I have no idea if the Democrats will win in a few weeks- I hope they do, and by all rights, they should- but I can always count on the ability of the Democrats to screw themselves over at the last minute. Regardless, it will be a monumental feat if the Democrats do lose, especially considerring how truly awful the current Republican congress has behaved. At any rate, the antics of the current Republican Congress have been well documented here and elsewhere, and it is worth noting that the next batch of Republicans may be no better. This is the cream of the crop from my own state of WV:
But disputes about ethics haven’t been limited to Mollohan. Some critics have questioned Wakim’s statement on his web page and in campaign literature that he is a Harvard University graduate and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Holley acknowledged that Wakim, a West Point alum who is now in the state House of Representatives, was an Army officer in Massachusetts during the war, and that his degree was earned at a less competitive extension school run by Harvard but which lacks the competitive admission policies of most of the university’s schools. Still, Leyden predicts the race will likely be the closest Mollohan has seen in years. Considering Mollohan’s history of runaway victories, however, that may not be enough to unseat him.
The best candidate the Republicans can field against Alan Mollohan, a democrat in a weak position defending his seat under a cloud of ethical questions is a candidate who, by all apearances, is a serial liar/embellisher.
Todd
WV?! No wonder you’re a Steelers fan.
Todd
Considering they’re forced to pick from pools of liars, one is likewise and has to vote for the lesser of liars.
Mike
So in other words, your normal run-of-the-mill Rethuglican candidate.
terry chay
IEM shows that until the “Week of Foley”, the most likely outcome was a loss of Republican seats in the house and senate, but with the Republicans still holding both.
Now, while likely they’ll lose the House, the Republicans holding both is still a reasonable outcome.
I mention this because it is important to note just how difficult it is—Democratic “triangulation” clusterf— strategies notwithstanding—for congress to switch parties. Remember, that right-wing mindless droids may be fast approaching that is a very big activation energy barrier to overcome.
terry chay
The last paragraph barfed on me:
I mention this because it is important to note just how difficult it is—Democratic “triangulation” clusterf— strategies notwithstanding—for congress to switch parties. Remember, that right-wing mindless droids may be fast approaching less than 30%, but that fraction is a fraction that goes to the polls and pulls the “R” lever.
This time the silent majority is firmly with the Democratic Party platforms, but their complacency is the reason they are silent. In a country where less than half the eligable voters vote, that is a very big activation energy barrier to overcome.
dlw
I strongly protest this statement. We often screw ourselves right from the start.
jaime
I really don’t see any gaffes the Dems have made. They are playing on Republican turf and the Republicans strengths have become their weaknesses. What’s the Republican message? Democrats are worse? The GOP is resorting on attacking eachother. Hell, Rush Limbaugh and Tony Blankley have stooped to calling their own cowards and idiots.
With Foley/NGuyen/Weldon/Ney/Abramoff/Delay gates, The disaster in Iraq/Afhanistan/Iran/N. Korea, and now OPEC cutting back production, there should be no way the Republicans keep Congress. If they do there is something seriously wrong with either the election or the American people.
ThymeZone
Hear, hear. I think our best qualities are that we are willing to try and fail, aren’t unwilling to argue with each other, and are willing to change our minds.
“I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat.” — Will Rogers
Best Slogan Ever.
America is all about change, and allergy to kingly power. Kingly power requires a controlled message, discipline. We have no controlled message.
I don’t want government by people who are sure they are right all the time, or say they are because their party makes them right. Such a thing requires painting your opposition as wrong or bad. That’s the GOP way.
BarneyG2000
Slightly Off Topic but Important
I cannot believe what I just heard on the Michael Medved show. Michael had Peter Hoekstra discussing the outing of the Democratic whistle blower. Chairman Hoekstra (R-MI) said that he had not read the NIE prior to the leak.
That is correct the Intelligence Committee Chairman did not bother to read the NIE until after it was leaked to the Times (five months after it was mad available to members of Congress)! Now we know why it was leaked, the Republicans were trying to bury it.
I hope someone can confirm this. The discussion occurred around 2:45 central time.
The Other Steve
If he told the truth, nobody would vote for him!
Pb
Wait… politicians lie?
