Same great taste but less filling:
The Republican National Committee backed away Wednesday from a resolution that officially called Democrats the “Democrat Socialist Party,” but instead voted to condemn Democrats for what it called a “march toward socialism.”
The voice-vote came after an unusual special meeting of the party that underlined fractures among Republicans on how to deal with President Obama and the Democratic Party. The original resolution was backed by some of the party’s more conservative members but was opposed by the party chairman, Michael Steele, as well as other Republican leaders. The opponents said the proposal to impose a new name on the Democrats made the Republican party appear trite and overly partisan, and would prove politically embarrassing.
“Calling people names isn’t useful,” said Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi and a former chairman of the party.
Exactly right, Haley. Idiot.
Stefan
I suppose now there’s no chance of me introducing my resolution at the next DNC meeting to rebrand the Republicans as the “National Socialist Party”….
HyperIon
so…who’s the idiot?
i mean, of course Barbour is an idiot and more (or less?).
he was before this and will be after this.
but is that whom you meant?
not clear.
Jay C.
Ummm, would that be a “Long March”??
Seems to have worked out not-too-bad the last time….
Ash Can
It’s a little disturbing when Haley Fucking Barbour stands out as a voice of reason at an RNC meeting. I take it he was the only one in the room not wearing a rubber nose and blasting seltzer water down someone’s pants.
Aaron
Oh noes! Whatever would we do if the Republican party were to appear “trite and overly partisan,” eventually leading to embarrassment?
Perhaps someone can crunch some numbers and tell us what the alternate reality would be like . . .
SpotWeld
Isn’t this “drag our heels in, until the other guy does what we want” combined with the rather poor spending disipline on both sides of the aisle the sort of thing that turned CA into the economic cr@pfest it is now?
Zifnab
TOO LATE!
Eric U.
shouldn’t this have the “clown shoes” tag? I might not be able to find it. My hopes were dashed by this show of halfway intelligent thought among the RNC members. The fact that they didn’t walk out and start forming their own party when this actually came to a vote means that they are still half crazy.
Brick Oven Bill
Giuliani, Romney, Boehner, and McConnell probably were honest people who sought the prestige of the office for the right reasons. Part of me still believes that Romney seeks to become a true public servant. But the others have been corrupted by the power of their offices over time. Giuliani wanted to keep his international security consulting Clients during his Presidency, and not disclose the names of his Clients
In contrast, Pelosi, Reid, Richardson, Edwards, and Obama use the power of a weakened electorate to consolidate personal power. They in full conscience make promises knowing that the promises that they make cannot be fulfilled, either this or they are stupid. Nancy Pelosi commutes in a 757. This is because she is so important to our security.
Our security. Her 757.
In this manner Republicans are corrupted by the system, and the Democrats come to Washington corrupted. This is why your faith should be in the United States Constitution, the Framers of which understood all of this from seeing it in Europe.
SpotWeld
B.O.B.
It’s getting old.
Seriously.
It was kidna funny in the beginning, but it’s like a SNL skit that’s been warmed over one too many times.
Just let the spoofing end, okay?
Ash Can
Geezus, BOB, I can smell the smoke from that bong all the hell the way out here. WTF did you put in that thing, anyway?
eastriver
“Idiot” Perfect. You are forgiven for not posting a Flashlight video.
omen
a corporate raider who specialized in taking over companies, breaking them up into pieces and shipping jobs overseas doesn’t suddenly morph into a mother teresa version of a “true public servant.”
that is unless you think shipping american jobs overseas is something that should be rewarded with high office.
omen
questionable oven is like a magnet for urban legends.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/pelosi/jet.asp
MattF
The original resolution was backed by some of the party’s more conservative members
If I was ever a conservative, the steam would be coming out of my ears right about here.
Brick Oven Bill
Spotweld; In your opinion, what is the reason that Nancy Pelosi commutes in a 757:
a. Our Security; or
b. Personal Status in the Circles in Which She Travels?
Personally I believe the answer is ‘B’. The longer I live the more see the innate flawed nature of human beings, which manifests itself in the ugliest form in a powerful government. The Framers wrote about this extensively in a book called the ‘Federalist Papers’, which argued for a thing called ‘The Constitution’.
