Republicans Don't Get It, Example 7: Santorum Blames Bush, Party's Message Still Relevant

I love Fox News for it's ability to get Republicans to open up and say what ever is on their pea sized brains. After all, their speaking to their own, so why not talk unfiltered shop in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Asked if the NY Times is right about the GOP moving more to the center, Rick Santorum laughed. After all, only those liberal Democrats need to move to the center, because they're so uncontrollably Marxist. According to the CLUELESS Santorum:

"It wasn't the issues of the Republican Party that was the problem. It was George Bush and his mistakes...it was a sense the economy was moving in the wrong direction. That's not at the core of the Republican message..."

That's right, Congress had nothing to do with the economy, budgets, war oversight and their own criminal activity. The core message was to cede power to the president, rubber stamp everything and vilify as traitors anyone who disents. Ahh what the hell, watch the clip.

Fred Barnes Admits Katherine Harris Obstructed Vote in Florida While Criticizing Franken/Coleman Race

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been so unimpressive an elected official, I can't help but scratch my head wondering what the hell they're thinking up there in Lake Wobegon. He wonders out loud why most of the new vote counts are benefiting Al Franken, without thinking that maybe those votes were kept out because they WERE FOR Al FRANKEN.

Then we have Fox News' Fred Barnes beating the vote fraud myth anew with accusations that the Democratic Minn. Sec. of State is as wily and crooked as Katherine Harris. To his credit, Mort Kondracke reminds Barnes that making such a statement proves what Democrats have been saying for years about the fixed Bush/Gore 2000 election in Florida, that Harris really did obstruct the vote there. Dah!

You'll love the hypocrisy, and Kondracke's attempts to get Barnes to stop the Harris comparisons.

Free Market Ideologues Warn: Union Jobs Killing Auto Industry

It all seemed innocent enough, as reported by the NY Times:

Momentum is building in Washington for a rescue package for the auto industry to head off a possible bankruptcy filing by General Motors, which is rapidly running low on cash.

Many see this as necessary, while others want the market forces to work its magic with the auto industry’s problems. The free marketers would love to see bankruptcy shed a few more union jobs, since organized labor has been a pain in the ass for the powerful corporate elites, an unconfortable balance that held back flat out capitalism. The Times article continues with this:

Although G.M.’s labor contracts would be at risk of termination in a bankruptcy, setting up a potential confrontation with its unions, bankruptcy can offer a fresh start with a more competitive cost structure to preserve a future for the workers who remain.

The conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, tips it’s hand in this clip from Fox News:



The auto industry is doing really well in countries where gas is incredibly expensive, and labor here is unfairly impacting competition world wide? Who would have guessed we would be riding an American car in that race to the bottom?

Catholic Church Leaves ACORN for Misconduct, Shouldn't We do the Same For Pedophile Priests? YES!

Isn't it nice to know that the Catholic Church has decided to start their own mini-crusade against the incoming Obama administration with this shot over the bow as reported by ABC News; "The election was not a referendum on abortion, and suggests that aggressive abortion-rights polices 'would alienate many Americans and be interpreted by many Catholics as an attack on the Church."?

They have even decided to withdraw funding to ACORN for covering up the embezzlement of $1 million eight years ago, stating their dissatisfaction this way; " Our concerns are over financial accountability, organizational performance and political partisanship." I know what you're asking yourself, they waited eight years?

From my previous blog, I wrote: That’s funny. I was saying the same thing about priest molestations, not to mention the churches cover-up and inaction dealing with these sex perverts five, ten even 50 years ago. I guess maybe we should treat them like ACORN and withdraw our religious affiliation to the Catholic church and their thugs and partisans.

Retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland admitted in a video deposition released Wednesday that he transferred priests with a history of sexual misconduct back into churches without alerting parishioners.

Obama's the President Elect, Now What Do We Talk About?

After the election, most of us felt a tremendous weight lifted off of us, and a feeling that things can only get better. But after the rallies had all broken up, and the yard signs were taken down, we didn't expect the stunning lack of something to talk about. The common purpose that drove us on and brought us together is now an empty void.

