American Embarrassment

“I have never before seen such a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party’s banner.”
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Nuff said. You could have started, and stopped, here.

Ah you see Joe, they could run, but wouldn’t get the nomination because the primaries are set to emphasize the twaddle. Look at how far Sharon Angle got, for example. As Elvis said recently, it isn’t just Newt or Trump or the others, the whole Republican party has been taken over by these folks. I finally changed my registration a few years ago when it wasn’t even this bad. Now it gives me the creeps. You are right (don’t know about those two) but it would be nice to see sensible Republicans like the ones I grew up with.

“This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me.”
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Just in case the Big Guy doesn’t read Swampland, I’ll give you my blessings Joe. Does getting blessed by an atheist even count?

Joe Klein,
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There is still Sarah Palin, Joe. She looks better every day as the males in the Republican party meltdown.

Joe, wait ‘til Sarah enters the ring. But when you say, “One of them could get elected,” I ask, “How?” I think the kicker here is the post-’10 election fallout at the state level that dooms any R candidate in ’12. As you might tell from comments here, there’s a lot of dissatisfaction with Obama from the right, center, and left. So indeed maybe many D’s stayed home last Nov. ….and look what happened with the new governors: Walker, Kasich, Snyder, et al. Union busting, local govt. takeover fiat powers, slashing education …but still giving away tax cuts and NOT really balancing budgets, etc.
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So even with tepid Obama support and a lack of serious primary challenege – who’s stepping up now on the left? – the D base will turn out in ’12 (and sooner in recalls) to roll back the R state gains and vote them out of office. Even Obama can pick up extra votes. I just don’t see T-Paw, Mittens, Sarah, or Huckabee picking up votes in this rollback scenario.

What is wrong with these people? We have a $14 trillion dollar debt, trillion dollar yearly deficits, massive unemployment and underemployment, and a foreign policy that is so muddled that it’s like a Rubik’s cube and these clowns are talking about birth certificates and Sharia law. Do they want four more years of Barack the Reluctant?

Jeb just read your last paragraph and then punched his brother in the face.

deconstructiva@5,
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Do not forget Andrew Cuomo of New York. He is a miracle worker. Closing a $10 billion deficit without tax increases or borrowing, just spending cuts. He is my hero.
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Maybe he will challenge Obama in 2012?

“Please, in the name of George Walker Blush and George Herbert Walker Blush, complete the dynasty!”
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W blew it for him, JK.

Paul,

When Andrew Cuomo runs in either 2016 or 2020, I want you to remember you called him, “my hero”. I bet you will not like him as much as you do now.

“Do they want four more years of Barack the Reluctant?”
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We have to balance out that question with “How many people want ANY years with Huckabee, Palin, Gingrich, Bachmann or Romney?”.

They can’t talk about why Republican leaders are becoming ever more partisan and extreme because it runs right to what the base, millions of Americans, are smoking. The legacy press live in constant fear of provoking right-wing anger so even those with very little to lose by telling the truth about them still would rather risk looking clueless as to what’s going or too afraid to do their jobs.

I’m afraid so. There is a lot I don’t like about Jeb, but I have no doubt he would have been a better President.

certifiablylazy@1,
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Well, here is another look…
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http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/schumer-coordinates-dem-budget-attack-gop
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Pretty desperate stuff, eh?

And what the base is smoking is, essentially, FOX and Rush Limbaugh (talk about a fatty) and they can’t tell the truth about FOX either.

Paul,

The problem is that most Republicans with any real ideas are not running for president.

Mitch Daniels went to the CPAC convention in D.C. a couple of months ago, and was the only speaker who acted like an adult. While the other speakers were throwing red meat about Obama, Daniels was talking about the deficit and that it would take a lot of work.

Let’s be honest, sound politics is not sexy. While I don’t agree with Mitch Daniels on a lot of things, I have a great deal of respect for the man, and I think he is one of the few conservative Republicans who has some good ideas. However, I think Mitch Daniels has some barriers to running for president (i.e. Mrs. Daniels).

Unfortunately, the Republican candidates feel like they have to pander to the wingnuts. Even sensible candidates like Romney and Pawlenty feel the need to throw red meat to the wingnuts instead of offering sensible policies.

They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The problem on the Republican side is that the wingnuts are the loudest group and gets the most press attention.

It probably helps if you’re not an ignoramus and a psychopath.

fhmadvocat@5.2,
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If Cuomo holds the line on spending and taxes for the next four years and turns New York state around, he might well be the first Italian president of the United States.

sacredh@6.1,
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Sarah, by all means. It’s time for a woman as President of the United States.

Wishful thinking. You got the hots for her or something, Paulie?

