Losers.

Real losers.

Really big losers.

Those tired policies of the past? Loser GOP policies from stupid losers.

I think you’re bucking to write that book, “Losing losers and the losers who loved them.”

Tax cuts. For all your aches and pains.

One page would be all I would need. ;)

lol. youse guys funny.

Via Raw Story: Stewart to Limpballs: Get the F*ck out of town!”

and, according to that GOP budget, phasing out medicare in favor of private health insurance. Wonder how that Idea will work with the “man in the street”

Never underestimate Republicans ability to destroy an economy, nor their ability to excel at political games.

We scoff at them at our own peril. Their ideas are horrible and have been proven to lead to disaster, but politics is less about reality and more about the perception of a chunk of voters who have less and less good information on which to base their opinions.

Republicans have already managed to place a tiny seed of doubt about a still pretty popular president. They are managing to stir up more doubt about Democrats in congress (thanks to a LOT of help from Democrats).

They clearly have an uphill battle, but don’t dismiss the chances of Republican gains in 2010 as impossible.

President Palin and a Republican congress in 2012 would certainly be a horrible dystopian sci-fi novel, but there’s a slim chance it could become reality if we don’t remain incredibly vigilant.

bwhahahahahhahaaa

Is he high?

Eric Cantor is delusional.

Well, 669,000 just filed first time jobless claims last month so it should go over really well. Somehow I think even out-of-job GOP’ers would like some help.

If I were a Republican consultant I’d have advised Eric to say this:

“We will get our asses handed to us again in 2010 unless we, as a party, listen to the American people and respond in a principled, compassionate way. Our road to recovery is a combination of good government, responsible stewardship of the economy and the prudent use of American power around the world. Being the minority party allows us to make some really novel and exciting proposals to the administration. President Obama has offered to meet us halfway. Well, we’re already there.”

I’d be so fired.

From Reuters: Food stamp list swells to record 32.2 million

A record 32.2 million people — one in every 10 Americans — received food stamps at latest count, the government said on Thursday, a reflection of the recession now in its 16th month.

…

Food stamp enrollment rose in all but four of the 50 states during January, said Agriculture Department figures. Vermont, Alaska and South Dakota had increases of more than 5 percent. Texas had the largest enrollment, 2.984 million, down 65,000, followed by California at 2.545 million, up 43,000, and New York with 2.211 million, up 37,000.

…

I don’t think Palin will notice her state’s increase until this spring thaw and bodies start showing up.

Ya, but you might make it to heaven for trying.

I think that they all slammed their heads into the wall so hard and often after the election that they caused permanent brain damage.

There is a Rodgers and Hart flag-waver from Babes In Arms that could be the GOP’s current theme song: Johnny One-Note.

The verse begins:

Johnny One-note could sing only one note
And the note he sang was this: Ah!

In the case of the GOP, the one note they can sing is “Tax cuts (for the wealthy).”

Trivia: The main title to The Colbert Report title music quotes the melody of Johnny One-note. I’ve often wondered how many people have gotten that in-joke.

The Rs just need the hip-hop and they’ll be fine. s/

!!!!

Boy, are they out-of-the-box thinkers or what?

Well, not me. I don’t know that musical, “Babes in Arms”, at all. Is there a link to the music or a performance of it?

R’s retake Congress?

I wouldn’t bet against it. I wouldn’t bet on it either. But tey could very well close the advantage Dems now enjoy. Hope I’m wrong…..

Where’s Selise? You agree, right? Right? Some body?

Try this one on for size. It’s Shirley Bassey doing it in grand style.

Argggggh. There is something wrong with that young man. All the stuff I’ve been watching this am, I just have to say there’s got to be some sub-species difference between those folks and those folks. We just can’t be from the same gene pool. I’m having way too much trouble understanding a whole bunch of stuff right now.

Hmm. I think she’ll take as much notice as she did of the wolve carcasses. “What can I say? It’s a controversial issue! Taaaadddd! Where’s Trig? Oh.”

Kewl! Shirley Bassey! (love the gown she’s wearing, too). Now I’ll have to find Colbert’s theme and listen to that – I don’t have a good musical brain/memory. Thanks.

And, it just goes to show – on this blog, someone knows everything you could want/need to know.

demi – what have you been watching? C-Span? Fox news? (I try to keep the tv off in daytime unless something really important is happening, so I dunno what’s been on)

I don’t know that anyone needs to know that … but I love the tune.

