Joe Klein (Time): ….It is excruciating watching the Republican Party presidential candidates who, on a daily basis, pronounce some ignorant racist or irreligious twaddle…today’s example primo is Newt, who really needs to get back on his meds, worrying about his grandchildren:
“I have two grandchildren – Maggie is 11, Robert is 9,” Gingrich said at Cornerstone Church. “I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time they’re my age they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists and with no understanding of what it once meant to be an American.”
There is genius in this: no other human had located the secular humanist wing of radical Islam before. And then there is Herman Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza who is pretending to run for President, proving that a black man can be as gutter-cheap bigoted as anyone. If elected, he would not appoint a Muslim to his cabinet or the federal bench because: “There is this creeping attempt, there is this attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government.”
…This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me. I have never before seen such a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party’s banner. They are the most compelling argument I’ve seen against American exceptionalism. … this is the dim-witted freak show the Republicans want to present in 2012…
Full article here
Here’s a reply from Steve Benen to Klein’s ‘plea’ for Mitch Daniels and Jeb Bush to run (see the link above, Klein mentions them at the end of his article):
“….where I part ways with Klein is his expectation that Daniels and Jeb Bush could somehow put things right. For one thing, when it comes to the major issues of the day, the substantive differences between these two and the Seven Dwarves (Romney, Pawlenty, Huckabee, Barbour, Gingrich, Santorum, and I suppose Bachmann) are quite narrow.
For another, Klein doesn’t explain how a sensible, self-respecting, qualified Republican is going to win primaries without also becoming some ridiculous caricature. Indeed, note that Klein made no mention of Jon Huntsman — who presumably would qualify as a reasonable GOP candidate unwilling to “behave like a public clown” — probably because no one seriously believes the party base will tolerate him.”
The Obama Diary 
that article is a good way to start the day 😆
good morning Chip and TOD 😉
Ouch! 😆 Good Morning to you too, Fred.
Can I second this ?
It is such a pleasure to visit the debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon (its on Youtube) – two rational, polite human beings involved in knowledgeable discourse.
I agree. Listening to the how civilized the discourse was then just makes you feel that you are living in a hyperspeed time warp which evolved to the lowest most base of nature of human instinctive…you really do yearn for substance and analysis of policies in a public forum and not this senseless vilification of the individual.
I can’t stand how no one talks issues it is all about 3rd grade verbal attacks who can call who the worse names…so irksome with all the vexing problems we need to focus on.
I think its important to note that Mitch Daniels is Scott Walker but with more finesse. He believes in the complete concentration of power and the privatization of everything. Please don’t believe he is some form of moderate or reasonable, capable leader. If that is the effect of the “freak show”, that Mitch Daniels starts looking good, we are all in a terrible amount of trouble. Jeb Bush, well if he runs and is elected, we should all have a lobotomy.
Cuphalffull, I have to whole heartedly agree with you about Mitch Daniels. I know because he is my governor and I know several people who worked for him when he was in the private sector. I implore people not to listen to Joe Klein about this. Daniels was the first to strip union rights from public workers. He did this in 2005 right after he got elected and people were sleeping. The only reason he’s tried to sound reasonable this time is because he really thinks he has a chance to run for president.
Daniels is as incompetent as the others. We need to remind people he was Bush’s budget director and was responsible for turning Clinton’s surplus into a deficit. It was his idea to carry the cost of the wars off the books and he grossly underestimated the costs. He was responsible for Medicare Part D which cost billions but benefited companies like the pharmaceutical firm where he was an executive before joining Bush’s cabinet. After he did his damage, he bailed after two years.
In our state, he has gotten rid of thousands of jobs and tried to privatize everything. He sold our highways to a middle eastern company (Saudi Arabia, I think). He gave IBM a billion dollar contract to run the state’s food stamp program. It was a disaster. He had to fire IBM and it cost the state I believe $300 or $400 million! He’s sneaky too, because he waited until January 2009 — after the Nov 2008 election — so he could claim it was a success and get re-elected. He took some stimulus money to help the state budget, but refused to admit it while railing against the stimulus.
