Karl Rove On Palin 2012

"I don't think she thinks the rules apply to her. She doesn't need to have the traditional trappings of a presidential campaign, no finance committee, she can raise the money, she doesn't need to go shake a lot of hands in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. She gets to decide what the rules are that govern her campaign and go accordingly and politics is changing. Some people have done things that have been outside the norm of custom and have won." - Karl Rove on Sarah Palin's 2012 candidacy.

Now Running On CNN

Karl Rove's astroturf group American Crossroads has been running the below anti-union ad for about a week. Note the clever way they excise the speech of an NEA spokesman.

SAN FRANCISCO: Gold's Gyms To Leave Chain Over CEO's Anti-Gay Donations

San Francisco's four Gold's Gyms announced on Facebook today that they will be ending their franchise agreement with the company in response to the news that CEO Robert Rowling had donated millions to Karl Rove's anti-gay American Crossroads PAC. The locally-owned Gold's still have almost two years on their contract, but have vowed to "match every dollar" in their remaining franchise fees with "equal or greater" donations to LGBT causes.

Gold's Gym San Francisco has long been a pillar of the gay community. We will continue to be. It is very unfortunate that the CEO of TRT holdings has chosen this course of action. We do not support it in any way. Our original contractual obligations to Gold's Gym International were signed over 22 years ago and TRT holdings is just the latest in a series of ownership groups that has presided over Gold's Gym.

Our company has worked for over twenty years to support our LGBT staff, members and community in everyway possible and we will continue to. We were as surprised by Mr. Rowling's action as anyone but because our company believes in and lives up to the ideals of equality for all we are going to take the following actions:

1: Our contractual obligation with Gold's Gym expires on September 15th, 2012 and on or prior to that date (our legal counsel is reviewing our options) we will leave the Gold's Gym brand. It is a major initiative to create a new brand and leave Gold's Gym which has been our identity for over 20 years but we will begin that process today.

2: For every dollar we pay Gold's Gym in franchise fees we will donate an equal or greater amount to LGBT charities. While we donate much more than this to charities and community groups that support the LGBT community we want to make a commitment to match or exceed this amount until our relationship with Gold's Gym can be severed.

And THAT, my buff kittens, is how you run a business. When you drop in after work today, let them know you appreciate it.

(Tipped by JMG reader Lee)

TEXAS: Gold's Gym Owner Robert Rowling Donates Millions To Anti-Gay Group

Gold's Gym CEO Robert Rowling is one of the four billionaires providing 97% of the funding to Karl Rove's "grassroots" political action group, American Crossroads, which in turn is funding the campaigns of anti-gay candidates like Roy Blunt and Sharron Angle. Change.org reports:

Rowling, head of TRT Holdings, which is the owner of Gold's Gym, is spending quite a bit of money this election cycle. Upwards of $2 million to be exact, through both his corporate and personal bank accounts. Where is he sending that money, which he no doubt earns on the backs of many an LGBT customer? Karl Rove. That's right, the former Bush strategist, who co-founded a new political organization, American Crossroads, which is working to elect some of the most virulently anti-gay politicians in the country. Turns out that Rowling is one of a handful of big money men working to get Rove's organization off the ground, helping to turn it into a power player among the political elite.

Who would have thought that giving money to Gold's Gym could have such ugly consequences for the LGBT community? Among the candidates that the owner of Gold's Gym is working to elect include Nevada GOP senate candidate Sharron Angle, who is challenging Sen. Harry Reid. Angle, you might recall, has previously said that women who are raped should turn their lemons into lemonade, and that LGBT people should be barred from adopting children. And that's only the tip of iceberg. In years past, Sharron Angle put her blessing behind an insert that went out to voters that said homosexuality would lead to the destruction of the United States, and called gay people "sodomites" and "perverts." She even endorsed a statement that said there was no evidence to suggest homosexuality was biological, and that scientists who argue otherwise are flawed.

Some Gold's Gyms are corporate owned, others are very LGBT-supportive locally-owned franchises. Check with your Gold's before you make any moves based on this report.

Karl Rove Predicts Democrats Will Lose 39-45 Seats In The U.S. House

Christine O'Donnell On Karl Rove

Maddow: Karl Rove & GOP Flip-Flop On Backing Christine O'Donnell

Plus lots more about O'Donnell's whackadoodle past.

Sarah Palin Vs. Karl Rove

Sarah Palin is SO not happy with Karl Rove for his declaration that her protege Christine O'Donnell is unelectable.

Even Karl Rove

Serial Adulterer Newt Gingrich Inches Closer To Announcing 2012 Prez Bid

Karl Rove thinks Newt is a "visionary and an idea factory."

GOP Panics Over Low Census Return, Sends In Karl Rove To Help

Teabaggers like Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann have been screaming that filling out the U.S. Census will get you rounded up and micro-chipped, leading to a genuine GOP panic that a serious undercount in conservative districts will lead to a loss of legislative seats. In some red state districts fewer than 10% of the forms have been returned so far. Karl Rove to the rescue.