Quickies

• So what is it the very fiscally conservative Republicans are willing to cut? After all, now that they aren't in charge anymore they haven't shut up about slashing budgets, shrinking deficits, reining in spending and controlling the debt. So what is it Republicans are actually willing to cut? Nothing, except for maybe a split on foreign aid.

• New York Governor David Patterson (D) drops out of race. Sites too many obstacles. In reality trying to cover up an investigation of domestic violence for a top aide proves too much.

• Top political adviser Dave Axelrod calls for an up or down vote on HCR. Finally starting to catch on to the whole bully pulpit thing.

• This weekend marks the very first celebration in 1827 of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

• And finally, who would have thought a simple comment from a beauty queen referencing the Bible is pretty "black and white" when it comes to stating gays should be put to death, would cause such a stir. Just think if she had said that she believes in talking snakes!!

Media Version of Bipartisanship

Oh my. Carrie Budoff at the right-leaning Politico sums up what the MSM believes to be true bipartisanship in Washington:

If President Barack Obama really wanted to show he’s serious about winning over Republicans on health care reform, he could offer up some key concessions at Thursday’s summit, like caps on malpractice awards or allowing insurers to sell across state lines.

And if Republicans wanted to reciprocate, they could at least acknowledge the congressional scorekeepers are right — the Democratic plans cut the deficit in the long term and rein in health care costs.

But that would assume either side is willing to do this.

Huh? If President Obama wants to be truly bipartisan he has to give concessions but if Republicans want to be bipartisan all they have to do is acknowledge the truth? Why don't Republicans also have to concede something? How does Democrats giving up proposals while Republicans simply acknowledging the Dem bill is cheaper amount to bipartisanship? It doesn't.

President Obama's framework he brought to the table yesterday was full of concessions. His plan was a document that borrowed from both the senate and house bills and contained no fewer than 9 Republican proposals. It also included some ideas directly from the president. By taking bits and pieces from the senate and house bills, Obama conceded the parts in them that he did not include in his framework. And what did the Republicans do? They hid behind the Boehner house bill that failed miserably in the house pulling not one item from it. Their framework for the summit was their plan in full or nothing at all. That's ridiculous.

President Obama's party is the majority governing party of the American government. The majority party does not have to make concessions. Yet that is where we are left in this whole rotten debate. Democrats, with huge majorities and a president that got more votes than anyone in history, have to concede items while the party that was tossed out in droves and has the lowest approval ratings in the country simply only has to admit that they are lying when they tell people the Democratic plan will raise premiums. Unless that happens it's not true bipartisanship? God help us all.

Stick to the Beer Summits: Post Summit Opinion

I much prefer the beer summits actually. This was boring at times and way too ineffective for actual policy negotiations. If there is one thing politicians love it's a teevee camera. In the end, broadcasting the event really only leads to talking points and politicians wanting to out do each other with their rhetoric. It's a very inadequate way to do anything. But it was nice to see. Though I'm boring like that.

I think the format of the summit greatly favored Democrats and Republicans knew this. Dems planned it, chaired it and came prepared with a framework for action. Republicans wanted no part of that. It's not like Dems solved anything with this either. They too used it for political purposes and even though they had the upper hand when it came to policy, did not miss an opportunity to throw their political divisive language around either. Both sides played toward their audience and that's really all we are going to get out of something like this. This is not to say that we should take the cameras out and let negotiations go in private. It's just to say politics is no stranger to even our most important issues.

I think if Republicans had come with an outline instead of reliance on their entire Boehner amendment something might have transpired. Though it's doubtful even then anything would have been accomplished. It should be noted that Obama's framework contained no fewer than 9 GOP proposals. It was a framework meant to bring the other side into the discussions. But Republicans wanted no part of anything that might appear as a victory for the president. They will continue to insist they have been shut out of the process, that they represent the freedom-loving American people, that somehow opening up insurance sales across state lines is real reform and that their plan that only adds 3 million people to the insured rolls is reform. That's why Democrats should move on without them and pass it with a majority vote just like Republicans did at least 11 different times while they were in the majority.

*Update:

I change my mind. I want to have absolutely nothing in common with Sarah Palin. I don't want any thought of mine, whether a serious one or not, to have any resemblance to her crazy, loony pea-sized brain thought process at all. Now that she has said beer summits are better and more productive, I change my stance totally. Heretofore I conclude beer should be left out of health care reform.

New Favorite Beer

There is a new beer in town and it's so good that it has prompted me to write for the very first time on this blog about beer. It's Sam Adams Noble Pils and it's proof God wants us to be happy.

It has a nice golden color with just the right amount of hops. A slight bitter taste at the beginning but it quickly goes away after a couple drinks. It's very smooth and even better if drank out of the Sam Adams designed pilsner mug. Gets a little foamy but what beer doesn't. Has an aroma that must be inhaled before any tasting.

Drinking it I can only think this is exactly how a Pilsner should taste. A lot of "good beer" drinkers aren't fans of Pilsners but this is not some light beer. This is actually the embodiment of what a Pilsner design is all about. I recommend it if for no other reason than it will make you forget all about winter.

To Blair House We Go

What a day this will be. Just as a side note, I love the Blair House. It's beautiful inside and has a quaint colonial outside feel.

To start things off, House Minority Leader John Boehner has an op-ed on AOL today saying the only way to do HCR is if both Dem bills are trashed and the process is started over...he then goes on to call the minority party the party of the people. If that was the case they would be the majority party. That's how a democracy works.

So right off the bat Republicans want Dem ideas scrapped. What a way to negotiate. Here's a list of attendees. And here's a list of Republican ideas.

*Update:

I'm sitting here watching the most fascinating thing unfold on television that I've seen in a long time. Two very different political parties led by a president that really wants people to work together to solve the nation's health care problems, are sitting at a table with cameras listening and watching their every move. It's amazing to nerdy political boys like me.

What if this would have happened for the trillion dollar expansion of Medicare Republicans rammed through congress? Or what if something like this would have happened with Bush's tax cuts? Things would be very different today.

Nonetheless, something that jumped out from the beginning was Sen. Lamar Alexander's (R-TN) statement that something as large as HCR has never been pushed through with "reconciliation." That's obviously a lie. Republicans pushed through Bush's trillion dollar Medicare expansion using reconciliation and pushed through Bush's nearly $2 trillion tax cuts with reconciliation. HCR is much smaller than both of those. Just a flat out Republican lie. Just another instance of the GOP trying to rewrite history.

*Editor's Note:

Spinner in the comments section makes note that Bush's trillion dollar expansion of Medicare was not passed through "reconciliation." The correction is so noted.

**Update:

Quote of the day: Sen. Dick Durbin finally calls Republicans on their b.s. when it comes to giving themselves government health care.

"You think it's a socialist plot and it's wrong? For goodness sakes, drop out of the federal employees health benefit program."

Of course Republicans won't do that because, like I've been saying, they love them some socialist medicine.

Spending the Debt

While we are on the subject of passing legislation that increases the national debt, especially when it pertains to Republicans all of a sudden being concerned about debts and deficits. It's also worth taking a look at who is most responsible for today's national debt.

