The Coming Generational Shift in Congress

More fricking back to the future. Can we at least wait until the votes are in? What possible reason is there for a news organization to speculate about stuff that will happen in advance of the election?
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REFORMING SOCIAL SECURITY? What the eff is up with that? On what basis is this an issue?

Off topic. But I guess every election from now on will lead with terrorist scare tactics from our own government.

“REFORMING SOCIAL SECURITY? What the eff is up with that? On what basis is this an issue?”
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Well Jay it is the perfect time to reform some thing that does not need reform. What it needs is workers and jobs for those workers, but I digress.

Well, so far today we have Karnack the Magnificent moments involving the generational makeup of Congress, Nancy Pelosi as ambassador, conjecture how 2010 will effect 2012, the substance of the Stewart/Colbert Rally before it happens, and other mind melds (sorry different character). LIke Karnack they make up answers before the question is legitimately asked.
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Could we have more postings on actual facts?

I see that my first overwhelming inclination (to not click play) was the correct one.
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Is there a CW writer’s handbook that journos consult or are they merely groomed for so long that espousing its vacuous nonsense becomes 2nd nature?

Out of curiosity, Gunny, what would be the proper governmental response to explosive material found in packages bound for the US, if not calmly informing the public? Or are you implying that Democratic operatives infiltrated Yemen in order to send these packages as an elaborate ‘October Surprise’?
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I would say that comparing this incident to raising the terror alert level to aqua-marine based on nebulous, out-of-date intelligence would qualify as journalist-grade false equivalency. Obama and the Democrats can not help it if these packages are being sent, and I’m not sure I’d be happier with the government trying to hide such developments from the public.

“Out of curiosity, Gunny, what would be the proper governmental response to explosive material found in packages bound for the US, if not calmly informing the public?”
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Why naturally, the proper response from the US government would be more of this:
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http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2010060717007&lang=e

gunny, I admire your resilience at still being here.
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I don’t suppose Jay can explain why SS is on the table. I mean, she can no doubt tell us about the cat food commission, but WHY we need one would be an interesting story.
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Not just Jay, of course. I get my dead tree NYT every day, and the desperate need to strip folks of the benefits that we prepaid for (if you were in the workplace on or before the LAST commission’s deal) during what was an actual problem, if not crisis does not even enter the sphere of legitimate controversy.
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It’s interesting that they think that people in the biggest postwar cohorts will say “Oh, yeah, we paid for our parents’ benefits, and for ours because we understood about the pig in the python” and then say: “Oh, so the plutocrats needed to incentivized? Oh, okay then, we will be happy to flip burgers until we’re 70.”

anon-Please. Why should I trust a government that is perfectly happy about keeping secrets when it benefits them. Camly telling the public? Why? Does the public drive cargo planes from Duabi? Think about it.

Social Security has to be reformed because DEFICITS is why.
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i mean jesus get with the program

If these packages were what we’ve been told they are, then it was the duty of our government to inform us, gunny. Regarding whether the story is fabricated or not, as a means of boosting the government’s image, I’m generally pretty cynical about government intent, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary here. These things do happen.

Laura Ingraham – Nancy You Better Stroke That Gavel A Couple More Times http://conservativeblogscentral.blogspot.com/2010/10/laura-ingraham-nancy-you-better-stroke.html

@JC- frankly, I’d prefer election manipulation.

@Gunny- Regardless of which segments of the public fly cargo planes, I imagine there would be blowback if FoI-type requests revealed that this had occurred and the government had tried to cover it up. On the other hand, what exactly do you expect the Obama administration/Democrats would gain from such a stunt? Bush did it because he was perceived as “tuff on terrah”- do you think Dems are now perceived by the majority of the electorate in the same light? This story came out near an election because it happened near an election. I repeat that comparing it to Bush-era shenanigans is false equivalence.

