Barack Obama’s most devilish political move since the 2008 campaign was to appoint a Republican congressman from upstate New York as secretary of the Army. This week’s election to fill that vacant seat has set off nothing less than a riotous and bloody national G.O.P. civil war. No matter what the results in that race on Tuesday, the Republicans are the sure losers. This could be a gift that keeps on giving to the Democrats through 2010, and perhaps beyond.
[…]
That this pastoral setting could become a G.O.P. killing field, attracting an all-star cast of combatants led by Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, William Kristol and Newt Gingrich, is a premise out of a Depression-era screwball comedy. But such farces have become the norm for the conservative movement — whether the participants are dressing up in full “tea party” drag or not.The battle for upstate New York confirms just how swiftly the right has devolved into a wacky, paranoid cult that is as eager to eat its own as it is to destroy Obama. The movement’s undisputed leaders, Palin and Beck, neither of whom have what Palin once called the “actual responsibilities” of public office, would gladly see the Republican Party die on the cross of right-wing ideological purity. Over the short term, at least, their wish could come true.
More evidence theatre critics should stick to being theatre critics…
The two party system is obsolete.
It is really time to give the more vocal groups a chance to raise their banner high.
The democrats can’t hold together on any opinion, and the republicans allow the loudest group to control the steering wheel.
How can a progressive get a voice?
#2 – Speak for yourself, quite a few of us actual conservatives, as opposed to the neo-conservative movement that currently runs the Republican Party, want the fanatical god-bots out of power and want a complete separation of church and state to be in place. I don’t care what imaginary friend you believe in, I want a secular state that doesn’t take religion into account at all when making political decisions.
Barry Goldwater warned us all what would happen when the former Southern Democrats took over the Republican party and it’s all come to pass.
So if a conservative wins the person that posted this thinks it was a Democratic Party victory?
Such a view suggests the poster suffers from dementia.
Um the person that posted that picture might need to find out just what the people in that picture support and how much they claim to be Republicans as opposed to Conservatives, Libertarians or whatever.
Palin supported the Conservative and Hannity may as well. I don’t think Beck considers himself to be a Republican.
#36, Breetai,
Just Like that NeoCon Piece of shit Barack Obama. His lies come in the form of Government Healthcare … .
First, you have no idea what the fuck a “neo-con” is, but whatever. That isn’t my question.
Your words, no one else. So where did Obama lie? During the primaries and election campaign he said he wanted to bring health care to ALL Americans. So please point out the lie.
Fox is in the business of making money. They hire entertainers. They found a niche that delivers good ad time. Same with Limburger. It’s the bottom line for Rupert Murdoch that counts. He slings garbage in any direction for profit. It may be a mistake to equate these talking head automatons as Republican leaders.
Of those 6 “clowns” you posted, only one is an actual politician. The rest are just blow hards. I could the same thing with Bill Marer, Arrianna Huffington and Al Sharpton and it would mean just as less.
Just remember …
They may be nutjobs.
But most importantly, they havejobs!
These people are beating the odds in the current economy!
1. For all you anti-party people: Are you saying that we should repeal the right of association? And ban the free speech that allows political allies to brand themselves?
2. If you don’t like the parties, join one of them and work on changing it. Each of the two major parties are made up of the people who care enough to show up at the meetings. Grab a like-minded friend and get on the exec committee in your county. Then live up to all your rhetoric.
3. For all you moderates: What the hell is your agenda? I have never heard of the moderate agenda. That’s because there is none. Moderates do not care to do more than take pride in their moderation and ridicule the people who have actual principles on the two extremes. Maybe you won’t get off your butt and do something because you are afraid of being ridiculed as an extremist.
cant wait for the next election, it’ll be fun to see and hear all those republican puppets cry out in defeat. there bitterness, lies and hypocrisy makes me laugh out loud
But such farces have become the norm for the conservative movement — whether the participants are dressing up in full “tea party” drag or not.
The New York Times is as good as any mainstream media, which is not horrible. However, I can’t imagine what led Frank Rich to call this the conservative movement.
Where are the conservatives?
Remember people, conservatives resist change. The neocon wackos listed here are not conservative. They want change. They want big change. They want to make the United States into a political theocracy and an economic anarchy.
For human beings, they want everyone to be good proper god-fearing christians willing to kill for such transgressions as homosexuality, abortion, or working on the sabbath (it’s in the bible, it’ll be on the agenda soon).
For corporations, they want to borrow money from foreign nations as quickly as possible and throw it directly into corporate coffers. Then, the other guy can look bad when the debt must be paid.
And, always war war war. War for oil, in particular. But, war is always profitable for the corporations, so should definitely be high on our agenda at all times.
True conservatives would want fiscal conservatism complete with recognition that debts must be paid off and current bills must be paid.
True conservatives would uphold and defend the constitution and its rights, rather than calling it “just a piece of paper.”
We don’t have a strong movement of conservatives at this time any more than we have a strong movement of true liberals. While I am strongly liberal, I can at least respect the views of true conservatives.
I have no respect at all for the radical right wing nutjobs calling themselves either conservatives or neocons. There is nothing at all conservative about this movement.
#9 – Uncle Dave,
I disagree with much of what the Dems support. However, I disagree with much more of what the Repubs support, especially on social issues.
Me too, sort of. Except that I also disagree with what both parties are doing on the economic front as well, and again more strongly disagree with the repubs.
Tax and spend is actually more fiscally conservative than borrow and bomb. At least the former recognizes the need to pay the bills. Unfortunately, the former is now tax and spend on making corporations wealthy rather than on helping people who need it. But, that’s just another source of my disagreement with the dems at the moment.
IMHO, Reagan really changed the paradigm in this country to one of reduction of taxes for the wealthy, reduction of taxes and regulations on corporations, and increased corporate welfare.