The Rs have given up on winning elections through getting the most votes, and are now counting on doing so by gaming the electoral process.

This will be Cantor’s most fruitful strategy. (It sure won’t be his ideas.)

What we need to do now for the 2010 elections is clean up the process as best we can–go low-tech with vote-counting (explain to me again why we abandoned paper ballots?) and see that state Secretaries of State (who usually run the elections) slots are filled by honest people.

What’s even more scarey is people here actually voted this putz in.

I’m just so dang proud to live in Eric Cantor’s state.

Digg is open

looseheadprop sez the lever machines still used in NYS are the safest non-paper device.

Gaming elections.

This will be Cantor’s most fruitful strategy. (It sure won’t be his ideas.)

Steele too. he has experience

i have to agree. i lived in NJ up until a few years ago and can’t remember any problems with them.

Hi BT and Puppies!

Oh thank heaven. I see it’s not just me.

Try as I might, I simply do not recognize the planet of origin for this politician of which you speak.

How can repugs DO that with a straight face?! It must be an art. My goodness, two weeks in a row of world-rattling lunacy. How can this be? Some of them look rather normal at first blush but then, whiz-bang, over the edge with another one. Even lemmings know better.

Oh well. It keeps them off the streets so they don’t have to ponder all the individual potholes that the rest of us are supposed to fix for ourselves while they play in the hauls of governance.

You can put toothpicks in the gears in the back and prevent votes from registering, but it’s hard to imagine that could happen on a widespread basis without someone noticing. So it would seem to be either a petty on non-problem.

Public-Private Partnership: fix your own potholes.

“Gaming elections.”

And legal challenges.

howdy BFL.

my opinion is, as always, worth exactly what you pay for it (ie nada). but here it is anyway since that’s what we do here:

1) cantor is definitely batshit crazy.

2) our current political situation is incredibly fragile and not at all stable. iow, anything could happen. and yes, with summers et al’s economic policies (see previous crises during clinton admin – i’ve been thinking i should write a diary on what happened in russia), i have no confidence in the current administration policies. none. at. all.

3) if things get worse, i do think the we’re very susceptible to a right wing populist type back lash. especially if we tie ourselves to obamaco – what will happen if there are no credible liberal voices and the democratic party is discredited because the economy continues down and the bankers continue to be bailed out?

4) you know the metaphor for complex systems? the one where a butterfly in brazil ends up causing a tornado in kansas (or something like that)? i think that’s where we’re at – very small changes in boundary conditions can cause very different outcomes. or if you prefer taleb’s language (just started his book so may have this wrong)- welcome to extremistan, we’re living in fat tails times.

but what do i know? nothing.

what do you think? would like to know your opinion too.

This fatass lives in a champagne bubble.

Interesting. What illegal prescription drug is he taking? Or is it the ’shrooms?

What you and Beerfard said. I voted most of my life, in different states with those machines, and remember maybe one allegation of fixing, that came to nithing, as I recall.

And a few years ago I remember hearing the question asked, apropos of “having” to go to electronic voting, “why can’t we keep using the lever machines?”
The answer was basically, they’re wearing out and we can’t get parts anymore to fix them, and they’re no longer being made.

But why can’t we get a new company to make new machines? Or parts? Yeah, I know, we have no manufacturing in this country any more. But that’s not really true. Surely if there were a big enough demand somebody would step up to meet it.
Or have we so destroyed the “free market” that the law of supply and demand has been repealed? (it often seems so. And it sure seems-until very recently- that the law of price going down if demand goes down has, at least been ignored)

I look at the current MN debacle, and shudder. Imagine that problem squared.

i thought we had both beein saying not to get over confident, R’s aren’t dead, alot could change (for the worse) politically. you think he’s crazy to say they might retake Congress? Maybe. But they could make siome good gains.

which fatass? The R’s have so many. Rush, Newt, I guess Rove doesn’t count any more, does he?

I have the same worries, selise, especially no. (3).

I’m already hearing rumors of reviving militias, which seemed to have been squelched (the militia movement, I mean) after Oklahoma City and Tim McVeigh discredited them.

I’m not sure what the solution is, except to keep working on educating those who are still unaware or poorly educated.

And btw, your opinion is worth way more than nada. I sometimes find your comments a bit exasperating or too-pessimistic, but you are always thought-provoking.
Keep it up.

I should have know from the title of this post it would be spew-worthy.

Just finished cleaning up ice tea, AZ Matt & Rayne!

