Tuesday, April 28, 2009

THIS IS A GREAT DAY ...

... for the incredible shrinking party republicans!

rnc chairman michael steele:

and, y'know, the fact that he would say, uh, president obama's spending package, y'know, 780 billion dollars, and the stimulus, and the budget, made him realize he's a democrat ... well, if, if spending the, the hard-earned dollars of the american people and redistributing their wealth, ah, and, and moving towards a collectivist, uh, socialist, uh, approach to government, if that, if that, helps you realize you're a democrat, well, y'know, good riddance.

and the peanut gallery agrees!

this is a great day for the republican party! we have the RINOs running!

yep, the more we can cull away from the party those who are not committed to, understand, or have no liking for those goals, the better off we shall be.

i’ve always suspected that specter was a plant.

if he really switched party affiliation he’d now be a conservative!!!!

ridding ourselves of these RINO’s can only benefit us in rebuilding the party to where it should be.

we will go down this road with fewer but STRONGER people, if they get the message that is.

the actuarial tables are on our side ... at 79 years old he shouldn't be sucking in air too much longer
he's a waste of CO2 credits.

... well, most agree.

we need to keep [minnesota senator-elect al] fraken [sic] out as long as possible. hopefully until the 2010 elections so we can get some of the 60 back into gop hands.

60 votes on the dhims means way too much of a loss to conservatives. things could possibly never get repaired.


WE are so close to losing it all....

great. we can have a senate with 70 to 75 democrats (considering what some people have been saying even inhofe is a RINO, so maybe that should be 100 Ds). then zero will pack the supreme court like FDR wanted to with 7 or 9 more justices, the heller case will be struck down, the 22nd amendment will be ruled unconstitutional, and we will live with bambi as pres for life.

for all of specters faults, and they were many he helped clarence thomas get through, and voted with the reps at least 70% of the time. if we are goin to go for 100% purity, we will have to live in a permanant minority.



RINO = republican in name only; a moderate republican; a nearly extinct species

Friday, April 24, 2009

whom gods destroy

... they first drive mad.

a number of conservative members of the republican national committee are pressing the committee — and by extension, [rnc chairman michael] steele — to officially adopt the position that the democratic party is socialist.

over a dozen members of the conservative wing of the RNC have submitted a new resolution, to be eventually voted on by the entire RNC, that would call on the democratic party to rename itself the "democrat socialist party." if the RNC adopts this resolution, the RNC’s official view would become that democrats are socialists. from the resolution:

RESOLVED, that we the members of the republican national committee call on the democratic party to be truthful and honest with the american people by acknowledging that they have evolved from a party of tax and spend to a party of tax and nationalize and, therefore, should agree to rename themselves the democrat socialist party.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

no one could have predicted ...

... that it could happen to me.

rep. jane harman (d-ca), proving that some of today's civil libertarians are just yesterday's neocons reeling from their own petard:

december 21, 2005:

i have been briefed since 2003 on a highly classified nsa foreign collection program that targeted al qaeda. i believe the program is essential to u.s. national security and that its disclosure has damaged critical intelligence capabilities ... like many americans, i am deeply concerned by reports that this program in fact goes far beyond the measures to target al qaeda about which i was briefed.

today:

i'm just very disappointed that my country — i'm an american citizen just like you are — could have permitted what i think is a gross abuse of power in recent years. i'm one member of congress who may be caught up in it, but i have a bully pulpit and i can fight back. i'm thinking about others who have no bully pulpit and may not be aware, as i was not, that right now somewhere, someone's listening in on their conversations, and they're innocent americans.

the new girl

even if the s.s. gop has opted to sulk in dry dock for the next four years, lord limbaugh can still count on the party to keep his cabin quarters supplied with freshly-spanked talent.

tax day, april 15th — kansas rep. todd tiahrt, when asked "by a kansas city star editorial board member whether limbaugh was now the de facto leader of the GOP."

no, no, he's just an entertainer.

four days later — tiahrt spokesman sam sackett tells the wichita eagle editorial board:

the congressman believes rush is a great leader of the conservative movement in america — not a party leader responsible for election losses ... nothing the congressman said diminished the role rush has played and continues to play in the conservative movement.

considering tiahrt's turnabout took longer than the customary 24 hours, it looks like experienced deck hands michael steele and phil gingrey have a new recruit to break in.

