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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Early Morning Open Thread: Winner of This Week’s Intarwebz…

Early Morning Open Thread: Winner of This Week’s Intarwebz…

by Anne Laurie|  February 23, 201012:52 am| 81 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Assholes, Teabagger Stupidity

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Ken Layne at Wonkette, discussing the Teabaggers’ Twitter-ragegasm at Scott “Cosmo” Brown’s treachery in voting to move Obama’s jobs bill incrementally closer to passage:

If enough of Scott Brown’s girlfriends break up with him on Twitter at the same time, does Obamacare automatically pass?

That may have been the shortest political honeymoon since President Obama failed to solve every single one of America’s problems by January 23, 2009. (Although it’s distinctly possible that at least 28% of Brown’s most foam-flecked denouncers are sekrit leftists pulling a DougJ.)

I’ll give Sen. Scotty credit — he may not be quite as dumb as his previous political career had led me to believe. Or maybe Simon Cowell has finally convinced him that Ayala ain’t getting no do-overs on American Idol, so Daddy had better have at least one temp job to award this summer…

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Reader Interactions

81Comments

  1. 1.

    Joel

    February 23, 2010 at 12:55 am

    Heckuva job, Brownie.

  2. 2.

    de stijl

    February 23, 2010 at 1:10 am

    What’s Brown and sounds like a bell?

  3. 3.

    Martin

    February 23, 2010 at 1:18 am

    I predict that Scott Brown will somehow be credited with Cheney’s heart issues. In for a penny, in for a pound…

  4. 4.

    Lev

    February 23, 2010 at 1:20 am

    I think he just needed some favorable coverage after feeling the IRS attacker’s pain.

  5. 5.

    danimal

    February 23, 2010 at 1:22 am

    Related: Is Scott Brown still empathizing with the IRS homicide bomber?

    (I’m still working on my new Wingnut Rosetta Stone program.)

  6. 6.

    Jean

    February 23, 2010 at 1:22 am

    And they have “de-friended” him on Facebook! That’ll show him.

  7. 7.

    Cathie from Canada

    February 23, 2010 at 1:42 am

    I wonder if there is any chance that this will disrupt the media narrative about how popular the Republicans are and how Obama is such a failure because he can’t get any Repubs to support his legislation?
    Naah, they’ll just start describing Brown as a political neotype who doesn’t really understand yet how Congress works.

  8. 8.

    Allan

    February 23, 2010 at 1:42 am

    I’m thinking that the DNC operative who unearthed those negatives and outtakes from the Cosmo shoot deserves a big raise.

    Brown’s not just some guy with a truck, despite what the usually unimpeachable source Sarah Palin would have you believe. (She’s also unimpeachable because she quits before you get the chance, but that’s another story.)

    He’s a career politician with a voting record in the MA assembly and senate that puts him to the left of Olympia Snowe.

    This is going to be an interesting week.

  9. 9.

    Eric U.

    February 23, 2010 at 1:45 am

    His daughter isn’t one of this year’s contestants, is she? I have a relative that’s one of the final 12 women.

  10. 10.

    Yutsano

    February 23, 2010 at 1:46 am

    Am I the only one thinking this next week is gonna be a hoot? I predict massive Republican self-immolation, but then again my eternal optimism may be taking over.

    @Eric U.: Regardless of my personal opinion of that whole show, that’s kinda cool actually.

  11. 11.

    Comrade Luke

    February 23, 2010 at 1:50 am

    I already awarded yesterday’s internet award to a buddy of mine who posted this on twitter:

    Cheney admitted to hospital with chest pains. My theory? Severe indigestion from bolting down too many souls, too quickly, at one sitting.

  12. 12.

    Delta

    February 23, 2010 at 2:00 am

    Well, since four other Republicans went along with cloture vote (Voinovich, Snowe, Collins, and Kit Bond also voted with the Democrats) I suspect the theme we will be hearing from the MSM is “Obama could have gotten their votes, all along, on every single issue, if only he had tried to be bipartisan instead of being a hard-line leftie.”

  13. 13.

    jl

    February 23, 2010 at 2:01 am

    I am very concerned about this development, and await Glenn Beck (the self-proclaimed contemporary Tom Paine)’s analysis. Which might consist of barking like a dog for 20 seconds on his show. And yes, the situation is that bad! and might call for all of Beck’s intellectual might!

