Whiskey Fire Tidbits

“Why do the Democrats continually let Lucy Van Lieberman hold the football knowing full well that it won't be there when Charlie B. Reid goes to kick it?”

“BARACK OBAMA WANTS TO KILL THE BABY JESUS.”

And Yet They Still Believe Him

Bush lies over and over and over… Yet they still believe him. It’s like some perverse version of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

From The complete (though ever-changing) elite consensus over the financial collapse by Glenn Greenwald:

Leave aside for the moment whether this gargantuan nationalization/bailout scheme is "necessary" in some utilitarian sense. One doesn't have to be an economics expert in order for several facts to be crystal clear:

First, the fact that Democrats are on board with this scheme means absolutely nothing. When it comes to things the Bush administration wants, Congressional Democrats don't say "no" to anything. They say "yes" to everything. That's what they're for.

They say "yes" regardless of whether they understand what they're endorsing. They say "yes" regardless of whether they've been told even the most basic facts about what they're being told to endorse. They say "yes" anytime doing so is politically less risky than saying "no," which is essentially always and is certainly the case here. They say "yes" whenever the political establishment -- meaning establishment media outlets and the corporate class that funds them -- wants them to say "yes," which is the case here. And they say "yes" with particular speed and eagerness when told to do so by the Serious Trans-Partisan Republican Experts like Hank Paulson and Ben Bernake (or Mike McConnell and Robert Gates and, before them, Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell).

So nothing could be less reassuring or more meaningless than the fact that the Democratic leadership has announced that what they heard scared them so much that they are certain all of this is necessary -- whatever "all this" might be (and does anyone think that they know what "this" even is?). It may be "necessary" or may not be, but the fact that Congressional Democrats are saying this is irrelevant, since they would not have done anything else -- they're incapable of doing anything else -- other than giving their stamp of approval when they're told to.

Read more here.

From Thoughts On Sunday Bobbleheads by tristero:

The Republicans are also playing politics. They believed it is necessary, before actually addressing the crisis in real terms, to make sure they are carefully positioned as the "protectors of the American people" advocating a "clean" solution. Given the shared sense of imminent crisis requiring immediate action, the oversight, compensation limits, and "reciprocity" - whatever that is - put on this bill will be limited. In other words, Congress is about to hand the Bush administration the biggest blank check they have received to date.

And finally, I am confident that the American people will greatly benefit from this. Which American people? After 8 years of Bushism, you have to ask? Why, those who caused this crisis and who exploited this crisis, of course. They will slurp up the trillion dollars of our hard-earned money that's gonna be served up on a silver platter faster than you can say "Americans are suckers if they vote Republican."

Update from digby: I just have to add that when I heard Paulson say this bail out was actually going to make money for the government, I couldn't help but remember Paul Wolfowitz assuring us that the Iraq war would pay for itself.

Trust 'em?

Read more here.

From Before We Jump In by Josh Marshall:

There are subjects I know a lot about and others I know very little about. And the high-wire financial mess we're currently in falls clearly into the latter category. But I know enough to be troubled that we appear ready to give upwards of a trillion dollars in unfettered and unreviewable spending authority to the ... let's face it, the Bush administration, the folks who did such a bang up job in Iraq and New Orleans.

This morning a friend told me it's like the Iraq War all over again -- Shock & Awe, followed by an occupation of Wall Street, and all with no exit plan.

Sarah The Pit Bull

I think the women’s movement still has a way to go. After all, the two most prominent female politicians of 2008 are frequently referred to by terms that are usually reserved for canines.

I really am puzzled by the “Pit Bull” statement by Sarah Palin. If a man refers to a woman as a dog, it is objectionable. Yet when Sarah Palin likens herself to a dog it is a wonderful thing. Pit Bulls are butt ugly and mean. Is Sarah Palin saying that she is butt ugly and mean? Since when did being butt ugly and mean become qualities we seek in a Vice President? Is it because of Dick Cheney who, after all, is butt ugly and mean? Do we really want another Dick Cheney as VP?

What does it say about the Republican Right when they seem content with this practice of comparing women to dogs? After all, they seem to see nothing wrong with calling a strong-willed Democratic woman such as Hillary Clinton a bitch. And they seem to see nothing wrong with Sarah Palin calling herself a Pit Bull. I find it all to be extremely confusing. In the case of Hillary Clinton it is supposed to be a put-down, in the case of Sarah Palin it is supposed to be praise. Both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin seem to be strong-willed women. Does this mean that the terms are interchangeable? Does this mean that Hillary Clinton is a Pit Bull? Does this mean I can call Sarah Palin a bitch, and if I do, what exactly would it mean?

