2012 Memories ~ Good, Bad, and Amazing

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Wow, so much happened in 2012 that one video can't hold all of it. In fact, one post can't hold it all, so expect a few more.

Cute Pic ~ McKayla Maroney and President Obama Are Not Impressed

The Gold-Medal winning Olympic Gymnastics Team was at the White House the other day and McKayla Maroney posed with President Obama in a look-alike picture.

Via NBC News

Even McKayla Maroney was impressed.

A photo of the Olympic gold medalist gymnast and President Barack Obama doing her now-famous "McKayla Maroney is not impressed" face went viral Saturday after the White House posted it on Twitter. The two took the picture Thursday when Maroney and her Fierce Five teammates visited the White House.

"He was the one who brought it up," Maroney told The Associated Press. "We were about to leave and he said, `I want to talk to you one second about the face.' He said, `I pretty much do that face at least once a day."'

Maroney was photographed making the half scowl with her nose scrunched up while she was on the medals podium after winning silver on vault at the London Olympics. It spawned dozens of "McKayla Maroney is not impressed" memes - including one showing a photoshopped Maroney in the White House Situation Room on the night Osama Bin Laden was killed.

The "face" has become Maroney's trademark. But it's one thing for fans to ask her about it, quite another when the president does.

"I, like, freaked out," Maroney said. "He said, `Let's do it together.' We took a picture and now it's everywhere."

Happy Place Diversion ~ Olympic Swim Team Lip Dub

Congratulations to the U.S. Olympic Swim team, who have won about half the gold medals for our country so far in London, plus breaking many world records! And now they have a viral video of "Call Me Maybe" that shows they are a creative bunch as well. Seriously, some of these kids belong on television or in movies. Hear that, Hollywood?

Clues to the Romney Veepstakes

The Romney Bus Tour starts soon, and GOP convention speakers have also been announced. So what does it all mean? Which lucky Republican will get the call to stand behind the most confused and conflicted presidential candidate in the history of America?  Whoever you are, be prepared to eat doughnut-thingies and talk to real people - Mitt needs you because he can't do it!

MSNBC First Read

The Romney campaign today officially announced its swing-state bus tour beginning Saturday. It will start in Virginia; then head to North Carolina Sunday, the day the Olympics conclude; Florida Monday, Aug. 13; and end in Ohio Tuesday, Aug. 14.

Potential vice-presidential picks will be making appearances.
NBC's Alex Moe reports that Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) will join Romney on the first leg of the tour in Virginia.

NBC's Andrew Rafferty reports that Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a veep front runner, will join Romney in Ohio.

. . . It's possible a Romney vice-presidential pick is made on the bus tour, but it's also possible that it is designed to create buzz and excitement around the campaign and a VP selection is announced after it.

Washington Post: Convention Speakers Narrow List

. . . at least four people once thought to be under consideration for the No. 2 spot will speak at this month’s Republican National Convention — all but ruling them out of contention for the vice presidential slot.

The Republican National Committee announced that former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez are among those expected to address the Aug. 27-30 convention in Tampa.
That still leaves a number of presumed contenders — including former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — in the mix.

Whether he has made any decisions about a running mate — or the timing of a rollout — is unclear. His wife, Ann, remains in London to watch her dressage horse compete in the Olympics. The horse, Rafalca, will participate in the Grand Prix Special round on Tuesday morning (5:45 a.m. Eastern time) — her final opportunity to help the U.S. team win a medal. It’s also her chance to qualify for the final individual medal round on Thursday. Republicans widely assume that Romney will wait until his wife returns home to announce his vice presidential choice, making next week seem like a logical time.

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Happy Place Diversion: Droll Olympic Announcer

This announcer's delivery deserves a Gold Medal, LOL.

Snark in Pictures

One-Trick Trickle-Down Pony

Rafalca Romney made an appearance at the London Olympics yesterday. Ann Romney gave her reaction to the press:
"She was consistent and elegant. She did not disappoint. She thrilled me to death."

With perfect timing aimed to lampoon the Romney's expensive hobby, MoveOn.org released a new ad featuring a talking Rafalca Romney. The White House has promised not to "attack" Rafalca again, but some of these other democratic groups have not.