“… but WHY we need one would be an interesting story.”
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Indeed it would be, and sadly we’ll get no coherent explanation in the MCM (mainstream corporate media). Like Obama, they’re part of an establishment auditioning for “The Oligarchs’ Top B!tches.” Now there’s a reality show Americans are living day in and day out.
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Chris Hedges’ put it all together rather well last month:
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“The failure of liberals to defend the interests of working men and women as our manufacturing sector was dismantled, labor unions were destroyed and social services were slashed has proved to be a disastrous and fatal misjudgment. Liberals, who betrayed the working class, have no credibility. This is one of the principle reasons the anti-war movement cannot attract the families whose sons and daughters are fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. And liberal hypocrisy has opened the door for a virulent right wing. If we are to reconnect with the working class we will have to begin from zero. We will have to rebuild the ties with the poor and the working class which the liberal establishment severed. We will have to condemn the liberal class as vociferously as we condemn the right wing. And we will have to remain true to the moral imperative to foster the common good and the tangible needs of housing, health care, jobs, education and food.”
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http://www.truth-out.org/do-not-pity-democrats63204

The notion that the moral imperative [of fostering] the common good and the tangible needs of housing, health care, jobs, education and food is somehow an imperative limited solely to the realm of American liberalism is absurd. These are classic neo-liberal ideals, ideals which form the basis of both American liberal and conservative thought. I’m sorry, JC, I appreciate your intellectualism and respect your opinions, but I won’t let you claim a progressive monopoly on such universally moral notions.

N-R,
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My point was how the liberal establishment has estranged itself from such ideals, perhaps irreparably. And while I strive to avoid insulting conservatism (as opposed to the charlatan demagogues who call themselves conservative), I would at least venture to say that at this moment in history, such ideals are even more alien to the conservative establishment.
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Suffice it to say that the duopoly shares objectives at this late date–and their interests are neither conservative nor liberal. IOW, Americans are f@cked. Would that our public discourse was between authentic conservatives and liberals–our society wouldn’t be poised on the brink of collapse.
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BTW, you ever read Conor Friedersdorf?

“ABC News has confirmed that conservative agitprop artist Andrew Breitbart will join the ABC News team to provide “live analysis” of election returns on Tuesday night”
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I guess Matt Drudge was unavailable. Too funny. Funnier than when Russert had Rush on for election night 2002? Your call.
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http://mediamatters.org/blog/201010290035

No frame of reference is needed. Simply listen.
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Hey JC – Thanks for the TruthOut link. Good read.

jay,gunny: From watching Jay’s video, I learned that if Congresswoman Pelosi loses the House Speakership, she may return to California to be a grandma. Or not.
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And there are about 8 other congresscritters who may resign. Or not.
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I now feel highly informed by TIME Magazine….or not.

JC,
I agree completely that the “conservative” establishment has little interest in such unrewarding trivialities as working for the people. Democrats, Republicans, they are the same political animal. True liberalism, true conservatism, however, both have something to offer other than utter dystopia.

A little bright spot in the dark clouds everyone:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tvblog/2010/10/live-video-stewart-colbert-rally.html
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The rally is ON!
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FYI, it’s drawn several thousand here in Seattle, far exceeding the size of any Teabaggers ever accomplished here!
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Looks like comedians trump idiots…

When the actual numbers come in, I want to see how they will stack up against Glenn Crackhead Beck.
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So far, 6,000 in Seattle, and that is a lot for a downtown rally…

Let’s get a follow up Swampland post by at least one of you pundits!
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C’mon now, how many did that crackhead Glenn Beck generate?
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Think about it, Times staff…

The crowd on the mall looks huge — 200,000 at least — and it sounds like the metro and roads are both jammed with people still trying to make it in.
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By Fox News’s math, the rally will probably have 4 trillion people at it.

Anyone up for liveblogging the R2RS? Things seem to be off to a great start…

Father Guido with the Benediction. Trying to find God’s chosen people…

Galarraga: great choice for Reasonableness Medal.

Only if you are a Teabagger.
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For everyone else, they count every 1000th person.
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So, lets see…
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…that would make it about 200.
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I saw the pics, but I’m waiting to see if airphotosLive.com has something on this later. It does look 200,000-ish, though.

You know kbanger?
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This is kind of disappointing, the way Time has chosen to pretty much ignore (except for one blog) about the R2RS/F rally.
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Maybe Stewart should have reserved his “heckuva job” comment for the media. With “non” news like a rally as large or larger than Glenn Becks’, they have chosen to ignore it!

What I’ve seen, I’m guessing 150 – 200k…

Some intersting blogs from places Rusty wouldn’t have expected, and more…
http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-503544_162-503544.html?keyword=Rally

And even on Swampland, we’ve mostly had a few posts from journalists tut-tutting and wagging their fingers about comedians and entertainers getting involved with politics.
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I found Scherer’s bland, mumbly criticisms of the whole affair to be pretty funny, actually.

