Political Theatre category archive

TPM announces the nominations for this year’s Golden Duke Awards.

Congress wakes up and realizes that its job includes actually doing the people’s business, as opposed to giving the business to the people (or, perhaps more accurately, under Republicans, giving the people to business).

Today in the Senate, they passed (by unanimous consent) the defense authorization bill that Republicans held up over objections to repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell just two short weeks ago; they passed by a voice vote the 9/11 First Responders Health bill that had been the subject of so much drama and debate; and they passed by a 71-26 vote the START nuclear treaty with Russia despite Republican objections to that as well.

And, for good measure, they are currently voting to confirm Mary Helen Murguia to be a judge in the Ninth Circuit. (She was confirmed–ed.)

President holds press conference.

As his key examples today, Obama cited the compromise package with Republicans on extending tax cuts and unemployment benefits, the repeal of the ban on gays serving in the military, the ratification of the New START nuclear weapons treaty, and the food safety bill.

As the Rude One is fond of pointing out, Mr. Obama is a master of rope-a-dope.

The Rude One’s comments are here. (Warning: Lanuage and general rudeness at link.)

Double the standards, double the fine.

Via BartBlog.

Sometimes unconscious, ironic truth:

The US Central Intelligence Agency has launched a panel dubbed the WikiLeaks Task Force, or “WTF”, to investigate the impact of diplomatic cables and military documents released by secrets outlet WikiLeaks.

I’m sure many others have also reacted to some of the information with a WTF.

I say “hypocrisy” because “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” mandated that persons live hypocritically every day.

TPM:

By a vote of 65 to 31 this afternoon, the Senate voted to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

As with almost everything in the Senate these days, the vote for something is a lot less newsworthy than the vote to consider voting for something. Thus, the real fight was over whether repeal proponents could gather the required 60 votes to break a GOP filibuster, end debate and hold a final vote. They did that — led by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) — and repeal moved ahead earlier today.

President Obama will sign it next week.

No doubt, the Republicans will continue hating on teh gay.

Hating on folks is their primary stategy.

It’s also their strategy in general elections.

Afterthought: Wonder how the Firebaggers will deal with this.

Addendum, via True Blue Texan:

Andy Borowitz:

Moments after being released on bail, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was already making plans for his next venture, a social network for diplomats called Twofacebook.

Mr. Assange said he came up with the idea for the new site while combing through hundreds of thousands of pages of WikiLeaks documents: “I realized that diplomats didn’t have a way to reconnect with old colleagues so they could lie to them.”

Follow the link for the full report.

Andy Borowitz:

The Borowitz Report has named Sarah Palin its Person of the Year.

And the year is 1641.

Warning: Check your volume settings. The music is too loud.

December 16, 2010 | Posted by: Frank | Posted in: Political Theatre | Bookmark this post

Who cares about the Golden Globes?

Place your nominations for TPM’s Golden Dukies in these categories:

1. Meritorious Achievement in The Crazy

2. Unrefudiated Champion of Tea Party Wackiness

3. Most Outrageous Election Season Fib Issued By A Politician

4. Most Over-The-Top Campaign Ad

5. The George Allen Honors For Best Tracker-Captured Freak-Out

6. Best Scandal — Sex and Generalized Carnality

7. Best Scandal — Local Venue

8. Best Scandal — General Interest

Christine O’Donnell should have a lock on categories 1, 2, and 4.

The Boston Globe tells the story.

I have mixed feelings about Wikileaks, what it does and how it has operated.

It seems clear that the material it has released endangers the reputations and positions of politicos foreign and domestic far more than it does the physical safety of anyone.

I have also long felt that the government stamps “Secret” on documents when the accurate stamp would be “Embarrassing to the Pompous.”

At the same time, WikiLeaks seems rather reckless.

I find it difficult, though, to disagree with John Naughton’s conclusions about the larger picture. A nugget:

What WikiLeaks is really exposing is the extent to which the western democratic system has been hollowed out. In the last decade its political elites have been shown to be incompetent (Ireland, the US and UK in not regulating banks); corrupt (all governments in relation to the arms trade); or recklessly militaristic (the US and UK in Iraq). And yet nowhere have they been called to account in any effective way. Instead they have obfuscated, lied or blustered their way through. And when, finally, the veil of secrecy is lifted, their reflex reaction is to kill the messenger.

(snip)

Which brings us back to the larger significance of this controversy. The political elites of western democracies have discovered that the internet can be a thorn not just in the side of authoritarian regimes, but in their sides too. It has been comical watching them and their agencies stomp about the net like maddened, half-blind giants trying to whack a mole. It has been deeply worrying to watch terrified internet companies – with the exception of Twitter, so far – bending to their will.

See also James Woolcott.

Markos tells why he left the Republican Party:

Auth:

center>

Click the image for more Auth.

November 30, 2010 | Posted by: Frank | Posted in: Political Theatre | Bookmark this post

Andy Borowitz has the latest:

Amid growing public outrage over the conduct of airport security in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security today transferred all responsibility for screening passengers from the TSA to TMZ, the popular celebrity gossip website.

In announcing the change, Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said, “We believe that TMZ can do the same job that TSA did, but they’ll be less invasive and more respectful.”

Follow the link for the details.

The rich are different from you and me.

They’re entitled.

A letter to the Editor in the Boston Globe points out that

. . . the opponents of wealth and inheritance taxes usually overlook the common practice of taxing working-class wealth (home ownership) every year through property taxes — even when that wealth is owed (rather than owned) as mortgage debt.

Any tax in isolation looks unfair to someone.