Friday, April 30, 2010

Perpetually-Wrong Putz.

Today, Putz repeats the widespread canard that Obama sent a SWAT team to "deal with blue-haired Tea Party grandmas."

Oddly, two days ago he acknowledged that the story, definitively debunked yesterday, was probably bullshit.

The irony's pretty thick: For once, Putz's instincts were correct -- and yet, because Putz's sole function is to perpetuate anything that makes the White House look bad, he pretends they weren't.

Epistemic Retard.


Do Not Understand.

Washington Times:

The rapidly expanding environmental catastrophe caused by the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana is presenting a growing political challenge to the Obama White House, with Mr. Obama and his aides at pains to defend the response and forestall comparisons to the Hurricane Katrina crisis.


Wingnuttia has taken the meme and run with it as fast as their stupid little legs can carry them.

Nevermind the ridiculousness analogy -- why on earth would conservatives voluntarily bring up Bush's response to Katrina? Is there a political upside to this I'm just not seeing?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The party led by really unpopular assholes.

Kind of a problem when you need to win national elections.

Roger Simon, Asshole.

Remember when some teabaggers called John Lewis a nigger? Here's Roger L. Simon:

There was no proof at all offered for this accusation of racism.


See, this is funny because Simon's shtick is he youstabee a liberal. That's why he brags -- here, here, here, here, here, here and here -- that he was totally a Civil Rights activist in the sixties.

Now, along comes John Lewis, a man who's probably been called a nigger more than once or twice, and he's a liar? His word's not good enough for the screenwriter of Scenes from a Mall?

Well. It's repulsive as hell that Roger L. Simon happily associates himself with the Civil Rights movement just to sell a few of his shitty books. Perhaps we ought to start asking questions?

Hey Roger, how about some proof you were a civil rights worker in the sixties? We demand video. Absent that, well, I guess you're a fucking liar.

(On a side note, Simon's newfound fealty to the truth is humorous. This is the same guy who wrote, "Many have speculated that the famous vanishing Iraqi WMDs were slipped over the border into Syria. Who knows where these came from but WorldNet Daily is reporting that Syria may have tested chemical arms on civilians in the Sudan[.]")

Fix This Plz.


[via]

How to spot an illegal immigrant

A practical field guide.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

TEA PARTY!!!!!!!!

Still not working.

A new Washington Post/ABC poll suggests that most Americans continue to blame the sluggish economy on former President George W. Bush, a development that could complicate Republican efforts to lay it at President Barack Obama's feet this fall.

Nearly six in ten (59 percent) of those polled said that Bush was to blame for the current state of the economy while 25 percent put the blame on Obama.

That 25% also loves Palin, and would include Putz.

Crist to GOP: "Oh yeah? Well fuck YOU."

Oh no, Rubio.

Wingnut fight.

If it's one thing that divides Republicans, it's what to do about all the brown people.

Shut Up, Julie Mason.

I trust you've all slogged through Politico's very important story on the tragic sadness of the White House press corp?

First, here's the appropriate response. Second, read this and try not to laugh:

“The White House wants their friend to be in the pool and we don't know what recourse we have,” [Julie] Mason later told POLITICO. “It's just completely unfair to the press corps and flies in the face of the concept of a free press."


Ah, yes. The very same Julie Mason who complained that it was "hard to retain much after a 60-minute Gibbs WH briefing." And the very same Julie Mason who wrote this:


Tuesday, April 27, 2010

New York on Palin.

The Sarah Palin story is okay. Now that I've finally read it, I'm pretty sure David Weigel's item on it gets one bit wrong. "According to Sherman," he says, "Palin writes her own Facebook posts."

Sherman says nothing of the kind:

And she’s a canny—and completely modern—promoter of her product. Last year, Bristol introduced her mom to Facebook, and Palin began speaking to her audience of 1.5 million fans directly with frequent status updates and tweets, which consist of conservative boilerplate (“Man-Made Global Warming=Snow Job”) interspersed with chirpy reports about goings-on in Wasilla (“Family is getting ready for Todd’s IronDog race tomorrow; I’m watching @GlennBeck on TV now giving #CPAC speech, while racers are in garage).

(Maybe HotAir and General Lee will stop high-fiving each other long enough to notice?)

If You Remember the Primaries, This May Amuse You.

From the Allen Media Strategies bio page:


Will Bower has 15 years experience working in the worlds of media and entertainment. He graduated from Kenyon College in 1994 with a B.A. in theatre. From 1994-1995, Will was a promotions agent for Agence Magnitude in Paris (France). From 1996-1998, he worked as a production assistant for the Sydney Austrlian-based PR & advertising company, KOAN. From 1999-2001, Will was an assistant talent agent at Midwest Talent Agency in Los Angeles, CA. From 2002-2008, he was an intellectual property research analyst for Thomson Reuters. In 2008, he was the spokesperson for a advocacy group focused on the need for election reform and made multiple major on-air television and radio appearances. Now, in 2009, Will is happy to be a media booking specialist for Allen Media Strategies.


That is very funny.

Show of hands

More NRO brilliance:

Majorities Support Arizona-Style Laws [Daniel Foster]

A new Rasmussen survey finds that 60 percent of likely voters across the country favor immigration laws like the one Arizona just passed, which give local and state authorities power to pursue individuals on reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally. Just 31 percent of respondents are opposed to such laws.

Worse yet for Democrats who want to hang their hats on a legislative effort that includes amnesty, 62 percent of independents surveyed support the Arizona bill, and Democrats are evenly divided.

This poll is evidence of why we don't distribute Constitutional rights by show of hands in this country. Don't tell Dapper Dan Foster, though - he seems to be having a moment with his fantasy.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Fat, Chaste and Stupid is No Way to Go Through Life, Rick. (bumped)

Link:


Amazing! But not really! Lookyhere, from my copy of An American Bible:


I'm sure Warren will find some way blame this on the gays.

...Goaded by #allanbrauer, Warren has responded. He links to a "primary source" that he obviously believes vindicates him.

