Weekly Roundup, January 2-8, 2012

By Blueberry T

Monday, January 02, 2012

The Republican Field (aka Whack Pack)

Sunnyjane’s brilliant evaluation of the current crop of Republican presidential candidates is matched by the fantastic cartoons illustrating each of the candidates – well worth the price of admission. Here are some snippets:

Mitt Romney has more positions than can be found in the thirty-six chapters of the Kama Sutra.

Newt Gingrich is toting around more baggage than a fully loaded Boeing 747. [and] he’s also shown himself to be another flip-flopping jowl-flapper, capable of doing a one-eighty on any of his pseudo-intellectual opinions somewhere between inhaling and exhaling.

Rick Perry: …is simply unable to put his ignorant mind in gear before opening his silly mouth.

Michele Bachmann: Her self-confidence would be truly commendable were she not so conspicuously ignorant of history and government…

Ron Paul: Paul’s plan for how Americans should deal with their own Health Care is almost as ludicrous as a Chickens-for-Checkups plan.

Jon Huntsman: You know when there are so few mocking cartoons about you that you’re either doing everything right or you’re too humdrum to waste pen and ink on.

Rick Santorum is so far-right Christian on social issues that he should consider the priesthood as a vocation rather than politics.

Herman Cain: The Koch Brother’s brother by another mother was last seen boarding Flight 999 to Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Dusty’s Corner

Dusty gives us sample snippets about the current batch of Republican hypocrites and reminds us how the media does everything in its power to avoid investigating potential scandals. Rick Perry appears to be the latest exhibit in a long line of GOP-ers who yell the loudest about homosexuality to divert attention from their own gay trysts. A new book, Head Figure Head, digs into the long-standing rumors that Perry has had a lot of gay sex in Texas. Next up is Callista Gingrich, who is 45 but doesn’t look a day younger than 60 and whose Stepford doll/helmet head look would make young children have nightmares. This says it all: “The 45-year-old third wife of 67-year-old Newt Gingrich and, as of Wednesday, aspiring first lady, is a devout Catholic who began her relationship with her husband via a lengthy extramarital affair.” Hyp-hyp-hypocrite! Rick Santorum does not escape Dusty’s wry wit, as she manages to touch on his anti-gay, anti-blah, anti-welfare, anti-Obama messages. Another nut case.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Palin’s Long-Delayed Emails Delayed Longer/ Bristol’s Career Ruined!

What a surprise! The state of Alaska has authorized another delay in producing the emails requested during Sarah Palin’s term as Governor. In fact, the delays in producing the emails exceed the time she was in office. Andrée McLeod continues to try to hold Palin accountable, as Palin invited Alaskans to do when she was first elected. The Parnell Administration has now proven itself just as unaccountable and irresponsible in this matter as Palin herself. Patrick injected a little humor in the post, including some tweets from Stephen Hanks, the man Bristol Palin accused of ruining her brilliant career as a reality TV star by forcing her to publicly demonstrate how homophobic she is.

Friday, January 06, 2012

A Closer Look at Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum has largely escaped any serious scrutiny up until now, but Kathleen and others are changing that. She links to this excellent piece about Santorum’s Christian version of Sharia law. Santorum explicitly says that our civil laws must “comport with the higher law.” He is unabashed that his religious beliefs would trump the laws of the United States, were we so unfortunate as to elect him as President. [Here is some background on his embrace of Dominionism.] Then there’s this, about (among other things) an exorcism that allegedly took place at a United Health Services facility; this is a large hospital chain on whose board Santorum sat until last June and whose facilities have been described as a “systemic failure” and are implicated in rape and murder. Of course we cannot forget Santorum’s view that abortion should be illegal in all cases except one, and that is his own wife – in her case, and her case alone, it is acceptable to Santorum to abort the fetus so as to save Karen Santorum. No other woman merits this special treatment, which apparently Santorum’s god approved. Here are some choice Santorum quotes.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Mixing Religion and Politics

