Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

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

Accountability, motherfuckers.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

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

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

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

Republicans in disarray!

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Crazification Factor / A House Divided

A House Divided

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Dear Mr. Romney and Mr Ryan,

For your urgent consideration:

A Republican official in Texas, Judge Thomas Head, has openly suggested that civil  war might follow President Obama’s re-election. Head’s casus belli is that if Obama gains re-election, “he’s going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N.”  He then asks, “what is going to happen when that happens?”

Answering himself, his phrasing suggests that he believes that such a response would be justifiable under the same terms under which the colonies sought to separate from Great Britain:

“I’m thinking worst case scenario now,” Head said during an appearance on FOX 34 in Lubbock. “Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war, maybe. And we’re not talking just a few riots here and demonstrations, we’re talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy.” [emphasis added]

Head’s judgeship is actually a county-executive position under Texas nomenclature.  Thus, Mr. Romney and Mr Ryan, he is an elected representative and a member of your party.  I ask you:  do you repudiate this call to treason?

If not, why not?

[Like I said below, you can’t help noncompliant patients.  I’m beginning to think that we’re going to need aerosol antipsychotics in the Tampa convention building next week.]

Image: Tony Robert-Fleury, Pinel, médecin en chef de la Salpêtrière, délivrant les aliénés de leurs chaînes, 19th century

Reader Interactions

174Comments

  2. 2.

    joes527

    The fact that this moron has decided that higher taxes and more government is the answer to his problem delusion has me rolling on the floor

  3. 3.

    The Bearded Blogger

    I’d like to see a DNC ad with just quotes from republicans and the tune from Looney Tunes running in the background.

  5. 5.

    Ash Can

    No anti-psychotics; let the freaks go full-bore raving batshit. Let them show themselves to be the dangerous lunatics they are, to the point where the rest of the nation is left saying “WTF was that?” Let them make all the independents and middle-of-the-roaders realize just what the GOP has become.

  6. 6.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik

    For all the distilled crazy of the new official GOP platform, I’m surprised they didn’t go all in and declare membership of the Democratic Party to be grounds for treason.

    I mean, the guys on the ground already seem to be ahead of the curve there.

  9. 9.

    JPL

    Since GA has become rabid red, our schools have become over crowded and unemployment has gone up. The result is that the repubs have grown stronger.

  11. 11.

    Joel

    Brought up the numerous Ferguson takedowns in the politics section of an unrelated right-leaning sports forum. Ran into some opposition there, as was expected, and the nut of their argument boils down to “Ferguson is not wrong that private sector employment has failed to recover from its January 2008 peak”. In other words, a lawyerly fallback. The rest of the takedowns are basically ignored.

  12. 12.

    MikeJ

    @Ash Can:

    No anti-psychotics; let the freaks go full-bore raving batshit. Let them show themselves to be the dangerous lunatics they are,

    I say we drop a few hundred cases of tequila in there, along with some well compensated cabana boys with salt adhered to their thighs.

  13. 13.

    Linda Featheringill

    Used to live in Lubbock. TT is a great school.

    The town? Meh. The upper and middle classeswere populated with assholes. The lower class, the underclass, had some interesting and goodhearted and worthwhile people in it.

    The judge in question doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance of actually staging a significant armed rebellion, let alone take any of the executive branch out.

    It seems to me that he is trying to absorb an impossible truth: Obama just might win the election. Yes, this effort has driven him to all sorts of silliness but he is grappling with reality.

    Now if we could just keep him away from explosives while his brain struggles with the truth.

  14. 14.

    AT

    @Ash Can: I look forward to the explanation of what the boo’s and cheers were really about when they come at inappropriate points in speeches. “they weren’t booing that kindly old granny who asked not to be forced to eat cat food, they were asking who!”

  16. 16.

    Maude

    OT
    Just read Reuters news tweet, US says surprised by Navy Seals book on Bin Laden.
    Uh, oh. Who is the publisher. If it is unauthorized, that brings up a lot of questions.