It don't.

Short story: Robert Aitken, a Philadelphia print-maker, asked Congress in 1781 for funds to publish a Bible. Congress said no. However, they did "endorse" the project, and those endorsements -- which ran after the title page in the Aitken Bible -- is what Warren links to. As Baylor's Derek Davis wrote, "Congress gave no financial aid to the project."

The story of America's inception is as remarkable as Warren's myth-making is gratuitous and silly. Pastor, care to admit you screwed up?

World's Smallest Violin, Playing for the Oppressed White Males.

This morning, the DNC released a video message in which Barack Obama reminded Americans to go to the polls during the 2010 midterms. Obama, noted Ben Smith, aimed the pitch specifically at voters who'd gone to the polls for the first time in 2008. Said the President:

It will be up to each of you to make sure that the young people, African Americans, Latinos, and women, who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again.


Makes sense! Wingnuts, of course, are terribly angry. Putz, for his part, sees this as a conspiracy against his favorite downtrodden, oppressed, minority group:


OBAMA MAKES racial appeal for votes. Kinda exclusionary to white males, anyway.

I know, right? If only Obama would say nice soothing things to those older white male voters who don't like black people -- and of course totally ignore Hispanics, who surely have no reason to dislike the GOP and cannot possibly be a valuable voting bloc.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010

In which Ann Althouse makes sense.

Yeah, go figure.
And as long as I'm disagreeing with Glenn Reynolds, let me say that I disapprove of "Everybody Draw Mohammed" Day, which he seems to be promoting. (Hot Air, Dan Savage, and Reason are actively delighted by the idea.)

I have endless contempt for the threats/warnings against various cartoonists who draw Muhammad (or a man in a bear suit who might be Muhammad, but is actually Santa Claus). But depictions of Muhammad offend millions of Muslims who are no part of the violent threats. In pushing back some people, you also hurt a lot of people who aren't doing anything (other than protecting their own interests by declining to pressure the extremists who are hurting the reputation of their religion).

I don't like the in-your-face message that we don't care about what other people hold sacred. Back in the days of the "Piss Christ" controversy, I wouldn't have supported an "Everybody Dunk a Crucifix in a Jar of Urine Day" to protest censorship. Dunking a crucifix in a jar of urine is something I have a perfect right to do, but it would gratuitously hurt many Christian bystanders to the controversy. I think opposing violence (and censorship) can be done in much better ways.
Uh-huh.

Look, if a bunch of atheists were doing this, that'd be one thing (though the idea -- 'let's be dicks to Muslims' -- is pretty childish).

But it's not. It's a bunch of right-wing Christians, like Reynolds. The same right-wing/Republican/Fox News Christians who freak out every time someone says "Happy Holidays."

Apparently, they don't see the irony.

Says It All.

The Administration is pushing through financial reform, a climate bill gets unveiled Monday, and the Dems are pushing back at the Citizens United decision.

Meanwhile...

Like John says, for Putz 'n' pals it really is 2003 redux.

The Rich Lowry cherry on top of the Manzi sundae.

Hilarious.
As far as the merits of the global warming exchange, I'm at a disadvantage not having read Mark's chapter, but let me say this: 1) As a general matter, I've come to trust Jim's analysis on global warming over the years; 2) I'm sure that Mark nails where the other side is coming from on the issue, and that his skepticism about "the consensus" is even more justified than when he wrote about it a year-and-a-half ago.
Shorter Lowry: I haven't read Levin's unscientific quackery of a book -- which Jim Manzi dismantled piece by piece and called "wingnuttery" -- but I'm sure in the end, they're both right.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Better Reporters, Plz.

Here's an article on Utah's practice (abolished in 2004) of giving prisoners a choice of death-by-firing squad. The reporter notes that the method is a "rarely used relic that harkens back to Utah's territorial history."

There's a hint of why the barbarity persisted for so long:


Lydia Kalish, Amnesty International's death penalty abolition coordinator for Utah said her organization opposes the state's effort to see Gardner executed. But despite Utah's strong religious roots – it's the home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – most here support the use of the death penalty.

"I think in Utah, when it suits their purposes, they go back to the Old Testament and the 'eye for an eye' kind of thing," Kalish said.


You think? What's missing from the article is the term "blood atonement," a doctrine favored by Mr. Joseph Smith.

For Smith, a believer in state-sanction killing, hanging was not enough of a punishment. He would rather, he said, "shoot him, or cut off his head, spill his blood on the ground, and let the smoke thereof ascend up to God."

Let the blood hit the floor. (Beheading was also an option, but was not often chosen by the condemned.)

Point is, reporters ought to feel free to observe that, yes, Utah's uniquely barbaric judicial system had a little something to do with the prevailing religion.

Would it hurt to say so?

Simple answers to simple questions.

Marc Ambinder:
Have Conservatives Gone Mad?

Yes.

This concludes another...

Glenn Reynolds goes birther. (bumped)

Anyone surprised?

... TS ADDS: Putz was singing a different tune in '08:


SO LONG AS HIS MOTHER WAS A U.S. CITIZEN AT THE TIME, it shouldn’t mattter whether Obama was born in the U.S.A. or not. So I don’t really understand the birth certificate controversy. (There’s no citation supporting this statement: “His presumed Kenyan-born father was foreign-born, and his mother was too young at the time of birth to confer natural born status by virtue of her American citizenship.” To my knowledge, age of the mother at the time of birth shouldn’t matter, but I’m no expert here.) So what’s the point of this controversy? Am I missing something? (Via We Five Kings).

UPDATE: The whole thing looks like it’s BS anyway, according to A.J. Strata.

Thanks for Clearing that Up, Bill.

The headline on the Catholic League's latest press release:


NOT ALL GAY SEX IS ABUSIVE

Also, Bill Donohue wants to remind you people that he is so not gay: .


Let me be very clear about this: if some guy tried to kiss me when I was 17, I would have flattened him. I most certainly would not go on a retreat with the so-called abuser, unless, of course, I liked it.


