Friday’s mini-report

October 13, 2006

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* Grover Norquist? Crooked? You don’t say.

* In hoping to provide a defense against the Mark Foley scandal, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has said congressional Republicans didn’t investigate because they didn’t want to appear homophobic. Poor Orrin; that argument was so last week.

* Speaking of Foley, House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is becoming dangerously unhinged. If you see him in person, be careful not to look him directly in the eye or make any sudden movements.

* Air America Radio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. It’s disappointing, but AAR isn’t going away. From what I hear, investors are still in place and a business plan for the future offers at least some hope.

* I sometimes wonder if the Republican Party would simply close up shop forever if it weren’t for wanting tax cuts.

* The ad was completely insane the first time. It didn’t need to be copied.

* Since Fox News’ Chris Wallace responds to public demand to help shape which questions he’ll ask in an interview, here’s a good idea: encourage Wallace to ask Condi Rice about the attack on the USS Cole when she’s on his program this weekend.

* The president seems to have an inordinate fondness for the word “unacceptable.” It doesn’t actually mean anything, of course, but he sure likes to say it a lot.

* I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged to see New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) offer some support for gay marriage yesterday.

* The Wall Street Journal had a fascinating piece today (free link) about how people with different ideologies respond to the same events: “A growing number of studies offer clues as to how terrorism and other deadly events affect people’s voting decisions. The latest research shows that because such violent political acts are brutal reminders of death, they make conservatives, but not liberals, more hostile toward those perceived as different, and more supportive of extreme military policies, according to a study in April in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.”

* The WaPo tells us that Dems are getting personal in their ads. The WaPo neglects to mention that Dems are only returning the favor.

If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.

Orrin Hatch? Orrin Fucking HATCH doesn’t want to be seen as homophobic? If hypocrisy were fatal he’d be dead and I’d be dancing. Perhaps if we lock him in a room Boner…

  • The latest research shows that because such violent political acts are brutal reminders of death, they make conservatives, but not liberals, more hostile toward those perceived as different, and more supportive of extreme military policies, according to a study in April in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

    *mirthless laughter* we know, we know… |-(

  • Air America Radio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. It’s disappointing,

    That was a very bold effort. I hope they are rewarded eventually. I think their audience wasn’t too one that listened to talk radio much so they have an outreach job on their hands. Also Rush and them didn’t specifically try to start that big. Those monsters just grew over time and infiltrated established stations and dumbass audiences that were waiting. Internet radio might be AAR’s salvation. I hope.

  • Jeez, the Page Dorm is becoming the political equivalent of a San Francisco bathhouse. There needs to be a pol-on-page equivalent of the novel Candy by Terry Southern. “Oh Representative!”

    Kolbe and Foley will start their memoirs with, “Within these pages…”

  • Steve – Thanks for the great collection of Republican mental pathologies. Hatch, Boehner, Bush, the tax cut BS … calling them insane anymore doesn’t even scratch the surface.

  • More Usual Suspects (commenters) Websites:

    Last week I posted a list:
    http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/8684.html#comment-59861

    Well this blog is getting more and more of the respect it deserves in the blogosphere, so more suspects are showing up and contributing:

    Montag http://burnedoverdistrict.blogspot.com/
    Bruce http://underbelly-buce.blogspot.com/
    The Heretik http://theheretik.us/
    jhupp http://uniquelikeeverybody.blogspot.com/
    Davis X. Machina http://www.bushfish.org/
    Creature http://stateoftheday.com/
    Susan http://an-age-like-this.blogspot.com/
    Bartholomew http://blogs.salon.com/0003494/
    chrenson http://www.mediafrenzy.ws/
    Vermont http://peasantswithpitchforks.com/point
    Mr Furious http://misterfurious.blogspot.com/
    Lex http://www.lexalexander.net/

    Have a great weekend everyone.