As we all know, Republicans are fiscal conservatives. They are not just morally responsible but fiscally as well. They are so concerned about debt that while in power-- the only substantive thing we can go by that proves they are what they claim to be-- they did nothing but increase our national debt by leaps and bounds. Take a look at the nifty chart below.

Overwhelmingly Republicans have contributed more to the national debt since their so-called conservative Reagan Revolution than Democrats. True a Republican has been head of government 20 of the 28 years listed in the chart but the 8 Democratic years was when the least amount of debt was accumulated. On average the 3 Republican presidents increased the debt by 115%. It's not like the lone Democrat created a substantial amount either. In fact, almost 85% of today's $12 trillion debt is contributed to Republicans. And when you look at it in terms of actually decreasing the debt in any formidable sense (something Republicans claim they do), it only came when Democrats controlled the White House.

Clearly there is no real concern by Republicans when it comes to debts and deficits. They can't spend money fast enough. This is not to assume Democrats are great debt slashers or fiscal stewards by any means. Their spending should be scrutinized. But let's be real. Republicans have not an ounce of claim to any terminology of traditional conservatism or fiscal responsibility. It would be personally embarrassing after 30-plus years of a track record that is full of red ink to still want to debate the worthiness of fiscal matters and personal responsibility on this country. Personally acknowledging their record is not something Republicans do, however. So this week, and the rest of this year, when Republicans want to chime in about health care reform, the deficit and slashing budgets, just remember they live in a total fantasy world where they want to be able to blame all their own infringements on everyone else. It's way past time in this country that we quit allowing that to happen.

Majority Rules Does Happen (Update)

With health care reform seemingly on the front burner again, and with a summit scheduled tomorrow, it's worth giving the use of an up or down senate vote on a reform package some serious thought.

Cloture votes have been on the rise since Republicans sunk to the minority party after the 2006 midterm elections. A lot of times this leads people to think the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture is what is required to pass legislation. But cloture is the ability to end debate and move the bill forward. It doesn't pass the bill. It's a good judge as to whether the bill will pass; however, cloture is invoked to overcome a filibuster or the threat of a filibuster not to pass legislation. As you can see from the chart below, cloture votes have dramatically increased with Republicans in a Congressional minority and most notably since they lost the White House.

There is a way around Republican obstructionism, however. It's called majority rules and it's something Republicans used many times while they were in the majority.

Throughout the use of a majority rules vote (something Republicans used to call "the Constitutional option") it has been used 21 times to pass difficult legislation. A majority of which was by Republicans. Most of Gingrich's contract with America was passed via majority rules. Bush's tax cuts, which contribute 40% to the national debt, was passed via majority rules. Even the Republican trillion dollar expansion of Medicare was passed bypassing the filibuster and given an up or down vote. Legislation that greatly increased the national debt Republicans used the intent of the Constitution to pass out of the senate. There's no reason a Democratic bill that actually reduces the deficit instead of increasing it like Republicans have used it for should not be passed the same way.

The White House has rightfully called for an up or down vote and stated they can pass HCR with or without GOP help. So do it. There's really no reason not to.

*Update:

Julie Rovner lays out an excellent piece at NPR Online examining the historical context behind health care legislation and a majority rules vote. Turns out, almost always health care legislation has been passed with a Constitutional simple majority vote.

Writes Rovner:

In fact, over the past three decades, the number of major health financing measures that were NOT passed via budget reconciliation can be counted on one hand. And one of those — the 1988 Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act — was repealed the following year after a backlash by seniors who were asked to underwrite the measure themselves. So using the process to try to pass a health overhaul bill might not be easy. But it won't be unprecedented.

There's no reason why the president's threat to pass HCR by using the Democratic majority in both chambers shouldn't be taken seriously. In fact, just do it that way. There's no reason to dignify Republican obstructionism at all.

When Right Wingers Attack

Something totally off the MSM radar is the terror attack that happened last week when a right wing extremist flew an airplane into a federal building in Austin, Texas. In the past when people who had grievances against the American government flew planes into buildings it was no doubt an act of terrorism. Such an act has led us to be bogged down in a 9 year war in Afghanistan and a 7 year war in Iraq. Even in the latter's case, Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks yet we invaded anyway. This time it was a two day story that is being shrugged off by Republicans and even joked about.

And then we also have Great Patriot Steven King of Iowa saying the attack isn't entirely without reason because it will be a great day in America when the IRS is abolished.

The most evident distinction between what happened on 9/11 and last week in Texas was the guy in Austin wasn't Muslim. If he had been, no doubt Republicans would be up in arms about it. But since it was one of their Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Fox News inspired people they want it totally forgotten. It's sickening they can praise one set of attacks on the government and want to wage endless war because of the other.

The point of this is to show just how messed up the GOP is when it comes to enticing revolt and violence in this country. Not only did Rep. Steve King sympathize with the attack and others at the Republican convention tell jokes about it, the family of the terrorist who flew the plane along with others on the right are trying to paint the guy as a hero. The real American hero in all this is one of the people he killed with his suicide bombing was a two-tour Vietnam Veteran who had faithfully served his country. And just like in the GOP where people like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh who have never served this country a day in their lives are considered Great American Tough Guy Patriots, so too is the person who flies airplanes into buildings that also never served a day in his life for his country. All he ever did was watch Fox News all day and that's enough for Republicans to brush aside his terrorism. Disgusting.

Government-Run Health Care Works for Palin's Grandson

A government-run health insurance system that Sarah Palin would call socialism if people supported providing it to others works just fine for her daughter's baby. Of course I've always contended that elected officials also have a socialist style health care system as well, which was just fine for Palin and her family before she quit her job in mid-term. Don't dare give such a system to others because then it's a tyrannical takeover of government that would kill undesirables. This is not even hypocrisy. It's flat out stupidity.

Senate Ends Debate on Jobs Bill

Five Republicans crossed over to vote with the Democrats on ending debate for a $15 billion jobs bill. This might be the highlight of the year. A floor vote is expected later this week.

More Cavemen Republican Morality

Keeping up with the Republican Walk With God can be exhausting. Many items go unnoticed here at The Fold Blog because it's a full time job tracking every idiotic, asinine religious undertone comment made by the GOP. But this one can't be left alone.

Virginia State Delegate Republican Bob Marshall used the Old Testament to justify his insistence that God punishes women who have had abortions by giving their second child birth defects.

“The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children,” said Marshall, a Republican.

“In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest.”

Unbelievable. I'm literally speechless on this one. It's not the 19th century anymore. Wake up America!

Bridging the Differences, President Obama Submits HCR Plan

President Obama unveiled his own version of HCR this morning in advance of this week's health care summit. The president's plan is said to contain improvements upon the Senate and House plans passed last year. This newest plan is written to be pushed through Congress by a majority rules process (astonishing I know). The bill still awaits a CBO score. Some highlights:

• No public option
• Exchange system
• Grants federal government power to block insurance rate hikes
• Destined for a majority vote

Fox News Version of Majority Rules: 70-80 Votes

In the Republican Fantasy World, a World that is completely ensured by its gatekeeper Fox News, the only way HCR should pass is with 70-80 senate votes. That's right, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) tells the GOP media relations department Fox News that anything less than 70-80 yes votes is not supported by the American people and is a "trick" by Democrats.

