He doesn't defend himself very well and these accusations are probably enough to bring him down, whether they are ever proven or not, but my experience with sexual harassment charges is that while they should never be taken lightly with the offenders more than not in need of reprimand, probation or outright firing, there are also a number of flakes out there who bring these charges because they are either confused or downright nuts or are looking for money. I don't know which side to believe at this point, but the Allred supported woman does seem a bit on the flaky side and this other one is starting to come across as both a flake and a gold-digger:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman who settled a sexual harassment complaint against GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain in 1999 complained three years later at her next job about unfair treatment, saying she should be allowed to work from home after a serious car accident and accusing a manager of circulating a sexually charged email, The Associated Press has learned.

Karen Kraushaar, 55, filed the complaint while working as a spokeswoman at the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the Justice Department in late 2002 or early 2003, with the assistance of her lawyer, Joel Bennett, who also handled her earlier sexual harassment complaint against Cain in 1999. Three former supervisors familiar with Kraushaar's complaint, which did not include a claim of sexual harassment, described it for the AP under condition of anonymity because the matter was handled internally by the agency and was not public.

To settle the complaint at the immigration service, Kraushaar initially demanded thousands of dollars in payment, a reinstatement of leave she used after the accident earlier in 2002, promotion on the federal pay scale and a one-year fellowship to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, according to a former supervisor familiar with the complaint. The promotion itself would have increased her annual salary between $12,000 and $16,000, according to salary tables in 2002 from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Kraushaar told the AP she considered her employment complaint "relatively minor" and she later dropped it.

"The concern was that there may have been discrimination on the job and that I was being treated unfairly," Kraushaar said.

Kraushaar said Tuesday she did not remember details about the complaint and did not remember asking for a payment, a promotion or a Harvard fellowship. Bennett, her lawyer, declined to discuss the case with the AP, saying he considered it confidential. Kraushaar left her job at the immigration service after dropping the complaint in 2003, and she went to work at the Treasury Department.

Details of the workplace complaint that Kraushaar made at the immigration service are relevant because they could offer insights into how she responded to conflicts at work. She now works as a spokeswoman in the office of the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration.

Kraushaar's complaint was based on supervisors denying her request to work full time from home after a serious car accident in 2002, three former supervisors said. Two of them said Kraushaar also was denied previous requests to work from home before the car accident.

The complaint also cited as objectionable an email that a manager had circulated comparing computers to women and men, a former supervisor said. The complaint claimed that the email, based on humor widely circulated on the Internet, was sexually explicit, according to the supervisor, who did not have a copy of the email. The joke circulated online lists reasons men and women were like computers, including that men were like computers because "in order to get their attention, you have to turn them on." Women were like computers because "even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval."

Kraushaar told the AP that she remembered the complaint focusing on supervisors denying her the opportunity to work from home after her car accident. She said other employees were allowed to work from home.

Kraushaar, who is married and lives in suburban Maryland, was among two women who formally settled harassment complaints against Cain in exchange for severance payments in the late 1990s when they worked at the restaurant association. Bennett has said Kraushaar settled her claim during the summer of 1999, shortly after Cain left the organization. Neither Kraushaar nor Bennett have described exactly what Cain was accused of saying or doing to Kraushaar when she worked there, although Bennett said Kraushaar wants to conduct a joint news conference with all the women who have accused Cain. The New York Times reported previously that Kraushaar received $45,000 in the settlement with the restaurant association.

Kraushaar agreed to discuss some aspects of the complaint at the immigration service if the AP agreed to protect her privacy, as it did in previous accounts of her complaint against Cain. She subsequently waived her privacy by confirming for news organizations her identity as one of two women who settled complaints against Cain, so the AP no longer is protecting Kraushaar's identity.

Cain has denied that he sexually harassed Kraushaar and others who have accused him of inappropriate behavior.

In a news conference Tuesday evening, Cain said allegations of sexual harassment by Kraushaar — whom Cain identified by name for the first time — were determined to be "baseless," but he did not explain who made this determination and Kraushaar has disputed this. Cain said that after negotiations between Bennett and the restaurant association's outside counsel she received money under an employment agreement, which Cain said was different from a legal settlement.

"When she made her accusations, they were found to be baseless and she could not find anyone to corroborate her story," Cain said.

