Quote :

"The same way they did in 2004, by spanking the Democrats in turn out. If you can get them worked up or scared enough about silly issues like gays and abortions, they'll get to the polls. Obama won in 2008 because his "get out of the vote" efforts dwarfed those of McCain/Palin. There will always be ~30% of the country that will vote Republican no matter who the candidate is or who they are running against, the trick is to get them to show up on election day. "

Two of those major constituent groups are declining in support for the GOP: Evangelicals (believe it or not, esp. younger ones), and Hispanics (ESPECIALLY Hispanics).

Quote :

"^ i was talking about the first crowd, and i'm not saying they don't already oppose DOMA, i'm saying they could capitalize on the growing amounts of people discontent with both parties. Theyre not going to win any elections soon, but it should force the other two parties to reconsider certain policies. Just because they have been failures in the past doesn't mean they'll continue to be failures. Things are changing"

The only 3rd party that can win elections is one that has yet to form. I'm not sure what it would look like, but I doubt it would support privatizing roads, abolishing the FDA, ending licensing for doctors, ending all entitlements and welfare programs, and have a constituency that either wants to return to an idealized Jeffersonian, agrarian America that can no longer exist in a post-industrial society or a bizarre "reasoned" anarcho-capitalist utopia for the strong envisioned by sociopaths like Ayn Rand.

If a 3rd party forms, I predict it will be a breakaway from the GOP led by people like Sarah Palin who are very much in the style of World Net Daily, Glenn Beck, and the like. In other words, insanity and barely-reasoned opposition to all things DC.

[Edited on September 14, 2009 at 1:48 PM. Reason : .]

9/14/2009 1:45:54 PM

http://bluenc.com/big-bidness-3-bank-run-burr

Quote :

"No big surprises in today's release of fundraising numbers by the Federal Elections Commission. ... Burr ranks FIFTH among all Senators in PAC money? It's no wonder he votes with business every chance he gets."

9/14/2009 11:36:18 PM

I'm curious--

How is Glenn Beck so popular if he airs at 5:00? Shouldn't his viewers be at work?

I've wondered this about the mid-afternoon AM radio guys, too.

9/16/2009 8:34:32 AM

http://bluenc.com/case-you-missed-it-senator-burr-voted-against-insurance-victims-domestic-abuse

Quote :

"This was covered already in Blue South's excellent post, but it bears repeating, again and again and again and again. Here's the sad story: "... an amendment was introduced ... that would have forced insurance companies to stop ignoring state laws that provided protection for victims of domestic violence, specifically when it came to denying them insurance coverage. Ten Republican Senators voted against it, including Senators Alexander, Burr, Ensign, Enzi, Frist, Gregg, Hatch, Isakson, Roberts and Sessions." "

One person running for office responded:

Quote :

"pre-existing condition insult Submitted by cjmalone on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 3:37pm. Literally, this adds insult to injury. I strongly support abolishing the right of insurance companies to declare domestic abuse as a pre-existing condition. I'm ready to file a bill to the contrary as soon as I can as a senator in the N. C. Senate. Charles Malone, Candidate for Democratic nomination to the N. C. State Senate, Dist. 15 2010 Charles Malone "

9/16/2009 11:12:22 AM

That's disgusting and Richard Burr should resign.

9/16/2009 11:21:38 AM

Quote :

"I think the guy’s wrong. I think not only it was racism, it was justifiable racism. I mean, that’s the lesson we’re being taught here today. Kid shouldn’t have been on the bus anyway. We need segregated buses — it was invading space and stuff. This is Obama’s America."

-Rush Limbaugh

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/09/17/limbaugh-we-need-segregated-buses/


Classy.

9/18/2009 1:00:32 PM

Is this about actual politicians in the GOP?

Or about radio / TV talk show hosts?

Just curious, I haven't really ventured in here before

9/18/2009 1:05:37 PM

It's about GOP leadership.

So "all of the above"

9/18/2009 1:14:09 PM

^^^ I'm not exactly a fan of Limbaugh or others, but did you actually even listen to the original clip? It was pretty clear from the context that he was expressing the point as hyperbole from the standpoint that "clearly" all white people are racists and need to be segregated for other peoples' benefit. It was a sarcastic rant.