Kevin:
You heard it here first: 6,000,000,000.
http://twitter.com/StephenAtHome/status/29194372756
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From what I heard, the buses are backed up all the way across I-90 in Chicago to the Factoria Interchange just south of Bellevue!

It seems to me that Time, inc. Has agreed with that assessment.
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Or, is it the other way around…

Hello, all:
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Is anyone out there willing to help hijack today’s posts in order to send a message about the media’s mishandling of the R2RS/F rally?

“This is kind of disappointing, the way Time has chosen to pretty much ignore (except for one blog) about the R2RS/F rally.”
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Even Time realizes the reality that no one cares about liberals or what they do. How does it feel to be irrelevant?

“the media’s mishandling of the R2RS/F rally”

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The rally like you is for clowns. Liberal rallies always have more attendance for the simple reason they NEVER have anything better to do!

Completely off-topic, but Glenn Beck gets pissed at a science fiction anthology that bumped his book out of the top slot:
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http://io9.com/5676104/indie-science-fiction-anthology-incurs-the-wrath-of-glenn-beck
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Which means I have two reasons to buy it.
One, because I love SF. And two, it makes Glenn Beck cry.
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And we all know an angel gets a hand job every time Beck cries.

Fitty: The silence speaks volumes, eh?
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“The media is our immune system. If it overreacts to everything, we get sicker.” Great quote.

As usual, I have to rely on Wonkette for serious coverage.
Here’s their liveblog:
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http://wonkette.com/428572/liveblogging-the-comedy-central-rally-thing-from-the-national-mall#more-428572
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Wonkette. Because the news of the day is best expressed in terms of genitalia and fecal matter.

That was a pretty entertaining three hours.
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It doesn’t matter what we do here. It matters what they *say* we did here.
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Nice jujitsu.

I agree.
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I would have thought that Stewart would have closed with a rational GOTV message, along the lines of “No matter who you vote for – do it!”

Of course! I’d forgotten about Wonkette. Leave it to them to discuss the happenings in DC. Oh, and buttsecks.

1:14 PM — And 200,000 young people pull out their cell phones to Google “Father Guido Sarducci.”
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LOL!

I was sort expecting a GOTV message too.
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Overall I thought they struck a perfect tone though.
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You know, except the Kid Rock/Cheryl Crow part. Oy.

sorry: “whom you vote for”

“Is Slate’s Timothy Noah on Twitter? Yesterday on NPR he said he was worried about the Rally for Sanity and I want to make sure he’s okay”.
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hahahahhaaha!

Paul-nnto: re: “It doesn’t matter what we do here. It matters what they *say* we did here.”
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It would have been fun to be in the press tent during that portion of the speech. Watching them all kick pebbles, not making eye contact…

Yeah that was a pretty good -and certainly true-shot.
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I really can’t bring myself to watch the Sunday Morning Gasbags but I look forward to reading about their sure to be clueless take.

“During Islam’s appearance, Sarah Palin aide and Weekly Standard writer Michael Goldfarb tweeted “What the f*ck. Sanity = supporting fatwa against Salman Rushdie?”*
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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/cat-stevens-appearance-at-sanity-rally-rankles-right-wingers.php?ref=tn
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* Edited for Swampland sensibilities.
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Stupid and foul mouthed is no way to go through life, son.

Hello, everybody. I thought it was a nice rally. Rally-in’ is hard work. A bit disappointed with Fr. Sarducci, could have been better. I am mostly happy that there is a balance to the right wing. Now I will take a nap and hope our country hasn’t self-destructed when I wake.

I love Cat Steven’s music. One of the disappointments was the interruption of his song for comedic effect.
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His religion and abandonment of his music thereof, and all religion, I can do without.

The “train” pay off with the O’Jays was pretty cool.

Agreed.

I enjoyed it. Liked that they publicized the news organizations that didn’t allow their reporters to attend. NPR for goodness sake? We got reports from the Beck rally from all of them.

Ivy-I think they could report on it but not attend as private citizens.
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At least those organizations were recognized, if only by proxy. heh

You’re right, just heard a report on the hourly news update and a promo for a piece on WESAT.
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I feel better.

James Poniewozik’s post on the rally.

http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/10/30/stewart-and-colberts-rally-irony-and-sincerity-merged/

beats crackheads, bub.
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just like history, huh?

I sincerely hope that Beck jumps off the new Tacoma Narrows bridge…
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…and gets charged a fiver for the privilege…

You know, I’d have thought that Kid Rock would be a sure bet for the Tea Party rallies.
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Maybe we can trade him for a good musician? Or a well trained dog?

