Great question for all Republicans

From yesterday's debate by 5 possible candidates for the Republican National Committee's next Chairmanship:


"How can an organization that has lost its credibility, is $20 million in debt, is steeped in mismanagement, distractions and drama actually lead us into the next election cycle of 2012 and offer change?" --Ann Wagner, former Missouri Republican chairman and U.S.ambassador to Luxembourg

How, indeed, Ms. Wagner, how indeed?

For that matter, how is this same political party in this same shape and run by these same people supposed to run the entire country?

Fortunately for me, I don't see that happening.

Link to original post:  http://www3.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/3/steele-challengers-take-aim-rnc-debate/

That RNC Chairperson debate yesterday?

Did you see where 5 candidates for the Republican National Committee Chairperson job--including current office holder Michael Steele--debated yesterday?


It was not a reason for any optimism with these people.


From the St. Louis Beacon today:  


At least a third of the questions focused on guns, gays and abortion -- which prompted all the contenders, including Wagner, to emphasize their commitment to traditional marriage and the Second Amendment, plus their opposition to legal abortion.


Did you get that?


Guns, gays and abortion were there big topics.


It's not "God, guts and guns", but it's darn close. 


Stupidity run rampant.


Forget that the abortion issue has 30 years of legal precedent in the country.


Forget that, as a nation, we have shown that we are pretty much over the issue of gays and that we're much more inclusive and tolerant.


Forget that no one is trying to get anyone else's gun by legislation or any other route.


Forget all that.


All that matters is that these are the 3 big, electrically-charged issues that this group of Republicans thinks will charge their voting electorate to get out and vote.


That is some kind of sick.


And for the final, repulsive note, check out that fellow Missourian Ann Wagner is thought to have scored big points in the debate because she nearly literally "out-gunned" the other debaters because, she said, she had 16 guns at her house, between herself, her husband and son.


I feel nauseous.


Link:  http://www.stlbeacon.org/issues-politics/280-washington/107200-wagner-at-rnc-candidates-debate-

Petty people---and their ignorance---in our political system

I have two quotes for you today:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY):  “There’s much for them" (the Democrats) to be angst-ridden about,” McConnell said with a chuckle. “If they think it’s bad now, wait till next year.”

Way to think about what's best for the country, Senator.

Not.

And number two, from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, ever the fount of wisdom, intelligence and maturity:

During an appearance on WBAL radio last week, Steele was asked to address a concern from Indiana Committeeman Jim Bopp, Jr., who had claimed that the RNC chairman played the race card in framing his own reelection fight as a test that will "speak volumes about our willingness to truly be the party of Lincoln."
"Well, Mr. Bopp is an idiot," Steele responded on WBAL. "If he took that away from, and I don't want to be crass, and I don't want to throw stones at him, but I just think that's an idiotic statement to make."

We--the US--are better than this.

And we deserve better than this--from our legislators and everyone in and associated with our government.

Links: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/12/21/mcconnell-dems/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/21/michael-steele-collins-idiot_n_799653.html

Why we love Michael Steele (and heck, the Republicans right now, for that matter)

I love this guy. Mr. Steele, whatever you do, don't go anywhere. His top 5 worst gaffes: 1. Obama's Afghan war can’t be won Speaking at a Connecticut fundraiser last week, Steele misstated the history of the Afghan conflict, which began on George W. Bush’s watch shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He told a crowd of GOP supporters that Obama had prosecuted the war. “This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in,” he said. Steele also implied the war can’t be won. “If he’s such a student of history, has he not understood that, you know, the one thing you don’t do is engage in a land war in Afghanistan?” Steele said of Obama. “Everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed.” 2. Rush Limbaugh is "an entertainer," "incendiary," "ugly" In a March 2009 interview with CNN, Steele was asked about the White House’s position that Rush Limbaugh was the leader of the GOP. He strongly denied that claim, insisting that he was the party’s top leader. “Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh's whole thing is entertainment,” Steele said. And he trashed Limbaugh’s over-the-top remarks about Obama. “Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly,” Steele said, prompting Limbaugh to declare Steele as unfit to lead the party. Steele later apologized to Limbaugh, insisting he did not want to “diminish his voice.” Later, he strangely suggested the Limbaugh flap had been “strategic” on his part. “It may look like a mistake, a gaffe. (But) there is a rationale, there’s a logic behind it,” he said. 3. Abortion is an “individual choice” In an interview with GQ’s Lisa DePaulo, Steele said abortion is “absolutely … an individual choice” and said the question of legality should be settled by the states. The comments prompted criticism from several top social conservatives, including Gov. Mike Huckabee. Steele, who is pro-life, later said his words had been taken out of context. 4. The RNC's lavish, X-rated, obscene spending In March, Steele was forced to apologize after a fundraising report revealed the RNC had spent nearly $2,000 on a donor event at Voyeur, a bondage-themed West Hollywood nightclub. Steele has said he didn’t know anything about the event, or the specifics of the expenditures involved. But the scandal fueled criticism that Steele hasn’t been a good steward of the RNC’s cash. Detractors say he’s blown more cash than he’s brought in, as he struggles to land big checks from major donors. 5. Is the GOP ready to govern? "I don't know" Perhaps the most important role of a party chairman is to be a cheerleader for candidates and their campaigns, even in the most dire circumstances. But in January, Steele told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that not only was he not sure if the GOP would regain control of Congress, he wasn’t sure if Republicans were ready to govern. “Are we ready? I don’t know,” Steele said. Candidates “looking to run” have to hew to the GOP's core principles, he added. “If they don’t, they’ll get to Washington, and they’ll start drinking that Potomac River water and they’ll get drunk with power.” Link to original post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100706/el_yblog_upshot/michael-steele-screws-up-again-can-he-survive