On a personal level, he is not a nice person. He is not self made, his father founded the largest law firm in Indianapolis so he doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle. So he doesn’t care about teachers and other workers losing their jobs.
He has a horrible arrogant, entitled attitude. He does not treat people well. He’s always snippy with people. He does not have an empathy for people at all. He does not have the beautiful heart that President Obama has. None of the republicans do.
Please do not be fooled by Daniels. And whenever you hear people talking like Klein, please correct them.
It is vile and disgusting….and the total insensitive is now articulated with impugnity, as if the elected official/candidate has some righteous stance that only belongs to his ilk…cause the rest of humanity is clearly not his/her equal.
So along with Newt you get comments like:
I struggle to meet my bills right now… The benefits that were offered to me as a congressman don’t even compare to the benefits that you get as a state employee. I just experienced that myself. They’re not nearly as good.”
— Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), quoted by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, defending his congressional salary and benefits to a constituent who responded, “But $174,000 — that’s … three times what I make.”
Mo’nin’ TODers annnnnd Ms. Chip
Yeah, I agree with you, Cuphalffull….Klein was doin’ FINE until those last sentences. Mitch Daniels is the exACT same thing, but, initially, smoother(his fangs and intentions are bared)…which makes him scarier and Jeb…..
No….unless people are just missig it, and some certainly are, and as Klein is actually pointing out, the WHOLE Republican thing (also, in part, because Conservatives that KNOW better will NOT stand up) has devolved into the “Freak Show”.
Or, as Ms. Chip pointed out first “The Muppet Show”.
GAWD, I love that.
I keep wondering when we are going to reach a tipping point with the lunacy coming from the Republican (Just Plain Nuts) Party. There is an endless supply of crazy GOP members of congress and potential presidential candidates. The traditional media continues to report on them as if they are a credible opposition party. I continue to ask how can we run a government when one of the parties is nuts?
Ladyhawke,
I think you’ve just identified the reason why nothing is getting accomplished in Congress: one of the parties is nuts and is not really interested in governing but in codifying its ideology. I believe this is why the House has passed, or has tried to pass, bills related to depriving government employees of their right to bargain collectively, defunding Planned Parenthood, defunding NPR, depriving the poor of federal assistance, etc. The republicans in the House have avoided a jobs creation bill like the bubonic plague. This is the # 1 issue Americans want Congress to address. When some progressive congresspersons asked about job creation jobs during a debate on the HAMP Program yesterday, this was the response of one of the republicans:
BIGGERT (IL): I would urge my colleagues to support — oppose this amendment. And stop talking about jobs, let’s focus on the substance of these amendments.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/29/jobs-judy-biggert/
Yes, indeed
The corporate oligarchs are holding open the door of the asylums and allowing them to fill the airwaves with their insanity, so that they can dismantle the last 40 years of legislation and funding of programs that Liberals fought for. And instead of Liberals focusing on that, they are busy passing running from the name liberal and calling themselves progressives while they too, attack the Obama administration, despite this being one of the most effective in terms of actual policies being passed in the last 15 years.
The world has gone batshytcrazy..the GlennBecks are ruling the airwaves and the rest of America is too distracted so much they are not even demanding jobs as a priority from the GOP. Besides, the GOP has a standard rebuttal if they are asked “the government does not create jobs’. Well of course not, since the corporate oligarchs that fund their campaign are interested in ever bigger profits and not paying for the ‘high cost’ of American labor. They want any worldwide labor resource other than American. Thus no jobs, even as the profits soar…the rest of America gets nada!!
They are all trash. Even during Bush jr’s worst days in the election of 04, I don’t think our side had anything as remotely close to the idiots that the other side has. But if there is a shining light, it is that people will look at our prez (calm, rational, maybe I don’t agree with him on everything but he tries) to their side (WTF, really, is this a joke, LOL)- all that means OBAMA 2012.
