Yglesias is absolutely right:
Specifically, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge on whose board Obama served gave a grant to an outfit called the Coalition for Improved Education in [Chicago’s] South Shore (CIESS). CIESS was “linked to a network of schools within the Chicago public system” called the “South Shore African Village Collaborative.” According to Kurtz, this network which was linked to an organization which got a grant from a group on whose board Obama served, “was very much a part of the Afrocentric ‘rites of passage movement’” and also at time did events featuring guys named Jacob Carruthers and Asa Hilliard. These two, in turn, seem to have held fringy opinions somewhat similar to some of Jeremiah Wright’s fringy opinions. Ergo, according to Kurtz, Wright is back on the table.
I’d say McCain’s in luck with this one! Obama’s doomed!
Seriously, though, is there anyone who could withstand this kind of guilt-by-association. Obama was on the board of an outfit that gave a grant to an outfit that was linked to another outfit that organized an event where some dude spoke, and thus Obama is responsible for the dude? Really? I spoke at the Heritage Foundation once. Does that make Heritage’s board members responsible for stuff on my blog? It doesn’t make any sense.
It doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to scare people. Radical! Liberal! America-hater! Scary black man! Booga booga booga!
It all boils down to what we have been saying over and over again- the conservative movement is dead. They have no ideas. They have no vision. They have soundbites about tax cuts and American exceptionalism, and little else. Hell, in unguarded moments when they put down the pom-poms they will admit they hate McCain’s ideas when he talks about anything other than permanent war.
Go read the Corner. The only thing you will find are lame guilt-by-association attacks, tawdry smears, glowing reviews of An American Carol and whinges about media bias.The premiere conservative magazine, the National Review, has not had an honest to goodness new idea in it for as long as I can remember, and instead, has a dozen brain-dead hacks like McCarthy and Kurtx and K-Lo and Goldberg who do nothing but spend time telling you why the opposition is evil and must be defeated.
This is a movement on life support. It is time to pull the plug.
par4
Go read the Corner ? Please don’t make us read The Corner.
JR
Take solace in the fact that "Religulous" is still beating "An American Carol" on domestic box office numbers, despite playing on only about as third as many screens (making around $4,000 per engagement to "American Carol"’s ~$850). In other words, it’s a dud AND a bomb.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=b_o_weekend&dept=Film
Let them keep banging their heads against the wall: nobody cares anymore.
SGEW
This tell you all to need to know about the "conservative movement."
The Conservative Movement: It’s not dead, it just smells bad!
Zifnab
Don’t worry. The conservative movement is alive and well in the Democratic Party. You want strict fiscal conservatism – sometimes in the face of common sense? Go vote Blue Dog. You want pro-life policies and faith-based initiatives that embrace the church-state hegemony? Go vote conservative Democrat. You want strong foreign policy (re: bombing third world nations for fun and profit) and low taxes for businesses? Embrace the DLC. It’s all there. Just under a big blue banner.
Punchy
So what’s the October surprise?
1) bomb Iran
2) promise to put Petraeus in as SecDef, SecState, and Natn SecAdvisor? Not to mention, attorney general, Chairman of JCS, and co-vice-pres
3) Show up with OBL’s frozen dead body, with a death cert. stamped "Feb 2005"?
4) bomb the swing states
5) promise to buy everyone’s 401K, and add $200K to each one, and call anyone that says that’s fiscally impossible a Amurka-hatin’ terrist
The Bag of Health and Politics
This really irritates me. We’re now into 4 degrees of separation from Barack Obama and we’re holding him accountable for everything that has said. Yet we haven’t mentioned Sarah Palin getting up on the center of the stage and being blessed by her pastor while he said, "Break the backs of the enemy, God." We haven’t mentioned that Sarah Palin’s husband was a member of a secessionist party until 2002, and that Palin herself gave an address to this party this year. Imagine if Michelle Obama had been a member of the Black Panthers until 2002 and imagine if Barack Obama had given an address to the Black Panthers in March?
What this boils down to is the media’s inadequacy. The truth is the media is really comfortable. They make a great wage, do little work (all they do is re-write the same story over and over and over again, as Kurtz did here), and have fun at cocktail parties. Barack Obama is different. He threatens their world. They’re out to get him.It’s fucking ridiculous.