The Bush name was toxic just two years ago and now some people are saying that Jeb Bush is maybe their best hope? This sounds like desperation to me. The other candidates are so bad that they’re willing to take a chance on the brother of possibly the worst president in history?

fhmadvocat@6.2,
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That’s horse puckey. What most conservatives want to hear is solutions to deficits, debt and unemployment as well as a defense of the Constitution.
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I have no idea what these fools are thinking. They are just wasting our time. The problem is not where Obama was born. The problem is where he is now.

Believe me, if Sarah runs, I’ll be writing her checks. She’s the closest thing to a sure bet that I can think of. I’ve already switched my registration to republican and even though I had sworn off on working on another campaign, I’ll sign up for hers.

sacredh@8.3,
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My bet is on Barack (Flying Down to Rio) Obama as the worst president in history.
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What kind of Commander-in-Chief says “Okay, boys, it’s off to war for you and I’m headed for Rio for a little downtime?”

sacredh@6.6,
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Careful what you wish for, sacred. The folks at the Carter White House were praying for Reagan to win the nomination in 1980. And we all know how that turned out.

Joe, the current Rep. presidential line up is pathetic.
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But, you respect Mitch Daniels, Bushes budget director, turned the $236 billion Clinton budget surplus into a $400 billion deficit.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/jdevans/michigan-first-state-to-curtail-jobless-aid-congress_n_841432_82382079.html
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You respect Jeb Bush who has the same pedigree as George W. He supported his brother through all his veniality and dangerous governing.
Also, remember his exploitation of the Terri Schiavo case.
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You might support them over the current crop of candidates, but respect them?

I wouldn’t call going on a planned trade mission that could result in US jobs “downtime”, but it’s all about spinning.

paulejb, I didn’t like Reagan, but comparing him to Palin in any capacity is just wrong. Even using him as an analogy as an opponent is a stretch. Sarah isn’t fit to be a social secretary let alone president.

Foghorn, no doubt he does but it’s just more of his stir-the-pot, look-at-me trollery (see 8.4, his claim that O is worse than W or Buchanan? His latest effort to change topic.)

nflfoghorn@4.1,.
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I have the hots for a president who is not always showing up a day late and a dollar short.
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Oil spill — Two months before calling in the CEO of BP.
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Afghanistan — 6 months to agree to new troop levels
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Libya — 9 days before he addresses the nation on his actions.
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Gitmo — Despite his order, no closing date anytime soon.
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Bush tax cuts — Was against them before he was for them

By the way, Herman Cain now says he might employ a Muslim if the person takes a loyalty oath not to sneak in Sharia law.
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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/cain-clarifies-comments-on-muslims-in-his-administration.php?ref=fpblg
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Maybe this would insure that we wouldn’t have that secular Muslim government Gingrich worries about.
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How does anyone give these people any serious consideration. Note to Republican establishment, the Koch brothers, and Fox: “You build it they will come.”

“You might support them over the current crop of candidates, but respect them?”
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Respect in this context may be relative when being compared to the others.

sacredh@6.8,
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Worse things were said about Ronnie than are being said about Sarah, but not by much.
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Sarah had a shaky start out of the box in 2008, but since that time she has not set a foot wrong. She would make a great president.

This is it. Yes, a person can respect Daniels more than Huckabee, or Trafficant more than LaRouche.
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But that’s just the soft bigotry of low expectations.
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The GOP isn’t mysteriously afflicted with a bunch of crazy people running for president; they’re a tribe consisting entirely of crazy people.
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They think that reducing revenues balances the budget, that climate change, evolution, water fluoridation, and Bob Dole & the Heritage Foundation’s health insurance reform plan are socialist plots against America. About half of them think that the president’s mom snuck out of the country to deliver her baby in Nairobi, then obtained a Hawaii birth certificate and placed announcements in the local newspapers because ??????? (read: because they are ignorant white people with a sneaky feeling that “he ain’t our kind”).
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I’m sure you have fond memories of Everett Dirksen and Edward Brooke and the Mugwumps and whoever the he!l. But Ronald friggin’ Reagan would be hounded out of today’s GOP as a RINO– he repeatedly raised taxes as president, sat down with Hitler du jour Mikhail Gorbachev (earning a comparison to Neville Chamberlain from Newt Gingrich), spoke of his dream of a world without nuclear weapons, and floated the idea of a standing army for the UN.
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They are what they are. They are a tribe of resentment-driven white people with no rational views about policy issues. Jeb, & Bush Jr.’s budget director, aren’t going to do any better than any of these other Lilliputians. This is today’s GOP.

in reply to 6.3

Ever since Doug Wilder, balanced a looming deficit without raising taxes, every Governor in Virginia has done so, including a couple of Democrats. Senator Mark Warner had to do it, though he got a slight tax increase with the help of a moderate Republican Senate (against the wishes of an irrate Republican House). Tim Kaine, the current DNC chair and the most Liberal Governor in modern times did it without raising taxes.

