So readers, which ever side of the political spectrum you inhabit, whose the best writer covering the American election?
While Andrew Sullivan gets my vote as the aggregator-in-chief, Charles P. Pierce is scorching the American political landscape like Hunter S. Thompson armed with white phosphorous. Of this week's Republican convention and its War on Truth, he says,
"The Republicans simply don't care.
They don't care that they lie. They don't care that their lies are obvious. They don't care that their lies wouldn't fool an underpaid substitute Social Studies teacher in a public middle school, who would then probably go out one night and get yelled at by Chris Christie. ("They believe in teacher's unions. We believe in teachers," he said in his speech. Yeah, you just don't believe in paying them.) They don't care that their history is a lie and that, by spreading it, they devalue the actual history of the country, which is something that belongs to us."
Read more here.
So, who's your go-to writer for Campaign 2012?
Why should the Republicans care if they lie? There are enough gullible people who would happily vote against their own interests just to get the black guy out of the WHITEhouse. They toss around words like Marxism, socialism, communism or "class warfare" without a clue as to what they mean. They're just repeating what they've heard on Fox News or what Rush has spewed in one of his Oxycontin-fuelled rants. It's no coincidence that the Red states have some of the lowest education levels in the country or that they are the biggest net recipients of federal government funds (yet these same people want smaller government? go figure.). While we're taking things out of context, how about a guy who likes to fire people and isn't concerned about the poor? Someone who ran off to France to avoid military service? Yup, Mittens ran off to hang out with the cheese-eating surrender monkeys to avoid the military. Talk about a real patriot!
ReplyDeleteTo finish off, a little quiz for our Conservatard friends ...
1) Who said "deficits don't matter"?
2) What great class warrior said: "
"We're going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that have allowed some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. In theory, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying 10% of his salary, and that's crazy. It's time we stopped it."
3) Which US president more than equaled the entire debt burden produced in the previous 200+ years of American history?
4) How many times did Republicans in congress vote to raise the debt ceiling while George W Bush was president?
5) Who said "At the end of those 10 years, we will have paid down all the debt that is available to retire. That is more debt repaid more quickly than has ever been repaid by any nation at any time in history."?
6) What was the national debt when the answer to #5 left office? What was the annual deficit for the year after he left office?
(Here's a hint: Obama is not the answer to any of the above)
I wish the Republicans complete debt hypocricy was unerstood by everyone in the country. It's insane how they can be viewwed as hoenst brokers in a such disucssions when they are bank-breakers.
DeleteThat said, I prefer to avoid words like "Conservatard" just because to me it's the big money guys like Romney who are the real enemy not people who come from red states or call themselves 'conservatives. End speech.
Well the GOP is not far off from our Tories over here in the UK. If you say a lie often enough sooner or later people will believe it as the truth.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of coverage here (I guess it hits our "silly season" where local political news is thin) and are constantly shown some of the inanities of GOP political pronouncements. A few days ago, on Newsnight, some convention attendee was incandescent because she saw Obama as the first Anarchist President. That is so misguided on so many levels that even if I came face-to-face with her, I could not explain her her misunderstanding of politics. I could go on, but why bother.
Oh they are.
DeleteAs bad as your toreis are they don;t carry tghe socail conservitive banner liek the Republianca do.
"Anarchist president" and I thought I'd heard every politically clueless label for Obama.
He's a strong man to have put up with all the bullshit people have slung his way and stayed calm.
Screw the GOP. I opine with your choices: I'm a Sullivan addict and Pierce's screech today about Ryan was... nothing short of awesome! Only Taibbi could come close, but he doesn't do politics as much as economics.
ReplyDeleteTiabbi is awesome if a little over-the top.
DeleteBack away from the kool aid....
ReplyDeleteBHO is a failure (at governing-he's a master at partying, golfing & campaigning).
You wanna talk about an "endless War"-try the one on poverty
AS a boring old white guy, I WILL agree that Romney is a dud as a candidate (that won't stop me from voting for him). The ticket should've been Ryan-Rubio (or Ryan & Martinez)
Hey I welcome dissent - but please do tell me what you read. I know there's a tonne of movement conservative sites but I'm curious which ones you visit.
DeleteP.S. thanks for the chuckle about Romney. And, by the way I heard good reviews of Martinez's speech at the convention. What did you think?
USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, you drowned out Ron Paul's comment :)
DeleteMy sister in law is a teacher in New Jersey (where Chris Christie is governor)- He's totally screwed the teachers. She voted for him- "Give Em Enough Rope" indeed. The Republikkkans are truly the party (as Clint Eastwood showed last nite) of crazy old white men yelling at empty chairs, to the delight of even crazier younger white men. This counntry is fucked.
ReplyDeletenazz nomad
www.bleedinout.blogspot.com
The Republicans have revealed the shallow core at the heart of their current party and perhaps that will be a good thing...
DeleteGlad you've turned an eye to these sorts of things. I am a fan of matt taibbi. i followed your link to one of the authors you listed and it gave me a wiki page to a sports writer. could you forward a political post of said writer for our edification? i am curious. keep on keepin' on bro
ReplyDeleteThe link for Pierce's name goes to his Wikipedia page (and yes he was once a sportswriter) the read more here link goes to the rest of the article (maybe that could've been clearer...)
Deletehttp://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/rnc-tampa-night-one-12158408