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Monday, March 26, 2007
If only they read their Bible AND our constitution
By the (liberal)Girl Next Door, commenting on the Pew survey that showed a decline in the Republican brand:It’s more than a little ironic that the most immoral administration in the history of this country continues to enjoy the unflinching loyalty of the Holy Rollers. I just wish that these “patriots” would take the time to read their Bible AND our constitution. If they did, Bush surely wouldn’t have any support left.
Labels: pew survey, republicans
The Case of the Shrinking Party
By VictorM: For the guys reading this, imagine being a teenager, in bed with your date, getting really excited, and then, unexpectedly her parents come home and storm into her bedroom, catching you with your hands in the cookie jar. Well, Republicans can relate to the kind of shrinkage that would result:The survey, by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for People and the Press, found a "dramatic shift" in political party identification since 2002, when Republicans and Democrats were at rough parity. Now, half of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward Democrats, while only 35% aligned with Republicans.Yes, it was fun for a little while, she was willing, but the grown-ups had other ideas.
The flirtation with a failed ideology is over. Deal with it!
Labels: pew survey, republicans
Friday, March 09, 2007
Magical and Powerful Vaccine
Note: Each link in this post will open a new window
By VictorM: There’s a vaccine you can take that requires no pills to swallow, no needles to prick you, no scrutiny of your past, and no money to pay. What does it do for you? Lots.
It will render you incapable of wrongdoing or making mistakes in the eyes of your peers. Any resemblance of you doing or saying the wrong thing will cause your friends to come to your defense. Even if you are a drug addict, a pedophile, a perjurer, a phone sex feign, an adulterer, or advocate assassinations, the door is always open for you.
You will automatically be considered a religious person even if you don’t attend church or don’t know the 10 Commandments, and you will forever be regarded as a person with great family values even if you’re a high-stakes gambler, procure the services of prostitutes, and rub your peccadilloes on your wife’s face.
You will be free to make racist comments with no discernable negative impact on you. Moreover, you will be able to make stuff up, over and over, knowing the serious people will carry the water for you.
Many of your friends will be rich and getting richer while those you don’t care for will get poorer and sicker.
And because of this vaccine, even those who get killed or maimed fighting for you for reasons that keep changing while you sit at home will still do your bidding and love you for it, even if you then treat them like dirt.
Some say it will even enlarge your penis or your boobs.
You will be able to disregard the inconvenient and remember as truth that which are lies but convenient. You will develop the art of deflection, memorize slick slogans, be the laziest son of a bitch and claim it’s hard work, and every time you say 'boo' a nation will tremble.
Sounds too good to be true? Do you expect to pay a lot for it? Do you think only a select few can have it? Well, it is true, it’s free, and anyone can have it. All you have to do is call yourself (like you didn’t see this one coming a mile away)… a Republican. It IS that simple.
Disclaimer: There are a few drawbacks: your friends will be assholes, and the cool kids will laugh at you.
By VictorM: There’s a vaccine you can take that requires no pills to swallow, no needles to prick you, no scrutiny of your past, and no money to pay. What does it do for you? Lots.It will render you incapable of wrongdoing or making mistakes in the eyes of your peers. Any resemblance of you doing or saying the wrong thing will cause your friends to come to your defense. Even if you are a drug addict, a pedophile, a perjurer, a phone sex feign, an adulterer, or advocate assassinations, the door is always open for you.
You will automatically be considered a religious person even if you don’t attend church or don’t know the 10 Commandments, and you will forever be regarded as a person with great family values even if you’re a high-stakes gambler, procure the services of prostitutes, and rub your peccadilloes on your wife’s face.
You will be free to make racist comments with no discernable negative impact on you. Moreover, you will be able to make stuff up, over and over, knowing the serious people will carry the water for you.
Many of your friends will be rich and getting richer while those you don’t care for will get poorer and sicker.
And because of this vaccine, even those who get killed or maimed fighting for you for reasons that keep changing while you sit at home will still do your bidding and love you for it, even if you then treat them like dirt.
Some say it will even enlarge your penis or your boobs.
You will be able to disregard the inconvenient and remember as truth that which are lies but convenient. You will develop the art of deflection, memorize slick slogans, be the laziest son of a bitch and claim it’s hard work, and every time you say 'boo' a nation will tremble.