    Will this secret communist porno con man imposter vote to let the government meddle with my social security and Medicare next?

    Ans: we are doomed.

  14. 14.

    jl

    February 23, 2010 at 2:02 am

    @Delta: Yeah, there were other so-called GOPers, but we knew that they were commie-fascists already.

  15. 15.

    Mark

    February 23, 2010 at 2:08 am

    The amazing thing is that Snowe and Collins have been in the Senate since they were 14 years old and they’ve never had the guts to vote in favor of anything before. But once Scott Brown shows up…

  16. 16.

    Allan

    February 23, 2010 at 2:09 am

    @jl: Well, three of ’em are already known commie-fascists, and the fourth is retiring and just doesn’t give a fuck.

  17. 17.

    wasabi gasp

    February 23, 2010 at 2:12 am

    Terrorists Win!

    Game Over

    Defib?

  18. 18.

    jl

    February 23, 2010 at 2:23 am

    Think of it this way. This scumbag death-socialist Brown betrayed the pathetic and infantile mass projection and ignorant self-indulgent fantasy of teabaggers all over this Great Nation! What kind of monster would do that? I ask you.

    If Beck does not respond by barking into the camera, I predict he will tie this into ACORN breaking up into 50 state organizations, and the (supposed) physicist who is promoting the new theory that the contents of the known universe is a hologram projected from its lower dimensional boundary (to destroy the US as a Xtianist nation).

    Coincidence that this all happened at the same time?

    I think not.

  19. 19.

    jl

    February 23, 2010 at 2:25 am

    Think of it this way. This scumbag death-s o s h u l i s t Brown betrayed the pathetic and infantile mass projection and ignorant self-indulgent fantasy of teabaggers all over this Great Nation! What kind of monster would do that? I ask you.

    If Beck does not respond by barking into the camera, I predict he will tie this into ACORN breaking up into 50 state organizations, and the (supposed) physicist who is promoting the new theory that the contents of the known universe is a hologram projected from its lower dimensional boundary (to destroy the US as a Xtianist nation).

    Coincidence that this all happened at the same time?

    I think not.

    (the original comment in moderation becuase Brown might take b 0 n *r p_l l s, being a s o s h u l i s t)

  20. 20.

    inkadu

    February 23, 2010 at 2:35 am

    @wasabi gasp: Defibulator: Enhanced interrogation technique where the suspect is received electric shocks to the heart until he ceases fibbing. Required for treatment: defibulator, heart.

  21. 21.

    Redshift

    February 23, 2010 at 3:01 am

    @Comrade Luke: I bet his doctors advise him to switch to drinking the blood of people on a low-fat diet…

  22. 22.

    freelancer

    February 23, 2010 at 3:13 am

    Anne Laurie,

    I just wanted to thank you for listening when I proposed that you move the late nite/early morning thread ahead by a few hours.

    You didn’t need to, but you did, and I, for one among the late night owls here, am sincerely appreciative.

    You rock, AL.

  23. 23.

    bago

    February 23, 2010 at 3:53 am

    Did it have an Effect? Could you feel the Mass. Again?

    The point is, on my third play through Tali took off her mask. Hells yeah.

    I might be a bit of a xenophile though. Garrus has reach, but I had flexibility.

  24. 24.

    morzer

    February 23, 2010 at 4:04 am

    I thought everyone knew by now that Scott Brown only won because ACORN stole the election…..

  25. 25.

    Chuck Butcher

    February 23, 2010 at 4:07 am

    Play one had Tali take off mask, later Jack. Play two had Miranda taking things off. Both times 100% explored and 100% missions. 42 of 50 Accomplishments. Play one Normal, play two Veteran.

    Dragon Age made me crazy on Normal.

    XBox360 on 50″ screen

  26. 26.

    Mike Kay

    February 23, 2010 at 5:29 am

    @Yutsano:

    Am I the only one thinking this next week is gonna be a hoot? I predict massive Republican self-immolation, but then again my eternal optimism may be taking over.

