Fox In The Hen House

A few days ago, incoming Agriculture Chairman Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) announced the hire of Ryan McKee as the senior staffer to oversee the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. McKee is currently a lobbyist working for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s division dedicated to deregulating complex derivatives products. In her new role working for Lucas, McKee will be liaising with regulators in charge of implementing new rules under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law to overhaul the over-the-counter derivatives market. She will tell you she's fighting to “kill” financial reform:

“We want to make sure that we hold all the Republicans and are able to influence enough Democrats to have a working majority to kill this thing outright or modify it to the point where it’s palatable to the business community,” Jason Matthews, the Chamber’s director of congressional affairs, told the callers. Ryan McKee, a senior director at the Chamber’s Center for Capital Markets, was even more direct in response to a question from an caller: “We’re fundamentally trying to kill this,” she said.

These people wrote rules that enabled them to loot the financial system for their own gain. And now they're fighting the fix from within the Republican party, presumably so they can do it again. Stop them or you can kiss your 401k and your economic future good by.

Not Seeing It Our Way

Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) , incoming chair of the House Science and Technology Committee. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News this month said of the gulf oil spill: "As we saw that thing bubbling out, blossoming out- all that energy, every minute of every hour of every day or every week - that was tremendous to me. That we could deliver that kind of energy out there - even on an explosion."

19 Americans died on that rig. The regional economy was decimated. And the Gulf of Mexico fouled in the worst way. But this guy thinks it was tremendous. The reason for this is probably because when he sees oil, he sees money and power. And he just doesn't give a rip about anything else.

Council of Hate

Earlier this week, Southern Poverty Law Center added the Family Research Council to its list of hate groups due to anti-gay speech from its leaders. In a statement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins calls that designation a "slanderous attack and attempted character assassination. This is a deliberately timed smear campaign by the SPLC. The Left is losing the debate over ideas and the direction of public policy so all that is left for them is character assassination," Perkins said.

The SPLC is primarily about combating racism and bigotry. It's instructive to hear that people like Tony Perkins see that function as something belonging to the other team. Doesn't say much for his team, but then again that's why the SPLC put them on the list.

Dickens

Raw Story: Socialism" as a series of defined political systems did not emerge until the world's great industrial revolutions drove laborers to unite -- but don't tell that to Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO). Akin, according to a speech given on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, instead believes it started much earlier. He claimed that the first group of settlers to set sail for the new world were fleeing an "unbiblical" socialism that had gripped their homeland.

What the hell kind of political party believes ruthless capitalism is God's law? Perhaps more disturbing than the revisionist rhetoric from Todd Akin is that they've been able to condition the GOP base to respond to it. The whole lot is dangerously deranged.

War Party

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, speaking at at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada told reporters that there will come a point where Iran's nuclear program will reach the state that a conventional limited air strike "won't take them out."

So he's advocating war. Seems two bloody, corrupt wars are not enough for the GOP.

The Vote Suppressionists

Yesterday, Latinos for Reform — a Republican 527 group — announced that it purchased an $80,000 buy on Univision to air ads urging Nevada Latino voters not to vote.

This is perhaps the most up front the GOP has ever been about their minority voter suppression efforts.

Misnomer

The Republican National Lawyers Association is holding "voter integrity" seminars around the country.

Since the only case of individual voter fraud we can think of is Ann Coulter, it's pretty clear the Republicans effort should be called "voter suppression seminars." It's just the latest chapter in the long Republican book.

Spends The Same

A Think Progress investigation has found that the US Chamber of Commerce funds its political attack campaign out of its general account, which solicits foreign funding, sometimes from corporations controlled by foreign governments. The countries include China, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Russia.

Now the chamber will say they use those monies for something other than bankrolling the Republican party. They will say they use different monies to do that. But it all spends the same. And that means foreign interests are influencing US elections through the Chamber of Commerce. It also explains why the Republican party is such a big fan of outsourcing.

Love Thy Neighbor?

As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, South Fulton Fire Department firefighters from Obion, Tennessee, last week stood by and watched as a family’s home burned down because their services were available by subscription only, and the family had not paid the $75 fee. Now, local news station ABC 7 is reporting that the Republican dominated Obion County Budget Committee met last night and has decided to expand the subscription-only fire service to additional towns. According to documents prepared by the county in 2008, a paltry 0.13 cent increase in property taxes on each household would be all it would take to fund fire services for the towns within the county.

13 cents a year to help a neighbor keep their house from burning to the ground? Too much for Republicans it seems. A wealth transfer we imagine they would call it. Maybe socialism.... In any case these people need a visit from Scrooge's ghosts.

Qualified To Teach Sunday School

Sen Jim Demint (R-SC): Gays and unmarried women should not teach in public schools.

We can't think of any rational reason why that should be case. We can however think of some great reasons Republicans should not be allowed to teach kids at all: they're anti-science, have no respect for the Socratic method, and for the most part would like to see our science text books replaced with the bible. To be fair however, they may indeed be qualified to teach Sunday school.

Fighting For Rapists Rights

A partial list of Republican candidates running for US Congress in this year's mid-term elections shows that at least 78 of them have professed to oppose abortion in all cases, including where rape or incest are involved.

No word on whether they favor granting the rapists custody rights as well.

Tea Afterparty

Think Progress: With the incendiary claim that the Obama presidency is the greatest threat the American people have ever faced, Newt Gingrich has launched a massively funded effort to mobilize ten million conservative voters this November. American Solutions for Winning the Future is bankrolled by a cadre of the right-wing billionaires and oil and coal companies who put George W. Bush into office and destroyed the national economy.

Another 'populist' uprising underwritten by the super rich and the multi-national corporations. Since we are talking the Republican Party it's sure to work.

Anti-American

AP: Senate blocks bill to punish firms that export jobs overseas.

All the Republicans filibustered this bill. They sure are good at job creation... in China. If the Chinese could vote in our elections they would for sure vote GOP. Why an American worker would however, is beyond us.

The Obstructionists

Two weeks ago, the Progress Report warned of a nightmare scenario where a single senator decides to object to virtually every measure being considered by the Senate, a maneuver could effectively bring the entire body to a screeching halt. Now, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has come close to turning this nightmare into a reality.

If these people don't want to govern they should get out of government. If voters want people in government who are actually interested in solving problems they will need to vote out the Republicans. Sen. DeMint has just made that abundantly clear.

Taliban Republicaan

Twenty-four hours after Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson launched a scalding TV attack comparing his opponent to the Taliban for his positions on women’s issues, Florida Republican Daniel Webster is pushing back.

Taliban Dan as they call him can "push back" all he wants, but the fact of the matter is large parts of the Republican party would like to see our democracy replaced with a theocracy and the constitution replaced with the bible.

Can't Get The Job Done

Former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, David Stockman told a news radio program recently that Republicans "can't get the job done" with their redux of the 1994 "Contract with America."

Oh yes, the last honest Republican. He's mistaken however. The GOP will get done the job they're trying to get done: enriching themselves and the crony constituents that fund their political campaigns while depriving the government of the resources to regulate the corporation. But why anybody else would think the policies that have wrought national disaster would turn out any different if implemented again is beyond us.

Entitlment

Yesterday West Virginia GOP senate candidate John Raese appeared on the Matt Lewis show, a conservative talk radio program. When Lewis asked Raese about his background and his life experience, Raese offered this straight-faced response:

LEWIS: Tell us a little bit about you and your business experience and how you got here.

RAESE: I made my money the old-fashioned way, I inherited it. I think that’s a great thing to do. I hope more people in this country have that opportunity as soon as we abolish inheritance tax in this country, which is a key part of my program.

Another rich Republican trying to buy public office. And this one is honest about the fact he's literally doing it in order to protect his own family fortune.

The Vote Cagers

“And since the voter law did not get passed this year that could hit you with $100,000 and three years for unsuccessfully challenging a voter, we can still do this,” said Tim Dake, a prominent tea party member with the Wisconsin GrandSons for Liberty, the group that provided cover for Americans for Prosperity and the Wisconsin GOP by agreeing to be the public face for the campaign.

“Hallelujah,” shouted an unidentified meeting attendee in response.

“Yes, everybody gets to take credit for that,” replied Dake, before decrying early voting and detailing purported instances of voted fraud committed by individuals with Vietnamese surnames.

Since the only actual case of individual voter fraud we can think of is Ann Coulter, it's pretty obvious this is just another shot in the long Republican war on democracy.

It's also worth noting how their efforts to take away people's vote always seem to target minorities.

End Their Sales

Just days away from the implementation of new rules that will prevent insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, numerous major insurers have opted to end the sale of child only policies.

They should be forced to end the sale of all policies. These companies in no way serve the public good. They make massive profits and pay their executives robber baron compensation by taking in more money than they pay out in "health care." They do this primarily by unjustly and illegally denying coverage. And people die as a result.

Our health care dollars should go to our health care and not private jets, yachts and multiple mega-mansions for "heath care" company executives. These companies should either not be allowed to exist or if they do, the law should mandate they be heavily regulated and non-profit.

In All Its Entirety

In their platform, Montana Republicans declare the Constitution must “be upheld in all of its entirety.” In the same document they go on to call for a repeal of the 16th amendment.

They also endorse nullification. This is more proof the GOP really doesn't really have much use for the Constitution beyond using it for a political prop.

The Inquisitors

It was revealed Monday that a former O'Donnell (R-DE) aide once wrote that President Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim.

Jon Moseley told TPMuckraker's Ryan J. Reilly that he still holds those beliefs.

"Yes, actually, I do," Jonathan Moseley told TPM on Monday when asked if he still believes that Obama secretly practiced the Islamic faith.

"The reason being that becoming a Christian is more than simply rooting for a football team," Moseley said. "There's an actual conversion that takes place. And I don't think we've ever seen evidence that he ever converted."

It disturbing this crowd spends so much time and energy running their mini Inquisition. They really don't belong in a secular government.

Black Magic

Following Revelation Of ‘Witchcraft’ Comment, O’Donnell Cancels Sunday Show Appearances

Don't know much about witchcraft but the Republican party sure is good at making things disappear. Surpluses, prosperity, stability...

What Constitution?

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich has proposed a federal law to ban the use of Sharia law in the United States.

We already have a federal law that does exactly that. It's called the establishment clause and it's in something called the constitution. Seems these days Republicans only acknowledge it exists is when they're trying to get rid of its parts or have the whole thing replaced with the bible.

Evil Doers

CNN: Perhaps the former House Speaker's loudest applause came when he weighed in on the controversial Islamic center and mosque proposed to be built near ground zero, declaring, "We as Americans don't have to tolerate people who are supportive of violence against us, building something at the sight of the violence."

Of course law abiding, decent, Muslim Americans will be at that center, not terrorists from Saudi Arabia. To imply otherwise is bigotry. We're sure though that Newt loves the Saudis, their Bin Ladins, and their madrassas just as much as the rest of his Republican party.

Ask Them Why They're Nazis

GOP candidate Glen Urquhart (R-DE): "Do you know, where does this phrase 'separation of church and state' come from?" Urquhart asked at a campaign event last April. "It was not in Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists. ... The exact phrase 'separation of Church and State' came out of Adolph Hitler’s mouth, that's where it comes from. So the next time your liberal friends talk about the separation of Church and State ask them why they're Nazis."

Jefferson's letter called it a "wall of separation between church and state," but it means the same thing. This along with the fact our system of government was set up long before Hitler clearly shows it was Jefferson and our founding fathers that led us to practice what the term we use today represents. So that connection is bullshit. We can however quite easily show the deep relationship, past and present, between the American right-wing and Nazis/white supremacists. First of course, the Bush family got rich underwriting the Nazi war machine. Then the GOP used the self described "Southern Strategy" to build their base with racists. And to this day the GOP and white supremacist organizations make common cause. They really shouldn't bring it up.

Popular

Christine O'Donnell in 2007: "They are -- they are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment."

It's beyond shocking how people like this vault right to the top of the GOP.

GOP Tea

AP: Tea party favorite O'Donnell wins GOP Senate primary in Delaware over longtime congressman.

Sharon Angle admires Pinochet and advocates gun violence against the government if the GOP doesn't win in November. Rand Paul thinks the Civil Rights Act is unconstitutional and panders to people who want to replace the constitution with the bible. And Christine O'Donnell actually campaigned against masturbation. These people are the new Republican party and they are to the right of Atilla The Hun. If you want a racist theocracy that tells you how to live your personal life while selling out to the corporation, looting the economy, destroying the environment, and shredding the constitution, vote GOP.

Could Be Worse

Think Progress: I spoke to several of the delegates here, and some of the speakers, who said — including Newt Gingrich — who said it might come down to a budget battle where the federal government might need to be stopped temporarily to force President Obama to the table. What do you think about that?

COLLETT (R-MN): I think if the stakes are high enough, we might have to do that. Now that has real consequences to real people in lots of different ways. So, certainly that is not the first best option, but what’s at stake is very important so that decision will have to be made at that time.

Well, hell, at least she's not advocating for war against the country if the Republicans don't "win at the ballot box." But still, no government is a government only the corporations could love.

The Party Of Traitors

A surrogate for Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle is saying that advocating "Second Amendment remedies" in order to effect political change is going too far and revealing that he was pressured to push such comments by some Republicans while running for the Senate. In a Sept. 8 interview on the Mike Wiley Radio Show, Danny Tarkanian, who lost the GOP primary to Angle, said such statements -- which were floated by Angle -- were "a little bit extreme."

We need investigations and hearings into to exactly who in the GOP was pressuring Danny Tarkanian to advocate for taking up arms against the United States. Once we find out they need to be arrested.

Bin Ladin Arrested

A man who compared himself to a Christian version of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was in jail Saturday after being arrested for allegedly helping plot an attack against an abortion provider, according to published reports.

We've long said home grown right-wingers are every bit as dangerous as radical Islam. We wouldn't be at all surprised if Sharron Angle was posting bail for this guy as we speak. The whole bunch of them need to be put on the terrorist watch list. And they damn sure don't belong anywhere near our government.

Dam Bridges

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) opposes the the Obama administration proposed 50 billion infrastructure program, even though one-third of his state’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and the state has 178 high hazard dams (which is a dam where failure “would cause a loss of life and significant property damage”). He does so while at the same time pushing for an $830 billion tax cut for the richest two percent of Americans.

You would think rich people don't drive on bridges. As you can see from the picture it's clearly dangerous to have Republicans in government.

A Million Reasons

Pacificare faces nearly 10 billion dollars in fines for nearly a million violations.

These companies make massive profits and pay their executives robber baron compensation by taking in more money than they pay out in "health care." They do this primarily by unjustly and illegally denying claims. And people die as a result.

Our health care dollars should go to our health care and not private jets, yachts and multiple mega-mansions for "heath care" company executives. These companies should either not be allowed to exist or if they do, the law should mandate they be heavily regulated and non-profit.

Don't Like Democrats. Hate Democracy

Benjamin Pearcy, 20, is running for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission, which oversees public utilities, railroad safety and securities regulation. Although Mr. Pearcy says he is taking his first run for public office seriously, the political establishment here views him as nothing more than a political dirty trick. Mr. Pearcy and other drifters and homeless people were recruited onto the Green Party ballot by a Republican political operative who freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats. Arizona’s Democratic Party has filed a formal complaint with local, state and federal prosecutors in an effort to have the candidates removed from the ballot, and the Green Party has urged its supporters to steer clear of the rogue candidates.

Since the GOP is religiously anti-environment you know they're not supporting the Green Party based on their merits. It's just to pull votes away from the Democratic candidate, a strategy which if successful would result in a situation where a minority of voters elects the candidate with the opposite political philosophy from the majority. This is another GOP salvo in their long assault on democracy. From voter intimidation, to purging eligible voters from the voter rolls, or restricting voting stations in Democratic districts to slightly less horrible schemes like phone jamming, vote caging, and planting fake candidates, Republicans have shown they're not prepared to let the people fairly elect their leaders. Fans of democracy would do well to keep them out of power.

Terrorists

Discussing President Obama’s Tuesday Iraq speech on Fox News Sunday’s morning panel, moderator Chris Wallace cited Obama’s discussion of the economy in order to ask the panelists, “Is it unfair to say that this a president whose heart doesn’t seem to be into winning the war on terror”

His heart is into it far more than the Republicans. The evidence shows they start dishonest wars that devastate our country and help the terrorists recruit and raise funds. They were asleep at the switch the summer and fall before 9/11. They deliberately destroyed the CIA spy network tasked with keeping tabs on WMD flows to terrorists. Going back further, they and their big oil cronies helped depose Mosedegh in 1953, which led directly to the Islamic revolution in Iran. They funded and armed radical Islam. They sold munitions of war to the Iranians (after they caused the Islamic revolution). And they have long standing personal and business relationships with the country widely regarded as one of the biggest state sponsors of terrorism in the world today.

Duh

Analysts: Iraq war 'partly to blame' for financial crisis

Who would have thought lying and cheating to transfer trillions of taxpayer dollars to war profiteering crony companies would be a bad thing for our long term fiscal and economic health.

Poetry

"All you guys were doing and talking were beheadings, beheadings, beheadings," Jan Brewer (R-AZ) told the Daily Star about her now famous debate performance last night. "That is something that has stuck with you all for so long, and I just felt we needed to move on." She also contended that when discussing the headless bodies, she "never said 'Arizona,' and it's unfortunate that it was construed as 'Arizona.'" As TPM reported, Brewer said on Fox News in July: "We cannot afford all this illegal immigration and everything that comes with it, everything from the crime and to the drugs and the kidnappings and the extortion and the beheadings." The anchor later asked: "Which beheadings in Arizona were you were referring to?" Brewer responded: "Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert, either buried or just lying out there, that have been beheaded."

Wow, talk about making a bad situation worse. Remember Sue 'chickens for checkups' Lowden? She was riding high until that disaster. Now she's history. This is starting to look an awful lot like that.

Jan Brewer wasn't elected governor of Arizona. She was appointed, after Napolitano went to work for Obama. And she wasn't really well known until she whipped up The Southern Strategy against migrant workers and instantly became a big star in the GOP. It would be poetic justice indeed if one of the lies she told in that effort ended up putting her into retirement.

Works For You Mike, Works For You...

Last night on CNBC, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) told supply-side guru and Reagan disciple Larry Kudlow that the way to get businesses to “unleash” the nearly $2 trillion in cash and assets they’re currently sitting on is to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich and then cut marginal income tax rates even further. “C’mon, we know what works,” Pence said

If you're trying to explode the deficit and the national debt that works. If you want to increase the gap between rich and poor, that works. If you want to encourage outsourcing that works. If you want to do right by the American people, that doesn't work. This is history's verdict.

Divine Providence

Yesterday Mariner Energy employees, along with thousands of oil industry workers, rallied in Houston to protest the Obama administration’s offshore drilling moratorium that was designed as a safety precaution after BP’s disastrous Gulf oil spill.

Today their rig blew up.

Nice.

The Boys Who Cried Wolf

Retired USAF Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney -- a Fox News contributor who while a "military analyst" helped the Bush Pentagon manipulate coverage of the Iraq War -- is now questioning President Obama's legitimacy as commander-in-chief in an affidavit filed on behalf of a military doctor facing court martial for refusing deployment orders because he does not believe Obama was born in the United States.

First of all, anybody who helped lie us into Iraq should in prison for the rest of their lives. Second, why would somebody like this think anybody would believe a word they have to say?

Bound to Happen

Focus on the Family: Anti-Bullying Efforts Are A Gay Front

Wow. That's sort of out of left field. Just as with most bizarre anti-gay ranting there's usually a fair bit of gayness behind it. We figure somebody else is about to be outed.

Keep'n em Stupid

Speaking at a forum for the right-wing Steamboat Institute last week, Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle effectively declared that public schools should cease to exist. Early in her speech, Angle reiterated her belief that America should abolish the federal Department of Education.

Whether vouchers, attacking science, or abolishing the Department of Education, a cornerstone of Republican party public policy has been to de-fund education. We figure the dumber people are the easier it is for the GOP to get folks to forget about economic meltdown, massive oil spills, and fraudulent wars. That, and well educated, well informed people don't generally vote against their own best interest.

Insane

Newsweek poll: A majority of Republicans believe that President Barack Obama "sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world," according to a survey released on Monday.

And one out of four Republicans believe he may just be the anti-Christ. You can't reason with people like this but you don't have to vote with them either.

Like He Cares

Last month, Alaska GOP U.S. Senate candidate and Tea Party favorite Joe Miller said that unemployment benefits are unconstitutional. “The unemployment compensation benefits have gotten — first of all, it’s not constitutionally authorized,” he said, adding, “I think that’s the first thing that’s gotta be looked at.” This morning on Face the Nation he declared Social Security and Medicare unconstitutional as well.

These days the GOP thinks half of the constitution is unconstitutional. In recent months they have demonstrated open hostility to the fourth amendment, the fifth amendment, the eighth amendment, the 14th amendment, the 16th amendment, the 17th amendment, Article VI, the Civil Rights Act, the establishment clause, posse comitatus and due process. The Democrats should take this as another opportunity to point out just how anti-constitution the Republican party has become.

Blood Money

Headline: Health Insurers Backing Republicans By 8:1 Margin

Blood money. The top people at these companies make tens of millions of dollars a year. In some cases hundreds of millions of dollars. That's your health care money paying for their mansions, Lear jets and private petting zoos. And this is the Republican party being paid to keep it that way.

Don't Need To Look Far

The Plumb Line: In an interview with a conservative talk show host yesterday, Sharron Angle was given two clear chances to disavow the claim that there are "domestic enemies" within Congress, an assertion she previously expressed unequivocal agreement with. Both times, Angle refused.

Actually given the historical results of her public policy, if Bin Ladin was eligible to vote in Nevada, he would vote the GOP ticket. People who advocate for the policies that bring these terrible results are a clear and present danger to the United States of America. If Sharon Angels wants to find a domestic enemy all she needs to do is look in the mirror.

Crusaders

Appearing before the Republican Women of Bossier with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) cast the November elections as a choice between godlessness and Christianity. He also called bipartisanship impossible. "We have two competing world views here and there is no way that we can reach across the aisle -- one is going to have to win," Fleming said. "We are either going to go down the socialist road and become like western Europe and create, I guess really a godless society, an atheist society. Or we're going to continue down the other pathway where we believe in freedom of speech, individual liberties and that we remain a Christian nation. So we're going to have to win that battle, we're going to have to solve that argument before we can once again reach across and work together on things."

Sounds like he's about to throw some people to the lions. These views are a threat to our religious freedoms and an assault on the separation between church and state. People who hold these views should be disqualified from holding public office. Unfortunately, far from that, they're fast becoming the standard for the Republican party. We do however like the choice to appear with Sen Shitter. Now somebody buy this ridiculously ignorant tool a ticket to Rome so he can go tell the Vatican about their "godless society."

Picture This

With most of the votes counted Joe Miller (R-AK) is poised to knock off Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Alaska Republican senate primary. Among other things he wants to eliminate the Department of Education, believes the government shouldn't pay for unemployment insurance and says of climate change on his campaign site that it "may not even exist." He says he would cut welfare; eliminate health care for the poor by scrapping Medicaid; and the Anchorage Daily News reported that he has has called for sweeping cuts to Medicare and Social Security with a goal of phasing them out entirely in favor of total privatization.

This guy would have Americans dying in the street. And make no mistake, people like Joe Miller, Sharon Angle and Rand Paul are the here and now of the Republican party. Any vote, for any Republican, anywhere, is a vote for this agenda.

Taking It Back

Glenn Beck: My rally will 'reclaim the civil rights movement'

Fresh off calling Obama's America Planet of the Apes and admiring Nazi's, Beck is out to reclaim the civil rights movement. Of course, this would be impossible because Beck and his followers never had the civil rights movement in the first place. In fact they were using their "The Southern Strategy" to fight against the civil rights movement. Beck's daily demagoguery makes clear they still are.

Knew That

Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman: I'm gay

The Gutter Truth: No shit

Look, everybody knew that Ken. What we want to know is how you could bash gays for political gain your entire career while being gay yourself. But hey, at least you came out on your own and didn't wait until you got busted trying to hook up in a public bathroom or going to Rentboy.com or something like that. Now what's up with your boy Lindsey...

Rights

The American right-wing: They have a right to build the Cordoba House community center two blocks from ground zero but that doesn't mean they should do it.

Perhaps... What's also true is that the American right-wing has a right to be a bunch of shameless bigots, but that doesn't mean they should do it.

Common Cause

Think Progress: Right-Wing Christian Militia Vows To Protect Florida Church Burning Qurans On September 11

That's one hell of a headline. It's amazing the right-wing is not only going to get away with ginning up religious division just before the election, but they're going to benefit politically from it. In fact, only two groups are happy with this situation, Bin Ladin and his ilk, and the American right-wing. Voters would do well to note that in November.

Viva Las Vegas!

QUESTION: The only repository for nuclear waste planned or conceived or developed for this country is Yucca Mountain in Nevada, and it is stopped dead in its tracks by Harry Reid. If the Republicans can take back Congress, what position would the party take on opening Yucca Mountain so our nuclear reactors have someplace to put their waste?

BOEHNER: Most Republicans have supported Yucca Mountain for the twenty years that I've been here and the American people would be shocked to know how much nuclear waste is laying just miles from their home. It's laying at every nuclear plant in the country and why? Because we can't get Yucca Mountain finished because it's not politically correct. We've invested tens of billions of dollars in a storage facility that's as safe as anything we're going to find.

You hear that Nevada? For the last 20 years the GOP has wanted to turn your state into a nuclear waste dump. They want to take this ridiculously dangerous material from just about every state in the union and bury it all in your backyard. You vote GOP and they will do exactly that.

Bring It On

A U.S. district court today halted the federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, saying it involves the destruction of human embryos, potentially re-igniting a longtime cultural hot button issue just in time for the fall elections.

Brand the GOP as dangerously anti-science, cruelly anti-cure, and needlessly wasteful (as the embryos would just be destroyed anyway). Ask them if they were in a burning room and could save only one person or one petri dish containing 6 stem cell embryos about to be discarded, which would they save? Put sick people up on the screen and tell the American people who is holding us back from the cure. Time to toughen up. The election cometh....

The New Gay

Statement on the Cordoba House from Rand Paul's (R-KY) campaign: "While this is a local matter that should be decided by the people of New York, Dr. Paul does not support a mosque being built two blocks from Ground Zero. In Dr. Paul's opinion, the Muslim community would better serve the healing process by making a donation to the memorial fund for the victims of September 11th."

It's amazing how the Republican party can conjure up a bigoted wedge issue that riles up their base before every election. Of course it's made easier by the fact their base is built with bigots. We also note that when the issue was the Civil Rights Act Rand Paul defended the property owner's rights to do whatever they wanted on their property, including their right to refuse to serve black people. Seems that come election time only white, straight, Christian people have rights.

The Inquisitors

Last Friday, a Republican National Committee woman Kim Lehman, responding to an article about the polls in Politico, accused the publication of trying "to protect Obama" by denying his true religious heritage. "BTW he personally told the muslims that he IS a muslim," wrote the Iowa RNC member. "Read his lips."

What is this, the Inquisition? We suppose people call them the American Taliban for a reason. This is your Republican party. And they don't belong anywhere near public service.

More Bob McShameless

Virginia Gove Bob McDonnell (R): We can’t keep adding a trillion and a half dollars to the national debt every year with this deficit, you’ve got to be fiscally prudent and incentivize the free enterprise system so you don't have more government bailouts and more dependence of people on government.

It was the unregulated free enterprise system which helped cause the economic meltdown that made the bailouts necessary. And it wasn't the people who became dependent on the government, it was the leaders of finance and industry that came begging to the government after they looted the financial system. As for the shameless Mr McDonnell, the people would be better served by somebody who wasn't lying to them constantly and trying to bring back the policies that led to the meltdown.

Shameless

Shorter Think Progress: Virginia is “feeling flush” after turning a $1.8 billion deficit into a $403.2 million budget surplus at the close of the fiscal year. In a celebratory speech before the Virginia legislature Thursday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) credited higher tax revenue, state agencies’ fiscal responsibility, and serious budget cuts for the state’s ability “to balance the books.” No mention of the $2.5 billion in stimulus relief he got from the federal government provided in part specifically to “help close the state’s budget shortfall in 2010-2012.”

It takes a person of special rottenness to politic against something and then after it works, ignore it while claiming responsibility for its success. Thankfully this time we have simple math to show what disingenuous jerks these people really are.

Unanimous

Every single Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) is a global warming denier. Appearing at a debate hosted by the Seacoast Republican Women in Portsmouth, NH on Wednesday, the six candidates — from millionaire businessmen Bill Binnie and Jim Bender to former attorney general Kelly Ayotte — were unanimous in their denial of man-made climate change.

It's become the GOP standard to deny science no matter the issue. This should disqualify them from public office. It's impossible to provide responsible leadership when you reject the Socratic method.

"A Constant Humiliation"

An influential Muslim GOP donor is at the end of her tether, and tells TPM she may eventually have to leave the Republican party over its opposition to the Cordoba House project and anti-Muslim positions.

Used to be if you were a non-white, non-Christian rich person, the GOP could put away their racism long enough to take your money . No longer.

Nazis, Skinheads, and Muslims

KARL ROVE: The vast majority of the American people believe there is freedom of religion in our Constitution and that right of freedom of expression would be best exercised by not building it here. Look, in that same first amendment there’s a right to freedom of speech. Who believes that skinheads should show up at a Black sorority convention and scream bigoted remarks? Who believes there’s a right of freedom of assembly. Who believes Neo-Nazis should show up at the B’nai B’rith hotel and have their meeting in the next meeting room?

First of all comparing American Muslims to Nazis is sick. But the Republican party has been a haven for racists and bigots for the last 50 years, so to be honest we're not really sure where Rove is going with this.

Somebody Should Look Into That.

Headline: Does News Corp’s Donation To The Republican Governors Association Violate Its Own Company Policy?

We're not sure we care. But the Saudi Royal Family is part owner of Fox News Corp.
And it's damn sure illegal to have a foreign government, much less one that's been accused of being a state sponsor of terrorism, buying government officials.

The Company You Keep

Think Progress:  This past weekend anti-immigrant activists staged rallies in three different locations: “anti-amnesty” protesters gathered in Farmers Branch, TX, Tea Party members rallied at the border in Arizona, and neo-Nazis marched down the streets of Knoxville, TN. The three separate, but related protests illustrate how the white supremacist movement has latched onto the immigration issue.

Examples of the Republican party making common cause with Nazis and racists are so prevalent it's hardy a surprise anymore. But still, it's outrageous and dangerous. The Democrats need to make it an issue.

Running On The Constitution

President Barack Obama stepped forcefully into the debate over the "Ground Zero mosque" Friday with an impassioned defense of freedom of religion. One Republican senator says the president has now made this an election issue. Sen. John Cornyn told Fox News' Bret Baier that voters would "render their verdict" in November.

We hope so. The Republicans need to be punished for standing against the Bill of Rights.

Killers

A survey carried out by Right Wing News sampled 43 mostly conservative bloggers as to whom they see as being the worst of the "gangsters, serial killers, mass murderers, incompetent and crooked politicians, spies, traitors, and ultra left-wing kooks,"in American history. The winner? Jimmy Carter.

And yes, Timothy McVeigh was an option. Perhaps he didn't win because in addition to being a mass murderer he was a right-wing kook, which as you can see, wasn't among the criteria.

Pinochet

Sharon Angle on privatising Social Security: Chile's done it

Uh, yeah... ok, see the guy that did it was a brutal dictator. A psychopath. A mass murderer. Could be worse though. At least she hasn't praised any of Hitler's policies. Not yet anyway.

Tools

The Hill: Tea Party groups out against net neutrality

Rather than have the government keep the internet free and open they would rather have it turned over to the for-profit corporation. From the death panels on the tea baggers have been stooges for the corporation. One wonders if any of them even know it.

Stormfront Babies

On CNN Anderson Coopers 360 state Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-TX) argued that pregnant foreign women are having babies in the U.S. “with the nefarious purpose of turning them into little terrorists, who will then come back to the U.S. and do us harm.” The next day, Cooper spoke with Tom Fuentes, the FBI’s former assistant director in the office of international operations, who affirmed that “[t]here was never a credible report — or any report, for that matter — coming across through all the various mechanisms of communication to indicate that there was such a plan for these terror babies to be born.”

It's possible that's somebody's idiotic plan. It's also possible some white-Christian-right-wing-racist parents are having babies right here with the same hope. Call them Tim McVeigh babies. Anyway, what was her point again?

Since You Brought it Up

A new billboard on Highway 71 in Missouri shows the President alongside ruthless dictators Adolph Hitler and Mao Tse-Tung. It reads "In troubled times, the fearful and naive are always drawn to charismatic radicals," the billboard reads, showing Obama as a symbol of "Democratic Socialism," Hitler as an agent of "National Socialism" and Mao as a purveyor of "Communist Socialism."

Despite what it says on this billboard we can't think of any credible association between Obama and Hitler. We can however quite easily show the deep relationship, past and present, between the American right-wing and Nazis/white supremacists. First of course, the Bush family got rich underwriting the Nazi war machine. Then the GOP used the self described "Southern Strategy" to build their base with racists. And to this day the GOP and white supremacist organizations make common cause. They really shouldn't have brought it up.

Spokesperson

We're not in the business of hitting Democrats but this guy is terrible. He's got to go. And not just because he's never heard of a power tie.

Well, Yeah, There's That.

Conservative Radio host Mark Levin: "Clinton used to pander to the Jews in New York so she could get elected.

Perhaps... but at least the base of her party doesn't believe the Jews killed Jesus and because of it they will all burn in hell forever.

-R(OI)

The title of this graph is Wall Street Contributions by Party. The story of this graph is: GOP policy destroys economy. Democrats gain power. Wall Street gives more to the party in power. Democrats try to use their power to regulate Wall Street and fix the regulatory defect in GOP policy that contributed to the destruction of the economy. Wall Street gives all their money to the GOP. GOP goes to the mat to try and stop the Democrats from regulating Wall Street. Great for the GOP. Terrible for the country.

Psychopath

Headline: Paul Denies ‘Kidnapping’ Anyone, But Won’t Deny He Forced A Woman To Bow To Aqua Buddha

Rand Paul is dangerous. Not because of what he was into in college but because he's is a big fan of mountain top removal mining, he thinks corporations should regulate themselves, he doesn't think the government can tell business they can't discriminate against black people, and he has common cause with people who want to replace the constitution with the bible. And a big swath of the GOP agrees with him on pretty much all fronts. Any voters who are not deranged themselves should consider that when they cast their lot in November.