This revolution fervor is intoxicating stuff. It makes people not even remember stuff they said five minutes ago. Case in point, this Wolf Blitzer interview with Mike Pence:
PENCE: Look, I appreciate the fact that the president said that the protesters have a right to be heard and respected and I appreciate the fact that he said he is troubled but I respectfully disagree with the administration’s decision to — to essentially draw the line at not meddling and not interfering.
Look, the cause of America is freedom. And in that cause, we must never be silent. And if the president wants to draw the line and say that we are not going to stand with those brave citizens of Iran who are taking to the streets the last five days on behalf of democracy, on behalf of the freedom of speech and free elections, then I think the Congress behind me ought to take up a resolution that very simply expresses the support of the American people through their elected representatives for the people of Iran who are taking a stand for freedom.
Thirty seconds later, the same man, sitting in the same seat, said the following:
PENCE: Well, look, I don’t think we should be in the business of endorsing the opposition candidate. What I want the Congress of the United States to do, and frankly what I would like to see the president of the United States of America do is speak a word of support to the people of Iran.
Amazing. What exactly does Pence think is going on in Iran?
pseudonymous in nc
Yglesias (in the first of many):
SpotWeld
Ideally that would include the freedom to set up your own democratic government without outside action from other nations?
i.e.
Until one party or another in Iran specifically asks for help, shouldn’t the US be concerned, but on the sidelines?
I mean the American Revolutionaries didn’t recieve help from the French until after they declated Independance and started an armed revolt… right? (Correct my history if I’m wrong here)
Jim Pharo
Have you any evidence that Pence “thinks” at all? It would be newsworthy if you did…
jake 4 that 1
Fxd.
dmsilev
Fixed.
-dms
anonevent
These are the same people who can say that other countries torture, but we don’t even though we’re using the same techniques. If you don’t keep a thought in your head, you don’t have to worry about contradictions.
Zifnab
Oh good. Maybe Joe Scarborough will get a friend.
Anne Laurie
Something that makes teevee anchorpods come to Mike Pence for the sterling wisdome of Mike Pence! ! !
What else could be important about someplace so far away?
Al Swearengen
He doesn’t think.
He got some precious time to be an asshole on TV. That’s all that matters to the fuck.
jake 4 that 1
He’s under a lot of stress. According to Republipal Tweet Hoekstra the GOP is under attack, just like the people of Iran!
John PM
Actually, the cause (shouldn’t this actually be purpose?) of America is to “form a more perfect Union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity… .” You know, all the things Republicans are against.
Why is it that the people who claim they want government to leave them alone are the biggest busybodies?
asiangrrlMN
Really fixed.
Gus
This along with Michele Bachmann. Am I ideologically blinded to the stupidity and mendacity on the Democratic side? Are there Democrats who say ridiculously stupid things like Bachmann? Are there Democrats who can lie as brazenly as, say, Dick Cheney? I’m quite sure there are, but the examples are so comparatively few.
Zandar
It doesn’t matter because FREEDOM IS ON THE MOVE!
Comrade Jake
@pseudonymous in nc:
Arguably one of Yglesias’ best posts. Pence seems determined to prove him correct.
bvac
My favorite part about this whole thing is how everyone on the TV is amazed that Iranians are using – OMG – technology like cell phones and twitter to communicate their protest. They’re more surprised that they don’t live in caves or use smoke signals to voice their dissent.
freelancer
Tehran right now, is like any outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime.
Zifnab
@Gus: I mean, I don’t doubt they do. But Republicans get 24/7 exclusive prime-time all ears media coverage.
The camera ads five to ten pounds worth of stupid, and we’re already dealing with some serious fatties.
Martin
Well, clearly the people of Iran are standing up in solidarity for the oppressed Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, whose freedoms have been brutally snuffed out by the jack booted thugs of the Democrat Socialist Party lead by the Supreme Leader Nancy ‘Stalin Akbar’ Pelosi.
Why, what do you think is going on in Iran?
conumbdrum
Posted earlier today by John Cole:
Number of posts since: six. And that’s without a Lily update.
