Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

People are weird.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Good lord, these people are nuts.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

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

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

In after Baud. Damn.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

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Reader Interactions

137Comments

  4. 4.

    El Tiburon

    Look you fuckers, least y’all could of done is kept him in it a bit
    Longer. Now he is headed back to Texas.

    Y’all know what a spoiled little douche does when he is kicked out of the game and told to go home?

    P.Rick is now gonna come home and kick all the dogs and babies.

  5. 5.

    Face

    @xian: Can a guy this inept running this campaign really be VP material? I’m guessing even the most ardent godbotherers dont like him anymore. Of course, they’d vote for him anyway.

  7. 7.

    cmorenc

    Query who was behind persuading him to stay in the race the first time he was obviously intending to drop out the morning after Iowa. Big-money people hate to throw good money after bad, and Perry had big-money people behind him up to that point…so some of them must have had ulterior reasons for wanting him to get back in the race for a couple of weeks longer, since Perry had zero possibility of winning after Iowa…

  8. 8.

    dmsilev

    Man, the morning before a GOP debate is just brutal. First Hunstman and now Perry.

    Hmmm. If there are n remaining candidates, and m>n remaining debates, that means that by March there will be nobody running for the GOP nomination!

  11. 11.

    dmsilev

    Tears of a wingnut (RedState link):

    Rick Perry will quit. He knows it. I know it. You know it. The question is whether he will quit before Saturday’s primary and help someone else win as a hero and king maker, or will he quit next week and see Mitt Romney win with Perry serving as the spoiler, keeping either Gingrich or Santorum from winning.

  12. 12.

    Boudica

    @El Tiburon: Yeah, not looking forward to his return to Texas, either. But now we can say he has lost an election, since he had always won everything else he had run for.

  14. 14.

    Palli

    Hey, Perry was just filling in time from his part-time governorship, anyway

    to cmorenc @7 Political donations for republicans are just the procedure for money laundering, payola, paybacks, bribery, ransom and hush money among the themselves. An ongoing ritual to solidify loyalty.

  15. 15.

    General Stuck

    Velllly interesting. With Newtster already on the rise courtesy of racial dog whistles. Since Santorum haz fizzled from his go round with the faithful, if he drops out and endorses Newt, we have a brand new circus. Pack of Hyenas whittling down the pack. Lovely

  16. 16.

    Mobile Grumpy Code Monkey

    You know, I’m honestly surprised by Perry’s abysmal run. I would never have confused him for a Rhode’s scholar, but I thought he had better political instincts than that.

    Part of the problem is that Perry never really had to work for the governor’s office; he was Lite Gov under Bush, never had a serious primary challenge, and his Democratic opponents were either idiots (Sanchez), relative unknowns (Bell), or less-than-inspiring campaigners (White). So I think that made him look stronger than he really was.

    Oh, well, I’m convinced that the only reason he ran for a third term was to position himself for this presidential campaign. Maybe after this he’ll retire (we can hope, anyway).

  17. 17.

    Donald G

    Rick will always have maple syrup to console him. Maple syrup loves him unreservedly, and he loves it right back. Nice, delicious maple syrup…

  18. 18.

    Jay C

    @dmsilev:

    that means that by March there will be nobody running for the GOP nomination!

    Or Mitt Romney: which is about the same thing…..

  19. 19.

    Hawes

    Please, please, please let Newt win SC. I so want that walking bag of fat and hot air to be the GOP standard bearer.

    Alas, “God does not love me that much”.

  23. 23.

    dmsilev

    I can’t wait to hear Perry’s endorsement of Gingrich: “Newt is an egotistical blowhard who blows racial dog whistles as hard as he can, and he’s the best remaining candidate.”

  25. 25.

    Rommie

    I wonder how greasy Perry’s hands are this morning. I guess filthy money is still money.

    If the FSM really does bless us with a full-on Newt-Mitt fight, I’ll swear off of pasta for the rest of the primary season.

  29. 29.

    handsmile

    It was all of last week ago, but remember that Perry could not even secure the support of that conclave of evangelical patriarchs meeting on a ranch in his home state to forestall the Mormon’s coronation. Not that it seems to have lubed Santorum’s prospects in South Carolina.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/santorum-wins-support-of-texas-evangelical-leaders/2012/01/14/gIQAP8BpyP_blog.html

    @cmorenc: (#7)

    I was wondering about that myself, but this is the best, albeit inadequate, answer I could find.

    http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2012/01/04/perry_stays_in_presidential_ra.html

  31. 31.

    rikryah

    This is an OT, but it came to me last night:

    I haven’t seen this asked yet, but W-T-F did Romney think he was gonna do in 2008, if he had won the GOP Nomination? did his arrogant ass really think he wasn’t gonna have to release his tax returns?

    and, he’s been running since 2007…this mofo is actually arrogant enough not to have been planning for this situation?