    The Firebaggers will also go up in smoke. I read a couple of idiots adopt the Teabagger line that Dems should…. wait for it…. kill the bill and “start from scratch”. Boehner couldn’t have said it any better.

  27. 27.

    Balconesfault

    February 23, 2010 at 5:43 am

    Harry Reid finally played smart – Republicans whining about having all their rich people tax cuts stripped out won’t have traction next fall … but advertisements about “he/she voted to block passage of a 15 billion jobs bill” will

    Did any Republican Senators who are up for re-election this year vote against cloture?

    Move the bill to the House, where a lot of Repubs who most certainly are going to be up for re-election are going to have to decide whether to write their Democratic opponents ad campaign for them this spring.

    And yeah, Scott Brown was too smart to fall for it. Looks like he actually wants a chance to be re-elected in 2012. Interestingly, this vote puts far more power into his hands than had he signaled he’d follow the wingnuts wherever they lead.

  28. 28.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    February 23, 2010 at 6:10 am

    @Balconesfault:

    Looks like he actually wants a chance to be re-elected in 2012.

    That’s the funny part about all of this, do the Republicans actually not understand how “voted against the jobs bill to get this country back to work” is going to be used against them about six months from now?

    It’s hard to believe. Once again, I see that the right wing noise machine, which includes the vast majority of the “liberal media”, actually works against them more often than it helps, because it keeps them blindly repeating talking points instead of paying attention.

    The Villagers are all abuzz about how Brown’s election was going to have exactly the opposite effect, the last nail in the coffin for Democrats passing any bills at all.

    Oops.

    David Brooks has a column today on that general theme, since “everyone just knows” that nothing can get passed now.

    Bad timing, David. Punditing is hard.

  29. 29.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    February 23, 2010 at 6:33 am

    My favourite tweet so far is some twit whining because the vote coincided with Ted Kennedy’s birthday.

    Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck it has to do with anything either, but it summed up these nutbags’ approach to reality in less than 10 words.

    Harry Reid finally played smart – Republicans whining about having all their rich people tax cuts stripped out won’t have traction next fall … but advertisements about “he/she voted to block passage of a 15 billion jobs bill” will.

    And the GOP will counter with “My opponent voted to give President Marxist Hussein Obama more control over your jobs. Jobs that he TOOK from Real Americans in the Heartland of America and gave to unqualified individuals [cough – affirmative action – cough] in big [mumble dark, mumble black] cities,” ads.

  30. 30.

    bob h

    February 23, 2010 at 6:40 am

    Interesting and sad to see that aside from the Maine twins, the only Republicans to vote with Brown are retirees-Voinovich and Bond. They will soon be beyond the Party knee-cappers.

  31. 31.

    Gravenstone

    February 23, 2010 at 6:41 am

    @bago: Settled for Garrus on the first go round because I somehow missed completing the Kelly quest. I have Miranda lined up and waiting on this play through. Debating which conquest to shoot for on subsequent play throughs, but I think you just gave Tali a nudge to the fore.

  32. 32.

    PsiFighter37

    February 23, 2010 at 6:54 am

    @ Chuck Butcher

    Play one had Tali take off mask, later Jack. Play two had Miranda taking things off. Both times 100% explored and 100% missions. 42 of 50 Accomplishments. Play one Normal, play two Veteran.

    Is the difference in difficulty level related to how many HP the enemies have, or do they actually get smarter as well (e.g. engage more in short-range melee attacks? My first playthrough was on Normal but wasn’t terribly difficult.

    ETA: I was working on both Miranda and Kelly at the same time, but the Kelly storyline kind of died once you hit a certain mission (trying not to include spoilers)…trying to have lots of cake and eat it too.

  33. 33.

    Josh Huaco

    February 23, 2010 at 6:56 am

    It was 77 in Waco on Sunday, now we’re supposed to get 4 to 6 inches of now today. Ah, Texas.

  34. 34.

    JMC in the ATL

    February 23, 2010 at 6:59 am

    As a Mass resident for about 30 years, I really have to wonder what the teabaggers are smoking. As folks pointed out up above, the dude is a) a career politician and b) is going to want to get re-elected. And there is absolutely no way any statewide MA politician is going to intentionally stick an eye into MA labor unions and get re-elected. It just doesn’t happen.

