My first impression of Mark Sanford still holds up.
The primary is today. He leads in the polls, as of yesterday.
Show business doesn’t seek out the freaks; it’s the freaks who seek out show business.
Original Sin: Why the GOP is and will continue to be the party of white people
It is not a coincidence that the resurgence of nullification is happening while our first African American president is in office …
We are left with the profound historical irony that the party of Lincoln—of the Gettysburg Address, with its reiteration of the Declaration’s assertion of equality and its vision of a “new birth of freedom”—has found sustenance in Lincoln’s principal intellectual and moral antagonist.
It has become the party of Calhoun.
(via ryanday)
Political realignment is about as complicated as a color wheel. You can lead a moron to history, but you can’t make him think. But I do feel this teabagger has a touch of the poet. Republiac ravists has a sort of late-90s beatsauce ring to it. I’m picturing an exxed-out Meaghan McCain with glowsticks and a ponytail.
So I enjoy our conversations from across the country, but then he sent me a picture: him sitting next to Cheney at a dinner. The way I see it, this puts me a degree away from the devil. Do I keep talking to him, or drop him because he's going to grow cloven hooves? Thanks in advance!
Etiquette refers to polite behavior. I think you’re talking about morality.
Frankly, I don’t know enough about your friendship. I’m not the political version of Dear Coke Talk — I’m not going to assume stuff. Is there an equal exchange of views between the two of you? Is he a completely unreconstructed Neocon? How tight is his cocoon? Have the events of the past 10 years had any impact on his politics? And if so, why is he still a Neocon? Does he budge in the face of a convincing argument? Or does his paycheck require that he adhere to a certain party line?
I guess what I’m asking is: Is he a hack? Is he working for one of the big ones or the smaller ones? All think tanks are not equal. There are 3 strands to American conservatism: the bible-thumpers, the money-grubbers and the war-mongers. If he’s at Christian Coalition or something, you might make some headway on social justice or the environment. And the libertarians over at Cato are fucking nuts, but at least you can smoke a joint with them after-hours. But if he’s at Heritage or (shudder) AEI, if he’s a true dyed-in-the-wool Neocon, then he’s in the heart of the beast. He’s in the intellectual nerve center of the 2nd Bush Presidency. And we’re not just talking about massive deregulation or a gutting of the social safety net. We’re talking about preemptive war and torture. And they just excommunicated the very last intellectually honest thinker they had.
I, myself, wouldn’t cut ties just yet. Shunning is for the Amish. But keep your North Star. You have a friend who consorts with, and advances the interests of, war criminals.
The Tea Party, the Republicans, and The One Ring
The Tea Partiers are a lot less irrelevant than I thought they were. They’re shaping up into the sort of force that defines the political landscape—if only through polarization. But it won’t end well for the Republicans.
I don’t blame the Republicans. We’re vulnerable when we’re feeling down. Maybe we’ve lost an election. Badly. Or maybe we’re scared and alone in the dark. Or maybe it’s our birthday and nobody thought to give us a present. If we happen to find something shiny and powerful when we’re crawling about in the mud, who can blame us if we try it on? It feels good to be powerful. And even if it spits out some vulgar and disturbing language when heated—we’re pretty sure we’re in control, right? It won’t change us.
Maybe we get a bit more aggressive. Maybe we stop trusting our friends. Maybe we get a bit too attached. Maybe we start getting uglier. And maybe we have trouble remembering where Smeagol ends and Gollum begins. And maybe we’re not sure who is in control anymore. We forget what we used to believe in. But the power feels good.
Don’t do it, Republicans. The Tea Party is not so … precious.
oh they are pissed. GOP.com redirects to this
And so it begins. Although I’m surprised they didn’t pick a more unflattering photo.
Major Major’s father was a sober God-fearing man whose idea of a good joke was to lie about his age. He was a longlimbed farmer, a God-fearing, freedom-loving, law-abiding rugged individualist who held that federal aid to anyone but farmers was creeping socialism. He advocated thrift and hard work and disapproved of loose women who turned him down. His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him well for every bushel of alfalfa he did not grow. The more alfalfa he did not grow, the more money the government gave him, and he spent every penny he didn’t earn on new land to increase the amount of alfalfa he did not produce. Major Major’s father worked without rest at not growing alfalfa. On long winter evenings he remained indoors and did not mend harness, and he sprang out of bed at the crack of noon every day just to make certain that the chores would not be done. He invested in land wisely and soon was not growing more alfalfa than any other man in the county. Neighbors sought him out for advice on all subjects, for he had made much money and was therefore wise. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” he counseled one and all, and everyone said, “Amen.
Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (via axinomancy)
