Peggy's Folly

Nearly every Saturday, I read Fox Street News the Wall Street Journal. I wish I had more time during the week to read it. The bloviations from the editorial hacks staff are comical. And the reason they are comical is because unlike Rush or Glenn Beck, they aren't trying to be entertaining. They take themselves very seriously.

One would think since I'm a strong progressive that I wouldn't bother to read teh Journal. Well, before our new reader NOISE gets his drawers in an uproar, most of BW readers know that I am in a mixed marriage. My spouse is a Ronald Reaganite who like the rest of the GOP pines for someone like Reagan. Back in the 1980's, I was semi-liberatarian and I never liked Reagan. To me, he was an actor, but obviously a good one because the unions didn't care that he busted them, especially in airline safety industry. I had no appreciation for Reagan wanting to dismantle education either. And thanks to Reagan, we have Justice Antone Scalia, who is a very smart man, but cannot interpret the Constitution.

Another person who pines for the good ol' days of the GOP is Reagan's former speechwriter, Peggy Noonan. She's fairly eloquent in her pennmanship, which is why each Saturday, I eagerly await to take the wrapper off the WSJ and open it during lunch (sometimes breakfast) to read her column.

Peggy gushed over Obama when he first took office. She called him a grown-up, which her highest complement to anyone. But now, the charms of Obama are wearing off on Peggy. Today, she said he was "coruscating" on thin ice." Coruscating was an unfamiliar word to me, as it probably would be for many readers, so let me provide a definition from Dictionary.com :

To give forth flashes of light; sparkle and glitter: diamonds coruscating in the candlelight.

I had to laugh.

Obviously, Peggy has not been reading TomP's posts at the Daily Kos, Chris Bowers at Open Left, Desmoinesdem at Bleeding Heartland, Dean Baker at TAPPED, Glen Ford of the Black Agenda or bothered listening to Montana Maven's show on Saturdays. None of them, and I am like them, were ever charmed by Obama as a candidate. I am charmed by his wife and children, and they are the best part of the White House, because they are role models for so many in our society. Difference between Peggy and those of us in left flank is that Peggy imbibed some of the kool-aid but we didn't. But like her, we'd hoped for the best. Maybe we would get at least thing we wanted the most: a public insurance option for health care in which there are no annual caps. We think Obama should have exerted more leadership early on given that he has a legislative branch in which the majority are of his same party. Yes, we know he didn't want to come across as the unitary executive, but sorry he had done so with his decision to increase troops in Afghanistan.

Peggy's flaming of Obama and his administration doesn't particularly bother me. But did bother me was her dishonest thinking about the GOP. Yes, she kind of slapped the GOP a bit today when she reflected about watch Teddy Kennedy's funeral last week:

"... and saw in a clearer way than I had in the past a big cultural difference between the elites of the two parties, or rather the Democratic and Republican establishments. Pretty much the entire Democratic establishment was at the Kennedy services, and the level of shown affection among those in the pews and the audience was striking—laughing, hugging, telling stories, admitting weaknesses, weeping. It was Irish, and old-time. If it had been a gathering of the Republican political and journalistic establishment it would have been less emotive, with little shown affection. Polite laughter, cordial handshakes, a lot of staring ahead. A guy with his head down and you think he's mourning but he's BlackBerrying. They don't especially like each other, they compete against each other, and they don't feel the need to fake liking each other."

I would have almost agreed, except then she finished her thought this way [about the GOP difference]:

They have the old dignity of the old grown-ups. And I suppose their style reflects some of their philosophy: Politics isn't about emotions but thoughts.

Well, as Reagan would say in avoidance, "there you go again", Peggy. How covenient to be like your former boss in forgetting important events. If one believes the GOP has behaved like a bunch of grown ups the town halls Democrats have been holding in the past month, Freepers who write hate mail to Markos, and GOP Representives, such as this one makes these kinds comments in public like this, it is sheer folly to say how "unemotional" they are.

Peggy, perhaps it's time you took off your blinders. Otherwise, I have some great beach front property in Central Illinois to sell you and your ilk, and I'll even throw in a BBQ grill.



(image courtesy of WSJ online)

Thank You, KO

I missed Keith Olbermann's show last night, but apparently his "special comment" resonated with many bloggers.

Here's the link from YT:



Here's a link to the transcript, courtesy of JedL at the Daily Kos.