To actually classify that as a genuine call for segregation is beyond dishonest.

And again, I say this as someone who finds Rush's main point to be both hopelessly exaggerated and generally off the mark. But the real mark of "credibility" here is someone who would willfully misinterpret that as a genuine call for segregation.

[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 1:20 PM. Reason : ^]

9/18/2009 1:17:02 PM

beyond dishonest, eh?

He's some more:

Quote :

"If homosexuality being inborn is what makes it acceptable, why does racism being inborn not make racism acceptable?” the talk show host asked. “I’m sorry — I mean, this is the way my mind works. But apparently now we don’t choose racism, we just are racists. We are born that way. We don’t choose it. So shouldn’t it be acceptable, excuse — this is according to the way the left thinks about things."

9/18/2009 1:22:35 PM

Again I ask, did you listen to the clip, or are you just plagiarizing quoting what someone else told you about it?

Notice that I am not defending the actual content of Limbaugh's rant, simply arguing that the characterization is stretched pretty thin for a cheap political point.

[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 1:35 PM. Reason : .]

9/18/2009 1:32:22 PM

Quote :

"the characterization is stretched pretty thin"

What was my characterization, again?

Note I said

Quote :

"classy"

not

Quote :

"racist"

Would you disagree that what Limbaugh said was classless?

9/18/2009 1:36:38 PM

Quote :

" What was my characterization, again? Note I said"

Note the title of the article you quote:

Quote :

"Limbaugh: We need segregated buses"

I never said it wasn't crass or lacking in taste. I said that it is breaking context to try and make it appear that Limbaugh was making a different point altogether.

9/18/2009 1:38:48 PM

The title of the piece was also engaging in hyperbole.

I know, it's hard to tell sometimes.

9/18/2009 1:40:54 PM

It was? Then it would seem hyperbole is the name of the game for said source, because it continues below the title:

Quote :

"In a remark extraordinary even by the standards of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, the right-wing radio heavyweight declared on his program Wednesday that the United States needed to return to racially segregated buses."

I'm sure that there's no intent here to mislead the reader based upon broken context, though. Only right-wing demagogues do that!

9/18/2009 1:45:43 PM

The whole thing's tongue-in-cheek.

You libertarians have no sense of humor. Jeez.

9/18/2009 2:25:50 PM

You just don't like the fact that someone successfully called BS on you. Just admit it.

9/18/2009 2:27:09 PM

What'd I get called out in?

I said his remarks were classless. You agreed.

I didn't endorse the source's angle.



But we're ignoring the brunt of his argument: "Obama's America" is out to get white people. That's a racist statement.

9/18/2009 2:33:14 PM

How is that racist? Retarded, yes, but how precisely is that racist?

9/18/2009 2:34:41 PM

"Obama is out to get white people"

"Black men are out to get white women"


I don't see the difference, given that they're both entirely false.

9/18/2009 2:50:06 PM

George Bush hates midgets.

9/18/2009 2:54:04 PM

Quote :

"I don't see the difference, given that they're both entirely false."

Whelp, there's the issue of the fact that one describes a person, while the other describes an entire class of persons, for starters.

Simply because A is false and B is false and B = C does not mean that A = B => A = C. Pretty basic, in fact.

9/18/2009 3:28:45 PM

Boehner admits Obama isn't a socialist:

Quote :

"GREGORY: Do you really think the President is a socialist? BOEHNER: Listen, when you begin to look at how much they want to grow government, you can call it whatever you want, but the fact is -- GREGORY: What do you call it though? BOEHNER: This is unsustainable. We're broke. GREGORY: That's fine. Do you think the President is a socialist? BOEHNER: No! GREGORY: Okay. Because the head of the Republican Party is calling him that. BOEHNER: Listen, I didn't call him that, and I'm not going to call him that."

9/21/2009 10:31:48 AM

That's just the LIEberal media with their "Gotcha!" journalism.

