Both Are More Like Boils on the GOP

 Mitch can't stand it that he has little control over Marjorie Taylor-Greene and finds her batshittery very unbecoming of the Republican Party.

Yes, she is loony, but it is a matter of picking your poison as which kind of current Republican is worse: the brazen nutjob or the corrupt pol who hamstrings Congress to the point it gets nothing done.

Some details are here.

"Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country," McConnell said in a statement. "Somebody who's suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.'s airplane is not living in reality. This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party."

Translation: Shut up, MTG, you are screwing over our chances in 2022.

Vid:

Democrats are also not happy with Greene's antics and want her removed from a House committee:

The Sedition Follies Roundup

 In case you haven't heard it, the complete Trump phone call trying to put the screws on the Georgia Secretary of State:

More criticism of Trump's insane rants can be found here. 

VP Mike Pence thought it was okay that seditious Republican senators plan on undermining a fair election.

What the GOP is doing, however, is worse than treason.  The perpetrators need to be locked up for sedition.

Snip:

This is sedition, plain and simple. No amount of playacting and rationalizing can change the fact that the majority of the Republican Party and its apologists are advocating for the overthrow of an American election and the continued rule of a sociopathic autocrat.

This is not some handful of firebrands making a stand for the television cameras. In 2005, one Democrat in the House and one in the Senate filed an objection to counting Ohio’s electoral votes, while insisting that they were not contesting the outcome of the presidential election itself. In 2017, a handful of Democratic members of the House objected to the electoral count. Because they lacked support in the Senate, then–Vice President Biden ruled the representatives out of order and declared, “It is over.” In both cases, the Democratic candidate had already conceded.

Crazy Like a Fox

That's how Michael Lind describes the Tea Party insanity going on in Washington. It's the culmination of decades of the southern strategy, which, he argues, is more about cheap wages and shitty living standards than even about race.

In fact what is going on is one part of a batshit whole, that being the whole libertarian/neoliberal "philosophy" is all about cheap labor and destroying living standards in order to further enrich a tiny minority. It is tragically a worldwide movement. Much of the rest of the political establishment embraces neoliberalism, and people with sense are being relegated to the sidelines.

Lind's article is interesting because in a real sense this is about the revenge of the South against the rest of the country. I totally agree with his suggestions, which of course Congress won't do one shitting thing about:

A federal living wage.
Nationalization of social insurance.
Real voting rights.
Nonpartisan redistricting.
Abolish the Senate filibuster.
Abolish the federal debt ceiling completely.

And here is what he says about the debt ceiling:

The federal debt ceiling is another institution like the filibuster which has now been ruined by being abused by Southern conservatives. Now that the Southern right is trying to turn it into a recurrent tool of hostage-taking when it loses votes in Congress, the federal debt ceiling should be abolished. The federal government should be authorized to borrow any amount necessary to fund spending appropriated or authorized by Congress, if there is any shortfall in tax revenues.

It May Be Too Soon to Write the GOP's Obituary

After all, the GOP came back after Watergate and other scandals. Even if the party were to die, that's not necessarily a good thing for the American people because the Democrats are increasingly corrupt thanks to the nomination and election of a complete fraud who got elected to the White House in 2008.

My concern has ALWAYS been with Obama rather than the batshit crazies of the GOP; he simply can't be trusted. He's proven that with education policy, and his "grand bargain" bullshit will just about force me out of the party for good.

The most likely scenario if the GOP were to die off would be the Democratic Party would be split, and the neolibs controlling it would simply take the place of the former GOP.

Judis:

But Boehner was forced to adopt the more extreme strategy. Norquist blames Cruz. “Boehner had a strategy,” Norquist told me, “but Ted Cruz blew it up.” That is, however, giving Cruz too much credit (or blame) for the result. Cruz did help convince House Republicans that if they linked passage of a continuing resolution to repealing Obamacare, he could get the votes in the Senate to follow suit. But Cruz was following a script that had been developed earlier. What has happened over the last two months, leading to the shutdown, and political paralysis in Washington, is the result of deeper factors that have put Norquist’s entire “center-right” strategy in jeopardy.

There really is no political "center" in Washington--there is a right wing and a far right or fascistic wing.

Underestimating the GOP is Always a Mistake

It's a mistake because people who claim the GOP is on the wane completely miss the point. Yes, it is true the demographics are changing, but this means little in the political arena. The problem these days isn't with the voters but instead is with the economic elites, especially the neoliberals, controlling BOTH political parties.

It really doesn't matter which party gets in the White House anymore. The Democratic Party was completely co-opted with the nomination of Obama in 2008. I always had low expectations for him, so his performance hasn't disappointed at all.

