Stand With Women ~ Scenes from the Struggle

From Texas, to North Carolina, to Ohio, to Wisconsin women must stand and fight back against the Republican attempt to control women's bodies and freedom. Sneaky Governors and Legislators are conspiring to pass draconian bills that hurt poor women and take away legal choices that are rights in this country. This isn't about being "pro-abortion" but protecting the right of women to control their own bodies. This is about the right of doctors and women to be free to discuss healthcare issues in a private way uncontrolled by the state. This is about the GOP closing down clinics for poor women and children in the name of being "Pro-life" whatever that means.



Thanks to gerrymandering and spineless state officials we can't win every battle, but if we keep it up, we WILL win the war . . . again. This is a struggle going back to the Suffragettes and the Women's Liberation movement in the 70s, and we can't forget those who fought before and made great strides in equality. Whatever nonsense the GOP comes up with next, there will be no surrender. But we all have to vote and work and text and tweet and network and make signs and stand up for ourselves and our daughters.

Edward Snowden can call himself a patriot, but he ran away on his own to be a man without a country. Meanwhile, real men and Women are standing and fighting for their states and their lives, willing to go to jail for what they believe. That is REAL civil disobedience as it was lived by Thoreau, Gandhi, and Mandela.

Scott Walker quietly signed a bill requiring ultrasounds for all women seeking abortions in Wisconsin: http://t.co/4vgembVhGX

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) July 5, 2013

My latest article: Wisconsin Joins the Misogynistic Ultrasound Club; Federal Judge Promptly Blocks the Law http://t.co/oMjdqCOB7B

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) July 9, 2013

Ladies in #WI this is a transvaginal ultrasound wand. Feeling violated yet! #wow #WIunion #fem2 #p2 #tcot pic.twitter.com/SU3XcdKCvf

— Shasta Merlot (@ShastaMerlot) July 8, 2013

Women are holding protest rallies in #Ohio, #NorthCarolina, #Wisconsin, #Texas. GOP has woken the sleeping giant #WomensRights #waronwomen

— Thunder Maker (@thunder_maker) July 10, 2013

North Carolina Republicans quietly attach abortion restrictions to motorcycle safety bill http://t.co/EdU3exaM9w #icymi

— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) July 11, 2013

“@Upworthy: YES. #motorcyclevagina RT @agoets: @NCAbortionFund @lizziefin @Upworthy Ask, and you shall receive! pic.twitter.com/fmowm3wYlz” YES.

— Kelli (@as_kell) July 11, 2013

Happening right now: @PPCNC supporters pack #ncga gallery for debate on #sb353. Stay strong, NC! #MotorcycleVagina pic.twitter.com/YrQ2lzcf4B

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) July 11, 2013

Here's the scene right now at tonight's 10th #MoralMondays demonstration in NC: pic.twitter.com/PHHBLHbckl

— Kennett Area Dems (@KennettDems) July 8, 2013

Great photo RT @rjgeary: #moralmonday Crowd in Raleigh is biggest yet. Maybe over 3,000. 10 weeks, bigger every time. pic.twitter.com/SLbQtYmWMu

— New Raleigh (@NewRaleigh) July 8, 2013

#SanAntonio protestors outside facility where Gov Perry just announced he won't seek reelection-PIC #txlege pic.twitter.com/isz6pspiZC

— Mary Tuma (@TumaTime) July 8, 2013

Wow. This picture of TX House Dems at the mic during today's abortion debate. With hangers. #sb1 pic.twitter.com/hDEUWxe3DV

— jennifer bendery (@jbendery) July 9, 2013

Another shot of the orange crowd and state troopers outside the Texas House @OmarVillafranca #txlege #hb2 pic.twitter.com/2ht1aGCclX

— Kolten Parker (@KoltenParker) July 10, 2013

Marching back to the TX state Capitol. Great turnout against a bad bill! #SB1 #StopTheWarOnWomen #txlege pic.twitter.com/WNvkAAL7p8

— Les (@LesHugTX) July 9, 2013

GOP Halts Voter Sign-Up in 5 States

Because of a shady consulting firm now under investigation in Florida, Republicans have stopped registering voters in five swing states. This is almost too good to be true - Rachel Maddow called it "the reverse of an October surprise" because it is such a gift to the Democrats.



Rachel Maddow made the point that usually each party would remain in a state until the deadlines, which you can see from the graphic below are a week away in some cases. So this is premature, uh, pull out . . . ahem . . . for the Repubs.