9/21/2009 11:41:16 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/22/palin.hongkong/index.html

Quote :

"Palin speech to Hong Kong investors divides opinions HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Former U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be in Hong Kong this week to address about 1,000 investors from around the globe in what is billed as her first speech outside North America. ... Palin's political ambitions are unclear, though she has recently attacked U.S. President Barack Obama's health care initiative. During the 2008 presidential campaign, she was lampooned by critics and comedians for suggesting that she had foreign policy experience because she was then governor of Alaska and "you can actually see Russia" from part of the state. Chinese-language media did not give much coverage to her appearance, and some local residents and visitors were surprised to learn she was in town. Olivia Chung, a 29-year-old woman who works in a shop that sells dried seafood, said she did not know Palin was in Hong Kong. "I think most most people know who she is," she said. "I don't think she will have some advice for Hong Kong people ... I think they (people) don't care what she will talk about." But retired investor, Pauline Rooney of Adelaide, Australia, said she knew Palin would be in Hong Kong while Rooney was vacationing here. "I thought, 'wow, we might able to see or hear her,' to see if she has got any better sense from her experience," she said, later adding. "I don't know what platform she would be coming from that would have any relevance to anyone in investing." "

I thought it may have been a little unfair that they decided to end this article on some local residents didn't know she was in town since that is basically true of any politician visiting anywhere, but I also found that last quote funny enough to make the article worth sharing. It is interesting that they are billing it as her first speech outside North America which makes me wonder if she's trying to raise her political profile, since it is well established that sitting governors can't visit China for trade building purposes without catching some flack.

9/22/2009 2:28:08 PM

Based on the comments section, it seems not many people are buying US Congresswoman from NC Myrick's take on health care reform. Particularly the bottom post (which is actually first in chronological order).

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/myrick_government_run_too_slow#comment

Quote :

"Myrick: government-run too slow U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick says a government run health system may not have saved her life from breast cancer. Myrick, a Charlotte Republican, said in the GOP's weekly address that her diagnosis took several doctors and tests, which were all done within a week. In government run health care systems in Canada and the United Kingdom, such speed is unlikely, she said. "When it comes to life-threatening diseases like cancer, delay can mean death," Myrick said. "Replacing your current health care with a government-run system is not the answer." Myrick said the proposals pushed by Democrats would all put the nation on the road to a government-run health care system. "

Quote :

" Republicans For Single Payer! Submitted by AquaMan on September 22, 2009 - 9:53am. Interesting new group Republicans For Single Payer. Seems to be doctors and hospital administrators who have realized that private health insurance has COLLAPSED. More @ http://republicansforsinglepayer.org/?p=1 » reply Re: Myrick: government-run too slow Submitted by GiggleBox on September 21, 2009 - 3:56pm. Excellent post AfterCancer. Just what I was thinking. Wish I had her "public option" I happen to pay for. » reply Re: Myrick: government-run too slow Submitted by aftercancer on September 21, 2009 - 12:37pm. You know it's comments like these that make me sick! I'm a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed at age 38 and my health insurance sure wouldn't have paid for all of the scans Ms. Myrick mentions without one heck of a huge out of pocket from me. Representative Myrick, if we all had your health insurance there wouldn't be a problem. The women I worry about most are those who put off even getting tested because they couldn't pay for the treatment if it is cancer. Stop trying to scare women, we're smarter than that! » reply Re: Myrick: government-run too slow Submitted by awbeal on September 21, 2009 - 12:20pm. Now according to the N&O's profile page on Sue Myrick, "After being treated for breast cancer, she sponsored a law in 1999 to extend Medicaid coverage for breast and cervical cancer." Medicaid, is, you know, government-run health care. Maybe the N&O should ask Rep. Myrick if she thinks that giving government-run health care coverage to those poor women killed them. » reply Re: Myrick: government-run too slow Submitted by scharrison on September 21, 2009 - 11:31am. Okay, I'm really glad that Representative Myrick's cancer was (eventually) properly diagnosed and treated successfully. But it took six different doctors, three false-negative mammograms and an ultrasound before her cancer was even detected. Now, I don't know how much of that her government plan paid for, but most private health insurance plans would have only covered one (annual) mammogram and probably just one of those doctors. Most other women would have had to pay out-of-pocket for the rest, and they would have had to wait considerably longer for each appointment than a Congresswoman would have. Rep. Myrick has done a lot of good in the area of breast cancer research, but her attempt to use her own experience to generate fear of health care reform is both misleading and inappropriate. If we all had the coverage and VIP treatment members of Congress get, there wouldn't be a push for reform."

