Red, Blue & Purple

Check out this warning from Boehlert. It compiles a lot of the things we have seen wrong with the opposition to the Obama administration and discusses what it could lead to. Here’s a key quote:

Note that the radical right’s media rhetoric is no longer even political in a partisan sense. Instead, it’s purely revolutionary. It isn’t, “We think taxes should be lower” or “Obama should be more hawkish overseas.” It’s, “There’s an insidious and deadly plot afoot by Democrats and progressives to strip Americans of their freedom and this country of its greatness.” Obama is now the incarnation of evil (the Antichrist?), and his driving hatred for America, as well as for democracy, runs so deep that he ran for president in order to destroy the United States from inside the Oval Office.

Those with the biggest audiences (especially Beck), frame what’s happening as an evil plot to destroy America. It’s no wonder that guys like Byron Williams get drunk, load their truck with guns, and take off to shoot up liberal non-profits.

Rhetoric framing our political leaders as the enemies of America hell-bent on its destruction are irresponsible.

Enjoy TO ruining the Bengals’ chances.

Adam Feser

A boat hit a well causing an oil geyser.

In other oil news, over 800,000 gallons of oil were spilled from an oil pipeline into a creek in Michigan. The oil has made its way to the Kalamazoo River.

Almost forgot, China had an oil spill of their own. They really do want to be the next superpower. They claim to have kept the 465 square kilometer slick out of international waters. Who knows?

Enjoy ads claiming the companies responsible for spills are shining examples of safety.

Adam Feser

Wikileaks just released 90,000 pages of classified documents from the Afghanistan War that chronicle six years (for more information on Wikileaks and this specific leak, click here. The documents were sent to The New York Times, the British newspaper The Guardian and the German magazine Der Spiegel, likely for maximum exposure. The documents show that we have been mislead (click this link for loads of information and pieces of the leaks) about the progress being made, which is no surprise. From the New York Times:

The documents — some 92,000 reports spanning parts of two administrations from January 2004 through December 2009 — illustrate in mosaic detail why, after the United States has spent almost $300 billion on the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban are stronger than at any time since 2001.

As the new American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, tries to reverse the lagging war effort, the documents sketch a war hamstrung by an Afghan government, police force and army of questionable loyalty and competence, and by a Pakistani military that appears at best uncooperative and at worst to work from the shadows as an unspoken ally of the very insurgent forces the American-led coalition is trying to defeat.

The fact that Pakistan is suspected (more…)

Takes guts, but I am pretty sure I would support this

If it passes, this will go all the way to the Supreme Court. I wish the city luck

Democratic National Committee Executive Director Jennifer O’Malley recently said John Thune scares her. This is because he could be the most dangerous contender in 2012 (though I don’t think it’s as scary as the prospect of him actually being president). She went so far as to say he gives her nightmares.

O’Malley and others recognize that most of the possible GOP contenders are flawed, but she sees something in Thune that is threatening. I personally think he’s flawed, but when compared to Palin (lying quitter) and Romney (who implemented Obamacare before Obama was near the Oval Office), I guess it’s easy to stand out.

For some reason I think Newt Gingrich is scary, and he seems to want to run. The least scary thing in the world would be Palin winning the Republican Primary. The most scary thing in the world is that she has a chance to win the Republican Primary.

Enjoy the quick ramping up of the 2012 election in mid 2010.

Adam Feser

Finally, the Senate has passed an extension of help for the unemployed. Republicans and Democrat-in-name-only Ben Nelson had come together to block the extension, which they were able to do in part because of the death of Senator Byrd.

After months of blocking aid to suffering Americans in the name of deficit reduction, at the expense of both American families and the actual economy, Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine finally joined Democrats in overcoming the filibuster. Now those in need can help both themselves and the economy. Let’s just hope in November when Republicans try and pretend they are there for the average, working man we all remember just how false that is.

Enjoy Inception, it’s amazing.

Adam Feser

For nominating Angle. This is what you get.

Enjoy the Tea Party giving Republicans defeat in the face of victory.

Adam Feser

Politics Daily has another list. This one details the largest change of hearts Republicans have had based on the changing political atmosphere. Basically it shows how many Republicans could care less about actual policy and are only concerned with the politics behind it. Here is the list and some highlights:

1. Financial disclosure: Republicans (including Mitch McConnell) once supported transparency as a means of stopping corruption. Now that idea would, according to McConnell, “Shred the Constitution.”

