GOP stupidity – plus: one shining star

—— A racist email sent by a TN GOP State Senate legislative aid …

—— A comparison of First Lady Michelle Obama to a gorilla, made by prominent SC GOP activist Rusty DePass …

—— Rising GOP star and Senator from Nevada John Ensign having an affair last year with a campaign aid, which he admitted today …

I need a strong drink. I think I’ll put some extra sugar in my tea tonight!

Ending this on a positive note, thank God for Senator Tom Coburn, who swoops in to save the day – and who continues to do his job in trying to keep this administration accountable.

14 Responses to "GOP stupidity – plus: one shining star"

Carlos says:

June 16, 2009 at 10:55 pm

In Pogo’s favorite line, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Used to joke the libs had no morality. Now it seems the elephants have no real morals.

Pitiful, sleazebucket powermongering jerks.

Which begs the question: Which is worse, Frank’s armtwisting that helped drive a worldwide depression, or a complete lack of personal integrity?
Tango says:

June 16, 2009 at 11:11 pm

…Saddened to learn of John Ensign’s affair with a staffer. Of course the local newsies are all over this – speculation running rampant. Doesn’t look like (at present) this is a career killer for him. He and his wife both appear to be handling this with dignity, refusing to be drawn into slime questions from the media.

Of course, if he were a Dem, this marital infidelity would be a resume enhancer.
Mwalimu Daudi says:

June 17, 2009 at 12:18 am

Ensign, that boy just don’t get it – if you are a Democrat you can degrade, harass, rape and even murder women, and the government-run media will consider you a “victim” of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. But if you are a Republican and your eyes wander, well, that’s a hanging offense. Did Ensign think that he was a Democrat?

I was a skeptic, but now I see a third political party as the least worst option for conservatives. No more having to defend left-wing bozos like Snowe, Collins, McCain, Lugar, Graham, Grassley, and Hutchinson. A third party will get clobbered in 2010, but that will will happen anyway if conservatives stick to the GOP/DOP. Why not a third party that will go down with a fight rather than a whimper?
Aakash says:

June 17, 2009 at 1:07 am

I came back to this weblog after a couple of months, and I see the redesign… However: I was also pleasantly-surprised to see this as the top entry!

(Now if only more ‘conservatives’ and Republicans had displayed these sentiments under the last administration!!)
Lorica says:

June 17, 2009 at 9:49 am

Aakash, build a bridge, get over it. Bush isn’t President anymore. To p*ss and moan about Bush is infantile. Also the writers synopsis is completely without merit. We conservatives were a louder voice than the Democrats when it came to the expansion of Government.

Government expanded mightily under Bush, but Fox News and the larger conservative movement offered only muted criticism.

This quote is completely stupid, you are comparing a trillion dollar increase in the Federal Budget over a 6 year period to borrowing 2.5 trillon in 1 year??? Now granted many conservatives were not in anyway happy with that 6 year increase in spending, but after the Dem congress got elected in 2006 spending was completely out of control…..Was that Bush’s fault too??

As far as all the other “atrocities” I will worry about them when someone puts Clinton on trial for creating rendition. And domestic spying was alot worse under the Venerated John Kennedy than it was under Bush so you don’t really have a big point there either, and shall we ever forget Kennedy’s hand in the attempted assasination of Casto and the assasination of Vietnam’s President Diem.

All in all it is more of the blame Bush for the world going into damnation it is all his fault attitude, and quite frankly it is childish bs. – Lorica
Mwalimu Daudi says:

June 17, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Lorica,

Folks like Aakash and the Won have no idea how to deal with rising unemployment, the exploding deficit, the economic death spiral that began this year, the prospect of Iran having nuclear bombs and a North Korea with nuclear-tipped ICBMs, the army of tax cheats in the Administration, the ethical sewer that is the Democrat Congress, the ugly racism of Sonia Sotomayor and Michele Obama. All they have is the “Blame Bush” card.

Unfortunately, with few exceptions the GOP is too cowardly to challenge Democrats anymore.
Aakash says:

June 17, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Wow… As a longtime conservative Republican activist, it is somewhat-troubling to see these sentiments. And the entry I linked to was written by one of the most prolific conservative Republican bloggers, who is an executive officer of his County Republican Party.