A week old but still good and certainly appropos

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Notes on last night's Country Music Awards

Okay, so I was home AND READING--I swear I was reading--and had the television on and NOTHING was on, not even three channels of KCPT/PBS so I confess, I flipped it over to the Academy of Country Music Awards (not to be confused, apparently, with the Country Music Awards--??) so I just had to make a few notes.

1) Randy Travis looks more and more like Lyle Lovett all the time, don't you think? Do you suppose they were separated at birth or something? (Note to Randy Travis: come out of the closet, dude. You have a load of money. What could it hurt?).

2) The people in the audience kill me. Everyone's always singing along with the live performers who are on stage, performing their own songs, so that they--the people in the audience--can a) look like they care and b) get on live television. They're singing along so giddily it's embarassing. But if it isn't for the laughs like this, why watch, right?

3) Thank the heavens above Brooks and Dunn are retiring. Yikes. How overdue is that? And while we're at it, why does Brooks look so alive, awake and healthy--even younger--while Dunn looks like total, old-aged crap? It's an awful comparison. In the meantime, though they're retiring, they're milking they're exit for all it's worth, with a TV show and tour, the whole thing.

4) I swear, if one more person on the show thanked God for their success, I was going to have to have a Transfiguration, right there in my living room. This is what happens, though, when religious people--particularly fundamentalists--and right-wingers have to set out to prove that they're the most believing of all believers. It's disgusting.

5) Okay, someone tell me what the draw is for a performer to come out live on stage with a video camera, filming the audience he's supposed to be performing for, ala' Keith Urban, toward the end. What the hell is that about? Who cares but the few people in the front row?

6) And Keith, your song sucked. Just sayin'.

7) Finally, right at the end, Darius Rucker--formerly lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish--comes out and sings a song and it hit me--this is the first Black person on the whole show. It killed me. AND HE WAS THE LAST PERFORMER. Notes on this note:

--He was so obviously, I hate to say it but it's true, a "token";

--He's far too talented to be pawned off like this;

--I wasn't sure if I was watching a Tea Party protest or the Republican National Convention or what;

--Suddenly, it was as though he were Michael Steele, but in a much more pleasant way, certainly.

What a show it was. What didn't repel me made me laugh.

Oh, and just so you know they aren't all "backwards" 'n stuff, they even have one o' them thar website thingys": www.acmcountry.com

Okay, it has to be said: Michael Steele is an idiot

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - In what appears to be a reversal of a long-standing GOP position, RNC chair Michael Steele said today that he considered same-sex unions 'incredibly hot, especially when the girls are getting it on in a glass case.'"

"When asked if his comment meant that the GOP now favored same-sex marriage, Mr. Steele clarified his position: 'If we're talking about two hot lesbian girls simulating marriage in a glass case, yes, I am very much into that sort of thing.'"

No, Mr. Steele. That is decidedly not what we're talking about.

I'll tell you, Michael Steele is not doing himself or his political party any good service, as nearly as I can tell.

I thought the big spending was going to be his worst enemy and possible downfall but I'm not sure if it's going to be that or his mouth.

When I saw this story, I swear I thought it must be a late April Fool's joke.

Idiocy. Truly.