  35. 35.

    Punchy

    @Hawes: Interestingly, off-shore books dont even offer odds on the Republican nommy anymore. All the props bets are Romney v. Obama….to them, it’s Romney only at this point. Not sure what, if anything, that represents.

  37. 37.

    John PM

    Man, Colbert jumps into the race and knocks out Huntsman and Perry in less than a week! Looks like “Herman Cain” could do really well in South Carolina on Saturday.

  39. 39.

    JGabriel

    John Cole, the NY Times link needs fixing for those of us without NYT Subscriptions: Just replace the “?gwh=A1FBD29D27B3DC7F3CA71D834593A8D8” with “?_r=1”, such that the whole link reads “http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/perry-to-end-bid-for-presidency/?_r=1”.

    Fixed link here.

    .

  42. 42.

    Punchy

    How much you wanna bet that instead of dropping out, he “suspends” his campaign, instead? I’m quasi-sure that quitting means you cannot collect donor money any longer (or cant use it for bills or something). Whereas “suspending” means you can (unless I’m mistaken, which is possible).

    Cain “suspended”, so did Huntsman. All these grifters gotta keep grifting. And spending.

  43. 43.

    SenyorDave

    @dmsilev: Newt is way past racial dog whistles. With the last debate, he has moved into overt racism. And that will spur his newest rise in the polls. In todaly’s GOP, a racist starts with 20% of the electorate.

  44. 44.

    MattF

    So, bag-of-hammers dumb Gov. Perry endorses Noot. And in the modern Republican Party, this is an asset for Noot. I realize that it’s unfair to ask “Is there anyone in this room who can add 2 + 2?” but, c’mon folks…

  45. 45.

    JGabriel

    And then there were four.

    So Dog Stew and Dog Shooter both dropped out after seeming to gear up for SC with attacks on Romney and debate participation. Hell, Dog Shooter is dropping out with only one debate and two days left before SC.

    Why? Perry has already spent most of what he was going to spend there anyway. May as well hang in there and see how he does.

    I wonder how much of these withdrawal decisions are based on personal desire and how much is due to backroom negotiations.

    .

  47. 47.

    handsmile

    @John PM: (#37)

    Who’s says “you can’t raise the Cain back up when he’s in defeat”?

    Definitely not the “Definitely Not Coordinating with Stephen Colbert” SuperPac. The ironies nested within ironies in this latest ad are pure unadulterated satirical genius:

    http://www.newser.com/story/137839/colbert-super-pac-ad-attacks-colbert.html

    “Why is the ‘T’ in his name silent? What else is he silent about?”

    Remember, Herman’s only “suspended” his campaign and his name appears on the South Carolina ballot. Here’s one race where I’m rooting for the low-information voters.

  48. 48.

    Triassic Sands

    It seems like only yesterday that towering conservative icon George W….um…Ricky Dicky Perry entered the GOP race for American Clown.

    Yet, today, just over five months after throwing his hat in the ring, Ricky Dicky Perry must return to Texas to the job he knows and loves best — executing people.

  49. 49.

    Triassic Sands

    There is one statement Rick Perry can make and you know he’s telling the truth…

    “It’s a no-brainer.”

  51. 51.

    Yevgraf

    OT, but you should see all the pretzelbacks at the FReak Republic talking about the Newtsters open marriage request.

    Family values, indeed. Wait till 4X married Jabba gets on this topic this afternoon.

  52. 52.

    Ken

    @Face: Can a guy this inept running this campaign really be VP material?

    I take it you missed Wednesday’s “moment of zen” on the Daily Show. Sarah Palin endorsing Newt, blathering on for a bit, and ending with “I think we all saw the problem in 2008 when we had a candidate who hadn’t been properly vetted.”

  54. 54.

    Amir Khalid

    Up to now probably no one in Turkey gave a damn about the Republican presidential primaries. Rick Perry has managed not just to alert a key American ally to his stupidity and ignorance, but to offend that ally. At this stage of the campaign, few candidates manage to attract that much international attention. He deserves some kind of trophy.