Bush used the courts and his Administration to detain Muslim prisoners which was questionable, but understandable. As of today, Obama is talking about codifying this and making it permanent with a new ‘preventative detainment’ law.
chuck
BOB, she does it to annoy you. You, specifically. You’re special that way. But you found her out, and now I guess she’ll have to stop. Because you’re so special.
TenguPhule
You also believe in forging birth certificates and shale oil.
So yeah.
TenguPhule
And if you wish real hard, a pony might pop out of your ass smelling of sugar and sunshine.
Dennis-SGMM
@Brick Oven Bill:
When you’re right, you’re right. She’s only behind the VP in the succession to the presidency. Let the bitch fly coach.
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays published in New York newspapers with the goal of convincing New York state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. They were later gathered in book form but that was not the original medium.
Laura W
@Ash Can: The visual here is so wonderfully funny my eyes are full of tears.
It could also be the freakin’ TREE POLLENS!
Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist
after an unusual special meeting of the party that underlined fractures among Republicans on how to deal with President Obama and the Democratic Party.
Not exactly – they’re all agreed that the way to deal with Obama and the other Democrats is to jump up and down and screech and call them names. They’re just bickering over which names.
SpotWeld
@B.O.B.
“what is the reason that Nancy Pelosi commutes in a 757”
The House Sergent at Arms directed that she travel that way. (see here: http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_nancy_pelosi_order_up_a_200-seat.html) “Reports like this one, saying Pelosi routinely flies about in her own 757-size jet, have been floating around for almost two years. … But the rumors are incorrect. ”
Seriously, the act is more tiring that funny.
Just stop it already.
omen
“Calling people names isn’t useful,” said the man who used to belong to a racist organization. did he get a chuckle out of posturing as the moderate? it’ll take more than that to accomplish operation: image rehab.
did haley ever give back the illegal hong kong money he raised for the RNC?
Ash Can
@ Laura W: “It could also be the freakin’ TREE POLLENS!”
Nah, it’s the smoke from that manure-filled sewage pipe that BOB set on fire. Phew!
omen
@SpotWeld:
it was bush who directed the speaker of the house get their own plane, as a post 9/11 security provision. oven is lashing out against the wrong person.
SpotWeld
@omen
It’s not exactly lashing out.. it’s *ponders*
…mock flailing. I honestly cannot believe that anyone is really putting out these debunked talking points as anything other than spoofing a hypothetical right-winger.
Which means he’s just a middle-of-the road guy, perhaps, trying to be funny (and failing).
I’m asking him nicely to put the persona on the shelf for a bit and just chat normally.
Evinfuilt
He’s lashing out at reality again. Its sad, to have to invent ones own reality to settle their mind.
Calouste
The weird idea some people have that Steele is a leader of the Republican party.
Brick Oven Bill
Re: “The House Sergent at Arms directed that she travel that way.”
Oh, I see, she was directed to commute in a 757 by the House Sergent at Arms, who works for her. This has been taken into consideration, but I’ll stick with’B’.
Dusty
From Snopes:
InflatableCommenter
@Brick Oven Bill:
Actually, it was a DOD and DHS matter, pretty much. We’ve been over this before, Bill. Do you ever pay attention?
Just as an example, the C-32 is not a 757. It is a different aircraft built on the same platform. Calling it a 757 would be the equivalent of calling a Boeing 747 “Air Force One” because it looks a lot like Air Force One. Air Force One is usually, but not always, a C-137 aircraft which is uniquely equipped for that purpose. Sometimes a C-32 is put into service as Air Force One.
It is basically an all purpose top-level transport, equipped to handle the president, the secretaries of defense or state, and other top military and civilian officials on trips with particular mission profiles. It is outfitted as a flying communications center and has security technology not available on civilian versions of the plane.
The security angle, of course, was originally centered on having the speaker of the House, and the third person in line to the presidency, be able to fly from her home in CA to Washington, DC with full comms capability and without needing to stop for refueling. The C-32 was just about the only sensible choice.
And remains so, today.
