Political Theatre category archive

Colbert takes on Pennsylvania Governor (and destroyer of public schools) Tom Corbett’s photoslop.

Below the fold in case it autoplays.

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The Roanoke Times editorial board calls out Bedford County Republicans’ decision that ideology trumps governance.

The actions of the Republicans are not surprising. In their world, ideology trumps reality every day of the week and twice on Sundays. A snippet from the editorial:

One of the worst crimes in the old Soviet Union was to commit what was called an “ideological error.”

Ilya Ehrenburg was a writer who won honors even under Stalin, and was considered the very model of a Soviet writer. But late in life, he spoke of how Soviet realism and Western art forms might be able to co-exist. Esoteric literary criticism? No! A “gross ideological error,” in the words of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

(snip another example)

So what does any of this have to do with anything around here?

Just this: Last week, the Bedford County Republicans took the unusual act of voting to censure three Republicans on the county board of supervisors. Their offense? They had voted in favor of a tax increase back in April and had not come before the county’s Republican committee to explain why.

Will it never end?

The Sacramento Bee’s Jack Ohman releases another campaign ad.

It’s almost as bizarre as the ones I zip on my telly vision every day.

I need some of this stuff for my email inbox. If I get one more email with the subject line, “Please, Frank, I’m begging you,” I shall go mad(der).

“For political junkies who find themselves addicted to the endless death march of campaign marketing, all hope is not lost. You have come under the spell of Koch-o-miasis, or perhaps an equally virulent strain of Steyerelia, which was unleashed into the public by billions of dollars in tainted, often secret unaccounted for campaign contributions. Have you considered turning to Spamtix?

“Tell-tale signs you need immediate treatment include a gullible belief that the advertising depicting candidates as the walking dead is true. Other symptoms include a compulsive desire to DVR campaign advertising so it can be watched again and again, an insatiable urge to appear in a commercial as a willing shill for a candidate and a barely repressed yearning to stalk Sean Hannity.”

More miracle cures at the link.

John Oliver’s Supreme Court is going to the dogs.

Via the Daily Banter.

Bob Cesca tells of his experiences fighting those who were Palin pilin’ on his “fair use” of some video clips.

Jim Wright considers the freak-out about ebola. A snippet:

We’re addicted to it. Fear. We just can’t get enough of being afraid.

It’s the emotion that defines modern America, fear. Knee knocking, spine tingled, sphincter loosening, pants wetting fear.

That’s us.

When we don’t have something to be afraid of, we make something up.

Follow the link. You will be glad you did.

Via Job’s Anger.

John Winfrey bestows the 2014 Squander Award on Teabaggery. Here’s a bit of the ceremony (emphasis in the original):

2. Squandering the opportunity for long-term investment in technology and human capital.

By sabotaging our recovery and making further cuts in funds for infrastructure, education, and basic research, we have already squandered seven percent of our growth potential for years to come (over one trillion a year).

Follow the link for the remaining counts in the indictment reasons for the award.

Steven M.

The one twit who is always wrong about everything. (Warning: Language.)

Voting is not a right. It’s a duty.

Birds of a feather.

Tony Norman considers the nascent, but growing movement to bring perspective to American’s veneration of Christopher Columbus. Several municipalities have replaced “Columbus Day” with “Indigenous Peoples Day” (or similarly worded memorial days) or instituted such a commemoration in addition to Columbus Day.

It’s a thoughtful read. Here’s a bit.

It isn’t a banishment of Columbus as much as a course correction. Of course, any move that recognizes the dignity and existence of indigenous people who have a different take on being “discovered” runs the risk of being characterized as a “war on Columbus” by those whose view hasn’t evolved much beyond: “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two / Columbus sailed the ocean blue / he sailed and sailed and sailed and sailed / to find this land for me and you.”

But as Mark Twain once said, “The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” Ambrose Bierce, arguably the only writer who could legitimately challenge Twain as the greatest wit of 19th century America, insisted that history “is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.”

Eric Cantor has made a lasting contribution to the polity.

Staffers have now coined the term “Cantored”, meaning to lose in what is otherwise considered to be a safe, Republican-controlled seat.

“Anyone who is in leadership or chairs a committee knows now that getting Cantored is a real possibility,” said one senior staffer of a House Republican committee chairman who is up for reelection.

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.