A larger question about all of this is also on my mind. Why do voters fall for all of this stupidity?

My Reaction To Barack Obama's Speech

If Barack Obama becomes president, the middle fingers of both my hands will get a well deserved rest, after eight years of flippin’ off George W. Bush every time he appeared on my television.

Remember when the “Dean scream” was not considered presidential? After all this time with Bush, does anyone think that his speeches are presidential? The smirk alone clenches it for me.

Last night, Barack Obama was presidential.

John Kerry Speech

Now the blogosphere is raving about John Kerry. Are all these speeches really that good?

From Full Text: John Kerry Speech Democratic National Convention:

Thank you so much. Four years ago, you gave me the honor of fighting our fight. I was proud to stand with you then, and I am proud to stand with you now, to help elect Barack Obama as President of the United States.

In 2004, we came so close to victory. We are even closer now, and let me tell you, this time we’re going to win. Today, the call for change is more powerful than ever, and with more seats in Congress, with more people with more passion engaged in our politics, and with a President Obama, we stand on the brink of the greatest opportunity of our generation to move this country forward.

The stakes could not be higher, because we do know what a McCain administration would look like: just like the past, just like George Bush. And this country can’t afford a third Bush term. Just think: John McCain voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Ninety percent of George Bush is just more than we can take.

Read the rest here.

Does Barack Obama Stand For Freedom Of Speech?

The revolution will be censored.

Barack Obama appears to be a censor and a control-freak. What happens to your character when you will do anything to be elected president of the United States?

From Obama tightens grip on podium speeches by Betsy Rothstein:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is tightening the reins on campaign speeches and stressing that speakers emphasize a rags-to-riches theme.

Members of Congress and others who have been asked to address the convention must have their speeches approved by the Obama campaign. In many cases, the speeches are drastically changed — to the point where the original speech is completely scrapped, Democratic sources say.

Obama has long expressed his desire to run a positive campaign, but that approach has attracted criticism from some Democrats, who say the Illinois senator must hit Republicans harder.

Still, the practice of making wholesale changes to speeches has some Democrats miffed. “This is politics through and through,” said a Democratic source who has seen firsthand the degree to which the Obama camp has changed some of the speeches of members of Congress. “Everyone gets vetted.”

Yet not every speech has been completely overhauled. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who was asked by Obama to speak about the economy, was scheduled to deliver his speech Tuesday afternoon. The Obama campaign struck just one line from his speech, which slammed the Republicans and the Bush administration, according to a Democratic source.

That line, addressing Republicans, read: “They’re asking for another four years — in a just world, they’d get 10 to 20.”

Read more here.

A Wake-Up Call

The revolution will not be televised.

Kucinich Speech - Democratic Convention 8-26-2008:


Here is my favorite part of the Kucinich speech:

Wake up, America. This is not a call for you to take a new direction from right to left. This is call for you to go from down to up.

From Text: U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich Remarks to DNC:

It’s Election Day 2008. We Democrats are giving America a wake-up call. Wake up, America. In 2001, the oil companies, the war contractors and the neo-con artists seized the economy and have added 4 trillion dollars of unproductive spending to the national debt. We now pay four times more for defense, three times more for gasoline and home heating oil and twice what we paid for health care.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, their health care, their pensions. Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid with borrowed money. Tens of billions of dollars in cash and weapons disappeared into thin air, at the cost of the lives of our troops and innocent Iraqis, while all the president’s oilmen are maneuvering to grab Iraq’s oil.

Borrowed money to bomb bridges in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. No money to rebuild bridges in America. Money to start a hot war with Iran. Now we have another cold war with Russia, while the American economy has become a game of Russian roulette.

If there was an Olympics for misleading, mismanaging and misappropriating, this administration would take the gold. World records for violations of national and international laws. They want another four-year term to continue to alienate our allies, spend our children’s inheritance and hollow out our economy.

Read the rest here.

Jim Leach

People seem to be impressed by the speech given last night by Jim Leach at the Democratic Convention.

The short version of the speech is: Bush really, really sucks, and even the Republicans know it. John McCain is just like Bush, and even the Republicans know it. Vote for Obama, not McCain.

From Full Text: Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach Speech to Democratic National Convention:

As a Republican, I stand before you with deep respect for the history and traditions of my political party. But it is clear to all Americans that something is out of kilter in our great republic. In less than a decade America’s political and economic standing in the world has been diminished. Our nation’s extraordinary leadership in so many areas is simply not reflected in the partisan bickering and ideological politics of Washington. Seldom has the case for an inspiring new political ethic been more compelling. And seldom has an emerging leader so matched the needs of the moment.

