"Babs versus Cheney has an interesting visual associated with it, doesn’t it?"
I prefer 'Godzilla versus the Smog Monster', but: 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.
Posted by VKW at December 1, 2005 11:08 PMGosh, last year is was about one Repub scandal a month. Then it was one per day. But now it is one scandal per hour!
Posted by Big Red at December 1, 2005 11:24 PMCan we call it 'Red Dawn' when Abramoff flips?
Posted by joejoejoe at December 2, 2005 01:06 AMOops. It was 'Red Scorpion' that Abramoff produced.
Posted by joejoejoe at December 2, 2005 01:07 AM2113
Posted by Judith at December 2, 2005 02:24 AM"the Civil Rights Division staff unanimously opined that DeLay’s effort was in direct violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, yet the political appointees at the top of the Department not only overruled the staff, but also withheld the internal dissenting opinion from the three-judge panel."
Well, I have never known any law to stand in the way of a criminals and their activities.
Posted by Judith at December 2, 2005 02:31 AM"state Democrats filed a lawsuit, and lost their first challenge when a three-judge federal panel (with at least two GOP judges I’ll bet)" Wrong again Steve, Clinton appointees. Same three judge panel that set the lines from the 2000 census after the Texas Senate couldn't come up with suitable lines for the Texas House to support. Democrats liked their lines from those judges for the 2002 vote. Remember the House prior to the 2002 vote, Democrats had a ten seat advantage. After the 2002 vote, they trailed by twenty seats. (Keep that in mind California, redistricting could be in your future, now that Prop 77 failed.) What a turnover the 2002 vote brought! We only lost one seat statewide in the 2004 vote, a Vietnamese Democrat won after many recounts in a district on the gulf coast. He was/is a good candidate, it was very nice to see him win this seat.
Texas voters liked the redrawn lines. I wonder how you explain having a white person representing a primarily Latino district? Especially when there was a Latino in the last race. I also wonder how our President's Congressman didn't change? He was the lone survivor of the 2004 redistricting.
Posted by peter at December 2, 2005 04:02 AMWe can still blog and share views; when LC is axed, you know Babs has won.
Posted by Mal Feasance at December 2, 2005 05:59 AMOk, I'll admit to being dense a lot of the time, but someone's going to have to explain to me why anyone would care what Babs thinks. Shit-For-Brains obviously doesn't put any stock in what 41 thinks, so why should he, or anyone else, care what 41's WIFE thinks? I'd be about as likely to believe that he's seeking out Hillary's opinion.
Posted by FiddleMinger at December 2, 2005 06:02 AMPeter Shiteater,
Perhaps you should read the WaPo article before spouting your wingnuttery, you ignorant little fuck.
Oh, I know. Laws don't matter to you people. Perhaps I'll adopt that philosphy when dealing with your kind.
Posted by God Of War at December 2, 2005 06:10 AMNow, I've heard everything. Democrats concerneded about the laws being broken. Lets not even talk about Mike Espy, Bill Clinton, Sandy Berger's theft and destruction of classified material, Hillary's "hiding" the rose street records, the dozens of IRS audits of the clinton's political enemies.. . . It cuts both ways. Even congressman William Clinton of New Orleans is under indictment for crimes, but no news agency reports that, other than fox.
So keep on sucking up that kool aid. Keep believing the mantra that All Republicans are evil and All Left Wing Democrats are good.
Maybe if you are lucky, you can have Paul Wellstone come back to life and run your party in 2008. Actually, McGovern is still around and that is actually the direction your party is going in. 1972 all over again.
Since 1968, only one time as the Democratic Party's Presidential candidate ever gotten a majority of the American Voters. That was Jimmy Carter, and he lasted only one term.
Keep screaming about the demon republicans, keep screaming of how you want us out of Iraq, keep screaming about how bad the Republicans' programs are, Keep failing to offer constructive and honest counter proposals. Keep demanding and grandstanding. Keep allowing Hillary to get a free shot at the election, or better yet, move so far left that even Hillary knows she can't go there and get elected, nationally.
The left needs to keep on doing that which it is doing. So you guys, keep on HATING, keep on regurgitating all of your conspiracy theories. Keep rejoicing at every bad news day. Men dying in Iraq, interest rates going up, gas going up, unemployment going up. . . oh wait, none of that is happening, and Iraq is about to have another election.
oooooh, I hope this dreary Xmas keeps you warm and then afterwards, you can come out swinging again with your Marxist/socialistic agenda.
Keep moving to the left, further and further. Be brave like Michael Moore and Al Franken, Tell us what you really believe, thats what the American people want to hear. Keep the Hate!