Kaine might run for the Senate seat being vacated by Jim Webb, a noted conservative Democrat. While Kaine is rather Liberal (he opposed the death penalty on religious grounds, but did not commute any sentence nor pardon any death row inmate while Governor), but the leading Democrat to challenge George Allen who wants his old seat back.

Ironically, Allen would be a shoo-in, but he will have a Tea Party challenger in the primaries and a likely Libertarian in the general election.

sacredh@8.5,
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Cut it out, sacredh. Barack Obama has rescheduled overseas trips in the past over issues a hell of a lot less important than war.

“legacy press” is a useful term, thanks.

“Sarah had a shaky start out of the box in 2008, but since that time she has not set a foot wrong. She would make a great president.”
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You’re just being sarcastic now. Not that I don’t appreciate sarcasm. We’re evenly split between republicans and democrats at work, but she would only get one or two votes from those guys. A couple of them go ballastic at even the thought of her being the candidate. Having said that, I do think that Sarah and Huckabee are the only two that even have a shot where I live. Not a good chance, just a shot.

deconstuctiva@4.2,
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It is astounding that no one on this page has a positive defense of Barack Hussein Obama. All we get is attacks on others who do not agree with the liberal dogma..
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Does no one have anything to say in defense of Obama and his presidency?

fhmadvocat@6.10,
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Comparing the Commonwealth of Virginia to the People’s Republic of New York is like comparing Rupert Murdoch to George Soros. You are not even in the ballpark, fhm.

We’ve been at war continuosly for almost a decade. Other business still needs to be taken care of. There is communication equipment aboard Airforce One. Obama, or any other president worth his salt, isn’t going to stay bunkered down in the White House for their entire term/s because we’re involved in a conflict. We’re ALWAYS involved in a conflict anymore. I have the feeling that if he hadn’t gone, the meme would have been “US jobs AREN’T important?”.

“Sarah had a shaky start out of the box in 2008, but since that time she has not set a foot wrong. She would make a great president.”
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Right
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And the next thing you’ll write when we list the many things about her that makes her a terrible choice for GOP is that we’re all scared of her running.
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Bring her on. I would LOVE for her to run.
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LOVE
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Better yet; team up with Bachman.
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To steal someone elses line – they would look lost like two lesbians in a fish market.
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I don’t know what this ‘improving’ is about but she punches innocent one liners like there’s no tomorrow and there’s nothing improved about it.
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But I can see why you find that shallow pond inviting.

sacredh@6.11,
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Not sarcasm at all. The more I hear from the other Republican contenders, the more I believe that it will take a woman to take on Obama. Sarah has the tools necessary to compete on a national level and she is honing her skills with speeches, interviews and by using the social media.
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Obama can be had. He is no longer the dashing young knight, new to the world stage, he has become Barack the Reluctant, the Hamlet on the Potomac.

sacredh@8.7,
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1. Obama postponed a trip to Indonesia over ObamaCare.
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2. Obama postponed Asia trip over oil spill.

3. The jobs were jobs to be created by oil drilling in Brazil which Obama encourages, which is odd since he is death on drilling in the US.
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4. No one could possibly criticize the Commander-in-Chief for standing his post when he orders Americans into harm’s way in a third conflict in a Muslim country.

“And then there is Herman Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza who is pretending to run for President, proving that a black man can be as gutter-cheap bigoted as anyone.
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A door opens a crack into how the GOP mindset works. It explains how, all these years, the GOP has managed to garner the low singles percentage-wise when it comes to Black participation.
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And what is even more interesting, Cain is zinging to the RLC meeting in New Orleans.
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The GOP must be absolutelyfjuckingjesuschristinahandbasket desperate for some kind of “legitimacy”…

“My bet is on Barack (Flying Down to Rio)…”
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Just so you know, your cheap shots only cheapen you (if that’s still possible). And, what Joe can’t say but certainly knows, you are the biggest part of the “American Embarrassment”.

hippooath@6.13,
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You remind me of the geniuses who were saying that Jimmy Carter was going to eat Reagan’s lunch in the debate. After all, Jimmy boy was a brilliant “nuclear engineer” while Ronnie was just a B actor. You do know how that turned out, right, hippo?
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That debate turned a close election into a rout. It was so bad that Jimmy conceded before polls closed on the west coast.

“I call upon all nations to to everything they can to stop these terrorist killings. Thank you. Now watch this drive.”
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- George W. Bush, playing golf and “working” at the same time
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http://www.depresident.com/george-w-bush-quotes-bushisms/

“she is honing her skills with speeches, interviews and by using the social media.”
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That seems to be working out well.

For the first time in Post-ABC News polling, fewer than six in 10 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents see Palin in a favorable light, down from a stratospheric 88 percent in the days after the 2008 Republican National Convention and 70 percent as recently as October.

