Florida Vampire Running For President
“He does have republican values…” Well, of course he does.
Republicans’ Internal Documents Call For Strategy Of “Fear”
The politics of fear, laid out in PowerPoint. From Politico:
The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”
The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”
The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said.
Republicans Playing on People’s Fears (Officially)?
Ben Smith writes on the Politico:
The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”
The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”
The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said.
In neat PowerPoint pages, it lifts the curtain on the often-cynical terms of political marketing, displaying an air of disdain for the party’s donors that is usually confined to the barroom conversations of political operatives.
The presentation explains the Republican fundraising in simple terms.
Roy Ashburn ARRESTED: Anti-Gay State Sen. Got DUI After Leaving Gay Nightclub
Congratulations GOP, your hypocrisy levels are now officially hilarious! Yet still, so very sad.
via Huffington Post
Early Wednesday morning, State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Calif.) was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving. Sources report that Ashburn — a fierce opponent of gay rights — was driving drunk after leaving a gay nightclub; when the officer stopped the state-issued vehicle, there was an unidentified man in the passenger seat of the car.
Ashburn has issued an apology for the incident:
“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me – my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”
Ron Paul Wins the CPAC Straw Poll for President, What’s Next?
In his own words, on MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan Show, here is Ron Paul:
CPAC Speaker Condemns GOP Conference for Gay Republican Group Invite
Way back when, in the ancient days of the Bush Administration (circa 2004), Disinformation distributed a documentary called Gay Republicans, which focused on the activities of the Log Cabin Republicans. When I recently came across this video from the recent CPAC conference, seems like it’s history repeating itself with another group called GOPride.
These folks actually do vote, keep that in mind, Grand Old Party … after all, Ron Paul — who could care less about gay Americans serving in the military — did win the 2010 CPAC presidential straw poll, by a wide margin…
New Virginia Governor Re-Allows Discrimination Against Gays
Christina Bellantoni writes on Talking Points Memo:
Gay and lesbian state workers in Virginia are no longer specifically protected against discrimination, thanks to a little-noticed change made by new Gov. Bob McDonnell.
McDonnell (R) on Feb. 5 signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination “on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities,” as well as veterans.
It rescinds the order that Gov. Tim Kaine signed Jan. 14, 2006 as one of his first actions. After promising a “fair and inclusive” administration in his inaugural address, Kaine (D) added veterans to the non-discrimination policy — and sexual orientation.
Carly Fiorina’s Bizarre ‘Demon Sheep’ Campaign Ad
Widely considered to be one of the worst American CEOs of all time Carly Fiorina thinks it’s a good idea to bring that business acumen to the U.S. Senate for the good people of California. From CNBC:
A consummate self-promoter, Fiorina was busy pontificating on the lecture circuit and posing for magazine covers while her company floundered. She paid herself handsome bonuses and perks while laying off thousands of employees to cut costs. The merger Fiorina orchestrated with Compaq in 2002 was widely seen as a failure. She was ousted in 2005.
THE STAT: HP stock lost half its value during Fiorina’s tenure.
Check out this campaign ad about “FCINO: Fiscal Conservative In Name Only” — the weirdness begins at around two and a half minutes into the video:
Jon Stewart Hits Left and Right on Media Coverage of Obama GOP Lunch
My favorite parts of this are towards the end of this clip: “More than likely MSNBC replayed it at home with the slo-mo button with their pants off” and about Fox News: “We’re going to cut away because this is against the narrative we present.” Via the Daily Show:
What Happened In Massachusetts
From Nick P. at Black Sun Gazette:
For the first time in almost 40 years Massachusetts is sending a Republican to the Senate. While this doesn’t trouble me as much as others, mostly because the Democrats are largely the party of giving Republicans whatever they want, it is worth discussing.
Democrats thought they were going to waltz into the Senate. There was a pervasive attitude that the Democratic primary was the general election. While the right is trying to turn Massachusetts into some kind of microcosm of America and the election into a referendum on President Obama, all the election proves is that when Democrats act like Republicans, voters prefer the real thing.
Naked Republican Wins Kennedy’s Senate Seat; Democrats Lose ‘Filibuster-Proof’ Senate Supermajority
Heidi Przybyla and John McCormick write on Bloomberg:
Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts Senate seat of the late Democrat Edward Kennedy, a political upset that imperils health-care legislation in Congress and sends a warning shot to Democrats ahead of November’s elections.
Brown was leading Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley 52-47 percent with 92 percent of the state’s precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press, which projected Brown as the winner. Independent candidate Joseph Kennedy, no relation to the late senator, had about 1 percent of the vote.
Brown, 50, a previously little-known state senator, cast himself as an independent voice who would help thwart President Barack Obama’s health-care plan and keep a check on Democrats in Congress, particularly on tax-increase proposals.
Brown’s victory increases his party’s Senate numbers to 41, which would give…
Hi, I’m Marty, and I’m a Recovering Republican
Marty Beckerman, author of the disinformation book Dumbocracy: Adventures with the Loony Left, the Rabid Right, and Other American Idiots, wrote to us about his confessional essay in Salon.com, saying, I have wanted to write this article for half a decade, and it feels great to finally see it published. Let’s spend a few minutes on the couch together; you might learn something about yourself too…
Every day I wake up with the same thought: “I used to be such a goddamned idiot.”
I am a former Republican. And I wasn’t merely the libertarian, live-and-let-live, fun-at-parties kind of conservative whose primary concern is balancing the budget; I was a spiteful, narrow-minded, fire-breathing paranoid lunatic who questioned the patriotism and morality of my liberal fellow citizens. Recognizing the error of my ways has…
Obama’s Victory Decimated Republican Male Testosterone Levels
How much are politics tied to one’s personal sense of manliness? For liberals, not so much. For conservatives, very much so, especially in the case of one Barack Obama, who acts as an agent of chemical castration.
Wired Science has the results of a study in which the 2008 election-night testosterone levels of male Obama- and McCain-supporters were measured.
The group-wide testosterone levels of Democratic men were not affected by Obama’s victory, remaining stable throughout the night. However, for Republican males, election night 2008 was a hormonal roller coaster, and Obama’s success resulted in a plummeting of conservative male testosterone. What a bunch of weirdos.
Republicans Who Like Stalin
When someone quotes someone, the quote itself may be fine even if the person who said it was less than a perfect human specimen. For example, when the White House communications director recently quoted Mao Zedong, the roar of protest from conservatives was predictably deafening. Yes, Mao was responsible for the deaths of perhaps 50 to 60 million people, which is a crime which cannot be defended.
However, the quote itself — “You fight your war, and I’ll fight mine” — doesn’t seem all that controversial. If anything, the Mother Theresa quote, “Go find your own Calcutta,” spoken in response to someone asking how they could help her, sounds positively snippy. And unless the Republicans have forgotten, it was Richard Nixon who went to China, hung out with Mao, shook his…