2. Cap-and-trade: It was the idea of free-market conservatives to allow people to buy the right to pollute. The first Bush administration used “emission trading” (cap-and-trade) to curb sulfur dioxide emissions. Now that it is unpopular, all Republicans who have supported it (McCain, Graham, etc.) oppose it.

3. Immigration: W. and Ted Kennedy had a plan. Eleven Republicans supported it and are still in office. Again McCain leads the charge in completely changing his mind. What a maverick.

4. Deficit Spending: Deficit spending was okay to support W.’s agenda, but not for the suffering unemployed.

5. Bipartisan deficit-reduction commission: Six Republicans who proposed the bill to create the commission voted against it. Purportedly because it might recommend raising taxes. Because we don’t need to raise funds if we want to reduce the deficit. Obama formed it anyway.

6. Individual insurance mandate: I’ve written before how this was a Republican idea. It was originally conceived of by free-market conservatives as a way to protect the private sector. Imagine that! The huge socialist plot to destroy our country was thought of by conservatives as a way to protect private industry. (I wonder if Dr will read this or just revert to socialist fear mongering.)

7. Medicare spending curbs: This is a fun one. The same Republicans that spread fear to the elderly (about this and death panels) wanted to do the same thing. McCain’s actually had a plan to cut $1.3 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid as a part of his 2008 campaign. But they saw the opportunity to scare old people (who vote) and jumped at it. What’s especially funny is that many conservatives originally opposed the entire notion of Medicare because, you know, it’s socialized medicine. But as soon as it became a good way to score points they had to defend it as though it were their only child. “Keep your government hands off my Medicare!”

This is an interesting list because many of this issues are still salient. As long as they think it is politically beneficial to vote no, they will continue to do so, regardless of what they believe the effect of a policy will actually be.

Enjoy Papi winning the Home Run Derby.

Adam Feser

Politics Daily has a list of women that are rising stars in the political scene. Number one on the list is Kristi Noem.

I’m no fan of Noem and this is troubling for Herseth-Sandlin supporters. If Noem is a rising star on a national level it means she’s gaining steam. November is still very distant, but I’m nervous.

Enjoy Dan Gilbert’s meltdown.

Adam Feser

Stephanie makes it hard for anyone to say she’s liberal without having it be laughable. She also makes it hard for liberals to understand what she is doing.

Blue Dog Democrats have been a strong part of the Republicans’ opposition to any legislation Obama was elected to pass. Stephanie voted against health care reform, for instance (though that apparently doesn’t matter to my fellow blogger because she isn’t farther right than most Republicans). The new thing she and Republicans are on about is reducing the deficit.

What is incredibly disconcerting for people with a heart is that reducing the deficit is more important to many on the Hill than making sure those that have lost their jobs aren’t without help. They continue to hold up legislation to help the millions of unemployed. As Alex Pereene notes, this is a new type of Democrat. The old rifts were easier to understand. As Alex puts it:

Throughout the entire post-New Deal era there have been massive divisions in the Democratic coalition, but they usually break down more like “people who think we shouldn’t let Americans starve on the streets vs. people who agree with that but hate black people” or “people who understand that a strong social safety net is vital for the health of the entire nation vs. people who agree with that but who also want to nuke commies.” This new brand of Democrat, I am unfamiliar with.

The important part of being a Democrat was concern for the well being of people. Republicans talk about bootstraps and sink or swim while Democrats realize our system will always leave some at the bottom and those people deserve help. There were the divisions of Democrats that had less-than-savory beliefs, such as Dixiecrats, who eventually became Republicans. But the overall concern has been and should be about the people. But this new group apparently cares more about the deficit, which makes them hard to understand.

This is in the face of economists, including Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf, who say benefits for the jobless are one of the best means of stimulating the economy. Elmendorf specifically says that cutting the deficit while economic activity and employment remain low will slow economic recovery. Again, he’s the director of the CBO, which all those people on the Hill look to to gauge what impact legislation will have.

What a great time to take a stand! Let’s screw over the unemployed while also slowing our economy’s recovery! Brilliant!

Anyone moron who insists Herseth-Sandlin simply follows Pelosi’s lead is willfully ignorant. She’s pretty muchdeclared war on Pelosi. Worse than that, she’s more or less declaring war on what we should stand for.

But those struggling to make payments and feed their families can be comforted by the fact that they and our economy will be worse off in service of cutting the deficit.

Enjoy ads painting Stephanie as a liberal.

Adam Feser