Catholic Bishops: “Help, Obama is Attacking the Church. Close down Our Hospitals for the Sick, Quick!”

After so many years of legal abortions, suddenly the Catholic Church feels Democrats are about to attack their religion on the abortion issue. These elitist authoritarian crusaders of God not only look like crazy right wingers, but have decided that their religion sure would make a nice political party. I hope this whole issue of abortion finally forces its members to say enough is enough, we’re outa’ here.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Faced with an incoming president who promised to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, an expansion of abortion rights, the nation's Catholic bishops are drawing a line in the sand.

"If the election is interpreted as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Aggressively pro-abortion policies and legislation will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans and would be interpreted by many Catholics as an attack on
the church."

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago, who is also an attorney, drew applause when he warned that passage of the Freedom of Choice Act could force the church to close all of its hospitals rather than sell them to someone who would offer abortions. "I do not think I'm being alarmist in suggesting the need to take such drastic steps," he said. "We need to be prepared to respond in the face of increasingly militant threats to unborn life."

While missing the point that any public health facility provides services equally, putting hospitals out of commission would harm the innocent, a problem these sick Catholics don’t seem to concerned about.

Moving further into the fringe, the Catholic church also didn’t like to encouraging people, Democrats, to vote for the leader of the church’s attackers.

Auxiliary Bishop Roger Morin of New Orleans, whose subcommittee oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, said that it had suspended all funding to ACORN in June after learning that ACORN had covered up a $1 million embezzlement eight years ago. Although a forensic audit has found that no funds from the bishops were embezzled, his subcommittee voted this week to end ACORN funding permanently. " Our concerns are over financial accountability, organizational performance and political partisanship," he said.

That’s funny. I was saying the same thing about priest molestations, not to mention the churches cover-up and inaction dealing with these sex perverts five, ten even 30 years ago. I guess maybe we should treat them like ACORN and withdraw our religious affiliation to these Catholic thugs and partisans.

What’s that about an eye for eye…

Latest: Nov. 13- USA Today:

GREENVILLE, S.C. — A priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Greenville has told parishioners that those who voted for Barack Obama placed themselves under divine judgment because of his stance on abortion and should not receive Holy Communion until they've done penance.

Stephen Colbert Marks Passing of "Fear"

Coalition for America’s Families Likes Stealth Issue Ad Funding, Avoids Taking Responsibility for Fueling Bigotry and Racism

Democrats, listen up! Please alert the public about subversive fringe groups with “America” and/or “Family” in their names.

Take a lesson from Republicans, who have vilified groups like Moveon.org as anti-American with repetition and outright lies, by using truth and repetition about “think tanks” and “family” organizations that advocate discrimination and failed theories based on pure ideology.

Democrats have done a grand disservice to the public for allowing the fringers to exist with little or no resistance. These hate groups ironically bash the courts, legal system and judges who legislate from the bench, yet use these same vehicles to win favorable “legislation from the bench.” Of course when they lose, they blamed liberal judges, while playing the poor conservative victim

Take this supposed violation of a First Amendment right:

Wisconsin State Journal:

In a move likely to draw a legal challenge, the state's elections agency voted unanimously Tuesday to require backers of thinly veiled campaign ads to disclose who pays for them. The six retired judges who make up the board voted to subject the (issue) ads to regulation, the first step in a lengthy process to develop new rules requiring ad backers to register with the board, ban corporate money for the ads and disclose who funds the ads.

Here’s where we the fringe groups come in.

But R.J. Johnson, a spokesman for the Coalition for America's Families criticized the decision. "It should worry defenders of the First Amendment everywhere." Mike Wittenwyler, a lawyer for the Coalition for America'sFamilies (added) "It's highly likely that whatever they do will be challenged because it will restrict what some organizations will be able to do.”

I’m not a legal scholar, but disclosing who is paying for an ad does not restrict anyone’s First Amendment right, but does make them responsible and accountable for the message. Anonymous advocacy is so easy too, because all they have to do is lie and supply the funding, without ever facing their opponent.

Once the public becomes familiar with the same bad actors and groups, they’ll know whether to trust or distrust the messenger, and make a more informed decision.