  18. 18.

    jl

    This made me think of at least one point in favor of the US Civil War compared to this nonsense: at least it concerned an actual issue that was real, rather than sheer insane fantasy.

    If, as I expect, very few people will be prepared to risk revolt over ignorant and unhinged ravings, and there is no actual critical issue like slavery or nature of federal government, I guess this latest nutcase threat is still preferable.

    So let him rant. Maybe we can get him to the GOP convention and use him as wingnut bait.

  19. 19.

    raven

    @Maude:

    (CNN) — A book company said Wednesday that it will release on September 11 a firsthand account of the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

    Christine Ball, director of marketing and publicity for Dutton, a subsidiary of Penguin Group USA, said the book was written by a Navy SEAL under a pen name.

  20. 20.

    dance around in your bones

    @danah gaz (fka gaz):

    ” we’re going to need aerosol antipsychotics in the Tampa convention building next week”

    Nah, we’re gonna need ibogaine.

    P.S. I love me some Obama and I don’t care WHO sez WHAT about that …..even Spat Flat.

    Plus, gotta get the 2 youngest grandkids from school soon, so don’t expect any gawddamned answer anytime soon.

  21. 21.

    danimal

    Does anyone believe the GOP will be able to keep all the crazies like this Texas judge away from the microphones next week in Tampa?

    Mitt Romney may be the first nominee to have a negative bounce after the wingnuts invade his coronation convention and scare America.

  22. 22.

    Bubblegum Tate

    I’ve seen plenty of wingnuts say this same sort of shit–“Time for a second American Revolution to throw out this tyrant!”–and when pressed on why they’re so keen to commit treason, they hide behind the excuse of “I’m not advocating it, I’m just predicting it.” And, of course, it will be all Obama’s fault.

  23. 23.

    jefft452

    The German ambassador told Wilson that if the US entered WWI, a million Americans of German decent would rise up in revolt
    Wilson replied that we had that at least that many lampposts to hang them from

    I know that there have been budget cuts, but I’ll bet we still have enough lampposts

  24. 24.

    Faux News

    I look forward to the judge’s armed rebellion after President Obama is elected to a second term. I am VERY much looking forward to the Federal response to this armed treason. I suspect this treason will be crushed with extreme prejudice. Get the popcorn out kids!

  26. 26.

    quannlace

    “Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war, maybe.

    Dogs and cats, living together !!
    ***********
    Turns the country over to the UN? How exactly is that supposed to work and…. Oh, why am I even trying to figure out what this idiot is thinking.

  27. 27.

    The Other Chuck

    I do believe the good townships of Lexington and Concord are in a state that sent troops to burn your shithole rebel state to the ground, or at least your neighbors. Still want to drop those names?

  28. 28.

    mclaren

    Sounds like a plan. Bring on the civil war, bitches. We’ll go William Tecumsah Sherman on your pasty Southern asses.

  29. 29.

    IowaOldLady

    Steve King has apparently been shooting his mouth off again, this time about how multicultural groups at Iowa State are just bunches of people who see themselves as victims and sit around feeling sorry for themselves.

    I don’t think aerosols will do. A dart gun is in order.

    http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/22/728071/steve-king-multicultural-groups-are-people-that-feel-sorry-for-themselves/

    Just as an aside, I used to teach at a college in Flint and then changed jobs to teach at Iowa State. I remember walking across that campus thinking it was the whitest place I’d ever seen. If there are 59 multicultural groups, as King claims, I suspect they NEED to feel sorry for themselves sometimes.

  31. 31.

    Calouste

    @Maude:

    CNN reports it’s unvetted. And the author might be using a pseudonym, but considering that there were only a few dozen people involved in the operation, I think it will take the Navy only a couple of hours to find out who wrote the book. And that includes going to the bookstore to buy it.

  32. 32.

    jl

    @raven:

    What we need is a simple explanation from the president a la Dub Bush: “Well, you can’t release classified information, so I declassified it. So, it wasn’t classified. See? Heh heh.”

