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Monday, May 14, 2012

The End of Sharon Legacy

His old friend co-opts Kadima, ... 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Goodbye, Jersey Girl

Gone too soon, Whitney Houston, XOX:


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Israel's Pre-Election First-Strike Window

The title says it all.  Think about it.

Rick Santorum, OWNING the execrable part of his moniker

"There's always a reason." 

Have a treat and do yourself a favor. Set aside some time and watch these two, one after the other. Textbook ship wreck.



"They hated me without a cause.":

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Obama Tweet of the Day

Separation of powers is Constitutional.  Fast talk about 'ending supremacy' is not serious.  -BO #NewtFastTalk #NotASeriousCandidate

Obama Tweet of the Day

Can't lead or govern with platitudes. What page of 133p opinion is "prejudiced"? -BO #W.MittRomney #notaseriouscandidate

Syria on Path to Escalation

Here's an interesting paradox: (Principled) Non-intervention creates conditions that require intervention.

It's like the Spanish Civil War, a little bit, in which everyone tried to stay out, but got sucked in, one way or the other.

Monday, February 6, 2012

An American Classic

Left or Right, you have to admit that Maureen Dowd has taken this form of political takedown to an artform.

This one ranks up with President Bush's Barberini Faun, no?

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Remainderman of Reagan Devolution, "Thuggery", Will Not Be Televised

FRAKING THE COUNTRY, ONE GOP VOTE AT A TIME

GOP swells, they stall, delay, arguably harass, and then arrest documentary filmmaker, so he won't video tape a public hearing, prompting him to exclaim, "This is not government.  This is thuggery."

There were reasons that the founders insisted on public hearings.

However, we are on terra nova with the Reagan Devolution, in which some things the GOP do are so awful that they need the continued cloak of secrecy.

About that "He made the recession worse" propaganda

MAKING IT HARDER TO GOVERN THE COUNTRY, ONE GOP CONTENDER AT A TIME

What's going on with this phrase, "Obama made the recession worse"?

Looks like pretty sophisticated propaganda technique, to me.  Afterall, on the facts, this is what Obama should be saying about the GOP, who stalled stimulus legislation and made sure that a huge part of what was done, went into stimulus-inefficient tax breaks.

Now, some might say that is what Rachel Maddow called, "going after their strength", in reference to Karl Rove's super-naught-PAC.

But consider this:  one needs to know a bit of economics to understand the truth of the matter.  Or, rely on an independent expert.  This propaganda technique, used by the GOP, exploits that.

First, you attack anyone who sets themselves up as an 'independent expert'.  This is the "liberal media elites".

Then you work to make the issue seem like a partisan disagreement over the facts.  Use your propaganda TV channel and its mantras of epistemic closure, but also giveaway, right-wing radio.  People trust their "daddy", Bill O'Reilly, say, who's "always looking out for you", rather than their reason.

As such, it is a fairly sophisticated approach.  Doesn't always work, but it sure makes it harder to govern the country in a fact-based way, doesn't it?  At a minimum, you have to have the money it takes to do voter education, if the media fail in that role.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

FL Horserace: It's the Heretic over the Papist and the French Conservative

...by a mile.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Best Pundit Comment

Describing the Jacksonville debate:

"Welcome to the Marco Rubio suck-up party."

Favorite Moments of GOP Constipation, Jacksonville Debate

The Spreading Santorum Award goes to Rick Santorum, who railed and railed, like a half-vest-wearing timber mouse, against both Newton and Willard for being complicit in "top down, government-run healthcare", unlike St. Rick.

Then, Rick boasted about his ties to Peurto Rico and waxed proudly to have done all he could to pass things (legislation?) and boost medicaid reimbursement rates, to help people there.*

The Republican Ideological Invisibility Award gets split.

Republican Palestinian Americans are invisible, so long anyone is firing a missile (or gun?) at Israel.

The unemployed uninsured are invisible, because they can simply be redefined as re-employed and self-insured, by a swelling economy under abject deregulation of a GOP President, etc. or having them mythically buy their own insurance, somehow, with enough money from somewhere (or with lower health costs from before the 1960s).

*(No other candidate was even given a chance to respond to the PR question, so swelled were the moderators by Rick's earnestness--what's up with that?)

Gingrich Bows Out, Admits Just a Sparring Candidate

The real truth of the Gingrich fake candidacy came out in tonight's Jacksonville debate.

He's got Willard Mitt Romeny fired up and ready-to-go.

Accordingly, he's back in friendly, quiet talk-circle mode.

It looked like he was ready to invite people to come sign his book, after the "debate".  ["What (token?) hispanics would you have serve in your cabinet?" was actually a question allowed by CNN].

His biggest failure was looking down at the podium, as if reading from notes, while talking about Callista.

For the Record

Newton lies well under pressure.

At least everyone thought that 'Reagan Conservative' meant being so conducively aloof that lies came off as mere stupidity or as distractedly disinformed.

Now you know differently, about big-tent Reagan Conservatism... /f Clinton-karma backlash

Latest, from the Most Reverend (and sinner) the Archbishop

RECOGNIZING MARRIAGE IN NEW JERSEY

Not much new, except they are most visibly aggrieved, concerned about themselves, this time around, than they were last time.

Tweet of the Day

From  "Joe" "the plumber"

OMG, I'm SUCH an IDIOT.  #WillardMittRomneyTaxes