Saturday Emmylou Blogging

If there's anything Emmylou has done more than sing solo, it's duets and backups.

Thanks to electricchris1, Oz.

Heh ...

Stolen from the Being Liberal FB page.

Why No Responsible Democrat Should Want Newt Gingrich to Get the GOP Nomination

Robert "Bobby Buzzkill" Reich. He's usually got plenty of sack. Not this time.

Republicans are worried sick about Newt Gingrich's ascendance, while Democrats are tickled pink.

Yet no responsible Democrat should be pleased at the prospect that Gingrich could get the GOP nomination. The future of America is too important to accept even a small risk of a Gingrich presidency.

"Weird" is the word I hear most from Republicans who have worked with him. Scott Klug, a former Republican House member from Wisconsin, who hasn't endorsed anyone yet, says "Newt has ten ideas a day – two of them are good, six are weird and two are very weird."

Newt's latest idea, for example – to colonize the moon – is typically whacky.

Are you kidding me? That's the best of all his whacky ideas!

Even if the odds that Gingrich as GOP presidential candidate would win the general election are 10 percent, that's too much of a risk to the nation. No responsible American should accept a 10 percent risk of a President Gingrich.

Look, Bobby, that asshole's got exactly Zero percent chance of being President, and it's a risk we're willing to take. He will go down at, my guess, 65% to 35% as opposed to Willard at about 53% to 47%. We're lovin' this. Quit harshin' our mellow, dude.

If I was so pessimistic as to think the majority of American voters are as batcrap crazy as the Dead End Quarter, I'd be blogging from Nepal or Botswana or someplace else that is smarter than here.

Headline of the Day

Cocaine mistakenly sent to UN headquarters

It could only help! I wonder if 35 keys is enough...

GOP begins to think the unthinkable

Guardian (UK)

It is the rumour that – almost – dare not speak its name.

But, as the Republican nomination race descends into civil war in Florida, some senior figures on the right of American politics are speculating openly about the prospect that none of the contenders should win.

Instead, they argue, several scenarios could play out which would allow someone not currently in the race to step in at the last moment, or appear at the party's convention in Tampa in August, and win the right to fight Barack Obama for the White House.

All the usual suspects. The same ones who stayed outta that race because they saw the handwriting on the wall some time ago. Heh.

This is so good I can't believe it! The whole 3-ring Repug primary circus up to now might get thrown out the window because the money boys know they're all a buncha unelectable clowns.

I'm thinkin' of it as a Hail Mary Circular Firing Squad. Fun ta watch.

And then they lose anyway. Heh.

What's Good For General Motors Is Awful for Rush Limbaugh

Good. Goes to the point of Fixer's earlier post. There are people whom he thinks will believe him. He's made millions off of lying to them. Maybe he's just getting more and more batcrap outrageous because less and less people are falling for his shit. Media Matters, links and video if you can stand looking at that fat pig. Sorry, pigs.

Why? Simple: If Obama is for the car companies succeeding, the right-wing media have to be against them. Aggressively. (Although, it's funny that when GM ad dollars were flowing Limbaugh's way he sang a very different tune.)
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Instead, he lashed out at the carmaker, and refused to believe that GM's robust sales numbers were accurate. In fact, he denounced them as an "absolute crock." Because GM and Detroit autoworkers are the enemy of conservative media.

Note to Rushbo: Keep digging. When the hole's deep enough, shovel the dirt in on yourself. Put up a "head closed" sign with the date so no one will picnic there and get sick.

Mixed Britannia ...

I've been watching this series every Friday for the last few weeks, being that it goes to my roots in England and the colonies. A very well-done piece from George Alagiah of the BBC:

There are several clips from the series at the link. Good recent (relatively) history.

Conservative = Stupid

There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.

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Polling data and social and political science research do show that prejudice is more common in those who hold right-wing ideals that those of other political persuasions, Nosek told LiveScience. [7 Thoughts That Are Bad For You]

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We been saying this since we started this blog. It's the only way to explain why we had a moron President for 8 years.

Headline of the Day

Gingrich pledges moon colony during presidency

There's nothing wrong with that at all, but the words "Neut" and "moon" in the same sentence bring a horridly disturbing visual...