    That’s the great/awful thing about blank-slate candidates, I guess. Everyone gets to project their view of the Ideal Politician on them. And everyone gets to be eventually disappointed.

  35. 35.

    dmsilev

    February 23, 2010 at 7:00 am

    @Chuck Butcher:

    Dragon Age made me crazy on Normal.

    Finished my first playthrough of this last night. Doubt I have the energy to try again with a different class (used a human mage; somewhat of a hard slog at first, but was a one-man army by the end).

    -dms

  36. 36.

    jurassicpork

    February 23, 2010 at 7:28 am

    ACORN’s no longer functioning as a national organization, meaning that the Swiftboating led by Jimmy O’Keefe, known criminal, has been successful.

    Meanwhile, real criminals like John Yoo and Jay Bybee are exonerated by the Obama Justice Dept. and are guilty only of “bad judgment.” Where the hell are our priorities?

  37. 37.

    Linda Featheringill

    February 23, 2010 at 7:29 am

    Good morning, folks.

    Let us go forth into the world and give ’em hell today.

  38. 38.

    Svensker

    February 23, 2010 at 8:02 am

    @Redshift:

    Win.

  39. 39.

    Morbo

    February 23, 2010 at 8:12 am

    Snowe, Collins, Voinovich and Kit Bond (wait, wtf?) all joined him, but it seems they’re getting left out of the ragegy. Poor things.

  40. 40.

    Gravenstone

    February 23, 2010 at 8:21 am

    @Morbo: Well, to be fair, the ladies from Maine are pretty much unassailable in their seats, and Mssrs. Voinovich and Bond are short timers so they can thumb their noses as they wish. However, I second the “WTF” response to Bond playing nice. Maybe he does have his constituency in mind from time to time. That would be voting, not financial constituency, mind you.

  41. 41.

    Sleeper

    February 23, 2010 at 8:22 am

    While this bill is pretty much a band-aid on a gunshot wound (15 billion, pretty thin gruel really) and in and of itself it won’t do much, a win is a win, so good on them for getting it. It’ll help some people and the Dems managed to chip away at the “41 seat majority” meme. Maybe this is the way for Reid to go for the time being, just try to pass a lot of bite-sized bills that each do a little and hope for a cumulative effect.

    But if that’s going to be their strategy they need to pick up the pace without delay. Let the victory lap lead you right into the next bill, guys.

  42. 42.

    geg6

    February 23, 2010 at 8:34 am

    @Sleeper:

    Let the victory lap lead you right into the next bill, guys.

    I think it will. I am cautiously optimistic about HCR right now. Momentum seems to be sneaking on over to the other side. I watched and read quite a bit of our traditional media the last few days (something I usually avoid like the plague). And the underlying theme, voiced in a couched way, is that it seems to be gathering steam and discussion of reconciliation and even some background on GOP usage of reconciliation has been reported. My tea leaf reading skillz are not mad, but I am suddenly optimistic if this is what the CW is.

  43. 43.

    someguy

    February 23, 2010 at 8:36 am

    Of course the Teabaggers hate Brown. We all know how they feel about brown people, right?

  44. 44.

    joe from Lowell

    February 23, 2010 at 8:57 am

    Scott Brown doesn’t owe the national Republicans or the Congressional leadership a darn thing.

    They abandoned him up here, and he climbed out of a 40-point hole all by himself. No national money money, no national support.

    Sure, in the last week of the campaign, they all wanted to be his buddy (so they claim part of the credit and use his victory as a talking point), but by then, he’d already won the race.

    What does Mitch McConnell have that he can use to corral Scott Brown? Especially when the Republicans are a minority.

  45. 45.

    Ash Can

    February 23, 2010 at 8:57 am

    @danimal:

    Is Scott Brown still empathizing with the IRS homicide bomber?

    How about Rep. Steve King (Asshole-IA) not only empathizing but encouraging folks at CPAC to “implode” IRS offices? (h/t GOS)

    Seriously, does the FBI know about this guy?

  46. 46.

    Bob (Not B.o.B.)

    February 23, 2010 at 8:58 am

    @JMC in the ATL:

    As a Mass resident for about 30 years, I really have to wonder what the teabaggers are smoking.

