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Hat-tip Rachel Weiner... Reacting to prominent conservative blogger Charles Johnson's announcement that he would not follow the right wing off a cliff, Andrew Sullivan is offering his own reasons for parting with the movement...  Johnson, who blogs at Little Green Footballs, wrote on Monday that fanatic politicians, racism, sexism, anti-Islamism, hate speech, conspiracy theories and other troubling trends on the right wing have led him to make a formal break. "The American right wing has gone off the rails, into the bushes, and off the cliff," he concluded. "I won't be going over the cliff with them." Sullivan, though not as consistent a conservative as Johnson, felt compelled to emphasize his own separation from the right wing. Among other things, he writes: I cannot support a movement that holds that purely religious doctrine should govern civil political decisions and that uses the sacredness of religious faith for the pursuit of worldly power.
I cannot support a movement that is deeply homophobic, cynically deploys fear of homosexuals to win votes, and gives off such a racist vibe that its share of the minority vote remains pitiful.
I cannot support a movement which has no real respect for the institutions of government and is prepared to use any tactic and any means to fight political warfare rather than conduct a political conversation. Read Sullivan's essay here. Good, honest stuff.Tags: gays, gop meltdown, racism, republican implosion, right-wing lunatics, tea bagging
From: Chicago
Mood:  Good
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Found on Dave Weigel's Twitter: A new resolution sponsored by (non-elected) Republican National Committee member Jim Bopp (IN) and nine other RNC members aims at preventing future NY-23 disasters by requiring that any and all GOP candidates agree to at least eight of 10 issue promises in order to receive financial support from the RNC...  The resolution would prohibit RNC money from flowing to any candidate who disagrees with more than two itemized planks of the GOP platform (playing off Reagan's maxim that anyone who agreed with him 80% of the time is not 20% an enemy). The key text: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican National Committee identifies ten (10) key public policy positions for the 2010 election cycle, which the Republican National Committee expects its public officials and candidates to support:
1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;
2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run healthcare;
3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;
4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;
5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;
6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;
7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;
8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;
9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and
10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership; and be further
RESOLVED, that a candidate who disagrees with three or more of the above stated public policy position of the Republican National Committee, as identified by the voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire of the candidate, shall not be eligible for financial support and endorsement by the Republican National Committee. This is not the first time Bopp has introduced what could prove to be a controversial resolution. Earlier this year, he offered a resolution condemning Obama's agenda as "socialist." Chairman's Steele's allies eventually brokered a compromise that softened the language. Now the language is back, encouraging "Republican solidarity in opposition to Obama's socialist agenda." When finalized, the resolution will be submitted for discussion at party's semiannual meeting in Hawaii. *makes popcorn* Tags: republican implosion, right-wing lunatics
From: Havana, Cuba
Mood: Amused
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You just can't make make this shit up...  The wingnuts who attended last Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington have found yet another reason to kick and scream: Apparently, they're unhappy with the level of government-subsidized service provided by the DC subway system. Yes, really. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) has called for a government investigation (presumably to be funded by taxpayers) into whether the public subway system "adequately prepared" for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services. Brady released a letter he sent to Washington’s Metro system complaining that the taxpayer-funded subway system was unable to properly transport protesters to the rally to protest government spending and expansion. “These individuals came all the way from Southeast Texas to protest the excessive spending and growing government intrusion by the 111th Congress and the new Obama administration,” Brady wrote. “These participants, whose tax dollars were used to create and maintain this public transit system, were frustrated and disappointed that our nation’s capital did not make a great effort to simply provide a basic level of transit for them.” A spokesman for Brady says that “there weren’t enough cars and there weren’t enough trains.” Brady tweeted as much from the Saturday march: “METRO did not prepare for Tea Party March! More stories. People couldn’t get on, missed start of march. I will demand answers from Metro.” Included in Brady's hissy fit was the allegation that "overcrowding forced an 80-year-old woman and elderly veterans in wheelchairs to pay for cabs," concluding that "it appears that Metro added no additional capacity to its regular weekend schedule.” So let me get this straight: A pack of 70,000 slack-jawed pinheads - led by Glenn Beck (who didn't even show up) - swarm Washington to protest “socialism,” then turn around and bellyache that the (already underfunded) Metro isn’t providing them enough government service... I thought tea-baggers were all about self-sufficiency and personal responsibility... so why on Earth should little old ladies and disabled veterans be looked after by The State? Tags: communism, dumb americans, glenn beck, rednecks, republican hypocrisy, republican implosion, right-wing lunatics, tea bagging