There was indeed a great deal of dissent and angst, from our party’s base, over the policies of the George W. Bush administration (including right here in the Blogosphere, from many of the sites I’m looking at right now, on the links listing of this site!). Several of the top national GOP leaders referred to this issue, at the very-recent CRNC Biennial Convention (which is one of the most major conservative/GOP events in the country); and I’m sure this was done at CPAC 2009 as well.

And many of us were indeed harsh critics of the Clinton administration, and continue to be… I am glad to have been a part of the movement that impeached him.

And Mr. Daudi, FYI: As for Obama, I have been working against him longer than most of you all… Ever since he ran for U.S. Senate, in 2004.

The point that is being made is that it should not take a Democrat in the White House for conservatives and Republicans to get so riled up. We need to take a strong stance against statist policies and actions, regardless of who is proposing them.

And this is something on which we all should be able to agree.
Lorica says:

June 17, 2009 at 5:11 pm

Aakash, it is something we agree upon. With your right hand you tell us that we are in agreement, but with your left you tell us that we are not. Which is it?? Many of us here and in real life worked against much of the foolishness of the Republican Party during the Bush years, you acknowledge this in your post, but then take it away by saying that it should not take a Dem as President before we get riled up?? Tell me Aakash which is it?? We were riled up long before Rep leadership was. Hell we are still fired up and ready for a fight, the problem is the Rep leadership only act like they want to fight for the right thing. When push comes to shove they fold like a cheap suit. Well who needs that?? Might as well not even have leadership.

As far as the prolific conservative blogger, my comment about what was written still stands. After 2007 Bush had almost no control of the Budget, and I defy you to find a budget for 2007. How do you control the spending if there is no budget?? How could Bush deal with this??? Your blogger is slaming the tea party movement, but how else are you going to get DC to listen to you. Apparently the Reps refused to do the right thing, ohhhh until they lost the 2008 elections. Well that was abit on the late side. After the 2006 elections the Reps should have done something, well besides sit on their hands with their thumbs up their collective a**es. We are not Democrats, we aren’t controlled by them, they serve us, why would we want them to forget that now. It is time for a change of leadership in the Rep party it is time to get rid of these suck ups who only want to go along to get along.

As far as MD comments he is correct. If the Rep party would have done the right thing when they had the chance we would still be in power in DC right now. Thirteen months ago un-employment was at 5 percent, now it is almost doubled, 13 months ago, we could see there was a problem with oil speculation, what exactly was done to stop that…. damn little. 13 months ago things looked pretty good for us, but yet we lost an election to a rookie freshman senator from the most corrupt city in America. How exactly did that happen???

Lastly your original post does come across as a liberal posting. I am impressed with no man’s bonafides, I only care that his actions and words are in agreement with each other. But to slam something that is of grass roots origin is just damn foolishness.

I understand the art of compromise, but constantly surrendering to the opposing side is not compromise. It is time to end this belief in Rep leadership that what is right for them is right for everyone. Catering to select groups and buying votes with legislation is not the right thing to do, and all that does is keep useful idiots in power, and as was displayed in November’s elections, the Republican party loses votes when it doesn’t hold tight to it’s principles. – Lorica
Great White Rat says:

June 17, 2009 at 7:33 pm

Quoth Aakash:

And the entry I linked to was written by one of the most prolific conservative Republican bloggers

So let’s see what that entry says, in part. Here’s a statement that this “prolific conservative blogger” approvingly calls “on point”:

The Tea Parties didn’t emerge during the Bush years. This illustrates the fact that people don’t really care what atrocities are committed by their government so long as their bellies are full and they’ve got jobs. Domestic spying? Torture? Who cares, we’re employed!

So according to you, this “conservative” buys into the meme that Bush (or more likely, Darth Cheney) was personally listening in every time you called Aunt Gertude, and that waterboarding (or better yet, having a caterpillar crawl on your arm) is torture. Sorry, that dog won’t hunt. That’s hard left drivel, not anything you’ll hear from principled conservatives. Next I suppose he’ll try to convince us that all those rallies with loons holding “Bush is Hitler” signs were planned and coordinated at CPAC.

