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A crowd of protesters gathered outside the main entrance to the Toledo Club in Ohio where Republican candidate Mitt Romney held a $50,000 per plate fundraiser luncheon.

The event was not open to the media, and guests were restricted.

Some of the protesters were part of a group called "Our Fight for a Fair Economy." They protested Romney's visit to northwest Ohio alongside community and labor groups. Even an airplane flew overhead with a sign that read, "Tricky Mitt, what are you hiding?"

Local news media estimated the number of protesters at around 36, however by my count there was near 50 in just one of multiple protest groups present.

ToledoNewsNow:

"We are a union town primarily union strong and we want him aware of that. We're going to fight for our union brothers and sisters but also rights of other people," said protester Nancy Bacon.

Marcia Young was among those outside the club. As a 27-year veteran at Toledo Jeep, she wanted to remind Romney of what President Obama did for local auto workers.

"Because of him I have a job. If Romney would have had his way I wouldn't be standing here, I wouldn't have a job, my son wouldn't have a job," said Young. "I probably would have been on the street on the unemployment lines looking for a job and at my age, the picking isn't great."

Protesters called for Romney to release his tax returns to reveal his involvement with Bain Capital.

"If he's not hiding anything then he needs to put it forth. I mean, [it's] as simple as that," said Obama supporter Joann Schiavone.

The Toledo Club features an in-house barber and tailor, two massage therapists, a licensed leather and shoe shine specialist, and weekday baby-sitting services come with the $500 initiation fee and $130 in monthly dues for members between 31 and 35.

Older members pay more. Younger members pay less.

After a controversial incident in 1995 when exotic dancers performed a lingerie show at the annual men's dinner, women members found it easier to eat in the previously segregated grill room, informally still called the men's grill by some.

Romney's schedule was delayed today by several aerosol cans bound with black tape discovered along one of his possible travel routes. The Toledo Bomb Squad was called in and they detonated the cans with a water canon shortly before noon.

It's a little obscene, isn't it? Once you're a national candidate, the only people who get to talk to you are the people who don't actually need help - but insist they do. I'd say at $500 thou a head, they're doing a lot better than everyone else in the rest of the country:

PARK CITY, Utah —They schmoozed with Mitt Romney at a barbecue cookout at the Olympic Park, pressing him on labor regulations and the threat of a nuclear Iran as downhill skiers performed midair flips behind them.

They rubbed elbows with Beth Myers, who is running Mr. Romney’s vice-presidential search, in the packed lobby bar of the Chateaux at Silver Lake, over $15 glasses of Scotch.

And they mingled with Mr. Romney’s wife, Ann, during an intimate “Women for Romney victory tea,” held on an umbrella-shaded patio in this resort town.

The Romney campaign, whose fund-raising prowess has defied assumptions about President Obama’s financial advantages, offered wealthy donors and bundlers an extraordinary level of access to the candidate, his staff members, advisers and family this weekend at a three-day retreat that even seasoned political contributors said dwarfed previous presidential powwows.

Mr. Romney’s political operation seemed to all but shut down and relocate to the mountains of Utah. At least 15 senior campaign figures flew in for what blue-blazered guests from Texas, North Carolina and New York dubbed Republicanpalooza, delivering briefings on the effectiveness of Mr. Romney’s and Mr. Obama’s commercials and spinning them through the latest polling data, which they said showed the race as a dead heat.

“Everybody was completely accessible,” said Anthony Scaramucci, a New York financier and Romney fund-raiser who said the candidate took the time to warmly greet and thank him by his nickname, Mooch, at a dinner on the first night of the retreat.

Yet for all the political and financial firepower assembled here, the Romney confab was not the only, or necessarily the most exclusive, gathering of ultrarich Republicans this weekend. In a simultaneous demonstration of the party’s fund-raising might, the industrialist billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch held a conference for conservative megadonors at a resort outside San Diego. Over the past few years, their high-dollar strategy sessions have been the marquee events of the Republican campaign finance set.

The Koch conference touched off an unexpected — and for the Romney campaign, somewhat unwelcome — competition for top-flight moneyed supporters. While Mr. Romney’s campaign officials have made it clear that they appreciate the efforts of wealthy backers like the Kochs, there was consternation among some on his finance team that the brothers decided to move forward with their conference after Mr. Romney scheduled his for the same weekend. As one fund-raiser noted, Mr. Romney is, after all, the candidate.

The Romney campaign offered donors who gave $50,000 or raised $100,000 intimate seminars and discussions featuring leading Republican lights, past and present: Karl Rove, Condoleezza Rice, James Baker III, John McCain and Jeb Bush, whose presence represented a symbolic embrace of a candidate who struggled to win over the disparate elements of his party in the bruising primary.

