Eideard

Woo-Hoo! He got his sign autographed by Rick Santorum
Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission

Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They brand government action for things like expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space as part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities.

They are showing up at planning meetings to denounce bike lanes on public streets and smart meters on home appliances — efforts they equate to a big-government blueprint against individual rights.

“Down the road, this data will be used against you,” warned one speaker at a recent Roanoke County, Va., Board of Supervisors meeting who turned out with dozens of people opposed to the county’s paying $1,200 in dues to a nonprofit that consults on sustainability issues.

Local officials say they would dismiss such notions except that the growing and often heated protests are having an effect…

Well, they’re only having an effect on cowardly, opportunist local politicians. A significant portion of the breed.U

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Why is this man laughing all the way to the bank?
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

The tentative deal to avoid a crushing debt default is at best a mild relief for the U.S. economy that nearly stalled in the first half of the year and has yet to show signs of any realistic pickup…

Market reactions today to lousy job and manufacturing numbers indicate even less.

The prospect of spending cuts is the last thing the U.S. economy needs right now, many commentators say.

Economists were stunned on Friday when data showed the U.S. economy grew just 0.4 percent in the first three months of this year — perilously close to contraction — and picked up unimpressively to 1.3 percent in the second quarter.

Against the backdrop of the weak economic recovery, the divided political parties in Congress appear to have agreed on one thing early on in their dispute over how to raise the U.S. debt ceiling: that spending cuts to narrow the deficit should be phased in slowly. They will be phased in from 2013…

About $1.5 trillion of the planned savings will be decided by a bipartisan congressional commission, leaving unanswered the question as to whether the United States has the political will to tame the country’s growing debt pile once and for all.

Obviously done to eliminate possibility of responsibility for cuts to Medicare which kick in automatically if no consensus is reached.

Any relief, however, is likely to be short-lived. U.S. jobs data on Friday will probably prove another reminder of the weak U.S. economy. Unemployment is expected to remain at 9.2 percent, according to a Reuters poll.

The budget deal “does nothing to restore household and corporate confidence,” said Mohammed El-Erian, chief executive of bond fund investment giant PIMCO.

“So unemployment will be higher than it would have been otherwise, growth will be lower than it would be otherwise, and inequality will be worse than it would be otherwise,” El-Erian told ABC’s This Week with Christiane Amanpour.

All this lying crap has been about is introducing austerity to the nation’s economy without using the word. Some European nations aren’t as cowardly as Congress would have us be and actually name silly policies for what they really are. Austerity as resolution to recession has been a Republican mantra since the days of Herbert Hoover – with recurrent levels of failure. About as hackneyed a piece of bad advice as trickle-down economics/Reaganomics. You simply extend the pain.

Addendum: Here’s Paul Krugman’s take on the whole disaster.

And the only Good News UPDATE about the vote in the House, today. The return of Gabrielle Giffords. Unannounced, she showed up on the floor to vote:

Medicare has helped millions of seniors since the 60s receive the medical care they need. If Paul Ryan and the Republicans’ plan goes through, those of us who are younger than 55 years of age will continue to pay into the Medicare system, but when we retire we will receive a “voucher” to buy our own private insurance. The plan is supposed to “save” Medicare, but some reports that are trickling out say these are voodoo numbers the GOP and Rep. Ryan are promoting…

“But because commercial insurers cost more to run than government plans, the Wisconsin Republican’s proposal to privatize Medicare starting in 2022 would actually spark a dramatic increase in how much the nation spends on healthcare for the elderly, according to an independent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office…”

According to the CBO estimates, Ryan’s privatization plan would increase the cost of healthcare more than $12,510 a year, for our seniors…

The average American would receive a “voucher” for $8,000, which is roughly what the CBO estimates Medicare would have to pay out for the average senior in 2022. In addition to the government’s costs, the CBO estimates that seniors, in 2022, would dish out about $6,150.00 in out-of-pocket costs in the Medicare system. That totals an average cost of health care for participating seniors, in 2022, to be $14,770.

Under the GOP’s privatization plan, the cost to buy the health insurance policy would cost about $20,520 per year – leaving the seniors out-of-pocket in the amount of $12,510 or more than twice what they would pay in 2022 should the Medicare system we currently have continue forward…

The “vouchers” will be linked to the CPI (consumer price index), not the inflation of medical care expenses or health insurance costs. This protects the government and screws the seniors, period! So as years pass, the vouchers will cover less and less. This will further shift the cost of medical care onto the seniors’ pocketbooks…

So who will lose in this proposal. EVERYONE! Seniors pay more out-of-pocket and the younger generations pay higher premiums. Wait! There is one winner, health insurance companies, they will be raiding the U.S Treasury.

Anyone surprised at this conclusion? The Congressional Budget Office is about as stodgy and straight as anything could be in Washington, DC. They will be accused of everything from socialism to pederasty by the Republican Party and the Koch Bros KoolAid Party. The facts remain the same.

Thanks, Cinaedh

Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

A former Department of Agriculture employee who was forced to resign last year after the posting of a misleading video has filed suit against Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger who posted it.