WHICH HE DID NOT.

Yep.


Spellcheck Has a Liberal Bias.

It takes a special skill to fuck up a word twice, two different ways:

Well done, Drudge!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Not Very.


Encounters with random southerners

I hate this country. Or at least flying in it.
Pilot – "Well folks, we should be on our way in just a second. Turns out that when the folks in maintenance serviced that engine, they drained the oil and forgot to replace it. Ha ha!"

Passenger seated next to Ed: "FUCKIN' UNION MECHANICS. PROBABLY IN A HURRY TO GO ON ONE OF THEIR DOZEN BREAKS EVERY DAY."

Ed: "The reason they do maintenance in Georgia is because it isn't unionized. They used to do it in St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. They moved it to Birmingham and Atlanta so they could pay untrained people $12/hr to do the same work. I mean, the planes have five times as much downtime now and they don't do the work correctly, but it's cheap."

Passenger seated next to Ed: "FUCKING UNIONS."

Ed, after a considerable pause: "Heading to a big Tea Party convention in Chicago?"

Passenger seated next to Ed: "WHAT? NO."

Ed: "So, something else in Chicago for people who are impervious to facts?"

On the plus side, he didn't try to talk to me after that and I read my Baffler in peace.

Peter Wallsten Should Turn Off His Blackberry.

The nativists are restless.

Roger L. Simon, still angry that the old white guy lost the election, DEMANDS that the LA Times release a tape of Rashid Khalidi and Barack Obama. You know, that tape everyone and Andy McCarthy's mother cared about for 15 minutes two years ago?

Roger implores his slow-witted howler monkey minions to help procure the tape. And he has an idea!


One way is to go to the original reporter Mr. Wellsten [sic]. He now works for the Wall Street Journal. I have put in a call to him. We shall see how, or if, he replies.


One hopes that Mr. Wallsten replies, if at all, with appropriate brevity -- and tells Simon to go fuck himself.

...Also too.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Michael Yon To Sue General McChrystal?

Michael Yon is not just another war correspondent. Though his financial support comes primarily from the blogosphere, Yon has street cred beyond the blogosphere that most web-only writers can dream of.

No kidding: Yon, said Slate, "combines detailed, intimate storytelling with an authorial sense that the war is neither quagmire nor farce, but a heroic, Manichaean struggle—and, as such, deserves to be reported in the grizzled, noirish style of war reportage from earlier eras." Hosannas from Bruce Willis. Profiles is both The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

In the meantime, support for Yon online never flagged.

So, was it a surprise when Yon recently called the output of milbloggers -- ostensibly his colleagues -- "largely a hurricane of hot air"? Oh, yes.

Today's development is far more startling. Yon's next target is decidedly ambitious. From his Facebook page:

I have in my possession compelling evidence of General McChrystal's smear campaign. It's been sent to my attorney. The sad part is that McChrystal is incompetent even with a smear campaign. Official statements by his people -- in writing -- have been defamatory and libelous. A writer must be able to spot libel just as ...a soldier must be able to spot IEDs. It's part of the job. If you can't spot it, you will get hurt. Further evidence of McChrystal's incompetence is the ease with which he jerks a writer from the field and gets a laser on himself/staff for lying. And then his own staff commits defamation and libel. They fight like children. They are giving me their ammo. It's saddening. We cannot win such a complex war with people like that in charge. This is not a winning team.

Needless to say, it's not every day that a decorated reporter accuses the commander of U.S. and NATO forces of libel.

Smooth like the butter she eats by the stick

More K-Lo prose:

Relevant Radio [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Because I'd never heard of it before they called me, and because I was on it earlier today, I thought I'd mention that it exists: Relevant Radio. It's a national Catholic radio network. What of it I've heard struck me as smart and humble and helpful; if you are looking for that sort of thing, check them out.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Anti-Gay Movement Just Got a Facelift.

Maggie Gallagher, the monstrous posterlady of the anti-gay movement who famously compared gay marriage to Communist Russia, is stepping down to work on a book or have Rod Dreher's babies or something.

Anyway, here's the new face of evil. You remember Brian Brown, yes?

Wingnuts No Longer Find Michael Yon Useful.

We've given Michael Yon some shit over the years --  all of it justified. Yon's reporting, equal parts and hagiographic -- was frequently used by self-described 'milbloggers' to make the case that everything was hunky-dory in Iraq, even when (especially when) it was not.

So, it is really amazing how quickly Yon's former boosters have tossed him under the Greyhound, simply because he's gone off-message. His sin? To express dissatisfaction with General Stanley McChrystal.

Retribution was swift and predictable.

Blackfive's Uncle Jimbo (who is, btw, stupid) says Yon is "acting like a jackass", milblogging.com says Yon has "lost it", and Laughing Wolf seems to think condescension is the way to go.

Yon, in turn, has had a long-overdue epiphany:

Bottom line questions: How many milbloggers who were not on active duty (hence sent to the war as a troop) have spent more than a year in the wars? I know of zero. Does one exist? The milblogging community is largely a hurricane of hot air.

There are some ...good and responsible writers working milblogs but most of them are less accurate than the MSM they oppose.


Just to put this heresy in context: Just imagine Grover Norquist confessing that tax cuts for the rich aren't such a hot idea after all.

TEABAGGING NEGRO PICS! TEABAGGING NEGRO PICS!

Kudos to "El Marco" at some blog no one reads for finding and photographing every black person in the crowd (of "up to 50,000!" but looking suspiciously like a few thousand at best) at the, I shit you not, "Tax Day REVOLT!"

This includes a guy selling plastic flags (who was probably just there to take money from mouthbreathers) and, I shit you not Part 2, a cop assigned to the event.

"Officer, I can't help but notice your negritude. May I photograph you?"


"Get your Chinese-made plastic flags, only $5!"

Swear to God...

If yet another day is wasted by a bunch of pretty smart people discussing "epistemic closure" I will kill a family of kittens.


