Sunday Funnies: The 2012 White House Correspondents' Dinner

On the evening of April 28, 2012, the 93rd annual White House Correspondents' Dinner took place. The highlights of these events are the monologues by the sitting president and the featured entertainer.  Both President Obama and Jimmy Kimmel were in fine form. I thought the jokes they delivered were edgy without being mean-spirited. Also, neither side of the political spectrum was spared.

Karma, Meet Marco Rubio

One of the dumbest GOP criticisms of President Obama is his use of a teleprompter. If you were to believe the GOP, you'd think President Obama was the first politician to use teleprompters. Even if he does rely on teleprompters when giving a speech, is it any worse than reading a speech that's on paper or index cards?!

One of the main critics of President Obama's teleprompter use is Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). In the clip below, Sam Seder (host of the Majority Report) talks about Rubio's teleprompter cracks directed at the president and Rubio's mishap during a speech he gave on foreign policy at Brookings Institution on Wednesday.

My Thoughts on the Ted Nugent Controversy

Because I had a lot of proverbial plates spinning on poles last week, I was unable to post about rocker Ted Nugent's controversial comments about President Obama at an NRA convention in St. Louis. His remarks were pretty much what I've come to expect from the draft dodging nutcase. The following comment is the one that has earned the most scrutiny:

"If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year." 

What exactly does Ted mean? Does he think his death or imprisonment will come at the hands of  the Obama administration? Did his statement refer to what will happen to him if he takes violent action against President Obama?

I will say that people have overreacted to his comments where he encouraged voters to "chop [Democrats'] heads off in November." He was just using a metaphor (I think). Even if he was, there's still a chance some of Ted's rabid followers are sharpening their axes in preparation.

The left's reaction to Ted's comments are yet another example of how we generally don't go overboard en masse when a celebrity says something controversial ala the Dixie Chicks. Sure, we rightfully condemned Ted's comments. However, we didn't take to the streets for a bonfire of old Ted's 8-tracks, LPs, etc.

Predictably, most of the right failed to come out against Ted for his remarks. Because he sought Ted's endorsement, Mitt Romney in particular was called out for not making a public statement about Ted Nugent. I didn't expect him to though. Even he wanted to wash his hands of the Motor City Madman, he can't without pissing off the NRA/Tea Party crowd. Whether he likes it or not, Mitt is stuck with Ted.

On the 4/19 installment of NOW with Alex Wagner, the host and her panel discussed Ted Nugent's controversial comments and Mitt Romney's lack of a response.

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Final Results of the Recent Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked people to give their thoughts on the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, nearly half of you felt the latter would be found not guilty. Here are the final results:

Zimmerman will be found not guilty: 48%
It will never go to trial: 24%
Zimmerman will be found guilty: 20%
There will be a mistrial: 8%

Thanks to all of you who participated in and commented on this poll.

In recent developments,  Florida State Attorney Angela Corey, the special prosecutor, announced that George Zimmerman had been charged with second-degree murder. In Florida, that charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum sentence of 25 years.

A bail hearing was held on April 20 and the Judge ruled that Zimmerman can be released on a $150,000 bond.  He was released on bail from jail at 12:05 a.m. April 23, 2012. He was fitted with a GPS device which can reveal his whereabouts in real time. The terms of his release require him to report his whereabouts every three days.

On April 23, 2012, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara waived Zimmerman's right to appear at an arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. According to O'Mara, Zimmerman has gone into hiding and will likely remain so until the trial next year. 

Cenk Uygur: Not A Millionaire? You're A Jackass If You Vote Republican

Republican opposition to The Buffett Rule has Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks fired up! As you may know, the Buffett Rule (which failed Monday in the Senate) is the tax plan proposed by President Obama that would apply a minimum tax of 30 percent to individuals making more than a million dollars a year. The clip below features Cenk discussing the Republican's stance on The Buffett Rule interspersed with comments made by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) on Fox.