He spoke for many of us and reminded me of what JRE and/or EE said on the campaign trail about the special interests. You cannot bring them to a table without them stealing all of the food.

Bill Maher Channels John Edwards

The first part is New Rules and jokes.

2:00 minutes in is the rant opinion piece that many of us would agree with. I think of my friend, Montana Maven, when I watch this.

He calls Democrats in Congress the New Republicans, and the current Republicans are the party of crazies. Except for one idea (about legalizing marijuana), all of the things that most Democratic party constituents want were the ones JRE proposed.

It occurs to me that the Democratic Party may be like the GOP in the sense that we have entertainers or the fallen politicians being our mouthpiece instead of elected officials. Dennis K of course, with exception.

Update: I just saw this AMA Commercial by Maher.



Yep, ain't it the truth.

Going Back to School

Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, and Saturday columnist for the WSJ, penned a very thoughtful piece today at that newspaper. The title of it is "Republicans, Let's Play Grown-Up."

The piece is about how the GOP has lowered itself this week with petty attacks on Judge Sotomayor, the nominee for the SCOTUS. As BW Readers know, I have some reservations about a few of her rulings (and the spin out of the WH). However, I do think Newt, Rush, Rove, Freddie the Beetle, and Tancredo (the only elected one of the bunch) have hurt their own party by going on the attack. (Think Progress has a very terse condensed post about the attacks). Ms. Noonan said that one person told her they had to have a fight to energize the base and she questioned the wisdom of that tactic:

Excite the base? How about excite a moderate, or interest an independent? How about gain the attention of people who aren't already on your side?

And then she steps up to point out the fallacy:

The base is plenty excited already, as you know if you've ever read a comment thread on a conservative blog. Comment-thread conservatives, like their mirror-image warriors on the left ("Worst person in the woooorrrlllddd!") are perpetually agitated, permanently enraged. They don't need to be revved, they're already revved.

Ms. Noonan then admonishes Newt:

Newt Gingrich twitters that Judge Sotomayor is a racist. Does anyone believe that? He should rest his dancing thumbs, stop trying to position himself as the choice and voice of the base in 2012, and think.

I wouldn't call that a smackdown at all. But she is politely labeling Newt's behavior as immature.

Noonan is not one to just point out the fallacies though. She offers some grown-up advice:

The choice for Republicans isn't between "attack" and "roll over." It's broader than that, and more interesting. There's a new and fresh opportunity here for Republicans in the Senate to be serious, and, in their seriousness, to be seen and understood in a new light.

And a more positive approach is opined here:

Republicans can be liberated by the fact that they're outnumbered and likely about to lose. They can step back, breathe in, and use the Sotomayor confirmation hearings to perform a public service: Find out what the future justice thinks and why she thinks it, explain what they think and why they think it, look at the two different philosophies, if that's what they are. Don't make it sparring, make it thinking.

Newt Gingrich always prides himself for being a thinker, for one who seeks solutions. The conservative base of the GOP, particularly in Freeperville, always found him to be thoughtful.

But now, his hero's speech writer is taking him and the GOP back to school. Kathleen Parker may be one of the instructors too.

Goposaur Survival

Jed Lewison (former JRE supporter), probably one of the most brilliant technical persons who can whip up a video clip in a flash, also happens to be a snark champ. He came up with a remix of a DNC ad:



It is priceless.

Enjoy!

Wanker of the Day

Borrowing in the tradition of Atrios and a few others...here's my idea of "the wanker of the day."

It's by Joe the Plummer, who was interviewed by Christianity Today.

Q: In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?

A: At a state level, it's up to them. I don't want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it's wrong. People don't understand the dictionary—it's called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we're supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children.

(h/t Josh Marshall at TPM)

The hits of the GOP just keep on coming.

The More the Dow Goes Down, the Wingnuts Get Nastier, Part 1

Poor Wingnuts.

The stocks sunk another 300 points today. I'm nervous about it as my pension plan can't be rescued easily.

But Joe the Plummer the soon-to-be-less multi-mcMansion and multi-luxury car owners GOP are very nervous. McCain campaign especially.

Let's start with a bogus report by Pittsburgh station KDKA from last night:

http://kdka.com/video?id=47849@kdka.dayport.com

In case you have trouble getting to the video clip, Kos summed the incident up very well this morning:

Some poor white girl, 20-year-old Ashley Todd of Texas, was mugged at an ATM, but when the mugger (a big black guy) saw her car with the McCain sticker, he beat her and carved a letter "B" in her face with a knife. Apparently it was a dyslexic mugger because the "B" was carved backward, but whatever -- it proved that Obama's supporters were violent and craaazy!