Stop it.

Monday, April 19, 2010

One of these years...

So, seriously...can I raise enough money online to go undercover on this monstrosity? I'd rather cruise on the Andrea Doria than this thing, but I can't deny my curiosity or the comedy value of the NRO Love Boat.


Bonus: K-Lo swimwear pics.

Yeah, He's Says That Now.


Well, that's funny, because I happen to have a transcript right here...

HH: You have stayed above scandal. Thank you for that, because so many Christian pastors, you know what happens when this happens, and we could name 30 of them, the damage they do.

RW: Yeah, I keep a list.

HH: You keep a list?

RW: Actually, I have what, Hugh, I’ve had it for almost 40 years. I call it a warnings file. And every time I watch somebody, and Satan has no temptations that are new. It’s either money, sex or power. It’s lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life, and you have to know the antidotes, and you have to set up the parameters that keep you from even being tempted in those areas, which means for instance, I’m never alone, ever, ever alone with a woman, or even my myself when I’m traveling.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Diversity!

Charles Blow:


On Thursday, I came here outside Dallas for a Tea Party rally.

At first I thought, “Wow! This is much more diverse than the rallies I’ve seen on television.”

Then I realized that I was looking at stadium workers. I should have figured as much when I approached the gate. The greeter had asked, “Are you working tonight?”


Yep.

It's only a matter of time before Mr. Blow turns up in one of Putz's "see, there are too black people!!!" embarrassments.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Heh indoozle.

"I want to remain shallow in deference to Mr. Cramer."

Washington Post Rewards Bigotry.

Consider this:


I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe homosexuality is destructive to society.

And this:


MATTHEWS: I’m just asking you, should we outlaw gay behavior?

SPRIGG: I think that the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned the sodomy laws in this country, was wrongly decided. I think there would be a place for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior.

MATTHEWS: So we should outlaw gay behavior.

SPRIGG: Yes.


That's Peter Sprigg of Family Research Council. In a just world, Sprigg's demand for the deportation and imprisonment of gays would render him toxic to any media outlet not owned by Andrew Breitbart.

The Washington Post, of course, gave Sprigg a platform for a Q&A. He may not change any minds, but I'm sure the FRC is tickled by this sort of free publicity:

Washington, D.C.: I have visited friends and family in the hospital many times and have never been asked to prove that I am a family member. Is this a real problem? Or does the president have other ulterior motives here?

Peter Sprigg: You have hit on a key point. To hear the advocates of same-sex "marriage" talk, you would think that hospitals are surrounded by airport-level security and require 4 forms of ID for someone to visit. Anyone who regularly visits hospitals knows this is untrue--for the most part, you just walk in. There may be exceptions (intensive care, for example), but this "problem" has been greatly exaggerated in order to generate an emotional reaction that will increase support for same-sex "marriage." For the most part, the President's memo is a solution in search of a problem.


I do hope The Post is pleased by Sprigg's use of scare quotes around marriage and problem. Terribly classy.

Hmmm. Delicious Crow....

Yes, the Goldman Sachs lawsuit is pretty great. However, I must remind our readers not to lose sight of what's important.

Like our snark-hunting compadres, we believe that in light of Taibbi's vindication, the big question on everyone's mind should be:

How much crow should Megan McArdle eat?


Keep your eye on the prize, people.

UPDATE BY BT....

Hehindeedy:
One wants to be cautious about saying that Goldman Sachs is definitely guilty.
Yes, I'm sure you do Megs.

It's totally different! This one says "from." Totally different.

Late Thursday I was startled by the sound of 250 million Americans simultaneously yawning and I figured it must be because Contract With America II, this time called "Contract from America", was finally unveiled after many months of intense anticipation.

Let's take a look. Remember, this took a lot of time and money to create.


1. Protect the Constitution: Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does.

I struggle to think of a more meaningless gesture. So the hated health care bill would have "See: Commerce clause" tacked on the end. WOLVERINES!!!!11!!!


2. Reject Cap & Trade: Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation’s global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures.


3. Demand a Balanced Budget: Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax hike.

Good luck with that, assheads. The next Republican president will love this.

4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform: Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words—the length of the original Constitution.

This was a big winner for the Steve Forbes campaign, so it only makes sense to resurrect it. Nice meaningless symbolic gesture for good measure.


5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in Washington: Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states or local authorities, or ripe for wholesale reform or elimination due to our efforts to restore limited government consistent with the US Constitution’s meaning.


They actually posit a "Blue Ribbon taskforce" as a solution to something. I should point out that this is not a joke. This is for serious.

6. End Runaway Government Spending: Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth.

Emergency supplemental war appropriations excluded, of course!!!! LOLZ!!!

7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care: Defund, repeal and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn’t restricted by state boundaries.

8. Pass an ‘All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy Authorize the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation, lowering prices and creating competition and jobs.

9. Stop the Pork Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark.

Congressional Republicans will be all over this, I'm sure.


10. Stop the Tax Hikes: Permanently repeal all tax hikes, including those to the income, capital gains, and death taxes, currently scheduled to begin in 2011.


I'm sorry, I fell asleep for a second. Is this dreary list of recycled Gingrich-era "ideas" over yet?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Make sure you get the blacks in those Tea Party photos, Glenn!

According to the latest CBS/NYT poll, the Teabaggers are about 1% African-American. Further, they are more likely to think that "too much has been made" about the problems that face blacks.

Given that backround, it's pretty easy to see why Putz, Teabagger propagandist-in-chief, promotes images like these.

PS.
I don't think he's fooling anyone.

UPDATE
And another one!

[Sic] Times Infinity.

Oh, Conor Friedersdorf.


As a longtime observer of movement conservatism, Jonah Goldberg is well positioned to comment intelligently about its current travails.


The problem with kicking off a post this way is that everything subsequent will be wrong. [via]

One year ago today

I took one for the team.


I regret nothing.

QOTD.

