You have to be careful when Bush does a Photo Op these days, because it almost always means he's about to piss off whomever he is pretending to pander to. In the past, he's done photo ops at hospitals, schools, head start programs, no child left behind programs and so on, and each time, within a week, the administration quietly announces some deep cut or elimination of the program. And they totally get away with it because the so-called-liberal media never gives him a hard time for it.
Well, now he's doing it with Martin Luther King. He visits the grave of MLK and then, the very next day (of course, Friday, the day when all bad news goes to get buried), he appoints an unrepentant segregationist, Charles Pickering, to the federal judiciary. I mean, this guy is a real piece of work, and if you don't believe me, check out his record. He's opposed by basically everyone except the lowest right-wing slugs on the evolutionary food chain. I'm sure my nutball trolls love him ... anything to fuck over those minorities, who are taking over with all their special rights and affirmative action, eh?.
Oh, and guess what else? He's a perjurer! Yes, I know, I know, now that Clinton isn't in office, perjury is officially No Big Deal. I mean, I remember when Clinton lied under oath, and it was the END OF THE FUCKING WORLD. I guess the whole lying under oath thing doesn't matter know. You know, rule of law and all that is a nice dog-and-pony show for the rubes, but when it comes to good ol' boy conservatives, hey, everybody does it! What's the big deal?
This guy's record should be front page, boldface, and his picture needs to be right next to Bush for a while so people can see just what Bush stands for. Will it? Or will some Democrat get slimed by association with some shady character? I'll just wait for the next time it happens. Shouldn't be long. They'll have Howard Dean's picture side by side with some scumbag wife-beater (a link currently working its way up the conservative troll food chain, soon to be in the mainstream media, just like Bush the First did with Willie Horton and Dukakis -- oops, too late, thanks to liberal media bastion ABC for dredging up this smear). Then I'll ask, hmm, why isn't the more direct, relevant and correct association of Bush and Pickering being talked about? But then, you already know the answer: it isn't in the interests of the corporate media to bring down Bush with negativity.
Speaking of associations, Dennis Miller recently made a fool of himself, complaining about how liberals are equating Bush with Hitler. That's because of the MoveOn.org commercial contest (really quite a good bunch of finalists, you should check it out), in which a couple of entries made that Hitler-Bush link (the entries, which were not edited or controlled by MoveOn in any way, were pulled from the contest because many liberals have a sense of decency and good taste). But oh those poor sensitive, quivering-lip conservatives: "Pwease mommy, hide us fwom those mean owe wibewas who use nasty Nazi wangwage and make us cwy." Give me a fucking break.
As Atrios has pointed out, Dennis Miller himself made comparisons between New Gingrinch and the Nazis in the mid-90's! Not to mention that hundreds-per-day rate by conservative trolls of equating liberals of all kinds with Nazis. Don't believe me? Try doing a google search on "Hitlery" or "Feminazi" or just visit a conservative chat board. Go ahead, try it.
Well, maybe conservatives shouldn't try it. They might get their purty little eyes all offended by the horrible language and Nazi references of ... well ... their fellow conservatives.
Posted by Observer at January 17, 2004 08:04 AMComments on entries can only be made in pop-up windows while those entries are still on the main index page. Sorry for the inconvenience this causes, but this blocks about 99.99% of the spam the blog receives.
Wait a second... When Pickering lied, noone died.. That makes it OK, right?
:)
The trouble with politics is there is no high ground to stand on, the "a pox on both your houses" school is actually correct.
Posted by: Humbaba on January 17, 2004 09:39 AMActually, Pickering was associated with a White Citizens' Council back in the 50's. He was a racist and a segregationist, and they did some nasty stuff back then. Read your history.
As for "pox on both your houses", if you want to assert a moral equivalence between lying about a blowjob and lying about war (or lying about your segregationist beliefs when you plan to practice them from the federal bench), then you go right ahead. As I've said before, there are little lies and there are big lies.
Bush lies about the big stuff. All the time.
And conservatives do *not* subscribe to the "pox on both your houses" because they give Bush, Pickering, Cheney, et al a free pass. As does the media.
Posted by: Observer on January 17, 2004 04:18 PMI wasn't talking about conservatives subscribing to a pox on both your houses, why would they pox their own house?
I was talking about those disenfranchised like myself.
Posted by: Humbaba on January 18, 2004 12:13 PMThe original quote being from Mercutio, neither a Montague nor a Capulet.
Posted by: Polerand on January 18, 2004 01:13 PMYou can only do the "pox on both houses" thing if you find a moral equivalence between all kinds of lies on issues of various levels of significance. I'm sorry, but the world just isn't that simple. Some lies are worse than others, a LOT worse.
If you think lying about a blowjob is worse and therefore all Democrats are horrible, then by all means, re-elect Bush. You'll get what you deserve (unfortunately, I will get it, too, if my guy loses).
If you think lying about war, the economy, tax policy, national security, etc. is worse, then you need to get Bush out of office, even if it means replacing him with a guy who is kind of icky (but at least he won't lie about the big stuff). Keep in mind, too, that even if a Democrat is elected, he'll be hamstrung by the Republican Congress (all but guaranteed now that redistricting has passed all the hurdles in Texas and Colorado).
Given the disastrous direction of all the new policies we've had lately, I'd be fine with going back to paralysis. Actually, I'd be better if essentially nothing new had been done since the Clinton years, during which we hummed along just fine.
Now we're back to record-breaking deficits, deeply stupid wars, big jumps in taxes for poor people (in the form of higher fees, state and local taxes and far fewer services to make up for budget cuts ... and remember, there was no cut in the payroll tax, only the income tax). Indeed, our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is over.
Posted by: Observer on January 18, 2004 06:56 PM