CThom
I have no idea if the Democrats will win in a few weeks- I hope they do, and by all rights, they should- but I can always count on the ability of the Democrats to screw themselves over at the last minute. Regardless, it will be a monumental feat if the Democrats do lose, especially considerring how truly awful the current Republican congress has behaved
This meme is tired and doesn’t apply to this election cycle. The Democrats have run a good campaign, and have done little to “screw themselves”. The choice is now blindingly obvious. At some point, the responsibility shifts on the voters to choose wisely-if the Democrats don’t do as well as they hope, the blame lies squarely at the feet of the American voters, not the Democrats.
ThymeZone
Well, if they are Republicans, it’s called “error.” Or basing their conclusions on “flawed intelligence.”
But yes, they do.
Jimmmm
Wow, a whole thread about WV politics and not a single mention of what Robert Byrd did in the 1930s (and has spent much of his time in public apologizing for).
I think the reason the GOP is having trouble opposing a big-time crook is that they’re loath to turn on a kindred spirit…
Steve
Hang on a second here. There’s been no “outing of a Democratic whistle blower.” What the Republicans did, a few weeks before the election, is picked out a Democratic staffer and accused him of leaking a document that literally thousands of people had access to. Their only evidence is that, a few days before the leak, this staffer requested a copy of the document on behalf of one of the committee members he worked for.
It’s obviously just a political stunt. There’s no evidence of who leaked the NIE to the press. There’s plenty of evidence, though, on who wanted to keep the NIE under wraps until after the election!
Steve
Oh, here’s a cute item, apropos of our discussion this week about how terrible the Left (well, one activist) is for digging into people’s private lives:
I look forward to condemnation from all the people who were up in arms about the guy in Idaho, but I’m not holding my breath. I mean, we’re talking one left-wing activist, versus the official campaign of a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Obviously the liberal must be far worse, right?
Denny
I am sorry. I made a mistake in adding this blog to my conservative blogroll. I have corrected this mistake and I now feet better. Sorry for the confusion. I won’t happen again.
sglover
I mention this because it is important to note just how difficult it is—Democratic “triangulation” clusterf—- strategies notwithstanding—for congress to switch parties. Remember, that right-wing mindless droids may be fast approaching less than 30%, but that fraction is a fraction that goes to the polls and pulls the “R” lever.
Yeah, but my suspicion is that the Foley affair and its fallout is a real kick in the nuts for that crowd. From the increasing desparation that I’m seeing in Republican candidates, the old standards — promise endless tax cuts, bash the liberal flag burners, bash the fags, tell scare stories about Empress Hillary — they just aren’t working. Even more telling is Kevin Drum’s report that Dems are outperforming the GOP in fundraising. If the traditional pattern holds, and the Dems are raking in a greater number of smaller contributions, this is especially bad news for Rove.
John Cole
I am a conservative. The lunatic republicans in office are not.
TenguPhule
The Republican cream has obviously curdled this year.
BarneyG2000
Steve, I you are missing my point? I find it hard to believe that the Chairman of the House Intelligence committee didn’t even bother to read the NIE on terrorism trends. Isn’t that his job!
HyperIon
after visiting your site, i sincerely hope not.
tBone
Darn. I’m sure John is really upset not to be linked to “a place where we all hope to end Islamofascism, communism, totalitarianism, liberalism and racism.”
On the other hand, at least he won’t have his heart “peirced” or “suffer deep, humilating truth.”
TenguPhule
So that’s why it smelled like dirty socks.
jaime
Shorter Denny:
My pathetic blog needs hits.
TenguPhule
You go to the polls with the crooks you have, not the ones you wish weren’t under indictment.
Ted
Remember folks; we’re dealing with authoritarian cultists. They can’t comprehend the concept that one can even be a conservative without approving of everything Bush and the Republican congress do. To them, Bush is the party. And disapproval of his policies means disapproval of “conservative” principles.
Steve
No, I’m not missing your point. You made a good point. I was making a different point, and correcting a misimpression you may have left along the way.
Pooh
OT, but nowhere else to put this one – to call back an oldie but goodie, is it to late to, what was JC’s phrase ‘chuck bodies,’ after this one:
Methinks that a great deal of this administration and/or Congress could be described as “a compliance problem”
cd6
RedState summed up in one post:
-RedState spends a lot of time windbagging in righteous indignation that the Dems and MSM are sleazy liars, etc etc. “Don’t campaign on this Foley BS, campaign on the issues” and so on.
