His old friend co-opts Kadima, ...
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
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
Thursday, January 26, 2012
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
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Stampede the Immigrants!
Finally, we have, from Mitt Romney, the GOP owning up to their strategy to make America hostile to immigrants.
The plan is to encourage their "self-deportation".
Longtime readers will recognize this strategy, called here "stampede the immigrants".
Destroying America, One Broadcast At a Time
The damage of FOX and its long subsidy of Beck lives on.
While his politics aren't common knowledge among many hockey fans, [Tim] Thomas hasn't hidden his political leanings. He's a fan of former Fox News channel host Glenn Beck, ... - storySome might not have wanted to shake the hand of President Bush, because of his dereliction of duty in planning the Iraq War and his embrace of torture.
But, to disrespect the Office of the President? The Republic for which it stands? For ANY Beckian reason? Nah.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Why Social Moderates Should Greatly Fear a Gingrich Presumptive
To compensate, he is going to have to talk bigger and act bolder, on the social issues and law-and-order issues.
Coupled with the remnants of the Tea-Party furor, his party's behavior is likely to get draconian.
You think no one would ever haul a gay-rights friendly judge or woman's-rights friendly judge before Congress? He will. He told you he would. He's not going to have the room to moderate once in office. To the contrary, the pressure is going to go the other way.
You think no one would dare grab U.S. citizens off the streets for indefinite detention, because it's outside our norms?
The list goes on.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
South Carolina Drinks the KoolAid From Highest Paid "Historian" in History
A MAN WITH A POISONOUS PAST
Even if you have a grudging respect for the rebel yell, last night's Gingrich win has to make you laugh.
Apparently, to the voters of South Carolina, "Freddie Mac" is a menu item at McDonald's that Gingrich ate a lot of.
Hate of the media is so important that moral character in a standard bearer for the party is a booed second.
This is how you choose leadership quality? #notaseriouscandidate
Question of the Day?
Should team Obama visibly be in South Carolina now? Florida?
The answer is yes. An unconventional campaign is called for. An attempt to expand and build the party is worthwhile. If his promise was transformative politics, he can't do that from inside the beltway so easily.
The fight is on and they are hanging back, instead of shaping the battlefield.
He should do 'the reverse Lincoln-Douglas'. In this move, Douglas chases Lincoln (and whoops him before the bullets even fly).
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Obama Tweets of the Day
Can't be a candidate of 'Ginormous Solutions' if you play the world's smallest (media) violin. -BO #NewtFastTalk #notaseriouscandidate
Friday, January 20, 2012
FOX, Where The News is a Blur
If the point was to poke fun at FOX, better copy would be "Braised and Biased". Just sayin'.
FastTalk Newtons
Newt's reply to John King last night was totally disingenuous nature, the one that is getting so much airplay, that Andrew Sullivan liveblogged as "perfect". (Even this is cute, but no cigar).
The fact of the matter is that Newt wanted that question, despite saying, "No, but I will."
King is not a highly-skilled interviewer, at least not at this level, not a power-player.
Imagine how different it would have been if he had immediately cut Gingrich off and said, "Okay, then, the question is withdrawn."
This would have left it the pink elephant in the room and Newt at the hands of the rumor mills, unaided by the power of CNN.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Truths and Perspectives I Don't Want to Deal With
THE MEDIA VIOLIN - THERE YOU GO AGAIN!
Isn't EVERYONE exhausted yet of GOP candidates who won't deal with questions, truths, or perspectives, and instead, just start playing their media violin?
Obama Tweet Of The Day
Would not want to run against feisty Ron Paul. Share many of his views of constitutional protections of liberty. -BO
Tweets of the Day
Special prosecutor to investigate Newt, if Pres. Rec on impeachment, if true. -Bill Clinton
To the Radicals Alito and Roberts
Without Super-PAC money, Gingrich would not be in the race, today.
Ignoring the conservative view, a deference to over a century of conventional wisdom related to money-in-politics, these two right-wing radicals have changed the trajectory of the Republic.
Citizen's United is perhaps as good as any high-watermark ahead of American political decline.
Ladies and Gentlemen: The French Conservative
It's revealed today, by ABC's interview with his former wife, that Newt asked for permission of his wife to continue his relationship with Calista.