After Reagan left office, the paradigm took one further shift, run up huge debt as fast as other countries will lend us money.
Reagan and all those who followed his new paradigm, including Bill Clinton, have really destroyed our economy.
Unfortunately, Obama is disappointing those of us who hoped he’d be different. But, then he hired Goldman Sachs employees to help him fix what they broke. That’s not really working now, is it.
Still though, imagine if we’d gone with the other choice. We’d be doing the bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran dance and doing even less for people and even more for corporations.
This is better, but not by nearly as much as I’d hoped.
>Where are the conservatives?
Remember people, conservatives resist change.
So liberals engage in making government bigger, and conservatives are suppose to resist any changes from that position?
I think Ann Coulter finally looks more feminine in bozo nose. Thankfully Hannity looks less feminine. Would their love child be Alia Atreides?
#18 – ScrewHistory,
I’m with you. No parties; just candidates.
And all elections publicly financed. If you get the signatures to run for office, you get the $N allocated for such an election, no more. You can’t even spend your own money (yes Mr. Bloomberg, I’m talking to you.)
#46 – MikeN,
>Where are the conservatives?
Remember people, conservatives resist change.
So liberals engage in making government bigger, and conservatives are suppose to resist any changes from that position?
Yes, liberals want more government services, like health care.
Unfortunately, today, it’s morans who call themselves conservatives without knowing the meaning of the word who are doing the most to make government larger, most often through wars that absolutely no one except the military industrial complex wants.
Debt doubled under Papa Bush. Debt went up moderately under Clinton with the actual deficit declining. Debt went up enormously under W. Now, because of the deregulation policies of the last 28 years, debt is continuing to go up.
So, both democraps and repugnicans alike are increasing debt. But, it’s the repugs, and sometimes their aftermath, that are increasing it at alarming rates.
I still don’t like the democraps, but the repugnicans are truly unconscionable.
Only one of these people ever intends to run for office. The rest are making millions commentating and writing for people who are going to one day wipe out this failed liberal philosophy of government and economics no matter how much you claim they are ignorant, racist, angry, right wing radicals. Paint red noses all you want it is already happening.
The only Politician in the pictures is Palin, Saracuda…and she will kick Obama out in 2012…in a landslide.
Willing to put a bet on that? Who would vote for a quitter?
again, care to bet on that?
The Republican party is rolling with the punches and developing a modern new image. Their next step is recognize women’s suffrage so they can win votes in that key demographic.
Palin is not a conservative. She is one of those extreme-right wing neo-cons Scott is referring to.
Her efforts while gov of AK prove it out. She taxed the dickens out of the oil companies and then used it to exhort them. She grew the AK gov by 31% while in office. As mayor, the size grew 55%.
No, Palin is not a conservative. Although I may applaud her current public stance on gov, I find it trite.
But Palin is a barracuda. No one will see her coming until it is too late.
New slogan for the Democrats:
We’re corrupt, incompetent and totally suck. But we’re not Republicans.
New slogan for the Republicans:
We’re also corrupt, incompetent and total suck. But we’re not… oh shit, we are.
#53 – Brain of an Alfalfa Sprout,
When you’ve only got one neuron, it’s hard for you to understand, but I was making two points. Deregulation caused the financial collapse by allowing banks and brokerages to merge and do whatever they wanted once merged. FDIC still insures the banks. So, we had to bail out these unregulated too-big-to-fail institutions that should never have been allowed to get so big or take on so much risk. That adds to debt.
Therefore, deregulation did lead to more debt.
I know, logic is hard for you with that empty head. Don’t worry about it. Ignorance is bliss. Lie back and relax and let the intelligent people of the world discuss adequate solutions.
#60,61 – chuck,
Yup. But, we have to shorten them to bumper sticker length.
Democraps: At least we’re not Repugnicans.
Repugnicans: Um … shit.
At least Republicans have the decency to NOT run Kenyan-born muslim usurpers that hate America as presidential candidates. A little respect goes a long way; something the democrats would do well to learn.
#62 – I can follow your logic.
But I don’t see why we were required to bail-out the too-big-to-fail institutions. FDIC insures the depositors (customers) of the banks. Not the banks. And only up to $100,000 (or is it more now?). And that’s just regular accounts. Stocks, derivatives, etc aren’t covered. And neither are huge pension plans.
Deregulation led to the “moral hazard” where large financial institutions realized they could simply keep lending far beyond their means. But the other side of the “moral hazard” is when politicians realized they had to bail-out the investors, because the unions behind those pension plans support Democrats. (and when I say “support, I don’t mean they vote for them, I mean they contribute to their campaigns.)
At least Republicans have the decency to NOT run Kenyan-born muslim usurpers that hate America as presidential candidates.
No, they just run Panama-born senior citizens who don’t know how many houses they own and are willing to betray everything they said and did the last time they ran for the republican presidential nomination.
@25
StoopidFlanders said:
“Bush was killing terrorists in the Iraq war…”
Oh, I suppose he was. Along with tens of thousands of innocent civilians.
“…They don’t qualify as people…”
Yeah, I know…those brown people don’t count as “real people” like white protestant christian people do. Especially when they have our oil under their sand.
“…You managed to make it through those 8 years without getting blown up by a suitcase nuke…”
Well, seven years at least. September 11, 2001 was the worst terrorist attack in American history and warning was given in more than a few ways beforehand.
Remind me, WHO was president on September 11th?
Oh that’s right…I remember now: it was that guy who now claims we were “kept safe” for eight years. Safe…Except when he was crapping his pants in abject fear on 9-11, that is.
“…so consider yourself lucky and show a little respect for your betters…”
Oh, we do have some respect for them.
Especially the better who now sits in the Oval Office.