The Mean Things People Say

"The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot."

[...]

"Palin is so uninteresting to so many groups -- unless they are interested in moose hunting ... What does she have to say? She can't even describe what she reads."

An inside lecture circuit source on selling Sarah on the Lecture Circuit.

She can't even describe what she reads... Ouch.

Yeah, I guess I can buy this. Who would want to pay to hear Sarah? Whatever she says, you know it won't be interesting. If she writes her speech, it going to be a rambling disaster. If the speech is ghost written then what's the point?

Palling around with who.....

Quote of the Day:

Sarah Palin’s soon-to-be-released book was ghostwritten by Lynn Vincent.

Who’s Lynn Vincent? She’s the co-author of a book with white supremacist blogger Robert Stacy McCain.

For goodness sakes Sarah! I know she needed a ghostwriter for her book, but really.

Now she's palling around with known associates of white supremacists. Awful. Simply Awful. I guess this means she may endorse their views. Shame on you Sarah.

Word of the Day:

Neo-Isolationism

Alternate Definition:

(1) A preference to withdraw from participation in international institutions, such as the United Nations. (2) Viewpoint held by those who perceive an inability for the United States to adequately compete in the international marketplace of ideas and a corresponding desire to withdraw from international organizations and institutions as the remedy to this perceived deficiency. (3) Desire to cut and run from international affairs.

Used in Everyday conversation:

That Mommar Khadaffi sure confused me fair bit during his Speech at the United Nations and I think that he thinks that he’s better than me. I am dab blame tuckered out by listening to all that foreign talk. I’d almost agree with Mike Huckabee that the United State should practice Neo-Isolationism and should get out of the UN if I weren’t concerned about folks thinking that I was a no-account-yellow-bellied-white-flag-waiving-surrender-monkey. I ain’t no coward and so I ain’t no Neo-Isolationist, either. I am against cutting and running from the UN, and so I am against Neo-Isolationism.

Quote of the Day

“It’s time to say enough of the American taxpayer’s dollar being spent on something [the United Nations] that may have been a noble idea, but has become a disgrace! It has become the international equivalent of ACORN and it’s time to say enough!”

~ Mike Huckabee, trying to spin a wingnut vibe after placing in three-way tie for 16^th on Internal Enemies List of the GOP.

It is either this or the possibility that Huck has been smoking squirrels again. But this seems not likely so. So it is understandable that Huck is not heartened by the news that he, RINO Charlie Crist and Mike “soul mate” Sanford share 16^th place on the internal enemies list of the GOP. I think this may be juuuust the trick to move him down one space or two.

Good job Huck! But it also get Huck nominated for a Word of the Day, an alternate definition for Neo-Isolationism.

Wingnuts of the World Unite! You have your Champions; You have your Foes. Unite, Unite, Unite!!!

The Rightwing News has just published a list of the Greatest Wingnuts in the World as selected by Right Wing Bloggers for the year of our Lord, Two-Thousand and Nine. Let’s see who comes in at the top:

1 Rush Limbaugh
2 Sarah Palin
3 Thomas Sowell
4 Michele Malkin
5 Mark Steyn
6 Charles Krauthammer
7 Glenn Beck
7 Mark Levin
9 Jim DeMint
10 Newt Gingrich
10 Jonah Goldberg
12 Ann Coulter

A motley, yet unsurprising lot. However the problem here, of course, is that being named to the list of Greatest Wingnuts in the World is a compliment at the Right Wing News, while in the real world it is a badge of shame. While this cast of clowns has been crowned champion of the glorious cause of creating wingnutopia on earth, let’s look at a list of those who are deemed disloyal to the cause; The Internal Enemies of the Party:

1 Olympia Snowe
2 John McCain
3 David Frum
3 Lindsey Graham
5 David Brooks
6 Susan Collins
6 Charles Johnson
6 Pat Buchanan
9 Michael Savage
10 Ron Paul
10 Meghan McCain
12 Andrew Sullivan
12 Kathleen Parker
14 Arnold Schwarzenegger
14 Colin Powell
16 Charlie Crist
16 Mike Huckabee
16 Mark Sanford

All the way down at the bottom of the list is Mark “soul mate who is not my wife” Sanford. This is the guy that El Dimbo called a Right Wing JFK in waiting. Where is Larry Craig? I would have thought the wingers would have turned on him, too; must be forgotten. It really seems petty to list Meghan McCain, doesn’t it?

