Category Archives: United States

Candidate photoshops his Jewish mother out of leaflets for non-Jews

7:10pm Wed May 23rd

A United States congressman fighting for re-election has been caught photoshopping his Jewish mother out of a picture on leaflets going to non-Jewish voters. Voters with Jewish surnames in California’s 27th congressional district would receive a leaflet with Brad Sherman’s smiling mother — but others received a version in which she had been digitally removed.

The cynical gaffe recalls an incident in 2007 in which the culture secretary James Purnell was (badly) edited into a photo call. Purnell turned up too late for the photoshoot outside Thameside hospital — so agreed to, erm, pose for a snap which would be merged with the original.

If only government ministers could be airbrushed away so easily.

President Obama slow jams the news

5:27pm Wed April 25th

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President Obama taking musically to the microphone isn’t anything new, but we reckon this is the first time he’s done so as part of a serious policy campaign.

Both Obama and his likely Republican opponent in November’s election, Mitt Romney, are calling for Congress to stop a doubling of the interest rate on student loans for low and middle income students. The increase, which will come into force in the summer, is estimated to cost students around an extra £1,000 each.

But it’s a lot better than Vladimir Putin crooning Blueberry Hill.

Romney sells $50k victory event tickets – six months before election

5:23pm Mon April 16th

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The presidential election is six months away and the presumptive Republican nominee is 11/5 against with the bookies — but Mitt Romney is already planning his inauguration celebrations. In fact, he’s so arrogant that he’s already dishing out invitations to hefty donors.

His supporters are offering a coveted spot at Romney’s “first Presidential Inaugural retreat” to deep-pocketed Republicans willing to part with $50,000 or more.

In an email explaining the plans, the campaign promises a raft of rewards to Romney’s biggest benefactors:

“The campaign is asking people who are able to make a $50,000 contribution to do so today and become a “Founding Member” of Romney Victory. These donors … will have preferred status at the first Presidential Inaugural retreat.”

With the party planned, all that’s left is the small matter of actually getting elected.

Rick Santorum started drinking at 11:30am in the morning

3:19pm Tue April 3rd

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Is the pressure of simultaneously standing for president and hating gays getting to Rick Santorum? The former senator and was pictured on the campaign trail drinking stout at 11:30am Wisconsin time yesterday.

While sampling the local tipple is de rigeur for political campaigns, one wonders whether before-noon drinking is on message for a social conservative?

Mitt Romney’s “funny story” about making people redundant

12:21pm Thu March 29th

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Never let it be said that Mitt Romney isn’t just like everyone else. He even tells funny stories — like the one about, erm, his dad making people unemployed. This probably isn’t a wise electoral strategy for a candidate trying to recover from gaffing that he “likes being able to fire people”.

While laughing, the multi-millionaire Republican former governor said:

“One of most humorous I think relates to my father. You may remember my father, George Romney, was president of an automobile company called American Motors … And as the president of the company he decided to close the factory in Michigan and move all the production to Wisconsin.”

Recalling that a musical band with his father’s subsequent campaign for, erm, governor of Michigan only played an anthem from Wisconsin, Romney continued while laughing:

“So every time they would start playing ‘On, Wisconsin, On, Wisconsin,’ my dad’s political people would jump up and down and try to get them to stop, because they didn’t want people in Michigan to be reminded that my dad had moved production to Wisconsin.”

That’s 16 electoral votes he can forget about.

Mitt Romney senior adviser: our campaign is like an Etch-A-Sketch

8:23pm Thu March 22nd

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Trying to break from the conventional wisdom that the so-right-wing-you-think-they’re-joking Republican race is damaging Mitt Romney with mainstream voters, his closest and most senior aide had this to say:

“it’s almost like an Etch A Sketch — you can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again.”

Suffice it to say, the Democrats are having a field day:

The gaffe has even created a surge in Etch-A-Sketch sales.

Newt Gingrich’s 80s TV movie cameo

9:27pm Wed March 14th

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With commentators tipping Newt Gingrich as about to bow out of the Republican nomination race, after a succession of disappointing primaries, a future in the world of film might be beckoning. Scrapbook presents the above video, showing Gingrich’s cameo in an eighties TV-movie “Countdown to Looking Glass” playing, erm, himself. We invite readers to make up their own minds about it.

Perhaps Newt is will try the Ronald Reagan route to the presidency.

Don’t mention the war hero: Dave slammed Obama on the economy

4:52pm Tue March 13th

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As David Cameron prepares to watch basketball with his best mate Barack, Scrapbook is reminded of the Prime Minister’s support for another US politician, errr, Obama’s 2008 Republican presidential rival, John McCain.

Cameron and Obama presented a united economic front in their joint article for the Washington Post today:

“We’re committed to expanding the trade and investment that support millions of jobs in our two countries.”

Back in January 2008, however, Cameron slammed Obama as a protectionist:

“Every generation has to fight and win the argument for free trade and open markets. Just look at the presidential election in the US.”

He continued:

“On both sides of the political divide, there are candidates advocating protectionist policies. There is one clear exception – and I admire him a great deal for his stance.”

Doubtless the PM will chastise his Keynesian friend during half time.

Category Archives: United States

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