    Maybe that approach will work.

    And, no time to check but that above is, as I recall, a near verbatim quote from Dub himself.

  34. 34.

    Scott S.

    @Felinious Wench: Amarillo is far, far crazier.

    I also used to live in Lubbock — would live there still if anyone in town had been hiring for anything. I liked it, but the wingnuttery was pretty spectacular.

    Tom Head is also a colossal racist, by the way. And I really thought he’d lose his job after that, but no such luck.

  35. 35.

    Greg

    Relax. I think they ought to give that secession thing another try. It’s been 150+ years, and I’m thinking it might get more support this time around. As in: yeah, whatever, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

  36. 36.

    mclaren

    @KG:

    wait… this is Texas we’re talking about, right? Can’t we just let them leave?

    Nah, build a fence around it and make it into a theme park called “Medieval-land” and charge admission.

  38. 38.

    jp7505a

    In spite of this, R&R are within a few percentage points of Obama in the horse race polls and the GOPers have a good shot at the Senate.

    I think it’s time to take up drinking on a full time basis.

    This is really really depressing. These people are not qualified to act in a three stooges movie but come Nov. may have their collective fingers on the nuclear trigger.

  42. 42.

    El Cid

    George Washington and the Founding Fathers clearly rebelled against their British overlords because of their frustration with their existing elected leadership.

  43. 43.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MikeJ: Why do you hate cabana boys?

    @PZ: Obama came to WI as an avowed Bears fan (spit) and took some shit from Charles Woodson – all in good fun. I can respect that.

    This Ryan thing, on the other hand, it’s fucking typical of that weasel fucker.

  44. 44.

    quannlace

    wait… this is Texas we’re talking about, right? Can’t we just let them leave?

    Can we give it back to Mexico? Or are there any descendants of Santa Anna who would be willing to invade.
    *******

    Reptoids from the center of the earth have taken over all the royal families! Or something.

    Ah, so that’s why Prince Harry turned up naked in a Las Vegas hotel room.

  45. 45.

    Linda Featheringill

    @IowaOldLady: #29

    Steve King:

    Christie Vilsack is running against King in the 4th Congressional District. DCCC seems to think that he might be vulnerable and include that race in their red to blue program.

  46. 46.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @quannlace:

    Ah, so that’s why Prince Harry turned up naked in a Las Vegas hotel room.

    I am not quite sure how that follows logically, but whatever.

  47. 47.

    Maude

    @Calouste:
    Thank you and raven for the info. I didn’t know it was Dutton. I am surprised that Penguin would allow this.
    Writing non fiction of this kind under a pen name is bad news. It makes the account suspicious.
    Dutton needs to get better lawyers.
    I am disturbed by this type of book. Military missions like this have methods that shouldn’t be made public.
    I don’t like this at all.
    Remember Steven Fry, or was it Stephen?
    It has to be a part of the Swift boat campaign.

  48. 48.

    Quaker in a Basement

    I’m not inclined to expect a Presidential candidate to spend his days disavowing the lunatic spew of all minor bureaucrats–especially the ones from Texas–just on account of shared party affiliation.

    On the other hand, it seems like this particular level of crazy is on the brink of becoming commonplace. This afternoon also brings news (via TPM) that a candidate for sheriff up in New Hampshire promises to stop anyone from performing abortions, with deadly force if necessary.

    Godamighty, where are the mainstream and purportedly centrist voices to call this lunacy what it is?

  50. 50.

    Quaker in a Basement

    @jp7505a: I think it’s time to take up drinking on a full time basis.

    It’s time now? For once in my life, I’m ahead of the game.

  51. 51.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @mclaren: If Texas were to go to civil war like that, people like him would have to worry about people like me shooting him in the back.

  53. 53.

    amk

    Mark McKinnon

    “It’s very tough for people like me who are pro-choice Republicans. It’s an admittedly not a large caucus. But when I have to see a story like Todd Akin, and then turn to my wife and my daughters, who are looking at me and saying, `Really? These are the kind of people you’re associating with in the Republican Party?’ That’s a problem.”