Explanation from Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action

In our ad, voters hear the truth about Mitt Romney straight from the horse’s mouth: Romney seems to think many Americans deserve to be treated worse than a horse. There’s nothing wrong with taking good care of a horse, but there’s something messed up about a millionaire who spends twice what most Americans make in a year caring for a horse, but wants to take away people’s health care and offshore their jobs. We’re rooting for Rafalca and all of our Olympians to bring home the gold, but we’re sure not rooting for Mitt Romney to send jobs overseas. Voters had best steer clear of Romney unless they’re looking for a ride on a one-trick trickle down pony

It makes me want to paraphrase the theme song of the Mr. Ed television program:
"A horse is a horse, of course, of course . . . so to keep us on a steady course, Obama's the candidate you should endorse . . . and Romney's campaign is dead!"

Find Out Romney VP by SmartPhone

This makes sense for a candidate nicknamed "Romneybot" for his mechanical delivery and lack of common ground with most human beings. Maybe his handlers think some of the "smart" will rub off on them, too. ;) This beats any other marketing ploy I've ever seen. I wonder how much Romney has invested in Smartphone?

And what could go wrong? Ummmmmmmmm . . . remember the previous times the Romney camp dabbled in technology, when they spelled "America" as "Amercia," "Sneak Peek" as "Sneak Peak," and the best . . . "Official" as "Offical." LOL
Reminder: Here on Snark Amendment

Via PC Mag

"Users of the app will be the first to get the news on the biggest presidential decision of the year through an instantaneous alert on the one device most people carry around the clock – their phone" . . .
As soon as the final decision is announced, app users will receive a push notification on their device, and can then share what a Romney press release called "the exciting news" among friends and family.
"The historic announcement is getting closer," Beth Myers, Romney campaign senior advisor, said in a statement. "With this new app, users can be the first to know the second member of America's Comeback Team."
Users will also have the opportunity to earn exclusive campaign gear.
The app's website builds up the suspense, saying "There's no telling when Mitt will choose his VP," but Myers said the decision will be announced "soon."

But as the Guardian UK points out, it all depends upon when Rafalca the Dancing Horse finishes at the Olympics

Apparently it all depends on how the Romney dressage horse Rafalca gets on at the London Olympics:

Romney is heading back to the United States from Europe on Tuesday and is expected to announce his vice presidential pick in the next few weeks. He’s likely to wait for his wife Ann to return from London, where she’s watching her horse Rafalca compete in the Olympics. Rafalca will compete August 2 and 3, a Romney spokesperson told ABC News on Monday.
The horse could also compete August 8 and 9, depending on how well he performs this week, and Ann would likely stay for that as well. Romney probably won’t announce his VP pick without his wife by his side.
There's a first: presidential campaign delayed by dancing horse.

John Stewart Critiques Romney in London

LOL ~ Romney will wake up someday and wonder why he didn't have someone who would tell him the truth on this trip. Maybe then he wouldn't have trashed the London Olympics and offended our closest ally.

The Daily Show
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Happy Place Diversion: A Perfect Ten

I have a sixteen-year-old son who is obsessed with the Olympics right now. He's never been "into sports" before, but this time is different because he has a new-found interest in learning languages and more curiousity about other cultures. We watched every minute of Opening Ceremony on Friday, enjoying the spectacle of London and the pageantry of each country's team as they walked in the procession. And my son has been glued to the tv set watching the Olympics ever since.

I also saw Michelle Obama's speech to the Olympic athletes talking about watching Nadia Comeneci from Romania win her "perfect ten" score in Gymnastics, and how thrilling it was. I also remember watching those performances with my parents and my brother, transfixed on this little girl doing something almost impossible, almost magical. I was no athlete either, while Nadia was balance and grace personified, a true champion. Michelle is right - this is why we watch the Olympics, to see people doing feats of skill we can only dream of doing.

I went to look for some videos of Nadia, and I realized that Nadia actually made more than one perfect 10, and she did it all in 1976, the year I turned 16, the same age as my son who loves the Olympics now. That's cool, and that's my Happy Place Diversion for today.

London Olympics Tribute to National Health Care

The opening ceremony of the London Olympics is an extravaganza par excellence - you've got to see it!!! It was everything I hoped it would be, eccentric, trippy, colorful, historical - all of it, from the Shakespearean reference to "The Tempest," to the Queen arriving with James Bond, to the flights along the Thames and all the little hat-tips to Pink Floyd, Monty Python, Harry Potter, Mr. Bean, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and of course, the Beatles.

We enjoyed every minute of it, but especially the democratic aspect, the idea that everyone got to participate even in a small way, which is the brainchild of designer Danny Boyle. In an interview following the ceremony he told Meredith Vieira of NBC that he loved the idea of the Olympic Torch being carried past the very people who built the Olympic arena, which is built on the once-wasteland of East London. And indeed, an Olympian ran with the torch past rows of ordinary people in hard hats, connecting them to what they had built, and as he put it, connecting them to the Queen herself.