You have no idea what an idiot you sound like, do you? No, you couldn’t.

paulejb, I live in Ohio. We’re a bell weather state. Sarah has no chance of taking Ohio. Obama could lose Ohio, but not to Sarah. Obama’s in trouble in Ohio right now, but if Sarah is the nominee, he can visit our state on his way to somewhere else or else just look out the window of the plane and wave as he flys over. It’s his if she gets the nomination.

I like Corrente’s use of legacy parties.

Seriously? This gets your panties in a bunch? The concept that members of a political party coordinate their messages and use loaded words to reinforce their political position?
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If you remained, like you briefly have @6, intellectually consistent then folks here might not treat you like Paul The Reluctant To Have A Serious Intellectually Honest Conversation.

Thanks Elvis. You said it well.

shepherdwong@8.9,
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I am typing this reply through tears of laughter as I contemplate the idea of being scolded by Wong for taking “cheap shots.” Wong, I would never have believed that you had such an ironic sense of humor.
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Have you ever read any of your own posts? They are an example of deranged animosity for anyone who disagrees with you.
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But thanks for the laugh anyway. It was delightful.

Not that reality matters when talking about a horserace over a year away but Jeb isn’t running.
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Unless you think he’s a liar, that is. And if he isn’t “right” on hating brown people he wouldn’t get out of the primaries anyway.
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“But I was referring to the presidential race. “I know you were. And I am not running,” he says, smiling. But he wants to “play a role” and thinks that he’s especially equipped to do so because he’s not running. “I can really speak about things that are controversial, that a candidate might avoid—like immigration. And my view may not be in the mainstream of my party, but that doesn’t bother me a bit.”
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703583404576080053621757790.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
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P.S. “Even Tim Pawlenty, a decent governor,” if ever there were a better example of “asserted not demonstrated” I can’t think of it. I’m not sure even Minnesota republicans are saying that.

53_3@8.10,
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There you have it, people. Proof positive that the only defense of Obama relies upon an attack on someone else..
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There is just nothing positive to say about Obama or his agenda.

“You remind me of the geniuses who were saying that Jimmy Carter was going to eat Reagan’s lunch in the debate. After all, Jimmy boy was a brilliant “nuclear engineer” while Ronnie was just a B actor. You do know how that turned out, right, hippo?
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That debate turned a close election into a rout. It was so bad that Jimmy conceded before polls closed on the west coast.”
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Again – you already listed that argument – comparing Ronnie to Sarah is dumb.
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Let me make it simple; people who said Carter would eat Reagans lunch based that on that he was a B actor. They figured (incorrectly) that as a B actor (kind of like the idea some ideologues have about hollywood actors) that he would be a empty shell. I mean what does a actor know about politics right?
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The problem with your comparison is that we’ve already been treated to Sarah. It’s not like it’s a surprise what she says, what she does and what she thinks. We’re not talking about a very deep pool of thoughts. Her numbers are not improving. Amongst conservatives.
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Paulejb – run her. Let her win the primary and you will see the total destruction of her brand – just like McCain did to his Maverick brand.

certifiablylazy@1.2,
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Schumer told the group to label the GOP spending cuts “extreme.”

“I always use extreme”, said Schumer. “That is what the caucus instructed me to use.”
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Joseph Goebbels would have been proud.

@4.3

For the oil in the gulf, besides the lack regulations pushed for the past decade mostly by your side, although backed by some centrist democrats (I mean regulations only hampers private industry right?) which allowed this rig to operate without proper safety features, lets look at the real timeline.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/29/bp-oil-spill-timeline-deepwater-horizon
explosion happens on April 20th, for the next 3 days the coast guard is primarily concerned with a rescue mission. On the 24th they report oil is leaking, on the 25th they approves plans to try and fix it. On the 28th BP’s blowout preventer attempts fail. The next day Obama talks about the spill publicly, the same day Louisiana declares a state of emergency. Now given that at this point the true extent of the spill was just becoming known and this was a day after BP’s attempts failed, forcing the government to act (since till then it was more concerned with containment and attempting to rescues survivors and let the private company whose rig this was clean it up) how can you say he did not act quickly. So he did not call the CEO for 2 months, who cares? Was the CEO going to put on a wet suit and close it by hand? Would he only act if he was asked really nicely by the president?

Afghanistan: Considering the he wanted a complete report on how to help turn the tide, not just randomly throw people at it (and considering many on both side did not want him to send more troops) this is not exactly fiddling while Rome burnt. If he had authorized it sooner you’d have said he was rushing things and wait for the generals advice.

Gitmo- thats really funny considering your side was completely against any attempt to bring the prisoners to american soil, or trying them in courts. Add in the fact your side blocked every attempt to close Gitmo down and went on the airwaves daily claiming that if the base was closed the terrorist would have won. You can’t have it both ways, either your for closing it and bringing the prisoners to be tried and jailed in America, or you want it open. Pick and remain consistent .