  55. 55.

    dmsilev

    @amk: There are some polls out this morning showing Newt & Mitt running basically even with each other. Newt up by a point or two in a couple, Mitt up in the others. If Newt can weather the ex-wife-opocalypse, he’s got a chance on Saturday.

  57. 57.

    harlana

    @amk: hold on there, Mitt is starting to look like Mr. 1% – beginning to believe he is the ideal candidate for the times

  58. 58.

    Linda Featheringill

    @Amir Khalid:

    Rick Perry:

    At this stage of the campaign, few candidates manage to attract that much international attention. He deserves some kind of trophy.

    That was an extraordinary performance on his part.

    How are we doing with Turkey now?

  60. 60.

    Joe Lisboa

    At his presser, Perry just started to say “I love this great company” and caught himself, so it came out as: “I love this great comp-try.” Awesome. Also, too: he loves freedom. And America.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    @rikryah:

    I haven’t seen this asked yet, but W-T-F did Romney think he was gonna do in 2008, if he had won the GOP Nomination? did his arrogant ass really think he wasn’t gonna have to release his tax returns?

    Very good question. Maybe he was going to try to hide behind birther controversies directed at Obama.

    But it is odd, and typically out of touch, that he has fought before for the nomination, and clearly believed that he was above other political mortals, and would never have to release his returns. He even saw McCain having to deal with questions about his wife’s income (she had the bulk of the family’s money, from a trust).

    Mitt is typically, strangely, clueless.

    But Perry still beats him with the dumbth.

  64. 64.

    JGabriel

    So Rick Perry prayed for rain in Texas and got more drought, and then he decides to endorse Newt Gingrich on the same day Gingrich’s second ex-wife tells the whole world that Newt asked for an open marriage.

    Rick Perry kinds of has shitty luck these days. Maybe it’s some kind of karma.

    .

  66. 66.

    shortstop

    @amk: It’s an illustration of just how much Romney flips that McCain has the balls to smirkingly complain about Romney’s position-switching. Of course, it’s also an illustration of McCain’s ludicrous dearth of self-awareness, but still.

  68. 68.

    Brachiator

    @dmsilev:

    There are some polls out this morning showing Newt & Mitt running basically even with each other. Newt up by a point or two in a couple, Mitt up in the others. If Newt can weather the ex-wife-opocalypse, he’s got a chance on Saturday.

    An angry ex-spouse. Nothing to see here. Move along.

  70. 70.

    The Moar You Know

    give Alito his due. He, along with Breyer, is apparently one of the two USSC justices who understand how to read the constitution on matters relevant to copyright.

    @liberal: Hey, thank you for that. Ginsburg is wrong, wrong, wrong in her opinion. The only purpose behind America’s adaptation of copyright law was to facilitate new works. Alito and Breyer are indeed the only two who got this one right.

  71. 71.

    burnspbesq

    @El Tiburon:

    Stop trying to shift blame for your mistake. We didn’t elect him as Guv. Y’all did. Solve your own damn problems, ya whinin’ baby.

  73. 73.

    joes527

    @amk: OK. I like to see bad things happen to Willard as much as the next guy, but someone has to end up as the last man standing. I’m hoping that a much battered Willard gets the nomination leading to a tidal wave of apathy in his party.

    I really think that Mitt has what it takes to lose in the general. Who would you want to see?

  75. 75.

    shortstop

    @rikryah: That’s been bugging me, too.
    In fact, the guy’s been running for public office for, what, 20 years? and keeps making rookie mistake after rookie mistake in what he says out loud. That is, the kind of rookie mistakes made by someone with $250 million who continues to have zero meaningful contact with ordinary citizens.

    I’ve thought he was reasonably intelligent despite having no center whatsoever, but maybe he’s really dumb. Or perhaps he refuses to take the advice of his campaign people, or maybe he’s chosen to surround himself with people who are as out of touch as he is.

  77. 77.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Jay C:

    How about Ambassador to Constantinople? Or Byzantium?

    (as Warren Terra notes, the capital of Turkey is Ankara, Ataturk moved it there in the 20’s)

  78. 78.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @shortstop:

    Or perhaps he refuses to take the advice of his campaign people, or maybe he’s chosen to surround himself with people who are as out of touch as he is.

    Or his entire inner circle consists of yes men who are LDS members and worked at Bain for him as well.

  81. 81.

    amk

    @joes527: Obama will wipe the floor with ugly noot. The money wing of rethugs party will ‘secede’ from 2012 elections and leave with us with raygunesque landslide.

