Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

I really should read my own blog.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Come on, man.

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

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Let’s finish the job.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Everybody saw this coming.

T R E 4 5 O N

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

This really is a full service blog.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

The willow is too close to the house.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / Congress is Emo

Congress is Emo

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Guys, Congress is really hurting right now:

Congress “has been left out in the cold on this one,” said Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), a longtime opponent of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. “There has been no consultation at all.”

“We read about it in the newspapers and then we ask questions about it,” said Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH). “I think that’s concerning to the Congress and I think it’s concerning to the American people, and I believe rightly so.”

Betty, remember that binging and purging is not a constructive way to deal with your problems. And Walter, please don’t cut — it won’t take the pain away. We’re not friends on Facebook, but if we were, I’d write something supportive on your walls. And if I had your cell numbers, I have a really sweet Hello Kitty animation that I could text you.

Unfortunately, since we’re not FFFs, I’ll just have to stick to this blog post to tell you that, even though I disagree with our intervention in Libya, I can see why Obama, Clinton and Gates made you their whining bitches. You are absolutely the most useless bunch of piss-pants scared, do nothing chickenshits who have ever occupied the United States Capitol, and you deserve a single-digit approval rating and another wave election.

Reader Interactions

55Comments

  1. 1.

    General Stuck

    Some of them are going to get more emo. Looks like Obama and Gates are serious and true to word on letting others to continue doing the dirty work in Libya

    (CBS/AP) WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is about to pull its attack planes out of the international air campaign in Libya, hoping NATO partners can take up the slack.

    And it gives President McCain a worry wort sad

    Odd,” “troubling” and “unnerving” were among critical comments by senators pressing for an explanation of the announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that American combat missions will end Saturday.

    “Your timing is exquisite,” Republican Sen. John McCain said sarcastically, alluding to Qaddafi’s military advances this week.

  2. 2.

    Arclite

    You are absolutely the most useless bunch of piss-pants scared, do nothing chickenshits who have ever occupied the United States Capitol

    Too funny. It’s been this way for a decade tho.

  5. 5.

    joe from Lowell

    General Stuck,

    Odd,” “troubling” and “unnerving” were among critical comments by senators pressing for an explanation of the announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen thatAmerican combat missions will end Saturday.

    Damn this ever-expanding, FITD war!

  6. 6.

    estamm

    The Congress from the Bush years gave all presidents from Bush forward the green light to do whatever the hell they wanted militarily, whenever they wanted to do it. If they don’t like what Obama did, then they have only themselves to blame.

  8. 8.

    Superluminar

    @JfL
    mark my words, there’ll be 100000+ boots on the ground by the end of the week! Also too, this is all being done because Obama loves BP, apparently…

  9. 9.

    Superluminar

    @estamm
    to be fair, the congress from the Bush years=/=congress now, although some (many?) members are the same.

  10. 10.

    WereBear

    I do think this pushing forward of dysfunctional shills has undermined the public perceptions of what grownups ARE. And what they DO.

    The GOP, unable to tell the truth, keeps undermining it instead. But then we are all lost at sea, living in one of those absurdist plays.

    Did a rhinoceros just go by?

  11. 11.

    cat48

    Mistermix,

    You’re very clever today! You got a chuckle out of me in the morning and that takes a lot!

    Why don’t the Emo’s VOTE? They’ve been back a week now so they’ve had a lot of time to express themselves thru their vote.

  12. 12.

    joe from Lowell

    @estamm:

    The Congress from the Bush years gave all presidents from Bush forward the green light to do whatever the hell they wanted militarily, whenever they wanted to do it. If they don’t like what Obama did, then they have only themselves to blame.

    Presidential actions like, say, bombing Libya go back a hell of a lot farther than George W. Bush’s term.

    Oddly enough, of all of the different ways in which George W. Bush expanded claims of presidential Commander-in-Chief powers, starting wars on the President’s own authority was not among them. All of the wars he started were done with Congressional AUMFs – which makes sense, because they all involved large numbers of Boots Onna Ground(TM) for long periods.

  13. 13.

    agrippa

    Mistermix:
    Your description is correct. Those people have been all of that for , at least, the last ten years.

    Mark Twain called Congress a unique criminal class – and he was correct.

  14. 14.

    General Stuck

    If we get a good jobs report in about 15 minutes, I would say this TGIF is off to a good start.

  15. 15.

    OzoneR

    @Superluminar:

    Well, talking of emo, all this has turned ED Kain into a firebagger, complete with glibertarian alliance. Rand Paul/ Russ Finegold 2012!