NonyNony
I spoke at the Heritage Foundation once. Does that make Heritage’s board members responsible for stuff on my blog?
Clearly Matthew is not understanding the new political reality.
If the fact that you can see Alaska from your house makes you an expert on foreign policy, then clearly speaking at the Heritage Foundation must make you a full member of their governing board.
By the same "logic", Obama serving on the same education policy board as Ayers makes him a member in good standing of the Weather Underground. As is, apparently, Lenore Annenberg – who created the board that they served on together. And since Annenberg just endorsed McCain, I think that means that McCain is both an expert on education policy AND a member in good standing of the Weather Underground. QED.
mclaren
But the modern so-called "conservative" movement (Nixon, Reagan, Bush 41 and now the current crew) has always had no ideas.
What did Nixon believe in? Winning elections by bugging and burgling his opponents, and then paying bribes to shut up the burglars.
What did the senile sociopath Reagan believe in? "Morning in America!"
What did Bush 41 believe in? Riding cigarette boats around at top speed.
What does the current drunk-driving C student in the Oval Office believe in? He can’t even utter a coherent sentence. He has no beliefs, he stand for anything, he just wants to torture and kill and fire up lynch mobs who scream "Kill him!" and "Bomb Obama!"
These people have no philosophy. They don’t stand for anything. They don’t believe in anything. They’re just a gang of home invaders who smash their 4×4 through the side of the Oval Office, steal everything that isn’t nailed down, and make their getaway in a cloud of burning rubber.
Ever since 1968, the Republican Party has stood for nothing, believed in nothing, espoused nothing except grand larceny and torchlit lynch mobs. These people aren’t "conservatives." Even calling them "conservatives" defames conservatism. They’re just a pack of upscale home invaders.
Comrade Stuck
Here is an early effort by self proclaimed wingnutoshpere brainwizard Mr. Kurtz, to create some new codewords. They don’t seem Codey enough to me and will need some work. Are you taking notes Mr Brooks.
Afrocentric
fringy opinions.
a fringe education crusade of the 1990s
Afrocentric “rites of passage movement,
traditional African values.”= detrimental effects of a Eurocentrically oriented society.”
Pan-African” thinking
anti-American black social world
African-centered development
truth of African superiority.
“Africans living in the diaspora” rather than as Americans.
Comrade Darkness
I’m as lily white as my Bavarian/Baden/Austrian ancestors could make me but I don’t see what the problem is with this. What do they want, for blacks to hold bar mitzvahs for their kids?
The Grand Panjandrum
@JR: A movie with talking chihuahuas beat An American Carol. Jesus, how great is that? We took our two first graders to see that chihuahua movie. WARNING: Bring your ipod or a comfortable pillow. It’s a real snoozer. AND, it still beat that sorry attempt at humor from a Right Wing POV.
Couple that with Hank, Jr reworking his old song(Video at the link) Family Tradition:
I love ol’ Hank Jr’s music, but Jesus H.! Hank may want to go back to "drinking and rolling smoke" because that’s just pathetic.
wilfred
Guilt by association, eh? I seem to recall making dozens of comments here about Muslims being railroaded the same way, most notably Tariq Ramadan. Collective response – dead silence.
When enough people care about such tactics being applied to ANYONE then, maybe, it will stop. Until then it’s just somebody else’s turn. If you’re aggrieved, join the club.
aarrgghh
playing "five degrees of separation" is almost as fun as watching freepers struggle mightily to determine if this story is legit …
Zifnab
That’s where I’m putting my money. The last week or two of this campaign should be the Bush Administration crowing from the roof tops about how "WE GOT HIM! WE GOT HIM!"
This won’t budge the polls more than an inch, but it’ll be fun to watch wingnuts boil over into another frothing rage at Obama-voters who would clearly have preferred if Bin Laden got away.
PeakVT
They have no ideas.