  • Steve – Thanks for the great collection of Republican mental pathologies. Hatch, Boehner, Bush, the tax cut BS … calling them insane anymore doesn’t even scratch the surface.
    Comment by petorado

    Ditto Steve. You’re going to have to compile a DSMR IV – Republicans to show all their shades of crazy. Or at least a bestiary.

  • Given Republicans are the most “religious” and organized religion is nothing more than an attempt to convince the punters that they aren’t just going to end up in a hole in the ground, nothing in that study surprises me. Further proof if proof was necessary than not all members of the genus “homo” are “sapiens,” and that indeed most are “sap.”

  • “The latest research shows that because such violent political acts are brutal reminders of death, they make conservatives, but not liberals, more hostile toward those perceived as different,”

    Wonder why. Conservatives tend to be more religious than liberals, so “memento mori” should not be a problem; they *know* they’re going to heaven, and what’s to be afraid of there? It’s the godless liberals who should fear death (and, in extensio, anything that reminds them of death), on the off-chance that they’d been wrong and that hell awaits them with boiling pitch…

  • Benen:

    “Since Fox News’ Chris Wallace responds to public demand to help shape which questions he’ll ask in an interview, here’s a good idea: encourage Wallace to ask Condi Rice about the attack on the USS Cole when she’s on his program this weekend.”

    Snorting in my ale over here…

    You trying to see if Chris has a set of oysters?

    roflmao….

  • hell awaits them with boiling pitch…
    Comment by libra

    Republican hell is when polling’s a bitch.:-) Like now. It’s especially satisfying to see 6 and 10 term Repubs getting jabbed with the red tridents of bad polls.

    Throw their bums out.

  • http://www.electoral-vote.com/ has more good news, for now anyway.

    For key senate races, send money to McCaskill (Missouri), Menendez (New Jersey), Corker (Tennessee), and Webb (Virginia). Connecticut remains disappointing, but one can hope – a bit more republican discouragement could work wonders.

    Electoral-vote’s take on the House sounds hopeful, though still a nail-biter. Many candidates there are deserving of donations too.

  • Orrin Hatch: definitely not the sharpest tool in the Senate Shed, but maybe the biggest.

    As the SLTrib article noted, Hatch’s party has made lots o’ hay motivating its base with anti-gay marriage initiatives and related doomsday scenarios. They did not fear that these political tactics/positions would make them appear to be homophobic. No. But, get wind that one of your own, a holder of a safe seat in the political hot house that is Florida, is attempting to groom and prey upon Congressional pages and suddenly the gay sensibilities just magically kick in. Never mind that Foley’s advances on the pages is not about being “gay,” but is all about exploitation and power. His response is insulting on so many levels, but that’s Orrin Hatch for you.

  • “For key senate races, send money to McCaskill (Missouri), Menendez (New Jersey), Corker (Tennessee), and Webb (Virginia). ” — N.Wells, @ 12

    Aieeee! Not, NOT, “Corker in Tenn”!!! He’s the screw-up, and *Ford is the good guy*, despite the faint stench emanating from some members of his family… DO NOT send any money to Corker; Rethugs are already pumping millions into his race (doubtless, stroking their white sheets in the process).

    OTOH… Any time you wanna put a few bucks into our (I’m in VA) Jim Webb’s campaign, I’m sure every cent will be welcome. Even though — will miracles never cease — Webb’s campaign has about a third more than Allen’s at the moment. Talk about grass-roots support… 🙂

  • Watched some of today’s Sherrod Brown/Mike DeWine debate on CSPAN tonight. Started ROFL when DeWine accused Brown of a “pre-911 mentality” because Brown didn’t vote to listen in on terrorists’ phone calls. Typical repuke talking points. How stupid does he think we are?

    Thanks, DeWine, I needed a good laugh.

  • Oooooops. Libra, thanks for catching that. Memo to self: never try to elaborate a point while experiencing a momentary memory embolism. Ford in Tennessee.

    • Comments are closed.