From: Chicago
Mood:  Please Secede
Now Playing: 'Crash' - The Primitives
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The GOP could have strategically selected just about anyone from their ranks of rising stars to deliver the Republican rebuttal to the president's health care address tonight... So, which young, energetic voice of conservatism do they choose? Thune? Pawlenty? Daniels? Huntsman?  Nope. Tonight's Anointed One was Rep. Charles Boustany, a no-name birther from Louisiana who's been sued at least three times for medical malpractice (other sources claim as many as eight), and who, in 1994, paid two con men almost twenty grand to procure the British title of “Lord” in a scam only the most stupid among us would fall for. Never mind the fact that Boustany's speech itself was awash in distortions and outright lies (including the outrageous claim than Obama's plan will cut $500 billion in Medicare benefits - a whopper specifically crafted by the GOP to scare the shit out of the nation's senior citizens). Coincidentally, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reports that Lord Boustany has been riding in the pocket of health insurance and pharmaceutical lobby to the tune of $1,256,056 (20% of his fundraising total) since first being elected in 2004. Imagine that. Tags: dumb americans, health care, lying liars, republican implosion
From: Chicago
Mood:  Ceaselessly Amazed
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Down in flames, yet again...  Ol' Grandpa Simpson has just announced his opposition to Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, echoing the familiar Republican criticism alleging (*yawn*) "judicial activism." “I do not believe she shares my belief of judicial restraint," McCain said in a floor speech. "She is a judge who has foresworn judicial activism in her confirmation hearings, but who has a long record of it prior to 2009. And should she engage in activist decisions that overturn the considered constitutional judgments of millions of Americans, - if she uses her lifetime appointment on the bench as a perch to remake law in her own image of justice - I expect that Americans will hold us Senators accountable." Of course, McCain's cowardly no vote won't make even a scratch in Sotomayor's successful nomination, and he will ultimately have to answer to an ever-growing, angry bloc of Latino voters if he decides to run again in Arizona. Personally, I have a feeling his long, bitter career is finally coming to an end, as anything he has to say - on any issue - has become completely irrelevant. Time for the glue factory, old man... and good riddance. P.S. Where, exactly, is this "long list" of Sotomayor's "activism" prior to 2009 that McCain speaks of? Senator? Bueller? Anyone?Tags: asshole, john mccain, republican implosion, scotus
From: Chicago
Mood:  McCoward
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Just when you thought the Teabagger crowd couldn't get any wingnuttier...
(Hat-tip Karl Frisch)Pssst, hey conservatives... I want to let you in on a devious little plan being hatched by your leaders in the media. It goes something like this: President Obama, the Democratic Congress, and the federal government are evil. They already have too much power and want to take even more control over your life. They're out to take away your guns, liberty, freedom, paycheck, and perhaps your mother's apple pie! Worse yet, now they want to count you. Have they no shame? That's right. In Obama's unyielding quest to impose a socialist-fascist-communist-Marxist police state, the president is going to send his minions from ACORN to your door to count you for the decennial census. And their solution to the president's pompous power grab? Sitting out the census. Seriously. ( Check this out )Tags: dumb americans, gop meltdown, republican implosion, right-wing hack, right-wing lunatics
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
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Yet another Republican "family values" jackass, forced to choke on his own hypocrisy...  South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, whose mysterious disappearance last Thursday prompted national headlines, acknowledged this afternoon that he had an extramarital affair. "I've been unfaithful to my wife, and I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina," he said, breaking down in tears, and telling reporters that he would resign as chair of the Republican Governor's Association. Asked if he was separated from his wife, Sanford said, "I guess in a formal sense we're not," adding that he and his wife Jenny were trying to "work through" the situation, and that Jenny has known about the affair for about five months. No word on whether his four boys were aware of it, too (must have been one hell of a Father's Day for them, eh?). "I've let down a lot of people," Sanford added. "That's the bottom line." Sanford's office initially explained his sudden, unannounced disappearance from the state by saying the governor was "hiking on the Appalachian Trail." This morning, however, the Sanford told the press he had considered going hiking as a break after the state legislative session, but then "changed his mind at the last minute." "Don't call me," he reportedly told his staff, explaining that he planned to turn off his cellphone, "I'll call you." Sanford asked this afternoon for a "zone of privacy" around himself and his family. Privacy? Why certainly, guv... just soon as you stop trying to force your "family values" into other people's lives. Asshole. Tags: asshole, gop meltdown, lying liars, marriage, republican hypocrisy, republican implosion, republican sex scandals
