Saturday, May 30, 2009
Right wingers and mentos
Right wingers and Sotomayor = Like playing with Mentos and Coke. Sooner or later, someone might get hurt while the rest of us laugh our asses off:
Friday, May 29, 2009
Jaws
I am having such a good time:
O'Reilly fighting Malkin and the Freepers? Maybe there is a god after all.
To paraphrase the movie Jaws... I'm gonna need a bigger bucket of popcorn.
The nomination of
MariaSonia Sotomayor is proving to be the biggest gift to the Democratic Party since Obama took the oath of office on that cold morning in January. We've had Newt Gingrich twittering against her from Auschwitz; we've had Republicans choosing "empathy" as the latest noun on which they wish to wage war; we've seen Peggy Noonan forced to admit that Republicans are acting like little children, and John Cornyn forced to attack both Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich.Just when it seemed it couldn't get any better, it does. Now Bill O'Reilly has gotten into a pissing match with both Michelle Malkin and FreeRepublic founder Jim Robinson in an attempt to make himself look good by contrast.
To paraphrase the movie Jaws... I'm gonna need a bigger bucket of popcorn.
Liddy the pig
G. Gordon Liddy, one of the heroes of right wingers, just made this statement:
Oh, and as a bonus, this sexist comment from the pig:
And everybody is cheering because Hispanics and females have been, quote, underrepresented, unquote. And as you pointed out, which I thought was quite insightful, the Supreme Court is not designed to be and should not be a representative body.I believe he is right on the design part. I wonder, however, how he would feel if the Supreme Court winds up with, say, 4 African Americans, 3 Hispanics, and 2 Asians, with 7 of them being women.
Oh, and as a bonus, this sexist comment from the pig:
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.
Mutiny on the Limbaugh?
A couple of days ago Arnold Schwarzenegger joked that Rush Limbaugh can't be the 800-pound gorilla because he lost weight and is down to 650 pounds. Yesterday, Republican senator "creepy" Cornyn took a swipe at Limbaugh (and Gingrich) over their nutty comments on Sotomayer, saying: "I think it's terrible... I just don't think it's appropriate and I certainly don't endorse it. I think it's wrong."
Two elected Republican officials not showing Rush the adulation so common among Republicans. Will they be running back to apologize or is this the beginning of a mutiny?
Two elected Republican officials not showing Rush the adulation so common among Republicans. Will they be running back to apologize or is this the beginning of a mutiny?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Striking out on Sotomayor
The right wing loonies Republicans are coming after Sonia Sotomayor with everything they got, which is to say, not much.
They tried calling her Maria; they tried the "she's not smart enough"; they tried the percent of overturned decisions; they tried attacking what she eats (true, it's not a joke); they tried to say she's not healthy enough. The one charge they seem to be coalescing around is that she's a racist.
But... OK, keep on dumping on Hispanics, boys and girls.
They tried calling her Maria; they tried the "she's not smart enough"; they tried the percent of overturned decisions; they tried attacking what she eats (true, it's not a joke); they tried to say she's not healthy enough. The one charge they seem to be coalescing around is that she's a racist.
But... OK, keep on dumping on Hispanics, boys and girls.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Empathy
Obama talking about Sotomayor? (Emphasis mine)
The party of No really are scrapping the bottom of the barrel when they pick on Obama for emphasizing empathy as a factor in his selection, aren't they?
a delightful and warm, intelligent person who has great empathy and a wonderful sense of humor... a fiercely independent thinker with an excellent legal mind, who believes passionately in equal opportunity for all Americans... will approach the cases that come before the Court with a commitment to deciding them fairly, as the facts and the law require.No. That would be George H. W. Bush about Clarence Thomas in 1991 when he introduced him as his nominee for the Supreme Court.