Shirley Sherrod’s suit was filed in District of Columbia Superior Court on Friday, her attorney confirmed. The civil suit accuses Breitbart of “defamation, false light and infliction of emotional distress,” according to a statement issued by the law firm representing her.

Sherrod, who is African-American, was forced to step down as the department’s director of rural development for Georgia in July after video of a speech she made was posted on the internet and reported on by the media. In the video, Sherrod seemed to suggest that she did not do her utmost to help a white farmer. It later was clarified that Sherrod’s remarks were taken out of context and that she told the story to illustrate the importance of moving beyond racial considerations.

Rightwing hypocrites will rally to defend Breitbart’s sleazy behavior and tactics. After all, they embrace and endorse crap like this on a daily basis. Just another reason why they resent not only principled journalism; but, traditional American conservatives who reject racism as a political principle.

You wouldn’t expect today’s Republicans to let truth or facts get in the way of their ideology.

We haven’t the time to speak to our little brown brothers

It was billed, in part, as a forum for the 2012 Republican presidential field to speak directly to Hispanics — a replica of the vaunted Conservative Political Action Conference, but tailored to the fastest-growing slice of the electorate.

Yet, when former Gov. Jeb Bush, former Sen. Norm Coleman and former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez open the first Hispanic Leadership Network conference next month in Miami, the only potential presidential candidate confirmed to attend — so far — is Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney declined the invite. So did South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Texas Gov Rick Perry.

Newt Gingrich is “amenable” to attending but hasn’t committed yet, his spokesman said.

And others in the group, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, didn’t respond to inquiries from POLITICO.

A poor showing could raise doubts about the commitment of Republicans to court Hispanics, one of the open-ended questions of the 2012 presidential cycle.

Jim Landry, spokesman for the American Action Network, which created the Hispanic group, said the organizers extended invites to the entire presidential field, but it was never the main reason for holding the conference…

Yet another “grassroots” organization created, bought and paid for by Republican corporate Anglos. Ready to assume the mantle of “spontaneous” conservative resurgence, an Hispanic Tea Party. Hogwash!

Republicans have no concern about grassroots resentment over bigots who ignore the needs and desires of minority populations. Lip service ain’t gonna cut it on the battlefield of the next presidential election in 2012. Or 2016 for that matter.

While the Kentucky Senatorial debate on Monday night was markedly more cordial than usual, a fight that broke out before the event was anything but.

A female MoveOn.org activist was stomped on by a supporter of Kentucky GOP candidate Rand Paul after she attempted to approach him before his final debate with Democrat Jack Conway…

The 24-year-old woman with the liberal group, identified as Lauren Valle by local media, tripped and fell after someone ripped a blond wig off her head. She is then seen on video being wrestled to a curb by one man. After she is placed face down, another man stomps on her shoulder and head with his foot…

Police said Valle was trying to get a photo with the Tea Party favorite holding a sign that said “employee of the month award.” The satirical prize was from Republicorp, a fake business MoveOn created to symbolize what it says is a cozy relationship between corporate America and the GOP…

“She was subsequently stopped and thrown to the ground by a group of individuals who were gathered there for the debate,” police information officer Sherelle Roberts said. “It was caught on video. You can see the woman being thrown to the ground, there was a gentleman who stepped on her head…”

The man who stomped on her has not yet been identified. Police said they are searching for him…

Paul’s campaign released a statement on the melee, calling it “incredibly unfortunate.”

Most “unfortunate” – is that it was recorded. Unlike back in the day – when civil rights activists were often beaten by racist gangs. Nowadays, every group seems to contain a few people with video cameras. Even the lowly cell phone often has video capability.

They willingly joined the generalized fear, cowardice and anger that characterizes the American right wing. Where’s the surprise at violent attacks? Just another debate tactic for teabaggers.

UPDATE: Thanks to the comment from “bubby” identifying the attackers – including an official of the Rand Paul campaign.

Adolf – on the right – with a couple of mates in WW1

Letters and diaries revealed for the first time in a new book portray the future Nazi leader as a loner, a wimp, and an object of ridicule.

The documents published in, ‘Hitler’s First War’, overturn the commonly held view that he was popular within the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. The book dispels the myth that Hitler was at the heart of a close-knit regiment with many veterans going on to form the core of the National Socialist Party…

It overturns the popular belief that Hitler’s brutal experiences during the First World Ward radicalised him and led him to unleash his hatred on the rest of the world.

“The myth of Hitler as a brave soldier and the camaraderie of the trenches was used by the Nazi Party from the beginning in order to extend its appeal beyond the far Right,” Dr Thomas Weber said. “They went to great lengths to protect this idea but the reality was a gulf between the majority of soldiers and Hitler…”

It was Hitler’s distance from the front line that led one soldier to describe him as “a rear area pig”, or Etappenschwein in German.

Dr Weber argues that the Iron Cross was awarded to Hitler because he was known by officers who could make recommendations and not because of any heroics in battle…

Hitler only ever attended one reunion of veterans from his regiment where he was “cold shouldered”, the book claims.