NBC News: RNC Cuts Ties with Firm Over Voter Fraud

Out of 304 Republican voter registration forms recently dropped off by a Strategic Allied employee at a small "satellite office" of the Palm Beach elections office, 106 were flagged as potentially fraudulent-- including "a lot" with "similar looking" signatures and others with apparently phony addresses, Susan Bucher, the Palm Beach elections supervisor, said in an interview.

Among the suspect home addresses were those that matched a gas station in Miami, a medical building in Boca Raton and a Land Rover automotive dealership in Palm Beach County, she told NBC News. Bucher said she called in the political director for the Palm Beach Republican Party and the GOP official agreed that the registration forms were a problem. She then took the forms to the Palm Beach County State's Attorney's office on Monday and requested the investigation.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, Mike Grissom, executive director of the Florida Republican Party, said: "When we learned today about the instances of potential voter registration fraud that occurred in Palm Beach County, we immediately informed the Republican National Committee that we were terminating the contract with the voter registration vendor we hired at their request because there is no place for voter registration fraud in Florida."

From the first video below, the discussion between Chuck Todd and Michael Isikoff:  

Chuck Todd: Mike, you can't help but sit there, Republican Party has been pushing this line, Acorn, all of this, and the only evidence this year comes from their side.  

Michael Isikoff: Exactly. I should say I spoke last night to Nathan Sproul, he says he is the victim. He says he has strict quality control measures. . . . He is furious at the Florida Republican Party for suggesting his firm was involved in voter fraud. You could see lawsuits here which would make it even messier.

John Kerry Zings Mitt Romney with Delicious Snark

Complete Transcript of John Kerry's Speech





We’ve all learned Mitt Romney doesn’t know much about foreign policy. But he has all these ‘‘neocon advisors’’ who know all the wrong things about foreign policy. He would rely on them - after all, he’s the great outsourcer.

But I say to you: This is not the time to outsource the job of commander in chief.

~~~

Despite what you heard in Tampa, an exceptional country does care about the rise of the oceans and the future of the planet. That is a responsibility from the Scriptures - and that too is a responsibility of the leader of the free world. The only thing exceptional about today’s Republicans is that - almost without exception - they oppose everything that has made America exceptional in the first place.

~~~

It isn't fair to say Mitt Romney doesn't have a position on Afghanistan. He has every position.

He was against setting a date for withdrawal—then he said it was right—and then he left the impression that maybe it was wrong to leave this soon. He said it was "tragic" to leave Iraq, and then he said it was fine. He said we should've intervened in Libya sooner. Then he ran down a hallway to duck reporters' questions. Then he said the intervention was too aggressive. Then he said the world was a "better place" because the intervention succeeded.
Talk about being for it before you were against it!

~~~

"Ask Osama bin Laden if he's better off now than he was four years ago."

~~~

"For Mitt Romney, an overseas trip is what you call it when you trip all over yourself overseas. It wasn’t a goodwill mission - it was a blooper reel."

But a Romney - Ryan foreign policy would be anything but funny.

~~~

“[Romney] even blurted out the preposterous notion that Russia is our “number one geopolitical foe.”Folks: Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from Alaska; Mitt Romney talks like he’s only seen Russia by watching Rocky IV.”

~~~

Mitt Romney: out of touch at home, out of his depth abroad and out of the mainstream.

~~~

No nominee for president should ever fail in the midst of a war to pay tribute to our troops overseas in his acceptance speech. Mitt Romney was talking about America. They are on the front lines every day defending America, and they deserve our thanks.

Obama Seals the Deal in Charlotte

gif via atlanticwire

 President Obama's Complete Speech Transcript Here


"Now, our friends down in Tampa at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn't have much to say about how they'd make it right. They want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. And that's because all they have to offer is the same prescriptions they've had for the last 30 years."

"Have a surplus? Try a tax cut. Deficit too high? Try another. Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!"

~~~

"We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more. But unlike my opponent, I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan, or endanger our coastlines, or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers."

~~~

"We don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we certainly don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules. We don't think the government can solve all our problems. But we don't think that government is the source of all our problems, any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles."