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Newt Gingrich, while thanking the Koch family for hosting a political fundraiser in 2007 adds "I think anytime you can visit a starter home like this..." Received by rounds of laughter from guests, Gingrich continues on to make a joke about the "core" differences between liberals and conservatives while using the no doubt palatial estate of the Koch family in an analogy about public housing.

Personally, I think Casey Anthony could beat him in a personality contest.

Here's the thing about an "entitlement society" the GOP candidates like to rail against: They don't like the fact that too many people would benefit from it. They're 1 percent suck ups.

We have a couple failed CEOs running around pretending to be moderates out here in California. You can't go far without stumbling across a Fiorina or Whitman ad.

Retail politics doesn't really work here, because the state is too huge. Even though TV is crazy expensive (it's a couple million dollars just for a statewide penetration ad buy), it's the most efficient way to move California voters.

Fiorina and the NRSC have already reserved more than $9 million in TV time. And that doesn't count all the outside groups who are going big against Boxer, including the $1 million buy last week from Karl Rove's new group. Whenever Fiorina's needed more money, she's just cracked open the checkbook and wrote out another multi-million dollar check.

In short, she has effectively unlimited resources for her race. Plus, when Whitman cuts whatever multi-million dollar check for California Republican Party GOTV, Fiorina gets a slice of that as well. Boxer's only shot to is to match it with grassroots support.

Today's the first and only debate between Boxer and Fiorina. Boxer is celebrating it with a big moneybomb, pushing to get as many donors in a day as possible. Give whatever you can to help counter Fiorina's big bucks.

And if you need more motivation, here is Sarah Palin's endorsement of Carly Fiorina:

"I'm proud to endorse [Carly Fiorina] for U.S. Senate... She is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-military, and pro-strict border security and against amnesty... Carly is also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Like me, she is a member of the NRA, has a 100% NRA rating, and she and her husband are gun owners."

Gag me.

I'm throwing in $50 right now to Boxer. Who will join me? If you have $3, give $3. Every little bit helps.

Oh and have you seen Brave New Films' latest ad whacking Fiorina for supporting Arizona's racial profiling law targeted at Latinos? It's atop this post.

Now go chip in what you can.

David and I joined KFPK's host Maria Amoudian for almost thirty minutes discussing our new book Over the Cliff: How Obama's Election Drove the American Right Insane.

The show airs on KPFK Radio 90.7 FM in Los Angeles and 98.7 FM in Santa Barbara, and on WPRR Radio 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI.

It'll be available on podcast pretty soon also.

And don't forget to buy our book.

I'll also be speaking at a fundraiser Friday night in Beverly Hills for the Hollywood Alliance at 7:30 PM.

The LA Progressive writes:

John Amato Speaking at LA Media Reform Fundraiser in Beverly Hills on July 16 John Amato Reading
Friday, July 16, 7:30 p.m., in Beverly Hills
(Address available after RSVP)
RSVP to lamrg@commoncause.org
Suggested donation of $35 includes signed copy of “Over the Cliff

The LA Media Reform group is sponsoring this event in collaboration with the LA Progressive and Alliance Hollywood.

Please email them for the info and click over to the LA Progressive for more details.

Today is the last day I'm going to run the fundraiser for a while. We're hoping to have a late surge to hit our mark, but it's gone very well. (Blue Gal makes very funny C&L vids too.)
You can send donations to our P.O. Box also. Many people like to use this option. You guys have done a wonderful job so thanks-very-much. Readers understand what we do and how hard we work to do it and the work we will continue to do.

Snail Mail:

Crooksandliars.com

POBOX 66310

Los Angeles, CA 90066

Balloon Juice: Interesting...so is this

Mashable: FCC Turns Up the Heat in Battle for Net Neutrality

Obsidian Wings: Evil becomes banal when people -- good people -- stop recognizing it, stop appreciating it, and come to accept it as normal.

Democratic Strategist: Primaries reveal an enthusiasm gap favoring Republicans

Open Left: Living Liberally and Open Left are holding a joint fundraiser this week. Help out if you can

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Left In Alabama, nancy nall, Techdirt

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Glenn Beck didn't bother to even have any guests on his program yesterday because he was too busy calling progressives "parasites" and "a virus" and making insane connections that only he understands. That's typical eliminationist rhetoric.

He can't handle differences of political belief, so he wants to wipe out liberals and progressives from the face of the earth. He believes that since he uses a blackboard with chalk and incoherently erases a letter off of one word to form new words that will make it all comprehensible.

Beck's been working himself up into a frothy, psycho-frenzied lather about destroying all progressives as he promotes Jonah Goldberg's dishonest book and thesis about fascism, which he uses for his own demented documentary. And apparently I should be eliminated too.

Wow, all because I was not happy with Lynne Woolsey for hosting a fundraiser for CA-36's very own Blue Dog, Jane Harman, and wrote a few posts about it calling for her to stop.

Beck: The traditional democratic party is going up against the radical fringe left.