Then Matt Drudge takes the story as "true news" and blasts it on his website. (sorry, not linking to it as it would give him more cash for his coffers) He never checks out the story, although to Drudge's credit, he's often said he's not a real journalist either.

In cohoots, Faux Noise, who takes every word Drudge (and McCain's campaign) passes on to them as gospel from the Good book, spreads the story. They don't check the story either.

And guess what? KDKA had to correct the story when the Obama campaign made inquiries to them to verify it the incident:

A campaign worker who claimed she was the victim of a politically-motivated attack in which she was beaten, kicked and cut, now admits that she made the whole story up.

Turns out that the McCain campaign was involved in pushing this story.

John Verrilli, the news director for KDKA in Pittsburgh, told TPM Election Central that McCain's Pennsylvania campaign communications director gave one of his reporters a detailed version of the attack that included a claim that the alleged attacker said, "You're with the McCain campaign? I'm going to teach you a lesson."

Verrilli also told TPM that the McCain spokesperson had claimed that the "B" stood for Barack.

(via the Huffington Post)


Ashley Todd, a 20 year old race-baiter who can't even self-mutilate a "B" correctly on her face. Not cute.

Sounds like Ms Todd wrote to either A) the McCain's about this and lied to them, and/or B) e-mailed Drudge this hoax. Probably both, and either both are gullible as hell, or they knew this was a bald-face, felonious lie. I suspect the latter. I'm waiting for Keith Olbermann to give his daily award for the "worst person in the world" tonight to Ms. Todd.

Maybe this was the October surprise that Lee Atwater and Karl Rove made up, but I'm still waiting for the Osama to come out and say he knows Bill Ayers and Reverend Wright, and has "palled around around with them."

Update: this pic sez it all (h/t to Iddybud)



More buzz l8tr in Part 2.

GOP Attacks the Thousand Points of Light: Community Organizations

On Wednesday night, George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin claimed they didn't understand community organizers. All they communicated was that community organizers weren't authoritarian the signers of state and municipal budgets.

Peter Dreier & John Atlas penned a cogent piece at Common Dreams yesterday about how the GOP Convention speakers spent a great deal of time attacking community organizers--the same ones who often lead movements for economic and social justice. A good point by the authors:

Palin, Giuliani and Pataki denigrated not only the tens of thousands of community organizers who help everyday citizens to participate in shaping their society and the millions of Americans who volunteer as community activists but also a long American tradition of collective self-help that goes back to the Boston Tea Party.

Giuliani must have had amnesia on Wednesday night when he mocked Barack Obama about his first job out of college as a community organizer. During his term as major, Giuliani was confronted by the East Brooklyn Congregation (EBC) to provide more city owned land so that its non-profit Nehermiah could provide an expansion of affordable public housing--more effectively than the city could develop and run such an enterprise. Guiliani agreed after much pressure, and at the groundbreaking ceremony, Drier and Atlas noted that he praised the EBC as "they do not pay homage to political figures.... They require you to answer their questions. They remind you that you are a public servant."

Here are some famous civil servants and community organizers during their times (courtesy of Paul Rosenberg, Open Left):

Governor: Pontius Pilate

Community Organizer: Jesus Christ

Governor: George Wallace

Community Organizer: Martin Luther King

Governor: Sarah Palin

Community Organizer: Barack Obama

Now, the idea is not to buy into the GOP meme that the Democrats are running Obama vs Palin since Obama is running against McCain. But my point, along with Drier, Atlas, Rosenberg, and even Jim Wallis, who has demanded that Palin issue an apology, is about the importance of community organizers for all kinds of civic engagement. Why? Because many of these organizers are also part of faith based organizations--part of the "Thousand Points of Light" that President HW Bush spoke of in 1989 in his inaugural address. President HW Bush wouldn't likely put down Barack Obama for working for the Developing Communities Project, "a coalition of churches on the city's South Side. His job was to help empower residents to win improved playgrounds, after-school programs, job training, housing, and other concerns affecting a neighborhood hurt by large-scale layoffs from the nearby steel mills and neglect by banks, retail stores and the local government. He knocked on doors and talked to people in their kitchens, living rooms and churches about the problems they faced and why they needed to get involved to improve their communities." (Drier & Atlas)

The National Organizers Alliance says there are 20,000 paid organizers. Their jobs are to work with all kinds of community groups, and to identify people with leadership potential, recruit and train them and help them build grassroots organizations that can win victories that improve their communities and workplaces. It's no wonder NOA is also appalled at the GOP's attack on community organizers.

