GOP Makes Ridiculous Demand April 12, 2010 -- With Supreme Court Justice Stevens (the most liberal member of the court) having announced his retirement, the Republicans have stepped forward to demand that Stevens be replaced by someone "mainstream." There are several problems with the GOP making this declaration: As they found out during the health care debate, you can kind of push the Democrats around for a while because they're willing to compromise to get things done. But when push comes to shove, the Republicans are in the minority right now and they can't dictate the outcome of important issues. When Bush got to pick a new Chief Justice, being "mainstream" was not even on the list of criteria, with the possible exception of being a reason to be eliminated from the list. The biggest problem is not of the bullet list talking point variety. This will require just a teeny bit of thought and visualization. Ready? The last three presidential elections have been relatively close, which means we're still pretty balanced in terms of how many people are on each side you're on in general, if not on specific issues. If we physically spread out on the basis of our political position -- anarchists line up on the West Coast, Neo-cons and Tea Party members at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean -- the Mississippi would represent the mainstream and that's where the majority of people would be, with an increasing number of people living on houseboats so that they aren't permanently attached to either shore. I rarely hear the anarchists rumble too loudly, but it seems like the people closer to the right edge think the mainstream runs from Buffalo, New York to the Florida panhandle. So if you're anywhere near the Mississippi, it doesn't matter which side of it you're really on or if you ever even been close enough to actually see the river (much less dip your toes in it), because you're still the "far left." The Mad Tea Party March 28, 2010 -- The Mad Hatter would feel quite at home at an American Tea Party today. GOP Celebrates U.S. Defeat October 3, 2009 -- Saw the headline at CNN, but I had already noticed the irony/stupidity on display, as the Republicans once again illustrate a definition of patriotism that is so skewed it could be (and has been) the basis of at least one Twilight Zone episode. Republicans Cross the Line September 10, 2009 -- Joe Wilson (R-acist, South Carolina) became possibly the first person ever to heckle a sitting president of the United States at a joint session of Congress, interrupting Obama to (falsely) accuse him of lying. Can We Please Get Back to Reality? September 4, 2009 -- Obama is going to give a speech to schoolchildren next week, urging them to work hard and stay in school. Of course, this pisses off some people who are morons. More... The Paranoid Style in American Politics The title links to an article of the same name which was written by Richard Hofstadter and appeared in the November, 1964 edition of Harper's Magazine. I found it highly interesting because this approach is out in full force this year. Just a couple of quotes, with a slight update for the current threat to our society. "The basic elements of contemporary right-wing thought can be reduced to three: First, there has been the now-familiar sustained conspiracy, running over more than a generation, and reaching its climax in Roosevelt's New Deal, to undermine free capitalism, to bring the economy under the direction of the federal government, and to pave the way for socialism or communism. "The second contention is that top government officialdom has been so infiltrated by Communists Liberals that American policy, at least since the days leading up to Pearl Harbor 9/11, has been dominated by men who were shrewdly and consistently selling out American national interests. "Finally, the country is infused with a network of Communist agents Liberals, just as in the old days it was infiltrated by Jesuit Communist agents, so that the whole apparatus of education, religion, the press, and the mass media is engaged in a common effort to paralyze the resistance of loyal Americans." Another 45 years have passed and this description is still accurate. The Misguided Tax Protest April 16, 2009 -- The conservative fringe groups protested against taxes yesterday, conveniently forgetting that it was their team that started the wars, which ruined our economy, which is why the top income tier is having its taxes raised. In a couple of years. Theoretically. They were not limited to "free speech zones," not labelled as "un-American" for protesting and, unlike those who protested and marched against the war in Iraq, yesterday's protesters received a lot of coverage from the liberal media. The World Finally Pushes Back January 27, 2009 -- Today, someone from the U.N. told CNN News that they (the U.N.) have enough evidence to prosecute former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conryn again subpoenaed Karl Rove yesterday. Conryn quoted as saying, "Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it." January 30 -- Rove was ready for change. He had already been instructed not to cooperate. April 16 -- They had enough evidence, but evidently decided to pretend they didn't. Republicans (and Fox) Ignore Their Own Advice January 23, 2009 -- Remember how after Bush was elected, it became un-American to criticize the president? Notice how the same rule doesn't apply anymore? Jon Stewart addresses this question. In related news, remember the Republican bailout package? Big emergency, must do it immediately, no time to read it, let's get it passed? Getting Bush to sign it before he could have possibly read it (540 pages, I believe; Bush had it two hours)? Now that their friends already got paid, the Republicans are today urging that everyone read every line of the new stimulus bill, lest we waste any of the money on the arts or average workers. Post-Election Results November 9, 2008 -- There's a group boycotting Fox News for being "far left." Some schools in Mississippi won't allow children to discuss Barack Obama outside of history class. Rich gay people are saying that, being second-class citizens and all, they aren't paying any more taxes for schools. That's just the beginning. (Read More) The Presidentiary Electification September 8, 2008 -- We're finally coming into the home stretch of the longest political campaign in history, which seems to have started sometime in 2005. Now that the candidate selection process seems to be almost officially resolved, might as well watch the end of the game, which is already brimming with entertainment value. (Read More)

Bush Critics vs Obama Critics Bush's Legacy/ Obama Watch Since I endorsed Obama over McCain, and he just got elected, it's a perfect time to start a scorecard and see how he does. I mean, change is good and all, but you've gotta keep an eye on it lest things go awry. Just because you can change something doesn't always mean you should. We'll have to see how it goes. Last updated -- April 4, 2010 More Political Articles When the Walls Come Tumbling Down -- For a few minutes there, it looked like an impeachment was getting ready to happen. Of Asses and Elephants -- First political post; basic thoughts