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
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Randomness from the day...  • Y'know, I just don't get it. How can a guy that does good stuff like this and this turn right around and do something truly shitty like this? • Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey tonight on HBO. Oughta be a war. • Took my son on his first official driving lesson this afternoon. Man, that was scary. • Cenk Uygar hits the Iran election nail right on the head. Hopefully, the Iranian people (with whom I bear no ill will) will turn it into a revolution. • Have a I mentioned lately that Bill O'Reilly is a fucking pig? No? Well, he is.• As I was telling ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jdack the other day, Chik-Fil-A's fried chicken biscuit was one my favorite (guilty) breakfasts when I lived in Atlanta. And it appears they're coming to Chicago. Nom. ☺ • My on-again, off-again fandom of Nancy Pelosi is on again. Until it's off again. • Seems that South Carolina GOP bigwig Rusty "Trombone" DePass just "misspoke" when he compared the First Lady to a gorilla. You stay classy there, Rusty - and keep up the good work as we roll into the 2010 election season, m'kay? • And finally - Want to help homeless animals and get something cool in return? Click the image below, damnit! All proceeds (less postage) go to my pals at PAWS...  Tags: barack obama, bill o'reilly, boxing, cool links, fatherhood, food, friends, iran, politics, republican implosion, teenagers
From: More Sleepover Racket
Mood: Happy Hour
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(Hat-tip Sam Stein)Top-ranking Republican strategists who specialize in Hispanic outreach say they are outraged, disturbed and concerned by the type of reception Judge Sonia Sotomayor has received from conservative activists. In the days since Sotomayor's nomination, several prominent conservative voices have leveled unusually blunt attacks at her race, gender and résumé, including: • Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and radio host Rush Limbaugh, who both insist that Sotomayor herself is a racist for saying that her Hispanic background allowed her to come to better judicial decisions. • Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, who called Sotomayor a member of the "Latino KKK." • G. Gordon Liddy, who attacked both Sotomayor's race and gender by saying, "Miss Sotomayor is a member of La Raza, which means in illegal alien, “the race... Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something, or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then." • Karl Rove, who referred to Sotomayor as a "schoolmarm." • Glenn Beck, who called Sotomayor a "Hispanic chick lady" who is "not that bright." And the list goes on to include a host of the usual suspects, from Ann Coulter and Pat Buchanan to Charles Krauthammer, Lou Dobbs and Tucker Carlson, all of whom have accused Sotomayor of being a racist. The rhetoric has been enough to make Republican strategists in heavily Latino states cringe, concerned that such insults could cement Democrats' advantages among a growing and increasingly influential political constituency. "Of course this disturbs me," said Lionel Sosa, one of the more influential Hispanic media advisers in the GOP (who has worked on seven Republican presidential campaigns since 1980). "I'm not surprised at Limbaugh, but I'm very surprised at Speaker Gingrich because he is one of the key people who knows the importance of the Latino vote to the Republican Party. He must realize how his rhetoric, if it does influence any Hispanics, how damaging it could be. This [confirmation] is something that is going to happen anyway. For a senator to have strong opposition to her, they are either not aware of the impact Latinos will have on the next election, or they don't care." Some GOP advisers who specialize on the Hispanic vote have gone as far as to say that the blowback from the Sotomayor attacks could continue to be felt for elections to come. Siguan hablando, bocazas. ☺Tags: gop meltdown, loathsome people, racism, republican implosion, supreme court
From: Estados Unidos de Idiotas
Mood: Soy Muy Complacido
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Hat-tip Anne Schroeder Mullins...  GOP Lizard Queen Marilyn Musgrave is still taking her humiliating loss to Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO) extremely hard... After suffering a savage beating in one of the most expensive elections in the country, the former congresswoman went underground for a while, refusing to concede the election and not even thanking her campaign staff. Now, she's back as spokesperson for an anti-abortion wingnut factory called the Susan B. Anthony List, hoping to “get rid of the worst liberals in Congress.” In one of her first official acts for the SBAL, Musgrave recently sent out a tersely worded, stunning four-page ( four-page!) rant reeking of bitterness, with underlined sentences, paragraphs in bold and even a postscript from the letterhead of “Congressman Marilyn Musgrave” announcing her latest campaign: the Votes Have Consequences grass-roots project that aims to “expose pro-abortion politicians.” • She mentions several times that people have spent a vast amount of money (“roughly $18 million”) to eject her from her seat. • She quotes the Bible: “The truth shall set you free.” • She then asks people to donate any denomination of money ($25 to $5,000) so that they can “spread the truth about [liberals’] destructive agendas, drag down their approval ratings, force them to publicly defend socialism, authoritarian gun-grabbing, gay marriage, infanticide and everything else they vote for in Washington, and, ultimately, on Nov. 2, 2010, we will take their jobs away from them.” • She even sneaks in a dig at her own