That Klein thinks that Jeb Bush or Mitch Daniels would be an improvement over the current GOP presidential hopefuls for 2012 is insulting to me. He knows that they all have the same agenda: increase the wealth of corporations and the 1 and 2 percenters, gut regulations meant to protect citizens and the environment, and make the middle and lower class citizens foot the bill. I’m not falling for this flim flam, and I’m not falling for his suggestion that Bush or Daniels would be an improvement over the other clowns. Klein has insulted my intelligence. None of these candidates can measure up to PBO who has the citizens’ best interests as his #1 Priority.
I found that insulting as well. But I realized it was all relative. The only difference between Jeb and Mitch and the Michelle, Mike and Newt..is what they are willing to verbalize. All of them would support the same onerous policies that build wealth for oligarchs by ripping out funding and jobs from the poor and middleclass while claiming ‘government is the problem’
Lord help me, it’s going to be a Squirmish election in 2012. Morning O family this is such a squirmish day. FIRED UP READY To Squirmish.
😆 A big squirmish hello to you too 😆
Morning everyone!
So, Me4obaba….
Does one Squirmish on beats 1 and 3
Or
Beats 2 and 4???????
We don’t want no cultural difference problems, now….
“This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me.”
Truer words never been spoken. With all the disgusting behavior and their horrible record of governing, I don’t understand why any independent, liberal, or a HONEST truly care about their country’s future Republican would even consider voting for any of these modern day lazy GOP politicians. They have accomplished 0 since this new session of congress started. What would an Repub pres do? Lets look at just a few of the notable legacy’s of the disgraced worst president ever, George Bush. Unnecessary, unplanned, Iraq war!! Ran the country to the biggest recession ever, disregarded the middle class meanwhile lining his fat cat friends pockets, and KATRINA. *sigh*
#Obama2012 and Lord please let Pelosi get her spot back. Boehner is shiftless and not up to the job to lead anything except the way to the nearest tanning salon.
Hey Blackman I didn’t quite get your comment especially the last line. Are you in a Squirmish mood like me?
Just bein’ silly, Me4Obama. And, I’m absoLUTEly in a Squirmish mood
But, you know, in these days of striving for clarity, I wanna make SURE I have the “end game” CORRECT.
So, in MY mind, it’s important to know which beat one should correctly squirmish on. Elsewise, there could be PROBLEMS, you see. And, we just do NOT want any of that.
I also postulate that its equally important, if one is really Squirmishing “haaahhhrd”, to be in the correct key.
I mean, if you’re gonna Squirmish, don’t be Squirmishin’ half assed.
Squirmish people out of the way by FORCE.
It is what REAL Americans, do. No???? 🙂 🙂 🙂
“If you’re gonna Squirmish, don’t be Squirmishin’ half assed.”
😆 😆 😆
to my TOD family
I didn’t sleep last night due to terrible back pain and when I slept I had a horrible nightmare.Something just didn’t feel right in my soul;I was restless.
When I had enough of the bed after a sleepless night I logged on here and read that article that made me smile.
An hour ago;my cousin in NY called and told me that my aunt(her mom) had emailed with just 1 sentence letting her know that my very best friend had died.
I don’t know the circumstances of his death and will call my aunt but I want to ask you all if you can/want to to please say a prayer for my best friend.He was one hell of a human being.A brother;a friend.A man who was my best friend and had a LOT of respect for me.A man who never said anything to repulse me or disrespect me.A man and a friend who stood by me.
This man who died was THE brother that anyone could ever dream of.
My soul and my heart are hurting and I am at loss for words but I take solace in knowing that he knew how much I loved him;appreciated him as a human being;a friend;I always tried to be there for him and with him.
😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦
Oh Fred, I am so, so sorry to hear your terrible news, my heart goes out to you. Please look after yourself at this horrible time, thinking of you.