  54. 54.

    MikeBoyScout

    I’m not a violent person, but my retort to this treasonous asshole is “Bring it on”. We’ll kick your ass. Just like we did the last time you and your kind raised your secessionist racist heads.

  55. 55.

    mclaren

    @Quaker in a Basement:

    Godamighty, where are the mainstream and purportedly centrist voices to call this lunacy what it is?

    They’re too busy denying global warming and Peak Oil.

    Dude…there is no such thing as a “mainstream” or “centrist voices” anymore. There are just the sane people, and the insane people. Republicans have a lock of the latter group.

  57. 57.

    burnspbesq

    @mclaren:

    and charge admission.

    What’s your business plan? Sell to Bain Capital before anyone figures out that no one is coming to your theme park?

  58. 58.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    @KG: Personally, I don’t think we should waste the lives of US troops, let’s give Texas back to Mexico,and as a aside Arizona, Louisiana,and Oklahoma(keep New Mexico,thank you)also. Let’s let the Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartels have fun with these nutbags.

  59. 59.

    cmorenc

    @Faux News:

    I look forward to the judge’s armed rebellion after President Obama is elected to a second term. I am VERY much looking forward to the Federal response to this armed treason. I suspect this treason will be crushed with extreme prejudice.

    Most prominently spouting wingnut ranters like this Texas judge are nothing more than blowhard chickenhawk rebels; they make me think of the wonderful “Veggie Tales” cartoon skit “We’re the Pirates…who don’ to anything”. I’m more worried about paranoid wackos who are lower-profile until they finally do act out lethally, modern-day Tim McVeighs.

  61. 61.

    Ronzoni Rigatoni

    @danah gaz (fka gaz): The Republicans seem to be a magnet for the wrath of gawd or something these days. Not only is soon-to-be Hurricane Issac heading thetta way, but there’s another right behind it. One can only hope the combo can blow ’em all to New Orleans to atone for Hurricane Katrina LOL. Of course I live just 30 miles south of the convention center and a wee 3 blocks from the coast, so I may not be around here if they get close to Cat 4.

  62. 62.

    geg6

    @The Other Chuck:

    Word. Even an old woman like me would find a way to join up and burn everything from AZ to fucking Charleston to the ground. I would thrill to the lamentations of their women and the wailing of their children. I HATE these people and I want them gone from this country and our lives. The only absolutely terrible move Lincoln made was to advocate for their reintegration as citizens in good standing. If I have anything to say about it, we won’t make the same mistake the second time time these traitorous pieces of scum decide to commit treason.

  63. 63.

    mclaren

    @Ronzoni Rigatoni:

    The Republicans seem to be a magnet for the wrath of gawd or something global-warming-induced weather disruption they keep denying these days. Not only is soon-to-be Hurricane Issac heading thetta way, but there’s another right behind it.

    There, fixed that for ya.

  66. 66.

    Mike E

    @efgoldman:

    The TeaHadis are going to make Uncle Pat seem like the kindly old Gestapo grandfather.

    Heh. The cracks, they be opening up.

  68. 68.

    Chris

    @The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik:

    For all the distilled crazy of the new official GOP platform, I’m surprised they didn’t go all in and declare membership of the Democratic Party to be grounds for treason.

    Declare the Democrats traitors and you’ll have to take all of them down. And then who will they blame for all their problems?

  69. 69.

    Dennis SGMM

    In my dream of a perfect world, the Republicans will be marooned in the Tampa Bay Times Forum under the same conditions as those marooned in the Super Dome after Katrina. It’ll look like Lord of the Flies in less than two hours.

  70. 70.

    Chris

    @jl:

    If, as I expect, very few people will be prepared to risk revolt over ignorant and unhinged ravings

    I’ve waffled on whether or not a Second American Civil War is actually possible – sometimes I think it’s the only possible outcome, because the last time we’ve had this level of fanatic obstructionism in the government and unhinged hatred by one part of the country for the other was in the run-up to the Civil War.