As for your but-Bush-did-it-too spending argument, you must have been in the Cone of Silence for a few years. Conservatives were constantly urging Bush to find the veto pen and use it. Still, there’s no comparison between overspending under Bush and the current gargantuan orgy of waste – as Lorica pointed out. Your blogger’s position that conservatives should shut up about Obama’s spending is like saying we can’t be furious about a mass murderer unless we were equally angry about a jaywalker.
Aakash says:

June 18, 2009 at 12:53 am

I only have a minute to spend on this… But a quick clarification: No one is “saying that conservatives shouldn’t protest this administration.”

The attacks in the comments above are especially absurd… As mentioned in my last comment, I was actively opposing Obama before most now doing so were… And I was a key part of this spring’s Tax Day Tea Party movement (and the subsequent IL Budget Day Tea Party).

Furthermore, how long have you all been involved in the Blogosphere? Many of those who are blogrolled at this site have been participating directly since 2002… Anyone who has been doing so (especially when JoshClaybourn.com and Hoosier Review were running) knows that Josh is indeed widely-recognized as one of the most prolific conservative bloggers of all time.

<——- Look through the blogroll here, and many of those listed can confirm that there are few in the Web 2.0 arena who are more prolific or "principled conservatives" as Mr. Claybourn.

And I don't think Josh was endorsing the word fragments that you've bolded above (an excerpt of an excerpt) from that article, but rather, the overall sentiment.

(Aside from the issues of Bush and Obama, it is a recognized phenomenon in politics that people are more likely to accept policies, which they would normally oppose, when they are put forth by someone of the same party. If a Democrat had been in the White House, and proposed measures identical to what Bush did – or if President Bush had had a “D” next to his name – the Republicans would likely have stopped many of these statist policies… Our party’s leaders and elected officials are more principled, and more in line with our conservative values, when a Democrat is in the White House.

But it shouldn’t have to be that way… That’s the point I was trying to make above.)

[Also, I know first-hand how grassroots conservatives were often told we must suspend or end our principled criticism of the Bush administration, and its policies. And in this very forum, we were diagnosed with “Bush Betrayal Syndrome (BBS)”…]

And I don’t believe that Josh opposes the Tea Party movement either. And he was definitely not saying “that conservatives should shut up about Obama’s spending”… And the mischaracterization in the above comment, about his alleged views on spying, is so ridiculous it wouldn’t warrant a response, even if I did have the time! (As I said above: I don’t think Josh was even making a commentary about either spying or torture, something you all would’ve realized, if you browsed the totality of his writings.) And casting aside your “Bush is Hitler” mention, I am glad you referred to CPAC… Major national conservative conferences in Washington, D.C. have become a hotbed of angst, over the very issues I’ve addressed… (Something I am well-aware of, having been a key participant in so many of them.)

Which “original post comes across as a liberal posting”? My original comment above is one sentence long (with another in parentheses).

And my sentiments are similar to those that have been expressed by major conservative and Republican leaders, commentators, and organizations.

Regarding MD, who said:

Folks like Aakash and the Won have no idea how to deal with rising unemployment, the exploding deficit, the economic death spiral that began this year, the prospect of Iran having nuclear bombs and a North Korea with nuclear-tipped ICBMs, the army of tax cheats in the Administration, the ethical sewer that is the Democrat Congress, the ugly racism of Sonia Sotomayor and Michele Obama. All they have is the “Blame Bush” card.

and regarding the other comments in this thread:

I’m not going to waste time reiterating how ignorant – or ironic – this is, especially as I have a stronger record of actively opposing “the Won” than likely anyone else here (having been doing so since before most of you even knew who he was).

Responding to ad hominems, and these back-and-forths in the Blogosphere, is something that I once had the time and stamina for, like in 2002 and 2003… Now however, it is imperative to focus on getting real things accomplished.

It is easy to post anonymous comments at blogs, complaining about these issues…

But others of us will be travelling across the United States in the coming months (like we’ve been doing for years), and will be coordinating key efforts to take back our communities, our states, and this nation as a whole.