Gingrich, of course, was Speaker when he allowed votes to impeach Clinton for investigatory faux-pas related to personal sexual impropriety:
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Do-Nothing GOP Congress Returns after 3 1/2 Week Recess
The GOP's do-nothing congress returned, after awarding themselves a comfortable three and a half weeks of vacation.
First order of business?
Posture politically and ... do nothing.
Huntsman, Gone With the Wind
Everyone should miss Huntsman (just not too much).
He will always be remembered as the one who sent thousands of Tea tiddlewinks to their mommies, asking, "What is an 'intellectually honest conversation', Mommy"?
FOX Visibly Throws Fair and Balanced Out the Window
I'm sorry, but blurring Andrew Sullivan's name off the cover page is just hilarious.
FOX is like a MAD TV version of real journalism. It's pathetic that any political candidate would talk to them, between this and the omerta (Reagan's 11th commandment) that they enforce...
"By the way, Fox News has Mark Levin on to trash my article but they are far too afraid to have me on to defend it. I've been on the blacklist for years. Like Ron Paul, too dangerous for Fox. You might notice that they have actually blurred out my name on the cover. Heh." - Andrew Sullivan
Shorter GOP "debate"
C'MON EVERYONE, LET'S GIVE THE LITTLE GIRLS A GREAT BIG WELCOME!
They hate government so much they all want to run it; and when they do, they run it into the ground and do everything they promised not to do and much they never said they would.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Obama Tweets for the Day
No challenge political debates, not the right direction for America. -BO #notseriouscandidates #Huckabee
Friday, January 13, 2012
Obama Tweets For the Day
Which is it: 'Shining City on a Hill' or 'Nation In Crisis'? Pray for or praise her? -BO #PerrySC #notaseriouscandidate
You w/party~divides forever by calling op "unrighteous". But u cannot stand a _vote_ on whether top earners should pull more weight during hard times?! -BO #MittRomney #notaseriouscandidate
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Obama Tweets of the Day
Good managers and great nations put their people first. Health Care Act does that. #MittRomneyRepeal #notaseriouscandidate
Committed couples paying taxes, married in their state. No civic "destruction". #NewtFastTalk #notaseriouscandidate
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Obama Tweet of the Day
Can it be we have a Republican presumptive who has never shot a gun before? Strange days. -BO #notaseriouscandidate
Did they write it? No.
This White House is going to play it safe until they are forced later on to do something dramatic.
It's still not too late for them to start supporting the candidacy of Ron Paul. There are ways, for people who are clever, without appearing to do it directly.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Is Newt's Career Over, Finally?
To have pandered so boldly and lost is truly a costly proposition.
"Gingrich is a festering white-head of loathing. Which is why his smile looks so terrifying and false." -Andrew Sullivan
Obama Suddenly Looking a LIttle Bit, er, Executive
Has he broken out of his Senator-mode, his "let's have a debate" mode and taken up the whip handle, the true burden of being an Executive?
Who can say, because he does a lot of things behind the scenes, and like Eisenhower, a bit, maybe, he prefers not to appear as 'the heavy'.
Still, this move to recess appoint Richard Cordray suddenly has him looking, acting, feeling Presidential. (It was foreshadowed on this blog - gulp!)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Platitudinous To Perfection
Clearly, he's ready to "preside over the decay" in Washington.
Look into the amber waves of grain and "vote values". Pay no attention to the things we'll do we're not talking about.
Catechized Deadhead Thanks Wife Before God
As long as Rick Santorum is being a display-faith candidate, can we question openly and honestly how it is that he put his sing-songy wife ahead of God in this thanks tonight?
Yes, of course we can, AND it is the right response to do it. I mean, we *know* you love your wife, but c'mon.
Oblation: Santorum Is Aroma that Attracts Evangelicals Away From Gingrich
We'll wait for the returns cross-section, but one has to hazard that Santorum was the knife that the GOP "establishment" used to cut Gringich's appeal to the heartland Christianists, backed by huge PAC spending on ads.
If true, that means that Santorum, who never had much polled support in Iowa until recent days, garnered nothing more than a rejection vote, a safe-harbor "value vote", a power-pastor oblation vote.
That's just fine with those pulling the GOP's purse strings, as they get to keep up the illusion of a Reagan coalition that "works", rather than one that is a dangerous trinity for any polity.
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