    Isn’t E.D. a libertarian anyway?

  17. 17.

    LosGatosCA

    FFF? These guys are my FFFF, or even my BFFFF!

    I mean I really, really, really care about these reflections of the gutless public they represent in the most gutless way possible. The (H)Roman Hruska paradise has been reached, mediocrity is overrepresented in America, and it’s feeling pretty mediocre, in a casually uninformed and pleasantly ignorant sort of way. Long live American exceptionalism hand wringing and faux concern.

  19. 19.

    Ash Can

    So we have some Republicans crying about Obama getting involved in Libya, and other Republicans crying about him getting un-involved. Awesome. At this point, I don’t give a flying shit what comes out of any Republican’s mouth. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Mark Kirk could knock on my front door this morning, tell me that he noticed smoke coming from the back of my house and that I ought to vacate the premises, and I’d slam the door in his face and wonder why, five minutes later, my ass was on fire.

    And apparently “no consultation at all” was the subject heading of Frank Luntz’s e-mail to all the Republican legislators on Libya talking points.

  20. 20.

    Swellsman

    Actually, Jones is my Congressman. Impossible to unseat him (he inherited the seat from his daddy, Jones I) and he is probably best known as the clown who brought “Freedom Fries” to the Capital. (Yes, it wasn’t his idea . . . . a local restauranteur came up with it and Jones ran with it.)

    Still . . . I have to give Jones credit. He represents an area stack to the brim with military personnel, and he was one of the first GOPers to turn against the war in Iraq. He does, at least, have the sense to see what this blind militarism does to the people left back at home, and he does say something about it.

    Of course, he can do so because he is in a safe seat (there is no way my fellow constituents would ever elect a Democrat) but he isn’t too bad a guy (“Freedom Fries” notwithstanding.0

  22. 22.

    kdaug

    @Ash Can:

    wonder why, five minutes later, my ass was on fire.

    Ah, always was a bit curious as to the etymology of your handle.

  23. 23.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Ash Can:

    At this point, I don’t give a flying shit what comes out of any Republican’s mouth. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Mark Kirk could knock on my front door this morning, tell me that he noticed smoke coming from the back of my house and that I ought to vacate the premises, and I’d slam the door in his face and wonder why, five minutes later, my ass was on fire.

    Although there are, as you point out, dangers to this approach, I think that, 99 times out of 100, it is the correct way to go.

  26. 26.

    4tehlulz

    @joe from Lowell: You know what would really help the economy? Shutting down the government and imploding the world economy.

    Then everyone will have a job, as everyone has a role in our new Mad Max libertarian paradise.

  27. 27.

    Superluminar

    @OzoneR
    I don’t think he knows what he is. He’s sadly becoming a younger version of Sully, tossed this way and that by the tides of his emotions. I should probably stop reading.

  28. 28.

    joe from Lowell

    @4tehlulz: You know what’s funny? (Besides monkeys, I mean.)

    If there’s a coup that overthrows Muammar Gadhaffi in the next few days, the Republicans won’t shut down the government. They’ll be too afraid to take on Obama.

    There really shouldn’t be any connection, but there is.

  30. 30.

    4tehlulz

    @joe from Lowell: Republicans with survival instincts like Boener and McConnell might.

    Teabaggers will think this shows that Obama really is the Antichrist and will go Samson Option on him.

  32. 32.

    ppcli

    @Swellsman: OK, granted: unlike all of the other Republicans who are claiming that they were opposed to Bush all along, Jones really was an early critic of the Iraq adventure. Credit for that. But even so, the “freedom fries”/”freedom toast”, crusade made Congress an international laughing stock. Not just stupid, but a petulant slap at an ally. A person who does something like that has forfeited any right to complain if he isn’t taken seriously. Actions have consequences, Jones. You moran.

  34. 34.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @ppcli: One of the other problems is that Republicans are so reflexively anti-anything that Democrats do that I can’t be arsed to figure out if, this one time, one of them is making a principled and/or sensible objection. They are the party that cried wolf. They have zero credibility in my eyes right now, and, I have to say, it will probably take them the rest of my lifetime to rebuild any (assuming they turn on a dime right now today).

  36. 36.

    Ash Can

    I should think that, if Walter Jones was opposed to the Iraq clusterfuck from the outset, his reaction to France’s objections would have been “Listen to the French! They’re right!” rather than “FREEDUM FRIEZ!”

