Everything I Needed to Know About Politics....

I learned from the "West Wing". Don't laugh. I've watched EVERY episode of that series (multiple times) and as a teenager, it is actually what got me interested in politics in the first place. I am often reminded of particular episodes by real events. You know - life imitating art imitating life. Seriously, if you haven't seen the show, buy or rent the DVD and take it from the top.

Anyway. Obama said the following at his town hall today referring to Charlie Christ:

"When the town is burning, you don't check party labels. Everybody needs to grab a hose."

Compare that to Josh's conversation with Donna referring to U.S. Aid to Mexico:

"When your neighbor's house is on fire, you don't haggle over the price of the garden hose."

I know these are both plays on FDR's quote about the passage of the Lend-Lease Act where he said: "If your neighbor's home was on fire, it would be natural for you to lend him your garden hose to help put out the fire in such an emergency".

The Senate just voted 61-37 to pass the Stimulus bill to conference. Only THREE Republicans voted for it. As it stands, that means that only three of the approximately 220 Republicans in the legislative branch voted for this. I've heard all manner of excuses. Most of these people seem to agree that something needs to be done, but they think that this bill isn't perfect so they won't vote for it.

This bill is the ONLY bill on the table so if they vote against it, they are essentially voting to do nothing at all and let us fail. They are saying that unless they get a Republican bill - which is the ONLY way most of these members will get anything close to what they want - they are willing to blow this thing up.

The U.S. is essentially Barack Obama's house. The house is on fire and the Republicans are refusing to lend him a hose to help put the fire out. They not only refuse to lend him the hose they are, in the middle of a blazing fire, lecturing him on fire safety even though THEY started the fire!!!!

Now, is there any guarantee that the hose will put out the fire? Nope. But we KNOW what happens if the fire keeps burning so you do everything you can to stop it even if there is a chance that you might fail. Failure is GUARANTEED if we do nothing. The Republicans are haggling over the price of their garden house while the House is burning to the ground. As Obama said, now is not the time to check party labels. Now is the time to PUT THE FUCKING FIRE OUT. When you consider that they are doing this within this context:



These people need to be taken outside, drawn and quartered, and paraded around town with their heads on a stick.

Wait, did I miss something?

We have John McCain, who got his clock cleaned in the largest Democratic popular vote win in a generation by a black man named Barack Hussein Obama, mounting an insurgency while Mitch McConnell claims, with a straight face, that – quote – “Republicans have better ideas”. No, really. I’m not kidding. Let that marinate. I can wait.

Yes. Three months after getting an epic electoral smack down, they are already waist deep into their shared delusions of self grandeur. Someone should tell them that if a majority of Americans wanted their plans and thought they, particularly McCain, had better ideas, maybe, just maybe, we would would have voted for him instead of the scary Moozlim Commie President B-Rock.

I seriously don't know why these fools haven't been laughed off the stage yet. If they wanna play, let's play.

Here’s my plan: Let the Senate Republicans filibuster. Really make them filibuster, none of that weaksauce cloture vote crap, and bring every camera in a 50 mile radius. Every single Democrat should then leave the chamber and give a united press conference on the Capitol steps where they angrily talk about how shitty the economy is, giving state by state statistics – particularly in blue or purple states with Republican Senators – Ohio, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, Indiana, and Pennsylvania – and how Dems are trying to do something about while Republicans pull the political equivalent of a spoiled five year old giving a foot stomping temper tantrum because they aren’t getting their way despite getting their clocks cleaned in November.

Then, Obama goes on t.v., that very night, on every major network for his first televised talk to the nation in the oval office. He talks about how he and Democrats in Congress are trying to do what they were elected to do – alleviate the suffering of Americans – and that he sincerely tried to work with Republicans in good faith by making concessions like taking out some of the measures they found the most objectionable, making the bill one-third tax cuts, and meeting with them to address their concerns. He will then mention that for his efforts, the Republicans couldn’t manage to deliver even one vote in the House and now they are filibustering in the Senate.

As he speaks or after, I’m sure that the videos of him meeting with them in the WH, meeting with them on Capitol Hill, inviting them for dinner and cocktails, will get heavy rotation. Also getting heavy rotation will be the video of numerous Republicans talking about his graciousness. Let him look dead straight into the camera and say, “I was elected, in part, to change the tone in Washington. I’ve tried to do that, and I will keep trying because I believe in what I was sent here to do. However, Republicans seem content with continuing the status quo and playing the same tired game of politics as usual by trying to score cheap political points as millions of people lose their jobs, economic security, health care, and wonder how they are going to feed their children tomorrow. It’s shameful.”