9/22/2009 4:37:13 PM

Quote :

"Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-OK) chief of staff Michael Schwartz made the case against pornography. "All pornography is homosexual pornography," said Schwartz, quoting an ex-gay friend of his, "because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards." Schwartz then explained the side benefit of this finding -- that if boys know pornography will make them gay, they'll never touch it, taking advantage of what Schwartz sees as a natural homophobia. "And if you tell an 11-year-old boy about that, do you think he's going to want to get a copy of Playboy?" he said. "I'm pretty sure he'll lose interest. That's the last thing he wants!""

Why does this guy hate America?

9/22/2009 10:10:19 PM

Hypocrisy? In the GOP?

9/22/2009 10:12:47 PM

^^lols

9/22/2009 11:10:24 PM

Quote :

"According to delegates, she said US President Barack Obama's administration worsened an already difficult situation when earlier this month he slapped duties on Chinese tire imports blamed for costing American jobs."

If there's anything Republicans were ever unified on, it was their hatred for people who talked junk about the President while overseas.



(PS-- I'm not trying to be a hack, but there's a new nugget of ridiculousness coming out daily from these people)

9/23/2009 3:52:31 PM

When it rains, it pours:

Quote :

"Matt Drudge's headline for Barack Obama's U.N. speech is ominous: "WORLD ORDER." Here's the sole occurrence of that phrase in Obama's speech: "No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed.""

http://gawker.com/5365930/omg-obama-said-world-and-then-order


^ That was Sarah Palin, btw.

[Edited on September 23, 2009 at 8:46 PM. Reason : ]

9/23/2009 8:45:20 PM

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/23/national/w140345D22.DTL&type=printable

Quote :

"The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest. The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation. Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was a killing or a suicide, and if a killing, whether the motive was related to his government job or to anti-government sentiment. Investigators have said little about the case. The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, said Wednesday the man was found hanging from a tree and the word "fed" was written on the dead man's chest. The official did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word. FBI spokesman David Beyer said the bureau is helping state police with the case."

Glenn Beck’s first victim?

9/23/2009 10:08:30 PM

haha, this is an ad on DrudgeReport

9/23/2009 10:18:14 PM

^^jesus christ.

perhaps its time to pull the "dissent is now terrorism?" thread back to the top. we shall see

9/23/2009 10:29:09 PM

^no one is accusing pat Buchanan or even rush limbaugh cause they dont inspire paranoid fear like Beck does
and considering the fragile mental state of his listeners he should be responsible for their actions

[Edited on September 23, 2009 at 11:03 PM. Reason : .]

9/23/2009 11:02:59 PM

^^^^ this sounds like some inbred mountain hillbilly trash, thinking he needed to protect his stills from the "revenooers"

9/23/2009 11:15:32 PM

^^ok...

not sure why that was addressed to me. i'm on your side. beck's a fucking kook. we've been using the dissent = terrorism thread to document people "dissenting"

anywho, can someone embed this? http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-22-2009/moral-kombat

hilarious and relevant to this thread.

[Edited on September 23, 2009 at 11:16 PM. Reason : /]

9/23/2009 11:16:13 PM

hilarious clip of GOP hypocrisy
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-3-2008/sarah-palin-gender-card

9/23/2009 11:40:58 PM

"can someone embed this?"

for ^^


for ^


[Edited on September 24, 2009 at 12:04 AM. Reason : .]

9/23/2009 11:55:29 PM

"there's only one way that last move can be any gayer."

LOL.

(start at about 4:30 on the first video)

9/24/2009 10:19:46 AM

Quote :

"Glenn Beck’s first victim?"