Monday, April 20, 2009

the handshake

what josh said:

they got issues

we keep the chat shows running through the day at TPM HQ. and i've been listening to a constant stream — mainly but not only on fox — of talk through the day about whether we should feel weak or ashamed or tarnished or any other number of things because president obama had a friendly handshake with huge [sic] chavez of venezuela.

the whole idea seems so deeply silly to me that it's hard to know how exactly to even comment on it. but i'm struck once again by the sort of psychologically arrested mentality and extreme emotional insecurity that seems at work in the minds of many foreign policy conservatives — or more specifically, so as not to paint with too broad a brush, those of the neo-conish flavor.

sure, a lot of this is just political posturing — trying to sound the story out for possible political vulnerabilities on obama's part. throw a bunch of mud up against the wall and see what sticks. what's striking to me though is that a lot of it seems like a very genuine, gut-level emotional response. (a related example is what matt yglesias pointed out a few days ago — how many right-wingers seem to have convinced themselves that north korea, a borderline failed state on the possible brink of economic collapse somehow has the us over a barrel.)

in the course of our normal lives, few of us have much difficulty identifying habits of defensiveness or a penchant for histrionic or petulant interactions as signs of weakness, not strength. really powerful people don't need stunts and usually signal their power by a certain graciousness and indifference in such interactions. they have nothing to prove. but american power, respect, command of public opinion — however you want to define it — must be in these people's minds an extremely brittle thing. they really do seem like extremely insecure people.


comical nonsense

a bit of follow about on right-wing paranoia. i'm just watching andrea mitchell interview michael o'hanlon about whether president obama showed some sort of dangerous weakness in happily shaking hands with hugo chavez. mitchell played a clip of the always cartoonish newt gingrich and then noted that conservatives are drawing the analogy to john kennedy's famous meeting with nikita krushchev in the latter sized kennedy up as a lightweight and — so the argument goes — thus believed he could be pushed around during the cuban missile crisis.

now, kruschev? really? i'm not sure i can imagine a better illustration of the sort of parodic paranoia i'm talking about. we do realize that the us has the most powerful military in the world and venezuela has little ability to project military power beyond its own borders. it's a non-entity militarily, even compared to iran and north korea. will he be emboldened into calling obama el diablo?


update:

the shocking truth

fresh off our earlier national humiliation, we just received a note from TPM reader SR. and SR points out that in the second image of our obama at the summit of the americas slideshow we see president obama shaking hands with the dog of the president of mexico. he even seems a bit to be bowing to the dog.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

tough times for teabaggers

the meme that keeps on giving: pundit david gergen mulls over republican woes, but cnn anchor anderson cooper gets to the nut of their problems ...


gergen: ... this happens to a minority party after it's lost a couple of bad elections. but they're searching for their voice.
cooper: it's hard to talk when you're teabagging.
gergen: [after a beat] hrruheh heh! heh! heh! heh! heh! heh ... !

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

quote of the day

msnbc news anchor david shuster, on last night's countdown, delivers a nuclear wedgie to tomorrow's fox news cross-country "tea party" tax protests — can you count the puns? answers below (no peeking!)

if you are planning simultaneous tea bagging all around the country, you’re gonna need a dick armey.

1) mouthpieces 2) going nuts 3) whipped out 4) toothless 5) full-throated 6) tongue-lashing 7) lick government spending 8) in a nutshell 9) firm support 10) tight-lipped 11) up-close and personal taste 12) dick armey

Sunday, April 12, 2009

losing ≠ tyranny


mark levin: there is a road to tyranny, and i believe we're headed on that road ...
glenn beck: fascism is coming!
unidentified: intimidation is yet another part of the slow erosion of our liberties.
mark levin: they want the population to surrender their liberties to the government ...
yaron brook: you're in very dangerous water to the freedoms that exist in this country.
glenn beck: and controlling your life ... !
michelle bachman: i believe that there is a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service ... and the real concern is that there are provisions for what i would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward ...
sean hannity: keep it up, congresswoman, you're doing a great job, and, uh, i have no doubt that they will keep attacking you 'cause you're so effective. thank you for being with us. we appreciate it.
michelle bachman: thank you, we're gonna fight for our freedom!
sean hannity: absolutely — against tyranny!

jon stewart: yes, tyranny! a.k.a. our democratically elected president.

it — y'know what, guys? meet — meet me at camera three very quickly ...

... i think you might be confusing tyranny ... with losing!

and i feel for you because, uh ... i've been there. a few times in fact. and one of them was a bit of a nail-biter.

but see, when the guy that you disagree with gets elected, he's probably going to do things you disagree with. he could cut taxes on the wealthy, remove government's oversight capability, uhh ... invade a country that you though should not be invaded, but ... that's not tyranny! that's democracy.

see, now you're in the minority. it's supposed to taste like a shit taco!

and by the way, if i remember correctly, when disagreement was expressed about that president's actions when y'all were in power, i believe the response was:

"why do you hate america?!"

"watch what you say!"

"love it or leave it!"

"suck on my truck nuts!"

Sunday, April 05, 2009

citizenship for dummies


(non-dummies may want to read the fine print for birthright, nationality and naturalization.)

Saturday, April 04, 2009

for bill elder fans

the george w. bush presidential librarium.

the only thing missing is the surprise image made by folding in the center of the page.

what? don't tell me you've forgotten who bill elder is ... ?

Thursday, April 02, 2009

certifigate: the docket, updated

the score: 45 cases, 0 wins (i know, whatta surprise!), 34 denials or dismissals, and 6 proposed bills, 2 dead.