RNC by saying that she wants to “attack liberal candidates who deserve to be attacked and to defend conservatives when the Republican National Committee is nowhere to be found.” • She goes on to say: “In other words, we’ll do to them what the most rapid and relentless left-wing groups did to me over the past six years, with one major difference: We will tell the truth!” adding that, in a few months, more details about who they’re targeting will come to surface, but “our focus will be on the real hypocrites... like politicians like Harry Reid who call themselves ‘pro-life’ during the campaign season, then go back to voting pro-abortion in Washington.” Said SBAL President Marjorie Dannenfelser: “We join a newly emboldened pro-life grass-roots army who is encouraged and excited by Marilyn Musgrave’s leadership. She is helping lead the Susan B. Anthony List exactly where we need to be, by leveraging the pro-abortion left’s own shrewd strategy against itself.” Tags: abortion, asshole, gop lizard queens, loathsome people, republican implosion, right-wing lunatics
From: Chicago
Mood:  Pyew
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Hat-tip Portland Bill...  No doubt about it—the wingnutters knows how to scream "Danger!" better than anyone. But how do they do it so effectively? It's simple, really — and you, too, can convince at least 20% of Americans that they should be scared of their own shadow. Just pick a phrase from List A, another from List B, and one from List C. Here, try it: List A• A public option in health care reform
• Curbing CO2 emissions
• Gay marriage
• Public funding of stem cell research
• Immigration reform that doesn’t include mass deportations
• Talking with our adversaries
• Releasing the report/study/memo/photos
• Restoring Clinton-era tax rates on multi-millionaires
• Enacting tighter regulations in the financial sector
• Investigating "enhanced interrogation techniques"
• Closing down offshore tax loopholes
• Actually listening to ordinary Americans
• Anything President Obama does will... List B• Tear at the fabric of
• Have a chilling effect on
• Ignite a firestorm of woe upon
• Erode the foundation of
• Wreak incalculable havoc on
• Lead us down a dark and dangerous path toward destroying
• Lead us down a slippery slope on the way to bankrupting
• Plunge a dagger into the very heart of
• Unleash destruction on
• Tear a giant hole in
• Break the back of
• Have devastating consequences on
• Forever doom List C• Our society
• This great nation
• Our national security
• The family structure
• Small businesses
• Democracy as we know it
• Our children!
• Our children's children!
• Our children's children's children! (etc.)
• The Judeo-Christian values on which this country was founded
• The Homeland/Fatherland/Motherland
• Everything we hold sacred
• Our ability to prevent the socialists from taking over
• Our vital institutions
• My chances of getting re-elected And, if you're feeling extra frisky, you can add a rhetorical flourish: List D • Just wait, you'll see! And then you'll come crawling back to me!
• I weep for my country!
• My people don't want to secede from the U.S., but we may have no choice!
• This is the worst thing that's happened in the history of the world!
• It's time to start stocking up on food and water. And gunnnnns.
• And THIS is EXACTLY why we teabag!
• He's not MY president!
• Gosh darn it! See? It's easy! And with a little practice you, too, can put yourself on a dark and dangerous slippery slope of woe as a Republican doomsayer... Not sure why you'd want to, but it's always nice to have options in a socialist hellhole free country. Tags: dumb americans, fox news, gop meltdown, humor, republican implosion, tea bagging
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
Now Playing: Rain, Rain, Go Away
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Apparently, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor fancies himself the present and future of the Republican Party, especially since — according to recent polls — his boss John Boehner is the quickly becoming the most unpopular politician in the United States of America. So he's been going around merrily spreading the rumor that he, Eric Cantor, was on the "short list" of vice-presidential nominees for former presidential nominee John McCain... 
(Hat-tip Arjun Jaikumar)Only one problem with Cantor's assertion: It's utter bullshit, according to McCain's own people: "The notion that Eric Cantor was somehow a high profile candidate for vice president is a complete and total joke," a source close the top former leadership of the McCain campaign told me. "He was never on the short list. Never vetted. But if you read the press today you would believe that Eric Cantor ever so close to being vice president. This was created by Cantor’s PR people. He’s got a ton of them." Now, you have to admit, it's pretty ironic (and embarrassing) when former McCain staffers are laughing at someone else's ineptitude, but that's just what's happening to this hapless clown: Cantor’s shameless self-promotion is the source of bitter jokes among McCain veterans. "They just laugh about it," says the source, who has long been a close observer of Cantor’s career. "When Cantor’s asked about it, he won’t comment directly about the vetting. He just hints and struts. It’s very revealing. It's the old politics: You get ahead by courting the spotlight without doing anything necessarily different or interesting. There’s nothing there." Perfect description, not only of Cantor, but of the entire slate of Republican "leaders" today: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Tags: gop meltdown, loathsome people, lying liars, republican implosion, right-wing hack
From: Chicago
Mood:  Trainwreck Spotting
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If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being bitter and clinging to their guns, religion and anti-immigrant sentiments... 