This post is the perfect example of how the far right (not all conservatives, but a select few) really have only a single mindset, that anything Obama does is wrong. Look the man has done many things i don’t agree with, but you can’t fight him tooth and nail on something, and when you get your way say that he is making you do it. If you don’t like him because of his policies fine, if they oppose to your core values. But statements like this shows you have no core values. You shift your positions and beliefs to suit whichever attack on Obama you can think of at this moment. You think it makes you witty, that you are outsmarting us all, but we have read your previous post, we know your stated positions and these “flip flops” which are not driven by changes in the facts (which would be acceptable, if the facts change your position should also) but by the overarching desire to score political points only make you seem petty and desperate.

shepherdwong@6.16,
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A vicious onslaught by the political assassins of the left will drive up anyone’s negatives. But no matter how hard they try to destroy her, Sarah remains standing tall.
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If Obama received the treatment that Sarah has been subjected to by the MSM he would have melted into a puddle on the sidewalk.
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Barack the Reluctant doesn’t do courage well.

rahonavis2@4.5,
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Nice try, rahonavis but no cigar. It was the Obama administration that issued a waiver of an Environmental Study for Deepwater Horizon.
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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/may2010/gulf-m06.shtml
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You can not keep troops on the front line hanging fire while you cross every T and dot every I. Six months is enough time to make a 100 decisions.
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You are joking about Gitmo, right? In 2009 the Republican party didn’t have enough votes to change the Capital Hill Cafe’s menu. Democrats could have closed Gitmo and resettled the detainees at your house.
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So again, nice try, but you did not get even one hit.

There are those who say, cynically, if this is the dim-witted freak show the Republicans want to present in 2012, so be it.

As if the GOP has any choice but to go with the freakshow, Joe.

And you seem to respect yourselves enough not to behave like public clowns.

Oh, like that Senator from Utah, Bob Bennett, who finished third in the 2010 Utah GOP primaries, right?

“If Obama received the treatment that Sarah has been subjected to by the MSM he would have melted into a puddle on the sidewalk.”
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Yes, undoubtedly he would have withered and died if he was made to publicly answer the disgusting partisan lie that he was “palling around with terrorists”.

During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, a controversy arose regarding Barack Obama’s contact with Bill Ayers, a Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a former leader of the Weather Underground, a radical left organization in the 1970s. Investigations by The New York Times, CNN, and other news organizations concluded that Obama does not have a close relationship with Ayers. Ayers served on two nonprofit boards with Obama. Both Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, hosted a gathering at their home in 1995, where Alice Palmer introduced Obama as her chosen successor in the Illinois State Senate.
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The matter was initially raised by Sean Hannity and other hosts on conservative talk radio programs,…and then by moderator George Stephanopoulos during a debate between Clinton and Obama in April 2008. In October 2008, the matter was mentioned in attack ads, robocalls, mass mailings, and campaign speeches by Republican presidential candidate John McCain and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as an issue in the general election campaign.

Moron.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ayers_presidential_election_controversy

“Have you ever read any of your own posts? They are an example of deranged animosity for anyone who disagrees with you.“

I don’t give them hell. I just tell them the truth and they think it’s hell.
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– Harry S. Truman

““legacy press” is a useful term, thanks.”
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Not mine but, for the life of me, I can’t remember who coined the phrase.

“Not mine but, for the life of me, I can’t remember who coined the phrase.”
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In that case, then I said it. Thank you for the shout out.

When Rahonavis read [past tense] Paulie (and subsequently schooled him) he reacted exactly as expected: Claim intellectual superiority in spite of the facts presented.
You can’t keep changing the game when you always lose. This ain’t a kindergarten playground!

If Obama received the treatment that Sarah has been subjected to by the MSM he would have melted into a puddle on the sidewalk.
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(I just had to)
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Palin got such soft treatment from the press, especially as compared to candidate Obama.
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The Nat’l Inquirer broke a story about her daughter’s pregnancy- and the right-media complained that the daughter is off limits to the “liberal press”.. and everyone left it at that. Imagine if Obama was in a similar situation. What a field-day for righty press that would have been.
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Palin’s husband belonged to a secessionist organization (AIP) who’s founder called the American flag “a rag” and advocated taking arms against the US. She even gave an address at one of their their annual meetings. Imagine the “outrage” if roles were reversed; if Michelle O belonged to a Hawaiian secessionist group that said similar things about the US..
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Palin’s pastor is, literally, a witch hunter.
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Palin’s church believes that the US should join with Israel to attack Iran and bring about Armageddon.. and that Alaska is the place where they can ride-out the nuclear wars.
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The press gave her a free pass. Meanwhile, made-up stories about Obama got traction. It’s not even close.