You can fill one page? Really!?!

It’s stunning but apparently true. A large number of these alien beings are either totally bonkers, totally clueless, or both. This is no board game. This is your life, nitwits. What legacy? Who mentioned legacy. For that you have to have a future so you can look back on the past. Blank looks all the way across the wingnut spectrum. Unbelievagullible!

i think his reason to say the Rs might take back congress are batshit crazy. but i also think it could happen.

ooh, Adie, you are so right. I look at the loser’s reaction to New York-20 and am concerned that litigation is going to be their response from now on.
Not to mention that their rhetoric(and mass mailings – I was shocked at the language in the RW propaganda my mom is getting) is increasingly dangerous, talking about preventing democrats from “stealing” this and that, committing treason, destroying what Americans stand for, etc. And I don’t know how to counteract that effectively.

This guy is such a pussy. Are the people of Virginia embarrassed yet? And he went to a Brittany Smears concert?
What a little bitch he is. Like most of the Goopers.

Aw c’mon. The fella looks like a melting ken doll. Is he real? They clone sheep, pigs and cattle now, you know…..

This is no board game

Honestly, I think some of those guys do see “everything” as a game, in fact, they see life as a game, and are ruthless about playing to win.

I think the only explanation for some of them is that they know they’re speaking bs, but since the goal is to win at any cost, they will say whatever they think it takes to win.
Of course, why they’re ignoring the evidence that what they’re saying right now isn’t likely to get them a win, I’m not sure.
But it could be the past evidence that if they just keep spouting anti-Democrat lies enough, people start believing them, and they win that way.

I think the game has changed, though, and they can’t see it.

agree.

New Marcy post up on the front page: “What Does Dusty Foggo Know about the Torture Tapes?”

Obama should invite him over for some ball. I bet he shoots like a girl.

(Ducking)

thanks for the info, i hadn’t heard about the militias – but it makes a lot of sense (not the militias themselves, just that when people are stressed and angry is when things get out of hand).

sorry about being such a pain in the ass. if i wasn’t so worried about our political situation, i’d be off gardening or reading geeky science or something. really thought that with the end of the bush era life could mostly go back to “normal” (whatever the fuck that is). but the problems are much deeper than i knew (how scary is it that i wasn’t pessimistic enough?).

my best guess (and it’s really only a guess) is that we need progressive / liberal populists to organize against obama (even if we really like him personally), because if the dems are discredited by the economic crisis, we can not leave the country with no progressive / liberal voices.

in the mean time, i am on zero tolerance for right wing populist rhetoric. butterflies in brazil and all that.

i hope the above helps explain at least some of my most annoying habits.

Seriously. Many of these people appear stuck in middle school mode. Would you let a 12 yr old drive your car without even telling them there are skills and (oh horror!) laws? The level of their SERIOUS play is pre-teen prank, through and through. I’m a ma. I know these things.

you should duck. what WERE you thinking?!

BTW, isn’t all this blather being sexist? But what category do we file it in? Has be been spayed and had his shots?

I just saw that Obama broke up a “heated discussion” between Sarkozy and the China guy. Sarkozy threatens to walk out and now brow beats another G20 member leader. What is he? A tough guy? He’s a pussy too.

just wanted to umm…. “stir the pot”.. as Obama said about Joe The Biden.

now you’re just being catty in general. where will this end? someone’s gonna get swatted eventually. claws in or out. your choice.

Yep. I think an ad that says that perhaps putting Eric Cantor and some of his fellow Republicans on the unemployment lines may help convince them that there really is an economic emergency would go over really well.

Really thought that with the end of the bush era life could mostly go back to “normal” (whatever the fuck that is).

Yes, me, too. I was looking forward to reading fiction and classics again, taking up my needlework, instead of all the books like “Dark Side,” and “Shock Doctrine” and “Blackwater.” Nope, no rest for the weary.

(how scary is it that i wasn’t pessimistic enough?).

That made me laugh. I’ve been reading you a long time. Think I understand where you’re coming from. If we ever find ourselves arguing, it’ll be because you’re a worthy opponent.

Consider it stirred. Nice job. You want fries with that?