I am glad to be one of those who will be leading these efforts. It is time to STOP the ignorant attacks (esp. against those who’ve long been recognized for battling against the very problems you cite!), and to start MOVING, fighting, and sweating blood!!

Unless we do, we will suffer more of the same.
Lorica says:

June 18, 2009 at 9:52 am

FINALLY!!!

(Aside from the issues of Bush and Obama, it is a recognized phenomenon in politics that people are more likely to accept policies, which they would normally oppose, when they are put forth by someone of the same party. If a Democrat had been in the White House, and proposed measures identical to what Bush did – or if President Bush had had a “D” next to his name – the Republicans would likely have stopped many of these statist policies… Our party’s leaders and elected officials are more principled, and more in line with our conservative values, when a Democrat is in the White House.

Welcome to our side Aakash!!! This is only a phenomenon with those who live in the proximity of Washington DC. Out here in the sticks, like Springfield, IL it ain’t so much so.

This original posting…

Now if only more ‘conservatives’ and Republicans had displayed these sentiments under the last administration!!)

We did display these very same sentiments under the last TWO adiminstrations. I was advocating tea parties under Clinton. It was Republican leadership that didn’t want to look bad in the news media.

And my sentiments are similar to those that have been expressed by major conservative and Republican leaders, commentators, and organizations.

Sooo you understand how the “phenomenon” works. It is good that you could break free of it Aakash.

I’m not going to waste time reiterating how ignorant – or ironic – this is, especially as I have a stronger record of actively opposing “the Won” than likely anyone else here (having been doing so since before most of you even knew who he was).

And back to the attacks. /sigh It is good that you have the ability to pat yourself on the back Aakash but treating us like we are little children isn’t helping your cause at all. It is this attitude that is the NUMBER ONE problem in the Republican party, and if it doesn’t straighten out this party is going to go the way of the Whigs. You started this fight, with your left of center link. I was forced to defend my beliefs, from his attack.

Lastly, we are not an echo chamber here. There have had disagreements on a good many issues. The purpose we have here is not victory over one another, like your last, “look at me I am so superior” attack posting, but to progress the conservative agenda and to teach, those who you apparently won’t dirty your hands with. Yeah, I am pretty offended with what I take as condesention. Take it or leave it Aakash, but I remind you, the Party still works for “WE THE PEOPLE”, not we the party, and with superior or condesending attitudes all you are going to do is alienate those who have been most faithful. Not a wise move. – Lorica
Lorica says:

June 18, 2009 at 10:44 am

You know the truly ironical thing about this debate is the fact that Aakash’s link accuses us of doing nothing during the Bush years, but yet when we do to him exactly what we did do throughout the Bush years, he gets upset with us. How can we ever come together if those in leadership believe that their final word, is the last thing that should be said?? As if we have Obama Adoration Syndrome. Should we all worship at the feet of John McCain like our friends in the Democrat party hang on every word that proceedth out of Baracks mouth?? I think not. This is the Republican party, we do understand how to think for ourselves, and we determine who is going to lead us. We will fight until the last man standing if we believe that one of our own needs help i.e. Bush 2004. Even when we disagree with our candidate if he does just one right thing we will be there for him i.e. McCain choosing Sarah Palin as a running mate. It was not we here who abandoned the party was it Mr. Powell.

For those who don’t believe that a 3rd party is viable let’s look back to 1992, when there was a huge call for change and over 28 million Americans voted for a 3rd party candidate. The Rep party took the clue and in 1994 swept into victory in huge numbers. Yet today leadership doesn’t want to listen, they just want to lead and we should just shut up about it. Well, I have news for you that just ain’t gonna happen.

I am sorry if I repeat myself, but a few more things occurred to me after I had my banana, dang potasium. – Lorica
Great White Rat says:

June 18, 2009 at 11:07 am

Aakash doesn’t have much time – except when he’s telling us how important he is.

OK, so you’re an officer in the CRs. Fine. You can drop the boasting. You’re starting to sound like Barack Obama rambling on about his community organizing credentials.

That still gives you no right to talk down to the rank-and-file conservatives – many of whom were working for our principles before you were born.

If you think we all spent the last 8 years mindlessly nodding approval for everything President Bush did, you clearly missed the debates going on. Just check the archives here for topics like Bush’s immigration plan a few years ago if you want a sample. If you want to find sheep, you’re looking on the wrong side of the aisle.

