Willard Screws the Pooch in the Middle East.....

.....but at least he did not tie it to the roof of his car.

Another US Conservative has been accused of Racism. And this time it is Willard Romney for attributing Israeli affluence and Palestinian Poverty to Culture:

“Oh my god, this man needs a lot of education,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. “What he said about the culture is racism. “The Israeli occupation” is “the reason” for the income disparity, Erekat added.

“Every extremist in the region is going to use what he’s said for ammunition for a long, long time,” Erekat added, referring both to the “culture” remark and Romney’s statement Sunday referring to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, language that departs from the long-standing U.S. position that the final status of the city is a matter for negotiations between the Israelis and Arabs. “This region needs knowledge and wisdom and people who build bridges, not add fuel to the fire of extremism,” he said.

 Maybe Romney can get a gig writing at the NRO if this whole politics thing does not work out.

UPDATE: That did not take long. Willard is already auditioning for a gig at the NRO:

During my recent trip to Israel, I had suggested that the choices a society makes about its culture play a role in creating prosperity, and that the significant disparity between Israeli and Palestinian living standards was powerfully influenced by it. In some quarters, that comment became the subject of controversy.
 But what exactly accounts for prosperity if not culture? 

In the case of the Palestinians how about not having your house or neighborhood bulldozed for something somebody else may have done. Or how about not being subject to taxation without representation.  How about not being subject to military occupation - or governance or whatever you want to call it for 60 odd years.  Just a suggestion.

Willard has to know this at some level.  Don't they talk about the Mormon wars or the Mormon Rebellion of the 1850s at his church at all?  Not too long ago, the Federal Government had to send troops to Utah Territory to impose order on that place after the Mountain Meadows Massacre when Mormon Militia men massacred 120 California emigrants passing through Utah Territory.  As I recall, Mormon Officials were not too happy about the thought of Federal Occupation back then.

If that is not enough, Romney's family fled the United States for Mexico to found a polygamous compound when their peculiar marriage rights were targeted by the Feds in the 1880s.  His father was born on that same compound. Surely, Willard cannot be this dense.

Maybe it is time to start referring to Mitt Romney as a Racist.  Of course if he were to apologize for his ignorant hurtful statement, maybe we could move on.

The Top Ten Reasons Why Mitt Romney is a Wimp

Powerline Blog Asks: Is Romney a Wimp? This is a question circulating around the internets. 


And it is good question if you ask me, because there are so many striking examples one could use to conclude that yes, Mitt Romney is a wimp.   There are so many examples that it is not hard to make a top 10 list counting off the reasons why Mitt Romney is a Wimp.  

Here is my top ten list.

10.  His first name is Willard.  Nothing more need be said.

9.  He is afraid to talk about the growing gap between the Rich and the Poor somewhere other than in a "Quiet Room."

8.  Was photographed jet skiing with his Wife - She was driving.

7.  He won't invite President Bush to the GOP convention even though he'd re-instate George Bush's economic policies if elected. 

6.  He was accused of wanting to raise the white flag of surrender to the terrorizers and/or of being a cheese eating surrender monkey who sided with Hillary Clinton over President Bush by John McCain.

5.  He won't stand up to the Teahadists and/or debt ceiling kamikazes. 

4.  He fired a top advisor who was gay because of criticism from Evangelicals. 

3.  He opposed Obama's plan to take out Bin Laden if Bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan preferring to ignore him.

2.  He speaks French.

1. He learned how to speak French by spending the Vietnam War in France

Mistah Kurtz - He Crazy

Here is another feat of intrepid winguttery from the lunatic fringe courtesy of Powerline Blog reporting on Stanley Kurtz's latest screed.

How can Obama “rob the suburbs”? In brief, and to oversimplify, he hopes to accomplish this by conditioning federal grant money on the creation and/or use of “regional” bodies, as opposed to standard governmental units like cities, towns, and counties. The regional bodies would be controlled by a coalition of cities and poorer “inner ring” suburbs and aided by regulations and additional conditions imposed by Washington to the disadvantage of the suburbs. This alliance of Washington and “regional” politicians would push for regional “revenue sharing,” consolidation of school districts, and other measures designed to halt the expansion of suburbs and eventually push people back into the cities. 

To get the details, you’ll have to read the book. If you do, and you should, you will learn how Obama has set the stage for this power grab through the work of his “Sustainable Communities” initiative, which is dominated by key figures from the community organizing movement, including Obama’s former community organizing trainer and boss. 

But why would Obama risk the eventual alienation of a key portion of his current coalition by “robbing” the suburbs for the benefit of cities? At one level, the answer is straightforward – that’s where the money is. If he wants to redistribute money, suburbs are where to find it. 

Obama is not willing to alienate suburbanites in his first term, but why not go for it in his second?

Sustainability is scary. It is part of the pending UN take over of Real America.  First they came for Bicycle Sharing Programs, but I said nothing because I drive a Truck like a Real Man. Then they came for sustainability, but I didn't say anything because I burn trash in my backyard. And then they came for me and now I must sustain this and sustain that. Before too long I had to sustain everything and it sucked. 

 But if there is one thing I'd like to sustain, it's Mistah Kurtz in a FEMA run anti-obama dissident camp.  It would be a nice camp with yoga sessions and meals prepared with (sustainable) organic food and all of that. I think it would be good for him.

But Kurtz glides over a larger point and it is that the Blue Areas - the cities - on the Map have been subsidizing the Red Areas - the rural areas - for generations.  The same can be said about the Blue States subsidizing the Red States.  Red Areas receive far money from the Feds than is collected from the folks living in these Red areas.  That is just the way it works in America since we are all on the same team. Some folks just tend to forget this fact or ignore it when they don't want to pay a fair share of the bills  - like the Social Darwinist Paul Ryan.

Take the Prince of Pork, aka GOTP Representative Hal Rogers of Backwardsville Kentucky.  He has brought tons of taxpayer money from New Jersey into Kentucky to pay for things that the free market did not support:

...Hal Rogers (R-Kentucky), a 16-term Congressmen who known for funneling taxpayer money for pet projects in his district – and far beyond. Roger’s has brought so much federal money to his hometown (Somerset, Kentucky; population 11,000) that it is known as Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. There’s a $52 million National Center for Hometown Security. The tiny airport that received $17 million in federal dollars but has so little traffic that the last commercial airline pulled out in February. And then there’s the Hal Rogers Parkway, which was formerly known as the Daniel Boone Parkway before being renaming for Kentucky’s Prince of Pork.

