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Archives for 2008
Stupid Things People Say
Mike Huckabee’s turn:
During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.
“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he’s getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”
I am sure this will get a great deal of play over the next few days, and obviously with RFK and JFK and MLK in our nation’s collective history, it is quite clear why this is not only a gaffe, but offensive.
Having said that, maybe I just have a soft spot for Mike Huckabee, or maybe I am just a sucker, or maybe it is because I have a history of saying stupid things I immediately regretted, I am willing to bet he will offer not only an effusive apology and explanation, but an apology is sincere and heartfelt. He knows he screwed up, and he will own this and do the right thing, I am betting.
Additionally, to all the people who are going to freak out about this remarks- yes, it is offensive. But how offensive is it in the big scheme of things? Personally, watching Mike Huckabee make this stupid remark in an off-the-cuff and unscripted gaffe tells me a lot less about him that watching George Bush go to the heart of the Israeli government, and in a scripted event read from a card, lecturing the descendants of the Holocaust about appeasement and Hitler for some brief, cheap, domestic political gain.
Huckabee’s gaffe was an accident and, while unfortunate, is forgivable. Bush’s crass, calculated, and obnoxious rhetoric yesterday is not. We would be wise to remember which is worse.
*** Update ***
Huckabee blogs his apology.
No Scruples
No Quarter’s Larry Johnson has it from a few unnamed sources that a juicy, if completely unseen video of Michelle Obama hating whitey exists. Actually, he does imbed a video, a completely unrelated GOP ad featuring Michelle Obama’s “first time in my life” flub. To spare you from increasing his page views:
I now have it from -two- -three- -four- sources (three who are close to senior Republicans) that there is video dynamite–Michelle Obama railing against “whitey” at Jeremiah Wright’s church. Republicans may have a lousy record when it comes to the economy and the management of the war in Iraq, but they are hell on wheels when it comes to opposition research. Someone took the chance and started reviewing the recordings from services at Jeremiah Wright’s United Church of Christ. Holy smoke!! I am told there is a clip that is being held for the fall to drop at the appropriate time. The last thing Barack and Michelle need is a new clip that raises further questions about her judgment and temperament. Here’s what the Republicans are currently using in Tennessee:
When the ugly video tapes about Jeremiah Wright’s racist ravings first broke Barack Obama told us he could no more disown Jeremiah Wright than his own Grandmother. Well, we all know how that turned out. So will Barack stand by Michelle when the tape emerges of her verbally attacking “whitey?” Republicans, who are otherwise gloomy about prospects in November, recognize that this recording will create real problems for Barack and give them a shot at the White House. It is their October surprise.
Does Barack have an obligation to tell the Democrats, super delegates in particular, about this tape? Did Barack and his campaign do their basic homework and identify this tape as a potential problem? And, more importantly, do they have a copy? Probably better to deal with this issue before the convention rather than wait for October. What do you think?
Which half of the man she married does she hate, exactly? And how hard must it be to hate 1/4 of your own two daughters anyway?
If Johnson dared make this swan dive into the loony end of the pool on MSNBC, he would shame himself out of any appearance on a legit TV network again. On the plus side, he could probably get a cushy gig following Shep Smith on FOX.
The GOP In Three Easy Steps
Step 1.) Play Fiddle
Step 2.) Watch Rome Burn
Step 3.) Focus on “pocketbook issues”:
Something big is missing from House Republicans’ 2008 campaign agenda for American families, and that is no accident.
There’s not a single mention in the 47-point program of such red-meat GOP issues as banning abortion, outlawing same-sex marriage, allowing prayer in the public schools, banning flag burning and protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. Instead, the plan focuses on Republican-introduced ideas as allowing private sector workers to take compensatory time instead of premium pay for overtime worked (HR 6025) or permitting full tax deductibility for most medical expenses (HR 636).
In an effort to appeal to moderates in their uphill push to retake the House, Republicans have pushed divisive social issues off center stage and replaced them with a host of pocketbook items they hope will appeal to working women, moderates and even some Democrats.
“This may not be the family agenda you expected from Republicans,’’ said Rep. Kay Granger , R-Texas, who was in charge of formulating the “American Families Agenda,’’ the first part of the party’s “Change You Deserve’’ 2008 platform. “It is a change. In the past, the Republican agenda for families was about social issues. This is more straight-forward, talking to families where they are, not where you want them to be,’’ Granger added.
Excellent. Not only is this transparently an election year ploy, but it has the added benefit of infuriating the base. I predict the usual suspects will be frothing about the sell-outs in the GOP betraying “true conservative issues.” I can’t wait for the inevitable K-LO freak-out.
Obama Responds to Bush and McCain
It looked like this (actual response here):
You better bring some better game than “hysterical diatribe,” McCainiacs.
Make Sure You Twist It A Bit Once You Get The Knife In
It’s Noonan, but it is still teh funny:
“This was a real wakeup call for us,” someone named Robert M. Duncan, who is chairman of the Republican National Committee, told the New York Times. This was after Mississippi. “We can’t let the Democrats take our issues.” And those issues would be? “We can’t let them pretend to be conservatives,” he continued. Why not? Republicans pretend to be conservative every day.
The Bush White House, faced with the series of losses from 2005 through ’08, has long claimed the problem is Republicans on the Hill and running for office. They have scandals, bad personalities, don’t stand for anything. That’s why Republicans are losing: because they’re losers.
All true enough!
Make Sure You Twist It A Bit Once You Get The Knife InPost + Comments (68)
“B-b-b-but it’s Different When I do It!”
President Bush, yesterday: “Obama would sit down with terrorist appeasers!!”
President Bush, today: “Welcome to Saudi Arabia, good buddy!!”
Idiot.
“B-b-b-but it’s Different When I do It!”Post + Comments (25)