The party of No really are scrapping the bottom of the barrel when they pick on Obama for emphasizing empathy as a factor in his selection, aren't they?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Happy Birthday DailyKos
The evil orange blog started seven years ago today. For me, politics haven't been the same since I found the site. Here's the first post by the creator of the site:
I second that.I am progressive. I am liberal. I make no apologies. I believe government has an obligation to create an even playing field for all of this country's citizens and immigrants alike. I am not a socialist. I do not seek enforced equality. However, there has to be equality of opportunity, and the private sector, left to its own devices, will never achieve this goal.
Posted May 26, 2002 12:57 PM
Obama reads my blog
Ah! :) Maybe not.
But seriously, a few days ago I said the next Supreme Court Justice needs to be a Hispanic female and today president Obama selected Sonia Sotomayer for that position. I'm a happy camper.
Now, let's watch the Republicans drive away more latinos by the bunch by attacking her for anything, including her haircut.
[UPDATE]: Rush Limbaugh, the de facto leader of the Republican party, wants Sonia Sotomayor to fail. She will will be a "disaster," he says.
Ahhh... life is good these days.
But seriously, a few days ago I said the next Supreme Court Justice needs to be a Hispanic female and today president Obama selected Sonia Sotomayer for that position. I'm a happy camper.
Now, let's watch the Republicans drive away more latinos by the bunch by attacking her for anything, including her haircut.
[UPDATE]: Rush Limbaugh, the de facto leader of the Republican party, wants Sonia Sotomayor to fail. She will will be a "disaster," he says.
Ahhh... life is good these days.
Psychopaths
Definition:
Barack Obama, who keeps pushing the empathy meme, is playing Republicans like a fiddle.
Psychopaths, who lack the inner human core and thus a conscience, have no inner feelings such as empathy. We and our sufferings simply aren't real to the party of psychopaths. "The hard truths of other people's lives mean nothing: they are not real, they are merely insubstantial shadow people."Republicans are all over the TV machine declaring war on empathy.
Barack Obama, who keeps pushing the empathy meme, is playing Republicans like a fiddle.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Useful site for movie goers
If what's important to you are not movie reviews but when it's OK during the movie to make a pee run, this is the website for you: runpee.com
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Socialism to save capitalism
Tim Geithner called "ridiculous" the charges that the Obama administration has a socialist agenda. He admitted that the administration had to do somethings reluctantly to stop the huge cratering of the economy, but they will desist as soon as possible.
So, basically, if I understand him correctly, they are using socialism only to save capitalism. As soon as capitalism is saved, we're going back to a free-for-all market system.
So, basically, if I understand him correctly, they are using socialism only to save capitalism. As soon as capitalism is saved, we're going back to a free-for-all market system.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Easy question
Addressing the fear exhibited by right wingers about having terrorists in American prisons and the silly fear that opinion denotes, a proud citizen of the Netherlands asks:
Could it be that a small country in "old" Europe has more balls than the gun toting folk wingnuts of the US have?The answer: Yes!
Competition and incompetence
Republicans oppose a public option as part of health care reform because, as they see it, a government run program will be a disaster, fraught with mismanagement, waste, and long waiting periods. On the other hand, they also claim that a government run program would be unfair to private insurers. How can that be? It seems to me that if a government program is doomed to be a disaster, private insurers should have nothing to fear from it.
We have examples of that dynamic. Take, for example, political parties. If one party is full of shit, talking out of both sides of their mouth, people will leave that party in large numbers, right?
Oh by the way, have you seen the latest Pew poll about the Republican party? At 22% party identification, "this represents the lowest level of professed affiliation with the GOP in at least a quarter century. Moreover, on nearly every dimension the Republican Party is at a low ebb – from image, to morale, to demographic vitality."
Please, Republicans, keep talking.
We have examples of that dynamic. Take, for example, political parties. If one party is full of shit, talking out of both sides of their mouth, people will leave that party in large numbers, right?
Oh by the way, have you seen the latest Pew poll about the Republican party? At 22% party identification, "this represents the lowest level of professed affiliation with the GOP in at least a quarter century. Moreover, on nearly every dimension the Republican Party is at a low ebb – from image, to morale, to demographic vitality."