Steve:

If you were to make a Venn Diagram of the issues Tea Party members care about, and the issues Tea Party members are confused about, you'd only see one circle.
[via]

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Teabaggers: older, whiter, more wingnutty Republicans.

So surprising.

Tea party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, tend to be Republican, white, male, and married, and their strong opposition to the Obama administration is more rooted in political ideology than anxiety about their personal economic situation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters look like Republicans in many ways, but they hold more conservative views on a range of issues and tend to be older than Republicans generally. They are also more likely than Republicans as a whole to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.”

And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.”

And there's totally no racism amongst the Teabaggery.

More than half say the policies of the administration favor the poor, and 25 percent, compared with 11 percent of the general public, think that the administration favors blacks over whites. They are more likely than the general public, and Republicans, to say that too much has been made of the problems facing black people.

Uh-huh.


This just in: Sarah Palin parodies Eugene O'Neill.

Sarah Palin just sent me an email.

April 14

The tax man cometh... while tax cuts soon expire. This takes away the private sector's opportunities to grow and thrive and create jobs, and it diminishes America's work ethic.

According to the Tax Foundation, Americans worked for over three months of this year, from January 1 to April 9, before they earned enough to pay their federal, state, and local tax obligations. That's nearly 100 days out of the year to pay government, before we start earning money for our families and small businesses!

Has Palin ever even heard of Eugene O'Neill, let alone possess the familiarity to parody him?

I'm going with no.

Trigger-Happy McCain.

Here's a surprise:


Senator John McCain says the United States has been backing away from a brewing fight with Iran, while that country moves ever closer to having nuclear weapons.
McCain opened a Senate hearing Wednesday by saying that Iran will get the bomb unless the United States acts more boldly.

Speaking figuratively, the Arizona Republican says the U.S. keeps pointing a loaded gun at Iran but failing to “pull the trigger.”


Here's what he said to Byron York, back when he didn't mind being called a maverick:


Still, I ask if voters aren’t a little rattled by all the talk about possible U.S. attacks on Iran, and by President Bush’s warning that Iranian actions risk bringing about “World War III.” Are they looking for a little more restraint in a candidate? “Maybe ‘restraint’ isn’t the word, but maybe someone who appears thoughtful and has exhausted all other options before pulling the trigger,” McCain answers.


Yes, well, it seems "thoughtful" takes a back seat during election season.

Mr. President, you've got a problem.

This hurts.

Either it's a PR fail or a policy fail -- or both. But they'd better get busy in the White House.

Sad News.

Fundie establishment gets aborted:


The Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy in Chantilly proudly and purposefully limited what it would stock on its shelves. But it turns out that no birth control pills, no condoms, no porn, no tobacco and even no makeup added up to one thing:

No customers.

The self-described "pro-life" pharmacy went out of business last month, less than two years after it opened to great fanfare, with a Catholic priest sprinkling holy water on the strip-mall store tucked between an Asian supermarket and a scuba shop.

No word on whether he returned for last rites.


Heh.

The Stupidist Idea Ever.

Yes, admits Rod Dreher, Catholic priests have for decades and in numerous countries raped children without retribution -- but that's no reason  to change horses in midstream!


As awful as the Catholic bishops have been on protecting kids, children would be far better off in a culture run by the moral convictions doctrines of the Catholic bishops than the one we have, run by the moral convictions doctrines of commercial interests.

Not much to say about this disgusting apologia for kiddie-rapers. It's nice that Dreher finally admits the bishops have no moral convictions. Who knew?

Pretty much.



(h/t Eli)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Answer is Still "No."

Putz, 2005:

IS BUSH LIKE TRUMAN? Michael Barone has comments in response to Bill Stuntz.


Putz, 2010:

DAILY BEAST: Will Bush Be the Next Truman?

I understand why Putz and others push the meme. I expect it must be vaguely humiliating to have backed a loser for eight years. So, I offer free advice to Putz: The case for Bush-as-Truman will be a great deal more convincing when it can be made by someone who wasn't on Bush's payroll.

Why Jon Voight Isn't Allowed Within a Country Mile of His Grandchildren.




Aw, how sweet! The formerly sane actor Jon Voight has taken time away from working on prestigious movies to write me a letter.

"Dear TS," he writes...


Little by little, [Obama] rapes this nation, taking down our defenses, making new language for the Islamic extremists.


This is a real downer, especially the part where he says that Obama is "the first president to ever weaken the United States of America" -- yeah, thanks Obama, for 9/11!.

Good thing Mr. National Treasure 3 knows what to do.


Every loving American for peace, and truth, and the security of our nation, must come out and join the tea parties in their states.


Unless you get a job, in which case whatever!

Too bad that Erick Erickson -- a proud proponent of war, mendacity, and open borders -- cannot partake. Why does Erick Erickson hate America, Jon Voight?

As Goes Erick Erickson, So Goes a Lot of Other Stupid People. Maybe?

Putz just put out a casting call to unemployed nativist interested in playing the role of "reporter" during the tax day pajama jamboree.

Sadly, Erick Erickson will not be among their number. Possibly following a CNN directive, Jonathan Klein's new bicycle is kissing the tea parties goodbye:


Most of us can sit back and ask one simple question: What the heck happened?

The tea party movement, one year later, is descending into a self-parody of infighting, money making, claims of national leadership, protests, unions, federations, amalgamations, etc. The groups have been so busy organizing themselves to distinguish themselves from each other that the core message is gone and media and left have been able to seize on the discord and paint a picture of the tea party movement as something other than it is and what we all know it to be — concerned Americans.

But I have a simple message for them all — it is time to stop calling yourselves tea party activists and start calling yourselves concerned Americans. ...

We have reached a point where the tea party movement will either go forward in greater organization or it will not. As one of those people who turned out for the initial protests, the later protests, flew around the country speaking at rallies, etc. I would like to say goodbye.

Sad.  Erickson takes to RedState's comments to strategize:

If the streets are quiet [t]he left should get complacent as we are all out busy as bees plotting the conservative counter-revolution. They’ll never know what hit them.