They have ideas – old ones that have been proven wrong: America isn’t a socialist country, markets do a great job of self-regulating, deregulation cures everything up to and including halitosis, tax cuts always pay for themselves, sticking your d**k in a woodchipper is good model for foreign policy, sticking your finger in a friend’s eye makes them like you more, old white guys in positions of power never screw up but are only victims, the Golden Shower economy is great for the poor and middle class, the stock market is a safe place to put Social Security funds, privatized government services are always cheaper and better-run, abstinence-only sex education works great, prohibition-style narcotics control will eventually work, etc. There’s probably at least a dozen more I can’t name off the top of my head. And they are going to keep pushing these ideas no matter how much evidence piles up to the contrary because to give in means gay Maoist Islamofacists win.
Punchy
A little OT, but holy fucking Christ….
Remember, this is 2008. These people are literally living in 1921. Unfuckingbelievable:
Can we un-annex Alabama and give it to Mexico?
John S.
We know, it’s a favorite topic of yours.
Just like all roads lead to Duke lacrosse for Paul L., all roads lead back to Israel for you (I recall fondly your freakout over Obama speaking to AIPAC).
Although I do agree with your point that such tactics should stop. Perhaps you’ll heed your own advice and we’ll see less screeds from you.
Original Lee
You know a movement is bankrupt when Cal Thomas is spending most of his time bleating about how awful it will be when the Democrats control Congress and the White House because we’ve just gotten done with 6 years of complete Republican control and that didn’t turn out very well.
You know a movement is bankrupt when the McCain/Palin ad buys on talk radio all have the scary boogeyman music going in the background, while the narrator repeats the Ayers canard and blames the subprime mess on the Democrats.
You know a movement is bankrupt when the moderates are jumping in the tank for the other guy in droves and some of the base is standing at the top of the diving board, working up the nerve to make the leap.
I’ve been in the tank for Obama since late February, and the water is fine.
D. Mason
This represents what I guess is the biggest failing of the McCain campaign. They continue to pander to their existing supporters, singing to the choir if you will.
I don’t know if its a refusal to acknowledge the need for voters outside the base or if they’re just trying to hold on to the sliver of real support they have.
Comrade Face
@Punchy: Ya missed this gem from your link:
He "found out" they were human. Words escape me.
/vomits in mouth
plus C
I heard recently that John McCain was associating with Vietnamese communists in the 60’s and 70’s, and even lived in North Vietnam. Hell, even Jane Fonda didn’t move there.
The Grand Panjandrum
IIRC you linked to a post by Daniel Larison (or maybe I just read it without following a link) criticizing the Republican party for making ignorance and anti-intellectualism into a virtue. His basic premise was that the Republicans were not competing for young minds at top schools because of this "outrage" at the pointy heads.
So yes, you are correct. They have no new ideas and they won’t for many years to come if they don’t stop this absurd anti-intellectualism and begin to recruit bright young minds to the party and the movement. Why would you, Larison, or any other intelligent (and critically thinking) conservative join these people? Hypocrisy runs rampant in much of our political class, but the line must drawn somewhere. Ostensibly the Republicans crossed that threshold somewhere along the way.
Interrobang
Punchy — Woooow, and I thought the people I grew up around were racists. Well, they are, but the nonwhites around them are never, ever gonna know, and they don’t even say shit like that to other white people.
Ted
Not possible. The millionaires and billionaires who finance the wingnut welfare system will keep on funding it. Hence why National Review has even managed to continue to exist to this day. The whole system will probably be even better funded under an Obama administration.
Just wait. Soon the National Review will morph into the National Enquirer.
Not My Fault
Did someone mention the October surprise?
The Grand Panjandrum
@Not My Fault: Nice. And when Mickey Mouse doesn’t show up to vote? I guess Mickey won’t have any room to bitch when Obama shows up on his door step and takes away all his guns, eh?
Zifnab
Some would call that a philosophy of sorts. But you have to look a little deeper than the crimes they committed. The GOP has a tangible – abet abhorrent – philosophy. It’s not obvious, but it exists. And the current rules of law don’t accommodate for it, which is why you see so much law breaking.
They’ve stand for oligarchy and authoritarian control. They’ve stand for military expansionism and adventurism. They stand for social orthodoxy and an adherence to dogma in the face of conflicting evidence. The philosophy of the modern Republican Party isn’t that far off from the philosophy of Victorian England – 200 years ago, they’d be ruling the world in the most effective way imaginable.
