News broke this morning that Linsdey Graham, the bachelor senator from South Carolina, has exited the clown car which passes for the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
The frightening thing is that Lindsey “I Want To Be At War With Everyone” Graham is the “moderate” in the race. Normally, a man who wants to bomb anyone who so much as says “boo” to the US would be considered a war-mongering radical. But because he has come out forcefully against the Trump and Cruz lean of the modern GOP, he’s been lauded as a truth-teller in the Republican Party by the media with whom he’s so cozy.
So let that sink in. A guy who literally wants to bomb everyone is the moderate. This is an indication of how far the Republican Party has shifted to proto-fascism, if not outright fascism. And, let’s be frank: This has happened in the eight years since we elected Barack Obama. It’s gone into overdrive since we re-elected him in 2012. The GOP said it learned lessons from 2012, promising to be more inclusive and open. But, if it learned those lessons on an elite level, the lesson which the proletariat learned was that nothing but the hardest of right wing ideology would do to defeat the pernicious Obama regime and its liberal enablers. Thus, Il Douche and Punch-Me-Face Cruz are the leaders in the primary polling.
I don’t like Lindsey Graham. His “moderate” schtick is old and ratty. But when a man as militant as Sen. Graham is too liberal for the GOP, we know we’ve gone beyond the event horizon. St. Ronald of Reagan, who got us on this leaden path, would be a RINO if he were to run today. We have one of the two major political parties running with arms akimbo towards fascism, and somehow this merits nothing but a “both sides” from our feckless media.
Goodbye, Lindsey Graham. I mourn your exit not because you’re a “moderate”. I mourn because your exit shows that even a rock-ribbed conservative is too squishy for the brown shirts. That should give us all pause.
The Obama Diary 
Miss Lindsey saw the writing on the wall and pulled out.lol
Excellent.
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/12/21/3734351/american-muslims-adopt-two-pronged-approach-to-combating-extremism/
yessssssssss
Df, I wish that every American who says, “why aren’t Muslim groups doing anything” could read this. Many Americans are quick to condemn, but reluctant to actually learn what’s being done.
LL, thank for expressing so eloquently what most of us think about the senior Senator from So. Carolina. Y sobre el junior senator tambien.
https://twitter.com/FORUS50/with_replies
Sorry, I forgot how to post tweets!
Big news from Hawaii: the president played golf today! So glad he’s having a relaxing time, doing exactly what he wants 🙂
http://khon2.com/2015/12/21/more-golf-for-president-obama-on-3rd-day-of-vacation/
great for the President
Aloha, Susanne.
Thanks so much for updates on the President in Hawaii.
I pretty much avoid HuffPo, but this article is truly worth reading by all of TODville.
The article describes the importance of Hawaii as a melting pot (highest percentage of multiracial Americans, lowest percentage of white Americans), why savoring the moment (thoughtfulness) is so important, and has great links to tidbits such as:
1) WaPo
FLOTUS wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world than Hawaii;
In 2009, FLOTUS said you can’t really understand Barack until you understand Hawaii
2) StarBulletin.com
From 2007, what PBO wrote in high school magazine
“The opportunity that Hawaii offered — to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect — became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear.”
Article also describes Nelson Mandela’s view of “leading from behind:”
“you take negative energy and you process it through you and it comes out as positive energy.”
What a beautiful image in that tweet!
GE JO’B.
Very poignant photograph, and part of the HuffPo article.
Caption says PBO was tossing a lei at the spot where he had scattered his mother’s ashes and was taken on Aug 14, 2008. Before he was President, and when he still had hope that Grandma Toots would join him in celebrating his election victory. 😦
I thought of his mother’s ashes, when I saw the photo, as well as “Toots.” They all had a hand in raising him, along with his grandfather. Good people!
I was lucky to have been raised by a mother and immigrant grandmother who were loving and had kind, compassionate, and just values. I can identify with our President in that sense.
Sweet recollections and memories, Bill. My mother and grandmother were the same.