So very sorry to hear of your loss Fred. I will say a prayer for your friend.
Thinking of you too, Fred. I lost a good girlfriend 2009 right after Christmas to an aneurysm, and still can’t believe it. {{ Fred}}
Praying for you, Fred, and for your friend’s family.
Fred keeping you in my thoughts as well. Our love and sorrow flow from the same well, in time your sorrow will be replaced, by loving thoughts and memories, and the inextinguishable spirit that is love. Hugs!
So sorry for your loss Fred.
Sorrow is often the flip side of the depth of our love for the individual. When you feel sad and are hurting, remember all the wonderful things about your friend that you cherished. The moments u laughed, and the times when you both uplifted and encouraged each other. The happy memories you shared. That is what you are truly missing and it will uplift your spirits as you relive the joy and heartfelt love for your friend. Know that it is the love you shared and immerse yourself in all the joys of those treasured times, you will feel immeasurably better as the spirit within you is moved by the joy of that friendship.
And always know the will of God will not take you where his grace cannot keep you.
Fred: So very sorry for your sorrow. The words of fig8jam are so comforting,”Sorrow is often the flip side of the depth of our love for the individual.” Loving words, fig8jam. Thank you.
God bless your dear friend, his family and you, Fred. I will say a prayer for you all today. Please be assured this difficult time for you will ease, and you’ll soon be remembering your true blessings in having a friend such as he. He has become a worthy part of your own being.
Hey Fred I’m so sorry just seems a bit trifling. But I really am sorry for your loss and I want you to know I’ll be keeping you and yours in my mind and prayers.
Someone need to tell Newt that the President have two young daughters, and I’m sure he is concern about the plain and out racism which is coming from the Republican-Tea Party. I’m sure he expected America to be pass this by now, but instead it seem the Republicans-Tea Party and their supporters want to go backward. You know back to the good old days for them, when Blacks Americans, Women, Workers, Gay folks, had no rights. It is so clear that these haters of this President has more to do with the color of his skin than anything else. That’s my opinion.
I proclaim your opinion is fact!
The results of a recent study have been release, anniebella, and they confirm some of what you say in your post:
http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2011/03/two-faces-of-conservatism-in-america.html
Mitch Daniels and Jeb Bush would be better because they’re not out to please teabaggers, Jeb Bush isn’t going to run though – he’s got his sights set on 2016. Daniels is the newest recruit attempt by the serious wing of the GOP now that Cristie has all but closed the door.
Daniels has some real attack points though – he was George W. Bush’s first OMB director, the one that turned the Clinton budget surplus into the Bush deficit, I believe it went from $200B surplus to a $300B deficit. Oversaw the Medicare Part D boondoggle where his office lied and under-reported the true cost in order to get it through even a Republican majority House (it was eventually passed at 1am in a special session). He was also OMB when the Bush Tax cuts were passed, and had the sunset in order to hide the true budget busting/deficit exploding nature of them. Of course now the GOP doesn’t want them to sunset at all – which was always the plan. Get them passed by any means, and then once they need to be extended paint the expiration as tax hikes by the next President. And then there was the wars who’s cost was taken off the books to make his budgets look better.
But he tries to dismiss all of that by saying “Hey I just worked for the guy, look at my own record in Indiana”.
Look at Indiana and see that he tried to privatize delivery of social services to IBM and it was an epic disaster that will cost the state hundreds of millions. The State is suing IBM for $400M to get back money they already paid, and IBM is countersuing for $100M more they say they’re still owed. Daniels is now trying to block being deposed in the lawsuits as the State lawyer states –
“The basic concept in all these types of protections is … the state’s chief executive has other things to do, and if you start opening the door (for depositions) then everybody will want to take his deposition, and courts have just uniformly resisted this,” said Peter Rusthoven, a Barnes & Thornburg attorney representing the state.”