~~~

"While I'm proud of what we've achieved together, I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, 'I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.'"

~~~

"You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally,"

DNC Schedule for Thursday, September 6

courtesy of CNN


Thursday, September 6
Starting at 4:30 p.m.

Sen. Kay Hagan (North Carolina)
Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton (North Caolina)
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (North Caolina)
Rep. David Price (North Caolina)
Rep. Mel L. Watt (North Caolina)
James Rogers, CEO Duke Energy
Call to Order: Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Carol Berman
Rep. Donna F. Edwards (Maryland)
Rep. Barney Frank (Massachusetts)
Harvey Gantt, former Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina

6 p.m.

Rep. John Lewis (Georgia)
Jason Crow
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida)
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa (Los Angeles, California)
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin)
Mayor Michael Nutter (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Zach Wahls

7 p.m.

Jim Messina (Campaign Manager, Obama for America)
Kenyetta Jones, Ryan Case, Ed Meagher, Martha Figueroa, Lucas Beenken, Rob Hach
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Beau Biden
Rep. James E. Clyburn (South Carolina)
Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington

8 p.m.

Caroline Kennedy
Rep. Xavier Becerra (California)
Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (Michigan)
Eva Longoria
Gov. Brian Schweitzer (Montana)
Former Gov. Charlie Crist, Jr. (Florida)
Sen. John Kerry (Massachusetts)

9 p.m.

Admiral John B. Nathman, U.S. Navy, Retired
Angie Flores
Dr. Jill Biden
Vice President Joe Biden

10 p.m.

Sen. Dick Durbin (Illinois)
President Barack Obama

DNC Schedule for Wednesday, September 5

courtesy of CNN

Wednesday, September 5

Starting at 5 p.m.
•Call to order: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
•Rep. Luis Gutierrez (Illinois)
•Rep. Diana DeGette (Colorado)
•John Perez, California State Assembly speaker
•Mayor Thomas Menino (Boston, Massachusetts)
•Rep. Judy Chu (California)
•Steve Westly, former California state controller
•Rep. John Larson (Connecticut)
•Ken Myers, deputy sheriff (Carroll County, Iowa)

6 p.m.
•Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president
•Rep. Steve Israel (New York)
•Sen. Patty Murray (Washington)
•Rep. Pedro Pierluisi (Puerto Rico)
•Tom Steyer, Advanced Energy Economy co-founder
•Sen. Charles Schumer (New York)
•Rep. Karen Bass (California)
•Rep. Al Green (Texas)
•Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (Missouri)
•Gov. Dannel Malloy (Connecticut)

7 p.m.
•Denise Juneau, Montana Office of Public Instruction superintendent
•Rep. Nancy Pelosi (California)
•Tom Vilsack
•Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Maryland)
•Arne Duncan
•Johanny Adames
•Jim Hunt, former North Carolina governor
•Harvey Gantt, former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina

8 p.m.
•Elizabeth Ann "Libby" Bruce
•Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Federation of America president
•Rep. Steny Hoyer (Maryland)
•Rep. Barney Frank (Massachusetts)
•Ed Meagher
•Gen. Eric Shinseki
•Mayor Michael Nutter (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
•Gov. John Hickenlooper (Colorado)
•Simone Campbell, NETWORK executive director
•Gov. Jack Markell (Delaware)

9 p.m.
•Karen Mills
•Bull Butcher
•Kamala Harris, California attorney general
•Benita Veliz
•Cristina Saralegui
•Sandra Fluke
•Austin Ligon, Co-founder and retired CEO of CarMax
•Karen Eusanio
•Bob King, UAW president
•Randy Johnson, Cindy Hewitt and David Foster
•Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Maryland)

10 p.m.
•Jim Senegal, Costco founder and former CEO
•Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senate candidate (Massachusetts)
•Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
•President Bill Clinton

Michelle Obama's Spectacular Speech

pic via erosum on tumblr
Take that, Mitt Romney!!!

"When you walk through that door of opportunity, you do not reach back to slam it shut"

. . .  "You see, even though back (when) Barack was a senator and a presidential candidate, to me, he was still the guy who'd picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by in a hole in the passenger side door. He was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small."

"Well, today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are. No, it reveals who you are."

"Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it, and he wants everyone in this country to have the same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we're from, or what we look like, or who we love."

Speech Transcript Here




FLOTUS Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee   ~ Headline on The Atlantic






First Family Watching DNC via Flickr

DNC Schedule for Tuesday, September 4

Courtesy of CNN


7 p.m.

Mayor Anthony Foxx (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Sen. Harry Reid (Nevada)
Ken Salazar
Joe Kennedy III, U.S. congressional candidate (Massachusetts)
Former Rep. Robert Wexler

8 p.m.

Mayor R.T. Rybak (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Rep. Jared Polis (Colorado)
Maria Ciano