Nixon’s rabble-rousing and progressive-bashing of the 60s was a very staunch and inflexible stand against a massive fluctuation in the current caste system. If he was in India, he’d be the high priest putting down revolts by Gandhi’s untouchables. If he was in the Middle East, he’d be Saudi Royalty keeping the rebellious Sunni and Shia in line. If he was in Africa, he’d be leading his Jamjawin to massacre his Tutsie neighbors. His predecessors followed in those footsteps.
There is an undeniable philosophy in Republican rule. It’s not always the one they espouse, but the undercurrent is always there. They are tribal chieftans who demand fealty and discipline in a very old-age order. They have a very firm and intractable political philosophy. It’s important to be aware of that.
Comrade Face
@Not My Fault: Wow. Talk about a who’s who of Who’s Not.
Ted
Did I just hear a desperate whine?
Comrade Stuck
Doubt it. Mexico may be corrupt and laced with poverty and drug dealing violence, but they do have standards. I’m afraid we’re stuck with the regressive taxing rednecks of Alabamy and elsewhere.
JR
@The Great Panjandrum: He better–he lives in a swing state!
comrade daryljhusseinfontaine
@Not My Fault: The best part of that link?
"Wile E. Coyote… super genius. Yes, I like the sound of that!" (cue locomotive whistle, directly behind)
D
Comrade Ed Drone
Concerning the elastic logic of "degrees of separation" and "guilt by association, John McCain once said good things about an enemy of the United States (North Vietnam)*. And you can also use this same flexible logic to point out that McCain voted for higher taxes — the Bush tax cut law includes an end date, at which time taxes go up; therefore, voting for that bill meant voting for higher taxes.
Now, that may be more just the screwy logic of the campaign season than "guilt by association," but it applies as an example of the half-truth approach to public discourse. As for close associations with terrorists, McCain is a buddy of a man** who helped create, fund and field a private army. Yes, the terror was in another country, but it was terror in any case. International terror, in fact.
Then there’s his recent (2006) appearance and speech fawning over ACORN, automatically making him as radical as he claims they are. For that matter, the fact that McCain and Obama are so tightly connected to radicals like ACORN, this shows that there is no difference between them, and we should all vote for Bob Barr or Ralph Nadir (I mean, Nader).
And let’s not forget Sarah Palin’s anti-American, secessionist ties (she sleeps with one of them, you know). So it’s all hogwash, all fear-mongering (and, regarding Iraq, war-mongering, too). It’s demeaning to the candidate and to the electorate, and it’s deadly scary for the Republic.
Ed
.
* Yes, he was an involuntary resident, and under duress, but that’s a mere detail, and unnecessary to mention when making the charge.
** G. Gordon Liddy (and Oliver North and Ronald Reagan, and all that crew. which includes Dick Cheney, you do know).
bedlam UK
My version isn’t quite as catchy though….
djork
Did I read that right? Hank, Jr has a song in which one of the lyrics is "To Whom?"
gbear
@Not My Fault:
Don’t Panic! McCain’s on top of it.
Original Lee
Fafblog! Also.
JR
Incidentally, there are at least four registered voters in Florida named "Dick Wiener."
jcricket
That is totally unfair John. They have a lot of ideas. Really, really bad ones, but ideas nonetheless. The VP is part of both the executive and the legislative branch. Executive privilege means being above the law. Torture is a good idea. Habeus corpus (like regulation) is for pansies. Taxes are for poor people. Bombs are the shiznit. Global warming is crap (drill baby drill – sounds like advice Todd took a few times too often). The earth is about 6000 years old… etc.
They do not suffer from insufficient vision. They suffer from insufficient reason and excessive pride. I would use the word hubris, but that would betray my liberal, coastal condescension.
ksmiami
Hey BJers… one thought for the day. I think historians will look back on this period / election and say that in the end, the Internet saved democracy in the US since the media became so corrupt and myopic. It is precisely the flow of ideas on the left side (well in the moderate mainstream) and the flow of online donations that helped sanity reign. Notice I don’t say leftism since the Dems today are pretty much a center left party and would probably be conservative in Europe.
Anyway, the right wing hasn’t been able to harness the internet as well since they demand such message control and top down talking point blather: see Red State banning, Sullivan, Frum, Buckley, Brooks, etc for proof. Thoughts?
Notorious P.A.T.