There is one other activist that was (in Bill Maher's words) airbrushed from the Dem Convention whose work is being attacked too: John Edwards. John tirelessly talked about poverty and went about for 2 years to seek solutions to the problems of it. He spoke many times on behalf of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) in raising the minimum wage in 6 states in 2006 ballot initiatives. He founded Half inTen, a coalition of many grassroots organizations to pressure Congress and the White House to work towards cutting the poverty rate in half in the next ten years. HIT's goal made the Democratic National Committee's platform.



And least we forget, John (and Elizabeth Edwards) started One Corps, probably the best legacy of One America Committee/John Edwards for President. One Corps got involved in all kinds of projects, especially for Earth Day and also collecting goods for the needy.






In 1992, President HW Bush was considered out of touch with America and was voted out. He must be feeling pretty awful about what his party did on Wednesday night in attacking something he believed in: a thousand points of light. Now his whole party is out of touch with the mainstream identity of community.

Airbus Contract May Be Deal Breaker for McCain, GOP in GE

The last couple of days, there has been a flurry of news about how John McCain had some influence in the Air Force's decision to award a contract for tanker to Airbus rather than Boeing.

McCain's rationale, according to an AP news report today, was this:

"I saved the taxpayers $6 billion in a bogus tanker deal," he said.

The same report also said McCain has been running ads touting his role in fighting "pork" such as the tanker project. He cited the contract in a recent debate. I guess I missed that comment in the last debate.

I have nothing against the French, and perhaps this is supposed to help heal relationships with them, but we all know they have elected a conservative government in the last year.

I'm not so certain that saving $6B for jobs Americans would like to have and already paid with taxpayer money is going to help Republicans in the GE. As it is, the Gov't reported that 63,000 people were given pink slips in the month of February.

One notch against McCain.

Conservative Newspapers Drop Coultergeist Column

According to Editor & Publisher, three four newspapers have discontinued Ann Coulter's column due to her incendiary comments about John Edwards and the gay community.

So far, the four are:

• Lancaster (Pa.) New Era
• Oakland Press of Michigan
• The Mountain Press (TN)
• The Times of Shreveport

Also mentioned in the article was the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights organization announced a campaign to get other Coulter newspaper clients to drop her column. Yesterday, E&P reported that HRC launched an effort that resulted "in what it said were more than 20,000 messages" to persuade Universal Press Syndicate to stop distributing the column.

Comment from the Times of Shreveport:

"Today we move past the rhetoric and unproductive dialogue offered by Ann Coulter. The Times is dropping her column effective immediately."It is her recent 'joke' about John Edwards being considered a 'faggot' that is the back-breaking straw for a decision we've openly discussed for some time. We had a dialogue with readers last year regarding whether Coulter was a responsible commentator and journalist.

Her repeated use of hyperbole in the call for the death of some journalists and politicians was beyond the pale. And while we all believe she was “just kidding,” her "shock-jock'' writing style is no different from Howard Stern's practical jokes and bathroom humor that aims to draw a school-yard snicker but falls well short of reasonable, thought-provoking journalism.

Unlike the work of a Thomas Sowell or a Kathleen Parker, two thoughtful
conservatives, does a Coulter column raise the level of discourse? The answer:
rarely.

No doubt some conservatives will lament the loss of their beloved Coulter, someone who made the joke they are too polite to make. Objections are expected, but please do not miss the continuation of outstanding conservative commentary by Cal Thomas and Jonah Goldberg that continues on our pages. Sure Michelle Malkin sometimes approaches a Coulter-style rant, but we don't recall any homicidal zingers.

We are committed to providing a balance in commentary, so Coulter will be replaced by another conservative voice. Our many local conservative voices from the community also will continual to be welcome on our pages.

With Coulter's departure, we're not demanding commentary all dressed up in delicate finery. Forceful, direct, even bare-knuckled writers are welcome as long as they are tackling ideas or stances rather than making profane personal attacks.