This is seriously f'd up....

.....as in the news that John McCain is hosting a $3000 a plate fund raiser for Willard Milton Romney, aka Mittens.

I don't know what is worse.

It could be the fact that there are actually people who would willing spend $3000 to have lunch with Willard Romney. Or it also could be the fact that McCain, clearly (and correctly) thought that multiple choice Mitt was a weasel, but nevertheless would sellout to lend him a hand. Now that I think about it, McCain was perfectly willing to sell out during the campaign (think Sarah!).

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But any decision to promote Mittens just seems so wrong.

Don’t Tell any NeoCons about this, or else…..

…..you’ll be labeled as a wannabe commie sympathizer or the slur de jour.

Passage of the Day…

The Russian defense industry may not have long to survive. Long the provider of massive amounts of weapons to the Soviet armed forces and those of satellite nations and much of the Third World, today some experts believe that only a massive infusion of funds from the Russian government can save the industry.

Further, the best showcase for new Russian aerospace products has fizzled. Writing for the Military Periscope online database, Russian expert Reuben F. Johnson reported on the recent Russian aerospace exhibit (MAKS 2009) in the Moscow suburb of Zhukovsky:

The ever-multiplying layers of security and clearance procedures that the Russian government now requires of its contractors helped to generate a largely disappointing event. Various Russian industry representatives had been talking for six months or more about 20 new weapon systems and other innovations that would appear at MAKS.

None saw the light of day.

Read On

I know communism collapsed, but we need to keep people afraid of Russia. After all Sarah Palin said last year, we may need to go to war with them over the Caucasus or what ever the new issue of the week is today.

I think the new label for those insufficiently dedicated to confronting Russia on all issues centers around the weak kneed observer’s alleged “naïveté.” Being Naïve is not as bad as being labeled a commie, but it’s the spirit of the slur that counts. Keep it in mind.

Note to Neocons: If Russia’s defense industry collapses, we can sell them really cool American weapons system. As we do this, there will be an Urgent need for new advanced weapons systems to defend the homeland and more defense spending to address the increased risk posed by a re-armed Russia. You can hype this threat up to the max. The boys and the Weekly Standard will have a blast. Maybe, the Russian Defense Industry going bust would not be such a bad idea from the Neoconservative perspective.

Just an observation.

Take Them Please…….. Really You Can Have Them

Reports are out that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will reach out to American Political Dissidents, i.e., most likely tea baggers:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he would like to meet with "dissidents" when he visits the U.S. next week.

Russian news agencies quote him as telling a group of visiting foreign experts that "I believe there are dissidents in the United States."

ITAR-Tass quotes him as saying: "Let them tell me what problems the United States has. That won't be bad, considering the Soviet experience."

This sounds good.

Maybe there’ll be an offer of political asylum for some of the more crazy members of society. He could start with the Tea Baggers that showed up in DC on 9/12. This would be a good start, especially if he got a lot them to accept political asylum. As an added plus, it would raise the average IQ for the country by several points!

Tea Baggers and Wingnuts aside, if Medvedev wants to get some real juice out of this, he’ll need to talk to some hardcore malcontents. Here is my top ten list (in no particular order) of American Political Dissidents most likely to accept political asylum in Russia:

Rush Limbaugh, Infotainer – El Dimbo wants the President to fail which is an attitude he shares with many Russian Premiers of the past. He and Medvedev would have a lot to talk about and could give each other tips on how to sabotage American interests at home and abroad.

