Newt, Dinesh and the Season of Hate

Sept 12th, 2010

UPDATE: THIS COLUMN WAS REFORMATTED VISUALLY 12/23/2010 NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO CONTENT

by F. Grey Parker

Newt Gingrich has outdone himself. It wasn't enough that yesterday he chose to mark the anniversary of 9/11 by releasing his Citizen's United propaganda DVD at $19.95 a pop. Nope, there's further contribution to our national dialog in the form of verbal bomb throwing over at the National Review.

“What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]?” Gingrich asks. “That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior.”

In the interview, he cites and seems to draw strength from a recent anti-Obama hit piece in Forbes by Dinesh D'souza. Although his own inflammatory comments are getting the most coverage, I think it is this alignment with D'Souza that is both more telling and more offensive.

Hannity Deceptive? You bet.

Sept 12th, 2010

Hannity is clearly taking lessons from his pal, Breitbart.

Excuse Me?

Sept 12th, 2010


Over at The Hill, Bernie Quigly has written what may be one the most poorly constructed Obama hit-pieces we've ever read. It rambles through the usual rightist memes while adding to the new victim-culture that is rotting away the conservative movement. 


Then, there is this jaw-dropper ridiculing NY Mayor Bloomberg's very principled defense of the first amendment. "This is fetishistic and cultish: constitutionalism unanchored from reality to become a pseudo-or-secular religion and a crazy one."


Read that again. The basic support of our most cherished principle is "fetishistic and cultish"?

A Shameful Chamber

Sept 12th, 2010


From the New York Times:


The article is about a complaint that has been brought against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the I.R.S. The quote that jumped out was this one:


"Now the chamber’s political arm is turning to the November elections, and it expects to spend $50 million or more to push pro-business candidates, usually Republicans. As part of a wave of new commercials broadcast this week, the chamber’s California affiliate attacked Senator Barbara Boxer — a Democrat running for re-election against Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard — and accused Ms. Boxer of “destroying jobs” by voting against business."

Amazing Advertising

An Interesting Assessment

Sept 11th, 2010


Over at Stratfor, George Friedman writes that "The greatest failure of American intelligence was not the lack of a clear warning about 9/11 but the lack, on Sept. 12, of a clear picture of al Qaeda’s global structure, capabilities, weaknesses and intentions. Without such information, implementing U.S. policy was like piloting an airplane with faulty instruments in a snowstorm at night."

Election Humor

Sept 10th, 2010


"I'm not a political expert, but I think going after the rich is a
good idea in an election year...or any other year for that matter. Because let's face it, rich people are bastards. Even rich people would agree with that. They're like, 'It's true. Now hand me another golden sausage.'" 


---Craig Ferguson 

A Real Disservice

Sept 10th, 2010


"There are no more good men left here. It eats away at my conscience everyday."


The story out of Afghanistan that is starting to make some real waves is one of wanton murder for sport by U.S. Servicemen. Shocking details include the collection of "severed fingers" as trophies.

One American soldier, Adam Winfield (quoted above) is alleged to have tried to report or expose what are clearly war crimes. After suffering varying degrees of intimidation, he has now been charged along with others in the crimes.

Well, No One Ever Said All Americans Understand America

Sept 9th, 2010


While taking a moment to review further some of the poll data from the last month, I found this ugly nugget over at Time Magazine.


"Twenty-eight percent of voters do not believe Muslims should be eligible to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Nearly one-third of the country thinks adherents of Islam should be barred from running for President."

Just do me the old time favor of re-reading that while inserting the words "Jews" or "Catholics" for the word "Muslim." Feel sick yet?

Ken Buck Believes?

Sept 8th, 2010

In a HuffPost article today, an examination of the changes in policy opinions and softening of positions within Colorado GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Buck's website shows that he's racing closer to the center ahead of election day. One thing is certain. He is still a major asshole.

Send In The Drones?

