Political Theatre category archive

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.

My old boss on September 11, 2001:

It’s a good thing there’s a Texan in the White House.

Er, yeah.

He was a good boss, but a lousy prophet.

Tom Papantonio interviews Harry Shearer about what actually caused the devastation of New Orleans.

If you haven’t been following this story, watching this 11 minutes will change your beliefs about the Army Corps of Engineers.

Art Buck explains. A snippet:

The thing that tipped me over the edge was the Republican incandescent light bulb position. They say it is a Democratic police state that is forcing manufacturers to abandon Thomas Edison’s 19th century incandescent bulb and make only more efficient ones, which burn cooler and use less electricity.

I will overlook the fact that this law was passed in 2007 by a Republican Congress and signed into law by President Bush. It is clearly a Commie plot devised by Democrats. Can you spell “1984”?

Via Are We Paying Attention.

In the Chicago Trib, Dan Martin wonders, “How would Jesus vote?” and handicaps the candidates accordingly.

No excerpt or summary can do it justice.

Thom Hartmann explains:

Daniel Ruth discusses Eric Cantor’s posturing on FEMA and Irene:

Never missing a chance to politicize a tragedy, Cantor said why of course Congress would be more than happy to provide some supplemental funding for FEMA — just as long as the Obama administration came up with funding cuts to other programs to make up the difference.

This would be a bit like Cantor happening upon a car wreck and offering to help the bleeding victim just as soon as he sells his house to pay for the stitches.

There is much delightful more at the link.

Via BartBlog.

Kyle Wingfield, writing at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, discusses the University of Iowa’s awarding of a scholarship based on skill at being a twit on twitter:

During the past several years, quality leadership has been lacking in too many aspects of American life. The people at the top have let us down. Rather than asking too much of them, I wonder if the problem is that we ask too little as we select them.

(snip)

Putting style or form above substance is rampant in our slogan-obsessed politics. Complain all you want about the vagueness and vacuity of “hope and change,” but Obama didn’t invent the bumper sticker.

Staying with politics, the problem may be not only how we select our leaders but how narrowly we cast the field.

He always wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up.

But he kept getting it wrong.

K Street twits.

Peter Bergman discusses the Republican fascination with enemies on EYKW.

It’s less than 12 minutes. Listen (NSFW).

He’s more optimistic than I.

The WARN interview. Just go read it.

An Exclusive Interview with “Whiteness,” Senior Adviser to the Tea Party GOP and Governor Rick Perry

Addendum, the Next Day:

Lawyers, Guns, and Money recalls when a court decreed that Finns were white:

John Svan was a Finnish immigrant to the United States. He came to this country sometime before 1882. But he was not considered white by the United States government. Why? He carried with him the blood of his “Mongolian” ancestors. This meant he could not become a citizen. Various laws were passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, restricting US citizenship to those of the white and black races. These laws were intended to discriminate against Asians, but what about Finns. Were they white?

(snip)

This is from the 1908 court decision deciding that, in fact, Finns are white.

The excerpt from the 1908 court ruling is silly and sad at the same time.

Via Atrios.

Afterthought:

Over the years, there have been many attempts to prove the existence of “race” with “science.” Every one has been shown to be bunk.

“Race” does not exist.

But bigotry sure does.

Who is the latest heart-throb? Margaret Carlson handicaps the suitors at the Miami Herald. A nugget:

Perry’s being treated by George Will, William Kristol and other prominent conservatives as if he’s more than a passing fancy. Yet evidence from the past six months suggests that Republican love burns brightly and fades quickly.

There was that spring fling with Donald Trump, for example. Trump was in first place back in April in a Public Policy Polling survey, clocking in at 26 percent to Romney’s 15 percent, but he was a distant memory by the time Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann burst on the scene. While Sarah Palin played hard to get, Bachmann jumped into the race with both heels. Feisty, pretty, happy to let the United States default on its debt, she climbed from 6 percent to 14 percent in a month. By Aug. 13, the party activists who flock to the Iowa Straw Poll were sufficiently in love to give Bachmann a winning 29 percent of the vote in an eight-candidate field, knocking out Bachmann’s home-state competition, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

It is rather like one of those romance comic books, isn’t it.

There’s always someone new along the Appalachian Trail.

Read more »

Atrios:

Ultimately, that’s what all the “no labels,” “Unity08,” “We need a billionaire,” crap is about, imagining that there’s some sort of political Jesus out there who can implement my favored policies without worrying about the existing political institutions or the pesky voters.

Because “We’re already there” is not a reason to stay.

Because “We never admit a mistake” is not a reason to stay.

Because “It creates jobs for Blackwater Xe and Lockheed-Martin and Dupont” is not a reason to stay.

Because “We are accomplishing nothing and will accomplish nothing” is not a reason to stay.

Because “Mine is bigger than yours” is not a reason to stay.

Because “Youngsters need an opportunity to die for their country” is not a reason to stay.

Name me a reason to stay.

Support efforts to air this in Eric Cantor’s district.

Via C&L.

I see that Charles Krauthammer has a column about Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’m not going to read it. I like to keep an open mind, at least on topics where I still have questions, but Krauthammer’s history of intellectual dishonesty and absolute wingnut hackery has taught me that, when he knocks on my mind’s door, to lock the damned door.

He’s not worth the effort, not even to know the latest wingnut fable.

Instead, if you wish to read about Dr. King, read the post I excerpt below written by a fellow who grew up black in the South. Here’s a snippet (emphasis in the original):

So anyway, I was having this argument with my father about Martin Luther King and how his message was too conservative compared to Malcolm X’s message. My father got really angry at me. It wasn’t that he disliked Malcolm X, but his point was that Malcolm X hadn’t accomplished anything as Dr. King had.

I was kind of sarcastic and asked something like, so what did Martin Luther King accomplish other than giving his “I have a dream speech.”

(snip)

My father told me with a sort of cold fury, “Dr. King ended the terror of living in the south.”

H/T ABL.