Hayden Panettiere has made her endorsement:
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2008_10_12_archive.html#5346001558106231931
jcricket
BTW – slightly OT, but all the stuff about ACORN proves why Democrats need to get out ahead of fixing our broken voting and registration systems before the next major election.
There needs to be a major push to
1) Ease registration along with implementing statewide databases to make sure the vote rolls are clean, but not overly scrubbed (WA state just did this in a non-partisan way).
2) Encourage/require absentee voting. All-vote-by-mail increases turnout, eliminates the "long lines, broken machine" problems, reduces in-person voter suppression tactics, etc. Plus it’s got built-in paper trail, and allows you to carefully consider your vote with information around you. (WA state again)
3) Build statewide election centers with transparency and oversight in mind (WA state again) – so that they can be observed by the media and the parties easily. Make sure you have a good set of security procedures and redundant counting machines for the optical scan ballots.
None of this requires touch screens, magical new internet voting security, etc. Just go the direction of WA state, OR and CA.
I personally think the next step after this isn’t actually Internet voting, but allowing you to print a ballot at home. The only real problem with optical scan ballots is unintentional spoilage (ovals not filled out all the way, mistakes not fully erased, double-votes, undervotes). If you filled out your ballot online, but then simply printed out a "perfect" (perfectly filled out) ballot and mailed it in your special security envelope, you’d have a system that solves 90-95% of the flaws of our current system without introducing many new ones or having to overcome serious security concerns of internet voting.
Gus
Off topic, but holy shit. I can’t believe these people still exist.
wilfred
Ever the schoolboy wanker. I got pissed because Obama offered up his anus to the Kill Muslims crowd (that would be the ‘we’ of your ‘we know’) at the precise moment that he was the only politican left standing who could have tried a, you know, different kind of politics. You know?
Palooza
Too passive John. The far right wing is your hated child 90 year old child molesting uncle on life support, in need of somebody to put a pillow over his face. Best case is if moderates in the GOP employ pillow to face. We have a huge opportunity to give them the pillow: blame for McCain’s loss (if it happens of course) needs to be put squarely on the lunatic rightwing’s shoulders.
The arguments that could do it.
First, picking Palin (far rightwing wet dream) was the single most damaging blow to the McCain campaign — they have been on the defense of her since about 2 weeks after she came on the scene. Proof, the recent CBS/NYTimes poll: McCain’s campaign strategy may be hurting hurt him:
Second, the attacks. The attacks. The NRO/Rush/Malkin wing of the party has been stomping its feet calling for more and more ridiculous attacks, McCain has followed through to some degree to the point his crowds are screaming "KILL HIM!" The rabid dogs want more though and are sure to claim that McCain did not attack hard enough. Its bullshit. Polls show that the attacks are hurting McCain: LINK.
So there it is. The far rightwing lost McCain this election. We need to start trumpeting it NOW before the can scapegoat McCain himself. We need to engage in a coordinated effort. We need to get the meme into the MSM. We need to reach out to sane GOPers and have them join the argument, and ultimately have them put that pillow down on the lunatic rightwing fringe’s face. This is a huge opportunity and I would hate to see it disappear because we took too much time to celebrate…. groundwork needs to be laid now….
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
OK so if we are going to play the 6-degrees of Kevin Bacon game, where does this fit into the picture?
Head of McCain’s Presidential transition team was part of a pro Saddam Hussein lobbying effort
Brachiator
Hmm. There’s something vaguely familiar about this. Oh, yeah. "The conservative movement is alive and alert; video and photos prove it. Please pray they do not kill it."
It was sad and funny listening to a caller to a morning radio show claim that Obama was a socialist and then fall into complete silence when the host asked the caller quite simply to define socialism or even to name an Obama policy that was socialist. Both the Republican Party and its most dedicated adherents have become some fixed on simplistic buzzwords and talking points that they are incapable of rational thought.
SamFromUtah
Hayden Panettiere has made her endorsement…
Heh. Not the best writing ("Don’t change horses in midstream – get an older horse!"), but I’m glad to see stuff like this floating around.
Despite her much higher profile as Claire in Heroes, I still think of her as the voice of Princess Dot in A Bug’s Life – because I’m an old fart animation geek. So hearing her say "fuck" is pretty amusing.