"If you're gonna pass something that's gonna impact everyone in this country personally, their own personal health care, and impact one sixth of the economy, you ought to get something like this passed with 70 or 80 votes in the Senate," he said. "That's the way you get the American people to say, yes, this must be a good idea.'"

Of course the Constitution of the United States of America states only a simple majority (51 votes) is required to pass any legislation in the senate. But not when Democrats are in control. The threshold then is 70-80. Anything less than that is thrusting a majority rules democratic governance upon the country and we can't possibly have something like that happen.

CPAC Full of Extremist Rhetoric and Fringe Behavior, Media Lets it Go Unreported

Rep. Stephen King (R-IA), as plainly as anyone possibly could, outlines who Republicans believe the enemy of this country is while speaking at CPAC.

"Now who are we up against -- and I want to define that enemy," said King. "They are: liberals; they are progressives; they are Che Guevareans, they are Castroites, they're socialists. More enemies on this list: Gramsciites -- ring anybody's bell? -- Trotskyites, Maoists, Stalinists, Leninists, Marxists. They're all our enemies."

No mention whatsoever of al Qaeda or terrorism in general. No mention of bin Laden or states that sponsor Islamic extremism. No mention of 9/11 or those responsible. What he does mention is ancient Cold War ideology focused on a non-existent threat of the Soviet Union and its former allies. And since the Democratic Party, the majority party in America, is in part made up of liberals and progressives, King intentionally labels it as the enemy.

This is classic Republicanism. Anything that does not agree with them, any person that doesn't support everything Republicans stand for is an enemy. Dissenters aren't just old-fashioned opposition. They are enemies that must be destroyed. It's not that Republicans lose elections, it's that enemies have duped America and are occupying its government.

King is a sitting member of Congress. He is not a crazy on the street. Could anyone imagine what would happen if a Democratic member of Congress said conservatives and libertarians are an enemy of America? Fury would erupt from the bowels of every media outlet in the world. Conservatism, the very ideological movement that gave us 8 years of George Bush and epic failure is never allowed to be talked about in such a way. Frankly, I'm glad Democrats don't frame their conversations in such a way. But if one Democrat ever dared behave the way Republicans do, they would be forced to give a tearful apology to the whole world.

Yet, all this sums entirely what's happening in America. Republicans and Tea Baggers alike will never acknowledge Democratic governance. Not because they have political disagreements, but simply because they really believe Democrats are enemies of the state. What if Democrats portrayed Republicans not as an opposition party, but as enemies of the state? That's what's happening here. This is not mainstream American behavior. It's extremism in its very definition. It's past time Republicans are held to their rhetoric.

You Don't Have to Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here

Well ain't this a load of crap.

The teen-focused, young hip-hop wing of the conservative movement brought to the Revolutionary Freedom Fighters by the XPAC Shakur event I mentioned below, was a flop. Lights were out long before 10pm. Republican rapper and fellow Freedom Fighter, Hi-Caliber, was none too worried though. I hope this doesn't damage his street cred.

It's possible since the poster advertising the event had the wrong date on it, the rappers were led astray.It's also possible there wasn't anyone under the age of 45 at the event in the first place.

Quickies

• I think for once I actually agree with Liz Cheney. Let gays serve openly in the military!

• The war in Iraq has a new name. It's now called the war in Iraq.

• I really could careless about Tiger Woods. I'm not a huge golf fan but even if I was, I would careless about Tiger Woods. He's done pretty much what every other famous athlete does. When I do watch Tiger play golf, it's not because he cheats on his wife. It's because he's the best golfer in the world. I really don't care what he does in his personal life.

• Right wing wacko flies plane into federal building, Republicans tell jokes and shrug it off.

• Failed Republican Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney, says President Obama "fails to understand America." This from a guy who equates his sons working on his presidential campaign to serving in the military during time of war. Needless to say, Mitt also believes God lives on planet Kolob and that he is a prophet.

Impeach Obama Movement Alive and Well at CPAC

Amongst tea baggers, birthers, truthers, racists, conspiracy theorists, and people who think a $1.3 trillion deficit is no big deal, but a $1.4 trillion deficit equals the end of the world, there's also a fresh mix of impeachment supporters at CPAC this weekend.

It's not that Republicans lose elections. It's that an enemy is occupying our country and Freedom Fighters must unite.

I don't know what else, or what other sentiment has to be present before these people are officially titled by the media as fringe extremists. If Democrats held a meeting where the sponsors, speakers and attendees were a mix of people who thought Bush was born in Africa, 9/11 was a government plot, people should be given "literacy tests" before being allowed to vote, and that the government was being controlled by foreign plots, would the media call it anything else than what it is: a bunch of fanatical idiots that do good to get out of bed every day.

Deep Thought

I believe when someone who is angry at the American government flies an airplane into a building it's called terrorism. But that's so Bush-Cheney.

More GOP Mainstreamism

Tea Bagger at a gathering in Washington State calls for hanging of Democratic Member of Congress. Just another day of your Republican run of the mill Fox News viewer. Couldn't imagine if someone that voted for Bill Clinton twice had said such a thing about GOPer. Couldn't imagine it.

XPAC Shakur

I can't believe I'm missing this!!

Aside from the date being wrong-- Friday is the 19th not the 20th. Isn't it a red flag when a media outlet gets honored by a political action committee. And this is Fox News' "news" programming that's getting honored. Not their "opinion" programming. Isn't this obvious to the whole world?

The Boys Next Door

The first substantive data showing us what demographic makes up the Tea Bagger movement is out and it's not surprising.

80% are white (with 8% not responding to the question)
60% are male
40% are college graduates
Over a third make $75,000 or more
50% live in rural areas
77% label themselves conservative
96% are Republican-Independent
87% say they will vote Republican for U.S. House

This data is not terribly surprising at all. It fits squarely with the people I know who are aligned with the fringe group. Actually of the 5 close friends I have that have either attended a Tea Bagger protest or sympathize with them 100% are college educated, middle class, come from a rural area, consider themselves conservative and will vote Republican next time just like they always have.

I do have to disagree with TPM's analysis of the data. It seems they are shocked that tea baggers went to college and have jobs. Even calling them "rich." But then again, most of Josh Marshall's staff are Ivy Leagues and are probably amazed that anyone but them exist in the first place. If you are shocked by this data then you really have no grasp whatsoever of what the group really is.

I Do Not Love Congress, but thanks for raising me!

I really don't care much for Evan Bayh. He has always seemed selfish and all about himself. But his parting words are worth a second look.

There's "too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving" on Capitol Hill, Bayh said as he announced his retirement. "I do not love Congress."

Poor guy. Congress has been such a terrible place for him. Congress provided his daddy a steady paycheck for 18 years. It gave Evan insurance coverage throughout his childhood. Congress paid his way through college, gave him a law degree. Even gave him the name recognition to run for Secretary of State in Indiana where he later became a two-term governor before he himself went to the senate to take over his daddy's seat. Congress has provided Evan's children with full coverage insurance and a cozy pension he and his wife will enjoy for quite some time. Congress has also given Evan Bayh the expertise to go be a lobbyist where he will make millions lobbying against health care reform that would provide very similar health care the Congress he doesn't love has provided him his whole life. Don't let the door hit ya Evan.