But the heart of the whole show for me, and the part which really shamed the U.S. was Boyle's spectacular tribute to the National Health system in the UK, which rendered me speechless for a few minutes. It was all about doctors and nurses protecting children from their worst fears and nightmares, symbolized by literary characters such as Voldemort, Captain Hook, the Child Stealer from Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, and the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. When I recovered my senses, I assured my own children that they will probably never see such an outpouring of creativity to celebrate a social program in the United States, more's the pity.



I hope that most Americans were watching and got an eyeful, especially everyone in Congress or the Senate who voted against President Obama's healthcare plan, everyone who held hysterical prayer groups on Facebook in hopes the Supreme Court would strike it down, and every member of that Court who wanted to trash our only safety net for the uninsured. Our flawed system in such a rich country is the shame of the world, and while Britain's health plan may not be perfect, most people there have grown up with it and never had to choose between buying glasses or going to the dentist, between buying food and buying medicine. No one suffers because they don't have insurance - everyone has it!

Because of National Health, the Brits have a different reality than we have in the United States, and it made me think that instead of scary literary characters, we have scary lawmakers and judges who don't care whether children are protected. Mitt Romney was in the audience watching, and I hope the words "repeal Obamacare" were ringing in his ears.



Director's Tribute to "Amazing" NHS

More than 600 real-life nurses and other healthcare workers joined Boyle's army of volunteers during the extravaganza.

. . . Boyle said: "One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country. We believe, as a nation, in universal healthcare. It doesn't matter how poor you are, how rich you are, you will get treated.

"One of the core values of our society is that it doesn't matter who you are, you will get treated the same in terms of healthcare. We all end up there. You can be in all these private hospitals - if anything serious happens to you, you are in the NHS. And that felt like something that we thought was a great thing to celebrate.

"We are almost unique in having universal healthcare. It is something that is very dear to people's hearts. All types of government fight like billy-o, to control it, to cut it, to deal with it. But there is something about it - it is so embedded in us that we have decided to keep it. It is an amazing thing to celebrate."

Boyle said that the volunteers who came from the NHS were "proud people", adding: "They work for something that they truly, truly believe in. We're delighted to add to that by saluting them. All of the volunteers have made a special sacrifice to be with us but these guys are extraordinary.



"They turn up after shifts - you know what they are dealing with every day, they are dealing with mortality and sick children - yet they turn up and they have made it absolutely amazing."

. . . Lottie Pink, from Kingston, south west London, was one of the patients from the hospital who took part in the show. The 10-year-old was treated for a brain tumour two years ago and returns to the hospital every few months for check-ups.

She said: "I am proud to represent all the great work the hospital does. Without them, I would not be here.

Michelle Obama at the London Olympics

Now this is how to arrive at the Olympics and be diplomatic and encouraging to our allies. Got that, Mitt?

From the Evening Standard

As a lesson in good natured statesmanship - if not to say simple manners - it was a masterclass.
For Michelle Obama cast aside stuffy protocol to join in the fun and games to celebrate today’s opening of the Olympic games with more than 1,000 children.

The First Lady met the children - most of them from U.S. military families - in the grounds of Winfield House, the official residence of the U.S. ambassador in London.

She was joined by David Beckham and Olympic gold-medal sprinter Carl Lewis who signed autographs.

She said: “I’m so excited,” after jogging to the stage as a marching band played the University of Florida fight song.
“I am thrilled to be here on London for the 2012 Olympic games. I am proud to be leading the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremony.”

Mrs Obama, who later tried out sports including tug-of-war and football alongside the children, offered a tribute to military families who had been invited to take part in the event.

The Romney Shambles in Britain

gif via tumblr
"Romney Shambles" is a descriptive hashtag on Twitter to describe Mitt Romney's trip abroad, which started in Great Britain yesterday. He made so many gaffes in such a short amount of time that without instant news on Twitter no one could keep up with them.

My collection of quotes on Snark Amendment

In just one day, Romney managed the following:

• He insulted the entire country, implying they weren't ready for the Olympic Games
• Seemed to forget the name of Labour Leader Milliband, calling him "Mr. Leader"
• Reversed his criticism of the Olympics after a trip to 10 Downing Street  but . . .
• Made a security faux pas by blabbing about meeting the head of MI6 Intelligence
• Sounding rather rude speaking of "looking out the back side" (instead of back garden) of Downing Street
• He only took questions from British reporters, making the U.S. Press Corps angry
• Was insulted by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, as the Olympic Torch arrived
• Was labeled "Mr. Bean" by Guardian UK
• Told CNN's Piers Morgan that he "feels like a Brit" and that Ann is "from Wales" due to their family trees while
• Ann mentioned watching Downton Abbey as a frame of reference
• Was criticized by Harry Reid but also Charles Krauthammer on Fox
• Had to slash prices on tickets to a fundraiser where he
• Insulted Obama by vowing to return the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office

More Here: Guardian UK: Oh, Mitt, Those Romney Gaffes In Full

Edited to Add: This video from the DNC taking full advantage of Mitt's misfortune.