SadieSue
@plus C:
Thanks for the laugh, plus C. That’s a really brilliant twist on the Ooooh They Hang Out With Baaad People game McCain et al are playing!
The Grand Panjandrum
Since we’re having so much fun with NRO here is Matt Taibbi bitch-slapping Brian York:
Taibbi FTW.
Comrade Peter J
Religulous is getting beaten by Fireproof.
Not that I would ever watch Fireproof or An American Carol.
jcricket
That Kirk Cameron… he’s still dreamy.
But actually, this shows how a Christian/conservative-themed film can do well. The idea is you don’t make it all about hating liberals, instead you put out a positive message that shows your values in a positive light.
It’s not that I agree with Cameron and everything he’s been in (I think Left Behind is tripe, and his views on evolution are bunk) – but just that there is a bigger audience for the "positive" message of Christianity/conservativism than there is for "I HATZ TEH LIBRALZ!"
Cathyish
Have fun:
http://palinaspresident.com/
Comrade Peter J
@The Grand Panjandrum:
I think your link went missing, so here it is.
Also, this should be included:
That’s not how you win…
The Moar You Know
You need help.
smiley
@Not My Fault:
That is so awesome. I can hardly wait to see all those new fraudulent voter registrations lined up at the polls to cast their vote.
Comrade Tax Analyst
OT, but the 6th Circuit Federal Appeals Court has ordered the OH Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner to set up a system to verify the eligibility of all newly registered OH voters. Since January there have been more than 666,000 (interesting number there, eh?) newly registered OH voters. The court has given her until FRIDAY to set up such a system.
This ruling is in response to one of many suits filed by OH Republicans over registrations, absentee ballot rules, and the weeklong period that allowed registration and voting on the same day.
I’m imagining the following paragraphs will ignite a few fuses over here at Balloon Juice:
Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett accused Brunner of pursuing a partisan agenda and said "her delay in providing this matching system leaves little time for election officials to act on questionable registrations."
Bennett said Brunner was destroying the public’s trust in Ohio’s elections system.
"Her shameful actions to disenfranchise Republican absentee voters, block the transparency of early voting and refuse the proper verification of newly registered voters have rightfully damaged her credibility as a nonpartisan election administrator," he said.
Excuse me while I gag on the hypocrisy.
Please excuse the unshortened link, but I never have been able to short-hand one successfully.
Zifnab
@Notorious P.A.T.: Listen, I love cute celebrities as much as the next young adult male with raging hormones, but I really don’t see many votes swinging on silliness like this.
The Moar You Know
Canada re-elects their George W. Bush. And hands him more power in the process. Good lord, haven’t you guys learned anything from living next door to us for the last eight years?
mclaren
PEAK VT remarked:
They have ideas – old ones that have been proven wrong: America isn’t a socialist country, markets do a great job of self-regulating, deregulation cures everything up to and including halitosis, tax cuts always pay for themselves, sticking your d**k in a woodchipper is good model for foreign policy, sticking your finger in a friend’s eye makes them like you more, old white guys in positions of power never screw up but are only victims, the Golden Shower economy is great for the poor and middle class, the stock market is a safe place to put Social Security funds, privatized government services are always cheaper and better-run, abstinence-only sex education works great, prohibition-style narcotics control will eventually work, etc. There’s probably at least a dozen more I can’t name off the top of my head. And they are going to keep pushing these ideas no matter how much evidence piles up to the contrary because to give in means gay Maoist Islamofacists win.
Actually, I don’t think that’s correct. If you study each of these so-called "ideas," you’ll find the Repubs abandon them whenever it suits their purpose. In fact, that’s been John Cole’s point all along. Let’s take these one by one:
"America isn’t a socialist country" — sure is if you’re rich. Socialism is GRRRRREAT! if you’re rich and lose trillions, then Socialism R Us.
"Markets do a great job of self-regulating" — no they don’t, we need the PRO-IP act to regulate the hell out of DVDs and CDs and every other kind of media.
"Deregulation cures everything up and and including halitosis" — not if you want to dispense medical marijuana, or get an abortion, or register to vote as a Democrat, or… You get the idea.
"Tax cust always pay for themselves" — nope, Grover Norquist and company make the explicit point that cutting taxes requires us to cut social services, which Tony the Far Right Tiger says is GRRRRREAT!