We love you too, big guy.
asiangrrlMN
@Gus: No, we just get the wusses like Reid, the really-are-Republicans, Blue Dawgs, and Joe Lieberman.
jake 4 that 1
Drums. Brown people use drums to communicate. It’s how you know the natives are restless, just like in the Tarzan movies!
Martin
Damn moderation. I let a social!sm slip by me…
GusThePrimate
I respectfully disagree with the administration’s decision to—to essentially draw the line at not meddling and not interfering.
If I parse that correctly, Pence wants us to meddle and interfere in Iran. I wonder what he thinks that might involve? Flying in Karl Rove to steal back the election?
Jay in Oregon
To celebrate John’s vacation from the blog, I offer the obligatory xkcd link.
Apologies if someone beat me to it.
eric
Here is a prime example of Obama being lucky rather than good. Conjoin the idiot GOP robots going onto tv to repeatedly say stupid stuff AND the MSM’s willingness to give them disprportionate access to tv airwaves, and you get almost no real discussion from the Left of Obama’s actions on secrecy and his action on civil rights. In that alternative universe you would be hearing about disunion and discord within the Democrat (ha!) party. Infighting turns the public off. Repeated discussions of backtracking on promises with clips of campaign statements would hurt Obama’s popularity and affect his agenda which I still hope to be as progressive as I once imagined it to be. (I am not saying it would be a progressive agenda per se.)
In short, the MSM and GOP are effectively silencing the stories that would really hurt Obama by engaging in conduct that hurts only the GOP.
Good times.
eric
Jon H
@asiangrrlMN:
Fixed.
jrg
Apparently it’s the aftermath of some sort of “election” where people risk their lives and take to the streets in order to support no particular candidate.
They are crazy like foxes over there. That’s why we should vocally and bombastically support the Iranian hippies, then take McCain’s advice and nuke the crap out of them later. Those terrorist college students are not fooling anyone, especially not Mike Pence {R} of Indiana.
Unless, of course, Pence and McCain know that supporting the opposition party will be used by the Iranian government to crush the moderates. But that’s not possible – it’s not like the Republicans know they need an external enemy to be electable again.
HumboldtBlue
Bill and Hillary Clinton could give Cheney lessons.
jake 4 that 1
I had a dream about blogging, so I think I’m just going to go ahead and take the day off.
Ignore the Words Coming Out of My Mouth
(Or keyboard.)
John Cole is one of those rare humans who can use reverse psychology on himself.
Seriously, if you’re going to be like this on your days off you should just announce you’re shutting down the blog and Galting in Wyoming.
Augustine
@Al Swearengen:
Al, I scarcely understand you without a few “c**ts” thrown in for good measure.
Augustine
@John PM:
sigh…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30OyU4O80i4
Bender
Of course there are stupid, lying Democrats, and sensible Republicans and the converse. Your viewpoint just depends on which blogs you frequent. At left-leaning sites, Republicans are clowns and prudes and snake-handlers and worse. At right-leaning sites, Democrats are lying, braindead, hippie corruptocrats. And worse.
It’s always helpful to note that whatever blogs you and your comrades visit, there is another guy and his comrades across town who are certain that you are a drooling Neanderthal idiot. And worse.
Hooray for the information super-highway!
asiangrrlMN
@Jon H: Damn you, Jon H! *Shakes fist at Jon H
eric
@Bender: But in the real non-truthiness world, is there “national” democrat with the mendacity of the leading GOPers in Congress or the last administration.
Bill Clinton may have been too slick for his own good, but my god I long for those halcion days when he was merely triangulating and not fabricating. ;)
eric
Michael
Why does this guy have to represent my district? Someone please save me…
Jeff
John — I thought we were going to be rid of that obnoxious and vile Pamela Anderson ad. If we can’t trust you to remove this ad, what can we trust you on? [grin]
mclaren
A calm orderly transition of power.
Only thing that’s missing is some hanging chads.
smiley
This.
slag
Penser is “think” in French.
.
.
Just sayin.
gnomedad
Slightly OT: Rush to Obama: “It’s unseemly to keep blaming your predecessors.”