(Hat-tip Bill Maher)It's been a week now, and I still don't know what those "tea bag" protests were about. I saw signs protesting abortion, illegal immigrants, the bank bailout and that gay guy who's going to win "American Idol." But it wasn't tax day that made them crazy; it was election day. Because that's when Republicans became what they fear most: a minority. The conservative base is absolutely apoplectic because, because... well, nobody knows. They're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. Even though they're not quite sure what "it" is. But they know they're fed up with "it," and that "it" has got to stop. Here are the big issues for normal people: the war, the economy, the environment, mending fences with our enemies and allies, and the rule of law. And here's the list of Republican obsessions since President Obama took office: that his birth certificate is supposedly fake, he uses a teleprompter too much, he bowed to a Saudi guy, Europeans like him, he gives inappropriate gifts, his wife shamelessly flaunts her upper arms, and he shook hands with Hugo Chavez and slipped him the nuclear launch codes. Do these sound like the concerns of a healthy, vibrant political party? It's sad what's happened to the Republicans. They used to be the party of the big tent; now they're the party of the sideshow attraction, a socially awkward group of mostly white people who speak a language only they understand. Like Trekkies, but paranoid. The GOP base is convinced that Obama is going to raise their taxes (which he just lowered). But, you say, "that's just the fringe of the Republican Party!" No, it's not. The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is not afraid to say publicly that thinking out loud about Texas seceding from the Union is appropriate considering that... Obama wants to raise taxes 3% on 5% of the people? I'm not sure exactly what Perry's independent nation would look like, but I'm pretty sure it would be free of taxes and Planned Parenthood. And I would have to totally rethink my position on a border fence. I know. It's not about what Obama's done. It's what he's planning. But you can't be sick and tired of something someone might do. Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota recently said she fears that Obama will build "reeducation" camps to indoctrinate young people. But Obama hasn't made any moves toward taking anyone's guns, and with money as tight as it is, the last thing the president wants to do is run a camp where he has to shelter and feed a bunch of fat, angry white people. Look, I get it, "real America." After an eight-year run of controlling the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, this latest election has you feeling like a rejected husband. You've come home to find your things out on the front lawn -- or at least more things than you usually keep out on the front lawn. You're not ready to let go, but the country you love is moving on. And now you want to call it a whore and key its car. That's what you are, the bitter divorced guy whose country has left him — obsessing over it, haranguing it, blubbering one minute about how much you love it and vowing the next that if you cannot have it, nobody will. But it's been almost 100 days, and your country is not coming back to you. She's found somebody new. And it's a black guy. The healthy thing to do is to just get past it and learn to cherish the memories. You'll always have New Orleans and Abu Ghraib. And if today's conservatives are insulted by this, because they feel they're better than the people who have the microphone in their party, then I say to them what I would say to moderate Muslims: Denounce your radicals. To paraphrase George W. Bush, either you're with them or you're embarrassed by them. The thing that you people out of power have to remember is that the people in power are not secretly plotting against you. They don't need to. They already beat you in public. Tags: '08 elections, barack obama, bill maher, dumb americans, gop meltdown, republican implosion, right-wing lunatics
From: Chicago
Mood: Trainwreck Spotting
Now Playing: 'Poor Millionaire' - Gregory Isaacs
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Remember Mount Redoubt — the stratovolcano that GOP Boy Wonder Bobby Jindal scoffed at because federal funds were being "wasted" to monitor it? It just erupted.
(Hat-tip John Aravosis)Five times in the last 24 hours, in fact, throwing ash as high as 60,000 feet into the atmosphere. Thankfully, nobody’s dead or injured (yet). Thanks to continuous, scientific monitoring, the FAA and the National Weather Service know exactly where the ash cloud is drifting, and planes are being diverted around it. Nineteen civilian flights have already been canceled for safety reasons, and the Air Force reports that 60 of its planes — including jet fighters protecting the U.S./Russian border — are being sheltered at Elmendorf Air Force Base outside Anchorage. The federally-funded Alaska Volcano Observatory warned in January that an eruption could occur at any time as earthquake activity in the area increased. Sure enough, yesterday's eruptions were accurately predicted when the earthquakes on the mountain suddenly jumped to 40 to 50 per hour, so authorities had ample time to prepare. Your tax dollars put to work by dedicated scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey who keep doing their jobs even when political bottom-feeders like Jindal demean their work for a cheap sound bite. Now, some folks of a - shall we say - less scientific mindset might be tempted to address the situation in a more "traditional" fashion - you know, like throwing someone into the crater to appease the volcano gods. And since our pal Bobby doesn't believe in monitoring, I think he'd make the perfect human sacrifice candidate, don't you? ☺ Tags: natural disasters, republican implosion, right-wing hack, science, taxpayer money, war on science
From: Chicago
Mood: Cretins
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(Hat-tip Kos)Oh Mary, you didn't... did you?Met with Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack from Riverside County's Coachella Valley... Talked to her about Obama's $780 billion stimulus legislation. She's outraged that the plan has "$1 billion wasted on a magnetic-levitation train from L.A. to Sin City" - all at Nevada Sen. Harry Reid's doing.
