A Real Barn-Burner Article From an Ex-GOPer

I've read dozens and dozens of articles on the GOP since Obama took office, but not one with the sting of this one. Hang on to your hats when reading this piece by Huff Post's Frank Schaeffer.

Some News For The Day

For those of you interested in endangered species, the Canadian lynx just got a big boost! Read here.

The woman mentioned in the article, Julie McDonald, also fussed with the listing of a species here which we presently have in court on environmental litigation under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act). She did one helluva lot of damage to somewhere between 75 and 100 species while in DOI under Bush.

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On a personal note, I have one extremely swollen ankle and not a CLUE what I have done. Looks like it is going to require a clinic visit, so please keep me in your prayers. It is waaaaay owie.

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If you don't read one other thing this weekend on the GOP, read this from the Huff Post. It is masterfully written and VERY inclusive. Get a cup of coffee or a glass of your favorite wine, and read it through, clicking on the links. It is fabulously funny in a hehehe kind of way.

As the GOP Turns (Oh Wait! It's Flat, So It Rotates)

Yeah, I know. An understatement.

As you have probably read, recent polling of those identifying as either republican or conservative believe that the GOP needs to move further to the right (thereby dropping off the planet altogether... oh don't we wish?) and believe that she, the you-know-who from the north, should fashion the party. Forgive my use of the word fashion.

As the first African American takes the helm of the GOP--something that has been largely uneventful--it is clear Michael Steele is the leader of the GOP machine, but is not the leader of the GOP rank and file.

Steele who beat out several GOP candidates including Chip Saltsman who ran former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign and who circulated the "Barack The Magic Negro DVD" (also, here and here)] has a tough row to hoe.

As Joan Walsh correctly points out in Salon, a right wing radio host who has pretty much kept the GOP cats in line by outing anything they do that strays from his brand of conservatism and she-from-Alaska (who the infamous radio talk show host loves) are, in fact, the de facto GOP leaders. Too bad for Steele, and, actually, too bad for the limping and rudderless GOP.

Steele is, thus, left in the odd position of either strategizing with the radio host or coming under his fire like many who didn't tow the line:

These pratfalls commenced after Obama casually told some Republican congressmen (correctly) that they won’t “get things done” if they take their orders from Limbaugh. That’s all the stimulus the big man needed to go on a new bender of self-aggrandizement. He boasted that Obama is “more frightened” of him than he is of the Republican leaders in the House or Senate. He said of the new president, “I hope he fails.”

Obama no doubt finds Limbaugh’s grandiosity more amusing than frightening, but G.O.P. politicians are shaking like Jell-O. When asked by Andrea Mitchell of NBC News on Wednesday if he shared Limbaugh’s hope that Obama fails, Eric Cantor spun like a top before running off, as it happened, to appear on Limbaugh’s radio show. Mike Pence of Indiana, No. 3 in the Republican House leadership, similarly squirmed when asked if he agreed with Limbaugh. Though the Republicans’ official, poll-driven line is that they want Obama to succeed, they’d rather abandon that disingenuous nicety than cross Rush.

--The New York Times, 31 January 2009 (excellent reading, BTW)

Meanwhile, the great northern state (where state taxes do not exist, but oil revenues certainly underwrite the state budget), suffered a one billion loss in bizarrely-timed market investments, and is projecting a one billion oil revenue fund reversal, with perhaps a three billion problem next year.

So mavericky she-from-the-north goes hat in hand (among the elitists) to Washington to ask for a share of the stimulus moneys (not the only thing she did while there, but that is a topic of another post) while, in fact, criticizing the stimulus bill. Apparently, she likes the slap-and-kiss approach.

Meanwhile, she-from-the-north is cutting and borrowing to make the balance sheet in Alaska work. It should be noted that Alaska is the number two state living off of federal dollars. Only New Mexico takes more money.

In trimming the Alaska budget, perhaps she-from-the-north is using this handy implement designed by a man who characterizes the she-from-the-north family as "the perfect American family" (is THIS odd or what!). I am a little puzzled by families with babies out of wedlock being called "perfect", but hey maybe that works for this man. I don't know about you, but giving implements of destruction to the "perfect American family" is beyond bizarre.

In the meantime, Limbaugh writes in The Washington Post his views on the stimulus package (turn off your chuckle-meter or you will break it) and proposes a bi-partisan plan so laughable that its audacity is but a footnote.

And the topper? The GOP has summoned Joe the Plumber to help them design outreach to conservatives. And NO, that is not a joke.

No one could make stuff like this up.

Pope to Offer Personal Prelature to Traditional Anglicans + More

... which is interesting. Read the Telegraph article here (and here). All I can say about this is, mmm.

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Rev. Professor Stephen Noll writes on the Anglican covenant process. Interesting reading especially for (as he calls many) revisionists. T1:9 also is carrying a piece on this.

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Gallup ranks the states in terms of importance of religion. Pretty darned interesting and does explain quite a bit about some political machinations. Read it here.

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This is an incredible 1:08 minute clip that almost defies description except to say, if you love sexism, you'll love former Texas congressman Dick Army in this (whew!):

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The American Family Association (will not link) is freaking out over Pepsi's support of lgbt folks. They called for a boycott of Pepsi and are really freaking out over the 30 second Pepsi add (below) being shown in the UK. Watch the Pepsi add... it will make you smile (and Lord knows, we can't have that!).

UPDATE: the video has been pulled, but here is a link to another site where they have it embedded and it WORKS!





My advice? Drink a lot more Pepsi.

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Finally, a decent piece on how the GOP is hunkering down to become... just what they were. Worth a read, and some of the links are quite good.

Quote of the Day

"It's a situation where we hate to say we told you so, but we told you so."

--senior research scientist, Mark Serreze, National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado commenting on the loss of ice fields at the North Pole and the possibility that for the first time, the North Pole may have no ice left by autumn.

You can read the whole article here.

Juxtapose this quote against Rush Limbaugh who, in his book entitled See, I Told You So (1993) penned, "Despite the hysterics of a few pseudo-scientists, there is no reason to believe in global warming ."

Everyone seems to have told us so... trouble is, they are telling us things on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Where are my feet planted? In science, of course. There is a reason scientists study the natural world and Rush is a radio guy.