Playbook for Wingnut Outrage Exposed

Think Progress has a memo from the astroturfers at Freedom Works and Americans for Prosperity on how they plan to get their frothing sheeple to "rattle" and otherwise disrupt townhall meetings of Democratic representatives during the August break. Check it out.

(Image: Onward Wingnut Sheeple!)

The Sotomayor Vote and Blue Dogs

These two jackasses need to be kicked out of the Democratic Party as soon as possible. Why are they "undecided" about their own President's choice for the Supreme Court (who is being supported by Lindsey Graham, for God's sake)? Three letters: N-R-A. Cowardly dickwads.

GDP Numbers

Today's report on the GDP for the second quarter is showing a 1% decline, better than expected and far better than the 6.4% decline in the first quarter. Some economists are already saying this is the best sign yet that the economy has bottomed out and recovery is on the horizon.

President Obama, in a statement, was cautiously optimistic - crediting the stimulus package and other measures taken in the past 6 months, but saying he wouldn't rest until everyone who was looking for a job found one.

The Rethugs? Oh, yeah: "Blah blah stimulus a failure...blah blah... Obama's a socialist... blah blah... we're not sure where he was born...blah blah... Eek! Obamacare!...blah blah..."

Quote of the Week

"I'm on the side of conservatives getting back to core conservative values...We strayed from them in the past few years..." -- Sen. Diaper Dave Vitter (Rethug-Bordello) in the Washington Times, responding to Sen. Voinovich's criticism of the regionalization of the Rethug Party.

(Image: Diaper Dave Vitter, straying in search of someone to spank him)

"There's a New Wingnut in Town..."

...and his name is Andrew "Fat Andy" Napolitano and Fox News Nutwork has him! The Daily Beast's Michelle Goldberg has the story of Fat Andy and why Fox put him on their on-line service rather than on their cable wingnut wurlitzer (hint: "He makes Glenn Beck look like Jim Lehrer."). Birthers, truthers, secessionists, Paultards -- you name it, Fox will put it on Fat Andy's glorified pod cast. Someday, maybe when Glenn "Boo-Hoo" Beck is committed to the sanitarium, Fat Andy can move up into the big time with seasoned nuts like O'Really and Mannitee.

(Photo: Fat Andy, 1/gazillionth actual size)

All Beer, All the Time

Our excellent media is pushing what they're calling the "beer summit" today, involving President Obama, Professor Henry Louis Gates, and Cambridge Police Sergeant Crowley. There seems to be more than a little irritation on the mainstream media's part that the "summit" won't be televised and open to the incisive questioning of our media elites. Too bad. They hyped this non-story beyond belief, at the expense of stories on health care reform and other huge issues, so it would be wonderful if all they got out of it was a "no comment" from all of the participants.

Rethuglican Family Values, cont'd.

Tennessee State Sen. Paul "I'm Not in KISS" Stanley (Rethug - Cradle Robber), 47, has announced that he will resign his position on August 10 following the revelation that he was carrying on an affair with a 22 year-old intern. Stanley is an evangelical Christian with a wife and children. Surprised?

Wingnut Correction Time

Balloon Juice captures the debunking of two recent wingnut forays into the health care reform debate. First to be debunked is the bunk-loaded Wee Willie Kristol's performance on The Daily Show, courtesy of Ezra Klein; second up for neutering is Marty Feldstein, who recently opined in the fact-check-and-editor-free pages of the WaPo. Thanks to Jon Chait for that snip and tuck.

Enjoy!

(Photo: the late Marty Feldman -- not Marty Feldstein, although a wingnut could make the case they're one in the same)

Senate Comedies

Daily Kos has a few items today on the rump that is the Rethug Party these days:

-- Outgoing Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) has a few choice words for fellow Rethugs of the southern-fried variety, like "there are too many of them" (specifically, Jim "DeMented" DeMint and Tom "Got Some 'Splainin' To Do" Coburn).

-- Sen. Diaper Dave Vitter (Rethug-Bordello) foolishly used the word "luvfest" in an ad blasting Democrats. The Democrats then proceeded to spank Diaper Dave jes the way he like it.