Wingnuts finally understand why we want Neutie as their nominee

Politico (yeah, yeah, button it). With video.

It’s as if the conservative media over the past 24 hours decided Gingrich is for real, and they need to come clean about the man they really know before it’s too late. This is just a sampling of what’s hitting Newt:

Shorter: simply delicious!

A top conservative media figure said the flood of attacks reflects a “Holy crap, it could happen” moment in the movement, as Republican leaders began to realize after Gingrich’s South Carolina victory that he could become the nominee, the global face and voice of their party and theology.

“It could happen, and it would be a disaster,” said the conservative, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect private conversations. “All of us who were around and saw how he operated as speaker — there’s no one who’s not appalled by the prospect of what could happen. He thinks he embodies conservatism and if he wakes up one day and has a grandiose thought, he is going to expect all of us to fall in line behind him.

“There’s just so much risk on so many levels,” the official continued. “Everyone’s thinking, ‘It could really happen.’ He could win the presidency if there’s a way to win with 45 percent — a second recession or a third-party candidate. The immediate worry is him winning the nomination and losing the election, tanking candidates down-ballot. In a worst-case scenario, you could see unified Democratic governance, and we’d be back where we were in ’09 and ’10. It’s insane.”

Ah, Dungbeetle, what you call "insane" we call "a chance for survival".

Don't worry about it, Repugs. You get Neutie, you lose. We know that and you know that.

You're going to get Willard. You still lose. Deep down, you know that too. So what's the big deal?

Update:

Salon

But a startling new poll underscores what has got to be a maddening possibility for Republicans: It could all be for naught – and there may be nothing they can do about it. The NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey points to a measurable uptick in optimism about the country’s economic direction, and in the public’s assessment of President Obama’s performance.

See? Things are going in the, er, right direction.

Yeesh ...

If I won $100mil in the Powerball, the gummint takes their cut right off the top. The Mittster gives $100mil to his kids, not so much:

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If I understand the following correctly, [David Cay] Johnston confirmed with Romney's lawyer that the Romneys paid no taxes on $100,000,000 (that's $100 million) by passing it to their sons as a gift.

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There is a Club.
We ain't in it.

Quote of the Day

Geov Parrish:

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Never, ever think that Republicans cannot get stupider. It's one challenge they're always up for.

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Oh the outrage ...

The GOP and their Outrage Machine have shifted into passing gear:

Republicans saying anything intelligent or compassionate is about as common as the Pope wearing a condom. However these past few days, the GOP and the Teabaggers have gone out of their way to show their idiocy, nastiness and disdain of anything humane can always reach a new low.

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Comfort Food

If it's Wednesday it must be Morford going on about Paula Deen, instaheartattack food, da Catlick Choich, and Scott "Workers Suck" Walker. Va-hoo-hahs too! Enjoy.

Behold, Burger King home delivery! That's right, America's No. 3 fast food death machine is testing the bringing of Whoppers, BK Stackers and other grease-related, food-like items that are so full of salt and sugar and fat and synthetic hormones they will make your blood turn into glue and your face turn into Paula Deen, straight to your door!
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Best part: you barely have to lift a finger. Just enough to tap a few buttons on the site/app, and within an hour, not-so-fast food will be killing you and your family faster than you can say "Damn liberals stop telling me what to eat!"

In related news, Taco Bell has reportedly developed a method of cramming its patented, fake taco meat into .44 caliber bullet casings, which, for $.99 a round, it will shoot straight in your heart over and over again, until you collapse. The Taco Bulleto™ is coming soon to a drive-by near you.

Rejoice, Paula Deen! Paula Deen is America's greasiest, butteryest, lyingest Southern-fried sweetheart! Paula Deen appears to openly despise you and does not seem to care if you get fat and sick and perhaps die from eating her bacon-wrapped deep-fried mac-and-cheese butter-dipped donut logs on a stick!

Actually, deep-fried oddball food-like substances that can kill you, morbid obesity, and early death are grand Southern traditions like racism and ignorance, but ones that I for one would never change. Why not keel face first into something that's so incredibly scrumptious that you'll never get up from the table after eating and couldn't care less? Go Paula! Kill dem crackers with love!

