Sore Losers Don't Even Know When They've Lost

El Rude-o

What else? Sarah Palin did something retarded, which is a little like saying "Sarah Palin breathed." Her SarahPAC (motto: "You think these hair styles are cheap?") has a poster up on Facebook (of course) that uses gun crosshairs to demonstrate where to target members of Congress for "defeat." Or shooting. Either way. The poster says, "It's time to take a stand," to which one wants to respond, "Um, didn't you already take a stand and lose?"

More offices of Democrats have been targeted by brick throwing idiots. Bart Stupak has received death threats. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and all of their wannabes are declaring Democrats and liberals enemies of the United States. Somebody is going to get fucking killed, and it ain't gonna be Beck, even if he implies Barack Obama wants to shiv him.

We on the left used the rhetoric of battle during the Bush administration. But we used it when people were actually being killed and tortured by our nation. There's a vast qualitative difference to saying you are going to fight against people who lied us into war and saying you are going to take down those who are trying to get health care to poor people.

What this belies is the point the Rude Pundit's been making again and again: not one of these mass actions is going to happen. There will continue to be incidents, yes, and some of them may even veer into what we might call, if we weren't such racists, "terrorism." But mostly, this is done, this health care battle. The last stand happened. The battle was joined. The war was fought. And we won. And you lost, dear conservatives. Now, stop trying to dictate the terms of your defeat.

Yeah, like that'll happen.

Republicans: Stuck Between Their Crock And A Hard Place

The lovely Mad Kane on HCR. Links at site:

Repeal (requiring a veto-proof majority as long as Obama is president) is virtually impossible, not to mention unpopular. But the very GOP lies that came close to blocking health reform have brainwashed the Republican base into demanding its rescission. Consequently, many Republican leaders feel forced to perpetuate their doomsday and Armageddon claims and fight for repeal, even though they know it’s a lost cause.
...

Republicans: Stuck Between Their Crock And A Hard Place
By Madeleine Begun Kane

The GOP base screams “Repeal!”
And Republicans pledge to with zeal.
Cuz they set their own trap
With their factual gap:
Nixing laws that have widespread appeal.

On the theory of in for a dime, in for twenty cents, here's another Mad lim:

How ironic that GOP state leaders are vowing to challenge the Affordable Health Care for America Act in court. For a party that’s always lambasting trial attorneys and activist judges, Republicans sure are litigious:

Republican Trials (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Republicans constantly boo
Trial lawyers. They do it on cue.
For a party that feels
Such attorneys are heels,
The GOP sure likes to sue.

Note to the Repugs: Keep up the good work. Eventually, you'll come to like losing, even look forward to it.

Headline of the Day Zwei

GOP Seeks Federal Mandate: Everyone Must Buy Their ‘Bullshit’

Isn't that unconstitutional?

What they got, nobody wants. Might as well pass a law saying we gotta patronize eighty-year-old hookers. Oh, that'd be redundant, huh?

Green Capitalists

NYTimes

A proposal to put the legalization of marijuana in California to a vote this November is causing some growers of the plant in the state to worry about a sharp drop in the value of their crop if the measure succeeds.

Watch for the Cheeb Lobby to spend millions on this. They need the War On Some Drugs. Another good reason to legalize this lovely roadside weed.

Update:

LATimes

On Wednesday, Los Angeles County elections officials must turn in their count of valid signatures collected in the county on a statewide legalization initiative. The number is virtually certain to be enough to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, according to a tally kept by state election officials.

That will once again make California the focal point of the long-stewing argument over marijuana legalization, a debate likely to be a high-dollar brawl between adversaries who believe it could launch or stifle another national trend.

Dollars again. Yeesh.

California is not alone in weighing legalization. Several state legislatures have considered bills and two other Western states may vote on initiatives. In Nevada, a measure aimed for 2012 would allow state-licensed pot stores. And a campaign in Washington hopes to put a legalization measure on the fall ballot.

I'm down wid Washington! Me 'n David Aquarius have a date for a "beer (ice tea for me, mox nix) an' a legal bong".

The shocker is Nevada. NV looks at pot like CA looks at guns - not friendly at all. I have a friend in Nevada who told me that the one thing he really liked about California was that we could keep our pot on the coffee table. You can still go to prison there for possession. Nevada's a trifle backwards in some respects.

I think it's because it slows the deal. The goal is 90 hands an hour: "Wow, man. Should I hit or stand on 9? Lemme have another toke and ponder it", unlike the effect of the free booze in the 24-hour casinos: "Yahoo! Hit that 19! Come on, two!"

But I digress...

The 10-page California initiative would allow anyone 21 or older to possess, share and transport up to an ounce for personal use and to grow up to 25 square feet per residence or parcel. It would allow local governments, but not the state, to authorize the cultivation, transportation and sale of marijuana and to impose taxes to raise revenues.