Cain said he remembered gesturing to Kraushaar and noting that she was the same height as Cain's wife, about chin-high to Cain. The Georgia businessman said Kraushaar did not react noticeably, but he said the restaurant association lawyer later told him that was the most serious claim that Kraushaar made against him, "the one she was most upset about."

"Other things that might have been in the accusations, I'm not aware of, I don't remember," Cain said.

Sharon Bialek, a Chicago woman who once worked for the restaurant association's education foundation, accused Cain in a nationally televised news conference this week of groping her and attempting to force himself on her inside a parked car after they had dinner in 1997. Another woman told the AP that Cain made unwanted sexual advances to her while she worked for the association, and a pollster said he witnessed Cain sexually harass another woman after an association dinner.

Kraushaar's complaint at the immigration service prompted managers to use caution when writing and speaking to Kraushaar while the complaint was being investigated, another former supervisor told the AP. Two supervisors said Kraushaar asked a colleague to act as a witness when she had conversations with one manager after she filed her complaint.

The complaint at the immigration service was "nobody's business," Kraushaar said, because it was irrelevant to her sexual harassment settlement with Cain years earlier. "What you're looking for here is evidence of an employee who is out to get people," she said. "That's completely untrue."

Kraushaar, who started her career in Washington as a reporter, was praised for her work in 2000 when she traveled to Miami to help agency officials during the coverage of the Elian Gonzalez case, when federal agents seized the boy from relatives to return him to his father in Cuba.

"Ms. Kraushaar's assistance was invaluable and her performance extraordinary," wrote Robert A. Wallis, the immigration service district director in Miami. Kraushaar provided seven such letters of recommendation to show that her performance was commendable while working at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the restaurant association and the immigration service.

[Dien]

The way I heard it, one of the women yelled "nein, nein, nein", which is where he got his economic idea from. He thought she was saying "nine, nine, nine".

OG, can you install 'like' buttons so I can give Big props?

[Big Magilla]

The way I heard it, one of the women yelled "nein, nein, nein", which is where he got his economic idea from. He thought she was saying "nine, nine, nine".

[Sonic Youth]

When asked whether these allegations were true, Herman Cain responded "Nein, nein, nein!"

[Dien]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/politics/ ... index.html

His chances are dead. This will open the floodgate and more public allegations will come to light.

I swear I've seen this in a movie before.

[Greg]

A woman has now gone public in accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment. She claims he put his hand up her skirt while asking her if she wanted help in finding a job.

[Dien]

My favorite pizza is this pizza I made myself one night. Fresh mozzerella and homemade sauce - delicious!

Maybe I'll vote for my self in the "other" category.

[kaytodd]

I did not like Godfather's Pizza. I have no idea where the nearest one is. I do not hink there has been one in my town for over 20 years. Lots of toppings but I could tell they came frozen in big bags ready to be poured on the pizzas after thawing, even the veggies. And I could tell the crusts were machine made and shaped. Nothing hand tossed about them.

My all time favorite pizza place was a victim of Katrina: Mama Rosa's on North Rampart Street on the edge of the French Quarter. Unbelievably good. The restaurant did not flood but the family that ran it and almost all of their employees lost everything in the storm and just decided to not start it up again. I'm happy to say one of the family members opened up a new Mama Rosa's within walking distance of my home. Very close to the original, but not quite there. Much better than my favorite chain, Papa John's. But the crust does not have the exact same combination of crispiness and chewiness and the cheese is as thick as the original but does not have that exact same intense flavor and the same can be said for the sauce. Close, but not quite there. Well, they lost their cooks, many of whom worked at the old place for many years.

Posting this has brought back some nice memories. I used to eat there all the time. I always liked to take a girl to a restaurant for a first date so we could talk and get to know each other. Mama Rosa's was my favorite place for this. Friendly casual atmosphere and obviously nice places for dancing and drinking just a short walk away. More nice memories

[Sonic Youth]

Franchise pizza sucks, although Poppa John's isn't terrible.

When we lived in Florida in 05/06, there was a Goodfella's Pizza a block away from our home. And I remember visiting Saratoga Springs NY 20 years ago, and there was a Pope's Pizza. I looked it up and it's still there. I remember at the time someone calling it "The Patron Saint of Pizzas" as a joke.

If this is the sort of country that can blatantly put Italian stereotypes in the names of its restaurants, then we deserve a President Herman Cain.