Month: October 2010

Blurbalicious

by digby

I’ve hit the big time:

What book, you say? Well get ready:

That’s “boogeyman” Beck. At least get that much right.

They must have been in a big hurry to get this one out for Halloween if that’s the best quote they could come up with. (Have any of Beck’s senior citizen patriots heard of Netroots Nation?) Besides, I have some much more inflammatory quotes about the deficit fetishists. All they had to do was google …

The good news is that most of the people who buy his books only read the cover anyway,(assuming they can read at all) so perhaps I’ve contributed to the education of some of the slower teabaggers out there who don’t realize the blurbs don’t reflect Beck’s point of view.

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Crossposted at DKOS GOTV

They’re From The Tea Party And They’ve Come To take Their Country Back — to the Dark Ages

by digby

Asking For It

by digby

Last night I predicted that the wingnuts would say that the Move-On protester “provoked” the incident in Kentucky last night. Of course they did. But it was entirely predictable that Andrew Brietbart’s monstrous creation Dana Loesch would really bring it:

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Ann Coulter is going to put up with this younger version of herself stealing her schtick for much longer. I’m thinking we’re going to see some major fireworks before long.

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Infidel-ity

by digby

Fergawdsakes:

Russian military could be drawn back into Afghanistan

Nato officials explore joint initiatives ahead of landmark alliance summit, which is to include President Medvedev

Does this seem like a good idea to anyone at all? Is it really smart to partner with the other superpower that occupied the country and helped create the backlash that inspired Al Qaeda and the Taliban? Really?

You know, if we join up with the Japanese and invade China we might really be on to something. Why create new enemies when you can just pull the scabs off other country’s old grievances and use them instead?

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Contest!

by digby

Howie’s pulling out the valuable memorabilia again. If you’re a Patti Smith fan, this is a great one:

Before I write this column [this] evening, I’ll put all the names of donors in a hat who contributed today and tomorrow to make sure our Billy Kennedy ad runs all day on Halloween– for obvious reasons– and pick one who will win… an extremely rare (only 6 exist), gorgeous Patti Smith print by Richard Aaron, autographed both by Richard and Patti. Donate to the Blue America PAC on this Billy Kennedy page to make sure the ad below runs and you get a chance to win the print, which is probably worth around $1,000.

This is the ad, in case you haven’t seen it.

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Shucking Off The 50s

by digby

Richard Florida has written a provocative piece for the Atlantic which challenges the conventional wisdom about economic conditions always being the driving force behind our elections every two years. Believing as I do that humans are more complicated creatures than mere economic units and also that leadership matters, I too have major quibbles with that thesis.

But this is unique and thought provoking. I’ll just offer the conclusion but read the whole thing and judge for yourself:

American politics is periodically recast by “critical realignments” long ago identified by Walter Dean Burnham, like the elections of 1896 and 1932. These political realignments shift the power balance between the parties and, in doing so, provide the political underpinnings for major public policy change which helps the nation better adjust to structural economic change. Though our economy is currently in the midst of a similar great reset today, whether or not our politics realigns remains an open question.

The connection between creative class states and the Democrats, and working class states with the Republicans is a clear break from the old pattern of the New Deal and post World War II. But it’s equally clear that both parties are constrained by their connections to long-held special interests. By paying excessive deference to the social conservatism and extreme anti-statism of its right fringe, the Republicans are unable to attract the creative class broadly, even though many of its members are drawn to its individualist ethos and fiscal conservatism.

Democrats, meanwhile, remain captive to the housing-finance-auto industrial complex which literally defined the old order. As the Cato Institute’s Brink Lindsey quipped some years ago, “Here, in the first decade of the 21st century, the rival ideologies of left and right are both pining for the ’50s. The only difference is that liberals want to work there, while conservatives want to go home there.” A sustained political realignment will only come about when one or the other of the two major parties is able to shuck off the interests that tie it to the past and develop an agenda that is in line with the future.

Unless and until that happens, the United States is likely to remain stalled at its current impasse, lurching between economic and political cycles while failing to address the deep structural challenges it faces — and unable to develop the much-needed reforms, new economic policies, and broad infrastructure investments required for a new round of sustained prosperity.

At first blush that sounds as if he thinks that the Republicans either have to get rid of their social conservatives or the Democrats have to get rid of their unions in order for the new governing coalition to embrace the “individual ethos and fiscal conservatism” that the creative class allegedly values. (I could be jumping to conclusions. I’m feeling very sensitive to these things at the moment and may be inclined to see libertarians in the woodpile.)

It’s very intriguing in any case. I’d be interested in reading specifically how he sees a new political coalition forming around some of these ideas that could form a governing majority. My imagination is failing me.