SOTU

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) January 25, 2012 – In what some critics are calling the most radical tactic ever employed in a State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama risked alienating congressional Republicans last night by repeatedly using facts.
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After the speech, a furious Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, "It's been a longstanding tradition in our politics not to use facts in a State of the Union Address, a tradition the President chose to ignore in an outrageous way tonight. I won't stand for it and the American people won't stand for it."

"We want to work with the President for the good of the American people," added House Speaker John Boehner. "But he's going to have to take facts off the table. That's a deal-breaker for us."

This ...

Is one of the best things to come out of the State of the Union:

(CNN) -- New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will head a task force to investigate housing practices, a senior administration official said early Wednesday.

During Tuesday night's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said he was asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to create a special unit made up of prosecutors and state attorneys general to "expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages."

Obama also said a "Financial Crimes Unit" was in the works. The group will be charged with cracking down on "large-scale fraud" in an effort to protect the public's investments.

Let's hope they don't neuter him under pressure from their donors.

Dear Egypt ...

Personally, I don't give a damn what government you elect. You want to live under Islamic law, fine. You want to subjugate your women, fine. It's your country and you threw out your dictator so you could have the government you want. I applaud that. Thing is, though, since a great portion of your national wealth is derived from the tourist industry, if you go 'full Sharia' on us, I, and whole buncha other tourists sure as hell ain't gonna spend their money in your country. As I said, I really don't give a shit what you do in your own country but if you don't want to end up as some 12th Century throwback (see: Afghanistan), you'll practice the basic human rights the rest of us all take for granted.

Ultraconservative Islamists, known as Salafists, have emerged from the first stage of Egypt's parliamentary election as a powerful political force.

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However, since the revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February, they have turned to electoral politics as a way to try to further incorporate Islamic law, or Sharia, into legislation.

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In parliament, al-Nour is expected to press a socially conservative agenda, including plans to phase out non-Islamic banking, alcohol sales and revealing swimming costumes on beaches.

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So, if I go there on vacation to see the wonders of the Cradle of Civilization, my wife and I would not be allowed together on the same beach? I would not be able to get a beer in that hot ass climate of yours? My wife would not be allowed out in public without a head covering? Fine.

Guess what? I'll spend my money somewhere else and so will a couple million other people. Enjoy the 12th Century.

Cross-posted at Worlds.

Heh ...

WASHINGTON -- In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.

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As the SEALS approached the compound on foot gunfire broke out, the U.S. officials said, and several of the militants were reportedly killed. There is no word that any of the Americans were wounded.

The SEALs gathered up Buchanan and Thisted, loaded them onto the helicopters and flew them to safety at an undisclosed location. The two hostages were not injured during the rescue operation and are reported to be in relatively good condition.

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Believe me, I don't give a damn about the fate of pirates. Hope we killed a lot of them.

Hey, news flash! Willard's rich!

Greg Sargent

What timing: On day of Obama’s big inequality speech, Romney reveals massive income, low tax rates
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I’m not sure the Obama campaign could have scripted this more perfectly. In a remarkable bit of good timing, President Obama is set to deliver a State of the Union speech focused on income inequality and tax unfairness on exactly the same day that Mitt Romney will reveal that he made over $40 million in the last two years — all of it taxed at a lower rate than that paid by middle class taxpayers.
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— Income of $21.7 million in 2010 and $20.9 million in 2011, virtually all of it from profits, dividends or interest from investments, and none from wages.

Without lifting a finger. He has people to peel him a grape...

Romney doesn’t just disagree with Obama on these fundamental issues; he personally symbolizes virtually the entire 2012 Democratic message. He is the walking embodiment of everything Dems allege is wrong with our system and the ways it’s rigged in favor of the wealthy and against the middle class. Yet this is the standard bearer the GOP seems set to pick.

Heh. Between Willard and Neutie, looks like the battle is between the 1% and the Dead End Quarter.

Yo, Barry, go ahead and fix the crib up. You got yer 4 more years.

Heh...

Thanks to YubaNet.