That's a lot like prostitution in Nevada: it's up to the counties. In Washoe County (Reno) and Clark County (Lost Wages), prostitution is illegal and hookers and johns are criminals. Just over the county line in the, and I hesitate but not much to use this term, cow counties, heh, they become respected taxpaying citizens and valued customers. Fiscally for business and county revenue, it's the difference between living and dying.

If it's OK for pussy in Nevada, it'll be fine for weed in California. Now we gotta work on this 'transporting across state lines' crap. Both ways. Whee! Heh.

To make the ballot, the measure needs 433,971 valid signatures. By Tuesday, it was just 15,000 short. Los Angeles County, where supporters collected 142,246 signatures, is expected to put it over the top.

Sounds good. Stay tuned in and turned on.

In related news:

Apparently, in Missouri, it's illegal to sell even fake weed. Clear the oregano off the shelves!

The end of The Age Of Reagan? Bring it!

A 'recommended read' in the NYTimes

For all the political and economic uncertainties about health reform, at least one thing seems clear: The bill that President Obama signed on Tuesday is the federal government’s biggest attack on economic inequality since inequality began rising more than three decades ago.

Nearly every major aspect of the health bill pushes in the other direction. This fact helps explain why Mr. Obama was willing to spend so much political capital on the issue, even though it did not appear to be his top priority as a presidential candidate. Beyond the health reform’s effect on the medical system, it is the centerpiece of his deliberate effort to end what historians have called the age of Reagan.

"The Age Of Reagan": Weak government lets the Robber Barons roll. It's the American Way!

It's way past time to end it.

Before he became Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser, Lawrence Summers told me a story about helping his daughter study for her Advanced Placement exam in American history. While doing so, Mr. Summers realized that the federal government had not passed major social legislation in decades. There was the frenzy of the New Deal, followed by the G.I. Bill, the Interstate Highway System, civil rights and Medicare — and then nothing worth its own section in the history books.

Now there is.

It bears repeating: "...the New Deal, followed by the G.I. Bill, the Interstate Highway System, civil rights and Medicare — and then nothing..."

The four out of the five that came in under Democrats helped people. The Repug one lets us drive to the poorhouse really fast. Or at least without traffic lights.

Headline of the Day

Ari Fleischer quits PR job for Tiger Woods because his legacy was so bad it harmed Tiger’s rehabilitation.

Bush's flack is making a whoremonger look bad. Oh my sides, they hurt...

Listen up ...

All you conservative 'constitutional scholars':

...

Nowhere in the constitution does it authorize the Federal Aviation Administration or the Center For Disease Control either, so I guess they're out too. The fact that the founders weren't psychics or time travelers is a real problem for us, apparently.

...

And for those who say it's unconstitutional to force people to buy insurance, they do it with auto insurance every day. And yes, I know it's regulated by the individual states, but how do you think the feds got them to comply? By withholding highway funding. Any states that try to opt out of HCR will be pressured by the loss of federal funds they probably can't do without.

Grab 'em by the balls and their hearts and minds will follow. HCR is a done deal.

The real deal ...

That would be Joe Biden of course. I heard somewhere, while they call Roosevelt's initiative the "New Deal", they're gonna call HCR the "Big Fucking Deal".



Heh ...

Vid stolen from Adrastos.

Quote of the Day

Our pal David Aquarius in comments on my earlier post:

Expecting cooperation from the Repugs is like expecting Pamela Anderson to get an Oscar.

We have HCR!

And a really good thing about it is that wingnut heads are exploding!

...

This wasn't just a major victory for Obama. This was a resounding defeat for the increasingly marginalized Republican Party and its controlling and now thoroughly repudiated conservative movement.

...

Still decompressing...

...from one helluva case of truck lag. Unloaded the truck and unpacked, still workin' on un-fuckin'-up my gear (military guys will understand that after a change of station), catchin' up on email, snail mail, etc. No energy. All I wanta do today is eat and sleep.

Nothing much goin' on today anyway. In the wake of lyin' & losin' on HCR, the Repugs are redoubling their efforts in doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, vowing to stomp on their weenies even better this time. I suggest cleats or golf spikes - hurry up and get it over with. I haven't heard this much whining from adults in, well, never.

See yas tomorrow.

"... a dick wrapped in a flag ..."

... As someone on the intarweb pointed out, the teabagger party logo looks, appropriately enough, like a dick wrapped in a flag ...

Just go.

Heh ...

Like they cooperated in the first place:

Democrats shouldn't expect much cooperation from Republicans the rest of this year, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) warned Monday.

...

"There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year," McCain said during an interview Monday on an Arizona radio affiliate. "They have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've done it."

..

.

Shaddap and get back up on the porch, grandpa. Little old dick.

