The War At Home

Obviously, not all (or even most) conservatives are violent, murderous lunatics. However, imagine for just one second what the Right Wing Howler Monkey Media Chorus would've done if this attack had been a Muslim (or an atheist or even just someone non-religious) going after a conservative church because of their politics. We'd be getting wall-to-wall coverage. And what are we to make of the constant barrage of violent rhetoric from the RWHMMC? Can we seriously doubt it was a contributing factor?

And So It Begins...

From the Right Wing Howler Monkey Media Chorus that brought you "Aaaiieee!! It's Barack Obama's Scary Black Preacher Who Is Black and Racist and Hates America!" it's "Michelle Obama: Traitor or America-Hater?" The Republicans HAVE to make the campaign about Barack Obama being a Muslim, a communist a homosexual or possibly all three and French to boot, because if it's about the issues, they're toast.

UPDATE: Peggy Noonan (of all people) writes the GOP's obituary. I have to say, "butts in the butter" is one of the better faux home-spun analogies I've read this year.

UPDATE 2: Mike Huckabee is an asshole. Film at eleven.

UPDATE 3: And Cong. Tom Davis is an idiot.

UPDATE 4: And Michael Medved is a moron of cosmic proportions. Also, a racist, pandering tool.

Legends of the Fall

Some musings on a McCain vs. Obama line-up in November, including some worrisome poll-numbers that show McCain ahead on every issue but healthcare and with a slight (within the margin-of-error) lead overall. Part of this clearly has to do with the "experience" meme and it lines up with how the general election will go; McCain will flog experience over and over and over and tut-tut about how Young Barack doesn't understand "the Real World" (though to his credit, Obama seems to be pretty quick on the draw at pushing back). Meanwhile, under the radar, the RWHMMC will be screeching that Barack is a "mooslum," a commie, a Nazi or all three simultaneously (aided and abetted by Your Liberal Media), and below that will be the less thinly-veiled racism. I need to see less silliness from the Obama Campaign about carrying Kansas and other delusions and more confirmation that they realize this, like 2000 and 2004, will be a tough, brutal campaign, probably very close, and that they understand just how tough McCain will be to beat.

Decisions, Decisions

Not ashamed to admit that I am having a great deal of trouble deciding between Hillary and Obama. Hillary's bonuses in my mind are that she comes pre-attacked by the Right Wing Howler Monkey Media Chorus (what else could they accuse her of? Eating babies?) and she knows exactly how brutal, vicious and unscupulous they can be. Her negatives are that she is basically Bill without the charm or the politicul acumen. There might even be something to the suggestion that she is so loathed by the Right Wing that their turnout will increase in Pavlovian response (something like a Four Minute Hate). Obama's main positive is that he inspires people. A lot. In a battle for turnout (which John Kerry spectacularly lost in 2004), a dynamic candidate can make all the difference. And he seems well plugged-in to both money and people. He even has an office, with a staffer, here in Cleburne, of all places in the universe. On the downside, he strikes me as naive, both about the brutal realities of governing and about the buzzsaw he'll be wading into. His only campaigns so far have been in comfortably Blue Illinois, where he faced such electoral juggernauts as Alan Keyes. Already, the Howler Monkeys have gone from claiming he is a Muslim Manchurian Candidate to speculating that his parents must have been commies, because that's where all mixed-race couples met back then. Seriously. The McCain campaign, fortunately, is being advised to attack Obama essentially by screaming "liberal!" and running away. That, plus the fact that McCain is about as far off beam in terms of the public mood (both for foreign and domestic policy) as possible can only help whoever gets the nod. I just wish I could be more assured that Obama can both take it and dish it out. This campaign is going to be the nastiest (and most expensive) in recent memory; I want the leader of my party ready for it.

Maverick, Shmaverick!

John McCain, already acting like a Republican presidential nominee, abandons his last remaining moral principle and votes against a ban on the use of the "waterboarding" torture procedure. Maybe this will make the Right Wing Howler Monkey Media Chorus happy.

Last Legs?

I generally agree with this post from the Great and Powerful Kos; although, even assuming she carries Ohio and Texas, the Clinton campaign has some serious image problems that could dog her in the fall, namely the image that Obama is running circles around her, that she's the past and he's the future, etc. etc. It looks as though an endorsement by John Edwards is imminent, and that should help some; if nothing else it could reassure nervous superdelegates and party bosses. Not sure I agree with Paul Krugman that Obamania is approaching Kim Jong Il levels of personality cultism, nor do I think this primary battle is really as nasty (from a historical perspective) as he suggests, given the large numbers of Democrats who say they'd be happy with either nominee. Bottom line? Democrats need to get a candidate, and fast. The wind may be at our backs, but McCain is no pushover and I would be astonished if the Right Wing Howler Monkey Media Chorus doesn't rev itself up to full volume against whoever ends up leading the party into battle.

Signs & Portents

Mitt is out, but the Right still doesn't trust McCain (and the Hard Right despises him), Democrats are still hugely outpolling and outvoting Republicans, once-reliable conservative voices are predicting a 1980-style "sea change" Blue Tide in November, and the Howler Monkeys are reduced to whistling past the graveyard in hoping Hillary gets the nomination.

Super Duper Tuesday After Action Report

1. The Huck strikes back. The conventional wisdom was that Huck would drain conservative votes from Romney; turns out it was the other way around. Not sure it's enough to make any difference at this point;
2. And do we really want the Huck for Veep? Is the chance that he will make it somewhat easier for the Democrats offset by the danger if McCain/Huck wins?
3. The underreported story-Democratic primary turnout is shattering records;
4. And despite Conservative wishful thinking about a "divided party," Democratic voters seem overwhelmingly supportive of either Clinton or Obama getting the nod;
5. Meanwhile, McCain gets a head start on breaking campaign promises by blowing off a vote on the economic stimulus package he had repeatedly pledged to support;
6. And Dobson asks for a million pledges not to vote for McCain, but does anyone really care what he (or any of the other Howler Monkeys) says anymore? Assuming anyone ever did?

Red Oyster Cult

An interesting piece from Crooks and Liars about how "conservatism" seems to be morphing into a bizarre cult of personality around George W. Bush, and as a result a growing rift is forming on the Right. As far back as the 1980's, I noticed that "conservative" seemed to mean "whatever Reagan was for," and the trend has only gotten worse with the ascendence of the Right-Wing Howler Monkey brigades to endlessly screech the party line on the internet, radio and television. I honestly think if Bush went on television tomorrow to announce that he was nationalizing the means of production and forming a dictatorship of the proletariat, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Coulter and the rest would rush to their microphones to describe his actions as "conservative" and "patriotic." Except, of course, for the Last True Republican, Bull Moose.