Please, Republicans, keep talking.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Trading Places
In the last couple of days, Newt Gingrich was a guest on both the Daily show and Good Morning America. Over the last several years, we would expect a smart-ass grilling on the Daily Show and an easy pass on GMA.
Not this time.
Jon Stewart went Mainstream Media on Newt and completely let him off the hook, conducting one of the most non-eventful interviews I've seen on that show. Stewart was either unprepared, or unwilling, to show Gingrich for the hypocrite that he is. Diane Sawyer, on the other hand, went all Jon Stewart on Newt, pushing him against the corner.
It sure was a nice thing to see a real journalist acting like one.
Not this time.
Jon Stewart went Mainstream Media on Newt and completely let him off the hook, conducting one of the most non-eventful interviews I've seen on that show. Stewart was either unprepared, or unwilling, to show Gingrich for the hypocrite that he is. Diane Sawyer, on the other hand, went all Jon Stewart on Newt, pushing him against the corner.
It sure was a nice thing to see a real journalist acting like one.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Liz Cheney
Why is this woman being interviewed on TV and given so much air time on some of the most prominent shows? Not only does she not have any qualifications other than being Cheney's daughter, but accusing people she disagrees with of being "un-American" is so passé.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Close encounter of the creepy kind
I was on a flight from Newark to Texas yesterday and guess who as sitting on seat 1A? None other than Phil Gramm, former senator from Texas, the man who thinks America is a country of whiners. Remember him? The man behind the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which is one of the major reasons for our current financial woes.
No, I didn't drop my carry on luggage on his head.
No, I didn't drop my carry on luggage on his head.
Encouraging Cheney
Everyone: please shut-up. Let Dick Cheney do the talking.
Under Cheney's leadership, the GOP is careening toward becoming a regional, right-wing party. One day it will be Mr. Cheney and Mr. Limbaugh, alone, each accusing the other of ideological imperfection.As you were saying, Mister Cheney...
Worth Repeating
sanantonerose posted this as a comment before, and she has it on her blog, but this comment about how Republicans have handled torture accusations bears repeating over and over:
1. WE DON’T TORTURE
2. Okay, we did some stuff, but it WASN’T TORTURE
3. Okay, we tortured, BUT IT WAS LEGAL
4. Okay, it might have been illegal, BUT IT WORKED
5. Okay, we tortured, it was illegal, and it didn’t work, BUT NANCY PELOSI MIGHT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT SO IT’S ALL THE DEMOCRAT SOCIALISTS’ FAULT.
Too much on his plate
President Obama continues to be ambivalent about a serious inquiry into torture abuses by the Bush administration. Many, like Steve Benen, point to the work load:
Bush left him with a generational economic crisis, an abysmal job market, a budget mess, a war in Iraq, a deteriorating war in Afghanistan, an nuclear-armed and unstable Pakistan, a nuclear-armed and nutty North Korea, a warming planet, a collapsing U.S. auto industry, an ineffective health care system, a massive debt, an absurd national energy framework, and a nation that has lost much of its global prestige.I understand and appreciate the work load, but I have one word for Obama: delegate!Ready to dive in and start getting the nation back on track, the president is told, "Wait, before you tackle this to-do list, we have to deal with the consequences of the previous administration's alleged war crimes, too."
It's no wonder No Drama Obama prefers to turn the proverbial page.
Lingerie Football
Is this a leftover from April Fool's day? Lingerie League Football.
Oh no! They're going after Bo
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Evil
Paul Krugman:
Let’s say this slowly: the Bush administration wanted to use 9/11 as a pretext to invade Iraq, even though Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. So it tortured people to make them confess to the nonexistent link.
There’s a word for this: it’s evil.
Oh boy
Why is president Obama now against showing more torture pictures? Maybe because of this:
This is at Abu Ghraib ... The women were passing messages out saying 'Please come and kill me, because of what's happened' and basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. And the worst above all of that is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror. It's going to come out."
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Misleading us
If there's one politician I trust, both his intellect and honesty, is Russ Feingold.