Paulie: In 4.6 you use the “World Socialist Web Site*” as your source? Really???
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*although they cite the WaPo in the article

pintortwo, I think the media gave Sarah a bit of a free ride on some of the more outlandish stuff because to give it any more coverage would have really killed any chance at having the election being any kind of a race. The witch doctor video on YouTube was such a WTF moment that only the diehard Sarah fans would want her within shouting distance of Washungton, let alone being a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
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The republicans took all kinds of baseless allegations against Obama and treated them as fact and yet ignored videos of Sarah that placed her squarely in the kook category.

If I had seen a video of Obama and a witch doctor “protecting” him, I’d have sat the election out. I’m as partisan as they get, but crazy is crazy. It was the same with Christine O’Donnel. If you have to go on TV and claim you’re not a witch, you’re not fit for any office.

Joseph Goebbels would have been proud.

Err… lolwut?
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1) Godwin’s Law.
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2) GOP Talking Points about healthcare reform.
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3) “Death panels,” anyone?

paulejb:
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We covered this ground yesterday and I had already put you under, debate-wise.
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That was just another fact.
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You know, like the ones I listed yesterday?

Joe Klein is “as an unflinching American patriot”, and I’m an Obama loving, al Qaeda commander and Michelle “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country” Obama, Jeremiah “US of KKK” Wright and William “On the day that I bombed the Pentagon everything was ideal. The sky was blue. The birds were singing, and the bastards were finally going to get what was coming to them” Ayers love America.

Sacred my man you disappoint me. We established years ago that this so called witch doctor was actually a WITCH HUNTER, (from Kenya if memory serves), converted to christianity and living here in the U.S. Dude I’m pretty damn partisan myself, but I don’t just throw anything at all out there without doing the research. Come on man, check it out! You’re better than that.

There you go monkey boy, endzone dancing again. Mommy taught you how to spell the word “fact”, but she forgot to teach you the definition.

Mr. Klein

You make some very good points. However, let’s not forget Congressional crazies like Rand Paul Mark Rubio. And those wacky Republican Governors who seem to be plumbing new depths of public dislike just months after taking the oath of office.

Personally, I’m not a Mitch “I was only doing what I was ordered to do when I delivered those disastrous Bush budgets” Daniels fan. That may not qualify him as a “public clown” but it doesn’t give him any credibility on deficit reduction. All this bragging by Republican Governors that they balanced a budget is much ado about nothing. It might be helpful if journalists mentioned, once in a while, that in most states Governors are REQUIRED to do so. How the budget gets balanced is up to the Governor – that they do it is not.

Lastly, if Jeb’s performance during the Terri Schiavo debacle doesn’t make him a “public clown,” I don’t know the meaning of the term. Besides, I’m not sure our country could survive another Bush Presidency.

Witch hunter, witch doctor. Is a distinction really important? We’re talking about witches in the 21st century. He still performed an exorcism ceremony on her that protected her from what? Witches? Demons? I think we’re splitting hairs here. That’s still crazy no matter how we label it. Did you notice the guys on each side of Sarah holding her up? Now tell me that the video wasn’t bizarre. I’d be concerned if a reclusive neighbor was doing that crap. A possible presidential candidate? Sorry, but that’s so far out of the mainstream of acceptibility that she shouldn’t even be considered as a serious candidate.

You mean the way we’re surviving and thriving now under this idiot prez? [deep belly laugh]

Sacred, you view christianity as an ongoing comic strip, and I supect you haven’t spent a whole lot of time in any place of worship, but I assure you that ceremony was quite normal and commonplace as far as religion goes. It’s called a blessing.
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Another thing to note is that this preacher is black. I’m baffled that -53 and foggy and all the other nutjobs on here ain’t just raking you over the coals for being racist:)

Damn! ‘Ol monkey boy uses the word “I” damn near as much as…… Obama!

2/3′s, you’re right I don’t spend much time in houses of worship but I’ve lived next door to a conservative church for 16 years and have had a religious fanatic living in my house for 13 years (MIL). I let them hold prayer meetings here once in a while until they decided that they could eat my food and then insult my wife and I so I threw their sorry asses out and told them that they could never come here again. I have quite a bit of experience with them and their “blessings”. They wanted to annoint me with oil and drive my demons out. After cake and coffee.
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Their minister and I almost got into a fistfight the last time he was here. He said that if we weren’t in my house that he’d teach me lesson. I invited his candy ass to step outside but he declined. I’ve got a few years on him but he outweighed me by 30-40 pounds. You have no idea how much I wanted to beat his sorry ass into a bloody pulp.
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Not that this is really related, but the last time we ran into each other i got asked to leave Wal-Mart. He called me a heathen and I called him a c0cksucker.

“Another thing to note is that this preacher is black. I’m baffled that -53 and foggy and all the other nutjobs on here ain’t just raking you over the coals for being racist:)”
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LOL. Race doesn’t mean anything to me. Crazy comes in all colors and all etnicities. I’ve only dated two hookers in my whole life. One black. One white. If anything, you might say I was a little prejudiced against whites since I only lived with the black one for awhile. I have nothing against white people, she just wasn’t as much fun.