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.
PeopleAreNoDamnGood
When you see GOPers on tv these days, you have to think “placeholder.”
These are just talking faces that are holding the seat for some actual person in the future who will speak and utter intelligible things.
freelancer
‘fraid not
See also, “We have no rats!“.
Laura W
I am digging the NBC Nightly News format tonight! Bri Bri is walking around the studio, standing at a bistro table yakking with Chuck Todd. Oh Look! There’s hunky Richard Engel in full body shot sitting half-cheeked on a table all cool and casual as he leads into the Iran violence.
Seriously. This dynamic, think-and-speak-on-your-feet format is totally working for me. It brings a real sense of immediacy and urgency to the protests.
steve s
Once in a while. For instance, Harry Reid a few weeks ago saying he didn’t want to see terrorists released in America. And some of the dems who are against a public health plan, that’s certainly pretty stupid (and/or corrupt. whatever).
But you’re necessarily going to get more stupid comments from the republicans, because their core principles are so stupid, and so intelligent people are going to be disproportionally driven away. For instance, if you can believe the following ideas
*tax cuts always increase revenue
*the earth is 6,000 years old and Adam rode a pet stegasaurus
*global warming is a conspiracy by thousands of scientists
*evolution too
*unions are bad for the poor and middle class
*christians are more persecuted in America than anyone ever
*Separation of church and state is a myth
*Michele Obama is a black panther
*gay people will make your marriage asplode
*a blastocyst is morally identical to you
etc
then the GOP will welcome you with open arms. But that’s a really high level of stupidity, and many of us are just not capable of it. So it makes sense that the people who are will go on to say unusually stupid things in the future, no?
TR
You and your neighbors haven’t done enough work towards making voters in your district realize he’s a moron and then electing a better alternative.
Sorry, but it’s as simple as that.
Mike P
Thought I think the Americablog crew had gone a bit overboard in their attacks on Obama recently, I’m generally with their point of view and I think it’s interesting that Obama is going to get laid low pretty quickly by the LGBT community because of his foot dragging on their issues. I think he really only needs to address one of the big two right now (DOMA or DADT) and I think he’s pretty much on safe ground on the later. There’s cover from a host of corners on that one and if he really wants to put the GOP over the fire, he can ask Congress to draw up new legislation for the repeal and move it to the floor quickly. Does the GOP want to be on record as voting no collectively on funding the troops and of denying the armed services much needed bodies for their never ending WOT?
And as to Pence, it’s hard to think that somebody that obtuse could be in a position of power, but then again, we had W for two terms.
Little Dreamer
@steve s:
Don’t forget: “America is a Christian nation”
eric
@Mike P: Let’s not forget that the Gipper was not a brain surgeon. He merely had less open beligerence than W.
really not much better.
eric
JL
Sorta OT, but the repubs were suppose to introduce their health plan today. Does anyone else know if they updated their pretty drawings from their last plan to include actual health plans?
Svensker
@John PM:
A question for the ages.
Colette
@Jon H:
Permafixt.
Laura W
@JL: I’ll one-up OT you:
Oh My.
PETA mourns the fly.
Edit: And how does PETA know for sure that Obama is not the Buddha?
I do not think they are omniscient enough to proclaim that with such certainty. Seriously.
Jon H
@asiangrrlMN:
By the way, judging from the art on your blog, you should track down a copy of “The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed“.
(Not that your grammar needs work.)
passerby
@anonevent:
To add: …and that plays perfectly to his target audience.
MelodyMaker
@John PM:
Fuck ya, schoolhouse rock. Way to rebuff.
jurassicpork
Meanwhile, on the lighter side of the news, Rush Limbaugh Dies at 58.
GeneJockey
Pence, and the rest of the wingnuts, see a protest going on in Iran, and figure we have to stand in solidarity with it, because we HATE Ahmadinejad.
Never mind that the guy the protesters support created Hezbollah. The wingnuts say they’re not supporting HIM, they’re supporting the protesters. I’m not sure, exactly, how they see THAT working, but they see NOT coming out against Ahmadinejad as ‘appeasement’.
