Stray Tidbits

> As stern and serious as he appears to be, Martin Bashir actually has a wonderfully sardonic sense of humor. I listen to his TV show on MSNBC every weekday afternoon as I work at my computer. Bashir often refers to the right-wing candidate for president as "Lord Romney."

> According to Open Secrets.Org, 163 celebrities have donated to the Obama reelection campaign; 89 celebrities have donated to the Democratic National Committee and five celebrities have donated to Priorities USA, the super PAC backing Obama. Perhaps the most impressive donations came from actor Morgan Freeman and comedian Bill Maher, who both donated $1 million each to Priorities USA. On the flipside, Mitt Romney has only collected about $16,000 from celebrity donors. Not that money from the famous is better than anyone else's, but they can certainly afford to give more of it.

> NRCC Attack Ad Misleads Iowa Voters: According to Fact Check.Org "a Republican TV ad falsely claims that businesses are forced to drop health care coverage and families are losing health care benefits under the new federal health care law. The ad doesn't mention that the law is expected to increase the number of insured Americans by 14 million in 2014 and by 29 million or 30 million in the latter part of the coming decade according to a nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report issued in July."

> Ask your best Republican friend this question: If Republican ideology is so prosperous and right for America, why are so many "strongly Republican" states poor, rank near the bottom in education and provide such low levels of income? (interactive share from Move On.Org).

> And, finally, is it any wonder why certain members of the right-wing are viewed as unstable fanatics? Texan Lynches Invisible Obama.