In the struggle between God and Mammon, Republicans have sided with the latter every single time..

And money will win every time. During the early 80's when the Reaganites were pitching a sense of urgency to get a similar agenda passed it was stressed to the base to 'do economice first.' The outcome was the same, the tax package that started the current redistribution of wealth in favor of the upper clas was passed and by the end of Reagan's first term there was a big rally for a proposed amendment banning abortion and Reagan, like Bush later literally 'phoned in his support.'

The plutocrats are not going to sacrafice their position of primacy for the theocrats. Yes, they'll throw them a judge or three but only if the judge is very certian to not challenge fiscal orthodoxy and embrace the social gospel on economics.

The way out of this stupidity is as awakening of the moral left as Jim Wallis talks about in God's Politics. Wether your Christian or not it's a good read.

There are some pundits who are pushing for some kind of compromise. No way! Frist is thrashing around in the water on this one - throw him an anchor.

Always remember that the evangelicals and fundamentalists stress it's okay to screw your brother in the pursuit of money. Indeed, raping and pillaging the environment and others for monetary gain is the thing that jesus would do according to these gits. Business and the Tali-evan-fundies have this in common. The only thing is is that the Tali-evan-fundies will self-implode when their kids rebel against that powerfully repressive dogma they spew like so much beer-barf at a frat keg party. Either that, or business and the republi-cons will rip every dime from the subsidy programs that in large part support these worthless god-trolls. That's okay with me also.

Of course money will win out over God in this internal party argument. This is the Republicans we're talking about, right?

Those nutters who wanted to stick the tube back into Terry are just people who have been conned by the Republican leadership into thinking the Republicans represent the views of "good" Christians. What those "Christians" have been conned into doing is supporting laws and policies which actually hurt themselves, take bread off their table, money out of their pocketbooks, and feed it to the rich, making the rich even richer while the middle class shrinks and their sons die in foreign wars they don't actually understand. In return, the conned get to wave a flag, pray at obnoxiously Ioud volume, and tell mean jokes on hate radio. I mean, that IS the Republican party. That is the whole game, the whole scam, and it is a scam.

Well, I used to feel sorrier for the marks, but they're so hateful and bile-filled these days, they deserve whatever rip-off the Republican party pulls on them. That includes watching their political views and policy wishes discounted and ignored by the con artists running their party.

Well, I used to feel sorrier for the marks, but they're so hateful and bile-filled these days, they deserve whatever rip-off the Republican party pulls on them.

Here, here! My brother voted red the last two elections (in a red state). Oh, don't he wax-poetic about low taxes and the drop in his federal taxes. He gets to keep about $180.00 more than under Clinton! It's a windfall, he'll tell you. This year alone, his property taxes took a $500 jump so the city can make-up shortfalls in funding from what the feds have cut. That's after a $300.00 jump last year! Bwaa Haaa Haaa Haaa! Don't you bet I point that out!

Both the Democratic and Republican Parties are weak coalitions. The differences: The Democratic economic orientation (although we see few signs of it of late) gives it a larger natural base of support. The GOP corporate base gives them easier access to bigger dollars which in part buys them the support of the fundies. Reagan got away with giving the fundies lip service. GHB was less successful and the traditional GOP agreed that the fundies could be given a bit more. The fundies agreed not to ask for too much too soon -- they made sure to make it known that they were the ones who delivered in 2004 and now they want their just rewards. The fundies aren't some fringe of the GOP that has been marginalized. They are organized and if not the majority faction in the GOP are damn close to being it. Maybe they can successfully continue choosing Mammon over "God" through a couple more election cycles, but it is going to get increasingly difficult for them to do so.

At some point the GOP will split apart. Some of the fundies will begin saying, "shit, I didn't know that serving "God" meant that I was going to be poor" but many will take it as a further sign that they are acting out a version of the Passion of Christ. Those in the GOP who haven't personally profited from the "new GOP economy" will become hostile towards the fundies that they reluctantly accepted as well as the GOP. It remains to be seen if the Democratic Party profits from that and if so, for how long.