Congress is a little bit more relevant when it comes to party differences, but the only time Democrats seem to act like Democrats is when they are not in power. At least this is the case these days. In the old days, Democrats acted like Democrats. The neolib politicians in the party, meaning "blue dogs," have successfully pissed on the Democratic Party label to render it meaningless.

link

Frum Here to Obscurity

A prominent right-winger tells the truth about Waterloo, but it was about the GOP's, and not Obama's, and he ends up losing his job with the right-wing stink tank American Enterprise Institute:

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The legislators need to do the work they were elected to do instead of pandering to the talking heads and the so-called "tea party" types.

I'm Not So Quick to Write Off the GOP

The party is very effective with its propaganda machine.

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Senator Kyl to the Unemployed: Drop Dead

Yeah, we who are scrimping by on not even one half of the take-home pay we were making when we were working are living the life of Riley out here because there are NO jobs to be had, especially for those of us who are past 50.

This is all about divide and conquer, this time between those who are working and those who are jobless.

Same old bullshit from the GOP.

Richard Hofstadter's Famous Essay

"The Paranoid Style in American Politics" is as true today as it was when it was written back during the 1964 election campaign, when the Goldwater supporters and the John Birch Society were in full bloom.

Of course, the whackos today are merely the same sort of paranoid sorts, only this time there is the internet and cable television to further fuel the paranoia.

The latest antics by the GOP and their followers regarding health care reform may seem to help benefit Democrats, but given the way the Obama administration hasn't done enough on the economy, I wouldn't rule out big gains by the GOP next year. That despite the fact it is NOT the party of the people.

Thanks toTheir Noise Machine,

the GOP sees hope in creating a "protest movement" against Barack Obama without appearing racist. Naturally racism plays a bit of a factor in it, but if Obama were Republican, there would be no protests.

They tried this crap with Clinton, to much success. They are hoping lightning strikes twice so that they improve their chances in 2010.

Obama keeps screwing things up, however. He's bogged down with health care when he should be focusing on job creation. The job market is dire beyond belief.

The GOP

has gotten more strident and more "radical" since Obama took office, and one should find the instances of wackos carrying guns a bit disturbing.

However, because the Democrats are all too often appeasing corporations and are too accommodating to the congressional Republicans, they have unwittingly fueled this strident opposition by a few in public.

The G.O.P., whose ranks have now dwindled largely to whites in Dixie and the less-populated West, is not even a paper tiger — it’s a paper muskrat. James Carville is correct when he says that if Republicans actually carried out their filibuster threats on health care, it would be a political bonanza for the Democrats.

In last year’s campaign debates, Obama liked to cite his unlikely Senate friendship with Tom Coburn, of all people, as proof that he could work with his adversaries. If the president insists that enemies like this are his friends — and that the nuts they represent can be placated by reason — he will waste his opportunity to effect real change and have no one to blame but himself.

Obama's reaching across the aisle nonsense will wreck his career. But it isn't just this nonsense that will hurt him. His inexperience is a real detriment in getting things done.

Yeah, the right fears losing its position, but don't forget the followers are not the REAL right. It's the very wealthy who are the ones spearheading this class warfare by trying using social issues propaganda to inflame their less well-heeled supporters all the while screwing over these same people with their tax breaks, etc. worsening the already bad economy.

(Sorry about the truncated post; Firefox went on the fritz a couple of hours ago.)

If People Were Paying Close Attention,

Sarah Palin's rise in the Republican Party was indicative of a split in the party.

The GOP was always known as the model of lockstep, robotic thinking; no dissent was tolerated. The Democrats, by contrast, were always a mess and still are. Note that there are such things as "blue dogs" in the Democratic Party who can put the kabosh on any truly progressive legislation despite the fact Democrats are overwhelmingly the majority in the party. But when Palin came along, the GOP found itself fractured, too. She didn't necessarily toe the party line.

But the split was a long time in coming:

How did so organized a party come apart so swiftly? One explanation is that it hasn’t been swift at all. The Republicans have been in decline for some time — and in recent years, even in disarray. Since the peak years of Republican success in the 1980s, the party’s candidates have only sometimes been vote-snagging virtuosos. Dating back to 1992, Republicans have won a plurality in only one presidential election — and that lone victory, in 2004, was not nearly the triumph it appeared to be at the time. Its architect, Karl Rove, spoke of establishing a “permanent majority” for the Republicans, but in reality Mr. Bush won by less than 3 percentage points — one of the narrowest re-elections in presidential history. And although he claimed a mandate, his two big second-term initiatives — privatizing Social Security and immigration reform — were easily thwarted. Some of the strongest opposition came from within Mr. Bush’s own party — further evidence that the Republicans were even then losing their cohesiveness.