Most recently, Rogers pushed through a $5 million dollar measure this year for conservation groups that work with endangered wild cats. It just so happens that one of the few groups eligible is the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund. Who works for them? The Congressman’s daughter.

Over the past two years, Rogers has pushed through 135 earmarks at a cost of $246 million.

 It is not just this type of funding that goes to the Red Areas, it is also funding so that the Red Area can afford to build a Hospital. Folks in the Red Areas of the map need hospitals just like everyone else even if the free market has not blessed the region with a Hospital. So they get help from folks living in New Jersey.  This is not a secret.

There is no need to go in search of a conspiracy theory here, however, I suspect that Mistah Kurtz is not a well man. He'd do well to have some time off to go to someplace where he could relax.

Wingnuts. Can't live with them, can't ship them off to an imaginary FEMA Camp either

Wingnut Timeline: Beware of 1912.

Obama has handed Romney a gift with the “you didn’t build it” comment, not to mention Obama’s completely stinky Solyndra-style crony capitalism.  But there’s the challenge for Romney: he has to figure out a way to turn the attack around on Obama.  If he can do that, he just might indeed reprise the 1980 result.

In any case, I think we’re looking at the wrong election for comparison anyway.  I’m hoping the 2012 election will represent the repeal of the 1912 election, since Obama is the perfect epigone of Woodrow Wilson’s Progressivism.  That would be an even better outcome.

Powerline Blogger Hayward, a "Scholar"

I guess this happens if you are stuck in Right Wing Counter Culture -  you fixate on mystic dates. 

The 1912 fixation springs from wingnut mythology that equates early 19th century progressivism to hitler. This is a hypothesis pushed by various NRO types.  In this story Teddy Roosevelt and his successor Woodrow are villians that push progressive solutions to insidious problems down the American people's throats.  Tired of filth and disease? How about we force these sanitary sewer systems down your throats? Take that real america. Progressives were bad ass. And on and on the mythology goes.  

However if you remember your history correctly, one will note that the Progressive Candidates (WW and TR) in the Presidential election received 69% of vote in the 1912 election.  The old timey Republican finished third receiving just 23% of the vote followed by the Socialist with 6%.   Note that the 23% of the vote the Old timey Republic received is dangerously close to the crazification factor of 27%. Coincidence?

Unlike depicted in the wingnet, progressive politicians were not some sort of evil comic book characters.  The progressive movement arises out of public interest -i.e., due to demand. What would you really get by trading TR in for Woodrow Wilson in 1912? Probably get into WWI earlier. Probably more progressive reforms. As a matter of fact with an earlier entry into WWI, you would have pushed forward even more centralization of government functions to DC than occurred under Wilson.  Hence more progress.

You just can't win with the wingnuts.

John Boehner is one COOL CAT

When John Boehner appointed Michele Bachmann to the House Intelligence Committee, some folks saw as this move as a move to elevate Bachmann as a future leader of the GOP -  an opportunity for her to move from the backbench to the top.  It was a plum post that could set her and her Tea Party Posse up for more influence in Washington. Some people actually thought this.

Others, much more clever, saw this move as a mean spirited and cruel move by Boehner to openly mock Bachmann and her Tea Party Posse much in the way as people call a big guy "tiny" or a fat guy "slim."  In this sense, Boehner was not only openly deriding Bachmann by appointing her to the "intelligence" committee and laughing at her at the Mens' Club, but he was also setting her up for failure down the road when the inevitable happened. And guess what?  It looks like this latter view was more correct as it turns out the John Boehner is one cool cat.

Via an NRO guy:

 Bachmann had a political lifeline — a seat on the House Intelligence Committee — thanks to Boehner. Bachmann was tapped for the post in late 2010, and it has been a plum spot ever since then, enabling her to review classified material and enter the national-security debate as an insider. At the time of her appointment, many senior House GOP aides were wary of elevating the fiery backbencher, but Bachmann was vocal about her interest in foreign affairs, and Boehner assured them that it was an appropriate gesture. 

Up until this month, having Bachmann on the intelligence committee has proved a good move from Boehner’s perspective. He has praised her in the past as a hardworking member, and he knew she would relish the opportunity to broaden her portfolio. Bachmann still may be a thorn in his side on various votes, aides explain, but she has usually avoided publicly railing against Boehner. That cold peace has ended, and the latest tensions may not end amicably, sources say. 

Bachmann has generated national headlines for accusing Abedin, a top adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, of tilting U.S. foreign policy in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group. Four other lawmakers signed Bachmann’s letter, but many Republicans have criticized Bachmann’s finger-pointing. Senator John McCain of Arizona was the first to reject Bachmann’s claims, then Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, did the same. But it’s Boehner’s cagey response to the kerfuffle that has made Bachmann and her allies nervous. 

“I haven’t seen the letter, and I don’t know Huma, but from everything I do know of her, she has a sterling character,” Boehner told reporters last week. “And I think accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous.” When a reporter followed up and asked about Bachmann’s intelligence-committee seat, Boehner didn’t rule anything out. “I don’t know that that’s related at all,” he said. According to a source close to Bachmann, the Minnesotan interpreted those remarks as a warning and a sign of Boehner’s tenuous support for her committee position. And from a procedural angle, her fears are warranted. Boehner may have picked her for the committee, but, as speaker, he could easily take that post away. 

[…] 

“If she’s not careful, she’s going to become irrelevant,” says Ed Rollins, the former campaign manager for Bachmann’s presidential campaign. “She’s on the intelligence committee and people assume that she has information that no one else has. So when she goes out and makes a charge, it has added weight. She’s close to crossing that ‘kook line,’ and Boehner and the others may be ready to dismiss her as a serious player.” 

Bachmann doesn’t appear ready to back down. Instead, sources tell NRO, she is working behind the scenes to generate support for her intelligence-committee post. Conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck, who has spoken with Bachmann on his program about the Abedin story, has reported that Bachmann is “facing pressure to apologize for her comments” or risk being “removed from her position.” Republican House aides roll their eyes at the Beck story. No such pressure, they say, is being exerted on the congresswoman. If anything, a third leadership source reiterates, Boehner is doing his best to avoid spending time on the Bachmann matter, publicly or privately. 