But now we know your big plan!

Hehindeed.



(h/t watertiger)

Nice, Pantload. Nice.

Goldberg keeps it classy.

Political correctness takes a life:

A medical technician killed himself after being suspended from work after someone complained that he made a politically-incorrect joke about a black friend. Roy Amor, 61, who was devastated at the prospect of losing his job making prosthetics, shot himself in the head outside his house.
He was facing a disciplinary investigation after suggesting to the black colleague that he ‘better hide’ when they noticed immigration officers outside their clinic. It is understood that the man was a close friend of Mr Amor and was not offended. However, it was overheard by someone else who lodged a formal complaint. Five days after his suspension, Mr Amor received an email about the incident from his employers, Opcare, a private company that provides prosthetic and orthotic services to the NHS. A few hours later police found his body in the road outside his home near Bolton, Lancashire, after being alerted by a neighbour.

The Teabaggers' candidate in New York implodes.

Oops.

I've made the point before, but I really don't understand the propensity for Republican candidates and officials to send racist email snark.

They do understand these 'computers' are all connected by an 'Internet' and therefore, can be sent to anyone, don't they?

Baffling.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Hurry Up Already.

"Non-tech blogs have been around for what, two and a half years? How many major figures have emerged in any domain in that time? I'll be emerging soon enough, if I have my way, and [Camille] Paglia had better watch her back because when I do she'll be the first pretentious ass up against the wall, civil discourse be damned!"

--Matthew Yglesias, October 31, 2003

Fox News = lame-stream meeeedya.

The Quitter's employer suddenly turns on the Teabaggers.

Prediction.

This will go unmentioned by 99.9% of the conservative blogosphere:


Following the first ever meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and newly minted Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, the two sides announced that Ukraine will give up its stores of highly enriched uranium (HEU).

It's not the first victory for the Obama administration at this week's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, which hasn't even officially started yet. Kazakhstan Sunday agreed to allow the U.S. planes direct overflight of its territory for military equipment headed to Afghanistan.


I do not rule out cries of LEAVE PRESIDENT BUNNYPANTS ALOOOOOOOONEE!

"This is something that the United States has tried to make happen for more than 10 years,” said the White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, referring to the Ukrainian announcement.

Just hateful.

Also, Ayatollah Khomeini is Still Not-Dead.

Another Bedwetter Media "exclusive" bites the dust. Turns out, the Obama administration has not barred Israeli nuclear scientists from entry.

So, sports fans, what'll come first? BM's next failed attempt at journalism, or an update to this post in which Putz -- because he cheerfully drinks his own Kool-Aid -- declared, "Face it, Israelis — [Obama] just doesn’t like you that much." (This is decidedly inadequate, as it elides Putz's role in mainstreaming the story.)

Idiot.

File under Too Good to Be True

Star Parker is running for Congress. It's like Alan Keyes, but with tits! Have to love this little piece of logic:

There is a reason why eight of ten Americans say that our nation is on the wrong track and why, according to Gallup, only 28% of voters now believe most members of congress deserve to be re-elected.
Those numbers, as any casual student of public opinion can tell you, are essentially unchanged for the last 20 years. But now I think they add up to a Star Parker victory!!!!111!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

A scathing critique of Obama from a libertarian.

While 'tards like Putz scream "socialism!"...

"The question has been raised about whether or not our president is a socialist," Paul said. "I am sure there are some people here who believe it. But in the technical sense, in the economic definition of a what a socialist is, no, he's not a socialist."

"He's a corporatist," Paul continued. "And unfortunately we have corporatists inside the Republican party and that means you take care of corporations and corporations take over and run the country."

Ouch.

Now that's something Putz won't touch with a 10-foot pole. Because unlike what Paul said -- the entire GOP is corporatist.

Friday, April 09, 2010

Rich Lowry's Most Coherent Post Ever.

He must have starburst'd on his keyboard or something.
 

This is What Gladwell Called a Disqualifying Statement.




The astonishing consolidation of stupid is almost worthy of respect. I worry, however, for the future of conservative commentary; after all, what more need ever be written?

[via GG]

Smarter Than the Real Thing, and She Won't Press Charges.


Reality 1, Putz 0.

Obama said something about the former half-term governor that is true:


“The last I checked, Sarah Palin is not much of an expert on nuclear issues,” Obama said in an interview with ABC News.

Also, Obama said, he would take guidance on said issues from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Putz's response?


GETTING HIS GOAT: Obama lashes out at Sarah Palin.

If only he hated America’s enemies half as much . . . .


Setting aside Putz's second, unfinished thought for a moment. By any reasonable metric, Obama didn't lash out; he simply gave a measured reply to George Stephanopoulos's insidiously stupid question. If this is what passes for "getting his goat," Obama is perhaps even more levelheaded than he appears.

That Putz 'n' pals insist on framing the exchange this way is revealing -- and, in a weird way, a good thing. It suggests that despite protestations to the contrary, conservatives -- even the 37-percenters -- think Palin has a glass jaw. On a basic level, they seem to understand that Palin not only hasn't the intellect and confidence to withstand a single interview from someone who isn't on Fox's payroll, but is also -- apparently -- ill-equipped to deal with the mildest bit of criticism.

Which is why, when Obama stated the obvious about Sarah Palin's credentials, conservatives reflexively manned the barricades. They have no confidence in her ability to take a punch, and are aware that Palin's viability as a Presidential prospect can continue only so long as she stays out of the ring.

As for Putz's contention that Obama doesn't hate enough? The Bush years ought to have been proof enough that foreign policy borne of emotion, and not reason, is disastrous. "Hatred," said George Bernard Shaw, "is the coward's revenge for being intimidated."

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Dear Matthew Continetti...

I can tell you, as a liberal, that I would be absolutely fucking delighted if Sarah Palin were the 2012 nominee.

Contrary to what you think, my head won't explode -- it will fall off from laughing too damn hard.