-Redstate has a post up on their front page linking and applauding an ad aimed at NY-24 Dem candidate Michael Arcuri, accusing him of “calling a phone sex line on the taxpayer’s dime.”
-The facts presented by the ad: A phone sex line number was called from Arcuri’s hotel room. The sources cited in tiny font: Sean Hannity, and right wing moonbat asylum humanevents.com. Practically the encyclopedia brittanica, I know.
-The actual relevant facts. That phone call lasted all of one minute. If you take the phone sex number, (800) 457-8462, and use the area code for Albany (518) instead of 800, you get the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services. Arcuri is a district attorney.
– Gosh, perhaps Arcuri misdialed? I’d have to assume that’s what any reasonable person would think. But we don’t really deal with reason on RS. A dem posted the information contained in my last bullet on RS, and was then immediately banned.
Weeeeee
cd6
goddamnit, it added strikethroughs
Uhh, just read it and ignore the horizontal lines
For the vision impaired, the crossed out lines are
Redstate has a post up on their front page linking and applauding an ad aimed at NY-24
and
The actual relevant facts: That phone call lasted all of one minute. If you take the phone sex number, (800) 457 8462
chopper
redstate? dishonest?
can’t be.
Pooh
I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I think the modern GOP provides the best empirical example of the flaw of promoting “Salvation through faith” over “Salvation through works”
Steve
Without looking, I’ll guess that it was an Erick post. Am I right?
Pooh
DING!
ThymeZone
Please watch this commercial.
Any questions?
Vote Democratic.
sglover
Steve, I you are missing my point? I find it hard to believe that the Chairman of the House Intelligence committee didn’t even bother to read the NIE on terrorism trends. Isn’t that his job!
You’re surprised? Republican “leadership” figures not bothering to become acquainted with basic information has been a recurring theme over the last several years. Why, only a couple of days ago it was revealed that some senior GOP congresscreatures on national security-related committees weren’t even aware of the Sunni and Shi’a sects in Islam. Competence and factual knowledge and are distant seconds to faith and good intentions, in today’s GOP.
Send them home this November!
Pb
It looks like at least half of Free Republic isn’t buying it either–although some of them still don’t care if it’s false, if they think they can get away with it:
Er, yeah. Time to take away the car keys…
Perry Como
Those Dems are an angry bunch.
Denny
Dear John Cole,
If you say that you are a conservative, but are advocating the Republican Party’s defeat this election, how will the liberal Democrat Party help your causes ONE IOTA?!? And since you advocate the DEFEAT of the Republican Party as a majority Party, NONE of the conservative Republicans will be able to effectively do much of ANYTHING in the way of conservatism. The Republcian Party is a coalition of pro-national defense, traditional values and fiscal conservative factions. Since you are not getting what YOU think is your fair share, you want ALL the rest to go down in defeat. DO you car one iota that the Democrats will try to politically CRIPPLE President Bush’s war against Islamo Fascist terrorism, causing the REAL concern that our very future will be compromised? If you haven’t yet, please read my post about this because what you are advocating is a DISASTER not only for Republicans, but for our entire country!
TenguPhule
Shorter Denny: Wahh! Wahhh!! I dun wanna have Republicans lose power!! I hate Democrats with made up bullshit!! Wahhh!! Wahh!! Kill the Muslims!! Waahhhh!!!
Pb
As opposed to the situation we have now, where none of them have been able to effectively do much of ANYTHING in the way of conservatism anyhow. At least Clinton could balance a budget, unlike Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43. Face it, Republican fiscal conservatism is now nothing more than a myth. I’m voting for the Democrats to put the grown-ups back in charge, and to finally inject some actual reason and sanity back into the process. I don’t expect you to understand that, though…
Echtheow the Geat
Now when all were come upon the shore, the king gan ask: “Who will show us the right roads through this land, that we go not astray?”
Then the sturdy Folker spake: “For this I alone will have a care.”
“Now hold,” quoth Hagen, “both knight and squire. Certes, me- thinketh right that we should heed our friends. With full monstrous tales I’ll make you acquaint: we shall never come again to the Burgundian land. Two mermaids told me early in the morning that we should not come back again. I will now counsel you what ye do: ye must arm you, ye heroes, for we have mighty foes. Ye must guard you well and ride in warlike guise. I thought to catch these mermaids in a lie. They swore that none of us would come home safe and sound, save the chaplain alone. Therefore would I fain have drowned him to-day.”