Sept 4th, 2010


Over at Slate, Ron Rosenbaum has written an interesting missive questioning our absence of debate regarding the morality of drone strikes. I don't know if he coined the term "drone porn" in reference to the now ubiquitous nose-cone videos we've all seen, but the term is a grisly gem.

A choice anecdote from the article:
"The Navy's own special 'Fire Scout' test drone had gotten out of control of the drone-porn jockeys who were remote-piloting it in the vicinity of Patuxent, Md. The drone started wandering erratically toward—and then through—protected Washington, D.C., airspace. It looked like we might be attacked by our own drone! Control was regained before the drone could do any damage."

Martin Luther King Jr's Social Justice

Sept. 4th, 2010

Glenn Beck should really shut up.

"At the turn of the century women earned approximately ten cents an hour, and men were fortunate to receive twenty cents an hour. The average work week was sixty to seventy hours. During the thirties, wages were a secondary issue; to have a job at all was the difference between the agony of starvation and a flicker of life. The nation, now so vigorous, reeled and tottered almost to total collapse. The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress. Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemployment insurance, old age pensions, government relief for the destitute, and above all new wage levels that meant not mere survival, but a tolerable life. The captains of industry did not lead this transformation; they resisted it until they were overcome. When in the thirties the wave of union organization crested over our nation, it carried to secure shores not only itself but the whole society." -- Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at the AFL-CIO convention of 1965

Varney Attacks Unions on Labor Day Weekend.

Sept. 4th, 2010

This man is an idiot. He describes unions as "the anti-thesis of freedom." Note in particular the venom he reserves for the simple phrase "workplace rules."

The Problem With "Throwing The Bums Out."

Sept. 3rd, 2010

by F. Grey Parker

It's that time again, kids. In politics, these moments come reliably during our downward cycles. But this is like some once-in-a-generation storm you hear surfers whisper of in hushed tones.

"Throw the bums out!" is the cry heard all over. Again. No, really. Here's one now:

An Interesting Bloggingheads Moment

Sept. 3rd, 2010

Matt Yglesias and Matt Welch discuss the Koch brothers.

David Koch photo copyright The New Yorker 2010

Sarah Palin Has D**k On The Brain

Sept. 3rd, 2010


Wow. I serioulsy had no idea that Sarah Palin was as into d**k metaphors. I mean she really, really wants to make sure we get her joke.

Proving her stateswoman-like mettle, Sarah Palin used the comfortable Hannity echo chamber to discuss the limits of comtemporary journalistic integrity thusly: "Those who are impotent and limp and gutless and they go on their anonymous—sources that are anonymous—and impotent, limp and gutless reporters take anonymous sources and cite them as being factual references."

Tancredo Watch

Sept. 3rd, 2010


The revelations of Colorado Republican gubernatorial hopeful Dan Maes,' shall we say, creative enhancements to his credentials, have given new life to arch-conservative rival Tom Tancredo.


from the Denver Post
"Two weeks ago, Tancredo proposed that both he and Maes exit the contest so the GOP could appoint a more formidable candidate to take on Democrat John Hickenlooper. Maes rejected the offer. Now, Tancredo said, the offer is off the table."

Electioneering Much?

Sept 3rd, 2010

Stuart Varney explodes any pretense of objectivity with a casual smarm that has to be seen to be believed. The money quote: "If you want to pile on the debt, vote Democratic." (italics mine)

The Big Picture...

Sept 3rd, 2010


Seib says out loud what a lot of us have been thinking:


"The American economy hasn't been a very robust jobs-producer for quite a while. That's the broader question that needs to be discussed, even as we work on the immediate problem."

Howdy Doody Strikes Again

Sept 3rd, 2010


Another oil rig explosion:

"Government officials said that the rig has been out of commission for a while and had been undergoing maintenance work, therefore not impacted by the Obama administration’s ban on deepwater oil drilling."                                                                                                 

"The timing of its explosion, however, was certainly impactful. The news came only hours after Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made a speech in Lafayette, LA pushing to lift the Obama administration’s ban on deepwater drilling."