Republican Lies category archive

Read it here.

The clowns continue to parade.

Paul Krugman misplet “conservative media.” It’s “conservative Medea”:

Exhibit A for the mainstreaming of right-wing extremism is Fox News’s new star, Glenn Beck. Here we have a network where, like it or not, millions of Americans get their news — and it gives daily airtime to a commentator who, among other things, warned viewers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency might be building concentration camps as part of the Obama administration’s “totalitarian” agenda (although he eventually conceded that nothing of the kind was happening).

But let’s not neglect the print news media. In the Bush years, The Washington Times became an important media player because it was widely regarded as the Bush administration’s house organ. Earlier this week, the newspaper saw fit to run an opinion piece declaring that President Obama “not only identifies with Muslims, but actually may still be one himself,” and that in any case he has “aligned himself” with the radical Muslim Brotherhood.

And then there’s Rush Limbaugh. His rants today aren’t very different from his rants in 1993. But he occupies a different position in the scheme of things. Remember, during the Bush years Mr. Limbaugh became very much a political insider. Indeed, according to a recent Gallup survey, 10 percent of Republicans now consider him the “main person who speaks for the Republican Party today,” putting him in a three-way tie with Dick Cheney and Newt Gingrich. So when Mr. Limbaugh peddles conspiracy theories — suggesting, for example, that fears over swine flu were being hyped “to get people to respond to government orders” — that’s a case of the conservative media establishment joining hands with the lunatic fringe.

See scary black man. Shoot country in foot.

Via Susie.

Receivers of the decorative wingnut tassels:

Via the Great Orange Satan.

In reponse to wingnut ignorance, TPM is compiling a list of successful unionized US companies.

Check it out.

The Laffable Curve:

Reagan ushered in an era in which a small minority grew vastly rich, while working families saw only meager gains. He also broke with longstanding rules of fiscal prudence.

On the latter point: traditionally, the U.S. government ran significant budget deficits only in times of war or economic emergency. Federal debt as a percentage of G.D.P. fell steadily from the end of World War II until 1980. But indebtedness began rising under Reagan; it fell again in the Clinton years, but resumed its rise under the Bush administration, leaving us ill prepared for the emergency now upon us.

The increase in public debt was, however, dwarfed by the rise in private debt, made possible by financial deregulation. The change in America’s financial rules was Reagan’s biggest legacy. And it’s the gift that keeps on taking.

But, remember, the rich got richer. All the social issue stuff was a cover for making that happen.

Not that I’m cynical or anything. No, I’m just observant.

Skippy explains.

“Scott sought to turn Columbia into the McDonalds of the health care industry.”

Now he is spokesperson for the status quo. Wonder why?

Listen up.

Via the Great Orange Satan.

John Cole on Republican political strategy:

It kills me that anyone looking back at the wreckage of the last eight years who says “Wow. That didn’t work out too well” is considered a liberal. Not in favor of torture? LIBERAL! Not in favor of disastrous foreign policy? LIBERAL! Not in favor of the unitary executive? LIBERAL!

And I’m serious. Looking at the silly commercials the RNC keeps releasing, the idiotic motions to rename the Democratic party, and the rest of the nonsense they are doing, they don’t seem content to sit back and watch the world go by or build the base. They seem intent on doing whatever they can to piss off “liberals,” which includes everyone on the planet who may or may not have had Dijon mustard on a sandwich.

A friend of mine today, whose disdain for contemporary Republican ideology, if anything, exceeds mine, asked me (this is a paraphrase), “What happened to the Republican Party of our youth? Why has the Republican Party become so full of hate?”

The only answer I could hazard was,

Fear. Fear of change. Fear of black folks. Fear of Mexicans. Fear of Guatemalans. Fear of homosexuals. Fear of anything that’s not whitebread Ozzie and Harriet made-for-TV America.

Fear of the Big Wide World.

Would the CIA make stuff up?

Yes-indeedy-do.

Of course, without having attended the briefings, there is no way to judge who is telling the truth–the CIA or Nancy Pelosi. But the media frenzy over the divergent stories seems to discount the idea that the CIA would ever mislead lawmakers about its actions. This view is hard to square with history; as Adam Serwer noted at the American Prospect’s blog Tapped (5/15/09), a recent book on the CIA by New York Times reporter Tim Weiner recalled several examples, including former CIA directer Richard Helms telling the Senate in 1973 that the CIA had no involvement in that year’s coup in Chile, a lie that led to Helms pleading guilty to perjury in 1977. Weiner also described CIA director William Casey’s frequent dissembling in the Iran/Contra scandal..

(Via BartBlog.)

This whole Pelosi thing is so much wingnut spook smoke-screen.

Look! A spectral being looms on the horizon!

The Pilot doesn’t understand, but it’s actually pretty obvious.

Down the road a piece:

Every time (Virginia–ed.) Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell is criticized for his position on jobless benefits, members of his campaign seem to retort with two words: “card check!”

It’s understandable that McDonnell wants to change the subject. He should have foreseen the inevitable backlash when he supported Republican lawmakers’ rejection of $125 million in federal stimulus funds. The money would have paid for unemployment assistance at a time when 300,000 Virginians are out of work.

What’s harder to understand is why McDonnell keeps insisting the issue is somehow connected to the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as card check, a bill before Congress that would make it easier for unions to organize workplaces.

Neither proposal makes the rich richer or the poor poorer.

It’s a Republican thing.

James Wolcott explains:

How tiresome, and yet how completely in character, for Newt to profane the lazy-ass patriotic splendor of America’s beloved summertime holiday (referring the Independence Day tea parties–ed.) with a lame-ass recruiting effort with him as bandleader. Newt’s co-optation of the Fourth won’t impinge upon me, since I will be spending the holiday as I always do, letting my eyes light up with wonder at the glory and majesty of a great tradition.

The thing about Newt is, no matter how big a crock you think he is, he never fails to outperform.

The more they talk, the more they indict themselves. Senator Leahy starts to speak sense at about the one minute mark.

The Secretary of State on rudeness as a diplomatic technique:

Via Delaware Liberal.

Noz on the plight of the right:

that’s basically the dilemma of the modern right. they’re building their own alternate reality that they really believe to be true. and they believe that repeating these “facts” is the best roat (sic) out of the political wilderness. except that to everyone else, the repetition of stuff like this look like rants.

Shorter version:

1. They believe the stuff they make up.

2. They think everyone else will too.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s production in Japan for fiscal 2009 will likely drop below the 3 million unit level for the first time in 31 years, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

Toyota’s domestic output would fall to about 2.8 million units, marking a decline of more than 30% from the company’s peak production in fiscal 2007, the report said.

What’s that you say?

But the Republicans tell us it’s all the UAW’s fault. What’s with that?

Q. Name one dishonest and three honest breeds of nuts.

Via Delaware Watch.