Bitten and Bound » Politics

Dancing with the Stars Results Wk 3, DeLay & Mazar Go

Missy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:59:39 +0000

ABC’s hit Monday night show Dancing with the Stars lost a celebrity through the elimination process and another celebrity due to injury during the Wk 3 results show on October 6, 2009. The first revelation was that politician and former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay withdrew due to significant foot problems.

Delay performed on Monday night against his doctors wishes and knew immediately after the performance that he had made a mistake. Tom has been diagnosed with stress fractures in both feet. He had ice packs on the tops of each foot during the show and is also using a bone stimulator machine.

Tom and dance partner Cheryl Burke didn’t fair well with the judges on Monday, landing in second to last place with a score of 15 and waited patiently to see if he would get eliminated through the normal process. When it was announced that he was safe for another week, co-host Tom Bergeron made the announcement that Delay was stepping down on live television.

The eliminated celebrity turned out to be Debi Mazar and her pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Their Monday night Samba earned them a score of 17 .

Also at the bottom of the leaderboard this week were Michael Irvin with 14 and Chuck Liddell with 17 but both celebs were voted back for another week by their fan base.

Paula Abdul had a ring-side seat at the show last night. Show host Bergeron sat down next to the former Idol judge and chatted it up – see video here.

View more photos below and check out video of Mazar, DeLay and their pro partners during their guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel last night.

Obama Calls Kanye a ‘Jackass’ (Terry Moran Tweet)

Meg — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:59:55 +0000

ABC News anchor Terry Moran found himself in some hot water last night after he took an off-the-record comment made by Barack Obama and turned to his Twitter page to report it.

During a CNBC interview on Monday night the president was asked during a brief break what he thought of the Kanye West controversy. His response immediately landed on Twitter. Moran ‘tweeted’, “Pres Obama just called Kanye West a ‘Jackass’ for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT’s presidential.”

Then a firestorm errupted. An ABC spokesman issued the following statement: “In the process of reporting on remarks by President Obama that were made during a CNBC interview, ABC News employees prematurely tweeted a portion of those remarks that turned out to be from an off-the-record portion. This was done before our editorial process had been complete. That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

Check out the ‘tweet’ below and listen to the audio recording of Obama.

Joe Wilson South Carolina “You Lie!” VIDEO, PHOTOS

Meg — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:43:05 +0000

President Barack Obama was invited to the Hill to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on Wednesday night. When he started speaking about health care and said, “the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally”, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) blurted out, “You Lie!”.

Vice President Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Obama turned in unison and the crowd collectively gasped. Another congressman balanced a sign on his lap that read ‘What Bill?”.

Following the speech, Democrats were livid as were many key Republicans, including Senator John McCain (R-Ariz) who told Larry King that the outburst was “totally disrespectful. No place for it in that setting or any other, and he should apologize for it immediately.”

Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) weighed in as well: “I’ve never seen anything like that before. We do not invite the president of the United States into the House of Representatives and hurl insults.” Senator Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said the remark “went beyond heckling”.

Wilson apologized shortly after the speech: “This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the president’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”

View more photos and video below.

Heidi Dejong Barsuglia is Mike Duvall Affair (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:49:00 +0000

California Assemblyman Mike Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) resigned today after Los Angeles CBS affiliate KCAL TV aired a video tape of him bragging to a colleague about two extra-marital affairs.

According to reports by KCAL and OC Weekly, on July 9 the assemblyman told another man about his extra-marital sexual encounters. The conversation was picked up on an open microphone prior to a committee meeting in Sacramento. The dialogue included multiple references to trysts with two woman, one of whom is believed to be married lobbyist Heidi Dejong Barsuglia – photo below.

The 36-year-old represents utility companies and until today he was vice chairman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. Sempra Energy, Barsuglia’s employer said that it “takes very seriously any reports involving the conduct of our employees and is investigating the matter.”

The tape was broadcast by KCAL TV on September 8, 2009. The next morning Assembly Speaker Karen Bass removed Duvall from two committees and launched an ethics panel to investigate the allegations. These actions caused Duvall to tender his resignation effective immediately – see his statement below.

View Duvall’s website resignation statement and more photos below.

Laura Bush Defends Obama Speech to Kids (VIDEO)

Meg — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:13:30 +0000

Barack Obama created a firestorm when he decided to address the nation’s school children on their first day back after summer vacation. What started out to be a message that was intended to urge students to stay in school, has been turned into a a politically partisan event that has educators and parents nearly frothing at the mouth.

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke out in support of Obama’s “back-to-school speech”. He said, “President Reagan did it, President George H.W. Bush did it. If he could give a speech tomorrow night in the tone of his speech today to the students, this country would be much better off…It’s a good speech, I recommend it to everybody if you have any doubts.”

Former first lady Laura Bush, a former teacher and librarian, supports the president’s speech that will be broadcast later today on C-SPAN – see full speech transcript here. She said, “There’s a place for the president of the United States to talk to school children and encourage school children to stay in school.” She went on to say, “I also think it’s really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States.”

In an already released speech transcript, Obama will tell students, “What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.”

View Obama speech and Laura Bush remarks on the videos below.

Obama Speech

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Laura Bush remarks

Related Articles:

Obama Eulogy Video: Ted Kennedy Funeral

Meg — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:01:13 +0000

President Barack Obama delivered the keynote eulogy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston for his colleague and friend Senator Edward Ted Kennedy.