Thanks to Digby for the link.

The Doctor Will See You Now...And Pronounce You Dead

David Frum

No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the “doughnut hole” and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents’ insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there – would President Obama sign such a repeal?

We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat. [...]

So today’s defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on television and radio. For them, it’s mission accomplished. For the cause they purport to represent, it’s Waterloo all right: ours.

For once, Frummie, I hope you're right.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

TEA PARTIERS FURIOUS ABOUT BEING FORCED TO HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE
Say they'll move to Canada.

Obama: Congress Must Act on Financial Reform
GOP warns any reform could mean end of free checking.

GOP: Health Bill Rammed Down Our Throats With No Debate
Unlike invasion of Iraq.

U.S. Senate Bill Threatens China Over Currency
If they don’t revalue yuan, we’ll stop borrowing money from them.

The payoff ...

You know Stupnagel didn't come around out of the goodness of his heart. The women got thrown under the bus once more and they're pissed, rightly so:

The president of the National Organization for Women said her group is "incensed" about the impasse-breaking deal between President Obama and a group of anti-abortion Catholic Democrats that seems likely to allow historic health-care reform legislation to pass the House later Sunday night, saying the planned presidential executive order "breaks faith with women."

Other reproductive rights groups, as well as abortion opponents, are also displeased with the compromise.

...

As our pal Creature said:

Maybe one day Americans won't be held captive by another group's religious doctrine, but today is not that day.

Great thanks to Mr. Aravosis for the WaPo link.

Fake Boner ...

Jeez, Skippy, the real one is bad enough. Do we need another dick with hair on its head? Heh ...

For real Stupid Republican Tricks, see Digby.

The Vote on Health Care Reform: The End of the Tea Party?

Here's The Rude One's prediction on Friday before the health care bill passed:

Here's what's going to happen after the vote on the reconciliation bill in the House on Sunday: Almost every Tea Partyer who was out there protesting will go the fuck away. They will devote whatever energy they have left to posting comments on blogs and Facebook pages. Their leaders, desperate to still be relevant and still draw a paycheck, will try to come up with some other phantom issue to whip up enthusiasm. But once it passes, no one will give a shit except the people it helps. The Civil War won't be re-fought. The Constitution won't be shredded. One or two states might try to force their misinterpretation of the 10th Amendment. Soon, Beck and Hannity and Michele Bachmann and Steve King will discover another Republic-ending crisis, probably immigration reform, and we'll start the magical cycle all over again.

Meanwhile, those poor, ignorant bitches and bastards in the photo up there will shuffle home, curse the process, and, like good corporate tools, continue to suck down fast food and sodas and buy shit they don't need because it's cheaply made in China and sold at Wal-Mart and proudly drive gas-devouring vehicles and keep their children stupid and tell themselves that they aren't the problem, no, they are the solution, wondering how to fill the desperate couple of hours between the end of Limbaugh's radio show and the start of Beck's TV rants, despising those who are attempting to do something for them and their neighbors, wondering where their country went, when, after all, this is where it's gone.

For a couple of them, the day will come when they lose their jobs. And the COBRA runs out. And maybe for a moment they panic about where they're going to get health insurance for themselves and their families. And then it will hit them, that "oh, yeah, there's that" and it just might end up okay. But, like the dunces who want the government to keep its hands off their Medicare, they will go on thinking the same, doing the same, never learning, never changing.

We are Americans, after all. Our swinish laziness, blissful ignorance, and blithely cruel selfishness is something our soldiers are fighting and dying for right now.

It's okay. The rest of us will be out here trying to do good, even for those who would like to see our blood discolor the streets.

Note: If the health care bill doesn't pass, then, well, consider the Rude Pundit teabagged.

It passed, RP. Your chin's still a teabag virgin. Don't worry, they'll try again.

Gotta see the orthopaedist ...

From patting ourselves on the back so much.

Just shaddap and get back to work:

...

Can I just say once again how much I hate these little "Mission Accomplished" press conferences? I realize that it's human to want to celebrate the (apparent) end of a hard fought battle and that they all loved to be stroked by each other in public, but it's unseemly.

Instead of telling each other how wonderful they all are, perhaps they could spend time time explaining why the bill is important and thanking the American people for their forbearance. They can give each other big smooches and hearty pats on the back when the cameras stop rolling.

...

Jesus Christ, I do more before 10 a.m. than these idiots do in a month. If I stopped to congratulate myself every time I finished a job, I'd be 6 months behind. Just do what we pay you to do and leave the celebrations for happy hour. And by the way, this bill ain't anything to celebrate over in the first place.

Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Been busy having fun and it's still barely Saturday out west here!

Emmylou Harris ~ Waltz Across Texas Tonight

Thanks to arthurfromholland, Netherlands.