Nothing I have seen — including the two documents to which former Vice President Cheney has repeatedly referred — indicates that the torture techniques authorized by the last administration were necessary, or that they were the best way to get information out of detainees. The former vice president is misleading the American people when he says otherwise.
Slippery slope
I love to see these fuckers so uncomfortable and so defeated:
Social Security
According to Robert Reich, the latest report about the status of the Social Security program points to nothing more than a "tiny" problem, which can be easily solved many different ways.
Don't pay too much attention to people who tell you that the sky is falling. Instead, read The Truth Behind Social Security. Not only does he put things in perspective, but he'll make you glad immigrants keep on coming to the country.
Don't pay too much attention to people who tell you that the sky is falling. Instead, read The Truth Behind Social Security. Not only does he put things in perspective, but he'll make you glad immigrants keep on coming to the country.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Teabagging racists
Janeane Garafolo is 100% right:
Indeed, where were they for the past 8 years?
Indeed, where were they for the past 8 years?
Monday, May 11, 2009
Healthcare buzz
We're likely to hear a lot about some healthcare major progress coming from the White House. But it's important for us to keep our eyes on the ball:
UPDATE: After mentioning several reasons for being skeptical about the intent of some of the players, Paul Krugman says this:
Pure and simple: no public option = big failure!Until you kick for-profit healthcare in the teeth, the murder by spreadsheet industry will do whatever is necessary to squeeze every dollar out of your illness, your disease, your misery and deliver that money to Wall Street.
This is why, unless we have a robust and authentic public health care option, the Obama Administration will have delivered the American people exactly nothing.
UPDATE: After mentioning several reasons for being skeptical about the intent of some of the players, Paul Krugman says this:
The fact that the medical-industrial complex is trying to shape health care reform rather than block it is a tremendously good omen. It looks as if America may finally get what every other advanced country already has: a system that guarantees essential health care to all its citizens.I remain skeptical, but this is the best step forward I've heard in decades when it comes to health care in this country.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
What a difference a few months make
The guy approved that dumb Air Force One fly over lower Manhattan without informing the public tendered his resignation and president Obama accepted it.
What a difference a few months make. Under the old administration he would have been named to head FEMA. Or, with an opening in the US Supreme Court, he would have been nominated.
What a difference a few months make. Under the old administration he would have been named to head FEMA. Or, with an opening in the US Supreme Court, he would have been nominated.
Happy Places
Picking on European countries for being too socialist seem to be a misguided strategy for the Republican party, unless happiness is of no interest to that group:
But... but... but... how can they be happy without guns?
Notice that the above quote comes from an article in Forbes, a magazine quite grounded on American capitalism.Where in the world do people feel most content with their lives?
According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.
Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list, ranking first, second and third, respectively. Outside Europe, New Zealand and Canada landed at Nos. 8 and 6, respectively. The U.S. did not crack the top 10. Switzerland placed seventh and Belgium placed tenth.
But... but... but... how can they be happy without guns?
Saturday, May 09, 2009
I love this guy
Friday, May 08, 2009
Bring us the World Cup
President Obama's view on bringing the World Cup to the USA:
Mustard
Right wingers really are making a big deal about Obama ordering a hamburger with mustard. I'm not kidding. Now, some of them are trying to be funny, but conservatives just can't do funny. They simply don't know how.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Trust issues
Why would anyone trust what Republicans say? Consider this:
Republicans, after all, proclaimed that President Clinton's tax hikes would destroy the economy, that GOP rule would mean smaller government, that Bush's tax cuts would usher in a new era of prosperity; now the House minority leader says it's "comical" to think carbon dioxide could be harmful, and Steele says the earth is cooling...Ruy Teixeira's comment is spot on:
it's not clear that more diverse spokesmen or better tweets can woo a new generation to the GOP; support for gay rights is soaring, and polls show that voters prefer Democratic approaches to health care, education and the economy. "The outlook for Republicans is even worse than people think," says Ruy Teixeira, author of The Emerging Democratic Majority. "Their biggest problem is that they really believe what they believe."And even the usual Republican solution to all the problems that ails us, tax cuts, is now on the table for a make over:
The most urgent question is the meaning of economic conservatism. Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, a conservative who keeps a bust of Reagan on his desk, surprised me by declaring that the Reagan era is over. "Marginal tax rates are the lowest they've been in generations, and all we can talk about is tax cuts," he said. "The people's desires have changed, but we're still stuck in our old issue set.""Marginal tax rates are the lowest they've been in generations, and all we can talk about is tax cuts"... wow! How long before Rush Limbaugh slaps this poor guy around?