Yet the general goodwill that has existed between Bachmann and Boehner for the past year seems to be gone. Bachmann, long a force during closed-door conference meetings, is now a backbencher once again, at least in the eyes of many congressional politicos. Boehner may be pressured to kick her off the committee, but with her star power fading, he doesn’t seem in any rush to make her a martyr.

This is old school style from Boehner.  Give Bachmann just enough rope to hang herself and to me it looks like Boehner did it on purpose to get rid of a nuisance.

Otherwise you would have to believe that a Speaker of the House of Representative actually thought that Bachmann and her Tea Party Posse deserved a seat at the table and would add to the national dialogue -  that she was competent and capable and (smirk) intelligent.  You'd have to believe he acted on good faith. However, if there is one thing I know about John Boehner is that good faith  and John Boehner are not used in the same sentence very often. So there is no way that this view could be true.

Anyway it turns out that elevating Bachmann to a position beyond her competence was a good move by Boehner. It was also a cruel move and very disrespectful of the Tea Party, too. Very Mean.

What Willard Wants Restricted to Quiet Rooms, Only

This:

...if America's richest are wondering why a majority of Americans favour taxing them more heavily, they may want to look at the above graph for an explanation. Americans see an elite class that seems to be reaping an ever-growing windfall from globalisation, while average workers are being squeezed ever tighter by unemployment and stagnant or falling wages. The income elite don't appear to have done anything to justify their ever-enlarging share of the pie. They seem to have lucked into it. Or rather, there are two theories. The first theory is that America's financial elites are in no way responsible for the forces that are awarding all the gains from economic growth to them, while tossing only occasional scraps to average workers. The second possibility is that America's financial elites are responsible for those forces. Neither of those theories is very politically helpful to Mitt Romney.

And this is where we see Paul Ryan's Social Darwinism at play. Like the Darwinists from the 1880s, Ryan's vision for America requires that wealth be concentrated into the hands of elites like Mitt Romney and Paris Hilton. As rich as these folks are, they will likely be unable to spend all of their wealth returning the bulk of it back to the Market for the job creators to play with.  This will in turn create more wealth for elites like Romney and Hilton as the cycle repeats.  And of course, if the middle class is fortunate, some wealth will "Trickle Down" to them. This is the theory anyway.

This flow of wealth upwards is important because should wealth flow out to the middle classes instead upwards to the elites, the middle classes will merely squander this precious commodity it on things deemed to be necessities like health care, education, housing, etc.  Thus, in such a manner, the nation's wealth would be wasted on unproductive things for marginally productive people. This cannot be allowed if the Nation is to survive in the global competition of the fittest. Paul Ryan knows this.  Mitt Romney knows this. Paris Hilton likely does not know this, but in her case this is of little importance as benefits due to fortune.

This is a topic for discussion in a quiet room.

Like Karl Marx, Paul Ryan is an Ideologue

Shamelessly Stolen from the Internets

Menzie Chinn

Econbrowser: High Inflation at the Gates?: The Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates to stave off inflation, says Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "I'm worried they're not going to pre-empt inflation," the House Budget Committee Chairman tells CNBC…. "I'm worried they're going to see it too late and we're going to have a problem."

That's a quote from February 2011….

Note that three month headline inflation is negative, while m/m is zero. Three month core rates are slightly higher, although there is some dispersion.
While current inflation is moderate, one could argue -- as Representative Ryan has -- that future inflation is the concern. Survey based measures indicate little movement.

But marking his beliefs to market is simply not on Paul Ryan's agenda…

This is true. Ryan is a Disciple of Ayn Rand who was a disciple so to speak of prominent Social Darwinists from the late 1800s and early 1900s. This means that it is not unfair to point this out when noting the similarities in Ryan's Ideology to the Darwinists.  There is considerable overlap. Nevertheless he is an ideologue and is not capable to responding to facts.  Who needs to respond to facts when you have the truth?

There was a point during the 1919 peace conference after world war one when the entente turned to the Soviets to get their views on post war borders and the like. The soviet response, paraphrasing, was why bother with details like Europe when communism will eventually sweep away the artifices of the capitalists.   Since capitalism is doomed, why negotiate with the capitalists to fix something that they are incapable of fixing.  Only Communism could fix Europe. 

Who needs facts when you have the truth. Paul Ryan does not need facts.

Romney Channels George W Bush, again (sigh)

First Romney steals from Bush economic policy and now he's moving on to foreign policy. Here's Willard at a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, offering up this gem on his foreign policy vision:

It is a mistake – and sometimes a tragic one – to think that firmness in American foreign policy can bring only tension or conflict. The surest path to danger is always weakness and indecision. In the end, it is resolve that moves events in our direction, and strength that keeps the peace.

I would swear on a stack of Korans 5 feet high that Bush said this remark at some time during his reign error and that Romney is plagiarizing it.

That is all you need. Resolve. 

Find out that North Korea is building a bomb- tell them no resolutely.  Stand Firm.  Find out that North Korea has already built a bomb - tell them no again, but this time you hold your breath.  Find out they are still ignoring you, start stomping your feet while holding your breath.  Find out the stomping feet and holding breath do not work to make North Korea do what you want to do - the next step would be to invade Argentina or some other place on map to show the world you are still resolute even though you can't hold your breath very long.  

Romney is offering more of the same as we was with Bush.  He surrounds himself with Neoconservatives and blathers on about being more resolute than George Bush. 

If the GOP is Party Of Sodom can we call them Sodomites?

Apparently the GOP has gone old testament again and rationale sounds perfectly persuasive to me:

Sodom was a polis run by the philosophy of Ayn Rand, where redistribution of wealth was regarded as immoral, where government had the responsibility to protect private property but not to insure the well-being of the people. Upstanding Sodomites would not have accepted a decision by the city elders requiring them to put coins in the kitty to pay healers who might treat people besides themselves. They would have argued that "I'm responsible for myself and I'm not responsible for other people… I should get the fruits of my labor and I shouldn't have to divvy it up with other people." The city elders would not have asked people to pay for more teachers to educate other people's children, and certainly not to pay for food for those who couldn't afford it. Not to put too fine a point on it, but in Sodom there would have been no problem passing the Ryan budget plan...And yes, I know that Benjamin Netanyahu's economics are as selfish as those of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. But America is the last empire standing, the capital of the early 21st century. The ideas it chooses have an influence far beyond its shores, and have to matter to me.  Besides that, I have read the surrealistic reports that some Jews are considering voting for the party of Sodom. Sisters and brothers, please reconsider.