“wacky Republican Governor…who seem[s] to be plumbing new depths of public dislike just months after taking the oath of office”
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EXHIBIT A: BaldCrook is now even less popular than Walker or Snyder. 32% approval rating, 55% disapproval. Only 57% approval among fellow Republicans!
“You can say that [Crook's] honeymoon is over, but that would imply that he had one in the first place.” We sure can pick ‘em down here!
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http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2011/03/scott-incredibly-unpopular.html

nflfoghorn@4.7,
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Stop the blather, foghorn. Address what I said in response to rahonavis and point out where I am wrong or stop wasting our time.

shepherdwong@6.20,
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Okay wong, what would you call it when you launch your political career from the living room of admitted terrorists if not “palling around?”
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Perhaps Obama wandered in by mistake?

shepherdwong@8.13,
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Any connection between you and the truth would be purely coincidental, wong. You would have trouble identifying the truth even if it jumped up and bit you on the arse.

nflfoghorn@13,
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I knew you people would get a charge out of that link. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you jumped out of your seats and saluted and broke out in a chorus of The Internationale.

53_3@@8.14,
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“Facts?” What facts” You had links to subjects totally irrelevant to the subject under discussion.
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Tell you what, surprise me. List 3 accomplishments of Barack Hussein Obama in the last two years.

redraven937@1.4,
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It’s known as “The Big Lie,” raven. Tell a big enough lie and it convinces people that it must be true because no one would dare tell such a big lie.
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That is what the mysterious caucus suggested to Sen Schumer.

Look, Joe, and every other msm journalist out there, is looking desperately for candidates that they can use for fair and balanced reporting. How can you have false equivalences otherwise?

pintortwo@6.21,
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So why did it take a steady drumbeat in the alternate media to get the mainstream media to even broach the subject of the Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers stories..
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George Stephanopolous brought up the question about Jeremiah Wright and the left wanted to eat his heart.
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It was well documented that the JournOlist crowd conspired to spike stories that put Obama in a bad light.

The Press?

You’re hoping this makes the Village look better, right Joe?

Time still publishes?

So why did it take a steady drumbeat in the alternate media to get the mainstream media to even broach the subject of the Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers stories..
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“Alternate media”? That’s a crock. They got big play immediately, and it lasted. Bill Ayres should have never been broached as it was a non-story. Jeremiah Wright should have been put out there and discussed, but the “drumbeat” was excessive in mainstream media relative to its importance. Compare that to Rev Hagee: arguably more incriminating in that McCain, knowing Hagee’s politics, sought his endorsement– but it was barely was covered.
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Is George Stephanopolous on ABC an example of “alternate media”?
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It was well documented that the JournOlist crowd conspired to spike stories that put Obama in a bad light
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Conspired? Who took what actions? JournOlist is a joke– what did it last? a week? Grover Norquist held “Wednesday Meetings” for over a decade to coordinate conservative media on how to frame the issues. Got a problem with that?
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Have you considered what the media would have done with video of Obama getting “blessed” by a witch hunter.. to ward off demons and witches? Or if Michelle O belonged to an AIP-type organization? Either one would have tanked his candidacy. He!!, the picture of Obama in traditional Kenyan clothing -purposely mislabeled as “Muslim” garb (oohhh)- got more play. Even the laughable “terrorist-fist-jab” was bigger mainstream news. There is no comparison.

Newt would rather his grandchildren grow up in a country where the plutocracy can get away with this:

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/ghosts-in-the-machine/

“Tell you what, surprise me. List 3 accomplishments of Barack Hussein Obama in the last two years.”

.
crickets
crickets
crickets

“t’s known as “The Big Lie,” raven. Tell a big enough lie and it convinces people that it must be true because no one would dare tell such a big lie.
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That is what the mysterious caucus suggested to Sen Schumer.”
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So you must be absolutely horrified when GOP does it.
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Who was Goebbles in the GOP for all those years that walked in lockstep sharing and using the same talking points?
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BTW – in a post a week or so ago you said this comes from the fact that you guys are more confident in your ideology and the reason why we ‘squabble’ is because we;re not. So given that (un)logic maybe the democrats are finally getting more confident?
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Seriously.

You would have trouble identifying the truth even if it jumped up and bit you on the arse.

…what would you call it when you launch your political career from the living room of admitted terrorists if not “palling around?”

Don’t lecture me on truth, you mendacious piece of sh!t.

The republican class of 2010 promised jobs and have done nothing since convening in January except present social issue bills (amounting to Sharia! Law™ in my opinion) and governors just sloughing through job stability with their anti-anyone not rich bills. It’s not escaping notice of the Indies and less conservative right. Now, here you have a class of possible candidates (so unsure they are pushing the season back further and further, giving their party at most promise rings) doing their best to play to an aging base and ignoring Indies altogether. 2012 has never looked so rosy for the Democrats.

