She's no fluke
Sandra Fluke, an unknown before Rush Limbaugh made her famous, gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention last week addressing women's issues. And now she's addressing Missouri politics, too.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Fluke outlined her concerns about how Republicans are handling the debate over contraception, abortion and even rape, which was recently cast into the national discussion when U.S. Rep. Todd Akin claimed that "legitimate" rape victims could "shut down" unwanted pregnancies.
He has apologized, but Dems like Fluke aren't listening.
Fluke called the GOP's views "alarming" and attempted to connect them to Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. He and Akin partnered on abortion legislation in the past.
"Mr. Ryan has been right there with Todd Akin on a slew of bills," Fluke said.
Wonder if Ryan has also been swimming with Kevin Yoder?
The Dark Ages
American actor Chuck Norris has made an anti-Obama video with wife Gena Norris. The YouTube video invokes God and Ronald Reagan, and it encourages evangelical voters to use their power to oust President Barack Obama from his position as commander in chief.
"We can no longer sit quietly or stand on the sidelines and watch our country go the way of socialism, or something much worse," Norris warns.
Gena Norris quotes a 1964 speech by Ronald Reagan, saying that past failures "will sentence (our children) to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness."
As some wag noted, Chuck may have taken one too many feet to the head.
If the dress fits, buy it
Michelle Obama's speech at the DNC last week may have wowed political analysts, but watchers walked away equally impressed with the first lady's dress. But to the disappointment of many, it was quickly revealed that the pink and gray silk Tracy Reese dress was a custom creation.
While it's not yet on shelves, Reese confirmed her company TR Designs is trying to get it out as soon as possible. And the price? "Under $500, so affordable for some," she said.
The sleeveless dress was classic Michelle, showing off her much-admired upper arms. By pairing it with $245 J. Crew shoes, she stuck to her signature of mixing high fashion with retail brands.
Causing almost as much of a stir were her nails. The grey shade of polish was identified as "Vogue" by Artistic Nail Design. The color, a gel that can last up to three weeks, is available only at nail salons.
And you thought the national debt was important? Pshaw.
Follow the money
While publicly pledging to refuse corporate money, the official host committee for last week's DNC quietly courted corporate donors using a sister nonprofit that offered firms special "sponsorship opportunities" if they ponied up $1 million or more to help cover the costs of the event.
A 13-page marketing brochure obtained by NBC News showed how New American City, a nonprofit that is closely affiliated with the official Democratic convention host committee, offered package deals to corporate contributors.
The use of New American City to tap corporate funds appears to have worked. While Charlotte in 2012 struggled to meet its $37 million fundraising goal, New American City raised about $15 million from donors that included Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Duke Power and Time Warner Cable.
Bain Capital probably didn't think it was a good investment.
Quote of the week
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill on Republican opponent Todd Akin: "He makes Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum look like hippies."
