Archive for March 25, 2010
“Enhanced Protest Techniques”
“Enhanced Protest Techniques” is a category this post on Balloon Juice was filed under: A Thousand Little Wacos.
Hum.
Tweet of the Day — Somebody’s Going to Die
From Dave Weigel:
Remember the furor over MoveOn’s “General Betray Us” ad?
It happened less than three years ago. The ad didn’t threaten to kill anyone and it didn’t take aim at staffers or children. Still, Democrats voted — in public, on the floor — to condemn it.
Yo, Republicans, I’m lookin’ at you. We’re not talking about a newspaper ad here folks — somebody’s going to die.
Do something!
Crosshairs and All — Sarah Palin Owns the Republican Party
I haven’t heard one Republican condemn Sarah Palin’s use of crosshairs to target 20 Democrats who voted for health insurance reform:
Why? Slapping forehead — they’re afraid of her!
“Rigid Conformity is Being Enforced, No Dissent is Allowed”
Here is a very telling piece by Bruce Bartlett regarding the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) firing David Frum today:
Since, he is no longer affiliated with AEI, I feel free to say publicly something he told me in private a few months ago. He asked if I had noticed any comments by AEI “scholars” on the subject of health care reform. I said no and he said that was because they had been ordered not to speak to the media because they agreed with too much of what Obama was trying to do.
It saddened me to hear this. I have always hoped that my experience was unique. But now I see that I was just the first to suffer from a closing of the conservative mind. Rigid conformity is being enforced, no dissent is allowed, and the conservative brain will slowly shrivel into dementia if it hasn’t already.
Sadly, there is no place for David and me to go. The donor community is only interested in financing organizations that parrot the party line, such as the one recently established by McCain economic adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin.
I will have more to say on this topic later. But I wanted to say that this is a black day for what passes for a conservative movement, scholarship, and the once-respected AEI.
It will be their undoing and the sooner the better.
Biggest Headline on Fox? Sexual Harassment in the Modeling Industry
Wow, is this ever an obvious move: What with all that’s going on around here — most of it not good for Republicans — Fox is redirecting it’s audience’s attention far afield — to sexual harassment in the modeling industry:
Note to Fox fans: When you go to FoxNews.com and you see something like this in the prime pole position, you know Fox is hiding something. Sexual harassment in the modeling industry is not, I repeat not, the big news of the day. Tea party/Republican terror tactics are and that’s what Fox doesn’t want you to know.
(This screenshot was taken at 5:21 p.m. ET)
More Terrorism: Anthony Weiner Gets Letter Containing White Powder
The office of Representative Anthony Weiner received a letter that “could be interpreted as threatening,” the FBI said on Thursday, and local media reported the letter contained an unidentified white powder.
U.S.
Authorities were responding to the office of the Democratic Congressman in the New York City borough of Queens, and no other details were immediately available, said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.
Police Dispute Eric Cantor’s Story About Bullet Shot Through Window
From the Virginia Richmond:
A Richmond Police detective was assigned to the case. A preliminary investigation shows that a bullet was fired into the air and struck the window in a downward direction, landing on the floor about a foot from the window. The round struck with enough force to break the windowpane but did not penetrate the window blinds. There was no other damage to the room, which is used occasionally for meetings by the congressman.
This is very different in tone than what Cantor both said and implied, especially the part about the bullet traveling in a downward direction.
Hey, maybe God was doing the shooting.
David Frum Gets Sacked (UPDATED)
Wow. Former George W. Bush speech writer David Frum, who on Sunday wrote a scathing article alleging that instead of health care reform being President Obama’s “Waterloo,” it could very easily turn out to be the Republican’s Waterloo, has been sacked by the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Here’s what Frum wrote on his blog.
The Republican party is purging excommunicating the sane amongst it. Presumably David has now learned that wingers are not to challenge groupthink!
UPDATED: I’m hearing that Frum will be on Countdown tonight.
Sarah Palin to Star in TLC “Documentary”
CNN is reporting that Sarah Palin will star in an 8-part “documentary” on TLC. (“TLC” stands for The Learning Channel. How ironic.)
I Don’t Believe Eric Cantor (UPDATED)
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) came out today and dismissed concerns about the growing political violence:
I’ve received threats since I assumed elected office, not only because of my position but also because I’m Jewish. I’ve never blamed anyone in this body for that, period. Any suggestion that a leader in this body would incite threats or acts against other members is akin to saying that I would endanger myself, my wife or my children. Just recently I have been directly threatened. A bullet was shot through the window of my campaign office in Richmond this week, and I’ve received threatening e-mails. But I will not release them, because I believe such actions will only encourage more to be sent.
If a bullet was shot through the window of Cantor’s campaign office “this week” — meaning, presumably, before today — he’d have been jumping up and down about it IMMEDIATELY.
Show me a police report or the bullet that was pulled from the wall or a receipt from the glass company that replaced the glass.
UPDATE: The police have spoken, here.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) Says People Who Read Blogs (That Would be You) Aren’t “Real People”
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet (D) says people who make up “the blogosphere” aren’t “real people” or “real voters:”
Bennet is feeling the pressure at home for bailing on his promise to “save the public option,” and now he’s lashing out. A local TV news outlet in Bennet’s hometown of Denver reported last night that Bennet says he “doesn’t confuse the blogosphere for real people and real voters.”
I happen to live in Colorado and I just fired off a letter (hard copy — maybe it’ll make more of an impression than an email) to Bennet because ah, I’m kinda furious about this. I’ve voted in every single election (local, state, federal) that has been held since I came of age, I read the Internet and oops, look, I even have a blog. And far as I know, I’m a real person and a real voter MR. BENNET!
Looks Like Pope Benedict XVI Is in a Heap of Trouble
A priest allegedly molests “as many as 200 deaf boys” and Vatican officials — including the current Pope — look the other way? It’s mind-boggling:
Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI – did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit.
It’s a Sad Day…
It’s a sad day when the first chyron I see on TV is “Fear on Capitol Hill.”