While they may be proud of using Sodom or Ayn Rand's dystopia visions as a model for America, I would imagine that these fella's would take offense at being called Sodomites.

Teahadist Shenanigan Cost US $1.3B

What Does Economic Terrorism Looks Like? How about the Kamikaze Debt Ceiling Debacle:

The 2011 argument about the debt ceiling--the most recent battle--cost the U.S. government about $1.3 billion in extra borrowing costs, according to a new study by the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan congressional watchdog. 

And that's just the costs that the GAO bothered to count. There are also probably extra borrowing costs that the government is still paying this year and in future years because of the debt-ceiling debacle, but the GAO's computer was too tired and/or depressed to try to figure those out. 

"Many of the Treasury securities issued during the 2011 debt limit event period will remain outstanding for years to come," the GAO said. "Accordingly, the multiyear increase in borrowing costs arising from the event is greater than the additional borrowing costs during fiscal 2011 alone."

This was an unforced error. And it all resulted from an ignorant teahadist fueled rage to avoid paying for projects/programs that congress had already approved.  What a monumental fuck-up. I think I may favor sending the folks responsible for this debacle to Guantanamo.

Flake endorses Flake in Arizona

"Palin endorses Flake" is probably a headline that can be used over and over again as everyone knows that Sarah has endorsed this flake and that flake during the past 2 cycles. Some of the flakes that she has endorsed have even won their primary.  

My favorite flake would be Christine O'Donnell.  She was the best - 100 percent pure top shelf teahadist level best.  More of her please. 

But in this instance, the Flake in question is not just the run of the mill teahadist misfit but an actual flake named Flake who is trying to replace the retiring Jon Kyl. Nevertheless he still is rather flaky.

Why won't Romney Release his Taxes.

He's released a partial return for one year but that is it so far.  So what is Romney hiding?

One theory:

Maybe he's not releasing his returns because he did not tithe enough in previous years.

Remember, the Mormon church requires your to contribute 10% of your income to the church. Without it, you are not allowed to enter the temple buildings and perform certain ceremonies. They call it temple endowment. The only way the church verifies the 10% claim is via self-declaration. Once a year, you go to your bishop, who asks if you did indeed tithe enough. If you say yes, you are done.  This meeting is called "tithe settlement meeting". The idea is that you will not dare to lie to the bishop, who represents the church itself. Apparently, you do not have to bring any proof if you do not want to.

Now, in the one return that he has released, you will notice that Mitt has contributed near-exactly 10% to the church. What if he had fallen a tad short in some of the previous years? Mitt cares a lot about his church, and his standing in it. That standing would take a massive hit if it turns out that he was, er, "cheating" - even a little bit.

Is Romney Screwing the Mormon Church today just like He screwed workers out of their pension funds back in his salad days?  Interesting theory.

I guess we don't really know if Romney is cheating the Mormon Church or not …...until he comes clean.

Adventures in Wingnutology - Libertarianism 101

This is funny: Thermocrats (ha ha). 

From the Wingnet:

...  People are wise to the endlessly meddling ways of modern liberalism, which is why there is so much resistance to the plans of electric utilities, thoroughly socialized and housebroken by decades of regulation, to introduce “smart meters” to private residences.  I get the idea behind “smart meters,” and like them in the abstract.  But a lot of people understand that smart meters may be the first step to enabling the Thermocrats to dial back your power usage remotely if they think you are using “too much” electricity to, say, keep yourself cool during hot summer afternoons.  Utilities already try to persuade people to volunteer to allow them to cycle off your appliances remotely during periods of peak demand in return for a slight discount on your bill.  But things that start out voluntary have a way of becoming mandatory with liberals, and smart meters are a step to enhancing the power of environmentalist Thermocrats. 

Someone in Texas (where else?) has said No.  From today’s Greenwire (subscription required unfortunately):

Texas Woman Pulls Gun on Meter Installer 

In order to keep a smart meter from being installed in her home, a Houston woman pulled out a gun. 

Harris County, Texas, resident Thelma Taormina grabbed her gun when a worker from CenterPoint Energy arrived to install the electric meter. The 55-year-old woman has a license for a concealed handgun. 

“He kept pushing me away,” she said. “He saw [the gun] and went back the other way.”CenterPoint officials said they were “deeply troubled by anyone [who] would pull a gun on another person performing their job.” 

The utility has been installing thousands of smart meters for several years in the Houston area. While the company says the meters would cut costs and reduce power consumption, owners say the new meters bring higher electricity bills.
Under the current system, homeowners cannot opt out of the meters. 

“Our constitution allows us not to have that kind of intrusion on our personal privacy,” Taormina said. “They’ll be able to tell if you are running your computer, air conditioner, whatever it is”

Expect more of this resistance.

Powerline Blog 

"Thermocrats" must be term like "Warmists" that poweline bloggers use to describe scientists.  Personally, I prefer the term "liberal scientist" to Warminist, but that is just me.  Terminology aside, I find this post troubling.

Does the glorious US constitution contain anything about the right to air conditioning?  I have looked and it does not.  So this argument is a red herring as every good libertarian knows.

The key to focus upon is contract rights.  Contract rights are all that should matter in society -  that and a State just strong enough to enforce contract rights and perform other important functions that a night watchman might perform.  We hear that a lot on the right these days.

It sounds like this Texas Woman was interfering with Centerpoint Energy's contract rights.  I am sure there is something in the fine print that allows a fine corporation like Centerpoint to determine how it sell its product. It is its product.  And if so, this woman agreed to these terms by using this product.  After all who wants freeloaders in society.  If you use it you pay for it and you honor the terms of the deal.

If this Texas Woman does not like how this job creating Corporation works, she is free to stop using its product.  She can covert to solar or buy a gas powered generator or the like.  She can burrow underground and use a hobbit-sized home that does not need as much heating or cooling.  The choice is hers.  She does not have to use Centerpoint's product.  But she must realize that Contract rights are sacrosanct and that she risks the wrath of the sovereign if she continues to violate these rights through force of arms.