I am getting very tired of the unchallenged lies comming from the rethugs. From nonexistent CBO studies to mice that are going to benefit from the stimulus to trains from LA to a bunny ranch in LV, to $3100 per family cost for cap and trade to ECFA to Single payer putting govt bureaucrats calling everyones health care. The list could go on and on. It is all BS and they are not being called on it enough. Where is Hugh

If we ever find ourselves arguing…

lol. or because i’m flat out wrong and not listening to you trying to get me see reason.

you may already know this, but i’ve changed my mind before – in v big ways. and that makes me mindful of how wrong i can get it. i’m opinionated as hell, but really do hope you will call me on it when you think i’m wrong.

Hope that last line doesn’t sound, um, conceited.
Not sure I’m always a worthy opponent, as I tend to go off half-cocked sometimes. Or half-informed.

Then again, threads move so fast here, by the time I get my supporting documents/links lined up, or my facts checked, and coherent post put together, the discussion has moved on.
But, that’s also why I hang out here as if were my own ”corner.” : )

Boy, is that the truth.

That used to be the job of the press (and I use the word “press” instead of “media” on purpose)

With people like Tim “off-the-record-is-the-default-mode”, and David “it’s not-my-job-to-call-people-on-inconcistency” Gregory, I don’t know how it can be effectively countered.
Not to mention people increasingly watching only the news media they already agree with.

interesting take on the g20, etc from bernhard at MoA (have been reading him since he was a commenter on billmon’s old blog the wiskey bar – he’s that good):

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2…..fools.html

see especially comment from china_hand

on the contrary, i took it as a compliment. thanks.

(how scary is it that i wasn’t pessimistic enough?).

That pretty much describes most of us, I’ll bet. Who could imagine they would be so incredibly irresponsible, foolish, and near-suicidal in their zeal to destroy everything on their way out of office.

Removing “w”s from keyboards makes me wistful for the kinder, gentler days.
But I’m putting everything on hold, just like everyone else. We CAN’t leave with the crazies running amok. We’re talking ouro kids’ future.

If the wingers won’t understand, “no”, then we’ll move straight to,

NO!!! YOU %*$$#/^^ !!!

and back up our words what whatever is appropriate to the times.

This is no time to be shy. We tried polite. We already rinsed and repeated…

Rather than pillory Republicans because they don’t have an answer to the economic problem, isn’t it a thousand times more productive to pillory Democrats because they won’t embrace a workable solution either?

As much as you may hate Republicans, they will win in 2010 if and only if Democrats fail in their own solution — which they are well on track to doing.

But by all means ridicule the Republicans instead of going after the guys who are in the driver’s seat are are running us off the cliff.

Ha, ha, those Republicans are SO dumb!!

We tried polite

So, Adie, are you “fired up and ready to go?”

(see recent comments by selise and me at bottom of previous thread)

I’m unemployed, I need to use the time to think and plot and take some action, since nothing much is happening on the get-a-new-job-front.
(why, yes, I do like to make new hyphenated words. Why do you ask?)

No, NO, franklyO, we can do BOTH.

Because by pillorying the Republicans, we can let the wavering Dems (Blue Dog types) know that they gain nothing but pain when they kow-tow to the Rs like Cantor.

I need to return in a bit and catch up with those comments. We’re just about falling-down-zausted here from packing books and moving old creaky used furniture, in anticipation of moving ourselves, but we have a bit more to do before we quite for the day, assuming we still want a working front door, ahem.

Thanks for your spirit and drive. I think it takes all of us, and all our various styles of effort. Why make it easy for the goons to figure us out?

Carry on good sojer! ;->

I’m sure that in some universe the Republicans will take back the House. But not this one.

amen. no politician gets a pass from me. unless they earn it.

OH Thank YOU!!! I was just about to paste him. Yes indeedy, we are equal-opportunity pesterers, franklyO. Thank you very much for the thought. We’re way ahead of ya on that.

It also behooves us to thank help those who ARE doing a good job! That’s one of the most important jobs we could possibly have. I can’t even fathom how discouraged they must get when there’s no feedback except negative alldedamtime.

So I thank the good guys, not in general terms, but remaining specific, so they too are aware we are watching.

If you’re going to go after the wavering Democrats, go after the wavering Democrats.

Maybe talk about how they should be primaried. Run attack ads from the left on them in their own states.

Ridiculing Republicans has exactly the wrong effect here. It makes the blue dog Democrats feel they have a defense against all criticisms from the left: We are Less Evil than our opponents! You yourself acknowledge that — look at how contemptible you think they are! You can’t stop talking about it yourself!

Well, there are a whole lot of problems that need to be addressed. I’m not going to go search out the links from the last couple of weeks where the front pagers and partners have mocked the Blue Dogs but I know they are out there.