Now reading the above quote, if the Governor can’t testify because he has more important things to do – how would that square up with running for President? If he has the time to run for President surely he has enough time to be deposed without effecting his ability to run the State. How can he argue “I can’t testify because I’m too busy and can’t even take a couple of days away” with the fact that running for President would take him away from his Gov duties a heck of a lot more?
Thanks for the info, StR. Just saved for part of my battle effort for 2012.
I made a similar post upthread before I saw yours. You are 100 percent correct. I live in Indiana and I cannot stand Daniels. He is no better than any of the others, he just tries to hide it. He does not care about people only the rich and corporations. The IBM disaster is a perfect example of his incompetence.
Mr Klein negate every criticism of potential candidates of the republican party by suggesting Mitch Daniels or Jeb Bush as a better choice They all are the same caliber of candidate. The republican party in office has done nothing but destroy this country. They want to totally take it back to the have and have nots. They are selfish, filled with greed of wealth and power. They are void of honesty and integrity of character and they lack the mental capacity to govern this country. This country has changed and they are being left behind and left out with idiocy thinking. Tricks and scheme won’t work. They will be revealed and will be rooted up to decay. The USA is civilized because a majority of its citizens are able to survive in a decent manner. Take away those things which makes for tolerable living conditions and this country will face an uprising it has never experience. We don’t need illiterate leaders who make you think he or she has not gone to school one day in his or her life or they make you cringe when you view them. We need leaders who tell the truth and who have a heart to help this country. We like leaders who make you feel proud and trustful of them. And this is how I feel about President Barack Obama. May God continue to bless the United States of America.
Totally agree with you. Claim to care for the unborn and for future generations but have no qualms about taking food stamps from children who need them and trying to prevent children from getting health care. They are a disgrace to humanity in my opinion.
Fred…From my heart let me offer you my deepest smypathy. I will keep you in my prayers. At times like this you have to depend on F..F..F. Faith, Family, and Friends. And may your friend,who seem like he was a wonderful person. May he rest in the loving arms of Jesus. May the good Lord be with you and your family.
Oh, oh, I hear a train coming. The use of Islam, Muslims, shariah law has been jumping around from one TV station to another, from one repub to another. I thought we were above this until King came out with his anti-Islam hearing. Well, he’s not done yet–waiting for his next script. This is going to be a leg for the upcoming election, that’s why they’re keeping the birther movement alive. Politics has always been a dirty business, but it was regional. Today it’s nation wide and the repubs get more bang for their buck. Not only are they dividing because of this union business, climate and energy conservation, etc., now they’re going after christians vs. muslims. What an arena.
Yep, bit by bit, drip, drip, drip, it has become obvious that the republican strategists have decided to prop up the fear of muslims. It’s one of their campaign tools, no doubt about it.
If life was fair, the republican party should be destroyed electorally in the next election. The cynics at the top of the GOP, the Roves, Luntz, Armey, Koch and Co. ,who have been peddling division, hate and fear just to win elections, should be punished, destroyed by the monster they created. Then, and only then, the GOP could be rebuilt. I want them to PAY for what they’ve done to America.
Mikey Weinstein spoke to the Senate earlier this week to discuss how our non-Christian troops are being discriminated against in the military. Support for them came from an unlikely source, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Here’s one of the most important things he had to say on anti-Muslim rhetoric:
“GRAHAM: I guess my opinion about such matters is that one case is too many. You have an example in America where somebody is being abused because of their faith, I think all of us should join in and push back as the Bush administration did, as you’re doing. So that’s my baseline here — I don’t know what the numbers are but one for me is too many. And to those who have freedom of speech, it’s a gift given to you by a lot of people risking their own lives. So when you say things here at home or you do things here at home that create tension based on religious differences, particularly when its the Muslim community involved, your putting our soldiers at risk.