    But the fact I keep coming back to is that those wingnuts are addicted to the federal gravy train (financed with blue state money) as deeply as anyone else. Life’s gotten a lot more comfortable since the New Deal, and even now when it’s a lot shittier than it was a generation ago, I don’t see most Americans being willing to jeopardize what they still have just out of philosophical belief.

  71. 71.

    Elie

    Prepare yourselves. Its going to get a lot lot worse. We need to stay cool and locked into our rational (not emotional) brains. We have to remember ALL of MLKs wisdom and internalize it to our core…

    It.is.all.they.have… confusion, alienation, and hope that their incredible extreme hate and chaos makes pro Obama people become demoralized and stay home. That.is.the.strategy — Terror — psychological and social terror — everything short of full scale violence but plenty of itimidation and horror…Look for more not less of this…

  72. 72.

    Patricia Kayden

    So when will a reporter actually ask Romney/Ryan the questions that Tom asks them?

    Repubs cannot stand to lose, can they?

  73. 73.

    karen marie

    @Ash Can: The Village is going to help them out and not broadcast but three hours of coverage, and they’re not guaranteeing they’ll show anything in full “because it might be uninformative.” Ann Romney is reported to be peeved because they worked so hard on their project!

  75. 75.

    Chris

    @MikeBoyScout:

    I’m not a violent person, but my retort to this treasonous asshole is “Bring it on”. We’ll kick your ass. Just like we did the last time you and your kind raised your secessionist racist heads.

    As an addendum to my last post – true. On the off chance that we do get another civil war, I’m not betting on them. The nukes would be the only wild card I’d be really worried about.

  76. 76.

    Todd

    @Dennis SGMM:

    It’ll look like Lord of the Flies in less than two hours.

    With lots of concealed carry permits! All that suppurating, jiggly fat in one place, hypertension causing discomfort, sweat chafing the groin in the absence of AC…With any luck, theyll all start slaughtering each other really quickly.

  77. 77.

    Elie

    @raven:

    True. The unfortunate thing about 1968 was that it was a war among Democrats.

    To this day, the unions and progressives have still not fully “made up”

    That was bad. But in a different way. This to me is better. In 1968 alls we did was cripple the left for a long time..

  79. 79.

    Original Lee

    Isn’t this sedition? I don’t think it counts as treason unless he actually tries it. Unfortunately, bringing him up on charges will be seen as legitimizing his points.

  80. 80.

    MikeJ

    @geg6: Lincoln didn’t live long enough to see what treating them civilly got us. Because he got shot by one of them as a reward for trying to go easy on them.

    Lincoln showed a great ability to learn from his mistakes and admit when he was wrong. I think reconstruction would have gone better for everybody had he not been murdered.

  82. 82.

    scav

    All that carefully crafted Romney warmth is apparently best experienced in very small, measured, packages. The less that is known of their platform, the better it appears. Mrs. Mitt, the Lady Ann-YouPeople-ette is likewise to be seen, not heard, as befits her gender. The always-winning Generic Republican Candidate is the Invisible Man on mute. But, then there are the other side of the party where EVERYTHING IS IN CAPS AND THE DOG-WHISTLES ARE NOW DOG-FOGHORNS. Should be interesting.

  87. 87.

    Chris

    @Elie:

    The unfortunate thing about 1968 was that it was a war among Democrats.

    The Democrats imploded in 1968 and thus paved the way for Republicans to take power… mirroring the way the Republican split in 1912 paved the way for a Democratic return to power. I get the impression that that’s how realignments happen, not because one party figures out how to win so much as the other party self-destructs and leaves its rival in charge by default.

    Which is why I’m delighted to see how much stress has been put on the fault lines in the Reagan coalition recently.