Nomad looks at how religion has become mixed with politics over the past half-century. John Kennedy thought that he had “buried the religious issue once and for all,” but he did not anticipate the unholy alliance between the right-wing and fundamentalists Christians that dominates today’s Republican party. Ironically, the fundamentalists flirted first with Jimmy Carter, a man whose religious beliefs were at his core but whose politics did not align with burgeoning Dominionism or the right-wing agenda. Reagan merged the Christian Coalition and other fundamentalist groups with conservative politics, pandering to so-called “family values” on his way to landslide victories. Over the ensuing decades, the coalition has forced the Republican Party into an increasingly narrow religious-ideological extremism.[BBT: The moral failings of many of its leaders are so commonplace that it seems a safe assumption that anyone railing against homosexuality, abortion etc. is probably covering up their own personal failings or indiscretions.] Today, we face a battle over the separation of church and state; let’s do everything we can to make sure that Nomad is correct in saying that this is the “last gasp of the Christian Right.”

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Sad Anniversary

BanditBasheert’s guest post helped us through the first anniversary of the tragic assassination attempt against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, in which so many innocents were killed and injured. Bandit also reminds us that Palin’s Facebook page still shows the irresponsible crosshairs map that targeted Giffords’ district. Then there was the infamous blood libel speech, in which Palin’s narcissism was on full display as she portrayed herself as the victim of “reprehensible” recriminations. The anniversary reminds me of that brief interlude in January of last year, when many of us changed our avatars to butterflies and there seemed to be a glimmer of hope that America could return to “disagreeing without being disagreeable.” That was before the Republican debates, of course. RIP Christina, John, Gabe, Dorothy, Dorwin and Phyllis. Here is a moving tribute (H/T to fixgunchecks.org and ProChoiceGrandma and others).

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Some comments and links (more than usual because this covers two weeks); there was a LOT of live blogging going on this past week, between the Iowa circus, er caucus, the GOP debate and the troll on Dusty’s thread… very entertaining!

JCos: If Palin wants to be a TV star, she should sign with HBO or Showtime, to do a series about a woman who scratches and claws her way to the top of the political world, using her tits and ass when necessary, who sleeps around on her husband and has to abort some inconvenient truths, is too lazy to do the work required after being elected but is addicted to the attention, fame and wealth it allows her, is vindictive and obsessive, ignores and resents her slutty daughters, treats her husband like the eunuch she thinks all men are, hates minorities, foreigners and almost everyone from out-of-state, professes to love God and country so long as it doesn't cut in on her Me-time, and is just generally the all-time biggest bitch EVER.

Annes_123: Re: The S.P. reality show #2 they begged for....

If S.P. and her dysfuctional broad would just be themselves the show would be a hit! JCos said it BEST!! but could you imagine the ratings if
- Tonight's show .. Willow sneaks out of her bedroom window again! The Dead Lake swarming with Wasillian sirens
- S.P.'s blackberry is lost! Toad finds the erotic text messages to Hannity and puts his foot down!
- Trig's real mother shows up with a dozen lawyers
- The Palin's sit down with Track and tell him the truth about his daddy
- Piper shows her one friend her mama's wig collection and posts photos of her bald mama on FaceBook
- Finale! The Feds are hot on S.P.s tail... she tries to run them off her lawn in only a bathrobe
They just don't get it... No one wants to see a hypocritical family pretending to be perfect.

[Later, from a longer comment]: This isn't Christianity. This is criminal minds using "religion" to make their sick minds "legal".

Molly_WI: God can be pretty funny, sometimes, aina? I like that in a God.

Older_Wiser2: Just as we feminists say, if men could get pregnant abortion would be a sacrament.

Maelewis (on recess appointments): Sometimes when there is a clog in the system, you have to use one of those industrial strength drain cleaners and a plunger to get rid of the obstruction.

PoliticalKarma: Sean Parnell is every bit as bad as Palin. He inherited her mess. He could have looked like a hero by exposing the corruption in every department. Instead he embraced it and has continued the coverups.