And this doesn’t even consider the likely effect of US support for the protests on Iranian public opinion. They think we’re POPULAR over there!
MelodyMaker
“Look, the cause of America is freedom.”
Hoot-Smalley! Use it or lose it.
Calouste
@Laura W:
PETA is there to remind us that lunacy is not inherently the exclusive domain of the right, even though it might seem so occasionally.
JL
@Laura W: What a hoot. I especially like this comment by TMZ We’re told the fly’s carcass has been moved to a secret location … we’re guessing the bottom of a White House trash can.
My question was halfway serious. The repubs were suppose to introduce another health care plan and it appears that the major papers aren’t covering it. It must be the same old plan with an additional circle or two.
ninerdave
@jake 4 that 1:
Twitter mocks Hoekstra.
And a new meme was born
Mike P
@ninerdave:
Holy shit, that site is already a classic.
Zifnab
@Bender:
I think you mean the “inverse”. The converse would just get you sensible Republicans and stupid, lying Democrats.
Zifnab
@Calouste: Motha Fookin’ Sea Kittens, F.T.W!
Little Dreamer
@Laura W:
I don’t know, but the next time we have some sort of major controversy which calls for a title (such as the Fifth Column, or The Fourth Estate), can we call it the Third Arm?
Zuzu's Petals
@jurassicpork:
Snork!
passerby
@bvac:
Yes. I’m enjoying the amazement of the talking heads, too.
For forever, the US media has purposely ignored international news with regard to culture and politics and its coverage of Middle-eastern countries has only shown clay buildings, dust, rubble, and burkas.
Whaddaya know, Iranian women wear floral scarves and lipstick.
JL
@Little Dreamer: lol
Litlebritdifrnt
May I so politely ask, as one does, as the official Balloon Juice “Dotty English Woman Crazy Cat Lady” where the fuck are the Lily and Tunch pictures today? Huh? I demands me some Lily and Tunch pictures (preferably together but apart will do just fine).
Roger Moore
@John PM:
I’m not sure that’s quite true. It would be more accurate to say that the biggest busybodies claim they want the government to leave them alone. There are plenty of people who want the government to leave them alone who aren’t busybodies. We just tend to pay less attention to them because they aren’t such raging assholes.
As for why, I think it’s the classic answer for most things Republican: projection. They want to use government power to do all kinds of nasty things to people they don’t like, so they definitely don’t want somebody else to be able to do equally nasty things to them. It’s the wingnut version of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others before they can do unto you.”
Ked
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Maybe my memory is failing me, but have we ever seen both Balloon Pets in the same picture? I remember them in the same post, yes, but is there any photographic proof that these two titans of pet blogging have actually met?
Maude
@jurassicpork:
How are you doing?
John O
John, if you, Doug, and Tim decide to go all Tunch-Lily-Other Pets all day, all the time, I’ll still come visit.
This kind of Stupid out of people who run my life to an inch of a degree is just too depressing to wallow in.
But hey, Pence “represents his district.”
Note to self: I’d do fine in Pence’s district, since I grew up in rural IL, but I’m not looking to give them any money, all the way down to gas taxes, so, “Stay out of that Congressional District.”
Litlebritdifrnt
John – may I humbly request (and ignore my bullshit post above) a post about this
http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/national_mill_dog_rescue_needs_your_help_now/
These people need money to help puppy mill dogs, they really need our help and knowing the generous nature of the BJ community can you please put up a thread? Thanks.
John O
Roger @ 71,
Mind if I use that one, the wingnut Golden Rule, for free? I’ll make sure and credit you when I remember.
Beautiful.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Proof Adam wasn’t a Repub. Otherwise he would’ve fucked it after lecturing Eve about remaining chaste.
Too harsh?
passerby
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
Given the concept, it coulda happened that way, too harsh or not.
Bender
Of course, right-leaning blogs have the same kind of list ridiculing what they think are the Democratic core principles, don’t they — which was my point.
That’s why those who consider themselves politically informed should frequent (and comment on, if you have the chops) blogs on both sides. It keeps you from getting echo-chamber-itis, and from cartooning the other side too much.
