Political Theatre category archive

Eugene Robinson:

Republicans in Congress are like a dog that chases cars and finally catches one. There is a fleeting sense of accomplishment, followed by sheer panic.

God bless Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., for at least being honest. “We’re not going to be disrespected,” he told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”

Read the rest.

Image via BartCop.

We shall see whether my local rag prints my letter, written in response to this.

Addendum:

Published, almost as written.

What the BooMan said.

Der Spiegel rounds up German coverage of the New Secesh and their rising again.

A nugget:

The overwhelming consensus among the German press is that the Republicans are the most to blame for the gridlock. In a Tuesday commentary, SPIEGEL ONLINE’s Gregor Peter Schmitz dubbed them the “kamikaze party.” He attributed the gridlock to America’s mercenary political culture — where directly elected lawmakers run for re-election every two years and campaigns are privately financed — as well as to the lack of party infrastructure compared to Germany’s parliamentary model with its publicly funded campaigns.

“It’s circumstances like these,” writes Schmitz, “that explain why a brigade of Republicans conduct themselves like a bunch of Berlusconis — as enemies of the state from within who want to cripple the country because that’s the desire of their conservative voters at home.”

Read the rest.

Watch and learn.

Words fail me.

Via C&L.

What the Booman said.

God save us from the Republican Party, which seems bent on the destruction of this noble experiment.

I’m glad I’m old. I won’t be here to see the results.

Excerpt:

“I offer a pox on both their houses when appropriate,” Stewart chided. “But this is not a game of chicken. This is when someone is driving to work and there’s a car coming directly at them in their lane. That’s not a game of chicken — that’s an as*hole causing a head-on collision.”

Animal rights folks go high-tech:

Used to be, activists who wanted to catch cruelty on tape or film would go undercover to infiltrate the group they aimed to expose. The strategy was especially effective on factory farms: Activists’ videos of horrendous conditions or mistreatment have led to meat recalls, factory shutdowns, cruelty convictions and policy changes.

But factory farmers complained that such whistle-blowers were illegal trespassers who hurt their industry, prompting lawmakers in many states, including Pennsylvania, to introduce “ag-gag laws” to criminalize such activity.

That’s why SHARK’s use of drones and other gadgets that allow them to spy from afar is “brilliant,” Del Gandio said.

Full Disclosure:

The article opens with a mention of the Cowtown Rodeo in New Jersey.

I have been there. We had an exchange student and took her to see it.

A commenter on Delaware Liberal sums up government by ideology.

Republicans close Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Contemptible self-centered egomanical jerks.

Thom reviews the Republican ransom demands, one by one.

Listen:

It turns out that Fox News has one.

As Chris Honore points out in the Ashland, Oregon, Daily Tidings:

As irrational — some say darkly Quixotic — as their (Republicans–ed.) quest seems, that is where they are headed. And here is what further baffles: though they have taken ACA hostage, their threat isn’t that if the White House and Dems fail to do their bidding that they will shoot the hostage. What they’ve done instead is sent a bizarrely convoluted ransom note to the White House and the Democrats with the demand is that the Dems shoot the hostage, meaning ACA. And failing to do so, these same House conservatives will set in motion a series of reprisals. Surreal to be sure, but truly, you can’t make this stuff up.

Warning: Language.

Late night tidbit:

Via Balloon Juice.