I've been telling you that there's a difference between democrats and progressives from the beginning now but nobody wants to listen. Here it is. Their are Blue Dog democrats and but they are not socialists, Marxists radicals. They are more like your grand father's democrat. Most Democrats still love America, they love the founders and they love the constitution and believe in this country. But then there's another group and they have infiltrated not just the Democratic party, but the republican party...

Speak softly and carry a big stick. blah, blah, blah...We got this from an insider. Wait until you hear this story. The co-chair of the CPC...

How many times have I said they are like a virus feeding on the host of republic.

The progressives are parasites inside the democrat....The California progressives weren't the only ones upset. John Amato of Crooksandliars wrote on Huffington Post.

"for Woolsey to holding a fundraising events for a known Blue Dog should be a firing offense for the CPC."

Progressives Democrats for America joined in, They started an online petition asking her to withdraw from the event. Woolsey said no. I don't know how this story ends quite frankly it's California and it's all going to end in a mudslide right into the bottom of the ocean eventually anyway, but let me tell you something. The last time the progressives were in this position and they started gobbling power and they exposed themselves people caught on and hated them.

That threatens him, so he warns that people like me are destroying the Democratic Party. Of course, you know he loves the Democratic Party as much as he loves eating sandpaper. He opines that progressives have been hiding for years and years in the wilderness and suddenly snuck up on him.

He's the Teabagger King and is trying to purge all moderate Republicans from the GOP, as if they were a disease, and replace them with arch-conservative haters. And while he's at it, he wants to do the same for Democrats.

Of course, Glenn has nothing but our own best interests at heart. Riiiiiiiight.

UPDATE: After watching this again and adding a little transcript, isn't it nice for Beck to hope that California gets hit with an earthquake that destroys the state and we end up as fish food. What a guy, that Beck. He not only is hoping for progressives to be eliminated, but the entire state of California as well.

Another year has come and almost gone. It's been a tough one for the entire country, but I think we're doing our best, and so has our entire Team Crooks. I've also been a volunteer for Blue America and the support you have shown our Campaign for Health Care Choice and the many great progressive candidates we've endorsed like Alan Grayson has been incredible.

We're reaching out to our readers again and asking for help so that the MSM doesn't overrun the blogosphere. They are pouring millions of dollars in to try and compete with bloggers. Their new twist to fool America is that they have the nerve to call themselves "bloggers." Paid journalists from corporations are trying to co-opt the term.

C&L has been expanding and improving the site and we need your help to continue to make improvements. We're almost finished with a new design that will also include a "diaries" function for people that are registered C&L users which will have a neat video format that will be open to you also. More shall be revealed when we unveil the new design. We hope to have it ready in January. This has taken a lot of time and a lot of dedication from many, many people. Please donate what you can.

In the coming year we're also trying to reach out into the blogosphere to hire more people to make C&L an even better site. We'll be looking for video bloggers, a researcher, site monitors an investigative journalist and interns as well, but we can't do it without your help. (You can email resumes at crooksandliars@gmail.com) I'll post more about that soon.

In 2009, TIME Magazine called us one of the Top 25 Blogs of the year.

In 2008, C&L won the Web Blog award for Best Political Blog on the net.

Mike Stark has been a regular member in the liberal blogosphere for a long time and has been on the Hill with his Flip camcorder getting pols on tape to answer questions that the media somehow never seems to get around to asking.

Digby, Howie and myself have joined with CREDO and are trying to generate some cash for him. I know it's tight out there. Advertising has been down for all of us and I may have to do another fundraiser soon for C&L, but if you can please sign Credo's petition that will send a coat hanger to every member of the pro-choice party that voted yes to the ugly Stupak amendment and a dollar to Mike. Blue America is collecting the money from CREDO and we decided to give it to Mike.

Here's Mike to explain:

And you aren't the only folks noticing this work. Blue America (Howie Klein, Digby, John Amato) and Credo Action/Working Assets have also been keeping an eye on my efforts. They realize that this work cannot continue without support (I have a family to feed, student loans and rent to pay, etc. etc.), and they know a movement cannot succeed without mutual support. With that in mind, they've teamed up to raise some money for me.

Credo Action/Working Assets has a petition set up. For every signature on the petition, they'll be delivering a coat-hanger to Representatives that voted for the ridiculously regressive ant-choice Stupak Amendment. In addition, for every signature, up to 5,000, they'll donate $1 to StarkReports. Right now they are at about 1800 signatures.

If you appreciate hard-hitting and tenacious reporting... If you like seeing powerful people asked tough questions... If you want a media that works for you... I can use your help. Please sign the petition (it costs you nothing but your time). Watch my videos. Visit (and bookmark) StarkReports.com. If you've got some extra cash, drop it in the donation box on the right-side nav bar...

In the meantime, I'll be asking more tough questions this week. I've got some doozies stored away; this is sure to be a productive week.