Glenn Beck, Infotainer – Seriously afraid of President Obama and his growing “Oligarhy.” As this is the case, he may feel more comfortable in a Country with a lot of experience in, you know, actual authoritarian rule as opposed to imaginary authoritarian rule.

Victor Davis Hanson (NRO) - Believes America is a “Can’t Do Society” and That America has chosen “not to be” as a nation. If living in America is so distasteful, maybe he’ll consider moving to Russia. I don’t think the French would take him.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) – The “you lie” guy may be more comfortable in a country where there is virtually no possibility that Mexicans will receive free healthcare any time soon. It is worth a shot.

Noam Chomsky, Anarchist – He’s way more popular oversees than here. This would make it official.

Ward Churchill, Theorist – If Medvedev promises more academic freedom over there, he might go.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) – Certifiably batshit crazy and just crazy enough to ask for asylum. I say go for it.

Gov Rick Perry (R-TX) – Wants to secede from the Union? He can have his wish and it’ll be quicker this way. Bye Rick!

Andy McCarthy (NRO) – A Torture enthusiast. Medvedev could put him to good use providing long winded propaganda about the treatment of Chechen dissidents. Hey they’re Muslims, McCarthy might go for it.

Dick Cheney, Unemployed – Why not? It’d work for me.

Most Likely to accept Asylum: I think I’ll vote for Andy McCarthy although Glenn Beck would be a good choice, too. But you really can't go wrong should any or all of them take Medvedev up on an offer of a lifetime.

Happy hunting Medvedev. Hope you bag some Wingnuts.

UPDATE: Other Top 10 lists here and here.

Quote of the Day......Changing Course?

“I have a husband. I could have used a wife.”

~ Sarah Palin endorsing Gay Marriage and Polygamy, perhaps maybe, when asked about the difficulties of balancing her political career and home life.

Good News for Mitt Romney after all!

"Also over the weekend, members of the Republican base gathered in Washington, DC, for the Values Voter Summit. It's an annual event where social conservatives can network, condemn society's godlessness, and decide which candidate will come in third" in the "next Republican primaries. By the way, congratulations Mike Huckabee."

~ Jon Stewart

Maybe getting whipped by Huck wasn't so bad after all for Mittens.

Word of the Day: MENASS!

I also wonder what Beck will do when he realizes that President Obama is protected by a Gestapo-like cadre of plain-clothed agents known as the "Secret Service" (or shall we call them the "SS" for short?) I mean, what is this, Nazi Germany? Let me give you five words: Mustard (on hamburgers?!?),Empathy, NEA, ACORN, Secret Service. What's that spell? That's right, folks; it spells MENASS, as in MENASS to society. That's what Obama is, folks...

Anonymous Liberal taking a guess at what the next wingnut meme against Obama may be.

You never know what the crackpots are going to come up with. This is good as any.

Death Panels and Internment camps for Anti-Obama dissidents are surely crazy. And just why none of the Tea Baggers were rounded up and whisked of the Mall into an Anti-Obama Internment Camp, I'll never know. After all, the crazies were all in one place. The timing would have been perfect. We could have done it just like one of those Planet of the Apes movies with the nets and everything.

Conclusion: The camps must not be ready yet.

Anyway, I guess I am fond of “Radical Transnationalism” (i.e., replacing US Law with effete European Law and Sharia Law) as a reason to fear the current administration. To do this in practice (get rid of the blessed Constitution), you’d need the ability to enforce the effete European Law and Sharia Law. And there is no better candidate to enforce Radical Transnationalism than the blue helmeted troops of the UN! This is a gold mine to scare wingnuts with.

Hey I have an Idea, we could use the Blue Helmets to guard the wingnuts imprisoned in the imaginary internment camp. Perfect!

Cheney’s Torture Fetish Endangered America

Not only is torture immoral, a violation of international law and proven to produce unreliable information, it also damages the prisoners memory.

The methods could even have caused the suspects to create -- and believe -- false memories, contends the paper, which scrutinizes the techniques used by the CIA under the Bush administration through the lens of neurobiology. It suggests the methods are actually counterproductive, no matter how much suspects might eventually say.