Roger Moore
@John O:
I only wish I had come up with that twisted formulation. It’s almost as old as the “He who has the gold makes the rules” version. I just applied it to wingnuts because it seems like their typical attitude.
jl
Pence makes as much sense as McCain, who says: We need do “something” to get them hold a fair election, that makes Ahmadinejad lose and the regime fall apart.
(Through will, or resolve, or yelling, or tough talk, or bombing, or, nuke-em-all.. something? Or what?)
Goofballs, all of them.
AhabTRuler
@Ked: As of yet all we have are the mad creations of a fevered & intemperate mind.
WereBear
I appreciate wanting to be even-handed, but even if our leading Democrats painted themselves blue and mooned the other party across the aisle;
they wouldn’t be as crazy, and do nearly as much harm, as the recent Republican party.
JL
It’s almost 9 and not a word about Tunch and Lily.
Jon H
OT: I just received a 419 email pretending to be from Ford.
They provide an HTML file which pretends to be a pdf (includes a faux Acrobat toolbar). It doesn’t ask for bank info, but it does ask for your mobile phone number. I bet they’d put a charge on your phone bill.
tc125231
Litlebritdifrnt
@JL:
Dude I get you. Where are the Lily and Tunch pics and stuff…. this is not right, I mean John knows his audience right? Where the *(&# are the pictures.
tc125231
@HumboldtBlue:
JL
@Litlebritdifrnt: Maybe Tunch finally showed him who’s boss.
Ecks
@John PM: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait!
To promote the general welfare? The GENERAL WELFARE?
So what you’re sayin’ is that we got us here a socialist country.
Gentlemen, we have no recourse. We must bomb America.
tc125231
@Bender:
Comrade Stuck
Cole. would you please give these folks some critter pics, afore they start with the shaky tremblies and seeing spiders on the wall/
Laura W
@Litlebritdifrnt:
@JL:
Ladies, John said he was taking the day off and then put up 7 posts. Maybe he’s taking the night off. Man needs some time away from us. Who wouldn’t?
I know I’m no substitute, but I had this all ready to go for an Open Thread, assuming we got one tonight, and it was for you two anyway. Hope this helps! (Yeah, I wrote it up earlier so I could just slap it up if I was tired or + Whatever as the night wore on.)
Pigs Flew Over My House Today!
I was shocked to find how many blueberries were ready for pickin’ today and thought I’d take some photos after I cleaned them up to make JL and LilBrit envious. Sadie was hanging out on the back deck, so I knew she’d make a great food stylist. Got some good stills of her, and then, in a moment of uncharacteristic technological bravery, I moved the little switch on my Canon Digital from AUTO to MOVIE. And it started filming!
I had no clue if it was picking up sound or if I was supposed to be focusing or what so I tried to keep my mouth shut and just let Sadie do her usual purring and kneading and rolling to and fro. She does this if I just focus attention on her. If I actually touch her, the purring volume goes to 11. Extra bonus: Leah in the kitchen slurping big water from her bowl at the 40 second mark.
I present: Sadie and the First Blueberries!
Ramalamadingdong
I’m jonesing. I need a fix. What did Lily do today?
Dean Booth
@Bender: “right-leaning blogs have the same kind of list”
I don’t buy your false equivalency. steve s’s list is of items are not a matter of subjective opinion. Facts are facts, and denying the obvious ones are a sure sign of stupidity or mendacity.
If you think that prominent Dems say things just a stupid as notable Repubs, give us the quotes. I got at least 20 factually dumb Rep. quotes off the top of my head.
JL
@Laura W: Pretty cute. This year I put stakes around my blueberries with brightly colored rags. It’s my answer to a layman’s scarecrow. I’ll let you know if it works.
My berries aren’t ready. June 17th is pretty early.
Delia
@Laura W:
Great footage. I was afraid the blueberries weren’t going to survive :)
Is Sadie a Maine Coon? The best cat I ever had was a Maine Coon. He lived to be sixteen and has been gone about thirteen years now and I still miss him.