Which “original post comes across as a liberal posting”? My original comment above is one sentence long (with another in parentheses).

Since you need it spelled out for you, it’s the link in your parenthetical comment. Claybourn approvingly cites a post called “The Problem With the Tea Parties” that includes the quote I cited above. The entire thrust is that the Tea Party people aren’t demonstrating because of principles – otherwise they’d have been protesting “domestic wiretaps” and “torture” – but because their jobs are disappearing. It’s exactly the kind of elitist nonsense we expect from the left. It’s more suited to an article in The Nation or a diary on Daily Kos than on the site of a “conservative Republican” (although despite his sneering dismissal of the common herd in the streets, you think he doesn’t oppose the Tea Party movement). Still don’t understand why that rubbed us the wrong way??

Our party’s leaders and elected officials are more principled, and more in line with our conservative values, when a Democrat is in the White House.

Absolutely correct. So instead of criticizing those party leaders and elected officials, you chose to link to a post slamming the average citizens who are aghast at the porkulus plan. Here’s a news flash for you: your average conservative has remained principled, regardless of which party is in power, just as Lorica also stated. Maybe you’re too busy trying to line up endorsements from those officials for whatever CR position you want next. Or maybe you just don’t know too many average conservatives. Whatever the reason, your animus toward them is misplaced.

It is time to STOP the ignorant attacks (esp. against those who’ve long been recognized for battling against the very problems you cite!),

Pretty funny coming from someone who began this by praising an ignorant attack against people who are battling these problems.

Bottom line is this: if you’re genuinely interested in getting real things accomplished, you won’t do it with only your insular band of CR types. You need to work with us average conservatives you hold in such low regard. And before you get any egotistical ideas, it won’t be as our leader, it will be as a partner. There are more of us than there are of you, and many have real accomplishments (NC Cop, to name one regular commenter here on this blog) rather than mere self-importance.
Lorica says:

June 18, 2009 at 4:52 pm

In a moment of self doubt I just had to look into this abit deeper. Maybe I was wrong, so I looked at what Mr. Claybourne linked too, and in the 1st paragraph Mr. Kain states this.

I’m constantly reminded of the way I always felt so ill at ease watching the Palin rallies.

Might I ask why Mr. Kain was ill at ease watching Sarah Palin?? Was it because Mr. Kain only feels comfortable when he is being led by Ivy league educated people?? Could it be he just doesn’t like the idea of a woman as President?? Or could it just be he is left of center from the onset and in his post “Why I am not a ‘neoconservative'” more than proves this. Sarah Palin put fire in the Republican party, and the McCain campaign, and still fires up the former. Yet, instead of appreciating what her introduction has done for the Rep party, Mr. Kain states he is ill at ease.

The Tea Parties are supposed to be grassroots but I’m pretty sure that they’re mostly contrived by moneyed interests and Fox News.

This is the Mr. Kain’s 2nd point…..and it is laughable, as laughable as the truther belief that GW had something to do with the 9/11 attacks. This is not conservative thinking by yet Mr. Claybourne is sooooo impressed with this guys writing. Yet we are to believe that these guys are conservatives. I think not.

I can’t read much more of this drivel, but you have to read this.

People cried foul when liberals didn’t give Bush a chance, but in all honesty there was more good will from the Left toward W. by orders of magnitude in his first months as President then the Right is extending to Obama, and that’s with the Florida scandal.

Really!!! Was this guy alive when the left was manhandling kids and people who had “Sore/Loserman” signs and shirts. I remember in one case a 12 year old kid getting punched by a 35 year old man just cuz he had a sign. Seems to me that the calls that Bush was “illegitimate” starting January 22nd. This guy really makes no sense, and I do stand by my original assessment of these writings.

I am sorry for beating a dead horse, but I really did believe that I could have been in error. I am just not feeling it now and I am “ill at ease” with people who talk about being conservative but don’t really act conservative these days. We had a middle of the road candidate run for President recently and he was squashed standing in that same road. We don’t need this anymore. We need a coherant stand on rock solid principles. – Lorica

Comments are closed.