BIRTHER LAWSUITS
Challenges to Obama's qualifications
CaseCourtS/FStatusNotesNext Event
Ankeny v Daniels et McCainINSDismissedArticle
AG Letter
Motion DIS
Memo
Motion OP
Article
Berg v Obama et alPA EasternFDismissedDocuments
3rd Circuit AppealsFFiledBrief FEC
Brief O DNC
SCOTUSFDenied
Berg v ObamaDC DistrictFFiledSealed
Brockhausen v AndradeTXSDismissedComplaint
Articles
Broe v ReedWA SupremeSDismissedArticle
Order
Church of Jesus Christ Christian Aryan Nations of Missouri et al v Obama et alMO WestFFiledArticle
Cohen v ObamaDC DistrictFDismissedPrisoner
Memo
Connerat v BrowningFLSDismissedArticles
Corbett v Bowen et alCASFiledSummary
Notes
Donofrio v WellsNJSDismissed
NJ SupremeSDenied
SCOTUSFDeniedApplication
Essek v ObamaKY EasternFDismissedOrder
Gleeson v McDonald et alNDFFiledOfficial
Greenberg v BrunnerOHSDismissed with Court CostsOutline
Article
Herbert v Obama et alFL MiddleFDismissedComplaint
Report
Order
Hollister v SoetoroDCFDismissed with ReprimandArticle
Complaint
Amend1
O Motion
Order
B Motion Op
Order SC
Order Disch
B Response
B Rejoin
B Pro Hac
O Reply
Memorandum
Order
Reprimand
Hunter v ObamaSCOTUSFDismissedArticle and Order
Judy v McCain et RNCNV DistrictFDismissed
Kerchner et al v Obama et alNJFFiledArticle
Article
Amend 1
Amend 2
Apr 12
Keyes v BowenCA SuperiorSDismissedPetition
Quash
QuashPA
QuashD
Article
Prelim Ruling
Keyes v LingleHISDismissedDismissal
Recon Dism
Article
Keyes et al v Obama et alCA CentralFFiledArticle
Complaint
Apr 11
Lightfoot v BowenSCOTUSFDeniedArticles
Morrow v ObamaFL DistrictFFiledPrisoner
Complaint
Marquis v ReedWASDismissedPress Release
Notes
Martin v LingleHISDismissedArticles
Neal v BrunnerOHSDismissedNotes
Article
Neely v ObamaMI EasternFDismissedComplaint
Roy v ObamaHIFDismissedComplaint
Order
Schneller v CortesPA SupremeSDeniedSummary
Stamper v USOH DistrictFDismissedComplaint
Article, Order and Memo
Strunk 29641-08NY SupremeSFiledNotes
Strunk 29642-08NY SupremeSFiledNotes
Strunk 08-cv-4289NY EasternFDismissed with PrejudiceNotes
NY 2nd Circuit AppealsFDeniedNotes
Strunk v US Dept of StateDCFFiledFOIA
Response
Motion Op
Mar 31
Apr 9
Sullivan v MarshallNCSDismissedArticles
Terry v HandelGASDismissed with PrejudiceOrder
Appeal
Article
Thomas et al v HosemannMS SouthernFDismissed with PrejudiceArticle
Order
Welch v Mukasey et alNYFDismissed
Wrotnowski v BysiewiczCTSDismissedOrder
SCOTUSFDeniedArticle
"s/f" = state/federal.
"article" = published non-judicial comment.
"official" = plaintiff is suing the president in his official capacity.
"prisoner" = plaintiff is in prison suing the president in his official capacity.
see also the right side of life eligibility lawsuits page.
see also free republic list of cases.
compiled from dr. conspiracy's obama conspiracy theories docket project.

BIRTHER BILLS
Requiring presidential candidates submit proof of qualification
BillLegislatureSponsor(s) StatusNotes
HR 1503CongressBill Posey, Rep, R-FLRefer'd to HseBill
Article
Article
SB 474MTAubyn Curtiss, Sen, RTabledBill
Article
HB 1329OKMike Ritze, Rep, RPassed CommAmend1
Amend2
Article
Article
SB 1158AZRussell Pearce, Sen, R
Judy Burges, Rep, R
Pamela Gorman, Sen, R
Ron Gould, Sen, R
Chuck Gray, Sen, R
Jack Harper, Sen, R
Thayer Verschoor, Sen, R
Carl Seel, Rep, R
ReadBill
Article
HJR 34MORobert Cooper, Rep, R
Bob Nance, Rep, R
Brian Nieves, Rep, R
Cynthia Davis, Rep, R
Dan Brown, Rep, R
Don Wells, Rep, R
Doug Ervin, Rep, R
Doug Funderburk, Rep, R
Dwight Scharnhorst, Rep, R
Jason Brown, Rep, R
Mike Lair, Rep, R
Mike McGhee, Rep, R
Rick Stream, Rep, R
Shane Schoeller, Rep, R
Walt Bivins, Rep, R
WithdrawnBill
Article
HB 835TXSid Miller, Rep, RRefer'd to CommBill
Article