Posted by Carpe Diem at December 2, 2005 06:39 AMCarpe, Sounds like your the one filled with hate for Clinton. By the way, He hasn't been the president for 5 years, but keep on hating it is what you are good at.
Posted by Goose1 at December 2, 2005 06:45 AMCarpe, if you think the country is better off now than it was 5 years ago, then by all means vote Republican. With massive deficits, a poorly planned war, and the only major terrorist attack on this country happening under Bush's watch, I personally don't think we're better off now.
Posted by Cookie Monster at December 2, 2005 06:51 AMWow, crappy's gone completely off his gourd! Who or what the heck is he responding to? Reminds me of Don Quixote, tilting at windmills: Hillary! Michael Moore! Marxism! Bill Clinton! What a frightened little madman you are, crappy, so scared of your own shadow, you flail at imaginary demons. Maybe you should ask mommy to make you a cup of cocoa and sit you down in front of cartoons, because your fear is driving you mad.
Posted by iamcoyote at December 2, 2005 06:51 AMI love Bill Clinton. He is singularly as responsible for the Republican take over of the three branches of Government as anybody.
He did some awful stuff while president, sure, but he felt our pains. He was as good, if not better in communicating, than even Reagan. He could look into the camera and make you feel like he really, really, cared. Which was just horses*it.
Nonetheless- Since Clinton was elected, the majority of the Senate moved to the right, the House, moved to the right, the State Houses now are clearly in the right. It was 20-30, now its closer to 30-20. Even my state, has elected its first republican governor and legislature since reconstruction.
So hate clinton, nahhhh, he was the very best thing to ever happen to America, maybe not in the short run, but definitely in the long run. He couldn't get Gore elected, and he won't be able to get Hillary elected either.
Why is Liberman the only democrat that seems to know what he is talking about. Maybe we should give you Lincoln Chafee, and we will take Liberman.
Posted by Carpe Diem at December 2, 2005 06:57 AMonce again a troll shoves their ignorant crap on us...carp dumbass go fuck yourself asswipe....
Posted by headxray at December 2, 2005 07:08 AM8 years of peace and prosperity, yeah i know that was really crappy.
Posted by goose1 at December 2, 2005 07:12 AMA whole lot of Republicans are about to have serious legal troubles, roughly simultaneously; legal troubles brought on them by years of corrupt behavior. If you trolls think somehow that you will lessen the political damage of the impending indictments by bringing up penny-ante non-crimes from the past, feel free.
You may even be right; it wouldn't be the first time America fell for Republican bullshit. But you can't fool all the people all the time.
Posted by dj moonbat at December 2, 2005 07:14 AMYep, if we extend crappy's argument further, and deal with the present instead of past strawmen, rampant Republican extremism and corruption are turning public sentiment away from the right once again. Hence, the fearful flailing and gnashing of teeth from the trolls.
Posted by iamcoyote at December 2, 2005 07:23 AMFiddle,
One of those recent "insider" articles noted that the usually well-insulated Bush has lately only been taking counsel with four dames in his life: the insane harridan, Karen Hughes, "guess-what-fits-between-my-two-front-teeth" Rice, his lawfully-wedded wife, and that she-bitch whose womb spat out the Bane of the Republic.
Posted by citizen Able at December 2, 2005 07:25 AMCitizen Able: Yeah, I remember that, but IIRC, the sourcing for it was about as robust as, shall we say, the dreck that Capitol Hill Blue comes up with. But, OK, maybe this is just another piece of a picture that will fill in later. OTOH, it's not hard to belive that they all hate each other. That seems about as natural as breathing.
Posted by FiddleMinger at December 2, 2005 07:34 AMIs Crape Diem out of his teens?
Or even out of diapers?
Geez, what infantile ranting. And he's probably the smartest one in his family.
Posted by euzoius at December 2, 2005 07:43 AMAnd peter, you think maybe the three judge panel would have been interested in reading the Civil Rights Division's unanimous expert opinion when deciding the case?
It will be interesting to see if this squelched, highly relevant memo can be gotten into the record before the Supreme Court.
My guess is no way.
Another victory for Bushco corruption.
Posted by euzoius at December 2, 2005 07:56 AMMe thinks that thou dost protesteth too much!
You guys are really, really funny. Sure I can throw mud around against your candidates, as easily as you can with many of mine. The point is, that you apparently are refusing to acknowledge, is that the spate of bad news for some specific republicans, does not in any way shape or form give you empirical evidence that the Dems will again take over. Sure it might embolden you, which is good. I want you to be embolden and act like Michael Moore, Jimmy Carter, Noam Chomsky, Alex Baldwin, etc.
Go ahead, live in your delusional world.