Bill R, my grandmother played such an important role in my upbringing. Besides being compassionate and loving, she really tried to instill values of caring, honesty and independence, in me and my brothers and sisters. I am now 70 years and she has been gone for 41 years, but I still remember, and try to practice, her words of wisdom. She was especially persistent on reminding us the importance of the “golden rule” whenever we unfairly or maliciously disrespected others.
Mandela will always be my man of the 20th Century – PBO gets the 21st.
LL – This is a stupendous post! Every word. Thanks.
The classiest, sassiest First Family – I like that!
Thanks JER 🙂
In-deed, LL. Thank you.
Congrats Mittens on your Au ⭐
Body of work, Experience, Bankable, known quantity, etc.
This is the wrong Issue for pay inequality.
GE Nena.
Agree with you.
Anyone who knows even a little about the actors union (such as Variety readers) knows that the more work you’ve done, the higher your minimum compensation is.
From what I’ve read, the leads in Star Wars VII have very little prior screen work, so their base compensation would be nowhere near someone who’s been in the actors union for 50-some years.
Was he ever really in? They continue to make a mockery of DemocKracy. Such fools.
What a lowlife this Trump character is. It’s as if he was raised in a barnyard with no one to teach him manners or morals. Doesn’t matter what the size of his bank account is–he’s a punk.
I feel sorry for his family being stuck with him as an example of a father and husband.
Wow, I’m getting ALL SORTS of hate tweets for this:
nyt, usa today – all calling this hysterical war monger as a moderate and how he steered the gop race towards a ‘different direction’. god better protect the rest of the world from murka.
Carson’s support was always going to disappear – if he thought otherwise “he’s dreamin'”
Exactly, 99ts! Poor Ben Carson! He didn’t realize that he was being used to mask the rabid racism that has completely taken over the Republican party.
One of my favorite Oz movies – “the Castle” – has an iconic line “Tell ‘im he’s dreaming” – as for the current GOP – in my wildest dream I never thought they would turn into religious racist haters.
The fool and his money are soon parted….!!!!!
That is going to be great!
title needs a fix, LL?
Oh dammit, yes.
I appreciate your post, LL.
My thing is…they are all the same. They all believe the same. Trump just doesn’t use pretty language to try and mask what they believe in.
Yes, eliminationism is the currency of the day.
So wrong. So wrong. Stinks to high heaven.
Just heard that on MSNBC. No jail employees will be indicted. #SandraBland
Trooper who arrested her is still waiting to hear if he’ll be up on charges. They’ll announce that in January. Sounds like he doesn’t have to ruin his Christmas, waiting for the news. Such a horrendous tragedy for her family.
Its the prosecution. How was the evidence presented. Did the prosecution seek an indictment
I think it’s crass to bring in family members, but sometimes I make an exception when it’s somebody this bizarre.
Latest news report has some video of the president playing golf and greeting folks nearby. Always so gracious, even on vacation, and with no more elections.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/30796951/president-hits-golf-course-with-friends-on-3rd-day-of-hawaii-vacation
Translation provided: In the national high school debate tournament … I learned I was practicing for the debate. #englishdebate
Bobfr – Amb. Samantha Power was on the Rachel Maddow show tonight!
VC – ICYMI from Interior … and goodnight, TODville!
From me to you, xox:
When life kicks a rock your way,
You might see rubble.
Or nuggets of gold.
It could also be a
Rainbow of your awakening,
A path not seen beyond.
–Gazelle
“…even a rock-ribbed conservative is too squishy for the brown shirts. That should give us all pause.”
This a million times!
Thanks LL for another of your excellent commentaries that go to the heart of the current state of politics in this country. I wish your writings reached more Americans to counter the fascist GOP propaganda that’s enabled by the lazy (or may be complicit) corporate media.
Good Morning Everyone;
have a fantastic day
Good morning, TODVille. Have a great day.
Mooooooooooorning!
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/12/22/early-bird-chat-613/