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America
Nate Davis
Tammy Duckworth, U.S. congressional candidate (Illinois)
Gov. Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island)
Rep. James Clyburn (South Carolina)
Stacey Lihn
Rep. Xavier Becerra (California)

9 p.m.

Former Gov. Ted Strickland (Ohio)
Kathleen Sebelius
Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Chicago, Illinois)
Kal Penn
Craig Robinson and Maya Soetoro-ng
Lilly Ledbetter
Gov. Deval Patrick (Massachusetts)

10 p.m.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (Maryland)
Joaquin Castro, U.S. congressional candidate (Texas)
Mayor Julian Castro (San Antonio, Texas)
Elaine Brye
First lady Michelle Obama

DNC Spotlight on the Hispanic Community

Voice of America

The mayor of San Antonio, Texas, Julian Castro, delivers his highly-anticipated keynote address Tuesday night at the Democratic Party's presidential nominating convention.

The 37-year-old Castro is the Democratic National Convention's first Latino keynote speaker. As mayor of the nation's seventh-largest city, he is also the youngest mayor of a top 50 U.S. city. Last year, he won re-election with more than 80 percent of the vote.

. . . Castro's selection as keynote speaker is widely seen as part of President Obama's effort to boost support for his re-election among Hispanics, the nation's largest minority group and a key voting bloc in this year's race.

Latinos Post

. . . the DNC will feature their first Latino keynote speaker with San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Actress Eva Longoria and broadcast journalist Cristina Saralegui are also scheduled to speak.

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke during the Hispanic Caucus and said, "The way I look at it is, we have a very deep bench, and we have so many stars through many layers. Julian Castro is one of the key rising stars in our party, and I think he's going to electrify the arena tomorrow night."

Castro is set to speak during the 10 p.m. EDT hour on Tuesday.

As for the number of Latino delegates at this year's DNC, the Huffington Post reported up to 800 are to be in attendance.
Latinos have favored the Democratic Party more than Republicans, with polls showing Obama at 60 percent over Romney's 30 percent.

"Being the keynote speaker at the Democratic Convention this year is an honor I don't take lightly. I know I've got some big shoes to fill. Two conventions ago, the keynote speaker was a guy named Barack Obama. I remember watching his speech in 2004 and being inspired."

Soledad O'Brien Calls Out Tea Party Dog Whistle

While sitting in the doctor's office this morning holding a fistful of insurance forms (ironically), I happened to see this smackdown of Tea Party fanatic Amy Kremer by Soledad O'Brien. Kremer had no explanation for why she thinks Obama doesn't love his country, beyond the fact that she doesn't like him, and that he is a black man in the White House.

My husband thought heard Kremer say something about the Tea Party only talking about fiscal responsibility, not social issues. Yeah, well tell that to Paul Ryan, Todd Akin, Michele Bachmann and every other doofus backed by Tea Party money.

It is a social issue to talk about cutting off Medicaid and Medicare and letting people drift away without a safety net. Or when someone thinks they have the right to say who "loves their country" and who doesn't. Are they going to segregate us all based on that? To them, no Democrat loves their country, so it's a bogus argument.

But props to Soledad O'Brian for calling it a dog whistle! Indeed!

   

O'BRIEN: Welcome, everybody.

Our team this morning: Dana Bash is with us. She's CNN senior congressional correspondent.

Mayor Michael Nutter joins. He's the Democratic mayor of Philadelphia.

Amy Kremer is with us. She's the Chair of the Tea Party Express. It's nice to see you, Amy. Thanks for being with us.

Ryan Lizza is a Washington correspondent for "The New Yorker."

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

. . . [*snip*] . . .

 

O'BRIEN: Amy, let me ask you a question. Because someone sent to me this tweet -- I swear to God I can't see anything anymore -- that you sent out at the end of August at 10:55 p.m. "Huge difference between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama is that Mitt loves America. We need a president that loves this country." I think that's from -- I missed this one, but someone forwarded it to me.

Do you think that President Obama doesn't love this country? What does that mean?

KREMER: I think that he is more about a global -- being a global -- oh, what's the word? Being more one world, global, with you know other countries and it's not about the shining city on the hill, the greatness that has always been America that our founding fathers were about. I do believe that. I -- I mean, I absolutely believe it. I'm not going to run from that.

Look, I mean, President Obama, and I know I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but he's never run anything. Mitt Romney, you asked me what is the case for Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney time and time again has taken companies that are failing and turned them around to make them successful.

I mean, he turned the Salt Lake City Olympics around. He ran the state of Massachusetts. Because what I'm saying is we are -- we are failing. We are about to go off this fiscal cliff. And we need somebody that can turn it around.