Sotomayor Clears First Hurdle

By a vote of 13 to 6, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the President's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Every Rethuglican, except Lindsey "Cracker" Graham, voted against Sotomayor. They will pay for their partisan BS, especially in states with large Hispanic populations (Cornyn-Texas, and Kyl-Arizona), and it's always a bonus to see their hypocrisy exposed.

Sen. Head-Inhofe-Ass, Birther

Oklahoma's more senior crackpot Sen. Jungle Jim Inhofe (Rethug-Oil and Gas) is opining on more matters of which he knows nothing. This flat-earth global climate change denier thinks the birthers "have a point" in raising doubts about President Obama's citizenship. Not surprising considering the source. Jungle Jim, who ran an insurance company into the ground before he got into national politics, is fond of citing the Bible as a rationale for some of his public policy positions (on Israel for example). Inhofe would be an embarrassment for anyplace other than Oklahoma, the most Republican and tornado-prone State (any Biblical conclusions to draw there?).

(Image: Sen. Jungle Jim Inhofe, searching for the elusive Obama birth certificate)

Winky's "Farewell"

If only it was her farewell... but unfortunately, thanks to her hard-core nut base and the media who love to cover train wrecks, we'll be seeing more of Winky in the coming years. Check out her intemperate, rambling, incoherent farewell remarks, wherein she slams the media ("stop making stuff up") and certain Americans (who are "suggesting American apologetics [sic]"). This dumbass will continue to be a target because she makes herself one by her stupidity and boorish behavior. No wonder the nut base loves her so - she's one of them!

(Image: Daniel Kurtzman, About.com)

The Odd Couple

The cover story in the current Time magazine is worth reading. As we've read, (Vice) President The Dick tried over and over again to cajole his junior partner, Preznit Dumbya, into giving The Dick's loyal gopher, Irving "Scooter" Libby, a full pardon for his felonies. Dumbya said no, and The Dick remains extremely unhappy with Dumbya for not following his orders this time. The relationship between the two apparently soured over the second term, as The Dick's judgment in national security and foreign affairs turned out to be that of an angry 8 year-old and his dabbling in unconstitutional domestic projects started to bite Dumbya.

The article is based on unnamed sources close to Dumbya, so it's clear that he wants to start shifting the blame for his failed presidency off on The Dick's bad behavior, and to rescue whatever "legacy" he thinks he has. Good luck with that. The two worked as a team for most of the past eight years, one ying to the other's yang. Dumbya awoke too late to notice that his presidency was burning, and The Dick was holding the matches.

(photo: apologies to Beavis and Butthead)

Suggestion Box

1. To Rahmbo and Gibbsy: Whoever is prepping the President for his news conferences and interviews, please get him to shorten his answers and know when he's stepping on his lede. At last Wednesday's prime-time news conference, he held forth for 57 minutes, often giving essay-length answers to an audience with a 7-second attention span (5 seconds if we're talking just about the media). Then, as if to say "I can expound on every subject whether or not I know the facts," he blew whatever headline would have come out of the news conference by stepping into the Henry Louis Gates non-break-in story. Had he just stopped after saying, "I don't know all the facts, so I can't really comment," there would have been no 72 hours of media froofery effectively burying his push back on health care reform and the economy. Suggestion: Less is often more.

2. In re 1, above: Once you have stepped in it, please stop "recalibrating" your remarks, thereby continuing to step in it and prolong the froofery already taking over the media. For example, don't massage an earlier information-free response with more judgments and wordsmithing (eg., both sides "overreacted"). This keeps the wingnut wurlitzer humming along and its attendant "mainstream media" taking its cues from the likes of Drudge and Limpballs.
Suggestion: If you don't know when to shut up, at least don't add more nuances for the media birdbrains to peck at for 72 more hours.

3. Note to self: Increase bran in diet.

Thank you!

As Winky Rides Into The Sunset. . .

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll indicates that a majority of Americans have an unfavorable view of soon-to-be-former Alaska Gov. Winky You Betcha, with a wide majority doubting that she has leadership skills and policy knowledge for higher office. According to the poll, fifty-three percent view Winky unfavorably, 57 percent say that she does not grasp complex issues, and 54 percent say she is not a strong leader.

Given her antics during and since the campaign, and her weird resignation in the middle of her undistinguished term as Governor, we're frankly surprised the negative figures haven't gone much higher.