But, you can always do your own mocking by writing a diary at Oxdown.

Don’t rely only on the FDL front pagers, if it means so much to you.

Is it me, or does Cantor always look like he is constipated, even when he is “smiling”.

So the Republicans are going to obstruct the President and progress in turning our country around and then expect to pick up 20 seats! Is this a belated April Fool’s joke?

It will do little good to write a diary of my own on the point.

The problem is the regular presence on every progressive blog – this included — of endless demonizing of Republicans when Republicans are not the current issue, and in fact are only a distraction from the real issue.

Every time a Republican is demonized, it represents a reaffirmation of the notion that the truly important thing is to keep them out of power at all costs, and not to demand from our own Democrats — who by any measure should be an absolutely dominant force in our government — that they must do the right thing.

The message to the wavering Democrats should be: STFU about your Republican opponents. We don’t give the smallest shit about your Republican opponents. We don’t give a shit that they are worse than you. Do you hear us? We just don’t give a shit. We want YOU to do what is right. You have no excuse. Don’t even begin to talk about us about electability in your districts. We repeat, we don’t give a shit. We don’t care in the goddamn slightest that you’re better than some crackpot dumbshit Republican. The Republicans aren’t the problem. You, you dumbfuck, YOU are the problem.

i agree that right now republicans are a shiny object that distracts us from the massive mindblowing betrayal by the democrats.

last fall when the blank check for the wall street bailout / taxpayer sellout / TARP 1 was passed, bernie sanders introduced an amendment that would have added a temporary small income tax increase to taxpayers making over, iirc, $500,000 for a couple. this was meant to help pay for the bailout.

he was able to bring it to a voice vote.

there was only one “yes” – his.

that was when i knew the dems were in the bag for the banksters. not even feingold voted with sanders.

You mean they are setting up their own version of acorn?

Good thing they’re all so religious, ’cause from where I sit, it’s gonna take an act of God for that to happen.

Well, one point we need to drive home from today until election day 2012 is if we do not want Sarah Palin to have any power should she ever win the presidency, so we have to make sure we, as Americans, continue to vote Democrats in!

Yeah–anyone can see how that technology works; they’re basically just adding machines.

But they’re all like 30-40 years old, and they have the sorts of problems you see in vintage machines that come in for heavy public use a couple times a year. But LHP is right, and it would be nice if someone would start making them again.

way into EPUland driving without a license to practice anything other than fiddle-playing, tracking mouse home-ranges, training a few hosses, and, oh yes, ivy MS in ethology plus shaking hands with the great Konrad Lorenz, may I suggest cattle prods have no place in the world of reason, especially not in politics. Unless you wish to be run over, squished against the fence, or totally tuned out.

ymmv depending upon your aim(s)

sorry, not hiding, just dodging potential thndrstorms with potentially decent free furniture being offered out by the road. Hate to lose it. Don’t mind losing debates with class acts at the Lake. Bye for now, with plans to visit previous thread tomorrow, I PROMISE, tejanarusa ;->

It will do little good to write a diary of my own on the point.

NO. It will help us all. If you think people here consider their opinions perfect and written in stone, you are sadly off target. I hope to see that diary some time soon, please.

The problems of today are unbelievably complex, and potentially horrible in their effect on the whole world. I think I can speak for almost everyone at the Lake that we welcome civil debate and working through ideas together.

Hope to see ya later! – A

you’re right that they shouldn’t be dismissed and democrats shouldn’t get cocky, but their whole “whatever the democrats are for, we’re against” platform is not going to win them many votes unless the country really goes into the toilet. only a very small number of americans currently believe that more cuts in the capital gains tax rate will magically turn things around.

Many thought it was funny when Newt Gingrich predicted a Republican take-over of the House in 1992 and 1993, until it happened.

You people are ahistorical twits. You don’t possess the powers of reasoning to project ahead more than 10 minutes, nor are you able to see the world beyond the pre-packaged categories provided by your moronic Religion of Obama.

Happily, there’s only about 21 months to go before the idiocracy of Obama begins its rapid fade into oblivion.

well, bless your heart. have pleasant dreams. g’nite.

this is pathetic. its like one of those parents whose kids play for a scrub team, who “predict” their childs team is “gonna win!lets go!”, when all the kid really wants to do is fast forward to the trip to the ice cream stand after the game.

brian i really hope your still here posting on FDL in “21 months”. are you going to accept reality then? or will it take another 2 years after that.