Update: John: I need some Lily news, too.
Laura W
@JL: June 17 is totally early! The blackberries come in weeks before the blues, and the blacks are still green! I have no clue how and why I got so lucky this year, except that I am selfish and wanted to harvest as many of the blues as I can before I move end of July. (ie, God loves me so He forced them early just for me.)
John’s home. I guess my film will fade into obscurity now.
Sigh.
@Delia: I don’t know about Sadie. She ran in front of my car in a CO alley at 6 weeks starving and dehydrated. Who knows who her randy parents were?
MelodyMaker
@Laura W:
YES! Wondering about my sanity, but that’s some goooood video.
asiangrrlMN
@Laura W: Sadie is gorgeous. She looks like she has some Maine Coon in her, but like you said, who knows? Doesn’t matter. She’s a stunner.
Oh, and Richard Engel? Yuuuuuum.
@JL: Here ya go. The Republican health care plan. Enjoy.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/35940-1.html
@Jon H: I haz art on my blog? I am getting that book, though. I am a grammar fiend, and I like me some vamps.
tc125231
Delia
@Laura W:
Well, my cat was an alley cat, too. But once in a vet’s office I saw a chart of cat breeds and realized he matched up for appearance and behavior characteristics. Sadie just has that look from the vid, so I wondered.
AhabTRuler
Um, we hate our freedom?
gex
@Mike P: I disagree. Between inadvertently helping Prop 8, to the Rick Warren thing, to making the gay married jokes, to acting like he doesn’t know what promises he’s made, to making no effort to start on any of the legislation he says he’s waiting for, to actively supporting DOMA, to comparing our relationships to incest or pedophilia, to adding new arguments for DOMA, for rejecting the precedent set in Lawrence v. Texas, to justifying differential treatment because of cost savings, and now trying to make it up to us by giving (some) federal workers (some) partner benefits (not health care or retirement) that were already available (but only because gays were going to boycott a $1000 per plate fundraiser).
He’s been as insulting as can possibly be. But he can get away with it because nobody gives a fuck, not even our straight allies. Whenever we get upset about this our “friends” just call us out for not having a sense of proportion or recognizing that there are more pressing issues. Which of course, is exactly why things are the way they are. Straight people don’t give a damn. Even the ones who say they do. So it is safer for pols to keep the status quo.
Chuck Butcher
@Michael:
You want sympathy? I’ve got Greg Walden (R-OR 02) and I was so pissed as to run for that office in (D) Primary. Walden just isn’t as publicly that stupid. (stupider?)
Laura W
@tc125231: Lovely!
mmmmm….Rumi.
passerby
@tc125231:
Rockin’! tc125432.
This line I edit out:
I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way.
We all volunteered.
MelodyMaker
@gex:
straight people don’t give a damn?
edit: or however you spell it. too insulting.
asiangrrlMN
@gex: I agree with this as far as Obama not being the fierce advocate that he promised. I am very disappointed in him for that.
@MelodyMaker: Well, I wouldn’t say straights don’t give a damn, but I wouldn’t say they are really putting any effort into queer rights, either. It’s an issue that tends to get shunted aside until “the time is right”, whenever that time may be.
MelodyMaker
Seriously. take that back. Or I’ll refer you to Mrs. Robinson.
MelodyMaker
@asiangrrlMN:
OK. But, “they” my ass. nice shorthand…
Mike P
@gex: Eh, I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say that straight people “don’t give a damn” and I suspect you know better.
I’m not defending Obama…he’s been weak sauce on gay rights and I, as a straight person, am very disappointed in him on that front.
I do think Obama needs to recognize that if he does want to do things like repeal DADT (which I think is a far easier nut to crack than is repealing DOMA) he needs to be more activist and vocal about it, just as he’s done with health care.
It seems that his timing is always just behind the curve of the heavily involved (activists, political junkies, etc) but he seems to move before opinions tend to harden in “middle America” (whatever that is). On most issues, I think it’s fine for him to show prudence, but given the strong backing he got from LGBT community both in terms of organizing and in $$$ (with the later being especially important), I do think it’s time for him to up his game.
