- Teabagger Hero Rand Paul is Anti-American
- Glenn Beck Endorses Nazi Sympathizer
- The Daily Show: 'Glenn Beck Has Nazi Tourette's'
- Daily Show/Colbert Most Knowledge Viewers; Fox, Not So Much
- Even Republicans Think Mitch McConnell is Full of It
- GOP Lawmakers Fan the Flames of Hate
Grand Obstructionist Party
“The Republicans will not concede this, because their war is not really at this point on al Qaeda. It's on Obama.”
This is a quote from Andrew Sullivan, talking about how Obama has been more effective on al Qaeda than President Bush. Sullivan, one of the most read bloggers, is a former conservative who not only supported the Iraq War, but states President Reagan was one of his favorite presidents. This is how extreme Republicans have become.
Republicans - Lies Have Real-Life Consequences
Posted April 9, 2010
I know for a lot of Republicans and most of the corporate media (and some Democrats too), politics is seen as a game. Actual consequences are secondary to simply trying to win the the day, week or month political spin cycle, ultimately leading towards the next election. But policies do matter (why enter government if you are not interested in policy) and have tangible outcomes to people. It's one thing if a given policy results in an undesired outcome for some Americans, but when a bold-face lie intended to scare people jeopardizes someone's health, a definite line has been crossed. But that is exactly what happened with the Death Panel lie, made famous by half-term governor Sarah Palin:
Amy Townsend, 38, of Hurst was preparing last week for yet another round of treatments in her battle against breast cancer.
In addition to steeling herself for possible side effects, she and husband Jesse, 43, were preparing for the possibility that they might have to pay hundreds of dollars, up front, before radiation treatment can begin.
With both Amy and Jesse unemployed, the family buys health insurance through COBRA with a $5,500 yearly maximum for out-of-pocket expenses -- a threshold the family has not yet met. COBRA coverage generally lasts up to 18 months.
"We've got to come up with some money for next week," she said.
Though she still faces medical bills, Amy said she was against the health care act, fearing so-called death panels and government inefficiency. [emphasis added] Link
Open Letter to Conservatives: Return to Reality, Please
Posted March 24, 2010
In one of the most detailed smack downs of conservatives that you will ever read, a blogger named Russell King absolutely takes apart pretty much every single Republican talking point you have heard over the last year — and does so with references for each. His critique is broken down into four parts: hypocrisy, hyperbole, historical inaccuracy and hatred. While the article obviously exposes the modern Republican party for the farce that it has become, King is simultaneously asking conservatives to rejoin America, since a democracy can't function when a significant portion of its population has gone off the deep end.
You're going to have to come up with a platform that isn't built on a foundation of cowardice: fear of people with colors, religions, cultures and sex lives that differ from your own; fear of reform in banking, health care, energy; fantasy fears of America being transformed into an Islamic nation, into social/commun/fascism, into a disarmed populace put in internment camps; and more. But you have work to do even before you take on that task.
Republicans Help Define New Political "Lexicon"
Posted March 7, 2010
Considering Republicans have now reversed their position on almost every matter of governing since it became the minority party, it is important that everyone, including the so-called liberal media, understand the new political "lexicon" that we must operate under. Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly has a nice summary of these changes:
"Obstructionism," for example, only refers to Democratic minorities opposing Republican proposals.
"Tyranny" is found when an elected Democratic majority passes legislation that Republicans don't like.
"Reconciliation" describes a Senate process that Republicans are allowed to use to overcome Democratic "obstructionism."
Republicans Flip-Flopping on Reconciliation
Posted March 2, 2010
Since Democrats have started to indicate they will use reconciliation to pass parts of the health care bill to get around Republican obstructionism, Republicans have started with the fake outrage. From claims of this ending democracy to Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) saying it would "end the Senate," Republicans would have you believe this is unprecedented. But surprise, the majority of Republicans currently serving in the Senate have used reconciliation themselves before:
Analysis: Republicans Setting Filibuster Record
Posted March 2, 2010
Once again, Republicans are accomplishing two goals at the same time — both of which are bad for the country. By blocking or slowing down every single piece of legislation and every nomination of President Obama, Republicans are simultaneously hurting the President politically while accomplishing their goal of making government seem ineffective. The problem is we just had an election where the American public overwhelmingly supported the President's agenda, while government failure is something that only seems to occur on Republican watch. But this is probably news to most people, since the media does such a poor job reporting. Read More …