*Update:

Evan Bayh says he will not become a lobbyist after retiring. At least not for a year that is.

Stimulus Is Working

The graphs to the left demonstrate the economic stimulus package ushered in by President Obama has had some positive effects on the country. GDP is recovering, unemployment is slowly shrinking and on the verge of creating jobs, and the stock market has rebounded nicely.

None of this means we are out of the recession. It's shaky ground at best. But all data suggests the stimulus has worked. Via this Times article, it's worked better than anyone is willing to say.

*Update:

After a rough email from a friend whose opinion I do heavily consider, I want to clarify a few things.

Reader JL:

Chris, how's it working? We were told unemployment would be lower by this time. We were told, GDP would be higher. We were told green tech would be flowing. We were told super trains would be built all over the country. We were told broadband would be comparable to South Korea. And so far all I'm seeing are "grants" to people who mostly don't qualify. The only real construction projects are interstate jobs that states failed to fund because they are all still broke. Actually the construction projects are old projects some from as far back as 2001. Where's the new America we were promised? All the stimulus has done is add to the national debt billions. Job creation is abysmal. The entire stimulus is, the only part stimulating anything, is patch work on interstates. We have pot holes being filled dude. That's it. Where are these big projects that will rescue us all?

JL is a house staffer. And a friend. He's got a point too. I absolutely think the stimulus should have been bigger. It should have been about $1.5 trillion. No one had the balls to do that, however. But the stimulus has been very effective at rescuing the economy from the brink of total disaster. It was in free fall. It no longer is.

Let's consider the choices we were faced with in January 2009. The president's $787 billion stimulus, which has without a doubt saved us pot holes or not. Or the Republican's spending freeze, which would have been the final straw for what would have ushered in another Great Depression. Or do nothing, which is tantamount to a spending freeze. Standing up to Republican obstructionism and do-nothingism was the right thing to do. We are better off today for not listening to the people who got us in this mess in the first place. There's no need to listen to them now either.

Cut it Up, Divide it a Hundred Ways, It's Still Republican

Here is the most simplest of ways I can put my position on the Republican Tea Bagger connection.

After reading this lengthy, often repetitive, NY Times article on how factional the tea baggers are, it struck me that it's no different than having a Young Republicans club. Or a Lincoln Dinner. Or a College Republicans registered on a college campus. They are all small pockets of a larger order. No one goes out of their way to distinguish the GOP from any of that. My point is, there is no doubt in my mind if a Republican were president that none of this would be happening. There would not be a single mention of tea baggers and freedom fighting patriots at all.

Why?

Because Fox News would not be promoting them if the GOP still controlled the White House, and that in itself is huge! And just like the 8 years of Bush, Tea Baggers didn't care one bit what a Republican did. Sure they got disappointed that Bush grew government and spent like he was on one of his drunken nights at a frat house. That's why they created their alternative reality to deal with that stuff. They black it out and pretend it never happened. Guarantee it, there would be no Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity riling up the Republican base with crazy conspiracy theories. There would be no Republican Members of Congress organizing protests against the government calling for Revolution! There wouldn't be any Republican Members going on Fox News calling the president a socialist. None of that would be happening if John McCain had won the election.

In it's most basic form, this is about who is in charge of the White House. It's either a Republican or an enemy. There's no in-between and there is no doubt in my mind none of this would be happening if Repubs were still in charge.

How To Effectively Combat Crazy GOP Lies

There might not be anyone crazier than Michelle Bachmann (R-MN). She's usually a pretty good judge for what loony talking point is best guiding the GOP. From death panels, socialist takeovers, freedom fighting to "charge of the light brigade," all are constant themes from her very usual playbook. Her intent is to say the most ridiculously bizarre things in order to make sure the MSM will repeat whatever it is she says. Whether or not it's true is of no concern to her. She knows the MSM will repeat it so much that eventually her crazy talk sticks in people's minds and becomes truth.

That's why when she says George Bush only ran up a $400 billion deficit, she could careless how true it is. Eventually Fox News will repeat it enough that it becomes GOP gospel (they do it nearly every day). Or when she says that President Obama has ran up more debt than all 43 past presidents combined, something so laughable that only a complete idiot could believe, she's just repeating Fox News talking points that have been around for almost a year now. The crazier the soundbite, the greater the chance it will be cheered and applauded by Republicans and mindlessly repeated on Fox News and hate radio. This is why Josh Marshall says the MSM is wired more for Republicans because it's the sensational that makes the headline and eventually becomes a fixture of belief by viewers.

The worse way to combat Bachmann's lies is with truth. In the reality-based community, George Bush ran up a $1.3 trillion deficit-- 3 times larger than what occurred in Bachmann's Republican Fantasy World. And if you add up the amount of debt accumulated by every president you get way more than the $1.7 trillion by the Obama administration. In fact, George Bush, the Greatest President Ever, accumulated $2.4 trillion. So right there it's easy to see that all of Obama's accumulated debt doesn't even equal one past president.

But like I said, that's the worse way to dispel the GOP Fantasy World. Facts mean nothing to them. They will believe nothing unless it's on their Fox News teevee sets. The only way to shut down such absolute lies, is to out crazy their crazy. Instead of saying "in reality George Bush ran up a $1.3 trillion deficit." Say "George Bush actually created a budget surplus large enough to pay off the two on-going defense of democracy wars in full." Two wrongs don't make a right. But in this case two crazies could possibly make the MSM actually fact-check instead of just repeating sensationals.

Mending Fences

Tea Bagger leaders sit down with GOP Chairman Alan Keyes Michael Steele and other GOP operatives today to discuss "campaign strategies" and so-called conservative principles. Just more proof of The Fold Blog's correct call that tea baggers are simply a motivated faction of the Republican Party. Own your crazies.

Deep Thought

The capture of close bin Laden associate and the No. 2 Taliban leader is proof of Obama's failed anti-terrorism policies.

Quickies

• Attorney General Eric Holder is said to be leaving open the possibility of trying terror suspects in military courts. I have no problem with trying terror suspects in military courts. I also have no problems with incarcerating them on American soil either. I believe our Bureau of Prisons is more than qualified to handle cowards who would rather blow up innocent civilians than stand and fight.
  

• This is hilarious. Ezra Klein says the Obama administration's handling of recess appointments favors the GOP enormously. I tend to agree with Ezra. Say what you will about Republicans and the Bush White House, but getting outsmarted politically was very rare.

• I think I'm getting this right. Esquire surveyed 75 anonymous Republican leaders and 59 of them said President Obama is a socialist. 78% of Republicans in leadership positions think the president is a socialist? Seems kind of low doesn't it???

• This week in Republican Right Wing Extremism: Nathan Augustine, 35, pleaded no contest to arson charges after confessing to throwing a Molotov cocktail into the Creative Visions tattoo parlor after the tattoo artists refused to give him a tattoo with a swastika and crosshairs overlaid on President Obama's face.
  
  And..
  