The platform of this transformative figure is a call for change. The change Barack Obama is advocating is far more than a break with today’s politics. It is a clarion call for renewal rooted in time-tested American values that tap Republican, as well as Democratic traditions.

Read the rest here.

What's The Big Deal?

So the Democratic Presidential Convention began last night. What’s the big deal?

These things consist of people of privilege giving speeches to people of privilege along with people of privilege interviewing people of privilege, while the dissenters are kept locked out of the proceedings never to be truly heard. This is democracy?

The speeches, the pomp, and the insufferable news people (I can’t stand Katie Couric) are mostly boring as hell. There is only so much of “Hooray for us” that I can take.

The whole spectacle reminds me too much of a preacher preaching to his flock of sheep. The sheep are the true source of all the power and money that somehow is always relinquished to the preacher. The same thing happens in politics.

I did see some of Ted Kennedy last night. I’m glad he seems to be doing so well.

Uninvited And Unwanted

How stupid are politicians? Atheists do vote, you know.

Atheists are treated like second-class citizens, yet according to some we should never express our anger. Screw that! This pisses me off. Exclusion of any kind pisses me off. Interfaith gatherings at political events piss me off. Religious “leaders” (like Rick Warren) involved in politics piss me off. Politicians (like Barack Obama and John McCain) who pander to the religious piss me off. And people telling me I shouldn't be pissed off piss me off most of all.

From Why Weren’t Atheists Invited to the Democratic National Committee’s Interfaith Gathering? by Hemant Mehta:

The Democratic National Convention will open next week with an interfaith gathering. Representatives from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths will be there.

No atheists, though.

We weren’t invited.

The Secular Coalition for America has tried to persuade Convention CEO Leah Daughtry to allow atheists to be a part of the gathering, but to no avail.

Read the rest here.

"Rush, honey, when did 30 percent get to be a small number?"

Selected bits from Limbaugh: "Democrats will bend over, grab the ankles, and say, 'Have your way with me' " to African-Americans and gays:

Rush Limbaugh:

…but one of the simple answers that will require some elaboration is that a lot of money is coming from these kooks -- and I'm not talking about just the blacks -- I'm talking about a whole kook-fringe base because George Soros is running it…

The Democrats -- what are they embarrassed about? They're not embarrassed about anything. The Democrats have never set any standards for themselves. As far as they're concerned, everybody's a victim, even on their side.

But in addition to the money aspect of this -- and don't forget, the left-wing base is not even talked about by Mickey Edwards there -- is the anti-war kook fringe. And it is huge. From MoveOn.org to Think Progress to My Base Book -- whatever these things, these things -- well, maybe not MySpace or Face, whatever it is.

Conclusions? Rush Limbaugh thinks blacks are kooks and are all gay (why won’t this get the publicity that Don Imus gets?), George Soros is so amazingly powerful that he controls the minds of all those “kooky” Democrats out there (of course none of them can think for themselves, let's call them dittoheads or something like that), the Democrats have absolutely no standards (as if Bush does? has Limbaugh ever even listened to Obama?), must actually LIKE war (what the hell is wrong with being anti-war?), and like John McCain and other Republicans (I thought they were the BUSINESS party) is not very internet savvy.

And what is it with the anal fixation? Is Rush another one of those Republicans who won’t come out of the closet? Does Rush need to be restored? Hallelujah!

One Of The Bush Administration's Biggest Debacles

From Lack of Katrina talk in election worries Louisiana: Democrats don't use hurricane debacle as fodder; issue on back burner? by Russ Britt:

"They've all ignored us, really," said Jeff Crouere, a political talk-show host in New Orleans. "There's a statement here and there. They fly by."

What surprises Crouere more than anything is that neither Clinton nor Obama seem to be paying much attention to Katrina response, widely acknowledged to be one of the Bush administration's worst blunders.

"I would have thought Democrats would be pouncing on this issue," he said. "I'm shocked they're not."

It's quickly becoming apparent to New Orleanians that 2 1/2 years after Katrina deluged three-fourths of their city, a slew of problems with slow-footed bureaucracies, patchwork hurricane protection, exorbitant insurance costs and skittish residents afraid to rebuild may not be resolved with the next presidency - regardless of who wins.

A Corpse As A Candidate

Media Is A Plural on the Democrats:

Clearly the Democratic faithful will be happy with either of the Last Candidates Standing as their standard-bearer in November. (Of course by now, most of them are so sick of Republican rule they would welcome a corpse as a candidate if convinced it would win.)