Mark Johnson's Playing For Change

This looks like a nice documentary. "Playing for Change: Peace through Music."

Republicans Don't Get It, Example 6: "Center Right Country" Lie, Means Obama Should Be Careful

Finally someone is asking the question I have been dying to ask the immature gang of Republicans who have been pushing Barack Obama to be a more centrist president.

Republican strategist Todd Harris is confronted by Chris Matthews about the assumption that the GOP can do anything thing it wants, regardless of blowback, yet Democrats must cower and hope their not getting in the way of the "center right" desires of flag waving Americans. Go Chris.

Republicans Don't Get It, Example 5: Rep. Cantor and Pence Push Party of Dinosaurs to Early Extinction

Fox News Sunday gave these two clueless Republicans a chance to articulate their parties new direction and move to the center, but instead, fumbled back to the same policies that got us to this catastrophic place in history. Rep. Mike Pence and Eric Cantor are two partisans who still haven't got the message that deregulation doesn't work, and top down economics is distributing money upward, pushing more and more middle class families into poverty.

Chris Wallace does his best to say just that, but these dullards will have none of it. In fact Pence is still gitty about the passage of three state marriage amendments. Now that's problem solving.

Say It Ain't F**K So, Joe Scarborough

Our Morning Joe let the F-bomb go while his guests laugh in stunned amazement. Keep in mind, it's Scarborough's radical right wing Republicans that want to strike down any person who dares utter such profanities, with fines and Gods wrath. Jesus think of the little children...

I'm okay with the slip, because we're human and prone to error, but it does show an utter lack of tolerance from conservatives who speak that way in the privacy of their own sound proof bedrooms and at work when they call liberals names behind their backs.

Frontline's "HEAT" - Clean Coal Public Health Risk and Never Tested

It seems a lot of people have it wrong about "clean" coal. PBS's Frontline special "Heat," did a segment on the industry prospective on myth and problems with clean coal "technology."

The first clue Americans should get is when no one will insure the safety of injecting CO2 into the ground. Too risky I guess. The same is true of nuke plants, where the public is asked to insure their safety, because private businesses think their too risky. Insuring homes in coastal hurricane country taps into the public pocket as well.

Republicans Don't Get It, Example 4: Arnold Gets It, But Can He Convince His Party?

I would normally preface an article like this with a short explanation of why I think the Republican Party's ideology is dead, but I think Schwarzenegger does a pretty good job of that here, as well as how it can change.

LA Times:
Schwarzenegger urges GOP to move beyond ideology: In the wake of crushing defeats for Republicans in last week's national elections, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Sunday that his party should regroup by moving away from some of its core conservative principles and embracing spending on programs that Americans want.

"I think the important thing for the Republican Party is now to also look at other issues that are very important for this country and not to get stuck in ideology. Let's go and talk about healthcare reform. Let's go and . . . fund programs if they're necessary programs and not get stuck just on the fiscal responsibility."

Schwarzenegger abandoned some of the fiscally conservative views … his failed plan to dramatically expand health insurance in the state … Last week, Schwarzenegger further angered Republicans by proposing a statewide sales-tax increase to balance the budget. Schwarzenegger said … the GOP should support greater investment to build roads and fix schools and fund other "things that the American people want to have done." Republicans should not "always just say, 'This is spending. We can't do that,' " the governor said. "No, don't get stuck with that. We have heard that dialogue. Let's move on."

But Arny’s not out of the “darkness” yet:

He said that Republicans had "a very good party" and that he had no plans to leave it because he agrees with the GOP's push to reduce restrictions on business and remain tough on crime.

He also said that California First Lady Maria Shriver, a Democrat and a member of the Kennedy family, had been running around their house since Tuesday with a cardboard cutout of President-elect Barack Obama, gloating over his victory.

Schwarzenegger, who joked about Obama's "scrawny" physique while campaigning with McCain, said he was "proud" to see the American people elect their first African American president. "Democrats and Republicans should do everything they can to help this man and his administration to be successful."