The evidence is still the same. Since 1968 only Jimmy Carter has garned 50% of the vote and mainly because he ran as a southern conservative christian democrat against a nonelected president that just pardoned Richard Nixon.
Remember the Paul Wellstone Victory Funeral. It was a funeral alright. A funeral for any real dreams that the ultra left in this country will ever have a dream of being in power again. Sure, you have your pockets, Berkley/San Fran/New York, but that is not part of the Main Stream America. The left might control the Main Stream Media, but thats a far cry than convincing the hearts and minds of thinking, caring, intelligent, hard working Americans who happen to be proud of America's efforts around the world.
So, address why and how your party has for the last 15 years consistently lost, election after election, control over state and national bodies, and even lost your savior, Hillary Clinton, who by the way now says.
Yes, I voted for the war, predicted upon me not reading the original reports that were bogus, but I don't want to pull out of an illegal war.
Thats a sound position for the left to embrace her with.
Left control the media? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
WOW! Now I know you are nuts.
Posted by Goose1 at December 2, 2005 08:19 AMThat was the most hilarious spew of talking points and extremist buzzwords since...well since the last time crappy posted. Of course, the right celebrates stupidity, so it makes sense these trolls live in an imaginary past and manufactured present. It's easier than thinking, and wards off some of the numbing fear that grips "people" like crappy.
Posted by iamcoyote at December 2, 2005 08:34 AMLet's hope Ralph Reed doesn't get indicted until he wins the GA GOP primary for Lt. Gov. Then let him get indicted while running for office. The entire GA GOP will collapse (according to their own words.)
Posted by Ga6thDem at December 2, 2005 08:34 AMFYI re: Texas redistricting case
Patrick Higginbotham, Circuit Judge -- nominated by Ford and then Reagan link
John Ward, District Judge -- nominated by Clinton link
Lee Rosenthal District Judge nominated by GHW Bush link
It was a 2-1 decision by Higginbotham and Rosenthal. pdf
Hey carpe, you do realize your in the minority now, right? I forget what the polls were, but let's just say, 35% approval rating! You can say that with me, "35% approval rating"!
Even though I wasn't able to convince my wingnut sisters, my apolitical brother is now a die hard liberal! Tired of taking shit from the rich, while working his ass off, with nothing to show for it! Not to mention that recruiters are knocking on my 17 year old nephew's door day and night! My brother's not about to let his boy risk his life or die for some rich chickenhawk!
Pretty simple thinking, if you ask me!!
Of course, the big news today continues to be the amazing growth of the US economy.
Nomfarm payrolls rise 215,000.
As you know, I think that number is a bit too strong, and could cause the Fed to continue hiking interest rates to fight a perceived inflation threat. With unemployment at 5%, the threat with big numbers in job growth is upwards pressure on wages.
Wage growth is a chief concern of the Federal Reserve, which fears that wage pressures could imbed an inflationary psychology in the economy.
I think with the GDP at 4.3%, unemployment at 5%, and the payroll number coming in over 200K, the Fed will continue to raise short-term interest rates. The Fed is tapping on the breaks.
Posted by muckdog at December 2, 2005 09:13 AMfuck muck..are you ignorant enough to believe your own bullshit?..asshole
Posted by headxray at December 2, 2005 09:14 AMAhhh . . thank you dorita. You're a blessing for coming up with some provable content.
And peter? We'll be looking for that apology in the mail, right?
Ah, I thought so.
Posted by idiosynchronic at December 2, 2005 09:16 AMMuck,
over the past few weeks you had actually had a couple of posts that were almost reasonable, then you have to go regress, yet again.
Dig a little deeper in the report muck and look at the sectors those jobs were created in. Are you really in favor of shifting our economy to being service based?
Posted by Simp at December 2, 2005 09:59 AMDorita:
You mean that Peter lied about the judges who ruled in the Texas case? I'm shocked, just shocked.
Carpe Diem:
As for candidates getting 50% of the vote, let's see: Bush got less than that in 1992, Dole got less than that in 1996, and Bush lost the popular vote in 2000. So you're not arguing from a position of strength there.
Posted by Steve Soto at December 2, 2005 10:02 AMSo with the job numbers does this mean bush has created over 1,000 net jobs in the last 5yrs?
Posted by Goose1 at December 2, 2005 10:08 AMSimp, this transition from manufacturing to service jobs has been going on for decades. Did you suddenly just notice? Did it bother you during the Clinton years?
Goose, most folks consider a 5% unemployment rate to be at "full employment." We can't exceed that level by much without risking pressure on wages. Remember what the Fed did in 1999... They killed the economy.
Posted by muckdog at December 2, 2005 10:19 AMMuck,
over the past few weeks you had actually had a couple of posts that were almost reasonable, then you have to go regress, yet again.