Sounds too good to be true? Do you expect to pay a lot for it? Do you think only a select few can have it? Well, it is true, it’s free, and anyone can have it. All you have to do is call yourself (like you didn’t see this one coming a mile away)… a Republican. It IS that simple.
Disclaimer: There are a few drawbacks: your friends will be assholes, and the cool kids will laugh at you.
Labels: republicans
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Iraq: Democrats should not settle for half-measures
By VictorM: Democrats continue to wrestle with ways to address the Iraq war. But anything short of total opposition to the president will taint the Democrats. As Senator Russ Feingold correctly said: "It’s still George Bush’s war, but we run the risk of gaining some ownership of it if we don’t make it absolutely clear that we are the party that wants to get out of there." Democrats should insist on ending the war now, and say it loudly, clearly, and repeatedly. If they come up short -- and they will because the Republicans will block them -- then let it be all Bush's way. Don't settle on half-measures like playing games with defunding. If they stick to this plan, the Democrats win either way: if they prevail the American people will reward them; if they don't prevail, Americans will know who to blame -- the Republicans!
Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, russ feingold
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Let Republicans have their war
By Atrios: Republicans want to continue the war and Democrats want to end it. It's that simple. Any other debate is about what the best method to get George Bush to end the war is. I think even now too many Democrats... are scared they're going to be painted as traitors by the wingnut noise machine. But that's about politics and strategy, not the desired result. Democrats want to end the war, Republicans want to continue it. Make it partisan. The Republicans are. Let them have their war.
Labels: atrios, democrats, Iraq war, republicans
Friday, February 23, 2007
The "Luck" of the Republicans
By VictorM: With helicopters being shot down in Iraq, a surge that's going nowhere, a trade deficit that's ever growing, deplorable conditions at Walter Reed (and so far, no one paying for it but the wounded soldiers), a most dysfunctional group of presidential candidates, the UK and other unwilling nations planning to leave Iraq, the number of those below the poverty line growing, in short, with tons of bad news, Republicans are so lucky that Britney Spears went batty and Anna Nicole Smith died; with the attention the media is giving these two non-stories, the serious stuff -- all of them Republican messes -- are getting mostly just background play. As I write this, the Washington Post, CNN, and ABCNews websites have the "dead and the ditz" stories prominently displayed on their homepages. I don't know, is it luck or friends in high places? (No, I don't mean Him, I mean corporate news heads).
Labels: anna nicole smith, britney spears, republicans
Friday, February 16, 2007
Republicans do it better than Democrats
By VictorM: Republicans have, all by themselves, screwed up the Iraq war in every manner imaginable. Yet they are almost always on the offensive. If you criticize them or the war, you’re a traitor, weak, a coward, an appeaser, emboldening the enemy, siding with the terrorists, etc. Yet Barak Obama was immediately on the defensive about using the word “wasted” and Hillary is on the defensive about a vote from years ago. Seriously, why is that? What is about the dynamics between the two parties that makes Republicans so good at attacking and Democrats not? Why haven't Democrats mastered the skill of politically having their opponents on the defensive?
Labels: attack, democrats, republicans
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Conservative Movement: Another Flash in the Pan
By VictorM: When I see the amazing collapse of the conservative movement, and to a lesser extent, of the Republican brand, I feel a sense of déjà vu: Theory Z, New Kids on the Block, Zager and Evans (“In the Year 2525”), eight-track players, the Beta (Betamax) video format, leisure suits, the pet rock, etc. Well, you get the idea.
Labels: conservative, deja vu, republicans
Jews: Republicans aren't our kind of people
By Jennifer Rubin, on why few Jews vote Republican: The dustup over the location of Mitt Romney's presidential announcement — the Henry Ford Museum — may be revealing... Ford, of course, was a notorious anti-Semite... The GOP has become a rural, overwhelmingly Christian and Southern party. It is not populated by urban ethnics who, even if they aren't Jewish, understand Jews' cultural references and sensibilities... the Republicans are not just our kind of people, many Jews say. They don't sound like us, they don't talk like us and they don't understand us. Unless and until that changes, Jews likely will likely be voting overwhelmingly Democratic for years to come.