  83. 83.

    handsmile

    @Warren Terra:

    Geography pedant! I bet next you’re gonna say we have no ambassador in Montreal or Rio de Janeiro either.

    To be charitable, Jay C’s comment may well have been snark. For a quarter-wit like Perry, Turkee’s capital probably is Byzantium.

  84. 84.

    gaz

    What’s funny is Perry thought he could win. He was basically Bush Jr. Now w/ MOAR Texas! and dumbstupid. Also too.

    He should have spoke with me when he first entered the running. I could have saved him a lot of time and money

  85. 85.

    Suffern ACE

    It’s amazing he fooled the East Coast press into thinking he had a serious candidacy to begin with simply by looking comfortable walking around the Iowa State fair last summer. Really. Texas Miracle and cowboy boots sent tingles to their worthless inner thighs again.

  86. 86.

    ChrisNYC

    Oh Newt is speaking and he is both angry and so so full of himself right now. Perfect! He may just eat Romney at the debate. Chomp chomp chomp.

  88. 88.

    shortstop

    @Suffern ACE:

    Texas Miracle and cowboy boots sent tingles to their worthless inner thighs again.

    That’s so good I’d like to see it set to music, but not with a stupid video attached.

  90. 90.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Suffern ACE:

    Texas Miracle and cowboy boots sent tingles to their worthless inner thighs again.

    This.

    It’s amazing how stupid shallow visuals mesmerize the vermin of the Village.

  92. 92.

    feebog

    JGabriel @ 45:

    So Dog Stew and Dog Shooter both dropped out…

    Wait a minute, I thought Perry was “Dumber than Dog”. Did I miss something over the past few days?

  94. 94.

    Tractarian

    By the way, this primary season is turning out to be pretty popcorn-worthy, isn’t it.

    And though Romney is still the odds-on favorite to win the nomination, it is just so tempting to contemplate what could happen with a Newt nomination and Paul third-party run….

  95. 95.

    Tractarian

    @shortstop:

    No, really, it most assuredly is both.

    The way I see it, if Mitt was really that arrogant, he would have released his tax returns to the press as soon as he filed them – figuring that his massive unearned income and low low effective rate would pose no problem to his unstoppable juggernaut of a presidential bid.

    No, this man is deeply insecure. And incompetent.

  96. 96.

    Amir Khalid

    Before Pick Perry gets offered any ambassadorship to Turkey, he should be asked a question to test his knowledge of the country: How far is it from Constantinople to Istanbul?

  97. 97.

    Roger Moore

    @Tractarian:

    Not arrogant … incompetent.

    Do we really have to choose? I think it’s a mixture of both. He’s so used to being a tinpot dictator within his own domain- his home, Bain Capital, his campaign, etc.- that he doesn’t understand the same rules don’t apply when dealing with the press and the electorate. He’s incompetent because he’s too arrogant to learn and understand how the system works.

  98. 98.

    AliceBlue

    I still can’t quite figure out why the bagger crowd didn’t all fall in behind Perry. It seemed like he just fit right in with the tricorn hat/Gadsden flag people.

  99. 99.

    Mark B

    He really should have dropped out when he still had some political capital. I’m betting all he got from Gingrich for the endorsement was a ham sandwich and a bus ticket back to Austin.

  101. 101.

    JGabriel

    Rick Perry:

    Newt is not perfect … [but] there is forgiveness for those who see God.

    Honestly, Dog Shot? There is usually medication for those who see God, provided they can afford it.

    .

  102. 102.

    JGabriel

    @AliceBlue:

    I still can’t quite figure out why the bagger crowd didn’t all fall in behind Perry.

    Perry lost the teabaggers when he told them they were inhumane for hating on Mexican babies. He apologized for it and backtracked a few days later, but it was too late.

    .

  106. 106.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Tractarian:

    Given that when he was asked to start up Bain Capital, he needed written assurances if it was a flop, he would not be held professionally or financially liable for the flop.

    This indicates insecurity and incompetence. Furthermore, it indicates that he will not take responsibility for his actions, and will attempt to weasel out of any failure.

    Romney is an honorless cur.

  109. 109.

    burnspbesq

    @liberal:
    @The Moar You Know:

    Sorry, must disagree.

    When the United States ratified the Berne Convention in 1989, it bought the whole package, including Article 18. Section 514 of the URAA simply brings the United States into compliance with its obligations under Article 18. Any work of authorship that never went into the public domain in the author’s country of residence has to be protected in the United States.