In the old days, if you threatened the capital of a job creator in this manner, either the gun boats would show up in your harbor or the pinkertons at your door.  Let that be all that is said about this subject.

Why are wingers so misinformed

Part of the Reason is the AM Radio.  Here is El Dimbo blathering on about a new conspiracy:

The villain in the Dark Knight Rises is named Bane. B-A-N-E. What is the name of the venture capital firm that Romney ran, and around which there's now this make-believe controversy? Bain. The movie has been in the works for a long time, the release date's been known, summer 2012 for a long time. Do you think that it is accidental, that the name of the really vicious, fire-breathing, four-eyed, whatever-it-is villain in this movie is named Bane?

The Bane character was created about 20 years ago and had nothing to do with Willard Romney.  Limbaugh does not care about this inconvenient fact. All that is important is to keep the rubes riled up. 

Mission accomplished.

BREAKING: Mitt Romney Hates America

Straight to the Point: it is all about Sarah.

…. a jolt of Palin at Romney’s convention seems most unlikely. The Romney campaign prides itself on a slavish adherence to script, and Palin cannot be trusted to avoid the impulse to go rogue. That is why, perhaps, the Romney campaign has not asked Palin to speak at the convention nor contacted her about even attending the party’s marquee event in Tampa. Queries to the Romney camp about any possible Palin role at the convention meet with a stony silence. Palin does not seem surprised. “What can I say?” she responded in an email from Alaska, when asked by Newsweek about the convention, just before heading to Michigan to deliver an Obama-thumping speech. “I’m sure I’m not the only one accepting consequences for calling out both sides of the aisle for spending too much money, putting us on the road to bankruptcy, and engaging in crony capitalism.”

“In accepting those consequences,” she added, “one must remember this isn’t Sadie Hawkins and you don’t invite yourself and a date to the Big Dance.”

Sarah Palin likely uses yellow mustard, not the French stuff like Dijon that Romney prefers.  He probably had a lot of it in France…..where he spent the Vietnam War.  The internets also tell me Romney's favorite place to spend the Fourth of July was in Canada for much of his life.  While I cannot prove it, I imagine that Sarah likely blows shit up on the Fourth of July - in AMERICA!  And like most freedom loving folk, I doubt she'd  be caught dead in Canada on that day. Willard on the other hand......

Likewise when Sarah heads to sea, it is to catch Salmon with her bare hands to feed her family.  When Willard takes to the waves it is to go tooling around on one of his Yachts with associates from the Club.

This is why Willard does not want Salt of the Earth Sarah at the GOTP convention. It is not because he disdains Sarah and her ilk….well yes it is in part, but mostly it's because Sarah will remind all the Real Americans why 75% of them voted for someone other than Willard Mitt Romney in the GOTP primary.

That is the real reason. That and the fact that Romney may be intimidated by strong women.

An Activist Government Run Amok

The very mean, tyrannical Obama Administration in action oppressing ordinary tea drinking americans:

The Energy Department, in a cost-savings gambit, has entered into a deal with several technology companies to prototype extreme-scale supercomputers the government needs by 2020 for national security but cannot afford right now.

The “FastForward” research and development consortium, comprising Energy national laboratories and high-performance computing firms, expects to support the production of economical exascale systems by the end of the decade.

As of last week, the department had divvied up at least $43.6 million for processor, memory and storage designs. Intel, Nvidia, AMD and Whamcloud have announced respective awards of $19 million, $12 million, $12.6 million and an undisclosed amount.

Exascale machines will be able to perform a quintillion -- or a billion billion -- floating point calculations, “flops,” per second, meaning they will be 1,000 times faster than a one petaflop supercomputer. A 16 petaflop Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory system currently is the fastest computer in the world.

Energy will kick in about $60 million to accelerate the worldwide race to build an exascale machine, according to a March 29 solicitation for grant proposals. It is not clear if other firms will receive funding because the government has not publicly announced the awards yet.

Intel Federal President David Patterson said during an interview, “our vision for supercomputing is to really enable the current and future generation of scientists to achieve breakthroughs that they couldn’t otherwise with the problems that they face.”

One guess is that the increase in super-duper-computing speed could lead to breakthroughs in Health Sciences, such as Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals.

One could argue that we should not push the collective wisdom of the generations forward in this manner and that things are as good as they are going to get or actually better than folks deserve.  

One could argue that public funds would be much better used in the form of tax cuts and more yachts for rich folks. After all, can we really afford medicare?  One could argue all of that.  The place to do so would be a GOTP primary. One could fit in quite well in such a setting.

Willard Romney is a MEAN man

"Happy Friday the 13th. And to prove he's not superstitious, Mitt Romney drove around with a black cat on the roof of his car." 

Jay Leno

He hates cats, too, apparently.

FACTCHECK of the day: Did Romney Lie Under Oath about his Fetus Disposal Company?

Let's analyze whether or not it the claim that Willard Romney lied under oath about a fetus disposal company that he allegedly ran but sold in 2001 is accurate.

As a general rule, one would typical start from the premise that Romney lied about whatever topic we are discussing unless it can be proven otherwise. But this is not fair as a careful analysis of the facts shows that this allegation cannot be substantiated. 

First, technically, I don't think you can say he lied under Oath about the Fetus Disposal Company.  This is true because the fetus disposal company was not entirely his.  Romney's company just made money off selling it  -a  50 Million Dollar Profit in 2001.  This is a lot of money. Planned Parenthood may have made more money off this service, but Romney may not have been that far behind.  Romney is in the clear on this part of the allegation - he was just a player in the fetus disposal game and not an owner of a fetus disposal operation.

Next, I don't think Willard gave a sworn statement(s) about his fetus disposal investments.  His sworn statements were about other topics. Like was he a resident of Massachusetts who ran Bain Capital from 1999 to 2002.  Romney's written assertions made during this period indicate that he was a resident of Massachusetts who ran Bain Capital from 1999-2002.  The written record is pretty clear on this point.  

However, later documentation indicates that Romney retired from Bain Capital in 2002 retroactive to 1999.  This is problematic because it contradicts earlier sworn statements averring that Romney was a Resident of Massachusetts who ran Bain Capital until 2002.  It would seem that only one  set of statements can be true.  Either Willard ran Bain Capital which owned part of fetus disposal company until 2002 and he did not make false statements under oath to the SEC and the State of Massachusetts, or he did not run Bain Capital and made false statements to the SEC and the state. 