These tidings flew from band to band and valiant heroes grew pale from woe, as they began to fear a grewsome death on this journey to Etzel’s court. Forsooth they had great need. When they had crossed at Moering, where Else’s ferryman had lost his life, Hagen spake again: “Sith I have gained me foes upon the way, we shall surely be encountered. I slew this same ferryman early on the morn to-day. Well they wot the tale. Now lay on boldly, so that it may go hard with Gelfrat and Else, should they match our fellowship here to-day. I know them to be so bold that ’twill not be left undone. Let the steeds jog on more gently, that none ween we be a-fleeing on the road.”
“This counsel I will gladly follow,” quoth Giselher, the knight; “but who shall guide the fellowship across the land?”
They answered: “This let Felker do; the valiant minstrel knoweth both road and path.”
Ere the wish was fully spoken, men saw the doughty fiddler standing there well armed. On his head he bound his helmet, of lordly color was his fighting gear. On his spear shaft he tied a token, the which was red. Later with the kings he fell into direst need.
Echtheow the Geat
I agree. Only the Republicans can ensure that we shall have plunder and rapine, bloodshed and the suffering of our foes, gore-splattered victories or honorable defeats surrounded by the flaming wreckage of our ships and the mead-imbibed, spear-punctured corpses of our retainers and kinsmen!
There is no honor in the ways of the Democrats. They counsel the course of cowardice and slavery. Would that our enemies were as womanly and slavish as these churls, that the sorrowful nobility of our failures in battle might postpone itself forever in the sweet embrace of pilfered women, in the warm madness of salvaged alcohol and in the spirit-salving sight of the idly-murdered carcasses of our erstwhile opponents!
Such are the weaknesses of the Democrats, and so pillage and the loss of mead-halls shall attend upon all who heed the witlessness of their folly.
Steve
Awwww! Did Pwesident Bush read you a scaaaaary bedtime story about those mean old Defeatocwats?
Somebody needs an electoral hug.
dirk
Denny! Loving your work. I paste this without your permission:
The genius of this list truly shines when one reaches point 8 of the original on Denny’s blog – the 8) is represented by a shades-smily emoticon.
Outstanding spoofery.
Should be working
HAHAHA
I also wonder, is there a difference between the common “Democrat Deciever” and the “deceitful Democrat” Phil Angelides? Because these things are important.
Parker
In the immortal words of Will Rogers:
Denny
To Hyperlon; No comment.
To Tbone; I ask why you think ending Islamfascism, totalitarianism, liberalism and racism is a bad thing?
To TenguePhue; Speling errors do not make stinky feet.
To Ted; If you read my post in my blog you wouldn’t say such foolish things-or maybe you would.
To Pb; As opposed to NO conservatives on the Democrat side.
To Echtheow The Great; I agree with the your following statements; “There is no honor in the ways of the Democrats. They counsel the course of cowardice and slavery. Would that our enemies were as womanly and slavish as these churls, that the sorrowful nobility of our failures in battle might postpone itself forever in the sweet embrace of pilfered women, in the warm madness of salvaged alcohol and in the spirit-salving sight of the idly-murdered carcasses of our erstwhile opponents!
Such are the weaknesses of the Democrats, and so pillage and the loss of mead-halls shall attend upon all who heed the witlessness of their folly.”
To Steve: No comment
To Dirk; Thank you.
To Should Be Working; The common (of average intelligence) Democrat isn’t as knowlegable or savvy as the knowlegable Democrat, therefore they have a harder time trying to convince people that their lies, deceptions and manupulations of facts are really not lies, deceptions and manipulations of facts.
TenguPhule
Well since ‘liberalism’ is the pursuit of understanding, freedom and knowledge one has wonder why you hate all of those.
But they obviously are the signs of a diseased mind.
Excuse me while I burst out laughing at that outright lie.
Okay, what are you smoking and why aren’t you in drug rehab yet?
Says the same crackpot who’s own party is doing exactly that to the point that it’s reached the point of sheer farce. Democrats have no monopoly on the truth, but Republicans haven’t bothered to try any for the last decade.