Game. Over.

Dude. Seriously. Who Asked You?

Darth Vader has returned for another installment and he's up to his old fear mongering tricks...

Maybe Cheney didn't get the message so I'll tell him... GO A-WAY.

We couldn't roll you out of town fast enough. Your approval rating was an epic fail. Noone cares about you or anything you have to say because we know it's probably wrong. WMD? Lie. Mushroom clouds? Wrong. Greeted as liberators? Epic Fail. Noone could have predicted 9/11? Wrong. I didn't have anything to do with outing a CIA agent? Lie.

Go back into your hole you cretinous failure.

Please. Don't. Hurt. Me.

Last time I checked Obama and the Democrats won the last Election, and the one before that. Convincingly. Partly due to voters being fed up with conservative ideology and not being at all convinced that Republicans could successfully run a lemonade stand, much less our country.

So, given the fact that Republican seem to be winning the PR battle over the Stimulus Bill, like John Cole at BJ, I'm a little confused. Seriously. When the Repubs had both chambers and the White House, Democrats were little more than speedbumps on the way to Republican Rule. But, we are now in the majority in both chambers and in the White House, and it doesn't look all that much different than when we were in the minority. Republicans still seem to be getting damn near whatever they want.

The trademark Democratic defensive crouch, consisting of bending over and taking it is really getting annoying. I'm kinda feeling like Bruno in that West Wing episode when he's goes off on Sam and Toby. That's Dems. Always cowering in the corner yelling "Please. Don't. Hurt. Me." Maybe they missed the memo that WE FUCKING WON. Elections have consequences.

We're fighting this battle with one hand tied behind our backs, or around our ankles, however you want to put it. Obama is kinda signalling that he's getting tired of it too. Over at the GOS, Jed says "Obama fires a warning shot". But, that's not enough for me. These assholes don't understand anything short of war. I vote for an all out, no holds barred, very public, political ass whooping. No more of this magical, bi-partisan unity pony crap. Pretty please?

Oh Noez...Obama's a Human!!! And an Adult too!!

Contrary to popular opinion, Obama does not crap Rainbows and Pixie Dust.

Also, contrary to popular opinion, these particular speed bumps (i.e: Daschle, Geitner,) are not serious and he will not suffer any real long term damage from them and this is why: He owns his mistakes.

I must add that having a President who can say, "I screwed up", and take responsibility
is so refreshing I almost didn't know what to do when I heard it. He was sent to change the tone in Washington, and he accomplished that, if even just a little bit. You acknowledge mistakes, take responsibility and move on. That's what ADULTS do.

One of the fundamental reasons why people couldn't stand Bush by the end, was that no matter what it was, he could never acknowledge mistakes that everyone knew he made, and when he came close to acknowledging mistakes, he could never take responsibility for them - everything was always someone else's fault.

Right on cue: Ta-Nehisi nails it.

Michael and Mary Jane

Umm, what he said.

I'm shocked, shocked, I tell ya that Michael Phelps has any fun. Appalled I tell ya.

Anyone who thought that this guy, a world famous, rich, handsome athlete was a saint should be shot. He's an athlete, let's not expect him to crap rainbows and magical pixie dust. His crap stinks like everyone else's.

Let the man enjoy his youth and leave him the hell alone. The pearl clutching is so unnecessarily sanctimonious - and therefore annoying.

Wow...Just Wow.

I just watched THEE best SuperBowl of my life. It's a classic for sure. John Cole almost had a heart attack towards the end there. I did too. I'm an Eagles fan through and through, but Pitt is my AFC team and fellow PA team. PA ALL THE WAY!!!

That catch by Santonio Holmes was freakishly ridiculous. Seriously. If there is a class called "How to make a freakishly ridiculous catch 101", that would be on the FIRST page of the text book. As soon as I find some video of it, I'll definitely post it. He totally deserves the MVP, but it should have been shared with Big Ben.

EDIT: The crap about Ben not being a great QB needs to stop. I asked on Balloon Juice who else has two SBs in their first five years like Ben. I was told Montana does, and that Aikman and Brady have three in five years (which I knew). That puts him in some pretty good company if you ask me. Look, Aikman, Montana, Brady are GREAT QBs and they are all Hall of Famers. No doubt about that. But, Ben’s gotta be up there with two SB rings in his first five seasons including a killer two minute drill to win the game topped off by placing a perfect ball to Holmes in the middle of three receivers in the corner of the endzone. S-I-C-K.

Anyone who doubts Roethlisberger is just a hater. Period. And dude is only 26. If I had any, I'd put money on him winning another one.