''Solid scientific evidence on how repeated and extreme stress and pain affect memory and executive functions (such as planning or forming intentions) suggests these techniques are unlikely to do anything other than the opposite of that intended by coercive or enhanced interrogation,'' according to the paper in the scientific journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

It looks overwhelmingly certain that the torture regime of the Bush Administration accomplished the opposite of what it was intended to do. It inspired new terrorists to join, while producing unreliable information.

Ultimately, they made America less safe. Heckuva job guys.

Passage of the Day

Blagojevich said that after he is vindicated he is “not ruling myself out or writing myself off as getting back in the business of serving the public.” In this vein, he compared his chances to those of Churchill and of Richard Nixon, one of his models. “I believe in those comebacks,” he said. Like Nixon, he said, he was placing his faith in “middle America, the Main Street who knows what it’s like to be screwed by the liberal media.”

After Blago said his goodbyes and started to walk off with his crisis manager to another appointment, the light bulb went off and he turned on his heel. “One more thing,” he said. “When I say ‘comeback,’ I’m not necessarily saying I’m going to run for President. You understand that, right?” [em-mine]

~ The New Yorker

Translation: Blagojevich still thinks he could be President someday. What a piece of work.

Coincidence..... the Southrons are unhappy with the President?

Many pixels have been expended discussing the Tea Bag Movement lead by Glenn Beck and other crackpots. Over the weekend the President dismissed claims that the Tea Bag enthusiasts were motivated by racism. You don't have to be a racist to act crazy I guess.

Now check out this Polling Data on Pres. Obama's approval rating:

	FAV	UNFAV	NO OPINION
ALL	55	38	7
NORTHEAST	82	10	8
SOUTH	27	67	6
MIDWEST	62	31	7
WEST	59	34	7

So Obama is not popular in the South. Who woulda thunk that?

Now Check out this Tea Bagger's sign from the Glenn Beck 9/12 Tea Bagging

festival:

Just a coincidence...... you may ask? I supposed it is as good as any explanation at this point.

Here is another explanation of Tea Bagger motivation: Evangelical Counter Culture Movement, FWIW.

Until these people call out George Bush for creating this mess and take responsibility for voting Bush, they have no credibility regardless of motivation.

On second though maybe there is some merit to the Southron angle.

UPDATE: Added Graph for Awesomeness!

Mike Huckabee beats Mitt Romney like a rented Mule!

At last weekend’s annual gathering of Theo-conservatives, i.e., the so-called values voters, Ol’Huck won a presidential preference poll with 28.5% of the vote. Willard Milton Romney, Sideshow Sarah, Tim Pawlenty the former governor of Saskatchewan and somebody named Mike Pence each tied for second with 12% of the vote. Stumbling in next was Newt Gingrich with 7% and Bobby Jindal with 5%. An underwhelming Rick Santorum brought up the rear with 2% of the vote.

Unsurprisingly Four of the top Five took the opportunity to speak to the faithful, with Sideshow Sarah as a no-show..... err I mean advancing in a new direction.

The beatdown was something of a surprise for Willard Romney who has been seen as a frontrunner for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

The fact that Romney, a champion of socialized medicine in Massachusetts but an opponent for the same access to health care for the rest America, had to settle for a tie for second with someone who may be a Canadian and another guy nobody has ever heard of before and the former governor of Guam means that he has some serious work to do with The Base.

Apparently referring to positions held by Romney on Mondays and Wednesdays, Huck reflected on the humiliating loss for Romney:

"There are so many people who have told us as conservatives that we should move to the center, on the sanctity of marriage or the sanctity of life,” Huckabee said, adding: “I'm not sure the center makes a whole lot of sense when it's coming from people who certainly don't have our interest, or our country's interest, at heart."

Just wait until Tuesday or Thursday Huck, and Multiple Choice Mitt will be ready to fire back and answer such startling allegations.