With the troop levels set to jump up in Afghanistan soon, it seems like pushing the DADT repeal through would have been a no brainer.
Comrade Stuck
@Ecks:
Funny :–)
burnspbesq
@gex:
You have noticed, I presume, that the President has a fairly full plate, or limited bandwidth, or however else you might want to describe it. There are, in point of actual fact, issues facing this country right now that are more pressing than DOMA or DADT. No one – at least no one I am aware of who speaks authoritatively for the Administration – is saying that these things won’t get done. I sincerely believe they will get done. And I wish they were getting done right the fuck now. But they’re not. And you gain nothing by gratuitously insulting people who are on your side.
Martin
Oh, grow up and quit being so hyperbolic. He’s been as insulting as Fred Phelps? As Pat Buchanan? As George Bush? Really?
And fuck you for saying we don’t care. We put No on 8 signs everywhere. We lost friendships with neighbors. We spent hundreds of hours at rallies, going door to door, trying to defeat it and we have no skin in this game. We did it because it was important, but now I keep hearing from people in the gay community how Obama is the worst president ever.
It’s this single issue shit that routinely destroys the Democrats – no matter how good a Democrat may be on the dozens or hundreds of issues we care about, they’re never Gay Jesus, or Vegan Jesus, or Peace Jesus enough and so they wind up being the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad President. Worse than Hitler!
I feel SOOO good about helping. Thanks. I’ll be sure to remember this the next time someone asks me to stand up for gay rights.
stevelaudig
Pence is a product of public education in Indiana. There many people like him there. The old word for them is retarded. But they are voluntarily retarded. He may be incapable of learning anything. He is certainly incapable of understanding anything. He’s rather like a parrot with a large vocabulary. Capable of saying the words but not understanding the concepts. Part of the brain is missing. The part above the neck. One reason to call them “no necks”.
Comrade Stuck
@Martin:
Nicely stated Martin!
Chuck Butcher
@gex:
Let me see if I can put this in some perspective, the current issues on his plate are real pressing and they affect nearly everybody including your upset self. I give a fuck, I give a damn, I give a shit and I ain’t anything resembling LGBT. Most people involved in my life are not only not LGBT, a hell of a lot of them are not in the least sympathetic. I stand up and make myself counted for people who are a vanishingly small percentage of my friendships. I put stress on friendships and relations because I don’t back the fuck down. As a political candidate I had to choose my rhetoric and frame issues my way but I never backed up.
You want a lot and you’ve got a real nice way of trying to get it.
PeopleAreNoDamnGood
Well, that’s the problem right there.
I’m a straight ally. I have always, and will always, vote in favor of your rights. I have supported those causes, and argued against discrimination against gays at length on these very pages.
But things have changed. LGBT, and I use that acronym only as shorthand and because I am lazy, not for any other reason, but LGBT has sent a clear message — including right here on these pages — that it doesn’t give a flying fuck about its straight allies, or their concerns, or their views on how to proceed, or anything else. It’s been your way, or highway, and shit on anything that gets in your way, as you are doing to Obama now, again, on these very pages, and as I have seen you (generic you, not you personally) do to others who have not toed whatever the LGBT line is that day.
I’m your political ally, but I am not your friend, and I won’t go out of my way to help you any more. Your friends have as much as told me to my pseudonymous face here that they don’t need my help or support because I don’t seem to agree with them on key issues. Okay, fine. You know what? I didn’t cause your predicament. I am not responsible for fixing it. I’ll vote for your side, and that’s about it. Other than that, you are on your own.
joseph
Thank you, John Cole, for
1- talking about your dog(s): we think they are your dogs, and next time send these pictures to your friends, unless you think only your friends are reading your blog. If yes, you should find a way to have only your friends access your blog.
2- there is all this talk about supporting freedom, and i do support freedom
3- But it seems like some people’s freedom does not count: like the gazaens and the Arabs in the “Israeli Territories”
When are you, John Cole, going to speak up and out
(you speak u/o or not doesn’t matter, just wanted to underscore your hypocrisy)
Yours
Chuck Butcher
@PeopleAreNoDamnGood:
Aw, that’s no good and you know it’s not. My LGBT colleagues at State level know I’m their friend and treat me as such, regardless of my willingness to proceed at a slower pace for policy reasons than they’d like. Idjits are that, straight or otherwise.