Above all this isn't some liberal vendetta. If so, Coulter would have fallen off our pages years ago. Sure, The Times has supported what many perceive to be liberal ideas or politicians before, but we also have spoken for fiscal restraint and opposed certain taxes. In last governor's race, The Times endorsed the Republican candidate and since then we have supported conservative judicial candidates, city council contenders and state lawmakers. We like to think we take each issue and candidacy as it comes.

And we are one of the few institutions that sits down with newsmakers regularly to discuss and debate issues. Ask Caddo Parish school Superintendent Ollie Tyler and U.S. Congressman Jim McCrery about this, if you doubt.

We meet with every legitimate candidate or advocate who will keep an appointment. For those who find affirmation and validity in Coulter diatribes, God bless you and keep you. But since last summer's open-air discussion of our reservations about continuing her column, you had to know it was only a matter of time before she rubbed a hole in the welcome mat. It even seems as if she was pushing to find the limit. Well...

I’m sure we’ll engage in some debate over this decision, but we hope you are more interested in who will replace her. Send us your nominees for review.

Now, we move on."

Well said, Mr. English.

Five down, 95 to go. In case you didn't notice, as I didn't until now on the side bar, Media Matters reports that American Press of Lake Charles dropped Coulter's column on Monday.

Expensive nasty "joke" indeed. Definitely botched and now hitting her pocketbook, where it counts.

Tools Deserve Sisyphus' Fate for Bashing Gays

As BW readers have seen every where, including the Media Matters sidebar on this site, the Coultergeist has a potty mouth of her own.

But instead of apologizing, and in which GOP pols even had to say her comments about gays was wrong, the NYT printed an article that read (albeit I'm not crazy about the reporter, but it's better than no article at all):

Ms. Coulter, asked for a reaction to the Republican criticism, said in an e-mail message: “C’mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.”

On her site, in which she calls herself, Chairman Ann (whatever that means, chairman of her chair I guess), her comment is, " I'm so ashamed, I cannot stop laughing."


Meantime, John Edwards issued the following statement this afternoon:

Ann Coulter's use of an anti-gay slur yesterday was un-American and indefensible. In America, we strive for equality and embrace diversity. The kind of hateful language she used has no place in political debate or our society at large.

I believe it is our moral responsibility to speak out against that kind of bigotry and prejudice every time we encounter it.

Elizabeth Edwards said it best, and perhaps it is because she has been the target of hate herself in the last campaign, with these words:

When Miss Coulter spoke about John at the conservative convention in Washington yesterday, she used a word that she intended as a nasty and derogatory suggestion. John and I have long ago shrugged off the vile words of this person. When she made a joke about the exact moment of death of Charlie Dean (Howard's brother and a schoolmate of mine), and when she attacked the courageous 9-11 widows, she told you all you need to know about what she is made of: her compassion -- or lack thereof. Now we need to find out about you.

Although her words did not hurt us, they may have hurt some in the gay community. We are all sick and tired of anyone supporting or applauding or introducing hate words into the national dialogue, tired of people thinking that words that cause others pain are fair game. And we are sick and tired of people like Miss Coulter thinking that her use of loaded words about the homosexual community in this country is remotely humorous or appropriate.

John gave a graduation speech at NC State several years ago, and in it he said that none of us can stand by when words of bigotry and division are used. It is only when the rest of us stand up and say that this is not acceptable that we drum out the hate-mongers from amongst us. The first reaction in the room at the conservative convention yesterday was a gasp -- a horrified gasp, even -- but it did not last. In a few seconds, those who were not horrified started clapping and drowned out the gasps.

Now it is our turn to drown out the hate. Find a way -- whether it is contribution here that sends a message to Miss Coulter and those who applauded her (which, of course, I prefer) or whether it is a statement on this blog or others or all of the above -- but please find a way not to sit silent in acceptance. It doesn't change until we say we will not be silent when this happens.

Silence..is betrayal.

I hope John Edwards includes this incident in his speech tomorrow at Berkeley in commemorating the march at Selma and civil rights.

Family Values pic of GOP candidate Mitt, Romney, and his Ann supporters (his wife and Coulter) at CPAC yesterday

(photo at CPAC courtesy of Talking Points Memo)




It was said in mythology that King Sisyphus was punished by Zeus for his hubris. So should Coulter (who is the Queen of the Mean Kingdom), the GOP, MSM, and anyone who is silent in not denouncing hate talk against gays, and for foul comments about John Edwards.