Quote of the Day:

"George W. Bush's last minute extra credit work pulled his GPA up to a solid D-. Pass!"

Link

Bill O’Reilly Commie Sleeper Agent?

"I want, not for personally for me, but for working Americans, to have a option, that if they don’t like their health insurance, if it’s too expensive, they can’t afford it, if the government can cobble together a cheaper insurance policy that gives the same benefits, I see that as a plus for the folks,"

~ Bill O'Reilly,

This is a surprise. A Foxnews shock jock is now advocating socialized medicine. He must not be a student of history. Doesn’t he know that if we never fought the Commies in Vietnam, we would have had to fight them in Wichita, KS? If this red revolution in medicine is successful, what will be next?

I never thought O’Reilly would turn out to be a pinko sympathizer. You learn something new every day.

The Mean-Spirited Treatment of George Continues

"President Obama said that he's dropping President Bush's plan for a missile defense shield. ... Obama is also dropping President Bush's plan to build an elite army of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots."

~ Conan O'Brien

Happy Birth Day US Constitution

Quote of the Day

The Constitution -- its words and their meaning -- was established by the people, can only be changed by the people, and is sacredly obligatory upon all of government, including judges. This is why the debate over judicial selection is really a debate over judicial power. It is a debate over whether the Constitution controls judges or judges control the Constitution, over what the Constitution really is, with nothing less than liberty itself at stake.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

This is the typical drivel you hear from supporters of the strict constructionist school of constitutional interpretation.

The answer to the question of whether the Constitution controls judges or judges control the Constitution is simple. The constitution means whatever Judge Scalia says it means if he’s has the votes. It is that simple.

If interpreting the constitution was as easy as the Strict Constructionist crowd says it is, then we would not need judges. You could use a computer instead. All you’d have to do is type in the facts and press enter and BOOM, a decision would appear on the screen. But this does not happen because it is more difficult than Orrin Hatch would have you believe.

The fact of the matter is that Judges are called to interpret the Constitution as the 21st Century unfolds around us. Life is far different today than it was during Colonial America.

Take the War Power for example. The constitution provides that only the Congress can declare war. We all know this does not happen anymore for many reasons including for National Security. If the Commies know that the Congress has to declare war before the president responds to a nuclear strike, why not just wait until Congress is out of session and strike then? The truth is that this part of the Constitution is ignored.

Anyway, happy Birthday to the Constitution.

PS – Prior to becoming President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis was a hard core Strict Constructionist too!

Orrin has some company in promoting this judicial philospohy.

ACORN be DAMNED!!!

I don’t get all the ACORN outrage at Foxnews. Wingnuts hate all sorts of groups of people, but aren’t there supposed to be some adults at Foxnews?

ACORN exists to help the least among us, the poor. I know there is an principle within Neo-Con ideology with its roots in Social Darwinism, that holds that the poor should be incentivized by misery alone to break the chains of poverty and that anything that alleviates that misery should be deemed suspect. Therefore by counseling the poor about employment, home ownership and giving them a political voice by registering them to vote, ACORN makes it easier to live in poverty and thus reduces the incentive to break free from poverty. From this perspective ACORN is bad, bad, bad. And with Neo-conservatism, you need enemies so why not declare a jihad against ACORN. I understand the Neo-Con perspective. Disagree with it, but I see where their reasoning is coming from and the type of society that they are trying to engineer.

What about other elements of the conservative coalition? I thought there was supposed to be a strong element within the conservative coalition that was supposed to care about the treatment of the least among us. Are there any sane people at Foxnews who are concerned about care and compassion for weak or is it just the Neo-Con fringe that has a voice there?

The larger issue may be that it is not possible to be faithful to both religious beliefs and political ideology. One belief set or both eventually become compromised.

In this case ACORN and its outreach to the poor can just be damned!

A few bad apples at ACORN.

Passage of the Day:

"First time I heard of this incident to which you refer is last evening," Mueller said Wednesday in response to questions from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. "Given what you’ve said, it's something in consultation with the Department of Justice that we'd look at." Gerstein - Politico.