Gee, I'm unreasonable when I just report the financial news of the day?
I'm not making "wild guesses" about what the Fed will do if jobs numbers keep coming in like this and wages start to rise. We know what the Fed will do. We've seen it before.
Maybe Bernanke will take a different approach. I don't think so, but we won't know for sure until he takes the reigns. I doubt he'd let inflation rip, though. We'll have to wait and see.
Posted by muckdog at December 2, 2005 10:25 AMMuck, Who are most folks? Do they also not count All of the unemployed to get that number?
Posted by Goose1 at December 2, 2005 10:32 AMThe economy is fine until you dig into the numbers.
Posted by rlp at December 2, 2005 10:47 AMfuck muck do you realize you actually drive people away from your blog with your dumbass drivel?..just go fuck yourself asshole...
Posted by headxray at December 2, 2005 10:52 AMrlp, great link! Here's more from that same site that has some interesting analysis on the the underbelly of Bush's economy
I think the part about Americans borrowing more to fuel (pun intended) their lifestyles is interesting in light of the recent reports that retail business is doing pretty well during this holiday season. XBox anyone? Visa or Mastercard?
Posted by ann at December 2, 2005 11:40 AMGreat work by Dorita catching peter in an absolute, barefaced GOP lie.
Or else run-of-the-mill irresponsible GOP bullshit.
Posted by euzoius at December 2, 2005 11:43 AM
but clinton started the war in iraq! all that blood is on his hands! war hero bush tried to stop the bloodshed!
Posted by more honest peter at December 2, 2005 12:27 PMThanks for the links, rlp and Ann. They were Fantabulous!
While reading them, I kept having flashbacks to the last Bush's term in power. After embracing the VooDoo economics of Reagan, his administration was left with telling everyone to not worry, the economy was doing great- as if the telling was enough to make it so. Never mind that real people were feeling the pinch. That chubby-faced boy from Arkansas knew what was going on, though, and turned it into two terms.
Muckdog, do you have any counter to the arguments found on the aforementioned links?
Posted by Cosrai at December 2, 2005 12:28 PMHere's snother example of how the right to privacy covers a lot more than just abortion.
If they can do this in school bathrooms, your restroom at work may not be far behind.
Posted by rlp at December 2, 2005 02:53 PMrlp, thanks for the link to the BOP blog. I'll have to read it for awhile. I don't agree with the conclusions of the link you refer to, but I've been there reading posts this afternoon and at least they're thinking out loud over there. You might be interested in the WSJ link I put on Steve's Jobs Report thread, for another opinion.
Headxray, I'm not trying to attract any readers to my blog. I include the link on my comments, but I'm not concerned about hit counts. Yeah, sometimes if I'm lazy and don't feel like repeating myself here I'll just say "go check my blog." I don't do that very often though.
I put a hit counter on my site so I could see "referring" blogs. Most of my RSS subscriptions have come from folks who have visited me and we share a common interest. (Financial subjects).
I have to say I love what blogs have done to the internet. I subscribe to well over 200 blogs these days, and seem to add a few every week. Mostly financial blogs, a few news/political ones, and the rest are people blogging their life experiences.
One of the good ones in the latter category is Omniverse. I link to her at my site somewhere in the right column, if you're interested. (haha)
Posted by muckdog at December 2, 2005 03:42 PMCarpe Douchebag, Peter the Dick, And FuckHog...
If your pussy asses aren't sitting in an Armed Services Recruiting office before New Years, you probably ought to disappear before your cowardly, Bush-loving, soldier-hating asses are dragged there.
Posted by God Of War at December 2, 2005 04:02 PMYeah, you guys are doing real well. Hey Carpe, how's that 34% doing for ya? Need I remind you that 34% stands for American approval while 66% stands for AMERICAN DISAPPROVAL. And you call us delusional.
Posted by Judith at December 2, 2005 05:22 PMSo muck, why do you always link to your blogspot? Since you're not concerned about hits, why do it? I can imagine some of your responses, but I would love to hear them from teh horse's mouth :)
Simp, this transition from manufacturing to service jobs has been going on for decades. Did you suddenly just notice? Did it bother you during the Clinton years?
So that justifies continuing to cheer it on? Suddenly notice? LOL, hardly. Even as it has been happening for years, the Bush administration has installed a nitrous system and is accelerating it as fast as possible. I suppose you also support the shift of valuing capitol over labor as well. Loft the people with wealth onto a pedestal, fuck people who work for a living.
And where the hell did you get the idea that I support everything that Clinton did?
What amazes me is that with your understanding of economics, that you still buy into these surface numbers.
Posted by Simp at December 2, 2005 10:49 PM