    They actually think the majority (even in Mass) agrees with their whacky beliefs, its just that some sort of misinformation or conspiracy prevented past victory. Mosty fundie Christians are the same way.

    That’s the great/awful thing about blank-slate candidates, I guess. Everyone gets to project their view of the Ideal Politician on them. And everyone gets to be eventually disappointed.

    Very true as well.

  47. 47.

    chopper

    February 23, 2010 at 9:01 am

    @Redshift:

    doc: well, dick, i’d recommend when drinking the blood of virgins go with skim or 1% if you can. it doesn’t taste as rich i know…

  48. 48.

    Luthe

    February 23, 2010 at 9:20 am

    @kommrade reproductive vigor:

    And the GOP will counter with “My opponent voted to give President Marxist Hussein Obama more control over your jobs. Jobs that he TOOK from Real Americans in the Heartland of America and gave to unqualified individuals [cough – affirmative action – cough] in big [mumble dark, mumble black] cities,” ads.

    Hard to do when the bill in question is for $15 billion in tax cuts to small businesses for hiring more workers. We all know that small businesses only employ Real ‘Murkens. And illegal immigrants, but you don’t get a tax break for them.

  49. 49.

    BenA

    February 23, 2010 at 9:23 am

    @dmsilev:
    Just in time for the expansion. :-)

    I just bought a PS3 after holding out for a few years.. heh… the bad part is an entire backlog of games to play through… the good part is… an entire backlog of games to play through.

  50. 50.

    MikeJ

    February 23, 2010 at 9:27 am

    @Luthe: You seem to think that reality will get in the way of GOP talking points.

  51. 51.

    Chat Noir

    February 23, 2010 at 9:27 am

    @geg6: Howard Dean seemed pretty optimistic last night on Countdown. I’m trying to share his guarded optimism but it’s difficult. The only thing that will make me feel better about the whole thing is when I see the president actually sign HCR into law. Although, I am quite curious about what could happen on Thursday at Blair House. I hope the president and the Dems bitch-slap those slimy Republicans (nicely, of course).

    For me, this whole healthcare reform debate has been like a stormy relationship. Sigh…

  52. 52.

    BenA

    February 23, 2010 at 9:30 am

    If Brown is actually going to read bills and vote for them based on the content of the bill… well Christ he wont go anywhere in the Republican party.

  53. 53.

    Gregory

    February 23, 2010 at 9:31 am

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    Once again, I see that the right wing noise machine, which includes the vast majority of the “liberal media”, actually works against them more often than it helps, because it keeps them blindly repeating talking points instead of paying attention.

    Last night on NPR, Fox News correspondent Mara Liar-son informed us at the news summary on the half hour that Republicans aren’t bringing a bill to the health care summit, but they do have a “blistering critique” of the Democratic bill, which “they call a government takeover” of medicine.

    No, she didn’t point out that, regardless of what the Republicans call it, it’s about as far from a “government takeover” as I am from winning an Olympic gold medal.

  54. 54.

    valdivia

    February 23, 2010 at 9:35 am

    Is the contrarianism of TNR contagious or something? Judis–who I think mostly of as a constant concern troll–has an article saying Rubio is a force of nature who is the republicans Obama. I kid you not. Rubio!!!!

  55. 55.

    mr. whipple

    February 23, 2010 at 9:38 am

    @Chat Noir:

    If it gets done, I think I’ll feel pretty happy. Yet, it’s been a huge disappintment watching the Dems bicker and weasel and stumble their way through this thing. I expected better from them, I guess.

  56. 56.

    burnspbesq

    February 23, 2010 at 9:38 am

    @jurassicpork:

    “Meanwhile, real criminals like John Yoo and Jay Bybee are exonerated by the Obama Justice Dept. …”

    Sorry, incorrect. Margolis is not a political appointee, he is a career DOJ employee. Which means that there is no basis for hanging his despicable act around the necks of Obama and Holder. And you know that. But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of your wankery.

  57. 57.

    BenA

    February 23, 2010 at 9:43 am

    @valdivia:

    Is the contrarianism of TNR contagious or something? Judis—who I think mostly of as a constant concern troll—has an article saying Rubio is a force of nature who is the republicans Obama. I kid you not. Rubio!

    Well he is kind of swarthy….

