This is another one of those stories about people taking their anti-government ideology so far that they really reveal themselves as idiots. But there's a bit of a back story. It takes place in or near Concord, New Hampshire, where I grew up. The story involves Johnathon Irish and Stephanie Taylor, a young redneck couple in Epsom, New Hampshire. On October … Read More
We Have A Winner
The Tea Party crowd sure does bring an odd assortment of politicians to the forefront. You know what I mean — politicians who are people "just like you and me". Which is true. I know I'm always having to disavow being a witch. But in the race to crazy, the winner has to be Ohio Congressional candidate Rich Iott. Iott likes to dress up … Read More
For Your Amusement
Yeah, it's real. I can't make out the small print on these pictures, but the Globe says it contains this snippet: "When taxes are too high, the high tax takes away jobs and freedom. In 1773 we had a Tea Party and this led to freedom from high taxes. Today we are having another Tea Party and this will lead … Read More
The Pledge Is Here!
In Sterling, VA, House Republicans this morning will unveil their governing blueprint if they win back the majority in November. It’s called “A Pledge to America,” but it really isn’t a call to revolutionize the way Congress does business like the GOP’s “Contract with America” did in 1994. Rather, the “Pledge” is a laundry list of priorities. The 21-page document … Read More
She Weighs The Same As A Duck
Christine O'Donnell, the anti-masturbation anti-condom Tea Party candidate who was vaulted into the national spotlight when she ousted moderate Republican Mike Castle for the bid for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat, says she merely "dabbled" in witchcraft, and besides, it was in high school and it served as a learning experience for her. Which, I suppose, is better than admitting it … Read More
The Stewart/Colbert Rally On The Mall
Actually, it's two rallies competing against each other. But it's October 30, whatever it is. Awesome? You bet. Here’s the website. And the other website. From the CSMonitor: Mark your calendars. The Rally to Restore Sanity and the March to Keep Fear Alive will be held on Oct. 30 on the National Mall in Washington, DC. And we’re pretty sure Glenn Beck has not … Read More
The O’Donnell Victory
Well, it may seem counterintuitive that Democrats are cheering the victory of Tea Party-backed candidate Christine O'Donnell as the GOP candidate as US Senator for Delaware, but that's what they are doing. Christine O'Donnell, a perennial candidate running on a platform of fiscal conservatism (despite having had tons of personal financing problems) defeated incumbent GOP senator Mike Castle, in a victory which stunned politicians … Read More
Sarah Palin Quote Of The Day
From her 9/11 rally in Alaska (via Blue Texan) "This Statue of Liberty was gifted to us by foreign leaders, really as a warning to us, it was a warning to us to stay unique and to stay exceptional from other countries. Certainly not to go down the path of other countries that adopted socialist policies," Palin said to cheers from … Read More
A Real Movement
Steve Benen encapsulates my thoughts: MOVEMENTS ARE ABOUT SOMETHING REAL…. I tried to keep up on today's festivities at the Lincoln Memorial, but as the dust settles, I find myself confused. For a year and a half, we've seen rallies and town-hall shouting and attack ads and Fox News special reports. But I still haven't the foggiest idea what these … Read More
My Predictions For Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” Rally & Circus In DC This Weekend
(1) Fox News will cover it wall-to-wall. (2) You won't see a lot of non-white faces there in the crowd. I should note that the Tea Party groups going to the event are giving out "advice" about how to deal with the multi-cultural DC residents, as evidenced by this, from the website of a Tea Party group in Maine: Safety … Read More
Sensitivity Training
Don't tell me the anti-mosque crusade isn't about bigotry and racism. Sure, the anti-mosque-eteers might give some lip to service to their notion that a "mosque" "at" Ground Zero offends the 9/11 families, but it doesn't take much to see that what's going on is more sinister: they don't want the mosque because they just don't like olive-skinned people. Read this … Read More
Tea Party Follies
So Andrew Breitbart, the rightwinger who released the edited Shirley Sherrod video in order to paint her as "racist", came up with a great idea to show that he and the Tea Party movement isn't racist. He held a Uni-Tea rally in Philadelphia over the weekend to highlight how diverse the Tea Party is, lining up some black speakers to … Read More
Conservatives Not Liking Present Conservatism
I'm seeing this a lot lately. Conservative pundit David Klinghoffer in the L.A. Times: Once, the iconic figures on the political right were urbane visionaries and builders of institutions — like William F. Buckley Jr., Irving Kristol and Father Richard John Neuhaus, all dead now. Today, far more representative is potty-mouthed Internet entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart, whose news and opinion website, Breitbart.com, is read by … Read More
Splitters!
First, the NAACP condemned the tea party movement as being "racist". That prompted Mark Williams, the leader of the Tea Party Express, to pen a"satirical" response – a made-up letter from "colored persons" to Abraham Lincoln saying they had changed their minds about emancipation. The letter received immediate and widespread criticism, and Williams eventually withdrew it from publication. But the controversy wasn't over: … Read More
When Republicans Start Telling The Truth And Stop Bagging Tea
Rep. Bob Inglis, defeated in South Carolina's Republican primary last month, told the AP that the GOP is succumbing to "demagoguery" and talk-show personalities, blasted Sarah Palin's "death panels" comments, and compared American partisans to "Sunni and Shia." While not naming names, 12-year incumbent Rep. Bob Inglis suggested in interviews with The Associated Press that tea party favorites such as former vice … Read More