Galbraith's Predator State Exposes Capitalisms Ugly Unregulated Side

James Galbraith's new book, "Predator State," looks at capitalism's ugly side. From Bill Moyers interview with Galbraith: Deficits unavoidable-spend and create jobs or spend and collapse economy; Increase Social Security permanently; Stop using government for private benefit-like Medicare drug benefit, foreign trade for patent protection and market dominance.

Galbraith basically calls this country a corporate republic.

I'm reminded of the standard Republican line of cutting corporate taxes so businesses can expand and hire more workers. So how's the employment picture working out so far...? Losses in the job market: 760,000 since January.

The last business cycle from 2000 to 2007 failed to generate any growth for middle class working families — on average, they lost over $2,000 a year in inflation-adjusted income. Galbraith has more...

Moyers Nails It: The Bush and Republican Congress Nightmare is Coming to An End

I was casually catching up on Bill Moyers Journal, and couldn't help but do my own "spit-take" on my evening cappiccino, when Moyers rattled off a nightmarish list of Republican debacles.

Here's a clip of that list, and the unthinkable way this country has been managed over the last 8 years.

1. Dept. of Interior is about to let Coal companies dump waste anywhere it wants, even in valley rivers of fresh water.

2. The Wall Street bailout's built in loopholes for CEO payouts and golden parachutes. Rep Peter DeFazio calls them camouflage parachutes.

3. The Organization for Economic Cooperation & Developement's (OECD) list of "Growing Inequality-Income Distribution & Poverty" puts America 4th, below Mexico, Turkey and Portugal in income inequality.

4. Ayn Rand and the Greenspan epiphany.

Republicans Don't Get It, Example 3: The Media's Blank Stare about Planning Ahead

It really is sad. For years, over a decade in fact, the press has never had to deal with a party that planned for the future. Republican orthodoxy deals with the here and now. Planning would require work, money and competence. Day to day governance, or what you might call "seat of your pants" gambling, only deals with societal problems as they come up. So it shouldn't be surprising to see the media, via Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation, appear completely baffled by the concept of spending now to reap future benefits. Representative and Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel kept on point about investing (spending) in the future, but Schieffer acted as though he had avoided the question entirely, never grasping the idea of planning ahead.


If Democrats don't stress the importance of future investments in our country, and get ahead of the GOP, the party of chaos will beat the "tax and spend" cliche' for all it's worth.

Republicans Don't Get It, Example 2: Support for Sarah Palin and Ronald Reagan Over

As crazy as I think David Brooks is when he talks about liberal topics, he's right on when he takes on his own party's philosophy. According to Brooks, the Reagan era is over. Thank god.

Now if that were only true. See all the other recent examples on my blog where Republicans don't get it. (there are a few)

Republicans Don't Get It, Example 1: Health Care

Tom Brokav did his best on Meet the Press, to see how receptive Republicans were to reaching across the isle, and found that there was no interest. Sen. Mel Martinez demonstrated how stumped the Republican ideologues are when it comes to changing, and admitting they have failed miserably, at the expense of the American people.

Instead of tackling the biggest problems facing Americans, Martinez admits the time isn't right now, and instead offers nothing new. Like all Republicans, they want to put the people in control and reduce government, even though the government is actually a representative of the people. They instead want to govern chaotically with direct government, i.e. ballot initiatives, propositions and referendums, where the majority can rule unfairly over the minority.

Vouchers: Long Waiting Lists, No Accountability. What could Go Wrong?

This story hits on two of my own basic arguments against any kind of voucher program that wastes my hard earned money (I'm using the language of Republicans).

The first premise is that parents aren’t that stupid. They trust public education, live near the schools and know they are accountable to the taxpayer.

The second premise, which never gets discussed, involves waiting lists for the best private school in the district. Some of these schools might have great reputations, with applications three or four times that of other private schools, but that leaves many families settling for the average or less desirable schools instead.

AP: A voucher program for New Orleans students in failing schools to attend private schools at taxpayer expense is costing the state less than budgeted this year. Projected to enroll up to 1,500 students, the program has fewer than half that number…634 students has received the scholarships and 89 more have been offered recent awards. Others are on waiting lists because they can't get into the schools they want.

These are just two of the many major drawbacks of the voucher school scheme.