It looks like FBI Director Mueller does not watch Foxnews or he would have been aware of the uproar at Foxnews now that it is reporting actual malfeasance at ACORN instead of making shit up. The news that Director Mueller does not watch Foxnews, of course, is a good thing because watching Foxnews is designed to make you stupider. Absolutely True Fact.

We need Director Mueller on his toes targeting terrorists and their ilk. If these ACORN employees committed crimes, the local vice cops can arrest them and send them to jail.

The Wisest Man in the GOP?

It is George Bush! You don’t say:

“I’m trying to remember if I’ve met [Sarah Palin] before. I’m sure I must have.” [Bush's] eyes twinkled, then he asked, “What is she, the governor of Guam?”

Everyone in the room seemed to look at him in horror, their mouths agape. When Ed told him that conservatives were greeting the choice enthusiastically, he replied, “Look, I’m a team player, I’m on board.” He thought about it for a minute. “She’s interesting,” he said again. “You know, just wait a few days until the bloom is off the rose.” Then he made a very smart assessment.

“This woman is being put into a position she is not even remotely prepared for,” he said. “She hasn’t spent one day on the national level. Neither has her family. Let’s wait and see how she looks five days out.” It was a rare dose of reality in a White House that liked to believe every decision was great, every Republican was a genius, and McCain was the hope of the world because, well, because he chose to be a member of our party.

Looks like Bush called it right on Sideshow Sarah from the start. Governor of Guam is a classic. Bush was not that far off. I think the record shows that Sarah is not up to managing a Walmart in Wasillia much less have been a heart beat from the Presidency.

Quote of the Day:

Limbaugh is up to something wicked. He's plainly trying to rally white conservatives into thinking that now that we have a black president, blacks are rising up to attack white kids! Christ have mercy, what is wrong with these people?

~ Rod Dreher.

El Dimbo has taken to race baiting and earns a rebuke from theocon right. Loss of Power has pushed El Dimbo farther over the edge.

Now I understand --- It was far worse than anyone could have possibily imagined

In 2007 I finally made it to the Bush White House as a presidential speechwriter. But it was not at all what I envisioned. It was less like Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing and more like The Office. After watching Karl Rove’s bizarre farewell to White House staffers and hearing the president dismiss the conservative movement I believed in (“I know it sounds arrogant to say,” he told me, “but I redefined the Republican Party”), I thought I could muddle through till the end. Washington might not have been the city I had dreamed of, but I figured things couldn’t get much worse.

Matt Latimer, Bush speech writer during the final throes of the Bush Administration

The White House as the Office. Bush as Michael Scott? That explains it.

He didn’t think it could get worse, but it did.

AS A SPEECHWRITER FOR GEORGE W. BUSH DURING THE FINAL YEARS OF HIS PRESIDENCY, I’d seen crises and controversies. But nothing prepared me for the imminent collapse of America’s free-market system.

I was in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with another speechwriter, a young man named Jonathan. (His last name was Horn; the president nicknamed him Horny.) We were chatting casually when the president’s favorite speechwriter came in. Chris Michel was in his midtwenties, with sandy blond hair. He was usually chipper, though at the moment his face was so pale he must have been the whitest man in the Bush White House. And that was no small accomplishment. Chris had just come from a secret meeting in the Oval Office, and without so much as a hello he announced: “Well, the economy is about to completely collapse.”

“You mean the stock market?” I asked.

“No, I mean the entire U.S. economy,” he replied. As in, capitalism. As in, hide your money in your mattress.

Read On.

"He must have been the Whitest Man in the Bush White House and that was no small accomplishment" - Awesome line.

The White House was a virtual sit-com during the Bush Administration. One could never guess what they were going to break next. "Honey I broke Iraq." Oh no. "New Orleans drowned three days ago, who woulda thunk it." "Looks like capitalism is over; we broke that, too."

You don't know whether to laugh or cry.