We have soldiers all over the world of a variety of religions fighting in the name of America trying to help moderate Muslims defeat radical Islam. And my view is that there are plenty of moderate Muslims out there who need our help and we should be helping because its better to fight the war over there than it is here. But at the end of the day, we’re all in this together….there are plenty of Muslims who wear our uniform and we need to understand that, again, we’re all in this together.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/29/graham-muslims-soldiers-at-risk/
Remember, Sen. Graham has come under fire from the tea partiers and other conservatives before because he worked on a climate change bill with some democrats last year, and he thinks the tea partiers are bad for the Republican Party. I’m expecting him to have a tea party-backed challenger when he runs for re-election in 2012, especially after they hear about this.
Rick Scott is now waging war on homeless people. He wants to cut the state funds that local agencies receive as a much needed supplement to their budgets. In my area this is less than 2 million; a small drop that will do nothing for the so-called state budget deficit. He and others like him are trying to take the country back to the bad old days. To the time when those who what to “take their country back” can feel good about themselves because they are the only ones who are prospering.
All of the millionaires who are in office or currently seeking office, have no idea about how the majority of us live or who we are. From Reagan to the preset time, the republicans have tried their best to gut the American dream.
It is time for everyone to wake up and take action.
They have no ideas for governing. Of course they will use scare tactics. After all, it worked after 9/11. There are some really backward-thinking people in this country who are hell-bent on maintaining the majority white populace. I hear this radio spot everyday by populationconnection.org that leaves me suspicious of its mission. I intend on doing a little research to find out, but I strongly suspect a nefarious motive in suppressing the growth on non-whites in this country.
Hey Blackman thanks for the clalification. I believe in u, I support u and you’re my squirmish HERo.
Indeed Lord help us. When will we wake up from this RW/bagger nightmare?
Two things –
1. I just did the math regarding how many Presidential Campaigns have happened in my lifetime, and I want to cry.
2. THEY ARE ALL (GOP) BATSHIT CRAZY. I was thinking about this last night, and I really feel there is something REALLY WRONG going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about.
The GOP (governors, senators, etc….) are doing everything they can to destroy this country. They’re all acting as if they’re above the law (Wisconsin – trying to implement the anti-union laws illegally in spite of a judge’s ruling.) They’re Hell bent on cutting as much from the poor, elderly, and middle class as humanly possible, while trying to RAISE TAXES on those same individuals, all while giving the Corporations and the überealthy ZERO tax liability to the point they get MONEY BACK they never paid in the first place (GENERAL ELECTRIC)…..
These HORRID policies are affecting EVERYONE but the top 2% of this country. People are seething. They also VOTE.
I firmly believe Obama did the right thing by giving in to their ransom of extending the Bush tax cuts for the überwealthy for two years – it made the GOP all look like mega-douchbags, and continues to make them look like greed-filled money succubi, feeding on the rest of us.
Basically, Obama gave the rope, and they’re happy to hang themselves in masse.
This would make me deliriously happy, if it weren’t for the fact they’re seemingly getting so blatant about it, and openly showing their contempt for everyone who isn’t a million-dollar contributor.
Have the Koch brothers bought all the licensing rights to all the software for every single e-voting machine in the US???
Just because we overwhelmed the polls in 2008 voting for Obama, making it impossible for Rove to steal it for Dumb & Dumbingest, doesn’t mean we still don’t have a problem with e-voting. It still remains the easiest way to steal an election.
Perhaps there was a memo to the entire GOP that the FIX IS IN – do what you like. YOU ARE NOW THE LAW. They’re certainly acting like it, and seem to think they’ll be untouched by an enraged nation.
??????
“I just did the math regarding how many Presidential Campaigns have happened in my lifetime, and I want to cry.”
I know the feeling, Tally 😦 When I don’t stop and think about it I reckon I’m 16-ish ….. but then I stop and think about it. I just did some calculations: Justin Bieber was 12 years away from being born when I was 16.
😯
“They are the most compelling argument I’ve seen against American exceptionalism.” Couldn’t have said it better.