  88. 88.

    dmsilev

    @scav: Actually, Mrs. Mitt won’t be seen either. The networks won’t be doing live coverage Monday night when she is scheduled to speak.

  89. 89.

    scav

    @dmsilev: Well, I was sort of counting the still photographs to make that part of it work, I must admit. Shouldn’t have stretched it as the phrase belongs to children, not spouses.

  90. 90.

    Elie

    @efgoldman:

    You and I have the same memory…

    It destroyed the Democratic party and made it a shadow of itself to this day. Gone the support for broad social policy under the baton of the police. Unions, police, the military separated from the population that made up the great society — the working people — all classes — blacks, whites, women, workers, the proletariat. The impact of money and corporatism found the cracks that we are still trying to make whole.

    Naw. It was a war among democrats and we still try to heal from it…

  91. 91.

    amk

    BBC

    The US middle class is in a “lost decade” as its share of the country’s income has been surpassed by affluent earners, a new report says.

    The Pew Research Center found that 62% of middle class Americans reported they were being forced to reduce spending.

    And 43% expect their children’s standard of living will be better than their own, down from 51% in 2008.

    Both US presidential candidates have offered competing plans for the economy to middle class voters.

    But among the self-described middle class, 52% of adults say President Barack Obama’s policies in a second term would help them, opposed to 42% who said electing Republican challenger Mitt Romney would do the same.

  92. 92.

    Elie

    @Chris:

    “Which is why I’m delighted to see how much stress has been put on the fault lines in the Reagan coalition recently”

    True dat

  93. 93.

    Chris

    @amk:

    And 43% expect their children’s standard of living will be better than their own, down from 51% in 2008.

    I’m surprised there’s that many optimists. If I ever have children, I’m worried as hell that they won’t have Social Security or Medicare, that even the little that’s left of the New Deal/Great Society safety net will have been gambled away.

  94. 94.

    raven

    @Elie: It was a war between the democrats because the party was full of racists motherfucking dixiecrats who need to be where they went. Add in the unions that supported the war full on and there is no wonder it imploded.

  95. 95.

    MikeJ

    @Maude:

    I thought the 1960s were frightening.

    To me the 60’s were all about sleeping all day, suckin’ on titties and crappin’ my pants. I say bring those days back.

  97. 97.

    Randy P

    @Chris:

    I’ve waffled on whether or not a Second American Civil War is actually possible

    As a kid I was not that interested in history and was puzzled at Civil War fanatics. As an adult living south of the Mason-Dixon line for nearly two decades and surrounded by the history, I became fascinated (not to the level of re-enacting, but give me another 10 years…). And one thought that always echoes in my mind when I walk over a battle field is “How does politics get to the point where you’re willing to shoot at other Americans?”

    These people I can imagine pointing a gun at me over politics, and pulling the trigger. I have no problem imagining that at all.

  98. 98.

    cinesimon

    Hey guys I’m trying to remember the name of that great political blogger, who is frequently linked to and praised here at BJ(but not the past few days that I can see) whose blog is located at a ‘men’s magazine. I think. I thought it was GQ, but I can’t find him there.
    He’s a great writer, frequently hilarious and very in depth about that which he writes.
    Thanks in advance to those with more brain cells than I.

  100. 100.

    Ann Rynd

    The upthread reference to aerosol antipsychotics in the hall in Tampa has me smiling still. Breathe deeply folks, it will be less painful that way. Re-jigger your old Sarah Palin dreams from the last convention and sail, sail away!

  101. 101.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    @Roger Moore:And you noticed I didn’t mention Colorado, Nevada and Utah((though maybe giving Utah back may not be bad) either. California is OK. I just feel we really owe it to Mexico for stealing allthat land, just make amends with these states.* So if you are butt-hurt about my comments, you must be from one of these states, so why don’t stand up to these numbnuts, instead of letting them define your state.

    *Comments made in this and previous thread made tongue in cheek if easily offended, please step back from the computer and maybe get a drink, have some sex or listen to light jazz.

  102. 102.