Asshole.

Steven Den Beste Needs a Hug. Or at Least a Japanese Body Pillow.

You know who Steven Den Beste is, right? To wingnuts, he's a "legend," "one of the great shining lights of the blogosphere’s firmament." Non-wingnuts may hazily remember his 25,000-word treatises on why war with Iraq was teh awesome.

Another half-forgotten fact? Sometime during Bush's second term he began blogging exclusively about anime. The results were a little icky: "James has a nice animated GIF of a Japanese booth babe. Some might say she's a bit plump, but I think she's just right." And: "The promo for Seikon no Qwaser just hit the torrents. Oh, moan... it's even worse than I thought it would be. Closeup panty shots of nuns... lots of bare tits, with nipples."

Recent entries suggest Den Beste (despite once accusing women of "help[ing] the process of trying to emasculate me") yearns for female companionship of the flesh 'n' blood kind:

There's a power you sometimes see in magic shows involving girls which can completely shred a girl's clothing without making even the slightest mark on the tender, lovely skin beneath. I sure wish I knew how they do that. Whatever the technique is, it happens twice in this show -- with rather different results depending on which version you're watching. I've got four NSFW frame grabs below the fold.


Indeed he does and indeed they are. The girls in those frame grabs look to be about 12.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Oh Snap.

Frum is still an asshole, but this is funny.

Hehindeedy!

Yikes.

You've heard about the attempted shoebomber, yes?

A passenger was subdued by a federal air marshal during an incident aboard an airliner flying from Washington to Las Vegas on Wednesday night, sources told NBC News.

Federal officials told NBC News that the man, a Qatari diplomat, may just have been smoking in a restroom of the jet. But the FBI was investigating whether the man attempted to ignite something aboard the plane.


Well, for John Aravosis, an ass-kicking at the hands of an Air Marshall just isn't good enough:

They should have shot him on the spot.


I ask you: What's the point of being a progressive if you only selectively give a fuck about due process?

Video from the deepest depths of hell.

Whoever conceived putting this on film is a truly evil person.

Bill Bennett, Liar.

Even by the gutter standards of the National Review, this item by Bill Bennett is deeply ugly. He, like most of his conservative brethren, took note of "Michelle Obama's problems with America."  Yawn. But what follows is pernicious: 

She spoke of it as a mean country. She said it wasn't until 2008 that she was proud of it. And now we have audio from 2008 that just surfaced where she states, “When we took our trip to Africa and visited [Barack's] home country in Kenya, we took a public HIV test.”

There could be a lot of meanings to that, but you know when Bill Clinton was found having an affair in the White House, one of the myriad questions was, with all the questions already surrounding his ethical behavior, why would he do that too? With all the questions surrounding the Obamas, why would she say this, too? And notice how easily it trips off her tongue.

I'd like to ignore this kind of thing, but due to The Corner's popularity and influence, Bennett's remarks require pushback:

1) Bennett's paraphrase of Obama's "proud of my country" comment is nonsense.

2) "And now we have audio from 2008 that just surfaced..." Well, no. It didn't "just surface." This footage, for instance, has been in plain sight since August 2008, when the soon-to-be First Lady delivered the remarks during a speech to LGBT delegates.

3) "There could be a lot of meanings to that," said Bennett. "With all the questions surrounding the Obamas, why would she say this[?]" Actually, the meaning is quite clear, or would be had Bennett not (purposely?) truncated the quote:


Barack has spoken out against the stigma surrounding HIV testing which is still plaguing so many of our communities, which you all know a lot of that is due to homophobia. Barack has led by example. When we took our trip to Africa and visited his home country in Kenya, we took a public HIV test for the very point of showing folks in Kenya that there is nothing to be embarrassed about in getting tested.
(If I were a betting man, I'd guess Bennett is aware of the context. Wanna give me odds, Bill?)

4) Bennett equates an illicit blowjob with getting tested for HIV as an example for Kenyans, who still contract the disease at a frightening rate. I don't see the connection.

5) "And notice how easily it trips off her tongue." Yes, she was giving a speech. With prepared text. I hear her husband does this occasionally? With a Teleprompter?

Taking bets.

First person to claim that what is happening in Kyrgyzstan will happen in Washington soon?

I am splitting my money between Riehl and Farah.

QOTD.

Dan Riehl:

[Democrats] don't really mind blacks in chains, so long as they don't keep them from the voting booth. Progressivism is the real face of slavery in America today.


This is what's called the not-a-racist double-double: Making light of slavery and infantilizing African-Americans.

In an unrelated note, Roger L. Simon (Asshole-Hollywood Hills), says:


If anything, the Tea Partyers are the antithesis of racist[.]


Yes, and quite a diverse bunch, too!

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Alex Pappas over at Tucker's Toilet issues the following stern warning to "liberal infiltrators" seeking to make Teabaggers look like racists:
Beware liberal infiltrators, Tea Party organizers are looking for you.Tricksters aiming to crash next week’s nationwide Tax Day protests to taint the activists as racist will have to dodge the eyes of event organizers, Tea Partiers say.

This is good reason to be afraid. It's not easy to slip something past Tea Party organizers. Like sharks, every one of them. Minds like a steel trap.

Bark, Bark.

At last, a defense of Virginia's Confederate History Month! The source is unexpected, to say the least. Here's David Frum, who may be angling for an SCV sinecure to replace his lost wages.

Regarding the proclamation, says Frum,


It’s hard to imagine a more anodyne remembrance of the Confederacy than this issued by McDonnell. It does contain the eyebrow-raising language that the Confederates “fought for their  homes and communities and Commonwealth.” None of those things were in danger in 1861. Beyond that, however, it’s a bland invocation of the importance of studying history.


"That" is doing a hell of a lot of work is sentence, considering this particular definite article refers to, you know, the proclamation's elision of slavery.

David Frum is a dishonest, warmongering, no-account slimeball. Beyond that, however, he's not a bad guy!

The Dog That Hasn't Barked (Yet).