As a result, I have to rate the allegation of whether or not Romney lied under oath about his Fetus Disposal as not substantiated.  There is no evidence that he provided false testimony or sign false statements about Fetus Disposal, but the question of whether or not Romney lied under oath has not been resolved. 

Civil War Time Wingnuttery Made Fun and Easy from the Sons of Confederate Veterans

Old School Style:

Some of Lincoln’s strongest support came from the “48er’s”, predominantly German socialists
who were thrown out of power in the 1840’s. They subsequently moved to the U.S. (mainly in the Midwest) and comprised a powerful pro-Lincoln voting bloc. Their belief in strong centralized government made them perfect Lincolnites and, unlike their ideological descendants - the modern-day “neoconservative new world order chickenhawks” - many of them actually saw combat duty in the Union Army. 

Alabama Sons of Confederate Veterans April 2012 newsletter [pdf]

Isn't the shot taken at neocon chickenhawks sweet?  Who can't find that simply adorable.  That reason alone justifies the post.  Neocons are chickenhawks. Even outliers like Neo-confederates see it.

However, one of the themes you see in this particular brand of wingnuttery found on the right is that one of the causes of the Civil War was a dispute over centralization of federal authority vs decentralization of power to the states.   This is of course Bullshit.

 

There are four good examples of Federal authority pre-civil war that show the limits of this argument.

First, prior to the civil war, the Post Office was the most paramount example of centralized federal authority.  For the ordinary person, interacting with the Post Office was  greatest example of central authority that s/he'd experience in daily life.  The Post Office would deliver mail and even build roads to be able to deliver mail in some instances.  Slave holders were quite upset when the post office was used to deliver anti-slavery pamphlets, so the ability to control appointment of Post Masters was an important issue. But was the Post Office a form of outrageous tyranny like super duper scary Obamacare or was it infringing upon people's or states rights on a routine basis? Of course not, but yet it is the biggest example of Federal Authority.

Other than the Post Office, the next biggest source of Federal Authority that folks experienced was the Army during the first half of the 1800s.  However most southern whites supported this application of Federal Authority as it was used for in the Southern States was to expel native peoples from the lands to open it up for settlement by folks, many of whom would become prominent secessionists.   One example, of the use of Federal Authority in the southern states is the Second Seminole war which lasted 7 years and was the nation's longest war until Vietnam. It was also the most costly Indian war. It'd probably go just above the cost of the war of 1812 in today's dollars.

The next example of Federal Authority was the taxing authoring or ability to impose tariffs on Imported goods. This authority did outrage many in the Southern States, since the tariffs protected industries that relied upon Northern free labor at the expense of Plantation Agriculture.  By taxing imported goods, Congress protected domestic industries while making it more expensive for foreign countries to purchase American exports, i.e., Cotton , Tobacco, Rice, Sugarcane - the plantation crops produced in the south that relied upon slave labor.

The final example of Federal Authority - or lack of Federal Authority- was the Fugitive Slave Law. This authorized Federal Enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law to return runaway slaves back to slavery and to allow kidnapping of northern blacks to be sold into slavery.  This expansion of Federal Authority was demanded by representatives from Southern States as part of the compromise of 1850. The lack of Federal Authority to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law is one of the causes that is listed in different State's Secession Declarations. The argument could go along the lines that if the Federal Government was not able to force the individuals states to comply with law, what good was it?  Prior to secession many southerners were calling for more Federal Authority to protect the institution of slavery. What this is not, is an example of outrageous governmental centralization run amok.

From the examples above, you can see that there was very little central authority in the hands of the Federal Government prior to the beginning of the civil war.  However, contemporary neo-confederates often cite a centralized federal government trampling upon states' rights as a cause of the civil war and they'll use examples of government centralization that occurred during or after the war as a reason for the start of the war. Lincoln, was a bad guy, he did all these things during wartime.

The problem here of course is the efforts to centralize authority in the federal government is not a cause of the war, but rather a result of the war.  Centralized authority has been the result of all major American Wars.  It is true of the Civil War, WWI, WWII and the Cold War. The reason for centralization is simple. Harnessing the nations resources  in an efficient and orderly manner is critical to winning the War.  It takes precedence over ideology.  The US did not go into the Cold War with a plan to invent the internets, but that is what happened along the way. Likewise Lincoln did arrive in Washington ready to kick ass and take names, but once the fighting started he rolled up his sleeves and did what was necessary to win the war.

You find all sorts of neo-confederate bullshit lurking around the edges of the conservative movement at various wingnut welfare outfits. Absent a series of FEMA camps you just have to put up with it.

21st Century Witchery

A Global Warming Experiment for Children:

Everyone knows that science has a liberal bias.  

Romney: African-Americans like Free Stuff and other thoughts about Social Darwinism

Here's Willard describing getting booed for bad mouthing Nationalized Romneycare, aka superscary Obamacare:

By the way, I had the privilege of speaking today at the NAACP convention in Houston and I gave them the same speech I am giving you. I don't give different speeches to different audiences alright. I gave them the same speech. When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare they weren't happy, I didn't get the same response. That's ok, I want people to know what I stand for and if I don't stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that's just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy-more free stuff. But don't forget nothing is really free.

Everybody knows that the free stuff should go to rich folks. This is a central tenet of Old line Social Darwinism.  The argument goes like this. If ordinary folks get a little back on their taxes (some extra money in their pocket , they'll just spend it on food, clothing, housing and other things that little people buy.  Likewise if ordinary folks get access to health care, they'll just use it on themselves.

However, if you funnel the wealth the nation creates up to the rich fella', he won't be able to spend it all. Sure there are yachts to buy and mistresses to maintain, but how many of those can you really have?   If you give the rich fella more bucks than he can spend, sooner or later he will fall into a groove and just invest the rest of his wealth back into the free market allowing the capitalists access to it to use to make the country great by building or producing the next great invention. 

The weaker, less fit nations fall to the stronger nations.  By accumulating capital in the hands of the idle rich who then invest the capital back into the  nation, a nation ensures itself  a chance to move forward in the darwinian struggle for survival over the less fit nation which invests resources in an egalitarian manner.