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Paul’s Following

by digby

Following up on the Rand Paul curb stomping episode, perhaps it’s useful to to take a look at some of Paul’s most fervent supporters:

You’ll notice the little blue stickers they are wearing say “I’m a Rand fan.”

Here’s one of the speeches from that rally:

We are the original homeland security, not the paid agents that today masquerade as such in ninja outfits, dressed in black to intimidate the people with their faces covered to keep them from being held accountable for their actions. I have even been shown proof that they consider the founding fathers like George Washington, Sam Adams and Thomas Jefferson to be the terrorists of old.

Unless you are a member of the active military, it is your historical, constitutional and moral duty to participate in a citizen’s militia. And I’ll say this, shame on those who are either too busy or too scared or too apathetic to step up.

The British aren’t coming. It is the Soviet socialists that have occupied our Capitol. It might as well be Moscow on the Potomac.

The question is: do we have the courage and the spirit of our forefathers? Our people do. Today we want to tell the Marxist control freaks out there, don’t dare cross that bridge. But we know they will. We the militia, and hopefully with your support, stand ready with no apologies, cause what we have forced upon us is not from a legitimate government, or the American values of self reliance and independence. If you want to be a European, move.

The Declaration of Independence says that when a government is no longer beneficial or responsive to the people, it is our right and duty to change it. Now some citizens are holding out hope that the upcoming elections will better things, and you know we’ll wait and see. Lots of us believe that maybe that’s not reliable, considering the fact that the progressive socialists have been chipping away at our foundations. Regardless, the founders made sure we had plan B (holds up his gun). You know what that is.

The treasonous left wing socialist politicians, and their lapdogs in the press, have gotten a wedgie here recently in their underpants over the tea parties. And a little broken glass (wink, wink). I sure hope they’re out there today. If they read history, they should know and fear what came after those events over 200 years ago. This latest forced health care bill, which is really about people control, the same thing as gun control, is the modern day equivalent of the 1765 standback, its only more disastrous to our freedom living way of life, etc…

History it seems is ready to repeat itself. After a long and costly civil war that is eminent, and sure to be forced upon us, we are taking note of those who are responsible for the treason, and they will be held accountable. I advise the press to start getting it right from this moment on, and stop aiding and abetting un-American activities. Like the Tories of old, the worst shall be hung, most will be exiled, and I’m a contractor so I have a little bit of tar and feathers for those who are only partially guilty.

In closing, let me implore you to keep the torch of freedom burning bright, god bless the republic, death to the New World Order. We shall prevail.

You can watch the video here.

There’s no evidence that the men who held the protester down and stomped on her were part of that crew. But let’s just say there’s a certain common mentality among his supporters.

H/t to Barefoot and Progressive

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Tea Thuggery

by digby

Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks the Tea Partiers don’t believe that the constitution guarantees free speech only to people who agree with them.

[A] young woman affiliated with MoveOn.org was brutally attacked–stomped in the head–outside the debate by a Rand Paul supporter. The story led the local newscast. Here’s the video, and it’s truly awful (my link to video is dodgy, but if you click through to local Fox site it seems to work fine).

Too bad she isn’t a millionaire Fox news pundit — the Republicans would all be rushing to her defense.

Those men should be charged with assault. But from what I gathered in the report, the only person the police were interested in was the victim. (That may not be the whole story, however.)

Look for Breitbart and the boyz to say she “provoked” the crowd by being there and got what she deserved.

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It’s A Political Corporation Not A party

by digby

If you would like to see the Tea Party’s sponsorship laid out in scrupulous detail, read this fantastic piece of investigative journalism by Adele Stan called Tea Party Inc. It’s all there.

I found this to be particularly interesting, though because it speaks to my suspicion that they fully expect to further radicalize the GOP in ways that are truly alarming:

In Washington, D.C., Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks’ communications director, is bubbling over with excitement at the end of a long, hot July day. “I’m racking up the frequent flyer miles,” he says of his relentless weekend trips to train Tea Party activists in how to chalk up wins for candidates FreedomWorks’ PAC has endorsed.

FreedomWorks doesn’t aim to elect just any Tea Party candidate to office: as with DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund, its endorsements seem designed to undermine the current GOP establishment, push the party rightward and further an anti-regulatory agenda. Well before others joined in, FreedomWorks embraced far-right insurgencies, notably those of Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Both endorsements put FreedomWorks at loggerheads with Sen. McConnell, whose candidates — including his hand-picked protégé in his home state of Kentucky — were vanquished.