  58. 58.

    Uloborus

    February 23, 2010 at 9:44 am

    I find this vote fascinating. So far, the Republican party’s only tool this year has been enforcing zealous party unity for the purpose of blind obstructionism. This makes us forget that even in the GOP, not many lawmakers are actually teabag crazy. Assholes, corporate whores, narcissists and tribalists to the point of seeming sociopathic, certainly. But that’s very different from the current conservative movement, which is the walking demonstration of why it can be hard to diagnose paranoid schizophrenia.

    The thing is, this monolithic impression the Republican congressmen are all willingly behind this is an illusion. They’re marching to the drummer, but they don’t LIKE it. At least a fair number of them are keeping pace solely out of fear. They’re afraid of draconian party leadership who cynically think obsctructionism is in their interests, but mainly they’re afraid of their party base. Remember around the beginning of the year, when Republicans kept trying to distance themselves from the crazy and got slapped down? Lil Bush grew this beast, and McFly let it off its leash (to avoid a lengthy discussion of the Southern Strategy), but the GOP congressmen don’t like it, they just feel like they’re at its mercy.

    So… does this mean the party unity is fracturing? It won’t take many senators to decide that their self-interest lies in defying the arch-conservative base for Republican power to disintegrate. I can’t say I think that’s happening, but it’s worth bearing in mind that what we’re seeing is artificial.

  59. 59.

    valdivia

    February 23, 2010 at 9:50 am

    @BenA:
    LOL, well he may speak spanish but he is as white as latinos come.

  60. 60.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    February 23, 2010 at 9:53 am

    In my inbox this a.m from Dan Pfeiffer:

    Will the Republicans Post Their Health Plan… and When?

    That cheered me. More of this please.

    Then on GMA, old George Stefanalphabet quoted this and then asked Eric Cantor about all of this. He lied, of course and George actually called him on it. I didn’t stick around for the whole interview…I’m sure it went downhill from there.

  61. 61.

    bemused

    February 23, 2010 at 9:53 am

    Tax cuts to small businesses sounds great but I have a question. What is the criteria for falling into the small business category, iow, how many employees does a company have to have to qualify as a small business?

  62. 62.

    dmsilev

    February 23, 2010 at 9:56 am

    @BenA: Heh. That thought occurred to me. Due out in mid-March, I believe.

    I’m playing it on a PC which I have hooked up to my living room TV. Good things and bad about that setup; bad is that PC game interfaces aren’t designed for someone sitting 10 feet away on a couch, so I have to either sit on the floor or drag a chair or something up near the TV so that the text is readable.

    -dms

  63. 63.

    danimal

    February 23, 2010 at 9:58 am

    @Uloborus: This.

    It only takes one maverick to take the whole thing down. As the election nears, GOP unity will be exponentially more difficult to maintain.

  64. 64.

    Chad N Freude

    February 23, 2010 at 10:20 am

    For those among us who are thrilled at the prospect of a Republican mass defection led by Scott Brown, watch *this*.

  65. 65.

    fourmorewars

    February 23, 2010 at 10:37 am

    Hey, I’m on board with the whole pass-the-damn-bill strategy and all, but would you kindly take the ‘we’re dissatisfied with Obama ’cause he didn’t solve every problem in three days’ meme, and shove it up your ass?

    Yes, I’m one of those who was mad at him ’cause every single Bush USA wasn’t replaced immediately.

    Wait, amend that slightly, I’m mad at him because he left every single fucking one of them in place for months.

    And yes, I’m one of those who’s mad ’cause every single soldier wasn’t home by mid-February last year.

    Oh, wait, I’m sorry, did I say ’cause they all weren’t home by mid Feb’? I meant to say ’cause he ramped up the Afghan war pointlessly and massacres civilians with drones and says we can assassinate U.S. citizens without a trial, and, you know, wild leftist objections like that.

    Oh, and did I mention the kissing billionaire bankers’ asses? He hadn’t stopped doing that by January 23, 2009.

    Or given any indication he won’t still be doing it January 19, 2017.

  66. 66.

    BenA

    February 23, 2010 at 10:39 am

    @dmsilev:
    I was going to buy it for my PC and really there are a decent number of console ports to the PC lately… have had it hooked to the plasma for a while now… but the large number of titles on the PS3 that are really in my wheelhouse finally pushed me.