Leadfoot, in response to Palin’s idiotic thuggery comment, spoke for many of us: Sarah, you raving hypocrite. Because you are too psychotic to remember, let me remind you:

1) YOU are LUCKY that candidate Obama said "let's leave the kids out of this" during the election. He could have blown your whole world apart by exposing your FRAUD and INELIGIBILITY to be a candidate because YOU LIED about being Trig's grandmother.
2) YOU are the one, missy, who let people scream "KILL HIM!" at your rallies and just stood there and smiled and did nothing about it.
Fuck you, Sarah Palin. Fuck you.

Lasergrl (let’s see, was this about Romney, Santorum, Gingrich?): But remember, he's been steadfast in his opinion since he changed his mind. :-)

American: I'm reasonably certain that Bristol has about as much talent as her mother has brains.

CaliGirl22: How did Stephen Hanks destroy an uneducated and useless "actress" who had no talent to begin with? The only person that should be responsible is Mommy Dearest herself for involving her daughter in the most disgusting political hoax in American history. The Idiot Queen tossed her daughter to the wolves on stage at the RNC for her own political and financial gain.

TripleMoon: I don't often laugh out loud while watching the PBS News Hour, but last night I did. While speaking of Iran, Karim Sadjadpour from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said "Well, Iran has this schizophrenia because it simultaneously has delusions of grandeur and profound insecurity. You could call it the Sarah Palin of nations." She's an international joke.

Psalm023: Santorum says the nation doesn't need an economic candidate, but a Jesus candidate. He is using that name that is beautiful to so many, and to me, as a method to gain support. Jesus didn't die so Rick could get more votes, or get voted in as repub nominee, or so that Rick could be in the position to enforce christianity on a secular state. As the good book says, Jesus knocks and it's up to individuals to open. (Sorry, Rick, it's not you who knocks). He's as fleshly and in pursuit of power as the next guy. His personal reliance on God should be private. Selling God is blasphemy.

Ennealogic: New Law (unwritten and not passed by Congress or signed by the President): If ye shall yell out in public to object to anything, while not endangering anyone or causing anyone to become violent or even unruly but only cause others to also speak in their own voice in a public place, ye shall suffer immediate subjugation including but not limited to: dragging, handcuffing, pepper-spraying, beating, trampling, corralling, arresting, or whatever other means are at the disposal of the "law enforcement" personnel available. (Never mind that the law they enforce does not exist...)

Sad. Very very sad and sick and in my olding age I cry for the only country I have ever really known and wonder how bad it has to get before I get serious about relocating, or even if there is any saner place to go..

Mmboucher pointed out this excellent chart – I think the Dems should run this as a campaign ad, day in and day out, for every election cycle (and combine it with one about who started what wars)…

Hope for America found this on the accomplishments of President Obama.

Alwaysthink linked to “Inside Job” on Vimeo – must see!

Sleuth1 highlighted this excellent letter from the child of a janitor.

Zane1 linked to this on ALEC connections to Maine voter registration referendum.

Totally O/T but very enjoyable, JCos pointed this out.

AzureGhost and others linked to John Ziegler, attacking Palin as a selfish, hypocritical sellout. [BBT: It’s interesting that his wife warned him about Sarah Palin.]

Older_Wiser and maelewis posted this on Santorum from HuffPo and PCG added this.

Cheeriogirl found this on Romney’s off-shore tax havens and posted this from the DCCC:

In the first year of this extremist Republican Congress, the American middle class and creating jobs have been House Republicans’ last priority.
House Republicans’ 2011 agenda doesn’t reflect Americans’ priorities -- by the numbers:
14 Votes to repeal patient health care protections
10 Anti-Consumer votes
7 Votes to keep unnecessary subsidies for Big Oil companies
4 Votes to restrict women’s access to health care
3 Votes to end Medicare
3 Votes to roll back workers’ rights
0 Comprehensive jobs bills"
Linda1961 found this – excellent!

In case you missed it, here is a link on the outrageous Georgia school curriculum, posted by sunnyjane.