'Redstate Women' Is Republican Crony Astroturf... And Its Leaders Are Not All Women

Good grief. If Democrats put together a group called "Blue State Women" to support gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, one could reasonably expect, at a minimum, that the prime movers in the group would be women. Republicans feel no such commitment to truth. Via Daniel Strauss of TPM, we have the details from the venerable Texas Observer. "Redstate Women," MFA!

A Lot Of Reading Today To Inspire You And To Exasperate You

Pete Seeger
before HUAC

First, via BOHICA at Daily Kos (you all know what BOHICA stands for, right?), we have the late great Pete Seeger's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1957. The result, which BOHICA takes from the wiki, was this:

Seeger's refusal to testify led to a March 26, 1957, indictment for contempt of Congress; for some years, he had to keep the federal government apprised of where he was going any time he left the Southern District of New York. He was convicted in a jury trial of contempt of Congress in March 1961, and sentenced to 10 years in jail (to be served simultaneously), but in May 1962 an appeals court ruled the indictment to be flawed and overturned his conviction.

And now let's sing a rousing rendition of "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?" I must answer "no"; the late lamented Mr. Seeger could have answered an emphatic "YES"!

Amber, Wendy, Dru Davis

Next, Kos brings us a pair of letters from Wendy Davis's daughters regarding Wendy's parenting skills, much-maligned by... can you believe it?... Bristol Palin. Not surprisingly, Davis's daughters not only love her but have immense respect for her and her parenting. Here's a sample from Dru Davis:

I love that my mom went to law school and was dedicated to both her work and us. Watching her work so hard to achieve something great has been one of the most important lessons in my life. To this day, I watch my mom greeted and hugged by people who love her and are thankful for things she has done for them. I am proud of her for that. Both of my parents made sacrifices to make education happen for all of us, my sister and me included. And both of them have been great role models for what it means to care about people in the world. ,,,

Considering what Bristol Palin turned out to be, specifically, a not-bright Republican daughter of an even-less-bright Republican governor prone to lying her a$$ off, I think the "parenting skills" allegation is being leveled at the wrong politician. Anyone who says Wendy Davis is a bad parent who abandoned her kids can now cease blathering and go straight to Hell.

(Daily Kos is on a roll today. I may have more from them; watch this space.)

Wendy Davis's Filibuster Sneakers Being Amazon Review‑Bombed

GOPers have wonderful cognitive facility connecting things that have no real-world association. Now they are writing Amazon reviews of the model of sneakers worn by Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) during her successful filibuster of the draconian and almost certainly unconstitutional anti-abortion bill. TPM's Zoe Schlanger provides a couple of example, one favorable, one not:

...

Another popular 'review' reads: "I tried on a pair at the local mall and suddenly Texas Republicans started telling me what to do with my genitals. They started explaining reproduction to me like I was a seventh grader. Unfortunately, being male, I had no way to shut the whole thing down. I'm so confused..."

Anti-abortion Amazon 'reviewer' M. Angeli wrote: "I only have one concern about these shoes. The soles are made of rubber and will undoubtedly melt in the fires of hell, which is where people who murder babies will go."

...

For Democratic ladies who would like to make a fashion statement supporting Davis, the shoes are "a pair of pink and green Mizuno Women's Wave Rider 16s." The shoe's warranty does not include filibuster success, nor protection from the fires of Hell (nor even from Texas summers). But pink and green were my elementary school's official school colors; I've gotta love 'em...