After expressing my doubt that the Las Vegas line was actually in the bill's language, Bono Mack directs her staff to "get him the bill, it's right there, show him." A few minutes later, a staffer emerges with a copy and quietly says "it's not in the bill." Y'see? This is what happens when the GOP listens to their new leader, Rush Limbaugh. Alternate realities have a habit of colliding with the real world. And while the GOP's alternate reality once held sway in this country, those days have long since past. If Republicans want to keep themselves from being embarrassed like this, time and time again, they might want to stop getting their "facts" from right-wing radio or Fox News: KELLY: It's a super railroad, of sorts — a line that will deliver customers straight from Disney, we kid you not, to the doorstep of the moonlight bunny ranch brothel in Nevada. I say, to the moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada. So should your tax dollars be paying for these kinds of projects? [...] We kid you not. ☺Tags: dumb americans, gop meltdown, lying liars, republican implosion, right-wing hack, rush limbaugh
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
Now Playing: Sonny Bono Spinning In His Grave
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Remember the riveting story that GOP wunderkind Piyush Jindal told in his big speech Tuesday night — about how during Katrina, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a local sheriff who was battling government red tape to try to rescue stranded victims? 
Turns out he was bullshitting.In the last few days, first Daily Kos, and then TPMmuckraker, raised serious questions about the story, based in part on the fact that no news reports we could find place Jindal in the affected area at the specific time at issue. Jindal had described being in the office of Sheriff Harry Lee "during Katrina," and hearing him yelling into the phone at a government bureaucrat who was refusing to let him send volunteer boats out to rescue stranded storm victims, because they didn't have the necessary permits. Jindal said he told Lee, "that's ridiculous," prompting Lee to tell the bureaucrat that the rescue effort would go ahead and he or she could arrest both Lee and Jindal. But now, Jindal spokeswoman Melissa Sellers has admitted to Politico that in reality, Jindal overheard Lee talking about the episode to someone else by phone "days later." Sellers said she thought Lee (who died in 2007) was being interviewed about the incident at the time. This is no minor difference. Jindal's presence in Lee's office during the crisis itself was a key element of the story's intended appeal, putting him at the center of the action during the maelstrom. Just as important, Jindal implied that his support for the sheriff helped ensure the rescue went ahead. But it turns out he wasn't there at the key moment, and played no role in making the rescue happen. There's a larger point here, though. The central anecdote of the GOP's prime-time response to President Obama's speech, intended to illustrate the threat of excessive government regulation, turns out to have been made up. Maybe it's time to rethink the premise.Tags: comedy, gop meltdown, katrina, lying liars, republican implosion
From: Chicago
Mood: Bye-Bye, Bobby
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Yet another toe-curler from the Republican Party's pet lunatic, Michele Bachmann...  After a long day at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Republican National Committee chairman Michael " Playa" Steele gave a speech asserting that the party is "alive and well." Although he emphasized that the conservative movement must "become a revolution and transform America," he conceded that the party had made mistakes: "We know the past, we know we did wrong. My bad. But we go forward in appreciation of the values that brought us to this point." As Steele concluded his remarks, Bachmann — the event's moderator — exclaimed, "Michael Steele! You be da man! You be da man!" Who said that the GOP ain't down with the coloreds, hm?Tags: comedy, dumb americans, gop lizard queens, gop meltdown, racism, republican implosion, right-wing hack
From: Chicago
Mood:  Word To Your Mother
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Poor House Republicans...  They were pretty psyched yesterday about that sassy new troop-rallying video from Minority Whip Eric Cantor that used Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" to declare that "The House GOP is back!" thanks to the party's unanimous opposition to the stimulus. Unfortunately, Aerosmith wasn't feeling the love. Cantor's clip has been pulled from YouTube after a copyright infringement claim made by Stage Three Music, which owns the rights to "Back in the Saddle." The GOP's use of the tune "was something we, as the publishers, didn't approve and would not have approved without going to the writers," said Connie Ashton, director of copyright and licensing at Stage Three. "Aerosmith did not approve of its use and also wanted to have it taken down," she added. Perhaps a little ditty by Pat Boone next time, eh, fellas? ☺Tags: comedy, dumb americans, gop meltdown, ouch, republican implosion
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
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In an interview with U.S. News & World Report, conservative Christian wingnut Pat Robertson has denounced radio clown Rush Limbaugh for saying he wants President Obama to fail...  "So you don't subscribe to Rush Limbaugh's " I hope he fails" school of thought?" asked interviewer Dan Gilgoff. "That was a terrible thing to say," Robertson responded. "I mean, he's the president of all the country. If he succeeds, the country succeeds. And if he doesn't, it hurts us all. Anybody who would pull against our president is not exactly thinking rationally." After the election, Robertson pronounced himself " remarkably pleased" with Obama and not so happy with President Bush. Robertson told Gilgoff that Obama hasn't been "as skillful" since taking office but that he wants "to give him the benefit of every doubt, and I definitely hope he succeeds." 0_oNever in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever be rooting for Robertson on anything. Let's see if Commander OxyContin comes back with a counterpunch, shall we? Hopefully, they'll tear each other to shreds. ☺ Tags: barack obama, christian lunatics, gop meltdown, pat robertson, republican implosion, right-wing hate radio, rush limbaugh
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
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OK. Now this is seriously funny... 