This is what Romney is trying to say.  Health Insurance subsidies for the self-employed, poor, disabled  and the lower middle class weaken America. When these folks get access to these resources, they'll just use them by going to the doctor when they are sick.  It's be better to instead invest any subsidies dedicated for health care back into the hands of the idle rich.  The idle rich, will perhaps buy another yacht and get another mistress, but they won't be able to spend all of the loot that Romney would give them. Wouldn't have the time. Yachts and mistresses take up a fair amount of time and energy. They'd likely invest the rest back into Wall Street freeing up the job creators to produce the next great thing.

This is Social Darwinism 101 and it overlaps nicely with GOTP thinking in 2012.

It is part of the Ryancare Budget which cuts medicaid in half, replaces medicare with coupons worth 25-50% off your health premium, if you are lucky. Ryancare then takes these health care savings and invests these resources back into the hands of the most wealthy in the form of further tax cuts.  That is right, Ryan wants to cut folks off from access to health care in order to bolster the wealthy. Romney thinks this plan is Marvelous.  And he's not alone. Lots of people in the 1880s would agree with him!

Anyway this all fits in social darwinist thinking.  Why allocate resources to folks without health care. They'll just use them up by getting care when they need it.  What a waste. It would be better for all to funnel the resources to the idle rich - the makers instead of the takers.

More Wingnutology 101

More liberal college professors should be designing courses to study how someone could not only say something like this, but believe it.

One year ago AM Radio Personality Rush Limbaugh:

George W. Bush, who by the way stands tall in retrospect. 10 years, not one attack. Great statesmanship. If somebody told me today they wanted to put Bush's face on Mount Rushmore I'd be in there supporting it.

Saying this is one thing, but the risk that some folks believe this nonsense is very troublesome.  It is a threat to public health, I'd say. This epidemic needs to be contained, beaten back and eventually vanquished like small pox and the like.

[h/t - Young Conor]

Willard the Sock Puppet

From the Lamestream Media

It was one thing for Mitt Romney to pander to the GOP base while running in the primaries, as he took on a succession of would-be pretenders to the title of Great Red Hope. But now Romney is the presumptive nominee of his party--which makes him its leader, nominally--and yet he still seems to be jumping eagerly for the approval of his base, asking only for policy guidance along the lines of: "How high?" All of which raises an important question: If Romney is elected, who will really be running the country? Him, or Mitch McConnell or John Boehner? 

And that's putting the matter conservatively--if you'll pardon the expression--since we know that McConnell and Boehner mainly serve as sock puppets for the GOP's tea-party-captured, Grover Norquist-terrorized base.

The inmates now run the asylum.  But on the other hand that was the great thing about the freak show that was the GOTP primary. It was absolutely crazy.  I remember one debate where the audience cheered when Newt Gingrich was introduced. That is just Sick. Really sick. 

But anyway the trick now is to make the craziness stick with Willard. He's the head of the Freak Show. Don't let folks forget.

Politifact: Romney Lying about Nationalized Romneycare, again (sigh)

Willard hates what he gave birth to, because, well ….because shut up:

In his response to the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the law, Mitt Romney stayed on message. "Perhaps most troubling of all, Obamacare puts the federal government between you and your doctor," Romney said. 

If Nationalized Romneycare does this it is an outrageous outrage, but it does not:
The overarching fact about the law is that it relies on the private sector. Employers still buy private health insurance for their workers. The law doesn’t change how much doctors are paid or what services they can provide, though it does create incentives and penalties to promote better care. (One example: It penalizes hospitals if patients are re-admitted soon after being discharged.)

It establishes a minimum benefits package for insurance plans and fosters competition among health insurance companies by creating shopping websites. These sites, called exchanges, will allow customers to pick insurance plans the same way they might buy other things online, such as refrigerators or airplane tickets.The law also gives subsidies to people of limited means so they can buy their own insurance.

If the health care law did get between doctors and patients, you would think most doctors would complain loudly. While some do, the leading physician advocacy group, the American Medical Association, does not. On the contrary, the AMA supports the law.

I know all politicians tell partial truth or exaggerate from time to time, but I am beginning to think Willard Romney is a pathological liar.  He will simply lie about anything and anyone. 

From the 2008 primary where it was apparent the other GOP candidates simply loathed the man to today, Willard has been fairly consistently inconsistent about just about everything. Here is an example: Romney is on the record as being both for and against killing Bin Laden. Only a true weasel can pull off something like 

The Luckiest Man in History…..

…..inherited a disaster and is hounded by teahadists day and nights.

At this moment, therefore, Obama looks like the luckiest man in history — “he was finished, but his enemies flinched at the last minute.” As for Roberts, how history looks at him will depend on what happens to Obama: If Obama loses in November, or if Obama wins in November and has an okay-or-better second term, Roberts will look good. But if Obama wins in November and spends the next four years doing great harm to the country, Roberts will look pretty bad.

NRO Writer

I like the part about Obama doing great harm to the country over the next 4 years.  But what does that have to do with the merits of the case? Isn't a Judge just supposed to call balls and strikes? His job shouldn't be to pick the next president.  The last time the Supreme Court did that, things did not turn out quite so well.

Romney a Replay of the Bush Administration - Putin Hammers Willard

The Lamestream Media reports this MEANNESS from Vladimir Putin to Willard Romney:

“We don’t think that for us Romney will be an easy partner,” said Pushkov, an ally of President Vladimir Putin. “We think that Romney will be, on the rhetorical side, a replay of the Bush administration.”

He also noted Romney’s statements that the United States should assert its dominance in the 21st century.

“If he is serious about this, I’m afraid he may choose the neocon-type people…In the first year of his presidency, we may have a full-scale crisis,” he said.

"Neocon-type people?  Yes I suspect Willard will surround him with neocons. And yes, a Romney administration would likely be a re-run of the Bush Administration. 

Spoiler Alert: A Romney Administration would likely end in some sort of disaster.

Deep Thoughts from VDH - Roberts as Hamlet

There is not a more pompous son of a bitch at the NRO than this guy:

Chief Justice John Roberts, a good man who apparently thought he was doing the right thing, is increasingly taking on the character of a lone figure from classical Greek tragedy. If one collates all the news reports, rumors, and scuttlebutt, and if they are mostly credible, one learns of his tortured switch. It was perhaps prompted by a genuine desire to mitigate the Court’s “partisan” reputation, or to establish Roberts in the long tradition of a Warren or Souter, as a jurist who “evolved” on the Court in a fashion that pleases the influential in Washington and New York—or both. ... The tragedy is that, as the story comes out, the reputation of the Court will sink not rise, as—fairly or not—it appears overly sensitive to public opinion and liable to capitulate to such pressures in mediis rebus.