Mark Rubio is a true threat, but I think, even he is eyeing 2016 over 2012. Brilliantly.

paulie,
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Stop pulling a “Glenn Beck”, portraying outrageous statements as “facts”, then demanding that everyone prove them wrong.
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You’re the one making the claims – the burden of proof is on YOU to show them as accurate, NOT the other way around.
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Provide evidence to “show where you are RIGHT” or, to use your own words, “stop wasting everybody’s time.”

I’ve stocked up on popcorn and I’m looking forward to the show.

But I have to say, the MSM is largely responsible for this travesty. The media are too willing to treat these bozos as credible examples of critical thinkers, never correcting the lies or misinformation and always presenting them with a straight face.

Wow. A little harsh don’t you think, Joe? It’s still early. Palin and Bachmann have yet to join the roster, so there’s still hope…

Rumor is that Palin plans to announce her candidacy on April Fool’s Day. Really. We’ll see. The very thought makes me squirmish.

Can’t wait for Bachmann to become ‘official’ so the MSM might spend some actual time digging through the piles of weird in that lady’s closet. She’s gotten a pass because no one (except herself and, apparently, God) saw her as a credible contender. There’s at least two, and possibly three, DSM-IV diagnoses she seems to fit to a ‘T.’ Should be very interesting…

Joe – on the whole I agree with you about this. Especially, to my surprise, about Jeb Bush. Who would have thought. But I remember being delighted that Ronald Reagan, of all people, was nominated by the Republicans, because of course he couldn’t get elected. Trudeau had a great Doonesbury panel about it at the time which has haunted me ever since. So yes, I hope the Republicans nominate someone who woudln’t bring total shame and disaster on this country if elected.

I don’t really know anything about Pawlenty as governor, but some of Sully’s readers would take exception to your calling Tim Pawlenty “a decent governor.”

Minnesota is in the midst a huge fight and potential government shutdown because Pawlenty left us with a $5 billion deficit, all while insisting that he had balanced the budget through his accounting shifts and “fees,” along with illegally cutting some spending on his own. Even the guy who ran to replace him, Tom Emmer, tried to peddle that nonsense (that there was no budget deficit) and got defeated by Mark Dayton in a year where Republicans ended up with control of both the house and senate. Pawlenty has become more rigid and right wing as he runs, and his ambitions were taken out on our state. He’s just not popular here.

ttp://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/03/under-estimating-t-paw-ctd-1.html

I agree. Pawlenty is a ‘decent governor’ only in the sense that he did not try to ram union-busting legislation down our throats or (to our knowledge) kill any kittens. Most of the time, he came across to Minnesotan’s as Mr. Roger’s having a tantrum–not exactly the image one wants in a president.

His recent vocal adoption of extreme right wing views (and his even more recent vocal adoption of a vocal adaption to his accent–never heard the Carolina twang before in the 8 years he was in office) is pretty lame. If you have to pretend to be someone else in order to get elected, maybe you just shouldn’t be running.

“This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me. I have never before seen such a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party’s banner.”

ahahaha, that is pure gold. And it is true. Where are the cool smart republicans. These chicken little pants crowd offer no real leaders. Just peepee pants histrionics.

You have to love the quotes from this Paulejb joker – did he really just ask “List 3 accomplishments of Barack Hussein Obama in the last two years” ??? You either have to be a) profoundly ignorant of politics or b) profoundly willing to ignore reality to have to ask this question of others and not know the answer yourself.

Passed under Obama:
- Biggest health reform bill since Medicare was introduced in the ’60′s.
- Biggest Financial Reform legislation since the Great Depression
- Biggest improvement in gay rights in my lifetime (DOMA, DADT)
And tons of others, but it doesn’t take a supergenius to figure these out. Or perhaps you support the working power and those with pre-existing conditions having no healthcare, letting Wall Street regulate itself after causing the economic crash, and bigotry against gays. If so, I digress – perhaps these are not accomplishments in your eyes….

Yeah, better a mindless mad cowboy foreign policy than one “too complicated”. And said deficit was the fault of Bush and has been in place since his administration. It’ll take a little longer to get out of it. Geesh.

Reagan may have beaten Carter 3 decades ago, but that hasn’t kept his presidency itself from being flawed.

Ironic how religion somehow magically rises to the top of the left’s “items-to-defend” list when Islam is concerned. Yet, when similar diatribes spew from heathens such as, “vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party’s banner”, because it’s not “religiously” toned, it’s tolerated, perfectly acceptable behavior from the left.

Amazingly hypocritical but expected.

I humbly suggest you do a little more homework on Jeb Bush. I ask: Are you willing to run the risk of placing another Bush in a position of power? I’m not.