PeopleAreNoDamnGood
@Chuck Butcher:
Hey, I vote on their side, I support their goals. I don’t agree with their tactics or methods much of the time.
For that I get told to fuck off and die. You know what? I don’t owe them anything. I am not the cause of their problems.
This is a political blog, not a social club, AFAIC. In politics, you count votes, you do the work, and you do the best you can, and that’s it. If you lose, you pick yourself up and try again. You don’t blame everybody else for your loss, and you don’t attack your own coalition because it won’t toe your line. That’s crap. Whether it’s me, or Barack Obama, or anybody else.
What are these guys going to do? Go to the GOP and ask for help? Good, I hope they do, and furthermore, I hope they get it. I don’t think they will, but I wish them luck. Or maybe they will start a third party. Okay, good luck with that, I hope it gets them what they want. And when they have tried the GOP and the third party and then want to sit down and work with their real allies, then call me. When they want to work with those allies and not tell them what to do, send the email. If that ain’t good enough, tough shit.
gopher2b
@gex:
I can’t speak to many of the issues you raised but I can address the DOMA brief. A few things to keep in mind:
(1) the main argument put forth in the brief is that the court didn’t have subject matter jurisdiction and the plaintiffs didn’t have standing. the two are somewhat related and they are important. you generally cannot sue the federal government directly and you can never bring a suit when you haven’t been harmed. the plaintiffs here filed “pre-emptive” lawsuit because they (a) haven’t applied for federal benefits (and been denied), (b) haven’t tried to enforce their marriage in another state (and been denied), (c) or otherwise suffered any (judicially recognized) harm. SMJ is the most important kind of jurisdiction because it cannot be waived. this case could literally go all the way to the supreme court and they could punt on this issue alone. years would be wasted.
(2) the full faith and credit clause has alway had a public policy exception. unfortunately, the only precedent with regard to mariage on this issue is incest, polygamy, underage. i don’t think this is analagous AT ALL but the lawyers wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t cite it (and I would add, I cannot imagine Obama is cite checking a motion to dismiss even on an issue as important as this…I would be surprised if it even reached associate counsels in the WH)
(3) the stand of review is a serious uphill battle. if you lose, you’ve cemented DOMA as good law. frankly, he probably has a better chance of overturning in congress than the supreme court. even then its redundant because the common law is still there (see #1).
(4) the longer he waits on court challenges, the better the more likely DOMA dies. you don’t have favorable court right now.
(5) One of Obama’s criticisms of the civil rights movement was that is overused the courts when it should have focused on the voting booth. There is a certain momentum that builds around issues like this and it brings legitimacy to it. He gets this and I’m sure he would rather see state after state fall. That approach ensures it survives forever. Going through the courts just means the issue will linger for decades, never have legitimacy, and is vulnerable to being overturned (see Roe v. Wade).
Martin
I agree. And it’s not just gex. Half of GOS is saying the same thing as gex. Getting health care matters – it matters for everyone, even the LGBT community, but I get the sense that they could care less about it.
Obama tells us to support Tammy Baldwin and her bill, but gex and half of GOS tell us to fuck off even after we got our corner of Orange County to oppose Prop 8. Ok. I won’t badger my rep and senators about it, because I’m straight and Obama hearts DOMA. I’ll bug them about the DREAM act instead. I’m pretty sure my undocumented students won’t tell me to go to hell.
Chuck Butcher
I don’t know, maybe Oregonians are more polite. I don’t take a “gex” too seriously, just enough to poke at him, which I did.
Yeah, I’m a politician of sorts so I do understand counting votes, etc.
MWR
Post #1 is spot-on. Pence is so much like Bush, in that he lies, makes stuff up and is virtually, always wrong. Words come out of their mouths and if one is listening, you feel as if your IQ is being pulled downward.