    Elie

    @raven:

    I agree with this. That said, it fractured our voice for the former coalition that built social security, Medicare and Medicaid — that led the way with social justice from Brown vs Bd of Education through Voting rights legislation. It fractured the Great Society and therefore, though I agree that we had some wild hairs in the “Democratic” bunch, their leaving us, cost all of us plenty. “All are punished” as shakespeare said… Its cost this country plenty to lose that critical but imperfect coalition.

    But then, I am not a purist seeking to cast out all those horrible people who don’t exactly share all my views but approve of the general direction. We have to get back there and build that trust again. We will never run this country from the “pure” left.

  104. 104.

    Chris

    @Elie:

    On that line of thought, I continue to think that if there is one fault line that’ll spell the end of the Republicans as neatly as civil rights did for the Democrats, it’s immigration.

    It’s an issue that’s crucial for both economics and identity politics, which means it matters immensely both to the plutocrats (who really want their cheap labor and the divided, disenfranchised American workforce it helps create) and to the racists/SoCons (who are truly terrified of a nonwhite America and see immigration as an existential threat as great as communism was for their parents). And as the economy keeps getting worse and America keeps getting less white, it’s an issue that keeps looming larger.

    My two cents. I’m no political scientist, but that’s how it looks from here.

  106. 106.

    lamh35

    OT guys but ooh photo of the day for us comic book geeks!!! Superman has new leading lady. No more Lois pic.twitter.com/XUBujE45

  107. 107.

    raven

    @Elie: Yea well, 40 some years of experience makes things look a little different than they did when one was a furious 18 year old just shipping out.

  109. 109.

    Elie

    @Chris:

    I definitely think that you have a point. I see no way past their dilemma on this and other issues related to the truth of a pluralistic society.

  110. 110.

    raven

    @Elie: Yea well, 40 some years of experience makes things look a little different than they did when one was a furious 18 year old just shipping out.

  111. 111.

    Elie

    @Chris:

    I definitely think that you have a point. I see no way past their dilemma on this and other issues related to the truth of a pluralistic society.

  112. 112.

    Chris

    @Randy P:

    These people I can imagine pointing a gun at me over politics, and pulling the trigger. I have no problem imagining that at all.

    I can imagine them wanting to do it. I can easily imagine them actually doing it, if they thought they could get away with it. I just can’t imagine most of them risking all the things they have now just in order to do it.

    @Elie:

    It fractured the Great Society and therefore, though I agree that we had some wild hairs in the “Democratic” bunch, their leaving us, cost all of us plenty.

    As LBJ clearly knew it would. I wonder if he foresaw how Republicans would exploit it in an attempt to bring back the Gilded Age. Whether or not he did, he seems to’ve basically wagered that American liberals would be able to hold the line and protect the 20th century’s accomplishments until the American electorate became tolerant enough that being anti-racist and anti-economic-royalist was a winning platform.

    Jury’s still out on that. But there’s reason to hope.

  114. 114.

    Elie

    @Chris:

    I definitely think that you have a point. I see no way past their dilemma on this and other issues related to the truth of a pluralistic society.

  115. 115.

    Chris

    @Randy P:

    These people I can imagine pointing a gun at me over politics, and pulling the trigger. I have no problem imagining that at all.

    I can imagine them wanting to do it. I can easily imagine them actually doing it, if they thought they could get away with it. I just can’t imagine most of them risking all the things they have now just in order to do it.

    @Elie:

    It fractured the Great Society and therefore, though I agree that we had some wild hairs in the “Democratic” bunch, their leaving us, cost all of us plenty.

    As LBJ clearly knew it would. I wonder if he foresaw how Republicans would exploit it in an attempt to bring back the Gilded Age. Whether or not he did, he seems to’ve basically wagered that American liberals would be able to hold the line and protect the 20th century’s accomplishments until the American electorate became tolerant enough that being anti-racist and anti-economic-royalist was a winning platform.

    Jury’s still out on that. But there’s reason to hope.