    This outcome was pretty clearly foreshadowed by Eldred. If you think you can distinguish Eldred, feel free to try. Otherwise, I’m not sure what you’ve got, other than reflexive opposition to the very idea of copyright protection.

  110. 110.

    Felinious Wench

    Thank God. Come on home, Rick, we’ll find a nice sports team for you to manage, so you can quit embarrassing us in front of the rest of the country, nay, the world.

    Sorry to have troubled you good folks. Carry on.

  111. 111.

    Tractarian

    @JGabriel:

    There is usually medication for those who see God, provided they can afford it.

    Well, if they can’t afford it, they can always fire their insurance company.

  114. 114.

    burnspbesq

    Further to my comment 109, I would ask those who think this case was wrongly decided to explain, in detail, why they disagree with this statement from the majority opinion.

    Full compliance with Berne, Congress had reason to believe, would expand the foreign markets available to U. S. authors and invigorate protection against piracy of U. S. works abroad, thereby benefitting copyright intensive industries stateside and inducing greater investment in the creative process.

    Golan v. Holder, slip. op. at 22 (internal citations omitted).

  115. 115.

    shortstop

    @Tractarian: Roger’s got it. The arrogance comes from Mittens’ dogged refusal to see how all this looks to Americans earning average incomes. Most politicians know they absolutely must fake empathy (some more effectively than others) with the less fortunate if they don’t actually have it. Romney’s been running for office since 1994, the last six years for president, and he still doesn’t think these rules apply to him. He just hasn’t bothered to find out.

    Other than pathological dishonesty and a complete willingness to pander and flip on every single issue, arrogance is what defines Romney. It takes a spectacularly self-impressed and entitled individual to believe that one disastrous term as governor (which he ended with 30-something percent approval) and the stuff he did at Bain should make large swathes of people want to vote for him for the highest office in the country. His inability to stay the course on literally any policy position shows that he has no vision for the U.S., no coherent platform, no philosophy of government. His entire (unstated) reason for seeking the presidency is “I want it.” I don’t know what else we can call that but arrogance.

  117. 117.

    Roger Moore

    @burnspbesq:
    Two points:

    1) The Berne convention can’t override the Constitution. If the US ratifies a treaty that goes against the Constitution, the ratification is invalid, not the Constitution. So participating in the Berne convention can’t be used as an excuse for ignoring what the Constitution says about the purpose of copyright.

    2) Plenty of us think that Eldred was wrongly decided, so citing it as a precedent does nothing to convince us that this decision was correct. The Constitution clearly spells out that the purpose of patent and copyright is to encourage inventors and authors to invent and write. That purpose can’t be served by extending the term of existing works, which have already been created, so doing so is outside the power that Congress is granted.

  118. 118.

    Amir Khalid

    @Roger Moore:
    Per the Wikipedia entry on the history of that city’s name, it’s not even a century. Ataturk’s government officially obsoleted Constantinople and all the other alternative names only in 1923.

  119. 119.

    joes527

    @burnspbesq:

    Otherwise, I’m not sure what you’ve got, other than reflexive opposition to the very idea of copyright protection.

    Reflexive opposition to the very idea of copyright protection in perpetuity?

  121. 121.

    West of the Rockies (formerly Frank W.)

    I’m probably hoping against hope that this election cycle will spell the end of several would-be up-and-comers (Bachmann, Perry — if such they can be called) and the swan song of one or two (Ron Paul and Gingrich). Oh, well… like shark’s teeth, there will be lots more equally reptilian creatures to step forth into the realm of politics.

  122. 122.

    Suffern ACE

    @JGabriel: So what kind of Catholic is this Newt anyway. Seeing the Mary or an apparition of a saint is one thing. But God? I thought evangelicals have that kind of access. I thought the rest of us had to wait.

  123. 123.

    Brachiator

    @amk:

    The polls were before noot’s second wifey “spoke” up. Who knows what tickles the SC’ian rethugs ?

    If Newt had wanted to go to sex clubs or something, you might get some traction. But it’s old news that he had a cheating heart.

    And this is SC Republicans we’re talking about. Unless Newt were cheating on his current wife with a black woman, I don’t see it getting much traction.

    Newt’s kids have recently written about private pain and embarrassments that their parents have to deal with. This is good for the Sympathy Deflection.

  124. 124.

