Battle Of The Bulge

Via Susie, I see that Republicans are taking this “girly-man” thing to a new level:

ALBANY NY – Government cutbacks are hitting a continental soldier below the belt.

The statue of Copper John, a continental soldier that sits atop the state’s Auburn Correctional Facility, was removed earlier this summer for renovation.

The beloved figure is set to return to his perch this fall, albeit a lesser man.

Workers sprucing up the 156-year-old statue were told to reduce the size of Copper John’s crotch.

They may have called them minutemen, but they didn’t wear codpieces. Republicans don’t like to be reminded of that, what with their Chippendales dancer prez and his puritan AG. It’s all very confusing.

Susie also points out in another post, “one of the classic side effects of steroid abuse is… underdeveloped testes.” This is especially interesting in the context of Sidney Blumenthal’s very interesting and highly entertaining deconstruction of the Arnold-GOP love affair:

Schwarzenegger has an aesthetic sense that passes above the heads of the Republicans. To them, it seems he’s appealing to simplicity, strength and old-fashioned patriotism.

But he puts a strange emphasis on the body politic Kultur. The puritanical delegates responded to him with an emotional intensity to themes they can’t fully grasp. No matter how scripted Schwarzenegger may be, he remains pure in his underlying message. He makes the case for the narcissism of power through the power of narcissism.

No one is more narcissistic than a bodybuilder. He builds his reputation standing before mirrors and panels of older men, flexing his muscles to see who has the largest.

Schwarzenegger offered the Republican Convention totemic worship of virility borne out of fear of its fading. It was an act he has been perfecting for decades. In its essence, he offered a sexual identity panic speech.

Bulging muscles on a Hollywood caricature is reassuring. Bulging manhood on the statue of an American patriot is scary.

It’s going to take a boatload of shrinks to sort this shit out.