  Tea Bagger and Sarah Palin supporter Gregory Girard, a Manchester technology consultant, was arrested by the ATF for stockpiling weapons. Girard is said to believe President Obama was about to impose martial law for which his stockpile would come and handy and that Sarah Palin was on a mission from God to save the nation. Viva Bush!

• Is it just me or could you also careless about a nude pic of Jersey Shore girl "Snooki." It would be more surprising if she didn't have one.

White Stripes Get Super Bowl Ad Pulled

I knew there was a reason other than their pure rock sound that I liked the White Stripes.

The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve's presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support."

The AFR pulled the ad. Good for them. And good for the White Stripes. There's also some question as to whether the song was even a White Stripes'. Sounds awfully similar.

Getting the Tea Bagger GOP Argument Right

E.J. Dionne hits on something today in WaPo that I've devoted a lot of time to here at The Fold Blog. And again, I think he too is missing the boat.

Trying to explain the blathering fury emanating from tea baggers, Dionne correctly and historically labels them as anti-statists. He also writes:

Understanding the principled anti-government radicalism that animates this movement explains why its partisans see the conservative Bush as a sellout and the cautiously liberal Obama as a socialist. For now, their fears of Obama are enough to tether the Tea Partiers to the GOP

True enough, glad we can still logically discuss political ideology after the last year of Republican idiocy. But what's the point? It's a one-sided conversation. Republicans are busy talking about socialist takeovers, birth certificates, literacy tests, death panels and islamoterroristliberalsocialistfascists, amongst other conspiracy theories.

Progressives and liberals, Democrats and left leaning independents can aim for logical and accurate discussions all day long but no one else is listening. Certainly not the MSM, mostly because modern media is geared toward flashy new buzz words, 30-second sound bites, and tabloid gossip. Why worry about trying to properly define tea baggers? There's no point.

There's no sense in making this a graduate lecture on how technically speaking it's this or that. It's much simpler than any of that. The true definition of tea baggers and their movement is GOP. They are Republicans, no doubt about it. What they are-- and I can't stress this enough-- are people who voted for George Bush twice that are mad their party isn't in power any more. That's it. It's that simple.

Dionne, and many in the media are getting this wrong. Bush isn't a "sellout." He's the leader of their movement. He is the guy they voted for twice. There was not one single tea bagger in the street protesting anything he did. He grew government enormously, ran up a $1.3 trillion deficit and instituted 8 government taxpayer-funded bailouts of private industry. He did more to centralize and socialize this country than any president in history, especially in terms of interfering in the private sector. And not one single tea bagger ever called him a socialist or held up fancy buzzword signs about Big Government. Why? Because Bush is Republican and so are the Tea Baggers. There's no reason to make this any more difficult than it needs to be.

It's Exactly How It Looks

I've been following just briefly the bamboozlement the GOP is trying to pull off with their makeshift alternative budget proposal from ranking member Paul Ryan. I think Democrats, well scratch that. Democrats have no idea what's going on. I think TPM is missing the forest for the trees on this one.

What the GOP is trying to do, and it's evident by Ryan himself coming out today to announce that his plan is merely a "road map" and not a budget, is the exact same thing I've been writing about that they are doing with the tea baggers. They want to be able to pounce on Obama's budget without actually having one of their own (remember the numberless budget from last year??). And when Dems, or anyone, blasts them for the lack of a budget they will say "oh no, we have plenty of ideas right here in our road map that you are ignoring." It gets them off the hook from actually presenting anything of substance.

This is exactly what they have been doing with the tea baggers. It's a way to take no responsibility for anything. When a Republican at a tea bagger protest says things like how we should ask to see Obama's birth certificate, or how we should institute literacy tests before allowing people to vote, all the GOP has to do is say "oh no, that's not us that's the tea party," and away all responsibility vanishes. All the while the tea baggers are running for office all over the country on the GOP ticket.

This budget stuff is the same thing. They have their road map now. The media will start calling it a road map instead of an alternative budget and it will become plausible deniability for the GOP. And mark my word. Republicans will take this "road map" back to the tea baggers and their base and say "these were our ideas, we were ignored. Look we wanted to cut taxes, shrink the deficit, privatize Social Security and do away with Medicare. Here's our plan where we tried to do away with Obama's socialism and we were ignored."

Everything They Do Is a Revolution!, Absolutely Everything

Republican Revolutionary Steve King (R-IA) compares a Republican document drafted by himself and Revolutionary Freedom Fighter Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) to the American Declaration of Independence.

"It's actually set up on parchment paper in Old-English longhand writing script," King told Radio Iowa. "It actually looks like the Declaration (of Independence) and it says a lot of things like the Declaration."

They wrote it on parchment paper using Old English font? By George, it is a Revolution! then.

How is it they believe everything they do is a revolution, and I really mean absolutely everything? And I'm serious on this one. All jokes aside. Revolutions are tantamount to overthrowing the rule of oppression. Their rhetoric is indicative of their belief that they really see the Democratic Obama administration as an occupation of the country. It's not that they lost an election, it's that Obama is a socialistfascist occupying the country. And what do you do when you are being oppressed by someone you believe is not a legitimate ruler of you? You revolt. That's what the American Colonists did when they no longer viewed the King of England as their ruler. That's exactly what Republicans are doing today.

The Obama administration is illegitimate by birthright and its secret agenda to turn the country into a socialist tyranny. Freedom of mankind is what's at stake here. Not just the mere decision of who's in charge of the country, but the very survival of the country itself.

There is no other way they could view every little thing with such revolutionary vision unless they believed that everything they are up against is because they are battling enemies of the state. No doubt about it. They are a deranged people. But this is absolutely what's going on.

What Good Is a Majority

I certainly have my disagreements with how the U.S. Senate allows itself to succumb to minority rule when it's plain that a simple majority is where the Constitution grants all the power. Even more fascinating than how Senate Dems have allowed their largest majority in 40-plus years to be garnered completely impotent, is how Republicans really believe that even as a minority party they are still in control of the country.

"I sincerely hope the White House does not circumvent the will of the Senate by appointing him when the Senate is out of session," Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, said.

Cult-member Hatch was speaking about the senate's 52-33 vote to end debate and proceed with an "up or down vote" on the confirmation of Craig Becker to head the National Labor Relations Board. The "will of the Senate" in no uncertain terms is not 33 votes.

It's clear an ample majority of the senate supports Becker's confirmation and yet we bask in the will of a minority party that was tossed out in droves at the last elections. This is the fault of the Democrats, no doubt about it.

Gibbs Mocks Palin's Cheat Sheet

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs mocks Super Patriot Sarah Palin's handjob with a grocery list.


Hahahahahhahahahahahahha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Innate Racism, but it is GOP

Megan McCain rightfully calls the Republican Tea Bagger call for literacy tests "innate racism." She is right. I have some fundamental disagreements with Megan on a few levels but this is one I soundly agree with. She goes on to say that young people are turned off by the "movement" because of the racism and its backward looking agenda.



Where I'm going to step aside and probably get people like Megan to disagree with me is I'm going to call it like it is. This is the Republican Party, not some private group. The crazy people showing up and supporting this sort of stuff are without a doubt Republicans.