(Hat-tip Pam Spaulding)Former GOP congressman and KKK Grand Wizard David Duke is going apeshit over the selection of Michael Steele to run the RNC, going as far as calling Steele “Obama Junior”: To Hell with the Republican Party!
[...] I am glad these traitorous leaders of the Republican Party appointed this Black racist, affirmative action advocate to the head of the Republican party because this will lead to a huge revolt among the Republican base. As a former Republican official, I can tell you that millions of rank-and-file Republicans are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore! We will either take the Republican Party back over the next four years or we will say, “To Hell With the Republican Party!” And we will take 90 percent of Republicans with us into a New Party that will take its current place!
I think the insanity of nominating “Mr. Amnesty” John McCain and now this Black racist — will lead to insurgency in the Republican ranks, and a lot of dissidents getting elected in Republican Party primaries around the country. This will result over the next four years a real move by millions of Republicans to take the party back... Let’s make this abomination in the Republican Party, the last major party of White redoubt, as a rallying cry of resistance! (Read the whole mess here.) So, what are the ignorant McCain/Palin mobs going to do now that their party is being headed up by a black dude? The GOP has let this slide for years because race-baiting worked. Now, after getting massacred in November - and seeing that minority voters made a huge impact - now they prop up a token African-American as their "leader." Trouble is, a big chunk of their base - the frightened, slack-jawed bigots who actually swallowed their thinly-veiled racist bullshit during the campaign are, according to Duke, going to crash the gates of the castle with torches and pitchforks. Y'know, I kinda feel sorry for the 'Pugs. I mean, think about this poor bastard Steele, who now has to contend with the Limbaugh/Duke wing of the party he now leads... On second thought, I don't feel sorry for them one bit. While I certainly don’t think Duke’s sentiment is as widespread as he thinks it is, I do think it is a significant enough percentage to cause some nasty, self-inflicted wounds within the party over the next few years. As if they don't have enough to worry about already. ☺ Tags: comedy, gop meltdown, loathsome people, politics, racism, republican implosion
From: Chicago
Mood: Amused
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...I vowed to lay off the politics for awhile, but this is just too WTF not to share...
She didn't know Africa was a continent? O_o So whaddya think... is the Grand Ol' Party (with a healthy assist from FOX News) throwing Yukon Barbie under the bus in a panicked effort not to humiliate themselves in 2012... or could they simply have fumbled the VP vetting ball this badly? ... and then, there's this (emphasis mine): Newsweek has earned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported.
While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family — clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards.
The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost.
An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books. These people are crooks, liars and/or lunatics. All of 'em. Do not want.Tags: '08 elections, fox news, gop lizard queens, gop meltdown, republican implosion, republican scum, youtube
Mood:  Go Away
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Twitch.