Labels: democrats, gop, jennifer rubin, jews, Mitt Romney, republicans
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
On Brands: A Note to The Religious (and The Press)
By Paperwigth: If you don't use and defend a trademark or brand, you lose it. In particular, you have to defend your brand against people using it to identify products and services that you don't provide and which may be far inferior to the products and services that you provide. This is the fundamental problem that the mainstream religious face in the United States today: they have not defended their brand, and they have lost it to the outrage pimps of Republican Fundamentalism like James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and (most recently) William Donohue.
Labels: James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, religion, republicans, William Donohue
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Nancy Pelosi's air travels
By Joe in DC, commenting on the false reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked for a bigger plane for herself and her staff: In the past two days, 11 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq. That's news. But the GOP and the Pentagon don't want to talk about the disaster their incompetence has created in Iraq. If the GOP and the Pentagon want to talk about aircraft, let's talk about aircraft - how about all the helicopters being shot down in Iraq? No, we can't talk about that - that's real news. They'd rather manufacture scandals about nothing, then disseminate it through the GOP's all-too-willing allies in the press who fall for it again, and again, and again.
Labels: media, nancy pelosi, republicans
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Giuliani: To the left of a good number of Democrats
By Josh Marshall, commenting on Rudy Giuliani's candidacy for president: [Dick Morris says:] "Conversations with conservative activists also show a remarkable openness to supporting Giuliani - a belief that he can overcome (perhaps finesse) his pro-choice, pro-gun-control, pro-gay-rights and pro-immigration positions." Let's be frank. On most or all of these issues, Giuliani is to the left of a good number of Democrats outside the northeast and the west coast.
Basically, for social conservatives, Giuliani is way on the wrong side of every signature, litmus issue. But there's a "remarkable openness." How about remarkably desperate? They just don't have anybody in this race at the moment that's catching any kind of fire in the nomination process and has any chance in a general.
Basically, for social conservatives, Giuliani is way on the wrong side of every signature, litmus issue. But there's a "remarkable openness." How about remarkably desperate? They just don't have anybody in this race at the moment that's catching any kind of fire in the nomination process and has any chance in a general.
Labels: democrats, republicans, rudy giuliani
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Republicans Own It
By VictorM: All Senate Republicans voted not to debate the Iraq War as part of a non-binding resolution. Good. There should be no debate – Republicans own this disaster all to themselves, including the latest escalation, and that’s the way it should stay until 2008. I just hope Democrats have the balls to remind voters of this.
Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, senate
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Reflection on the future
By Mad Kossack: The truth about the deceit that led to the war in Iraq, the attempts to dismantle the Constitution, the attempts to normalize torture and kidnapping and imprisonment without trial--- all of this must be displayed for the world to see, and for children studying the history of their country to pore over in their history books.The people who did this to our country must be shown to be the shameful bastards that they are. They should be beyond 'rehabilitating' themselves into future Republican administrations. That has been allowed in the past and led to the travesties we witness now.
Labels: conservative, republicans
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
More on the missing "ic"
By assyrian64: When a Republican says "Democrat party" this, on an unconscious level, I think, immediately communicates a negative, Tom Delay view of the Democratic Party. The correct phrase "Democratic Party", on the contrary, brings up, on an unconscious level, positive things such as FDR, the New Deal, JFK, etc. Today's Republican leaders are failures at governance, but masters of advertising and propaganda. They are currently unpopular because the terrifying reality they have created has exceeded their talents at misinformation.Labels: democrats, politics, republicans
Friday, January 26, 2007
Republicans: From Riches to Rags
By Kevin Drum: Aside from the obvious fact that Democrats are hungrier than Republicans because they've been out of office since 2000, the Republican field is remarkably weak this cycle. Compared to Democrats, who have half a dozen genuinely strong contenders, John McCain is really the only high-profile candidate they've got, and even he's hardly setting the world on fire. It's pretty amazing, really. From being on top of the world a mere two years ago, Republicans are having trouble just treading water these days.Labels: democrats, john mccain, republicans
Forty three rotten people
By VictorM: Around 80% of the American people support a minimum wage increase. The House just recently passed a minimum wage bill by a very wide margin. In the Senate, 43 rotten people felt the need to deny the American people what it so strongly favors. Those 43 Senators have one thing in common: they are all Republicans. When the 2008 elections come around remember that John McCain, who has consistently voted against a minimum wage, is among them.Labels: john mccain, minimum wage, republicans