I don't know what else you can call something that has as its keynote the former Republican VP candidate and current member of the GOP other than Republican. Moreover, every speaker or breakout group presenter was either a member of the GOP or an employee of Fox News. Pretend all day long that it's an independent group but I seriously doubt that if Al Gore, as a contender for the 2012 presidency, held a convention where 99% of the attendees were Democrats, we would be discussing its relationship to the national party.

No other political party in America gets to walk such an enjoyable path between its mainstream and its crazy. Whenever one of its members says something crazy, like how we should re-implement Jim Crow literacy tests, the GOP gets to say oh no, that's not us that's the tea party. Bull crap! Such reasoning leaves everyone totally ignoring the fact that so-called tea party candidates are running on the GOP ticket all over the country. It also ignores the fact that their faction is financed by Republican PAC money. Whenever and if ever a so-called tea party candidate wins an election, it's the GOP that picks up the seat, not the tea party. It is entirely Republican, top to bottom, bought and paid for.

All this is, in every way, shape and form, is a way for Republicans to go around the country calling the president a socialistfascist enemy of the state and take no responsibility for it whatsoever. And the media lets it happen. They even go out of their way to help make the distinction between GOP and tea bagger. This is the same media that enabled 8 years of George Bush and these are the very same people that voted twice for Bush and who-- without a doubt-- would have called anyone doing what they are doing now anti-Americanism.

Just like Megan McCain is a Republican so are the tea baggers she disagrees with. It's an intra-party squabble It's a complete disagreement by its members on what direction to take the GOP. No one seems to question Megan's affiliation to the GOP so why are people who are in every aspect the same as her not Republicans?

Republican Tea Bagger Highlights

In case you missed last weekend's Republican Tea Bagger extravaganza, the gracious people at TPM have created a highlight sheet to keep everyone abreast (no pun intended) of the Revolution! at hand.

Some very proud notables:

• Literacy test to keep undesirables from voting and electing socialistfascists like Barack Obama

• Birtherism, and hardcore. Tea Baggers want signs up in 2012 asking where the birth certificate is

• Homophobia-- Obama has elevated immorality to a new degree

• And my personal favorite, in order to make it look less crazy, Tea Bagger organizers banned signs and t-shirts portraying Obama as Hitler or the joker

Wouldn't the fact you had to ban those things really tell you something about your organization?

Murtha Passes

Sad to see you go Jack. You were a good man.

You don't see many Members of Congress with such a resume.

• Colonel, United States Marine Corps
• Navy Distinguished Service Medal
• Vietnam Veteran
• Two Purple Hearts
• Bronze Star
• Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry
• First Vietnam Veteran elected to Congress

He was no senator's son. He lived his life for his country.

Image of the Week

Sarah Palin does handjob.



The Stupidest People in the World..

Fox News says their colleague Sarah Palin purposely wrote notes on her hand for her post-speech interview to draw attention to President Obama's use of a teleprompter. They call it "folksy," the "opposite of reading off a teleprompter," even "down to earth." Funny I don't recall Obama using a teleprompter or having crib notes when he manhandled the GOP with their Q&A session. That was an old fashioned truth-letting that Fox News had to cut and run from.

It's a Plan When it's Not

Shorter GOP: The alternative budget plan drawn up by our ranking member that privatizes Social Security, does away with Medicare and creates a budget surplus in about half a century is not our plan unless you start telling everybody that we don't have a plan.

Palin Really Shouldn't Talk While Tea Bagging

I think it would be more surprising if half-term governor, former Republican VP candidate and current Fox News contributor Sarah Palin's speech to her fellow tea baggers didn't contain any lies. Fortunately for those of us battling on the front lines of Freedom Fighting holding together the remnants of the next Revolution!, her speech was full of conspiracy theories and wing nut fables of days gone by.

*Update:

Something else totally Revolutionary inspired and total proof Fox News is the lone defender of freedom. Fox News did not cut away one single time from Patriot Sarah Palin's address to the troops battling on the front lines. Unlike when the President of the United States was historically and unprecedentedly taking questions from the opposition party and FNC dropped it like it was hot, Fox News this time manned the guns and, like a beacon in the night, or a rocket's red glare, kept the eternal flame of freedom burning so all could see. Thank you Fox News and thank God for you!

**Update:

America this is your Revolution! Embrace it, behold it, never forget it!

Met with gleeful applause and rounds of cheering, tea baggers are treated to birtherism galore. Whatever happened to the days of the Commander in Chief has near dictatorial powers? Why didn't we just barricade the doors of this conference center from the outside and keep these people locked in their solace of jizz forever?

Cohen Quits

Scott Cohen eases the chances of a complete Democratic implosion in Illinois by dropping out of the race. Cohen captured the Democratic nod for Lt. Gov in last week's primary so he would have ran as the running mate of current Democratic Governor Pat Quinn. Only after his victory did the media begin to pay attention to who the guy was and his past. Cohen's dropping out only slightly eases the chances of Democrats losing the governor's office, however.

Republican Tea Bagger Circle Jerk

Just a few words on the tea bagger circle jerk happening in Nashville this weekend.

Technically it's not a convention. Not in a political sense. No one is being nominated. No one is being elected to anything. Tea bagger is not even a political party. It's merely a motivated faction of the GOP. Hence why the former Republican vice presidential candidate is the main speaker, and do note she is being paid $120,000 to speak. That's nearly equivalent to her salary as governor before she quit in the middle of her term. Also, people don't pay to go to conventions. This one is costing over $500/person. The whole thing is merely a reservation of a large room at a hotel where people who voted for George Bush twice will get together to talk about cutting taxes, small government, reining in the deficit, Reagan and how they are Revolutionary Freedom Fighters. If you have all your chromosomes you won't be anywhere near this place.

Republicans, don't forget. You're not gay if all you do is hold your mouth open. Good luck and bring a rag.

*Update:

Sometimes it's extremely hard (no pun intended) not to wish I was part of the Revolution! that is taking hold in Nashville this weekend. Their patriotism is envious and their dedication to freedom fighting knows no bounds. Who is not jealous of this?

Not bringing your notes for the opening and official welcoming is hardly anything to criticize. Skipping over the prayer to give thanks to the God that has led them to Nashville and ordained them with Great Patriotism to fight for the survival of conservatism can easily be corrected. Forgetting the American flag and skipping the pledge of allegiance is but a small oversight. What matters is that they are Real Americans who care deeply about this country. Those among us who has held a circle jerk that is more Patriotic let them cast the first stone.

**Update:

Oh my. The very people who want government to get out of their Medicare, and who simultaneously are now angry about the tax rate even though taxes haven't changed one penny, who also voted twice for George Bush and are now suddenly concerned about the deficit, and...and unanimously think President Obama is a socialistfascist are calling for a "literacy test" before people are allowed to vote. Do they not know none of them would pass it?

Of course "literacy tests" go way back in American history. They were used to keep people who look like President Obama from voting (the evil blacks). Literacy tests were also the staple of Jim Crow and the American South.

Behold your Revolution! America. Is this what you really want? Is this the change we all want to go back to? Not only is this 19th century thinking, it's a complete abomination of basic human rights. I couldn't possibly imagine what the MSM would be doing if Democrats proposed such an idea as barbaric as re-instituting Jim Crow legislation. While we're at it, why don't we go back to when blacks were property, women couldn't vote and cavemen rubbed sticks together. How much more of this do we have to take before the Republican Party is held responsible? There is no place for any of this in American discourse much less by a major national political party.

