…the unreported story of our times is that birtherism isn’t an isolated example of paranoid lunacy taking hold of a disturbingly large segment of the population — in fact, modern conservatism is driven by multiple lunatic theories that are precisely as delusional as birtherism.
True…but the mulitple lunacies have been reported time and time again. The problem is that the people who should be paying attention aren’t listening to anyone whose first name isn’t Rush, Glenn or Sean.
The theories:
- Birtherism
- Obama is a Muslim
- Obama is a Communist
- Obama is the anti-Christ
- Obama eats little white babies on Tuesdays (made that one up…but not by much)
- Tax cuts for the rich creates jobs
- Homosexuality is a perversion and can be cured with prayer
- The Tea Party is a grassroots movement
- Corporations are people
- Bush, Palin and Bachmann have functioning brains
- Abstinence education prevents teenage pregnancies
- Climate change is a hoax
- The GOP in its current state is a serious political party
- FOX News is fair and balanced
- The Affordable Care Act creates death panels
- Creationism is science
- Evolution is a flawed theory
And on it goes…the delusional theories of a self-destructing political party.
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One man’s look back on why it took him as long as it did to finally abandon the Republican party.
I think the meanness of the GOP was a big part of it. The outing people on the internet, the religious fanatics, the attempts to get people fired, the absolute unwillingness to ever admit error, the smearing of Schiavo’s husband, the gay-bashing, etc.
…
But again, I will never know why it took so long. It’s not easy looking at everything you thought you knew and saying “Wow, was I ever full of shit.” But eventually, if you have two remaining brain cells bouncing around your thick noggin, the amount of evidence becomes unavoidable and undeniable.
Even for someone who voted for Bush twice.
Reason to hope, right?
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It appears that one doesn’t have to be a Republican male to be a misogynist dick. The term applies equally well to women of the Republican persuasion. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley shows how it’s done.
“Women don’t care about contraception. They care about jobs and the economy and raising their families.”
Dumb.
Are the above mutually exclusive? Can one not be a woman who has concerns about jobs, the economy and her family while also caring about contraception? In fact the argument can easily be made that a responsible woman who truly cares about the first three items in that list must also care about contraception and the role it plays in her life. Unless lovemaking is viewed as a religious rite whose sole purpose is procreation, then determining when she gets pregnant is as pivotal an element in a woman’s life as I can imagine.
I can’t help but wonder about women who vote Republican in much the same way that I wonder about gays, blacks, Latinos, non-Christians, minorities, the poor, the middle class – anyone, really, who isn’t a white male belonging to the one percent. Why do any of these people vote against their own self-interests by voting Republican?
I understand that people can look beyond a single issue and cast their vote based on a broader view of who and what their political party of choice represents. Fine, but how does one cast that vote when the single issue they disagree with is one that attacks the very essence of who they are?
How does a gay person vote for a political party which at its core views their sexual orientation as a perversion that can be cured with a bit of therapy at Marcus Bachmann‘s clinic? A political party that refuses to accept that the person you choose to love and marry is your choice and your choice alone and should carry the exact same legal benefits that a heterosexual marriage carries.
How does a middle class wage earner vote for a political party that seeks to lower taxes for the rich and pay for the lost revenue by gutting the social safety net – programs put in place to ensure that all Americans have a fighting chance to pick themselves up when misfortune comes their way?
How does a black man vote for a political party still deeply infected with racist attitudes? Should you doubt the validity of that last statement then you might want to take a look at the people supporting and defending the murderer of Trayvon Martin. It clearly has become a political issue with those on the right attacking the victim (black) while defending the killer (white). Also ask yourself which political party gave rise to the Birther movement after the election of the country’s first black President.
And how does a woman vote for a political party whose leaders dare to question her use of contraception while they battle to restrict her reproductive rights and take away her ability to choose.
Greedy, selfish, white guys with a ton of money who remember they’re Christians only at Christmas and Easter – I understand why they’re voting Republican.
Everyone else? I don’t get it. You tell me.
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( The Nikki Haley source photograph is a Wikimedia Commons licensed image. )
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Mitt Romney believes that his best line of attack is making the claim that he has not spent a moment as a D.C. politician while his two main opponents, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, are the combined epitome of the Washington insider. Yesterday, he added to this by pointing out that Speaker Gingrich and Senator Santorum both had a spend, spend, spend approach to governing thereby making the two lawmakers “the very Republicans who acted like Democrats.”
This prompted a HuffPo reader to ask a straightforward question.
You mean… Newt and Rick believe in helping the middle class and poor, protecting the environment, creating jobs, building our nation’s infrastructure, improving education for our kids and basing science and history on actual truth?
To which I add; are truth and logic not beautiful things?
Of course they are.
(The source image for this illustration is a Creative Commons licensed image from photographer Gage Skidmore.)
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I suspect there are a ton of conservatives secretly agreeing with Begala and while it’s too early in the game for Dems to get cocky, it’s difficult to not smile while watching the Florida mud-slinging, super PAC, primary. Romney and Gingrich are doing a serious number on each other and Republicans are going to have one hell of a healing process to go through when this thing is over.
Smile while it lasts.
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Quotes don’t get much better than this one by Bob Dole.
“Why do people take such an instant dislike to me?” asked a perplexed Gingrich, to whom Dole bluntly explained: “Because it saves them time.”
That one’s a keeper.
(The source image for this illustration is a Creative Commons licensed image from Gage Skidmore.)
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Good line.
My guess is that after Romney fails to beat Obama in the general, Huntsman will be back in 2016. The most electable guy in the field and he could not get through the January primaries tells you all you need to know about the sorry state of the Republican party.
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This Richard Adam quote is sweet.
You know it would be fun to see some alternative universe where Cain or Gingrich were president. Not to actually live through, of course. More like a 3-D Disney ride.
I’d pay to get on that ride…and double if a Bachmann/Perry version were included.
What the political world needs is a sandbox similar to what programmers use to test out new code (if you’re not familiar with the term, see here). How nice would it be if we could let politicians of all stripes enact their untested and/or radical policies in a place where no damage could be inflicted on the masses?
Someone should put together a Political Sandbox iPhone app. Maybe I will.
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Letterman:
“People in Libya want Moammar Gadhafi to leave. The problem is, he’ll be replaced by his idiot son, Moammar W. Gadhafi.”
(h/t: BartCop)
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Libertarian David Boaz in a mixed piece on Ronald Reagan’s “Libertarian spirit” writes…
“…he chose George Bush as his vice president and then endorsed him for the presidency. Perhaps Ronald Reagan’s worst legacy is 12 years of Bush presidencies.”
Most fair-minded people would find it difficult to argue that point.
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