    I haven’t picked up DragonAge… but it’s on the short list. Playing Fallout 3 now…

  67. 67.

    Sentient Puddle

    February 23, 2010 at 10:41 am

    Snowing here in Austin. Unfortunately, this was after I show up to work. If, as a coworker speculates, we get the noon email saying “go home,” the actual going home part will be…rough.

    Meanwhile, since this has sort of turned into a video game-ish thread, any love for Heavy Rain, out today? If so, STFU, because I’m trying to go into it knowing as little as possible.

  68. 68.

    PurpleGirl

    February 23, 2010 at 10:55 am

    Reid’s new version of the jobs bill appears not to include an extension of unemployment benefits… thanks for nothing Harry.

  69. 69.

    jurassicpork

    February 23, 2010 at 11:04 am

    Fox News at its Finest Part X: Zero Tolerance Edition. I could see this series spinning out forever.

  70. 70.

    Mnemosyne

    February 23, 2010 at 11:07 am

    @fourmorewars:

    Wait, amend that slightly, I’m mad at him because he left every single fucking one of them in place for months.

    You are aware that Congress has to approve all of those appointments, right? And you are further aware that the Republicans have been blocking those appointments? Scroll through this list and notice how many names on that list have submitted their committee questionnaires and have not been confirmed yet.

    Let me guess, next you’re going to say that he should have appointed them via recess appointment even though those appointments expire in 1 year.

  71. 71.

    jcricket

    February 23, 2010 at 11:13 am

    Now I’m actually not a fan of bipartisanship (esp. not for its own sake), but what this points out is that unless the GOP can maintain total party discipline, their strategy of “all no, all the time” is just about the biggest failure you can imagine. No legislative participation, no amendments/counter-proposals, little pork directed their way, etc.

    It’s like trying to “shoot the moon” in Hearts. If you get all but one of the “bad cards” you get a terrible score.

    So if Dems pass HCR, and manage to eke out more wins like this getting the few vulnerable or otherwise not quite tea-baggy Republicans to break party discipline, I wonder if the GOP will quickly fall apart as they realize being on the outside of everything all the time is not a solid strategy.

    Or perhaps not, and 38+ of them will think it’s still a good idea just to say no, and sit around in a huff masturbating to Ayn Rand.

  72. 72.

    Nick

    February 23, 2010 at 11:14 am

    @PurpleGirl: That’s being taken up this week.

  73. 73.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    February 23, 2010 at 11:24 am

    @fourmorewars: That’s right he didn’t wave his magic wand and make 8 Years of Bush crap disappear. Let me guess, you also believe that if you decided to diet and exercise today, you’ll be ready for the Olympics tomorrow? Amirite? Or amirite?

  74. 74.

    Liz

    February 23, 2010 at 11:29 am

    I’m liking the Scott Brown character a little more these days…don’t underestimate Massachusetts, people! :D

  75. 75.

    Uloborus

    February 23, 2010 at 11:31 am

    @fourmorewars:
    Yeah, I’m not really sold on any of these arguments either. In fact, this is kind of why people like me are exasperated with the ‘Boo, Obama!’ progressives. Yes, he ramped up the war in Afghanistan. You didn’t think he was going to do exactly what he said he’d do? We’re not talking Bush’s ‘Dur, let’s invade!’ mentality here. Have you been watching international coverage of how it’s going? He diverted as many resources as he possibly could to try and restart the Afghanistan campaign the way we ought to have run it the first time. Presumably, you want to just cut out? Fair enough, but he’s acting intelligently, he just doesn’t agree with you.

    I’m kind of blanking on kissing billionaire bankers’ asses and assassinating American citizens. I guess I could have missed the latter, since Glenn (while a damned intelligent and valuable journalist) drives me nuts these days. But I sort of recall the bankers getting so utterly pissed that he kept trying to add riders to TARP that they started giving the money back en masse. You know, god forbid their bonuses should get capped or something. Okay, he hasn’t done much financial regulation yet, but he got around to a bunch of other things people screamed he was just talking about and wouldn’t get around to. When he goes to the businessmen, like has, and tells them very, very politely that they’d better get on board or he’s going to fuck them (I admit, I’d love it if he’d TALK that way, but I respect the civil discourse) I figure he really will get around to that.