By the end of the "longest day" people had dug up this gem, from Romney's book No Apologies:

England [sic] is just a small island. Its roads and houses are small. With few exceptions, it doesn't make things that people in the rest of the world want to buy. And if it hadn't been separated from the continent by water, it almost certainly would have been lost to Hitler's ambitions. Yet only two lifetimes ago, Britain ruled the largest and wealthiest empire in the history of humankind. Britain controlled a quarter of the earth's land and a quarter of the earth's population

So I guess Mitt once thought of himself as an expert on "England," someone who could explain the  British Isles better than the people actually living there. I wonder if he feels that way after yesterday?


   

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

Mitt Romney's Olympic Pins

Everyone knows that Mitt Romney is considered the "savior" of the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, and that he says he left Bain Capital in 1999 (retiring retroactively) so he could run the event. But did you know that there are "Mitt Pins" commemorating the event? Yes, these were official pins, except for one,  which has a colorful backstory:

"Romney allegedly used the F-word during an Olympic traffic jam, which resulted in the production of an unofficial Olympic pin featuring a red-faced Romney saying “Flip!” Utah’s sanitized version of the expletive."

Just when you think things couldn't get stranger . . .




Story from National Public Radio

"I've been given an enormous responsibility, and an entire country and the Olympic team from the United States and the world, to a certain extent, expect me to do the job well," Romney said. "And I want to fulfill that responsibility."
This image of Olympic savior was actually cast in collector-quality enameled metal cloisonne pins produced by the Salt Lake Olympic committee.

Critic Ken Bullock has them in his Olympic pin collection.

"We have Valentine's ones with all the Olympic mascots around saying, 'We love you, Mitt,' " Bullock says, as he pulls up images of the pins on his computer.

"We have him pulling a sled of some sort where some of the mascots are saying, 'Are we there yet, Mitt?' "



Ken Bullock scoffs at what he calls "the Superman" pin, which features Romney "with a Clark Kent chin," wrapped in an American flag.

"I don't know how to put words to describe how narcissistic they are," Bullock says.



Three Olympic pin collectors and experts consulted by NPR say they've never seen pins like these featuring the CEO of an Olympic organizing committee.
"There have been plenty of big-headed CEOs for Olympic Games, but none has ever had his or her likeness on a pin," says Ed Hula, a veteran pin collector and editor of aroundtherings.com, an independent news organization that focuses on the Olympics. "Maybe it's an indicator that Mitt Romney has a sense of humor."

Source for Images: Shuksan Tahoma on Daily Kos

Obama Ad Horses Around with Mitt

This ad is sublimely snarky! The only thing that could make it better is if they had mentioned the $77,000 tax write-off, but they probably want to wait and see if Mitt releases more returns so they can add it up over several years. I hope this isn't the last ad with Refalca the Dancing Horse.

And before people say "leave horses alone!" I love horses as much as anyone. But let's recall the Sununu and Limbaugh attacks just yesterday saying that President Obama isn't really an American even though he's been President for four years. This is tame compared to that.

Plus, the a dancing dressage horse used for "therapy" is a luxury item, people. My father had multiple sclerosis and the freakin' VA certainly didn't offer him a horse to ride as part of his medical coverage! Frankly, I don't know how someone with MS can climb up on a horse in the first place - most people can't even walk on carpet or sidewalks, let alone put their foot in a stirrup. But perhaps Ann has a servant to help her with that, and with Jet Skis too.  [/snark]

But then again, if you really want to talk horses, watch the "White Horse Prophecy" from the Mormon Church about something Joseph Smith said over a century ago about his descendents saving the Constitution as it "hangs by a thread." I don't think we as Democrats should be respectors of Sacred Cows,or Sacred White Horses, so to speak, but one could say that Romney is such a horrible candidate that he will save Democracy as we know it by letting Obama have an easy win, thus saving the Constitution from a future Supreme Court stacked with more Scalias. Thus the dancing horse will play a role, I'm sure of it, as it makes Romney look as ridiculous as possible. Country saved. [/more snark]