Roberts, who wanted to cement his reputation as a sober and judicious jurist, through his Hamlet-like deliberations ended up seeming incoherent, tentative, and unsure of himself. And if it’s true that rumors of Roberts reconsidering his vote swirled in Washington prior to the final outcome, and that such perceptions of hesitation prompted renewed venom and pressure — from not just the media, but from those such as Senator Leahy (who had voted to confirm Roberts) on the floors of Congress, and the president himself (who attacked the Court even earlier in his State of the Union address) — then the Court comes off as far more suspect after the opinion than before. Everything Roberts wished to prevent he ensured.

Victor Davis Hanson, NRO writer and Wingnut Welfare Recipient

The thing that Hanson has that other wingnuts lack is a knowledge of Classical Greece. I think he actually has a PhD in ancient Greek linguistics. If there is a question concerning the speech patterns of the ancient Greeks, he would know a lot more about that than me.

This gives him stature amongst the wingers.  In this regard he can posit on the issues of the day without relying upon any expertise in that field just by using examples from the past:

The ancient city state of Xdemopolis chose to engage in diplomacy with its rival state instead of preemptively attacking. In the process Xdemopolis was pre-emptively attacked, the city burned, the men put to the sword and the women and children sold into slavery.

Therefor engaging in diplomacy with _______ is wrong. We would be better served by acting aggressively with _______ lest we end up like the ancient Greek city state of Xdemopolis which was pre-emptively attacked, the city burned, its men put to the sword and the women and children sold into slavery.  This proves that Obama's position, whatever it is, sucks.

This shtick works awesomely on the wingnet.

Roberts Turned Tail and Ran to his everlasting SHAME !!!!

I guess a member of right wing counter culture could see things this way:

Spare me the argument that Roberts, with the ghosts of 1937 tramping through his mind, was trying to “preserve the integrity” of the court. His jaw-dropping, intellectually inconsistent, Kafkaesque ruling in the Obamacare case is likely to live in infamy, much like such earlier Supreme turkeys as the Dred Scott decision and Plessy v. Ferguson. In both of those cases, as in this one, the Court took refuge in legal niceties and sophomoric hairsplitting, refusing to acknowledge the greater moral issue and the looming national catastrophe.

 Even if Roberts did make his “switch in time” pusillanimously, to avoid another Obama tongue-lashing and the ill will of the major editorial pages . . . so what? There are times in the affairs of men when business as usual should no longer obtain, and all right-thinking people (including the four justices who voted to strike down the monstrosity) must simply — in one of the Left’s favorite phrases — do the right thing. That Roberts did not will be to his everlasting shame…..

Until the Right understands that the Left cedes us — as the Times editorial so vividly illustrates — no legitimacy at all it will continue to be surprised by weak men like John Roberts, who allowed a rogue president to publicly browbeat him and the institution he heads — and then, when he had a chance to pay him back, turned tail and ran.

 As Kafka wrote in “Zur Frage der Gesteze”: “Was der Adel tut, ist Gesetz” (“Whatever the nobility does is the law.” So start acting accordingly. 

Michael Walsh, NRO Cornerite

The bolded text above signifies just the thing at issue - right thinking people - or in other words right-wing thinking people are having trouble understanding the significance of the ruling.  Remember that just about all the smart law professors said that the law should be constitutional if the court followed precedent.  

 If the court wanted to over-rule the law, it of course could do that, but it would be breaking from established norms of behavior supported by various members of the conservative bloc of the court.  If over-ruling health insurance reform felt good, the court could do it.  But of course doing what feels good, would open the court up for charges of judicial activism and engaging in petty partisan politics as the health insurance mandate had been developed  by conservatives in the first place over 2 decades ago. Since the development of the mandate as a means of solving the intractable challenge of  improving access to health care, there was no inkling that it could be constitutionally problematic until Mean President Obama stole this idea and thus nationalized Romneycare.  

 At this point wingers were quite happy to forget this past support of the mandate and instead use it as a cudgel to attack 80 years of court precedent from the New Deal period and in the process, expose this effort as nakedly partisan and unhinged from principle and reason.

This is the problem of the bubble - the foxnews - the right-wing counter culture - that seals off wingers from engaging the larger world of ideas.  When a first tier conservative such as Roberts breaks with right wing mythology, it leaves wingers such as the Walsh puzzled and enraged that his ideology is not afforded the legitimacy, as he puts it, that it is afforded within right wing counter culture.  In that sense he views himself as a victim.

Fortunately, there is hope for the victim of right wing counter culture.  The new mental health care benefit in Obamacare will make treatment far more accessible for those in need of care.

POST NOTE: I especially like the Dred Scott reference. It adds flavor to the wingnuttery.

Read more »

It ain't our fault Roberts was….

Mentally unbalanced due to epilepsy, brainwashed, threatened by chicago style thugs, or perhaps by scary left-wing editorialists:

Perhaps, the next time a Republican president nominates a Supreme Court justice, he should make the candidate swear to never pick up a newspaper.

 The bottom line, if Jan Crawford is right, is that conservative justices can be blackmailed by left-wing editorialists. It’s not a pretty picture.

Avrik Roy, Cornerite

More of the same song and dance deflecting blame from your friends to shadowy forces . I take right wing thought, or wingnutology, very seriously.  I think it needs to be studied more. And one pattern you seem to see is lack of self-awareness.  

On the day Obama is sworn in as president, he inherits a $1.4T deficit from the last guy and the worst economic crisis since the depression.  The response is to blame Obama for the mess and to sabotage recovery efforts.  It is not an opportunity for self reflection  since the collapse happened on the wingers watch.  It is all Obama's fault.

Health Insurance reform is another example. The GOTP could have mold the bill more to their liking in exchange for a few GOTP votes.  It didn't happen.  And when the court upholds the law, wingers look for a reason why they failed. This time the answer is scary liberal editorialists. It is mostly their fault and I guess partially Bush's fault for not making Robert agree to never read the news.  It worked really well Bush, so why not Roberts, too.  But the point is never accept any responsibility.