The fascists of the party thought they had it made, but it was the bankruptcy of their ideology which created the decline. Unfortunately, the country and world are paying a giant economic price for these bankrupt ideas.

George W. Bush was the end result of the radical right ideology beginning with Goldwater to the present time. It was an unworkable ideology, but it remains to be seen if the country can be salvaged as a result of it.

Palin's Forthcoming Resignation

has the GOP shocked and the rumor mill abuzz.

This once-dominant party is disintegrating before our eyes; however, those who want to wreck the country are now trying to poison the Democratic Party to represent their interests.

The Bumblers of the GOP

and their handmaidens in the media are hoping somehow to turn the torture issue against Democrats, despite the fact the GOP and its previous administration are responsible for Gitmo, etc.

The Hapless Republicans

The GOP, including Senator Hairdo, have their talking points at the ready in opposition to any health care reform proposal Obama brings up. No solutions, just opposition, of course:

Luntz reviewed his recommendations Wednesday with aides to conservative Republicans in a session organized by the Republican Policy Committee, headed by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. A copy was obtained by The Associated Press.

"The policy committee brings in all kinds of people. He presented us wi th ways to communicate better and we listened," said Rebecca Fisher, a spokeswoman for the group.

The Loyal Opposition

Now that they have no ideas on how to improve the bad economy, the GOP struggles to find even fewer ideas.

I Am Not Sure

voters will put the GOP back into power in 2012, now that they realize the GOP is responsible for the economic mess in the first place.

That is what Limbaugh and his ilk are hoping for, but wishing ain't getting.

Miscellaneous News

There is a special place in hell for people who sexually abuse children, and this person is certainly going to go to prison for a long, long time. And probably in solitary confinement, for other inmates will certainly feel outraged enough to knock this guy off.

This case is awful beyond belief.
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There is also a special place in hell for people who abuse animals.
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There is talk of a bill being proposed in Oregon which would ban pit bulls, although those who currently have them would be allowed to keep them.

I seriously doubt this will be law, although breed specific laws have passed in other jurisdictions and countries.
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If the trends from the past election are any indication of how young people will be voting in the future, the GOP might find itself shit out of luck for a generation.
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The judge can send the emerald to me; I can make good use of it.
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Robert Parry Asks a Question That is So Silly,

it really isn't worth an entry on this blog, and I haven't felt very motivated to post here as of late. He asks the question whether Republicans can be trusted.

I mean, for Chrissake, if people have to ask that question, they've been comatose or living in a cave for the past 40 years, or at least since the radical right hijacked the party.

Parry goes way back, though probably not far enough back, to try and make sense of how the radical right of the Republican Party got as far as it got. I can summarize it by saying the GOP created its own reality, thanks to its large network of billionaire-financed "think tanks" and media (the repeal of the Fairness Act was essential in the right-wing takeover of large chunks of the media), which was totally at odds with the real reality. They embraced a cult, and now they feel they can't let go of this cult for fear their whole house of cards of an alternate reality will collapse. It already has, but that doesn't mean it will stop them from clinging tenaciously to the discredited cult of Friedmanism. They will go all out to obstruct Obama because they think this will help them return to power in 2010 and 2012, but the turnip truck has left the station. The people, or at least a growing number of people, finally realize they've been had by a giant con and now want some action.

The GOP is trying the same damned thing to Obama they did with Clinton, but it is with hope Obama doesn't fall into the trap. Perhaps both Clintons are giving him advice as to how to deal with these people.

GOP Infighting

It's nice to finally see cracks in the loyal opposition's armour. More concerned about their fortunes in 2010 and beyond than giving a crap about the American people, the GOP politicians are arguing over the stimulus. Idiot governors like SC's Mark Sanford are grandstanding by claiming they will not accept parts or all of the stimulus, despite the fact it was written in the legislation governors could NOT willy-nilly deny the money; the state legislatures can override any governor's opposition. The governors' "target" in their opposition is extended unemployment benefits. People have to understand these rich assholes who compromise much of the GOP are opposed to UI on principle. They think people who are laid off or fired are responsible for their own fate, and nobody should "bail them out" despite the fact it is businesses who do the layoffs. People on UI don't get it if they quit their jobs (with a few rare exceptions). No, the few GOP governors bitching about UI want the unemployed to go to states with more generous benefits so they don't have to pay out. Well, too goddamned bad.

The idiocy of these cultists knows no bounds. The unemployed do vote, you know, and not all of them are non-voters, Democrats, or even independents.