Seattle:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/429307_rally30.html

Hand over mouth, with sly chuckle
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Even the irrelevant can vote…

A memento of the occasion:
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A green button that says:
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“Go Evolve Some More!”

Kid Rock is a sure bet for whatever he thinks will sell.
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His “anthem” that FOX is playing during the World Series is almost parody.

From Fittys link above-
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“His co-host Stephen Colbert, who portrays a fearmongering conservative talk show host seemingly modeled on Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, countered with “Medals for Fear,” including one for the media outlets who banned their employees from attending the event unless they were covering it. (CBS News was among those criticized for doing so, though the network did not take that step.”
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http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-503544_162-503544.html?keyword=Rally

All I have to say to Time, Inc. is this:
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“Heckuva job!”

GOP Sets Up Voter Fraud Hotline

HEY LIBERALS — WE ARE WATCHING — WE ARE WANTING — WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO COMMIT VOTER FRAUD!!

http://conservativeblogscentral.blogspot.com/2010/10/hey-liberals-we-are-watching-we-are.html

…WE ARE WANTING — WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO COMMIT VOTER FRAUD!!
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You’re wanting the Dems to commit voter fraud? Interesting…
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What defines voter fraud in your eyes? Being observed voting for a Dem candidate at all? Voting absentee for a Dem candidate? Voting while black or Latino?
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Please elaborate. Inquiring minds want to know…

Yes and in the case of liberals many times. And still lose….

“beats crackheads, bub”

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Ah they are the crackheads

Brother Scherer is busy tweeting any critique of the rally he can lay his hands on.
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Another hard take on Stewart/Colbert http://bit.ly/cfTfgE
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I wonder if Brother Scherer is man enough to clarify whether he agrees with the conclusion drawn (before the rally even took place!!) in the article or not.

Michael will always be, to me, the devoted McCain “reporter”.
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It was a study of, I would say Stockholm Syndrome but that suggests unwillingness, credulous.

Looking like it was 200,000-250,000.
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If these had been conservatives, Fox News would have estimated the crowd size as “eleven jillion” but since they were mocking conservatives, Fox News will say it was three people.

For someone who insists it’s liberals who have nothing better to do than protest, you sure did spend a lot of time on this site, freeinpa.

Watch all you want. There still won’t be any voter fraud.
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There never is, but gullible f*cking morons like you believe it when Fox News cranks up the warning siren every election.
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My God, during the last election, ACORN turned over signatures on signup sheets that were faked — turned them over themselves! — and somehow you f*cking idiots turned that into a story that ACORN had actually registered massive numbers of fake voters who had then actually voted in the election (apparently the DMV was in on the conspiracy because “Mickey Mouse” got a photo ID) and then somehow swung the election to Obama.
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There’s a fraud going on here, alright. But it’s Fox News pimping these ridiculous stories and mouthbreathing a$$clowns like you believing it. Go buy some more Glenn Beck Goldline gold and survival gear. It’ll make you feel better and let your bosses at Fox News fleece you for another few bucks.
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Good doggie. Lay down, play braindead.

He’re’s a Fear Medal for you, redstatedebate.
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And if I were you, I’d go evolve some more. You’re missing a couple things.
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You know. Things…

Well, freeinpa:
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My vote is just as big as yours.
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But, guess what?!!?
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My audience was twice as big!
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Another sly chuckle…

But one thing that Brother Sherer can’t do is claim that his audience was bigger!

Thank God for rubber keyboards.
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I saw this:
“Political conviction isn’t the same as insanity.”
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Thanks, maverick…

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/trick-or-truth/

“People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.”

- James Baldwin

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/trick-or-truth/

Gosh, and just the other day there were mocking remarks about whether 10 or 15 people would show up.
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It’s almost as if you’ll find a way to cry about it regardless of the outcome. Did a couple webcomic writers outsell your book, too?

Funny – that critique was written before yesterday’s rally.

Darn, when I read that Jay was going to discuss this issue, I expected real info from Jay Leno, not the same old bs from a so called journalist. oh well.

“Funny – that critique was written before yesterday’s rally.”
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Prej´u`dice
n. 1. Foresight.
2. An opinion or judgment formed without due examination; prejudgment; a leaning toward one side of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection for, or objection against, anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything, without just grounds, or before sufficient knowledge.
http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/prejudice