I would go with Michelle Bachman. She's the one that's been railing against the Census and calling for a boycott. Beck has even backed away from her stance
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/26/michele-bachmanns-census_n_221427.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/01/michele-bachmanns-census_n_224175.html

9/24/2009 10:52:19 PM

http://imaletyoufinish.com/

[Edited on September 25, 2009 at 12:20 AM. Reason : ]

9/25/2009 12:19:53 AM

http://washingtonindependent.com/61121/fear-of-fascism-gay-agenda-dominate-conservative-kickoff-for-midterm-elections

Quote :

"She made her case during George W. Bush’s presidency, but the audience was small–fringe conservative activists, radio hosts like Alex Jones. Then came President Barack Obama. On Saturday, at the “How to Take Back America” conference, Werthmann found herself speaking to an overflowing room of conservative activists about the parallels between Obama and the rise of Hitler. ... “What would you suggest we do,” asked one activist, “if we are asked to give up our guns?” “Don’t you dare give up your guns!” thundered Werthmann. “Never, never, never!” “Give them back one bullet at a time!” called out another activist. The tense atmosphere melted a little bit; the room broke up with laughter. ... Schlafly succeeded in bringing big Republican stars to the conference. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) was the biggest draw, but six members of Congress attended, too–Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), and Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.). Several 2010 Republican candidates hosted workshops, including Ed Martin and Vicky Hartzler ... In his speech, Boykin–who has gotten into hot water for speaking out against Islam while in uniform–begged the audience to pray for their country. “It’s only because of intercessory prayer that we haven’t been hit again since September 11,” said Boykin. “Pray for America for 10 minutes a day. If we can mobilize millions of prayer warriors that can pray for 10 minutes a day, we can open the gates of heaven.” ... Rev. Rick Scarborough, a pastor who advised Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, pounded the podium at his Friday afternoon speech, warning that the president’s pro-gay agenda was endangering Christians who spoke out against gay rights. “The day the president put his hand on the bible,” said Scarborough, “his minions were changing official White House Website to reflect a whole new understanding of civil rights, to refer to homosexuals.” The Bible, said Scarborough, called these people “sodomites, which no one wants to talk about because it reminds them of their behavior.” ... Off the stage, the fears and conspiracy theories about President Obama grew more obscure. One activist told TWI that Obama may have been “installed” after decades of lessons from Communists. Peggy Carter, an Eagle Forum leader from North Carolina, fretted that Obama was “anti-white,” and had only stealthily revealed that to Americans because “he can’t afford” to make it obvious. "

I hope they run on this platform over the next couple of years. It would make things pretty easy on the left.

9/29/2009 11:09:27 AM

Quote :

"Republican base still wild about Sarah Palin As part of an effort to gauge Palin’s popularity with the rank and file beyond the Beltway, where the GOP establishment is lukewarm toward the charismatic former governor, POLITICO surveyed nearly 50 prominent Republican Party officials and politicians, representing every region of the country and ranging from statewide-elected officeholders to state legislators to state and county party chairs. Some refused to talk about her at all. Others, mostly her critics, would do so only off the record. But taken as a whole, the body of interviews revealed that despite Palin’s high negative ratings in recent national polls, Republicans at the grass-roots level and their leaders still hold a very favorable impression of the former Alaska governor. Westerners have a particular affinity for Palin, with many noting that she embodied the values of freedom and self-reliance."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26236.html

[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 11:56 AM. Reason : ]

9/29/2009 11:55:46 AM

Newsmax says that a "Military coup" might be necessary to resolve the Obama problem
http://bit.ly/12x9Nw

9/30/2009 11:52:33 AM

Yeah I mean, that's not seditious or anything... right?

9/30/2009 12:20:17 PM

It's not surprising, I guess. The intensity of ultra-right-wing hatred for Obama (/fear of Obama) hasn't abated, at this point it genuinely seems like they'll only be satisfied with extreme military action.

Incidentally, if they were to genuinely threaten and attempt to organize a form of armed coup then it could be construed as a form of domestic terrorism, to say nothing of treason.

9/30/2009 12:24:23 PM

Quote :

"GOP"

Quote :

"credibility"

i do a double-take and get a chuckle, every time this thread title pops back up on the radar.

9/30/2009 5:36:54 PM

Don't mock them too readily. I'm sitting one block away from the "Republican Victory Monument" that proves they aren't to be trifled with.

9/30/2009 5:41:01 PM

which monument is that?

9/30/2009 5:41:56 PM