Let the theocrats get drunk on power. The middle of the road Joe Sixpack types will abandon the GOP when they relize that the far right wants to take away their sixpack.

Here is what the Right-winged zealots are up to:
See Hullabaloo for rest of story.

The March conference featuring Dobson and Perkins showed that the evangelical leaders, in addition to working to place conservative nominees on the bench, have been trying to find ways to remove certain judges.

Perkins said that he had attended a meeting with congressional leaders a week earlier where the strategy of stripping funding from certain courts was "prominently" discussed. "What they're thinking of is not only the fact of just making these courts go away and re-creating them the next day but also defunding them," Perkins said.

He said that instead of undertaking the long process of trying to impeach judges, Congress could use its appropriations authority to "just take away the bench, all of his staff, and he's just sitting out there with nothing to do."

Those who oppose us are "on the radar screen" he said. They included moderates such as Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. They also grumbled that Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and George Allen of Virginia needed prodding.

"We need to shake these guys up," Perkins said.

Sunday, April 24, 2005 (courtesy of Crooks and Liars)

Are the Democrats giving in?

On This Week, Joe Biden had this to say:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Biden, we only have a few seconds left. Let me just ask you a quick question. David Broder of The Washington Post floats a possible compromise this morning. He says, "The Democrats should allow these seven to get an up-or-down vote in return for a promise from President Bush to have no recess appointment and a promise from the Republican leadership to allow each one of these seven to be debated extensively." Is that good enough for you?

BIDEN: No, but I think we should compromise and say to them that we're willing to -- of the seven judges -- we'll let a number of them go through, the two most extreme not go through and put off this vote and compromise. Let me read what the American Enterprise says: "Judicial activism will have to be deployed. It is plain that the idea of judicial deference is a dead-end street for conservatives." That's what this is all about. This is about ensuring that we have judicial activists.
The filibuster has always been available to stop extremes.

Video-QT

This would be a huge mistake. The democrats have already compromised by approving over 200 of the judicial nominees so far and they need to stand firm with Harry Reid. President Bush is the one who is unwilling to do so by submitting the same names that were already rejected. On top of that, it would also legitimize the foolish Justice Sunday crowd and give them the appearance that the pressure they are exerting on the Republican party is paying off.

Biden needs a few emails to let him know we do not bargan in this arena.

I read the Broder piece earlier and while it seems oh so reasonable, it completely ignores the fact that the right wingers don't think they need to compromise. Between the appointments already rammed through and the -- I forget the term -- vacation, off-term -- the ones the boy king made by circumventing the Senate completely, he's gotten in a record number of judges. And yet the nuts will fight over the last 7? Why would that make anyone think a compromise is possible or even desirable?

The spoiled brat is trying to get his way through using his born-again bedfellows. We all know what they want -- to overturn Roe v. Wade. I for one don't want to go back to the dark ages -- even though that looks like the direction this basket is going in so far this year.

As soon as I clicked post, I remembered. I think they are called recess appointments . . . not sure though.

The republicans have gone to bed with the crazy people, and now they have gotten up with straight jackets. They know how they have to vote if they want to maintain their power.

Here in Texas, the message is clear. To be patriotic and religious, you must be right. We must "support our troops" and "pray for our president;” don’t expect the right to free expression.

The religious zealots will continue to vote with the republicans as long as they throw them the anti-abortion bone. There are other issues, family values, gay marriage, that might get them worked up, but when it comes down to it, they want to take back a woman's right to chose.

Unfortunately, most politicians have very little control over this issue. One of the few things they can do is confirm a presidential nomination to our courts.

The abortion issue is misguided though. If republicans, and the religious right, really wanted to decrease abortion, they should be working to increase the availability of free birth control. I guess “Free Birth Control for All Women” doesn’t have the political pull of “Pro Life.”