"Sticking your d**k in a woodchipper is a great model for foreign policy" — not if your’e Reagan and foolishly order marines into Beiruit and then the marine corps barracks gets bombed. In that event, you’re outa there, and the Repubs applaud your wisdom.
And so on.
See? Republicans don’t really believe in anything. If they just raped a virgin, they believe in free love — but if their daughter wants to marry a black guy, they believe in abstinece for life. If their buddies just stole trillions they believe in government handouts, but if someone asks ’em to raise the minimum wage, they believe in rugged free market individualism.
Republicans claim to believe in various things, depending on which day of the week it is, and everything they say conflicts with everything else they say. Because, in the end, they don’t really believe in anything but stealing and lying and winning elections.
Which is John Cole’s point.
Comrade Tax Analyst
Hmmm…I guess my link did not work. OK, well, in that case all I can do is suggest Googling "Ohio Voter Registration". Three or Four items down the first page of listings you should find:
jcricket
Oh, it is really rich – the party of vote suppression claiming that the problem is on the other side. HI-Larious, if the stakes weren’t so big.
Again, WA state has done a good job of "staying above the line" in terms of official actions in response to this stuff. Centralized election monitoring location, centralized/state-wide voter registration database, moving to all-vote-by-mail. Enforcing existing laws, and adding laws that prevent spurious challenges close to an election.
It’s boring, but the state Democratic parties need to get out in front of this stuff on November 5th, 2008 and push for election reform that actually safeguards people’s right to votes by preventing Republican shenanigans.
Let’s stop being caught with our proverbial pants down on these issues.
jake 4 that 1
Yep. You know how they talk about "galvanizing" Das Base? That’s exactly what they’re doing because that’s all they can do. Touch two elements to opposites ends of dead tissue (Gheys! Mooslems!) and make it twitch. If Karl Rove hadn’t nailed it to the perch the GOP would be pushing up daisies.
In other news, the GOP continues to promote Family Values. Under the new rules, if this guy has any connection, no matter how tenuous to McPOW, the Senator from Arizona is a baby raper.
nepat
I’ve given up on the Corner. They’re too chicken-shit to allow comments. Ann Coulter was right, they’re a bunch of girly men (that includes you K-Lo!).
Contentions (at Commentary) at least allows comments – although they eventually ban the opposition (like me – I can’t get a comment posted there anymore). Jennifer Rubin is their resident and prolific anti-Obama scribe. And like the Corner, Contentions is weirdly obsessed with Andrew Sullivan.
Svensker
This morning on Fox, they had Chuck Norris on to talk about what should be done about the fiscal crisis.
The new intellectual of conservatism — Chuck Norris!
It’s beyond parody.
John S.
I know that if you stop acting like a damned fool every time the subject of Israel comes up (or you interject it into a topic), then I won’t have to keep treating you like a damned fool.
You know?
tavella
There’s one thing that worries me about vote-by-mail: it makes it easy for other people to enforce a choice on you. When you go into a voting booth, no one knows what you choose, just what you said you did. Vote by mail, your pastor/spouse/whoever can inspect your ballot to make sure you are voting in the dictated way. Does WA have a clause in the law that bars other people looking at your ballot? Wouldn’t *stop* it, but might keep it down to a minimum.
jvill
Actually, I think that makes John McCain an Obama supporter.
Mr. Mises
Here’s a conservative idea. Go full on Austrian School – for broke. But why stop there? Get the government out of infrastructure, health care, energy, border security, national security.. all that bureaucratic stuff. The time is ripe for anarchy! We won’t be payin no taxes and might even get to use our guns on live targets!
Blue Raven
@nepat:
Aw, be nice to the closet cases. Sullivan’s a safe target for their unrealizable fantasies because he’s almost Just Like Them, only not, so the obsession is over how he breaks the party line. Really. Truly.
Hart Williams
Doggone it!
It’s not "guilt by association."
It’s "guilt by FREE association."
Glad we could clear this up.
Gosh, golly gee whillickers!
Thursday
…And yet Ari Fleischer can go on The Daily Show and complain that Sarah Palin has been subjected to "far more scrutiny" than Obama has.
In which world was this, Ari? This one? Sorry, you lose.