    We’re not just mad about the fact you don’t like Obama. Heck, there are people who don’t like Obama who have very reasonable opinions. We’re mad because so many progressives we’d like to consider our buddies are making arguments that involve putting on serious blinkers and staring at the butt of the magical unicorn pony and announcing it’s a mule. Personally, I detest that so many of these arguments are predictions of what he will do rather than faults in what he has done. John seems to hate the false equivalencies more. But yeah, we don’t like it, and it only seems to be getting worse, so expect more griping.

  76. 76.

    PurpleGirl

    February 23, 2010 at 11:39 am

    @Nick: That means there will a gap in coverage. Extended benefits end this Sunday (Feb. 28). Any gap means no checks… benefits are not retroactive. You may not have to “reapply” but it means there is a week or two with no coverage… which means no money. For someone who has spent their savings, who was getting a low benefit because they had a low paying job the loss of any amount of money means they are at the edge and could be going over. It’s mean and cruel. I’d wish all congresscritters lost their jobs so they could experience it but they’d only just get jobs from their friends. Right now, they are not my favorite people in the world.

  77. 77.

    geg6

    February 23, 2010 at 11:47 am

    @PurpleGirl:

    Can’t remember where, but I read this morning that they are looking at a 15-day extension for the short term until they get to the larger extension. Understandably, the states are screaming about that, but Congress is what it is.

  78. 78.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    February 23, 2010 at 12:32 pm

    @Luthe: Oh, you and your facts.

    Some cunning GOPer is bound to unearth a ReaLAMErican (let’s call him Joe) who was just on the verge of buying a small business (a plumbing company, perhaps) until he discovered he’d have to employ 50,000 ACORN thugs to qualify for the break.

  79. 79.

    Dr. Morpheus

    February 23, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    @Bad Horse’s Filly:

    @fourmorewars: That’s right he didn’t wave his magic wand and make 8 Years of Bush crap disappear. Let me guess, you also believe that if you decided to diet and exercise today, you’ll be ready for the Olympics tomorrow? Amirite? Or amirite?

    Oh, let’s be fair and give fourmorewars a whole year to prepare to win a gold medal in the Olympics.

    I mean, s/he did give Obama that much time to fix 8 FUCKING YEARS OF BUSH SHIT.

    But I’m sure s/he’ll be ready to win gold in a year.

  80. 80.

    sparky

    February 23, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    um, it appears that nobody got the GOP memo here. the “reasonable” GOP rump gets to vote for this “jobs” bill. you know why? because everyone knows it is too small. what this means is that if the GOP had not permitted it to pass (which yes, they could have), they would have given the Ds an actual club to beat them with (Rs against jobs). this way, they (Rs) have their cake and eat it too–they can show that they will vote for a “good” bill, thus short-circuiting the “obstructionist” claim. and six months from now, when the unemployment rate is the same or worse, the GOP will be able to point out how useless the Ds are. win for R, lose for D, as usual, but perhaps a few people will get some help in the meantime, so there’s that.

    can the Ds be any dumber/more craven? dunno. guess we shall see.

  81. 81.

    Dr. Morpheus

    February 23, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    @sparky:

    um, it appears that nobody got the GOP memo here. the “reasonable” GOP rump gets to vote for this “jobs” bill. you know why? because everyone knows it is too small. what this means is that if the GOP had not permitted it to pass (which yes, they could have), they would have given the Ds an actual club to beat them with (Rs against jobs). this way, they (Rs) have their cake and eat it too—they can show that they will vote for a “good” bill, thus short-circuiting the “obstructionist” claim. and six months from now, when the unemployment rate is the same or worse, the GOP will be able to point out how useless the Ds are. win for R, lose for D, as usual, but perhaps a few people will get some help in the meantime, so there’s that.

    Hey Sparky, since you’re so smart, answer me this:

    Why haven’t the GOPpers done this earlier on other issues?

    They had plenty of opportunities. Hell, they could have done this with the Stimulus bill, but they all voted in lock-step against it.

    I don’t think you’re as smart as you think you are.

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