Small Government Senator Holds Out for More Pork

I wish I had a nickel for every time a Republican claimed to be against earmarks pork spending and Big Government. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this blog anymore.

Sen. Dick Shelby of Alabama has placed a hold on all Obama appointees because he feels his state is not getting enough pork barrel money.

Here's how this will go. Shelby will get to place a hold on all the president's nominees because he feels his state deserves hundreds of billions of dollars in pork spending but the good senator will get to go home and campaign as a pork buster, small government conservative. On what planet can someone this hypocritical get away with such stuff? Oh yeah it's called the Republican Fantasy World we are all forced to live in.

*Update:

It's been awhile since I've had the pleasure of writing about ultra conservative and family values Republican Mark Sanford. He's kind of been laying low since he got injured hiking the Appalachian Trail. I wish him the speediest of recoveries. Though it seems, oddly I might add, that after he argued against federal stimulus funds for his very patriotic state of South Carolina-- even calling them "slavery" and "child abuse"-- he went to DC yesterday to demand more stimulus spending for his state. If there is anyone that needs more stimulation, I don't think it would be Mark Sanford.

Here's how this will go. Mark Sanford gets to cheat on his wife, use tax payer money to pay for his love romps, idiotically call federal stimulus money "slavery," and then secretly travel to DC to demand more federal funds of which he'll get to go back to his home state and continue to be labeled as a small government, fiscal conservative with moral values. Amazing it truly is.

Totally Understandable

Shorter Cohen: I only beat my wife because I was abusing steroids at the time. More here.

Coming Dem Implosion

I've been reading with sly laughter throughout the day yesterday and this morning about the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor in Illinois, Scott Cohen. How he got through the primary is indicative of the lack of focus the media places on Lt. Governor's races, and the office itself, here in Illinois. Common sense would tell you that since 3 Illinois governor's have went to prison in the last 30 years, and the fourth on his way to prison, that the Lt. Governor's spot would be rather important. But maybe that's too simple for the MSM to figure out.

Fact Check: Hensarling's Question Far From Truth

Remember the unprecedented and historical exchange between President Obama and the Republican caucus last Friday? The big item garnering the most attention was Congressman Hensarling's questioning of the president in which he asserted the Obama administration was running monthly deficits equivalent to Bush's annual deficits. I would say that Hensarling's question is simply not true. I'm tempted to do that, instead I'll call it what it really is, a flat out lie.

PolitFact did some fact-checking and had this to say:

In summary, Hensarling's numbers only work if you cherry-pick the highest month under full Democratic control and compare it to one of the lowest years under full Republican control. If you compare average months (about $112 billion a month for Obama and the Democratic Congress) to average years under Bush (about $412 billion a year if you include his full 8-year term, or about $260 billion a year if you only include the first six years with a Republican Congress), Hensarling's numbers are wrong. There are so many bookkeeping tricks in this one that he's far from the truth. We his claim False.

"He's far from the truth," is their conclusion. That's just a nice way of saying he's a complete liar.

Republicans, though, think the exchange was a complete success. So much a success that they are trying to raise money off of it. This is partly because the people who donate to the GOP didn't watch the whole thing. Fox News cut and ran when they realized facts and reality were scorching their network. In their Republican Fantasy World, the Repubs really put it to Obama. They really showed him who's boss. Fox News will keep them sheltered like children. It's really gotta suck to be a Republican.

Politico and Ben Smith Get This Wrong, Way Wrong

There's a famous saying that all politics is local. But when it comes to Republicans and their mentally incapacitated ability to portray everything as good news for them, sayings are the first thing thrown out the window.

Politico's political editor via Ben Smith's blog:

While Kirk’s margins were much weaker Downstate—not that surprising since he’s a North Shore congressman—he got pummeled in most of the main coal-producing counties. He lost five of the state’s 11 leading coal counties to Don Lowery, a southern Illinois-based candidate who raised only $20,000 and got almost no traction in the rest of the state. In those 11 counties, Kirk ran an average of 20 points below his statewide performance and he averaged 34 percent to 31 percent for Lowery. Lowery killed him in the top coal county in the state—Saline County—63 percent to 16 percent. Yeah, Lowery once worked in Saline County and announced his candidacy in another nearby coal county where he also trounced Kirk. But the bottom line here is that Kirk’s cap and trade vote mattered. Lowery had a section dedicated to the issue and to Kirk’s position on his website. Not good news for Coal Belt Dems such as Reps. Space, Boucher, Rahall, Mollohan, et al.

It's hard to find a sentence in there that makes any sense at all.

Despite what Republicans may be telling themselves concerning cap and trade, and despite whatever it is Rush Limbaugh and Fox News keeps feeding them, Judge Lowery won most of Southern Illinois and "coal country" simply because HE'S A LOCAL CANDIDATE!

It really is that simple. We in Southern Illinois have real problems voting in elections where every candidate is from Chicago. When we finally get a candidate from this region, we vote for them. Party affiliation has almost nothing to do with it and certainly federal legislation has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Judge Lowery is a good guy. He's well respected in this area and there is no doubt Democrats crossed over to vote for him. And all of it has to do with the belief that one of us would be the best choice to represent all of us. Lowery has a southern drawl and that's all that matters.

TN Lt. Gov Says He Doesn't Know If Obama is Citizen or Not

It's very possible there isn't a sane one in the bunch.

Once again, these are not the crazies on the street. These are actual elected Republican Party members. These are the leaders of the party. The terrorists have the plane.

Tea Bagger Revolution in IL-12

This one almost isn't fair because both candidates running in the GOP primary to face Rep. Jerry Costello (D) in the IL-12 congressional district were proud tea baggers. Both Teri Newman and Theresa Kormos identified their candidacy as being inspired by tea bagger protests and the need to spread conspiracy theories. Needless to say it really didn't matter which one of them came out on top (no pun intended), tea baggers would have had a candidate in the general election either way.

Now here's the official tea bagging revolutionary freedom fighting part. Newman, who doesn't even live in the district, won the Republican nod. Newman is such a freedom loving patriot she decided to run anyway. And run she did. She says she has no plans to move into the district. Good for her.

Most notably Newman is a known"cougar." She once entered a contest to write a column for a newspaper advising older women about dating younger men. Puuurrrrrrr...

Some of her platform consists of lining people up and shooting them. No joke.

She is also a vocal opponent of what she calls "socialized medicine." She writes on her website that she opposes any form of government controlled health care. Interesting to point out that she also wrote on her website that our veterans are the least appreciated group in America and we shouldn't wait until they die before we honor them. Very true but I wonder if she understands our veteran's have government-run health care. It's a system that truly honors those who served and a system veterans overwhelmingly support. It's also interesting to note that if Newman did win she too would have the undeniable congressional perk of partaking in a very socialized health care system. One that is totally tax payer funded and very similar to the same "public option" system she claims to oppose.

