The Pope And The Dopes

As we noted last week, right-wing Republicans are all aflutter (not in a good way, of course) about Pope Francis' anticipated encyclical on global climate change, a draft of which was leaked earlier this week.  Because politics! Remember these are the same hypocrites that were very happy when the previous two Gucci-wearing, pedophile-protecting Popes were providing political cover for the Republican Party in fighting contraception, abortion rights and same sex marriage.  But when a Pope talks about protecting the planet, well, let's hear from the thought leader of the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party himself, "Oxycontin Rush" Limbaugh:

The Vatican (without naming me, of course, 'cause I'm just a peon) started denying it left and right. "The Pope is not Marxist! This is an extreme characterization of the pontiff's remarks. There's no way." But I stood by it at the time. I caught a heck of a lot of grief from the Drive-By Media for pointing out early on that Il Papa sounded like a Marxist

Well, this global warming encyclical -- that may be Latin for "rant" -- seems to confirm it. (I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I know that encyclical is not Latin for "rant." I just watched Trump.)

But he doesn't even disguise it folks in this encyclical. Doesn't even disguise it! Every other word seems to be about how unfettered capitalism is destroying the world and how the rich countries have to give more money to the poor countries to make amends. I mean, that's -- call it what you want -- Marxism, socialism, what have you. But if this thing is real, then it leaves no doubt here what the political leanings or inclinations of the of the of the pontiff are.

And Jesus was Trotsky.  That's a large, putrid pile of flesh right there, folks. (There are other, smaller putrid piles of flesh also - on Fox "News" of course.)

Then there's the "Smart Bush," Jeb! (a.k.a., John Ellis Bush), a Catholic convert who also doesn't want to mix politics and religion, except when he does:

“I hope I’m not going to get castigated for saying this by my priest back home, but I don’t get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope,” Mr. Bush said. “And I’d like to see what he says as it relates to climate change and how that connects to these broader, deeper issues before I pass judgment. But I think religion ought to be about making us better as people and less about things that end up getting in the political realm.”

That Pope Francis is aligning himself with the progressive agenda on income inequality and now on global climate change isn't something these profoundly cynical and malevolent right-wingers can bear, it seems.  It's no a teachable moment, not when it contradicts their marching orders from the billionaire fossil fuels barons that generously fund their reactionary politics. With the issuance of the Pope's encyclical tomorrow and the Pope's visit to the United States later this year, the moral and existential issue of global climate change will be unavoidable, no matter how much these moral midgets would wish otherwise.

Pope Francis: Redistribute Economic Benefits

Pope Francis, today in Rome:

[E]quitable economic and social progress can only be attained by joining scientific and technical abilities with an unfailing commitment to solidarity accompanied by a generous and disinterested spirit of gratuitousness at every level. A contribution to this equitable development will also be made both by international activity aimed at the integral human development of all the world’s peoples and by the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the State, as well as indispensable cooperation between the private sector and civil society.

In our imagination, the entire Wingnut World -- from Fox "News," to the Catholic League's "Sweaty" Bill Donohue, to the New York Times' Ross "I Seriously" Douthat,  to Weeper of the House John "Mr. Tangerine Man" Boehner -- is sharting mightily today.

UPDATE:  Hate radio's porcine poo flinger Rush Limpballs is wetting his XXXXL Depends:  his response to the Pope's statement is "Marxism and socialism."  Which would put J.C. Himself in the same category as the Pope….

UPDATE II:  More sharting on the right.   Jim "The Dumbest Man on the Internet" Hoft applies his weightless analysis:  "Marxist Pope"  (via dimbulb Matt Drudge)!

UPDATE III:  Regarding Fox "News's" Sean Hannity and "Sweaty" Bill Donohue, we rest our case.

Pope Francis I

We wish the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, well as he assumes the Papacy as Pope Francis I.  He has some extensive doctrinal and temporal stable-cleaning ahead of him, if that's where he's led by his conscience (we hope it is, but we're skeptical).  Here's a thumbnail summary of the new Pope, via "Washington Monthly:"

"[H]e’s an Argentinian of Italian ethnic background (which must have been useful to his ambitions), considered 'unwaveringly orthodox' on the hot-button sexual issues (though he has also been conspicuously charitable towards AIDS sufferers), and although personally abstemious and sympathetic to the social needs of the poor, has also been a conservative influence on his own Society of Jesus, which he now represents as their first Pope. He’s the first non-European Pope in about twelve centuries, and the first Pope ever from a place that was not at some point part of the Roman Empire. He’s also 76 years old, and reportedly finished a fairly strong second in the enclave that elected Benedict XVI."

If the description bears out, it's no surprise as far as the conservative orthodoxy (he was, after all, elevated to Cardinal by Pope John Paul II).  No one was expecting a Pope John XXIII, since there are really no Cardinals to the left of Torquemada anymore thanks to John Paul II and Benedict.

(Photo:  Pope Francis I - Getty Images)