Author: susie

The Senate races

~ susie ~ 5 Comments

As I’ve said all along, I think this election is going to have a lot of surprises. I never really believed that Republicans were going to take the Senate, and now the numbers are starting to move in the Dems’ direction. One of the things that’s so stupid about pundits’ overly confident predictions is that unexpected things always happen, just like they did in 2006 and like they did now:

As the 2014 Senate midterm elections were heating up, pundit predictions were all over the map, but on this much they agreed: Democratic seats in Montana, West Virginia and South Dakota were sure to go to Republicans, and Kentucky and Kansas, without question, would remain with the GOP.

Headed into the homestretch now, a bizarre series of events has upended that calculation. A corruption scandal and a third party candidate in South Dakota have thrown that race wide open, while Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) finds himself badly behind an independent challenger after the Democratic nominee dropped out.

Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) finds himself trailing in a recent survey and Republican Georgia candidate David Perdue, the former head of Dollar General, is under fire for declaring how proud he is of his record of outsourcing. HuffPost’s Pollster model still has McConnell and Perdueahead.

But Kansas, South Dakota, Georgia, Kentucky — these are not the states Republicans were most worried about.

Seizing the opportunity in South Dakota, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is putting a million dollars into the race to succeed retiring Sen. Tim Johnson (D), despite comments from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggesting that the seat had already been lost.

Bloomberg Politics first reported Wednesday that the DSCC would commit money to television ads bashing the Republican nominee, former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds.

Recent polling has shown Rounds stuck in the mid-30s with both Democratic nominee Rick Weiland and former Republican Sen. Larry Pressler, who is now running as an independent, trailing just a few points behind. There is also one more independent in the race, Gordon Howie, who may also draw conservative votes away from Rounds.

Another reason to love Big Pharma

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Pharmaleaders
Who’d a thunk it?

CAMDEN — A federal judge today turned back an effort by lawyers for Merck & Co. to dismiss a $100 million lawsuit filed by female sales representatives who claim the drug maker fosters a “boys club” that rewards male “breadwinners” with promotions and demotes women after they return from pregnancy leave.

U.S. District Court Judge Joel Pisano did not rule on the merits of the class action lawsuit but said the women have to date raised issues that are “plausible.”

“While it is too premature to determine whether plaintiffs have significant proof to suffice under this standard, plaintiffs have certainly pled sufficient allegations regarding defendants’ promotion practices and subjective decisionmaking such that plainiffs’ class claims are plausible,” Pisano wrote.

In a statement, Merck said it will continue to defend itself against the allegations.

“We are disappointed in the court’s decision, but remain confident that this case lacks merit,” the statement said. “Merck will continue to vigorously defend itself, and remains fully committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees. Merck has a strong anti-discrimination policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of characteristics, such as gender, pregnancy, race, age, disability and sexual orientation.”

The lawsuit was filed in May 2013 by five female Merck employees on behalf of others who may find themselves in a similar situation.

This would have been a crowdpleaser, I guess

~ susie ~ 3 Comments

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert http://ift.tt/1quobAC

Pretty interesting. But I’d rather have John Oliver, who doesn’t play the “both sides do” schtick that Stewart does — and is actually angry over what the oligarchs do to people:

This Sunday marks Chuck Todd’s one-month anniversary in the anchor chair at Meet the Press. Despite an opening-week ratings spike from his exclusive sit-down interview with President Obama, the Todd-helmed show has settled back into third place behind ABC’s This Week and CBS’s Face the Nation. This has been frustrating to NBC News executives, who at one point had considered going in a radically different direction with the show.

Before choosing Todd, NBC News president Deborah Turness held negotiations with Jon Stewart about hosting Meet the Press, according to three senior television sources with knowledge of the talks. One source explained that NBC was prepared to offer Stewart virtually “anything” to bring him over. “They were ready to back the Brink’s truck up,” the source said. A spokesperson for NBC declined to comment. James Dixon, Stewart’s agent, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

It makes sense that NBC would make a run at Stewart. The comedian-cum-media-critic possesses something that broadcast executives covet: a loyal, young audience. And it’s not the first time NBC tried recruiting him. According to sources, NBC Entertainment courted Stewart several years ago for a 10 p.m. variety show (the slot ultimately went to Jay Leno). This April, CBS announced Stewart’s Comedy Central colleague Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman next year.

Impunity

~ susie ~ 4 Comments

I have always known that cops did things like this, but it does seem like it’s getting worse. Or is it just that it’s easier for us to get the word out?

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office is investigating allegations that an NYPD cop wrongfully removed more than $1,000 from a man during a stop-and-frisk then pepper sprayed two people he did not arrest, the Daily News has learned.

The encounter was captured on a cell phone video, which has been turned over to prosecutors and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, said lawyer Robert Marinelli.

“One of the most disturbing things about the video is the other cops standing around watching and doing nothing to stop the wrongdoing,” Marinelli said Wednesday.

Marinelli represents siblings who were pepper sprayed — Lamard Joye who claims the cop took $1,300 from his pocket, which has still not been accounted, and his sister Lateefah Joye, a professional basketball player in Europe, who tried to get the cop’s badge number.

“I believe that this officer made an assumption that any money Mr. Joye possessed was obtained illegally and therefore he would not report the theft. This assumption was wrong, Mr. Joye is a hard-working taxpayer deserving respect,” said Marinelli.

The brief clip begins with the unidentified cop pushing Lamard Joye against the fence of a basketball court at the Surfside Gardens houses in Coney Island around 12:20 a.m. on Sept. 16.

‘

The long, long night of the lunar eclipse

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

inlet

I went to sleep about midnight and shortly before 2, C. woke me up. “I just got this alert on my phone. There’s a tornado warning and we’re supposed to take shelter.”

I call the front desk. She tells me there’s no alert, and I said, “Just for the sake of warning, if there is an actual alert, what are we supposed to do?” You know, since we’re up here on the 27th floor.

“I don’t know,” she said. “That’s a good question. I guess you would come down to the lobby.”

It’s hard to describe what the wind sounds like up here, even when there isn’t a storm. It’s kind of like a freight train going through the room, only worse.

I finally give in, take a half an Ativan, and finally fall asleep again. It’s a bright, shiny day here at the beach and no tornadoes. Happy lunar eclipse!

Missouri planning for riots

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

G-20 Protest Sept 24, 2009

What do they mean, “if”? Ha ha, just kidding! I meant, “when” they refuse to indict Darren Wilson:

(Reuters) – Missouri authorities are drawing up contingency plans and seeking intelligence from U.S. police departments on out-of-state agitators, fearing that fresh riots could erupt if a grand jury does not indict a white officer for killing a black teen.

The plans are being thrashed out in meetings being held two to three times a week, according to people who have attended them. The FBI said it was also involved in the discussions.

Details of the meetings and intelligence sharing by Missouri police agencies and their counterparts in other parts of the country have not been reported before.

The grand jury is expected to decide next month whether to bring criminal charges against police officer Darren Wilson, who shot dead Michael Brown, 18, on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Missouri.