JGabriel
And “Mean people suck.”
But that never stopped you assholes before, Haley.
.
TenguPhule
Less Calories, same old shit flavor.
oh really
???
They could have at least had the decency to call it a “goose step toward socialism.”
B.O.B. belongs on SNL “Jeopardy” standing between Burt Reynolds and Kathie Lee Gifford.
LauraM
I never thought I’d say something like this, but I’m actually a little bummed that they backed off from this.
I’m one of those people that thinks having two good parties to draw ideas from is a good thing. My preference would be for these guys to get themselves together and start acting like grown-ups with something to contribute. But if they’re going to continue to be childish and insane, I want them to act childish and insane as obviously and conspicuously as possible.. That way people won’t be taken in.
If they’re going to fall apart as a party, I wish they’d just hurry up and do it, then maybe we can get a third party up there. Because I don’t think these guys are up to the task.
I used to think of myself as conservative. Not very conservative, but just sort of leaning that way. Buit these people are so far off from anything I ever thought the term meant, that at this point forget it. Looks like I’m a soci alist after all. Who knew?
Grumpy Code Monkey
Dammit, I’m disappointed. I was actually looking forward to an official display of Grade-A unadulterated batshit crazy, but then the RNC goes all pussy and backs off. That’s just pathetic.
Mnemosyne
I love the fact that BOB thinks that Illinois and California are right next to each other, so there’s no possible reason that Speaker Pelosi would need a different aircraft to reach California than former Speaker Hastert needed to reach Illinois.
He must be one of those coastal elites if he thinks that California and Illinois border each other.
binzinerator
Funny, but the party he chaired thought it was useful to call people who criticized Bush for his fabricated war, torture, spying, imprisonment and other crimes certain names such as ‘un-American’, ‘traitor’, ‘Defeatocrat’, ‘aiding and abetting terrorists’, ‘weaklings’, and ‘America-haters’.
Go fuck yourself Haley. Too bad you didn’t drown with Trent Lott during Katrina on the porch of his fucking house.
mcc
What is beautiful here is that this is what happens when the GOP moderates prevail.
binzinerator
@Ash Can:
Don’t know what’s in it, but I’m guessing he’s electrified it. Or powers it with oil shale somehow.
Or…maybe his bong electrifies the oil shale! Hell yes that’s it!
Sheesh, the smoke from that…that’s some crazy shit. But that would explain BOB, no?
NonyNony
@LauraM:
Oh, I’m incredibly bummed that they backed down from this. I want them to cater so heavily to the nutbar wing of their party that they burn out quickly and can be replaced by something else. The sooner this happens the better – if history is any judge, the Democrats are going to need to be replaced within a couple of decades.
In my wild fever dreams the right-wing nutters stay with the Republicans, the more sane right-wingers move to the Democrats (moving the Democratic Party to the right) and space opens up for a real left-wing party to open up debate to the Democrats’ left. Then our politics would be balanced a bit more like the other developed nations of the world. I doubt it will happen, though – more likely the Republicans will lose a few more elections and the base will start to compromise on its ideology in order to actually win elections. Still, it’s something I’d like to see.
Mike in NC
From the Wikipedia entry on Haley Barbour:
During this failed bid for Senator a controversy arose at a campaigning stump. According to The New York Times, in the presence of the press an aide was complaining to Barbour that “coons” were going to be at a campaign stop at the state fair. Barbour warned the aide, in front of reporters, that if the aide persisted in racist remarks, he would be “reincarnated as a watermelon and placed at the mercy of blacks.”
And like Dick Cheney, he was also a draft-dodging chickenhawk.
binzinerator
@binzinerator:
This implies Trent Lott did in fact drown on his porch and that it was unfortunate Barbour didn’t drown with him. This was wrong.
For the record, both men in fact are still alive and escaped the worst of Katrina. The disaster of Katrina was a bonanza of ill fortune.
LD50
I don’t think it was meant to be ‘useful’.
shoutingattherain
@ stefan
Nah. Too soon. Cuts a little too close to the bone, also.
Hows ’bout “The Donner Party”? Now there’s a name you can really sink your teeth into.