Former presidents in attendance at the funeral of the U.S. Senator were George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Kennedy’s son and namesake Ted Kennedy Jr. also delivered a poignant remembrance at the funeral service. Funeral photos and Teddy Jr. video eulogy here.

View Obama eulogy videos below. See burial photos and gravesite video here.

Video one

Video two

Related Articles:

Ted Kennedy Jr. Eulogy VIDEO

Meg — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:47:42 +0000

Ted Kennedy Jr. delivered some heartfelt remarks at Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston for his father, Senator Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy, who died of brain cancer last week. He said, “Although it hasn’t been easy at times to live with this name, I have never been more proud of it than I am today.”

Teddy Jr., a childhood cancer survivor, grew very emotional when he shared one particularly poignant story about sledding on a snow-covered hill with his father, shortly after his leg had been amputated.

View photos of siblings Ted Kennedy Jr., Patrick Kennedy, Kara Kennedy and their mother Joan Kennedy, the widow Victoria Kennedy and her son Curran Raclin as well as Teddy’s video tribute below.

Ted Kennedy burial video and photos here.

View President Barack Obama eulogy here.

Funeral photos: WENN

Video one

Video two

Related Articles:

Senator Edward Kennedy Dead 1932-2009 (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:45:15 +0000

Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy died late Tuesday night at his Hyannis Port, Massachusetts home after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. He was 77 years old.

The youngest of nine children of Joseph Kennedy and Rose Kennedy, he became a U.S. Senator (D-MA) in 1962, serving nearly 47 years in that capability. He was the last of the male siblings in the famous family. His sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver died on August 11, 2009.

Two brothers were gunned down by assassin’s bullets; President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, pictured in the family photo above.

He suffered a scandal in July 1969 when he was involved in the drowning death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year-old campaign worker who was with him in a car after a party on Martha’s Vineyard Chappaquiddick Island. Kennedy drove Kopechne’s car off the Dike Bridge at Poucha Pond inlet. He managed to escape from the submerged vehicle but his passenger did not.

Kennedy fled the scene and did not seek help from authorities until after the woman’s body was discovered the next day. A grand jury was convened in 1970 but issued no indictment. Many doubted he would survive the firestorm but he easily won reelection in 1970 with 62 percent of the vote.

He is survived by his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy, a sister Jean Kennedy Smith and his three children with ex-wife Joan Kennedy: Edward Kennedy Jr. (Teddy), Kara Kennedy and Patrick Kennedy.

The family issued the following statement: “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light of our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over the past year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”

View Kennedy family photo, as well as a photo of Mary Jo Kopechne and Ted at her funeral below. We’ve also included video footage of the Dike Bridge, where the accident occurred.

Related Articles:

Eunice Kennedy Shriver Dies 1921-2009 (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:59 +0000

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a member of the famous Kennedy clan, died in Hyannis, Massachusetts on August 11, 2009 at the age of 88, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was the fifth of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy.

Eunice and her husband Sargent Shriver helped to found Special Olympics in the 1960’s as a national organization. They had five children: Robert Sargent Shriver III, Maria Owings Shriver, Timothy Perry Shriver, Mark Kennedy Shriver and Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver.

Daughter Maria is married to Arnold Schwarzenegger, currently the Governor of California.

Shriver graduated with a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Stanford University and became a social worker at Alderson Federal Penitentiary for Women and then moved on to Chicago, working for the House of the Good Shepherd and the Chicago Juvenile Court.

Eunice Shriver campaigned for her brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy during his successful 1960 U.S. presidential election. She was an opponent of abortion, supported the Feminists for Life of America, the Susan B. Anthony List, and Democrats for Life of America.

She was present at American University, Washington D.C. on January 28, 2008, when her brother, U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy announced his endorsement of Barack Obama’s U.S. presidential campaign.

Another famous brother, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning for president in 1968. Shriver is survived by siblings Ted Kennedy and a sister, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith.

View more family photos and video below.

Related Articles:

U.S. Senator Mel Martinez Resignation (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:38:30 +0000

U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, R-Fla, will step down from the Senate, over a year prior to the end of his term, citing “personal reasons” and apparently acting on his early promise to his constituents that he “wouldn’t simply warm a seat.”

The only Hispanic Republican in the Senate issued a statement on Friday afternoon: “My priorities have always been my faith, my family and my country, and at this stage in my life, and after nearly 12 years of public service in Florida and Washington, it’s time I return to Florida and my family.”

Prior to his senate post, Martinez served as Chairman of the Republican Party, and as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush.

Martinez, a first-term senator, announced in December that he would not be running for reelection, leaving the post open for Governor Charlie Crist, who plans to run for the seat. The governor will be tasked with appointing an interim placeholder for the vacated senate seat and is sure to pick a Republican who will step aside to pave the way for a Crist victory at the end of next year.

Martinez is the second GOP senator to resign in recent days. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas has announced that she will step down this fall in order to challenge Republican Rick Perry for governor.

Martinez and his wife Kitty have three children; Lauren Martinez Shea, John Martinez, Andrew Martinez, and three grandchildren. The couple live in the Orlando area when they are not in Washington D.C.

View more Martinez family photos and watch the resignation video announcement below.

Related Articles: