He Would Know

Pat Buchanan: Black People Bought 'Propaganda' On The 'Liberal Plantation'

Whatever. Black people were actually enslaved on the conservatives' plantation, the modern incarnation of the Republican party deliberately built its base with racists, and to this day the GOP has its geographical and philosophical power base in the confederate south. Buchanan knows The Southern Strategy well. He was one of its architects.

Al Capone

Raw Story: Twenty House Democrats called Thursday on the U.S. Judicial Conference to formally request that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate Justice Clarence Thomas's non-compliance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.

Justice Thomas indicated on his annual financial disclosure forms that his wife had received no income since he joined the bench in 1991, despite the fact that his wife had in fact earned nearly $700,000 from the Heritage Foundation from 2003 to 2007.

If they disclosed this income on their tax return, Thomas should be impeached for violating the ethics rules designed to prevent corruption. If they didn't, they should be indicted for tax evasion.

Crazy

Herman Cain: Blacks 'brainwashed' into supporting Democrats ...

Or maybe they just know the GOP deliberately built its base with racists, is more often partial to the confederate flag than the American flag, and to this day has its geographical and philosophical power base in the confederate south. African American's mental state should not be questioned because of their political affiliation. It's entirely logical for them to hate the GOP. Herman Cain on the other hand seems to want to be the only black man at the country club.

The Public Needs To Know

Congressman Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Hills) on Tuesday pledged his support to U.S. Postal Service employees as nearly 100 letter carriers, mail handlers and postal workers gathered outside his office in Troy to rally for federal legislation they say would prevent a collapse of the postal service.

"We need to make sure we have a strong postal service," Peters told the crowd. "You can make sure I will be there with you."

"Tell the Hill to pass the bill," Royal Oak letter carrier John Dick shouted into a megaphone while dozens of people marched with picket signs. “The public needs to know why the postal service is in a financial mess,” Dick said. “If it was not for the unprecedented pre-funding of the Retiree Health Benefit Fund, the postal service would have actually made a profit of $611 million over the last four years.”

At the crux of the issue is a 2006 federal mandate that requires the postal service to pre-fund future retiree benefits for the next 75 years, and do so within 10 years. Supporters of the proposed legislation say the bill would fix the pre-funding requirement.

The public needs to know... the public needs to know... the public needs to know the Republican party is a corrupt, dishonest, America killing piece of garbage. The public needs to know they set up the USPS to fail. The public needs to know they did this because they're working on behalf UPS and Fedex instead of the American people, and they're trying to kill the 600,000 strong postal union. Try to get UPS to deliver a letter for 42 cents, suckers.

Gamers

AP: HARRISBURG, Pa. — The first trial of Republicans in Pennsylvania's corruption scandal is under way in Harrisburg.

Lawyers are making opening statements Monday before a Dauphin County jury of six men and six women. Judge Richard Lewis has said the trial could last eight weeks.

The defendants are former Rep. Brett Feese, a one-time House GOP whip; Brian Preski, chief of staff to former House Speaker John Perzel; and former Feese aide Jill Seaman. They are accused of participating in a scheme to illegally spend millions of taxpayer dollars on technology and other public resources to boost GOP election campaigns.

Six other Republicans pleaded guilty and may testify for the prosecution. Among them is Perzel, who prosecutors say was the ringleader.

While we maintain the real crime is the longstanding cesspool that is Republican party voter suppression, it's a trip to comprehend all the different levels on which these people attack our democracy. This particular bit of illegality not only games the system, but steals from the taxpayers to do it. Outrageous, really, and not hugely remarkable only because the Republican party does this kind of stuff all the time.

Party Like It's 1899

Above chart courtesy of Daily Kos.

In 1979 we had a massive middle class, production capacity that was the apple of the world's eye, and a national debt that was under a trillion dollars. Then came Reaganomics. Since then it's been standard Republican public policy. And since then the middle class has been ravaged, the top 1% has more than tripled their wealth, our production capacity has collapsed, and the national debt has grown to 14 trillion dollars. And now we're beyond screwed.

GOP public policy is a God-damn-national-disaster. Don't vote for a national disaster.

Don't Like Democrats, Not Too Keen On Democracy

Fox analyst: ‘I Really Don’t See The Downside’ to Gov. Shutdown

Well, except for jacking around millions of Americans...

Republicans are not really into government by the people. They prefer corporate rule. Fans of democracy should take note.

Not America First

Raw Story: Vermont governor Peter Shumlin (D) appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show Friday evening to express his concern over the possible government shutdown over FEMA funds.

“Congress is scaring me to death,” Shumlin said. “You know, the fact that we’re at a point in this country where we could get hit by a national disaster and have the tea party folks say ‘Where not going to give you money, where going to leave you out there to dry.’ It’s unbelievable. I never thought we see this point in this country.”

Shumlin noted how some Republicans are more interested in spending money overseas than in their own country.

“The fact of the matter is that, you just heard it in that debate, ‘Why do we send all this money to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to other foreign countries, we don’t spend it here. He’s right. We’re not willing at this point to spend the money to rebuild people’s homes who have been lost, all that possession wiped out. We have got to have that money to rebuild our roads, our bridges, our infrastructure.”

That's good. But let's go on to say what that really means: Republicans are more interested in stealing wealth from the American taxpayer and giving it to the trans-national corporations that bankroll their campaigns than they are in actually doing right by America.

What a Dick

Think Progress: Today, the Florida Conservative Political Action Conference gave primetime billing to right-wing provocateur Ann Coulter. As is her style, she wasted little time hurling derogatory insults and venomous name-calling. Coulter called DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) a “hideous beast who has a voice like a hyena getting an abortion,” eliciting wild cheers from the audience.

That Ann Coulter is a hard man to like.

Criminal

Headline: Ohio Becomes First State To Sell Off A Prison, Giving It To Prison Director's Former Private Employer.

There is no rational argument for selling off the commons to for-profit corporations, prisons especially. It will cost the taxpayer far more in the end and having a profit motive to lock people up perverts the justice system and threatens our freedom. This is the kind of naked corruption that should land politicians in prison themselves. If you follow the link it says the private prison company will add 300 more beds. John Kasich should be in one of them.

The Biggest Lie

Mitt Romney yesterday : “I think it’s a real problem when you have half of Americans — almost half of Americans that are not paying income tax,” the candidate told a group of supporters at a town hall event in Florida. “My own view with regards to tax policy is that we ought to provide help to the people that have been hurt most by the Obama economy, and that’s the middle class.”

His solution is really to tax the poor? Really?

As for the "the Obama economy," not only is it his party's CEO/multinational corporation ubber alles public policy that's absolutely devastating the America middle class, but his personal fortune was built on destroying American jobs. How utterly horrible it is that he's trying to get what's left of the middle class to put another nail in their own coffin by supporting his destructive, failed policies. Let's not add ill-gotten power to his ill-gotten gains.

Agreed

Chicago Tribune: Speaking a few paces from Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's offices, former Vice President Dick Cheney said today that his former chief of staff did not deserve prosecution by the federal prosecutor in the Valerie Plame case.

He's right. It was Dick Cheney himself, at the highest levels of Republican leadership, that deliberately burned the CIA spy network tasked with tracking the flow of nuclear material and technology to terrorists. Libby was just the poor slob who had to cover it up.

If Not Tax Cuts...

Headline: House GOP Rejects Tax Cuts For Middle Class

They don't even have the minimal nobility of wrong headed convictions. Not even with tax cuts. Republicans only legislate on behalf of those who can enrich them personally and bankroll their grip on power, America - be - damned.

Because

Question: Why did Democrats just lose a safe seat in New York?

Answer: Because they have made the choice not to define Republicans as the fascist, anti-democratic, bought and paid for, America killing psychopaths that they are.

From The Elephant's Mouth

Think Progress : Marin Cogan and Jake Sherman have done the only reporting that really needs to be done on the prospects for major legislation aimed at creating jobs, or doing anything else:

“Obama is on the ropes; why do we appear ready to hand him a win?” said one senior House Republican aide who requested anonymity to discuss the matter freely.

Translation: America can go fuck itself. We just don't care.

Go Mitt Go

Raw Story: Speaking to reporters after touring a Boeing plant in South Carolina Monday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney pledged to pursue legislation that would prohibit unions from contributing dues to political campaigns.

That's a fantastic idea. Money in politics is destroying this country. We need to ban unions, corporations, and billionaires from from buying our government. We're happy to have Mitt on board.

Home Schooling For All

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): “Whether or not the federal government borrows money from overseas sources to keep teachers in XYZ state on the payroll seems to be ‘stimulus II.’ It seems to be something that the state’s have to decide what the right number of teachers are, and fund that, and not have us borrow money from overseas.”

Totally. Firing teachers to pay for more tax cuts for the rich is the way to go.

Look, no Republican should be allowed to say we can't afford this or that. They've spent the last 30 years deliberately destroying the tax base though tax cuts and outsourcing and now they only feign concern to get rid of the things they hate (in this case, public education). It's like pouring out the pitcher over some some billionaire's petunias, and then saying we'll have to go thirsty because there's just not enough water to go around. The only way to restore this country is to rebuild the tax base and bring back the middle class. The only way to do that is to get Republicans out of government.

Sick

Headline: Texas healthcare system withering under Gov. Rick Perry

Republican environmental policy will make you sick. Republican healthcare policy will keep you that way. Just wait until they revoke medicare. We'll have old people dying in the streets.

Broccoli Bombers

In a prepared statement, New Mexico's Republican governor said she does not argue with a 1930 Census record, reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper earlier in the summer, that documented her grandfather's illegal status.

Asked by the KLUZ reporter whether she thought her grandfather would pose a threat to public security, Martinez pointed to national security issues in today's world that she said didn't exist then.

"Since that time we've suffered a lot. Simply look at what happened on September 11," she said. "We have to ensure that when the people come to the United States people aren't coming to New Mexico to receive a license with false documents."

So after the local paper exposes her rather embarrassing hypocrisy, she tries to get out of it by turning migrant workers into Jihadists. Of course the reality is, not only are migrant workers not prone to be terrorists, but by far the greatest number of attacks on the homeland come from the gun loving, anti-government, right-wing, Republican types that her party's rhetoric creates.

The Anti-Americans

Headline: GOP Reps. Dismiss Tax Cut For Working Americans In Favor Of Giveaways To Corporations.

They don’t even have the minimal nobility of wrong headed convictions. Not even with tax cuts. They just want their people paid. Screw everybody else. Of course, the country suffers when you hand even more money to corporations who are already sitting on piles of cash, at the expense of working people who would actually spend the extra money. Once again, what's good for Republicans is bad for America.

No Future

REPORT: As Their States’ Bridges And Roads Crumble, GOP Leaders Remain Opposed To Infrastructure Investment

They also look to cut education and basic R&D funding whenever they can. Republicans may be good at betting against America to enrich themselves, but when it comes to investing in the future of the country, they're just not interested.

Happy Labor Day Bitches

Headline: The American Middle Class Was Built By Unions And It Will Decline Without Them

Enjoy your labor day. Next year they're revoking it so you'll have to work the Monday. And the weekend as well. And your children will be working too, for well under minimum wage, in dangerous conditions. Such is the life Republicans would return us to.

Democracy Sucks

Paul Weyrich, father of of the modern right-wing movement and co-founder of the Heritage Foundation: "I don't want everybody to vote... As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down"

If you ever had any doubt the longstanding cesspool that is Republican party voter suppression is deliberate, this should be the end of that.

Allow Us

Headline: Tea Party Rep: Obama Is President Because He’s Black (VIDEO)

Response: Joe Walsh (R-IL) is a favorite of the GOP base because he's a racist.

Same idiot congressman: "White, black, brown, yellow, you name it, we have a president right now who is bankrupting this country and destroying job creation in the country, and i think it is purely political for him to call a Joint Session of Congress to announce some jobs plan."

Response: Since the last Republican president left an economy that was losing 800,000 jobs a month, and this president is light years better on that front, Joe Walsh must only be saying that because Obama is black.