I suck

Here’s something to read. Being some smallish part of the “liberal blogosphere”, which makes me cringe, I have to admit that in terms of actually doing or accomplishing anything at all, I do indeed suck mightily. I engage in the equivalent of hiding on tall buildings in the war zone and tossing comfy pillows with bitchy messages on them at those I dislike. Written in really stinky marker with dirty words, but still, comfy pillows. I can’t even get up enough energy to make a stinking sign, and I have a printer here at work that will print out 24″ x 40 feet or so. I could churn out signs galore. But do I? Nah. I suck.
I know other people suck, but that’s not the point. Labor Day let me reflect a bit on the fact that there have been people in our country, in the whole world, who fought against corporate overlords and government oppressors to get a little slice of the pie for their families. They put their lives on the line and were quite often injured or killed by those same oppressors. From the Robber Barons to the current New Gilded Age, they stand up to fight the aristocrats. The founders knew that a permanent landed gentry is anathema to a democracy, and built in controls like the estate tax to help against the effects of massive wealth accumulation. The last 50 years of conservatism has been backlash to rebuild the royal class, and it’s worked. The next fifty years have to be all-out political effort to return those hard-fought gains to the worker, to the middle class, or democracy will disappear completely, even this sad shell that’s left right now.
So fight.

mitt romney is a huge douche

here he is on why his sons haven’t served:

“One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I’d be a great president.”

Stupid son of a bitch. Kind of nicely encapsulates the GOP in its current form. It’s good for muckin Fitt, so it must be good for the country. Proceeds directly from the current barnacle clinging to the white house furniture. Stupid fucking bastards.

GOP sucks

I know I say it all the time. Roy Edroso put it into comedy summary form:

BROWNBACK: If you’re raped, you should have a baby.

ROMNEY: I am recently and totally pro-life.

TANCREDO: I hate Mexicans. These guys love Mexicans.

McCAIN: Well, at least Mexicans aren’t Muslims.

ROMNEY: Mexicans shouldn’t get a special pathway. Or doorway. Citizenship! (applause)

McCAIN: Why’s everyone looking at me? Abortion!

GIULIANI: I’m not soft. I’m hard! I’m America’s Mayor! We need tamper proof IDs! And a fence!

HUNTER: I built a motherfucking fence.

PAUL: We really fucked up in Iraq. (applause)

GIULIANI: 9/11! 9/11! (cheers, gunfire)

From James Wolcott

more stuff

Mary Ann Akers at WaPo joins the echo chamber, notable for its low entry requirements. This post at firedoglake was the catalyst for the fact-free nature of Akers’ stenography.

Greg Palast was on Randi Rhodes the other day. He should seriously have his own show. He’s got a great manic energy, and he talks exactly how he writes, at least on the air. I don’t know if he talks that way in daily life, but I’d like to think that he does. That would rock. Here’s a couple grafs on the “voter fraud” the GOP tried (is still trying) to push:

There was a multi-state con in operation. But what was it? Each of these bogus claims of voter fraud was attached to a sales pitch for a state law to tighten voter ID requirements — to prevent these ne’er-do-wells from voting twice. In Arizona, one crack-pot Republican legislator, the Hon. Russell Pearce, claimed he had evidence that five million Mexicans had illegally crossed the border to vote.

The point: Rove knew that a “challenge” operation by the Republican Party, run from his office, knocked out 300,000 voters — mainly poor ones, voters of color. His crew wanted to hike that higher.

The notable thing about this crime of voter identity theft is that it doesn’t happen. You are more likely to encounter ballot boxes that spontaneously combust. I found cases of voters struck by lightening — but out of 120 million votes cast, I couldn’t find a dozen criminal cases of a bandit stealing someone’s identity to vote.

Here’s a hint: if the GOP is talking about something, anything, assume the opposite is true. Like, if a GOP politician says “I am completely opposed to eating little children in salsa” start checking his garbage can for tiny fingerbones with the remnants of jabaneros on them. Bush is the master of this, “Mission Accomplished” “Healthy Forests” “No Child Left Behind” are just a few, and just big block-letter ones. I’m sure that’s how things are in his head anyways. Go read Greg’s bit, he’s awesome.

chucklegate

A while back Senator John McCain, the Straight Talk Express (with a bare amount of military support, and maybe a helicopter) strolled happily through what seemed to be a block of Baghdad. At a later press conference, McCain said some stupid things, including insisting that the streets were safe. afterwards, someone claimed that a reporter heckled him (warning, drudge report). Funny line in Drudge thing:

Michael Ware has also publicly expressed his views on the war last year in an interview with Bill Maher, saying, “I’ve been given a front-row ticket to watch this slow-motion train wreck … I try to stay as drunk for as long as possible while I’m here … In fact, I’m drinking now.”

heh heh
Anyways, here’s my take: A) we have no proof it even happened. Even McCain isn’t sure. He says some other guys there at the conference told him it happened. 2) Who fucking cares? This guy McCain walked around the streets in a kevlar vest through a pre-scoured area with a hundred soldiers, several helicopters, and who-knows-how-many other security precautions. And we’re supposed to not laugh in his face when he says something patently stupid? I mean, sure, maybe the reporter said something. If he did, we have to ask: Was it justified? If so, tough nookie.
Anyone else think the “maverick” is looking a wee bit senile? He’ll be old as fuck by the time he assumes office (if he has, which I don’t think he does, even a tiny chance of winning the nom or the general), and likely near death. Is it a repeat of the bob dole campaign promise? “One term guaranteed? Should we elect a thousand year old as president? Is his longevity in any way combined with the state-paid health care he’s benefited from his whole professional life, while millions of Americans rely on emergency rooms for health care?
I dunno. what do you think?

funny stuff!

This is hilarious. From TPM Muckraker:

In this instance, the White House has said that U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico was removed in part due to his handling of voter fraud complaints. That’s backed up by the numerous instances of powerful New Mexico Republicans (including Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)) complaining to Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, and President Bush about Iglesias’ decision not to prosecute certain cases of voter fraud.

What does this mean? It means that Iglesias must have been lauded by the Justice Department for his handling of voter fraud cases. And not just lauded — but cited as an example for U.S. attorneys across the country.