This is just very simple, very contradictory stuff to point out. There's really no thought that needs to go into figuring out veterans have government-run health care and congress, the place she wants to work, has a single payer system. What makes tea baggers, even cougars who know it's better to tea bag with a younger man (seriously who wants an old nut sack?), actual tea baggers is they don't actually oppose big government, socialism, deficits or fiscal irresponsibility. They just say they do. If you question their reasoning with just simple stuff, their only reply is that you are anti-American or a liberal, it's all the same to them.

This should be one of the most comical races in a long time. I'm looking forward to it.

The Morning After

Nothing is really certain right now. Well not officially.

On the Democratic side, Pat Quinn has declared himself the winner with a sizable 6,000 vote lead over Dan Hynes who has yet to concede. Giannoulias takes the U.S. senate nod and Miller pulls out a squeaker in the comptroller's race. Nothing too terribly out of the ordinary on that one except for maybe how close the guv's race is/was.

The Republican ticket gets a little fuzzier. Super wacko Bill Brady holds a 503 vote lead over Kirk Dillard. As I was saying last night, that would be an upset. Dillard had been leading sometimes with double digits going into election day. The only certain race is the U.S. senate race with Mark Kirk easily winning.

So where does this leave Illinois?

Surprisingly, or not, right where we started. Hynes will eventually concede and Quinn will face Brady in the general. Brady has the temperament of a two-year old and all the crazy of a tea bagger. This is definitely a person tea baggers will line up behind. I think Brady can take this and make it fully crazy or he can choose to focus on Illinois and our massive deficits. He doesn't have to make it a conspiracy theory docudrama to win. He can win without ever stooping that low. Quinn will have his hands full. Frankly, I don't see how Quinn can beat him. Certainly the Democrats controlling the governor's mansion for almost 7 years has brought nothing but misery to Illinois. Change is on the way.

Illinois Primary Update

Is Bill Brady really going to pull this off? With 87% reporting, it sure looks like.

Yikes!

Quinn will have his hands full with this guy.

*Update:

With 91% reporting Dillard has edged ahead in the Republican Guv primary. Wow, just when I was looking forward to Brady dragging his knuckles across the state, it looks like a moderate Dillard will face a moderate Quinn. 9% still to report so it could change.

**Update:

With 96% of precincts reporting, Kirk Dillard has about a 900 vote lead over right wing nut job Bill Brady. It's no surprise that Quinn took the Dem nod, but it would be a shock to see Brady pull out the Repub nod. In a way I would prefer Brady just because I would like to see how moon-bat crazy he could rile the GOP. On the other hand, I would be relieved to see a moderate like Dillard chill out the GOP and help them get over their conspiracy theory base. That would be the best thing for everybody actually.

***Update:

Spoke too soon. Brady has just opened up an almost 2,000 vote lead over Dillard. Get the nut sacks and your subscription to Conspiracy Theory ready!!

Referendum on Tea Baggers?

The nation's first primary set off today in Illinois. Something is noticeably missing from the narrative, however. The referendum on the tea bagger movement sweeping (only if you watch Fox News) the nation.

Much attention has been paid to tea bagger influence in NY-23, where tea bagger extremism cost the GOP a safe seat, and in the U.S. senate special election in MA last month, where Republican tea bagger Scott Brown pulled off an impressive victory. On the heels of their first ever "convention," in Nashville and their pickup in MA, why aren't tea baggers getting the same attention here in Illinois? It's not like they are short of candidates.

The Illinois governor's race has tea bagger supported Adam Andrzejewski and tea bagger fondler Bill Brady (who is freaky scary). On the U.S. senate side Republicans have tea bagger hopefuls Andy Martin, Judge Don Lowery and tea bagger favorite Patrick Hughes (who is nuts by the way). There are also moderate candidates just like in NY-23.

Tea baggers have been extremely vocal, active and adamant for their circle jerks throughout the state, even if completely crazy. Considering Illinois is one of the most diverse states in the Union, the 5th largest in the country, has a world class city, a large southern contingent just as conservative as any southern state and is the home of both Lincoln and Obama, shouldn't there be a little bit more focus on the only motivated faction of the GOP? Actually, Ben Smith has a really good rundown as to why not and I agree with him.

Pentagon Says It's Moving to Repeal DADT

This has to be one of the stupidest debates ever.

Ever since I've been interested in politics, 5th or 6th grade as I recall, we've been debating the role of gays in our society. The debate's been going on longer than that, I know. It's just that I can remember it as far back as then. And surprisingly we haven't progressed the debate at all. We are still trying to figure out if gays deserve the full rights of citizenship or if they are people cursed by God and should be banned from public life. Is this really a 21st century debate?



Let them in the military! Get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and get this debate over with. If a person can pass the physical, mental and medical requirements to volunteer for the military, they should be allowed. Sexual orientation should have nothing to do with it. Perversion is someone who is so concerned about what gays are doing in the first place.

Illinois Primary

Casted my big blue ballot this morning in the Illinois primary. No lines, few people and we here in this state are pretty much screwed. Wrote my name in a couple different times because after 6 years of Blago it's really hard to think Democrats can figure this out at the state level. Just for the record, I voted for Blago in 2002 but not 2006. I was smart enough to realize by '06 that he was a total crook. How in the world someone could make George Ryan look good is beyond me. But he accomplished that.

I'm assuming, and I haven't looked at a single poll or paid much attention, mainly because where I live is closer to Memphis than it is to Springfield, and closer to Jackson, Mississippi than it is to Chicago. In other words, we really don't feel like part of the state. Elections in Kentucky have more impact on us than our own state. Anyway, I'm assuming Quinn takes the governor's primary and Giannoulias wins the U.S. senate nomination. For Republicans, I really have no clue. My guess is Kirk Dillard wins the governor's nod and Mark Kirk the senate. Mark Kirk is rumored to be gay so it should be a fun general election here in Illinois.

I really have no dog in this fight, yet.

Deep Thought

Fox News has two likely Republican presidential candidates on their payroll. Extremely Fair and Balanced.

Fox: We Cut Away Cause We Are the Most Trusted

This should explain it all.

Fox News president Roger Ailes says it cut away from President Obama's Q&A truth letting with Republicans because they are "the most trusted name in news."



Wouldn't the most trusted name in news cover the whole event without interrupting with commentary?

Fits Tries to Explain

After our back and forth last week with Fits News, which largely went unanswered by Fits, they have now responded with a larger blog post trying to tackle some of their "Democratic commenters." That would be me.

In short, Fits doesn't want to be blamed as "Republican apologists." We here at The Fold can't say that we blame them. That would be a lot of apologizing that no blog could handle. But I have to point out that my initial comment was not to "pimp" them as being Republican apologists. It was to point out that what they wrote was just plain wrong.

Fits seems bent on framing anything the president does, like all Republicans are doing, as a socialist agenda. That's fine and dandy; whatever floats your boat. But don't pretend that Obama did not openly run his campaign on increasing the role of government. He most certainly did. And guess what? He won. Not only did he handily beat an opponent that ran as a so-called "conservative," he got more votes than anyone in history. Pointing that out to Fits is not wanting an apology, because we all know tough macho manly Republicans never apologize. It's simply demonstrating that what they wrote is wrong. Very wrong.

It's the Budget Stupid

Obama to unveil record spending and record deficit in his first budget.