politicsoffear(revised).ppt

What we knew all along. Thanks to the folks at Salon.com and Politico, we see exactly how our friends at the GOP are using fear to help their fundraising efforts. To be fair (as the folks at Politico put it): "Manipulating donors with crude caricatures and playing on their fears is hardly unique to Republicans or to the RNC – Democrats raised millions off George W. Bush in similar terms – but rarely is it practiced in such cartoonish terms." Still, this is shocking to see. Common sense conservatism? Compassionate conservatism? Nah. How's about we go with cynical conservatism?

Theocons

One interesting, and not so bad, thing about the Great Recession and the rise of the Teabaggers is that the "social issues" have sort of fallen by the wayside. It's not that I agree with Republicans on economic issues, but I feel I can discuss these issues with them and we can have substantive debates. That's really not the case with abortion, prayer in school, or they gay stuff. There just isn't much room for give and take.

However, I never believed the folks who got off on those sorts of issues went away. They're still around, waiting in the wings to piss me off.

Shorter Michael Walsh:

All Jewish, Italian, and Irish politicians are just "the bastard idiot children of the Tammany Hall ethnic groups."

Apparently the only people fit to govern are white protestants and conservative black people. Also, Democrats are racists. That's why a black guy is the President.

It May Have Been the Warmest January Ever Recorded...

...but Al Gore is still fat.