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Iraq: Democrats vs Republicans
By Kos: It's frustrating that despite the lessons of history and the GOP's own actions, so many Democrats are still afraid to actually lead on Iraq. They couch their "opposition" to Iraq in so many layers of caveats and rhetorical fluff that clarity and force of conviction are sacrificed. Take a look at how Webb did it: "[Democrats] might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world." See, it's that easy. The contradiction between the parties is stark -- one wants to end the war in Iraq and focus on truly battling international terrorism, the other doesn't. We want out, they want to escalate.Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, webb
Friday, January 05, 2007
Minimum Wage Should be Zero
By Kevin Drum, commenting on conservative columnist George Will's statement that "The minimum wage should be the same everywhere: $0. Labor is a commodity; governments make messes when they decree commodities' prices.": the core problem with conservative economics: it views workers as commodities. Naturally it follows from this that we should be free to treat workers like commodities, rather than as human beings. (See here for a recent example.) Most conservatives are careful not to state this belief quite so baldly, but Will must have slipped up this morning. But don't blame him. He's just saying out loud what all the rest of them usually say only under their breaths.Labels: conservative, george will, minimum wage, republicans
Then they couldn't, now they can
By VictorM: Democrats took over the House and Senate. The Washington Post says: "Last night, the House nearly unanimously approved a broad package of internal rules changes designed to sever the cozy links that have developed between lawmakers and lobbyists... The measures were approved 430 to 1... This was a remarkable change considering that House Republicans could barely pass a far weaker measure last May and ultimately did not enact any measure because they could not reach agreement with the Senate." Regardless of your party affiliation, you have to question why Republicans, who controlled all branches of government, had problems with this issue but the Democrats could hit the ground running with it. If nothing else, this is a sign of how rotten things have been with the Republican majority.Labels: congress, democrats, ethics reform, republicans
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Americans on the Issues That Matter
By VictorM: One political party represents the views of the America people, one party doesn't. I ain't saying which is which but here's that the American people think (agree/disagree): Allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies to attempt to lower the price of prescription drugs for some senior citizens: 87/12; Raising the minimum wage: 85/14; Cutting interest rates on federal loans to college students: 84/15; Creating an independent panel to oversee ethics in Congress: 79/19; Making significant changes in U.S. policy in Iraq: 77/20; Reducing the amount of influence lobbyists have in congressional decisions: 75/21; Implementing all of the anti-terrorism recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission: 64/26; Maintaining the current Social Security system to prevent the creation of private investment accounts: 63/32; Funding embryonic stem cell research: 62/32... Boy, if it weren't for prejudice and fear, we'd be a one party country.Labels: democrats, minimum wage, republicans, stem cell, student loans
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Partisan or Good for America?
By The Sideshow: the... Press is going all-out to tell each other how important it is that Nancy Pelosi rein in the partisanship in Washington. Every time a pundit says something like this, a little bell should go off in your head that says, "I must ask this person immediately how Pelosi is supposed to stop the Republicans from being so viciously partisan." It wouldn't hurt to start reminding people that "what is partisan" and "what is good for the country" are two different issues, and it is the latter that matters. If the Republicans oppose programs that are good for the country, the Democrats have no choice but to appear "partisan" - because this isn't about being a Democrat, it's about being an American.Labels: democrats, nancy pelosi, republicans
Friday, December 29, 2006
Growing up under Bush
By ReadHead: I was born in 1988. I was 12 years old when President Bush was "elected". I will cast my first vote in the 2008 election... the American political system has been dominated by the incompetence of the Bush administration. One might expect such a repulsive executive would lead to outrage among the youth... Instead, it's lead to widespread apathy and detachment... Instead of taking to the streets with signs and songs, the youth has taken no unified public action... Basically, we lack inspired leadership... Policy-wise, no leader has articulated a position that engages the youth enough to activate us... If the Democrats are counting on this generation for their future well-being, they had better adjust their television screens. They're risking creating the most politically-disengaged generation ever. This is what the Republicans are counting on, because when these MBAs-to-be grow up primarily concerned with their finances, that's who they'll turn to.Labels: democrats, republicans, youth