  116. 116.

    Roger Moore

    @Mr Stagger Lee:
    Actually, I’m originally from Colorado (a part that was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase) and currently reside in California, so I’m grateful that you don’t want to give either my current or former state to Mexico.

  149. 149.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @lamh35: I’ve read Kingdom Come. I wonder how often these two have gotten together. Though Justice League had Batman being the one who really wanted to be with her.

  154. 154.

    raven

    If only those long haired fuckers had stopped raising hell and knocked on some more doors we could have had world peace. Damn.

  155. 155.

    Maude

    @Chris:
    LBJ learned from FDR. He was well aware of the nuts and crazies, not only in his own party, but the Republican party also.
    In a word, Goldwater.

  157. 157.

    raven

    If only those long haired fuckers had stopped raising hell and knocked on some more doors we could have had world peace. Damn.

  161. 161.

    raven

    If only those long haired fuckers had cut their hair and knocked on doors we could have had world peace.

  163. 163.

    raven

    @raven: I sat in the barracks at Ft Lewis waiting to ship out for Vietnam and watched the convention on the tube. I’m from Chicago so it was even more special for me to watch my people get their heads bashed in. By the time I got home I was even more angry at what we were doing. Should we have not gone to DC and tried to stop the war? Should we have not been just as critical of the forces in the Democratic Party that helped keep it going? Should we have had better manners? Maybe but goddamn. I guess that’s what I was talking about at the start of this thread.

  166. 166.

    JR in WV

    I spent a week in Texas the other day. It was last March, and it was dry and hot. The Ranch was in bloom anyway. The deer were on the move. It was hot, even deep into the night.

    I was hot. And sweaty. It was hot and dry, and it felt like there would be a fire any minute.

    The Judge was sweaty and hot; he was Republican. It made him a little – – – unbalanced! in the hot night. The Iguana was hot too, it was the Hot Night Of the Republican Iguana!! @#$

    I couldn’t stand it. The very next day I loaded up my hunting gear, pistoles, shootguns and cannonards and headed for the Planet Earth, where men were men instead of being crazed Indy-rock Republican wingnuts.

    It was hard to leave my brother in the grasp of the NRA, and the Republican Party, but it was his choice, and I had to respect his chjoce to become crazed mallard of conservatizm! He had started life as a union organizor – but became a Republicanaut in order to brown-nose his bosses, so he could continue to be a member — of —– the one percent!

    So my guns and tools and I neaded for the civilized land of Arkansaw, Tehxcarkana to be specific. It took two days to cross the dread Tejas dessert, heat baking the brains of everyone who wasn’t a card-carrying ACLU Demo-Lib Commie brain trust!

    Leaving the RepubliJudge behind, and my poor brother, caught in the web of the NRA, and the RRrrepublilcan party. Lost in the Ranchos of the Hill Country, Nimitz country. Lost Kingdom of the right wing.

    It’s so sad, I can’t bear it any more. Grizzly Bear Rock around the Clock.

    Back to the hills of hillbillyworld. Where no one cares if your [sic] crazy, or who you vote for.

    Oh yeah, GO STILLERS! yeh, John Cole for Republican Nominee for Judge! Go John! GO Stillers! Big 12! Whoo. crazy, man.

  169. 169.

    dance around in your bones

    @Chris:

    I’m surprised there’s that many optimists. If I ever have children, I’m worried as hell that they won’t have Social Security or Medicare, that even the little that’s left of the New Deal/Great Society safety net will have been gambled away.

    I understand your worries re:children but would just like to tell you I have heard the same sentiment for multiple decades (i.e. – “Why would you ever bring a child into THIS world?”)

    Same as it ever was, same as it ever was….

  170. 170.

    dance around in your bones

    Oh fer Gawd’s sake, I swear ever since the last ‘site upgrade’ this place has been Multiple Post City.

    It’s slightly annoying at times, wouldn’t you say, old chaps? (And chapettes, of which I am one?)

    Shit fuck.

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