  37. 37.

    WereBear

    The whole “Freedom Fries” thing started as a joke.

    Though, dang it, I’m not sure. Such is our post-irony paradise.

  38. 38.

    lol

    @RosiesDad:

    In just two months, Republicans have ended the uncertainty for business that’s pervaded Obama’s entire administration and allowed them to proceed with hiring once again.

  40. 40.

    cleek

    Congress is never popular (except for a nonsensical spike after 9/11). it can’t be popular, by design: nobody ever gets what they want out of it because there are too many people with too many competing interests, and the procedural aspects make it look absurd.

  41. 41.

    Maude

    @lol:
    Geo Bush created this economic surge. Not Obama. I bet we do indeed hear that at some point.

  42. 42.

    catpal

    “Representative of North Carolina Walter B. Jones made a stand. Jones told the press that he hoped his effort to rename French fries, “Freedom Fries,” in the House cafeterias”

    he wasn’t really joking at the time he said that. Jones thought that “freedom fries” would make people appreciate the freedoms provided by the military service people.

    Jones voted against Health Care, voted recently to Defund Planned Parenthood, I don’t think Jones has a conscience or cares about anyone but himself and his federal pension.

  44. 44.

    General Stuck

    More Friday good news

    Wisconsin Democrats will file petitions today with enough signatures to trigger a recall election of state Sen. Dan Kapanke (R), one of eight Senate Republicans targeted over votes to curtail collective bargaining rights for public workers, the La Crosse Tribune reports.

    I bet some WI wingnuts are sweating bb’s about now. Reap/Sow/Whirlwind, or shit out of luck.

  47. 47.

    gnomedad

    @Ash Can:

    So we have some Republicans first crying about Obama not getting involved in Libya, then crying about Obama getting involved in Libya, and other Republicans crying about him getting un-involved.

    Enhanced. Republicanin’ is hard work. Pass the popcorn.

  48. 48.

    Suffern ACE

    @cleek: True, it never wins the most popular poll. It’s cumbersome and homely on its best days. But now it couldn’t score a date even if its parents secretly paid someone to take it out for the weekend. I’ve not seen it poll so low before.

  51. 51.

    kth

    Walter Jones, R-NC, for the Iraq War before he was against it, and was one of the co-sponsors of the measure to rename French Fries “freedom fries” in the House cafeteria. We’re all surprised I’m sure.

    Journalist really must have just fallen off the turnip truck to take Jones self-description (probably) at face value.

  52. 52.

    AAA Bonds

    That’s great, except cutting Congress out of the decision to go to war is a bad thing. And you’re not in favor of this war.

    So this post comes across as plain weird, as it takes Congress to task for complaining about something that you fully admit they have the right and obligation to complain about.

    If you were to show the courage of your convictions, you would be explicit: Congress has failed in its duty because it has failed to STOP Obama, Clinton, and Gates from going to war.

    A successful Congress would have stopped the White House, because the White House did the wrong thing. Plain and simple.

    Instead, you try to square the circle, Balloon-Juice-style, puffing up Great Men Theories in defense of individuals who you oppose, and I assume for good reasons that go beyond some sort of basketball-tourney rivalry.

    You are only trolling yourself.

  53. 53.

    AAA Bonds

    I’d also like to take this opportunity to roll my eyes at everyone, ever, who thinks Obama can score a win by bombing and bailing. What a demented understanding of responsibility. What moral cowardice behind that conclusion. I’d almost prefer whatever reasoning Obama himself used – almost.

    Most likely, we lost as soon as we started playing this game. Just like Iraq, just like Afghanistan, leaving Libya in the hands of others is an admission of this, not a victory. It’s also the wise thing to do, but the White House is no longer cleaning up someone else’s mess. They own this one, and so do we.

  54. 54.

    General Stuck

    @AAA Bonds:

    It’s one thing to be skeptical, and quite another to show your ass in comments after being proven wrong. With folks like you, it is always about personal ego and ideology, and many loads of contemptible bullshit deposited on these pages. What a boorish comment you made.

  55. 55.

    Joe Buck

    Yes, Congress sucks, but nevertheless Obama’s actions are plainly unconstitutional. Even the power-grabbing George Bush got Congress to pass authorizations for his foreign wars (though he designed them to be so open-ended that he could do anything afterwards). The Constitution has multiple provisions to attempt to prevent the president from doing something like this, and the Federalist Papers explain in great detail why the Founders did not give the President the power to wage war on his own.

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