A perusal of bjkeefe's ingenious Wingnuttia search engine and other aggregators yields not a single defense of Bob McDonnell's declaration of Confederate History Month. Yes, there's a few rancid gurglings from the Freepers...

I'm 54 y.o.. Up until a couple of years ago I always felt I would have been fighting for the Union during the Civil War. Now I am convinced I would jump borders and fight for Dixie. Hmmmm, gee whiz, I wounder what might have caused that shift in my psyche?
15
posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2010 7:44:57 AM by Lockbar



As for the lack of ass-kissing and mea culpas about slavery in the proclamation, good for the governor. There’ve been enough apologies over the last fifty years, enough freebies, enough excuses, enough breaks, enough money , enough screeches about “racism!” and enough special treatment for a bunch of losers that just becomes a waste of resources. I’m sick of it and it’s long past time that somebody takes a stand and quits sucking up to these parasites and hustlers.
18
posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2010 7:58:44 AM by chilltherats



any day the race pimps are irked is a good day.
34
posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2010 8:47:46 AM by TexasFreeper2009



Lalalala......I’m so sick and tired of these idiot blacks that continually bytch and moan about slavery (which I hate) and not having sense enough to know it’s their own DEMONRAT party that has been their slave masters for generations! Wise up you boobs and just think that about 50 short years ago, you’d still be using separate toilets and ridin’ in the back of the bus and had almost no chance of voting and look where you are now. Just be grateful that you’ve come this far with the help of the Republicans by the way, and STFU! This crap is gettin’ old.
35
posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2010 8:51:41 AM by Dawgreg

...but that's it.

Notably, The Corner's Ponnuru's not pleased. However, parties not heard from include Robert McCain and Daniel Larison, Confederate sympathizers both. There may yet be an establishment rationalization!

...Yep. David Frum probably just got reinstated by the AEI.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Remind you of anyone?

I randomly came across this excellent Slate piece about Klebold and Harris, and that led me to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist.
  • Glibness/superficial charm
  • Grandiose sense of self-worth
  • Pathological lying
  • Cunning/manipulative
  • Lack of remorse or guilt
  • Shallow affect
  • Callous/lack of empathy
  • Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
Just take a look at those attributes.

They
Possibly Obama just hates Israel and hates Jews. That’s plausible — certainly nothing in his actions suggests otherwise, really.
explain
DUDE, WHERE'S MY RECESSION? (CON'TD): Well, it’s early days, to be fair, but so far the Great Depression 2008 is shaping up to be a Great Disappointment. Not so much The Grapes of Wrath as Raisins of Mild Inconvenience.
a hell of...
AL QAEDA SAYS WE'RE WINNING: That's not news, really, if you've been paying attention.
a lot.
A SHOCKING KATRINA PHOTO has been released.
Don't you think?
Well, I was hoping for a thoughtful email from an expert, but instead I got a typically intemperate blog post from Bruce Bartlett. Bruce, I’m not trying to turn the United States into Zimbabwe. That would be the guy in the White House, whom you seem surprisingly anxious to defend.

GOP's Minority Outreach, Take 2.

Awesome.


Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has quietly declared April 2010 Confederate History Month, bringing back a designation in Virginia that his two Democratic predecessors -- Mark Warner and Tim Kaine -- refused to do.

Republican governors George Allen and Jim Gilmore issued similar proclamations. But in 2002, Warner broke with their action, calling such proclamations, a "lightning rod" that does not help bridge divisions between whites and blacks in Virginia.

But, you know, maybe there's some historical value?

Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond) said he was "stunned" to learn of McDonnell's decision and even more stunned that the proclamation did not include any reference to slavery. "It's offensive,'' he said.


The proclamation itself is no more informative, though the kids will be happy to learn that Virginia's Confederates "fought for their homes and communities and Commonwealth in a time very different than ours today."

True! It's a helluvalot tougher to find good help.

Top-Notch Reporting From Byron York.

Headline:

Dems dread Supreme Court fight after elections

Is it true? Maybe. But is there a single quote, anonymous or on the record, from a Dem to suggest this? No.

14 dead, scores wounded after K-Lo attempts English

She's a wordsmith.
But it's also unfair to keep yourself the story when there are high stakes in American politics and not-insignificant elections around the corner.
Man, they really should hire an editor to fix...

Oh.

...TS adds: for posterity, just in case...

 

Roger L. Simon, RIP.

I'm done! Time to cross this bastard off my list of acceptable topics about which to write. What's the point? This, thankyouthankyouthankyou StrangeAppar8us, ought to be the last word on the man.


At last, though, it appears that the daily grind of watching the President “get away” with successfully guiding the nation in more or less the direction he was elected to steer it has inflicted a blunt trauma crown-crease on Roger’s fedora.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Idiot.

An infuriating interview with Lesley Stahl and Maria Bartiromo. Stahl asks Bartiromo if financial coverage has changed for the better, after the epically horrible efforts of '07/'08:

MARIA: I just want to get this elephant out of the room. I don’t think you could blame the media. I think that’s silly.

LESLEY: I’m not blaming the media, but I wonder if everybody who does what you do, and you specifically, have gone back and said, "Wow, I blew it. What do I do next time? What do I do right now?"

MARIA: I think you have to look at the situation and ask very simple, straightforward questions of yourself. Is this too good to be true? Does this seem sustainable? Home prices moving up 40 percent year over year is obviously not sustainable. I would like to think that the next time around I could be more of a contrarian, I can be more skeptical. That’s what Jim Rogers, the international investor, will tell you. Make sure you look at things and question them, and don’t always go with the herd mentality. Don’t — just because everybody says it’s true — necessarily feed into it, because nothing goes up forever and if it does seem like it’s unsustainable, it probably is. So that’s one thing that I feel like I could learn.


Aw, that's nice.

Not a good sign that a decorated financial correspondent has to learn how not to be a stenographer...

Keep up the good work, mainstream media!

What the fuck.