President Obama has not turned it around. I'm sorry he hasn't --

 

 

NUTTER: But the Governor has also -- but the Governor has also taken over companies and put people out of work. At the expense of losing jobs and making money for himself and for his investors. If you're going to tell one side of the story, tell the other side.

KREMER: I mean and you know and President Obama's energy policy, if it's -- and in President Obama's energy policy if it's implemented, it's going to cost -- I mean let me see. I have the numbers right here because I'm not very good with numbers. But it's going to cost us 7.3 million jobs by 2020. And $1 trillion in compliance costs between 2020 and 2030.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: I just never understand what any of that has to do with loving the nation. I mean, I honestly, I always feel like that's a code word for something else.

(CROSSTALK)

KREMER: I just I mean, I don't feel like he is --

NUTTER: What is the basis for questioning the President's love for this country? How can you say that?

KREMER: I just I don't believe that he loves America the way that we do.

NUTTER: Based on what? We who?

KREMER: He is more about one world -- I mean more about --

NUTTER: What does that mean?

KREMER: I just explained it to you.

NUTTER: Well, clearly, I'm not understanding.

KREMER: Well, I mean, don't know how else to explain it.

LIZZA: His foreign policy -- his foreign policy that you look at it and say, oh that's Obama wants America to be gone and he wants one world?

KREMER: I mean we are not leading. We're waiting on others to tell us what to do. That's never been the American way.

 

 

 LIZZA: What specifically? What specifically?

KREMER: I believe it was Syria. Was it Syria that or one of the conflicts where we -- the French told us we could go and do what we needed to do. Were -- that's -- that's not the American way. We need to lead.

NUTTER: Well, maybe this is America now.

KREMER: But this is the thing the foreign policy -- it's not about foreign policy we're never all going to agree on foreign policy. But why the Tea Party Movement has been so successful is because of the fiscal responsibility.

LIZZA: I think what you're saying is leading from behind, right?

KREMER: Yes.

LIZZA: So I was the journalist that actually reported that quote. So the leading from behind is something that was told to me. And actually, what it refers to is the strategy in the UN, the U.S. led a coalition in the UN to get military authorization to topple Gadhafi.

So the quote actually is the opposite of what you're saying. It actually refers to the strategy that Obama used in the UN to get all of the nations to support the U.S.'s use of force resolution because after the Bush years, it was really hard for the U.S. to go to the UN and get support because Bush was really, really unpopular.

O'BRIEN: But people didn't care about foreign policy. I guess my question is, when I hear somebody say that someone doesn't love the country, and you know I'm very susceptible to the dog whistle thing.

KREMER: The what?

O'BRIEN: That dog whistle that there is a message in that. When someone says that somebody doesn't love the country and you're talking about the President I just find that to be a very odd comment.

KREMER: I don't believe -- I mean look, we're sitting -- I mean we're sitting here, is our goal really in this administration to be the leader that we always have been, to be that shining city on the hill?

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: What does that have to do with love for your country? Mitt loves his country and President Obama doesn't?

KREMER: If you love this country and you want to restore our heritage and that sort of thing, you go out there and you lead. You don't wait on others to tell you what to do. And you take those bold steps. I mean, I don't think that that's what the objective of this administration is.  

                         O'BRIEN: So I'm going to stop you there. Mr. Mayor, stop. Because I have had so many people screaming in my ear that we have so gone over. I thank you for this conversation. We've got to take a break. We're back on the other side. 

Ron Howard talks about Andy Griffith

Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC interviewing Ron Howard (my transcript):

Andrea Mitchell: Today people across America are mourning the death of everyone's favorite sheriff, Andy Griffith. He died today and joining me on the phone is acclaimed director/producer/actor Ron Howard, who played of course Griffith's son Opie Taylor for eight years on the TV series The Andy Griffith Show.
Thank you so much for joining us, our condolences. You said in a statement that Andy Griffith Really shaped your life. You were only 6 years old when you first went on the show.

Ron Howard: (crosstalk) Good to talk to you. I was actually 5 when we we did the pilot for the show.

Mitchell: Wow.