Golly, can you imagine a politician being the sort of opportunist who could do something like this? Other than that small fraction of Congress who aren’t chickenhawks?

Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA; 47 years old), Paul Ryan (R-WI; 40 years old), and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA; 45 years old) have authored a self-aggrandizing new book set to be released next month titled “Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders.”

The book’s marketing campaign comes with a comical ad trailer, featuring a lofty soundtrack and soaring accolades (“They are ready to make history. Together, they are ‘The YOUNG GUNS!’ Innovative, energetic, forging new solutions.”)

All the egotistical self-praise from the “young guns” was too much for former Republican congressman and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. He and his crew incessantly mocked the new marketing campaign, debating whether it was a “parody.” “Never make up your own nickname,” cautioned co-host Willie Geist. Scarborough joked that the three congressmen “were” the future of the Party until their latest ego trip. Calling the ad “awful,” Scarbrough said it was “the worst idea ever.”

Hotline reports that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) receives only 3 mentions in 191 pages. Former President George W. Bush “earns just 4 references, the same number as TN 08 candidate Stephen Fincher (R)…”

Recall, Ryan’s “roadmap” includes privatizing Social Security and Medicare, while at the same time repealing the estate and corporate taxes. The Ryan roadmap would lose $2 trillion over a decade, while requiring 90 percent of taxpayers to pay more, according to an analysis by the Citizens for Tax Justice.

This is the truth of Tea Party politics. It just happens to be a sect within the Republican Party for a change. But, the lemmings who try to run and hide in the 19th Century – or earlier – are perfectly willing to screw retirees, working people, students and families to save their idols in corporate America from paying their share of taxes.

Along the way, if they can manage to diminish any opportunities for minorities – as defined by skin color, religion or sexual preference – all the better.

Over the weekend, President Obama did something that all American presidents are called upon to do. Defend the Constitution of the United States.

One of those tenets is Freedom of Religion. Not amend section A: popular religion [this week] only.

It’s how and why I feel free to tell folks I’m an atheist – or introduce someone in my family as a student of Buddhism – or note in the course of a conversation about San Antonito Chapel down the road that most of my neighbors are Catholics.

But, right-wing nutballs and the proto-fascists who infest the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party go crap out of their mind if Christian godliness and morality ain’t the only way endorsed to fly straight to heaven. Much less catch a tax break from the IRS.

So, combine all the hypocrisy into one big ball of cigar-snot and mealymouthed punditry – and you get this weekend’s tempest in a teabag.

Here’s a copy of the dangerous sedition uttered by Obama.

I’m not getting into cutting and pasting and commenting line-by-line because, frankly, it’s just the usual straight-up rhetoric required of any official who’s trying to explain our Constitution to people who don’t think it’s worth defending. The whole point of having a standard by which to govern a nation is that it is a standard to be upheld – not amended every time someone asks a hard question or a tough challenge comes along.

Our Founding Fathers realized that and fought and died for it. Now, because some terrorist gangsters come along and say our standards are worthless – a certain portion of our population is willing to prove them correct.

Not today. Not any day.

Harry Reid’s owned guns longer than Republicans have been able to spell NRA

The National Rifle Association, the powerful lobbying group that has been a longtime nemesis of liberals, is facing mounting criticism from influential allies on the right and even from its own board over a series of recent moves they say are selfish, short-sighted and ultimately harmful to the conservative movement.

Critics cite a list of transgressions, from considering an endorsement of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), to endorsing moderate Republicans — and even Democrats — rather than their more-conservative challengers, to taking a cautious approach to Second Amendment court cases and President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees.

And they are especially angry about the group’s willingness to play ball with Democratic leaders on campaign finance legislation vigorously opposed by congressional Republicans, powerful business groups and nearly the entire conservative movement.

Republican congressional leaders have privately conveyed their unhappiness to NRA officials, but online conservative activists linked to the tea party movement have been vociferous in their criticism.

“The NRA is all about the NRA — helping their organization and not necessarily the cause,” said influential conservative blogger Erick Erickson, who has repeatedly taken to his blog RedState in recent weeks to urge conservatives to turn their backs on the NRA…

Har! Rightwingers believe that single issue organizations should kneel to all of their ideology.

Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, said the criticism ignores the reason the NRA is such a powerful brand: that it focuses on its core mission of advancing gun owners’ rights, rather than on trying to advance the goals of the conservative movement, writ large…

Technically, the NRA — a $300 million organization with unrivaled lobbying power, a massive member-services operation and an active political-action committee — is nonpartisan. It derives significant clout from its ties to conservative, pro-gun Democrats and in recent years has increased its contributions to Democrats as they retook Congress and then the White House.

Absolutely hilarious. These dumb bunnies, these lockstep demagogues believe that anyone who agrees with one portion of their religion must obey all the other precepts in the rightwing catechism. Perish the thought someone has an independent thought or conclusion.

I criticize the NRA often for it’s moribund politics, presuming they’ll fall in line with whatever the Teabagger Right upchucks, this week. Refreshing to see a touch of dedication to what was – after all – their original mandate.