    Violet

    @Mobile Grumpy Code Monkey:

    Oh, well, I’m convinced that the only reason he ran for a third term was to position himself for this presidential campaign. Maybe after this he’ll retire (we can hope, anyway).

    Perry has already retired.

    Unbeknownst to most Texans, Gov. Rick Perry officially retired in January so he could draw early pension benefits worth $7,699 a month, in addition to his annual governor’s salary of $150,000.

    http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2011/12/perry-double-dips-state-salary-and-pension/

  125. 125.

    shortstop

    @West of the Rockies (formerly Frank W.):

    It will be really interesting to see what Ron Paul does after this election — keep running until he’s campaigning from a wheelchair, or throw himself behind his dead-eyed son’s aspirations for higher office?

    Several up-and-comers have wisely sat this one out, although I don’t think Christie will have a chance in hell regardless of when he runs. I do wonder whether Marco Rubio will be smart enough to stay off Mitt’s ticket. Am sure Romney wants him badly, but it’d be a career-ender for Rubio.

  127. 127.

    Jay C

    @Villago Delenda Est: @Warren Terra:

    Oops: My bad: the capital of Turkey (as I do know and should have written) IS Ankara, not Istanbul.

    Snark intended.

    Either way, Turkey is too important a country to be gratuitously insulted by any offer of Rick Perry, for whatever post….

  128. 128.

    El Tiburon

    @burnspbesq:

    Stop trying to shift blame for your mistake. We didn’t elect him as Guv. Y’all did. Solve your own damn problems, ya whinin’ baby.

    Keep it up smartmouth. Why do you want to antagonize the state that gave you George W. Bush and almost Rick Perry? And also Ron Paul and Louis Gohmert. If only we could call Sheriff Joe our own.

  129. 129.

    burnspbesq

    @Roger Moore:

    The Constitution clearly spells out that the purpose of patent and copyright is to encourage inventors and authors to invent and write. That purpose can’t be served by extending the term of existing works, which have already been created, so doing so is outside the power that Congress is granted. (emphasis added).

    The very first Congress, which included most of the Framers, disagreed with your view. As Justice Ginsburg notes at page 16 of the majority opinion, the Copyright Act of 1790 extended protection to numerous works that had been in the public domain.

    “That purpose” can be served, prospectively, by increasing the protections afforded to copyrighted works. I think we all agree on that. If so, then the question in Eldred and Golan reduces to whether Congress can invite pre-existing works to come along for the ride when it increases the protections to be afforded to works created in the future. I frankly see nothing in the relevant Constitutional language that prohibits it.

  130. 130.

    West of the Rockies (formerly Frank W.)

    Hey, Shortstop (#125)… Yeah, I can’t imagine Chris Christie being physically healthy enough to be a major player ten years from now. He is carrying a great deal of extra weight and does not look like the picture of health. You may well be correct re: Rubio. I’d sort of guess that Ol’ Blue Eyes Ryan may become a factor.

  133. 133.

    burnspbesq

    @El Tiburon:

    Why do you want to antagonize the state that gave you George W. Bush and almost Rick Perry

    Had you asked “why do you want to antagonize the state that gave you Larry McMurtry, Molly Ivins, and Lyle Lovett,” you might have had a point.

    I see no reason why “giving us” George W. Bush, Rick Perry, Louie Gohmert, Ron Paul, and others too numerous to mention, is anything other than ample justification for nuclear bombardment from space.

  134. 134.

    Felinious Wench

    Keep it up smartmouth. Why do you want to antagonize the state that gave you George W. Bush and almost Rick Perry? And also Ron Paul and Louis Gohmert. If only we could call Sheriff Joe our own.

    Tom DeLay, Dick Armey, and in today’s news, Lamar Smith of SOPA fame.

    We got a lot more to inflict on you people. Don’t provoke us.

  135. 135.

    shortstop

    @West of the Rockies (formerly Frank W.): Ryan is too toxic with anyone but the 27%, I think. Although Rubio would not pull in non-Cuban Latinos and youngsters the way the clueless right thinks he would, he’s also not famous for wanting to enact a budget that will have everyone eating cat food within 10 years. I really think Mitt will want him badly.

  137. 137.

    burnspbesq

    @joes527:

    Reflexive opposition to the very idea of copyright protection in perpetuity?

    As of now, there is no such thing as copyright protection in perpetuity, so this argument is a red herring. Congress has extended the term of copyright protection several times, but each time it has stayed within the concept of “limited term,” so this is a non-issue, at least for now.

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