Howard: The show, which was a spin-off of The Danny Thomas Show, and Danny was also an Executive Producer on the series along with Sheldon Leonard. He definitely did professionally, and personally a lot of ways because he created an environment on that set that was very creative, very playful yet extremely disciplined, and it was that simple lesson that I witnessed week in and week out, from the very first episode to the very last when I was fourteen years old, which was if you're doing it, you might as well do it well, and this is an opportunity to be involved in something that could be memorable. Just to respect that. It was never spoken that clearly, but like all great lessons it was observed.

Mitchell: How different was he from the character he played? Tell us about Andy Griffith the man.

Howard: I think the character evolved into something much closer to the real Andy. In the beginning it was everyone's design to do something broader, and a little more country-bumpkinish or something, a little closer to some of his monologues, which were broad and kind of hayseed. But as the show went on, he felt very comfortable becoming basically not providing the punchlines, but being the center of the show and became a much greater reflection of Andy.
Andy was a natural leader, extremely intelligent, a thoughtful guy who loved to laugh, who created a very humanistic kind of environment. So there was never a lot of tension on the set but there was always a sense of professionalism.



Mitchell: In what ways have you modeled your own work and life on that example, and how did he stay a part of your life?

Howard: As a kid I was unbelievably fortunate in that I was really allowed to witness this collaborative creative problem-solving process that Andy allowed. It was amazing - I was allowed to sit around listening to he and the writers talk about fixing the script and improving jokes, and which jokes were appropriate for characters, and which jokes were perhaps undercutting the integrity of characters. The other cast members were also a part of this discussion, and it was just the most spectacular education. But I think I do try to create an environment on the films that I direct where people feel safe, they show up confident, and it's a place to excel. The expectation is we're all there for a reason, and to try and do good work.
So again, without getting up and making speeches, I try to create that environment as Andy did.

Mitchell: It's extraordinary because he had such a big influence on all of us. but to know he had this long and creative and productive life, the person behind all that, is very reassuring.

Howard: I hope he's remembered not only for the Andy Griffith Show but for Matlock, and "A Face in the Crowd," and his music, and even going way back to his first monologues which he did on the radio and the recording studio which are still hilarious. And take a look at the overview, and whether it was comedy or drama, there's a reason he's so impactful on so many different mediums and styles. That's because he cared about what was doing.

Mitchell: Ron Howard, thank you so much. Thanks for joining us today to share your memories of someone with such an important influence in your life. Thank you.

Howard: Well, thank you, pleasure.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Andy Griffith Dead at Age 86

RIP. It's so sad to see another great actor from my childhood pass away.
People Magazine Obituary

UPDATE: President Obama on Andy Griffith ~ so sweet! Yes, our generation has lost a father-figure. :(
Via TPM

Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of Andy Griffith this morning. A performer of extraordinary talent, Andy was beloved by generations of fans and revered by entertainers who followed in his footsteps. He brought us characters from Sheriff Andy Taylor to Ben Matlock, and in the process, warmed the hearts of Americans everywhere. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy’s family.

He was probably the best Southern actor because even when we thought he was being cornball, it still had a ring of authenticity and dignity, and he never had to fake his accent because he was from Mt. Airy, NC. He was the everyman Southerner - witty, clever, and sometimes profound.  His great gift was the ability to be straight man and let other comedians shine. And let's not forget he was also a talented musician, as well as a dramatic actor in Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd."

In heaven, Andy and Don Knotts (Barney Fife) are down at the Snappy Lunch having the special -

BARNEY: I don't know how they do it for 80 cents.

ANDY: I don't either, I tell you.

BARN: Three Vienna sausages-heavy on the tomato puree, slice of bread, and butter on a paper dish.

ANDY: And more than an ample portion of succotash. Don't leave out the succotash.

Then they'll drive the police car to Wally's Filling Station where George Lindsey (Goober Pyle) will offer them a coke or a nectarine crush from the cooler, and they'll set around talk about their next fishing trip or something funny Howard McNear (Floyd the Barber) said. Oh, and he'll show up too after a while, and they'll meet Aunt Bee, Thelma Lou, Helen, and Opie at the picture show. The movie playing is either something with Gregory Peck or "The Monster from Out of Town."

RIP, dear Andy Taylor.

   

RIP Doc Watson

It makes me so sad - first Earl Scruggs and now Doc Watson! :(

Obituary from CBS News

He sang one of my favorite bluegrass songs - Shady Grove - in my opinion, the best version ever recorded. The second video below features some gorgeous fancy pickin' with his son Merle Watson, who died an untimely death in 1985. RIP.