Political Theatre category archive

At Philly dot com, Daniel Deagler envisions the first day of Mitt the Flip’s administration.

A snippet:

Aide: OK, cabinet appointments. For secretary of energy, you want to nominate — um, is this right? — Exxon?

Romney: That’s exactly right. Who knows more about America’s energy needs than its largest oil company?

Aide: Sir, traditionally, a person holds that job. Exxon is a corporation.

Romney: Corporations are people, my friend. And this administration will not tolerate discrimination against people just because they happen to be corporations.

Afterthought;

It occurs to me that Mitt the Flip has made so much of his money flipping companies into bankruptcy that he thinks it’s a good thing.

No fly? No exit.

In a Psychology Today blog, Nigel Barber struggles to understand rightwingers’ pervy preoccupation with sex.

He doesn’t quite succeed, but does advance some interesting theories. It could be a start to understanding why Republicans and their dupes and fellow travelers want to control your bedroom behavior.

The Republican Party is resisting teabaggers’ attempts to turn the Republican National Convention into a celebration of Ron Paul. Daniel Ruth, recognizing that it’s the Republican, not the Libertarian, National Convention, is bemused:

Tea party organizers have complained the RNC is attempting the undermine plans for the Ron Paul-apalooza at the Florida State Fairgrounds. This is certainly a fitting site. Yes, you’re absolutely right, the temptation to go all barnyard here is almost too much to resist. But let’s press on.

(snip)

What seems lost on the tea party revelers, who love to claim a firm grasp of American history, is that the whole idea behind a presidential nominating convention is to officially nominate the party’s presidential candidate. Honest! It’s not about tossing hosannas at the chap who garnered less support than Pete Rose on a Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Why are they at the Republican National Convention?

One more time: Most Libertarians are Republicans who are ashamed to admit it (and justly so, one might add).

I had a 2-S and was damned glad I did. I remember sophomore year sitting in a dark dorm room with several of my friends listening to the first modern draft lottery on the radio. We all wanted to know our numbers.

Mine was 349. I could relax for the first time since I registered (somewhere I still have my card).

No one wants to die for a lie, and that’s what the Vietnamese War was, a Great and Glorious Patriotic War for a Lie.

Not the first, certainly not the last, just another of many.

The old lie; the young die.

Chauncey Devega ruminates on a study that suggest racism runs even into the canine realm. A nugget:

Nevertheless, I remain fascinated by one aspect of (Michael; follow the link for the citation–ed.) Tesler’s research:

Even presidential pets were viewed through the same lens. Tesler showed 1,000 YouGov respondents a picture of a Portuguese water dog and asked how favorably they felt toward it. Half saw the dog introduced as Bo Obama, and half as Ted Kennedy’s dog, Splash. (Both political dogs are the same breed, but the picture was of Obama’s.) Those with negative feelings toward blacks thought less of Obama’s dog.

I love dogs. Tesler’s finding that white racial resentment extends to Bo, a canine, is a sign of how damaging white racism is to those who afflicted with it. The social science suggests that the activation of white racial animus and hostility is a halo effect which extends to anyone associated with President Obama.

I understand the methodology and argument: But yet, I am still left asking how can you dislike a dog based only on his owner?

Racism runs deep in American history and consciousness (and unconsciousness), far deeper that most white folks are willing to acknowledge, let alone confront. Read the rest.

Aside:

That, in addition to the clear writing and sound scholarship, is one reason I’m so happy to have discovered Mr. Devega’s blog; it gives me a chance to look at me with a different mirror.

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.

AKA, them what has, keeps.

Rex Huppke sounds the alarm.

I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I have uncovered something terrifying.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago may be more than just an innocent monument to opulence. I have reason to believe that under the leadership of a former British spy, the mirrored skyscraper is being used to breed a race of warrior rhinoceroses that Donald Trump will use to take over the world.

I know this is hard to believe, but you must listen to me. I have done the research and found conclusive evidence that Trump Tower is a Trojan horse, and I’m prepared to tell the story that the Trump-stream media do not want you to hear.

Follow the link. I can’t think of a wisecrack that does his logic justice.

Margeret Carlson wonders why Mitt the Flip, professional pol, flips off his time as governor of Massachusetts.

Imagine if Harry Truman had run as a haberdasher, or Jimmy Carter as a peanut farmer. The only successful candidate to run as a businessman — it was all he had — was Herbert Hoover. Look where that got us. The last candidate to run with a pointer and a whiteboard was Ross Perot. Enough said.

Read the rest, in which she discusses what the Flipper doesn’t: his record as a governor.