DeMint’s PAC spends hefty amounts on behalf of its endorsed candidates, including $447,000 for Rubio and $95,000 for Paul ($95,000). FreedomWorks matches DeMint’s cash with ground forces. The PAC runs an online “service center,” where, according to FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe, Tea Partiers “get the tools they need to turn a protest into a sophisticated, turn-out-the-vote effort.” Those tools include walking maps, door-hangers, talking points, and “a sophisticated phone-banking system that is going to allow you to make calls in all of our targeted races.” If you’re an activist in Wisconsin, FreedomWorks can set you up to turn out voters for Rand Paul in Kentucky. Combined, these Tea Party outfits have proven that they have the potential to decide elections.

When I asked whether FreedomWorks’ endorsements were chosen in part to undermine McConnell, Brandon declined to answer directly, but his response revealed the intimate ties between his outfit and DeMint’s. DeMint has been stalwart on behalf of FreedomWorks’ positions, Brandon explained. These include opposition to healthcare and energy reform and labor unions. But DeMint needs more people like him in the Senate in order to create something of a caucus — “a new power center,” Brandon called it.

If that doesn’t send a chill down your spine, nothing will.

This “movement” is a powerhouse built on billions of dollars for the express purpose of serving the billionaires. And while the billionaires don’t care about anything but money, they know the rubes have other concerns and they’ll deliver:

While Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks and News Corp run the boardroom of Tea Party, Inc., a growing number of national organizations have sprung up to provide a range of services; call them the suppliers. Some have similar names — Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Nation, Tea Party Express — though they compete ferociously. Reed’s Faith & Freedom Coalition provides a unique service to Tea Party Inc.: the promise of delivering religious-right voters to its candidates. Like the big players, these groups, too, are run by former Republican officials or political consultants.

Stan puts it perfectly when she characterizes the Tea Partiers as “end users.” They are being sold a product using some very sophisticated marketing methods.

This piece is a very welcome antidote after the remarkably silly article in the Village Post over the week-end which checked around the country and found some rag tag groups called the “Tea Party” and determined that it wasn’t much at all. I suppose if you ignore the humongous amounts of cash and centralized organization in the “movement” you might think that.

This has been a long time coming. The Koch brothers have been waiting for more than 20 years for the right moment and the moment is upon them. They have big plans:

“We’re building databases of faith-based and fiscal conservatives in every key congressional race, U.S. Senate race or governor’s race, and a lot of targeted state legislative races,” Reed explained. “Those voters are going to be contacted an average of seven times.We’re gonna mail ‘em, we’re gonna phone ‘em, if we have an e-mail, we’re gonna e-mail ‘em, if we have a cell phone number, we’re gonna text-message them. And at the end, we’re gonna knock on their door.”

The Republican Corporation at your service.

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McCain vs Grijalva

by digby

Ryan Grim on the latest from Arizona:

John McCain, lacking a viable challenger in his Arizona Senate race, has picked a proxy and is waging war against a longtime thorn in his side, Rep. Raul Grijalva, by cutting an ad for and sharing office space with Grijalva’s challenger, Ruth McClung.

While polls have shown Grijalva’s race to be a tight one despite the overwhelming Democratic registration advantage in the district, Washington operatives have expressed confidence in his ability to prevail largely because McClung isn’t seen as having the type of ground operation needed to get out the vote. But McCain certainly does have one.

McCain is now “sharing office space” with McClung although all concerned insist that he isn’t improperly coordinating with her. Uh huh.

Why would McCain sully his hands with something like this? Well considering who we’re talking about here, it has to be some petty grudge:

Obama’s appointment of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to run the Homeland Security Department took the Democrat most able to beat McCain out of play, leaving the field to Rodney Glassman. McCain has repeatedly attacked Glassman, a former Grijalva aide, for his connection to the Arizona congressman. McCain’s Senate campaign funded an ad against Grijalva that is running around the clock in the seventh district, an unusual move that drew complaints from Democrats that McCain was violating his own campaign finance reform rules.

[…]

McCain may have general personal and ideological differences with Grijalva, but he also has a quite specific local objection to the congressman. McCain backers have long sought to mine for uranium near the Grand Canyon. Grijalva has stood in the way. He is on the short list to be Interior Secretary and is chair of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. His opposition to the mining included holding a field hearing in Arizona to explore its environmental consequences. Grijalva successfully lobbied the White House to temporarily block the mining. At Grijalva’s field hearing, Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, called the Obama move “tyranny.”

Oh Dear God I’m tired of hearing these bozos shriek about “tyranny” every time somebody objects to them raping the planet or prohibits them from scraping up every last possible dime.

McCain is no maverick, he’s just a nasty piece of work — and has been for a very long time. He’s going to help this neophyte Teabagger take out one of the best Democrats in the congress as an act of petty revenge.

You can help Grijalva with money here.

Or maybe even more importantly, with some phone banking here.

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