(0 comments)
I’ve said it again and again over the years, I really dislike Harry Reid. Now I’m just about at my wit’s end:
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else. If the Republicans are being sincere, they would help us pass this long overdue bill to help the first responders whose health and livelihoods have been devastated because of their bravery on 911, rather than continuing to block this much-needed legislation.Fuck you, Harry Reid. Fuck you and your cowardly, spineless leadership in the face of a reactionary conservative mob. America needs courageous, principled leaders; not mewling, accommodating hacks like you. Please do us all a favor and beat Sharon Angle — then immediately resign.
I often wonder when my anger is more justified: (1) when looking at the xenophobia and irrationality on the right, or (2) when looking at the defensiveness, spinelessness and lack of basic political acumen on the left. It’s hard to decide.
When you ask yourself why Republicans keep drumming up all sorts of fake poutrage over a limitless deluge of perceived offenses: IT WORKS — why should they stop?
Earlier: Harry Reid is a Cowardly, Weak-Kneed Tool
Why Harry Reid is a Tool, Part 3
Why I Think Harry Reid is a Tool
Leave a Reply
Fast Food
Official Gingrich-Cain 2012 response to Rick Santorum’s homophobia: “Rick, Rick, Rick. Don’t you know that the anti-gay bigotry only carries water if you have a few failed straight marriages under your belt?” Follow all their other words of wisdom here. (0 comments)Ron Paul Quote of the Week: Honest Rape
Here’s Grandpa Fustypants on rape and abortion:“If it’s an honest rape, that individual should go immediately to the emergency room, I would give them a shot of estrogen.”
via (4 comments)Unhinged vagina-shackler on Komen’s volte face:Cancer is Cancer! Aboration is Aboration!
(0 comments)Since it’s Mitt Romney week everywhere, I figured I’d post this op-ed by an ex-Mormon, which is a pretty interesting take at the institutional culture of the LDS church. Not much to say about it, but it’s definitely worth 5 or so minutes of your time. (0 comments)Why Bipartisanship Is Impossible, In One Sentence
When one party climbs back to power by promising action on the economy, does nothing on it, and instead spends literally all its time trying to hurt the other party. (0 comments)New From The Gingrich-Cain Front
Newt rants about cable movies he doesn’t like, and flips out when Herman tries to seize control. Catch all the fun here. And the main site is here, as always. (0 comments)Headline of the Week: Making Rapeanade
Leave it to TBogg:
(0 comments)Rick Santorum Suggests That When Life Gives You Rape, You Should Make Rapeanade Back when I was in junior high and the Clinton Impeachment was going on, I could hardly have imagined that Clinton would be used as an excuse for wrongdoing by Republican leaders. But that’s where we are. Interesting, isn’t it? (0 comments)Catch up with the official Gingrich-Cain “Great Statesmen” series over at @GingrichCain12. (0 comments)Only 65% of White Americans Have a Favorable Opinion of MLK Jr
…with a whimper. Drum is worth reading on this. I think he’s just got to be the most overhyped and overcovered guy who never managed better than third place since…Joe Lieberman? (0 comments)Mitt Romney's Overwhelming Inauthenticity
It’s amazing to me that Mitt Romney brings up France as a scary comparison point to himself so often when he spent years there and speaks the language. It’s such a minor point, but telling. Of all the people running for president, Mitt Romney has to be the most aware that the rightwing caricature of ... (0 comments)Mother Teresa Doesn't Deserve Sainthood
Case in point. It’s amazing how all the famous/respected Catholic figures from the 1990s have turned out to be incredibly corrupt, isn’t it? I’m sure they’re somehow connected. Of course, as I’m a Protestant I know little about such things. (1 comments)I Fixed It! Ban Sitting Politicians From Running For Another Office
Wonkette reminded me of one of the provisions that I want to write into my fantasy Constitution:No person who holds any elected office shall be permitted to seek election to any other office until he shall have permanently vacated his current post.
(2 comments)The Kardashians want their own magazine?
Unintentionally hilarious: “Bachmann, 55, told a small group of supporters Tuesday night that she was staying in the presidential race…”What other kind of group of Bachmann supporters could there be?(0 comments)Santorum Finishes #2, Sliding Down In The Final Minutes To Lose To Romney
DOWN THE VINE
Syndication
Couldn't have said it better. The problem is his role in the senate leadership, not his being a senator per se (and of course Angle is a nightmare). If the caucus was smart they'd have a serious leadership vote after the midterms even if he wins reelection. I know both Durbin and Schumer are anxious for a chance to lead and would be less likely to say something dumb and demoralizing on a weekly basis.
Howard Dean, former progressive darling and chairman of the Democratic party, has also come out against building this mosque. Are you going to make a fuck you post about him as well, or this just an excuse to pursue your vendetta against Harry Reid?
A recent poll found that New Yorkers (everyone in the state) oppose the mosque by a 63-27 margin, but defend the constitutional right to build it by a 64-28 margin. I don't know the Nevada figures, but they're very likely worse. So it makes perfect sense for Harry Reid to adopt a stance that is compatible with his constituents'.
I guess this difference between me and you is I don't expect politicians to be principled defenders of liberty or stake out unpopular views. Quite the contrary; I expect them to be illiberal and claim populist mandates for their statism, as is the case here.
I don't feel any particular "fuck you" towards Harry Reid, and find your repeated attempts to discredit him amusing at best.
I think a much more sensible approach is to direct these fuck yous towards politics and government in general, as it's chock full of Harry Reids. Your notion that it's not--that the Senate or the Democratic-controlled congress would somehow be better off if we could just replace Reid with fire-breathing progressive from a safe Democratic seat--is just silly. No one from a competitive state would go along with the policy positions of such a leader. Such a Senate leader would either rapidly become another Reid clone or be doomed to 30-70 legislative failures.
Wow, that's a pretty strident little comment there. Yes, my 'fuck you'also extends to Howard Dean and the rest of the idiots that havegotten swept up in this. I've pointed out how shitty Harry Reid isbecause he's quite an easy target but of course there are scores ofother horrid people in politics. I really don't get what you're allbent out of shape about.
p.s., if i'm reading you correctly, aren't you basically advocating political nihilism?
Not quite, but I'd say political nihilism makes more sense than repeatedly calling out an individual politician for engaging in the kind of unprincipled representational behavior that anyone who comes from a competitive district engages in.
don't think i can buy into the idea of "well, boys will be boys". if we just let craven assholes slide on the shit that they do because they're "from a competitive district [sic]", haven't they won the battle? isn't that what they want? for all of us people to just shut the fuck up and let them run the country? i still naively believe that calling out "unprincipled representational behavior" is a valuable public service
Much of the anti-Reid animus came from his bungling of the Senate health care bill process (i.e. letting Max Baucus dick him around months longer than they had originally agreed to; letting Lieberman go rogue after a compromise that Lieberman himself had suggested two months earlier failed to end his blackmail; Reid's near blanket refusal to pass the bill under budget reconciliation in order not to piss off Byrd, etc.). ultimately (weakened) bills were passed and laws signed so Reid is not a failure in my book, but the messy process is not nothing. And he has a tendency to say stupid things (nowhere in the league of Steele or Palin or Gingrich, but still dumb stuff). As much as I love Al Franken I agree he would not be a good majority leader, but as far as tacticians go, I think either Durbin or Schumer could do a better job than Reid. Otherwise, I agree that you won't get a more progressive senator from Nevada than Reid any day soon.
Wholeheartedly concur with dear Rupert.