Say it ain't so, Joe
This from a TIME magazine article:
UPDATE: This, from Wonkette:
"Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, tells TIME he's so outraged by GOP overspending, he's quitting the party -- and he's the bull's-eye of its target audience," the article says.Who's next to leave, Dick Cheney?
UPDATE: This, from Wonkette:
You know your party has hit new lows of odiousness when even a rat-eyed tax-delinquent creep who makes propaganda videos for Pajamas Media wants nothing to do with you. So congratulations, Republicans, Joe the “Plumber” is dumping your ass.
The fuel
We can summarize what's at the very center of what fuels the current Republican party, from its various leaders to the vast majority of its supporters, in one word -- racism.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Libertarian Paradise
American Christians: the ever shrinking group
Americans and religion:
So why the jump in the poll numbers? Because being an atheist is going mainstream and more people are now comfortable admitting it. And the higher the numbers get, the higher they will get as more people become courageous enough to admit it.
Whether here in the USA or Europe, the days of believing in fairy tales are ever so slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Historically, the percentage of Americans who said they had no religious affiliation (pollsters refer to this group as the "nones") has been very small -- hovering between 5 percent and 10 percent. However, Putnam says the percentage of "nones" has now skyrocketed to between 30 percent and 40 percent among younger Americans.While the author of the study calls this "a stunning development," I have to say this does not surprise me. I believe that the numbers among the population in general are even higher than those reported in this study. Far too many people are so conditioned to having to believe in something that they say they do when in fact, in their day to day lives, they really don't.
So why the jump in the poll numbers? Because being an atheist is going mainstream and more people are now comfortable admitting it. And the higher the numbers get, the higher they will get as more people become courageous enough to admit it.
Whether here in the USA or Europe, the days of believing in fairy tales are ever so slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Bad Democrat
I will officially be rooting for a viable contender against Arlen Specter:
In an interview with the New York Times, Specter stated in no uncertain terms that he wants Norm Coleman to win the disputed Minnesota Senate race: "There's still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner."UPDATE: Well, it now appears that Specter says he "misspoke" during that interview and he didn't mean what he said. He claims he wants Al Franken to win.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Silvio Berlusconi
Bush's former pal:
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has compared himself to Jesus Christ and Napoleon, boasted on Friday that he was the world's most popular leader.The conservative premier, in his third term in office, said opinion poll findings in his possession showed his popularity at just over 75 percent, making him far more popular than U.S. President Barack Obama -- or any other head of government.
Where did Silvio get the 75 percent figure? Well, basically, he made it up.
A conservative making up stuff... who would have guessed?
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Eclipse
From "government is the problem" to "responsible government; no more, no less."
From trickle down economics to an economy that works for everyone.
From running away like a scared little girl (Lebanon) to responsible withdrawal (Iraq).
You get the picture.
The new Supreme
Who should the next Supreme Court nominee be? I don't have a name, but it should be a Hispanic woman. But... but... but what about picking being the most qualified person? Oh come on, that's a euphemism for picking the white guy. In a nation as large as ours, there isn't "one" most qualified person. What we have is a pool of people who are all qualified. The person who won the presidential election gets to pick just one. So, if there is a liberal Hispanic woman who fits the bill, nominate her. It's a great way to bring equality to the court... and drive right wingers bat-shit crazy (always a perk in my book).