 The 'Pugs have made yet another last-minute grab at the straw bale - this time by offering $10,000 to an Oxford academic to “prove” that Barack Obama's autobiography was ghostwritten by "America's Terrorist," William Ayers. Dr Peter Millican - a philosophy don at Hertford College, Oxford who devised a computer software program that can detect when works are by the same author by comparing favorite words and phrases - was contacted last week and offered $10,000 to assess alleged similarities between Obama’s bestseller, Dreams from My Father, and Ayers' memoir, Fugitive Days. The offer was made by one Robert Fox, a California businessman (and brother-in-law of Republican congressman Chris Cannon), who hoped to corroborate a theory previously advanced by "independent writer and producer" Jack Cashill. When questioned, both Fox and Cannon each suggested that the other one had taken the initiative. Cannon said that he merely "recommended" computer testing of the books, and doubted whether Obama wrote his autobiography, adding: “If Ayers was the author, that would be interesting.” For his part, Fox said he'd only "hoped" Cannon would raise the $10,000 to run the test: “It was Congressman Cannon who initially pointed me in that direction and, from our conversation, I thought he might be able to find someone [to raise the money].” Millican says - flat out - that Fox conted him directly: “He was entirely upfront... He offered me $10,000 and sent me electronic versions of the text from both books.” Millican took a preliminary look and found the charges “very implausible”. A deal was agreed for "more detailed research" but when Millican said the results had to be made public - even if no link to Ayers was proved - interest suddenly waned. Millican goes on: “I thought it was extremely unlikely that we would get a positive result. It is the sort of thing where people make claims after seeing a few crude similarities and go overboard on them.” He said Fox gave him the impression that Cannon had got “cold feet about it being seen to be funded by the Republicans.” Cannon still insists that he was "not interested" in making an issue of Obama’s memoir, “even if it were scientifically proven” to be someone else’s work. Tags: '08 elections, gop meltdown, john mccain, republican implosion
From: Chicago
Mood:  One More Day
Now Playing: Indian Summer
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"One side is intent on destroying and the other side is content
to be destroyed, for it is through its own destruction that comes
the annihilation of its enemy. It's a sick relationship,
yet one that both sides need..." (Hat-tip Ayeda Naqvi)It was an endorsement that caught everybody by surprise. Why would Al Qaeda - the terrorist organization that prides itself on its hatred for the U.S. - choose to support Republican John McCain? How could Al Qaeda possibly benefit from another war hawk in the White House? And, more importantly, what could these two have in common? At first glance, not much. A closer look, however, suggests that beneath the surface, the rhetoric and the appearances of the American far right and Al Qaeda may actually be two peas in a pod. Think about the message posted on the al-Hesbah website which, when decoded and translated, said that “Al Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election.” The website was confident that McCain would continue the “failing march of his predecessor” which would then lead the U.S. to exhaust her resources and bankrupt her economy. An expansion of U.S. military commitments in an attempt to take revenge on Al Qaeda is exactly what they want. And this is what a McCain presidency promises. So, we have one side which is intent on destroying, and the other side which is content to be destroyed, for it is through its own destruction that will come the annihilation of its enemy. It is a sick relationship, and yet one that both sides need, thriving on the demonization of each other, without which they would have no reason to exist — or in this case, be elected. So what do the Republicans and Al Qaeda have in common? Divisiveness. It is the "with us or against us" approach — the delineation of patriotic vs. non-patriotic parts of the country, the Red states vs. the Blue states, the black man vs. the white man — that that strikes a chord with Al Qaeda, for they too have the same approach, i.e. if you are not with them, you are going to hell. It is the puritanical attitude that both groups share, the belief that all those who are different are to be shunned, and that uniformity is the only way to achieve unity. And it is the use of fear as an operating mechanism that brings these two groups together. One side woos its voters by telling them the other candidate will take their money, turn their nation into a socialist state, coddle criminals and be an open target for the Russians and the Muslims. The other side recruits its followers by telling them that they will be enslaved by the immoral West, their wives will stop listening to them and there will be lewdness and orgies on the street. Both these groups cater to an uninformed audience. Both these groups preach intolerance. And both lure their followers by claims to “return to the core values” — a proposition which sounds good until you ask, what values? And more importantly, whose values? A great Sufi, Sheikh Ibn Arabi, once wrote, “Beware of confining yourself to one belief — for much good would elude you. Be in yourself a matter for all forms of belief, for God is too vast and tremendous to be restricted to one belief rather than another.” While the wisdom of this quote eludes both groups, they continue to shun a mindset that encourages inclusion and incorporation. They charge ahead without bemoaning the loss of innocent lives which result from their illegal, unilateral attacks on sovereign nations or blowing themselves up in public spaces. For them, their agendas comes first — in the case of Al Qaeda, doing whatever they can to bring down the West and set up their own rule in the East; in the case of the Republican Right, setting the stage for the Rapture, or the second coming of Christ, which many right-wing Christians - including Bush - believe can only happen once certain events take place. One of the pre-conditions for Rapture is a clash of civilizations, a polarization of the world, something both Al Qaeda and the Republican Right seem to be working very hard at. But as another great Sufi once said, “There can be no clash of civilizations, only barbarisms. The civilized do not collide — they unite.” Tags: '08 elections, al qaeda, gop meltdown, john mccain, republican implosion, republicans, war on terror
From: Chicago
Mood: Hm
Now Playing: 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
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Idiots
Chipper
Up Yours, Boehner
In Stitches
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