Mario Piperni dot Com

.

What should of been a victory for Republicans, now seems unlikely.

In a huge development in the NY-23 special election, Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava has announced that she is suspending her campaign, citing an inability to win in light of recent polls and a lack of money — leaving this race as a vote between Democrat Bill Owens and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, and a strong message that the Republican Party can no longer nominate moderate candidates, or else face a right-wing revolt.

[...]

Her platform was socially liberal and economically conservative, and there was a lot of bad blood between the local GOP and Conservative campaigns.

Scozzafava was ahead in the polling until Sarah Palin inserted herself into the race.  While Palin’s favorable ratings have been on a steady downswing, she obviously still has influence over the wingnut crowd.

Scozzafava fails to meet Palin’s requirements for a good Republican because of her moderate position on gay marriage and abortion. While she says she won’t vote for new taxes, Palin doesn’t believe her. Friending Hoffman on Facebook, Palin wrote that the best thing about him is that he’s “not been anointed by any political machine” and stands for bedrock Republican principles. Invoking Ronald Reagan, Palin added that he knew that “blurring the lines wasn’t an appropriate way to win election.”

By throwing her support behind the Conservative candidate and thrashing the Republican one, Palin proves once more that there is no place for moderates in her party.  At a time when upwards of 40% of the electorate call themselves independents, Republicans continue to isolate themselves from the mainstream by shunning all who don’t adhere to strict conservative values.

The Party of No is also the Party of No Tolerance.  While Republicans might see some short term success, the long range forecast is bleak at best.

___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.
.

.

Happy Halloween.

___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.
.

.

Tom Daschle chimes in on the fate of the public option.

Don’t throw a victory party yet. That was the message from former Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle this morning in a speech to health care professionals, students and legislators in Columbia.

… On the so-called “public option,” or a safety-net insurance option operated by the federal government, Daschle said something will likely appear in the final legislation, but he doubts it will be a robust, no-strings-attached public option.

“Most likely, it would be one that involves a great deal of flexibility among states whether it’s opt-in or opt-out,” he said.

“If I had to guess today, I think the best thing we’re going to get is a trigger,” Daschle said.

I hope he’s wrong on the trigger option. It would appear to be the worst possible way to go. If health care is in as dire a condition as Democrats claim it is, then how does it make sense to let it continue on as is for another 2 or 3 years. The health industry would love nothing more than to delay true reform.

The trigger option is nothing more than a shallow ruse to appease both progressives and conservatives (the Republican and Democrat variety). If anyone believes that the health industry will police themselves and cut into their profits as a way of bringing down the cost of premiums and make insurance affordable to all, then they just haven’t been paying attention for the last 40 years.

___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.
.

Another reason why you’d might want to consider getting goldfish instead of a dog.
.

.
___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.
.

.

Coffee on the beach while I decide what I’m wearing for Halloween.  Yes, I left it right it to the end. Nothing new there.

___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.
.

Does anyone really care what Dick Cheney thinks about anything?
.

.
___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.
.

Jon Stewart gets to the guts of the Fox – White House feud.
.

.
___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe. .

.

Kurtzman dedicates the main page of his political humor blog today to Glenn Beck’s craziness (with one of my illustrations as the graphic. Always nice.)  Here are a few of the quotes made by others reflecting on Beck’s lunacy.

“Satan’s mentally challenged younger brother.” –Stephen King

“Finally, a guy who says what people who aren’t thinking are thinking.” –Jon Stewart

“The comfort of today’s mythical homespun aw-shucks-TV-totalitarian-Lonesome-Rhodes Glenn Beck is that everyday he gives away the essential truth that he is an idiot.” –Keith Olbermann

“Even the leather-winged shouting heads at Fox News look like intellectual giants next to this bleating, benighted Cassandra. It’s like someone found a manic, doom-prophesying hobo in a sandwich board, shaved him, shot him full of Zoloft and gave him a show.” — Buffalo Beast, naming Beck in its annual list of the 50 Most Loathsome People in America

Kurtzman also lists Beck’s 10 craziest mutterings.

___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe. . .

.

Oh oh, I think I’m in trouble. I can fit into at least four of the categories listed on this guy’s sign. (Not telling you which but you can eliminate ‘Gangster Rapper’ and ‘Dirty Dancer’…my rapping is never gangsta-like and my dancing is as pure as the freshly driven snow…sort of…)

He explains.

“My new sandwich board has a warning to a list of sinners on one side. This is very useful for discussions on universities. The other sides say, “The blood Shed of Jesus Christ substitutes Hell Fire for sinners”, “Jesus Christ Died For You because You Deserve Hell”, and “Follow Jesus, Stop Sinning, He that sinneth is of the devil” “.

Methinks that if anyone cannot associate with at least two of the terms used by this zealot on his sign, then they’re either a liar or under the age of 16…which means WE’RE ALL DOOMED!

___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.

. .

A pic is worth a 1000 words…
.

.
Open thread.
___

To receive email notifications of new posts from MarioPiperniDotCom, click on Subscribe.

. .