“Tom DeLay is the king of congressional influence-money. In DeLay’s world, the operating rule is you have to pay to play.” Democracy 21 takes a comprehensive look at the Exterminator’s money machine, and it ain’t pretty.
Tag: Republicans
The Freefall continues.
“The president’s approval rating fell to 59%, its lowest level since March…Democrats had a 17-point advantage, 53%-36%, when poll respondents were asked which party would do a better job handling the economy. In January, the GOP had a 43%-42% edge.“
Delusions of Grandeur.
Running about a month behind the meme, the LA Times offers up yet another story on presumed GOP dominance in 2004. You’d think recent events would start to mitigate this type of wishful thinking.
It’s getting ugly.
District police are forced to break up a House party on the Hill, after Republicans and Democrats almost come to blows over a pension bill. It’s not exactly Lyon v. Griswold or Brooks v. Sumner, but it is a sad reflection of the loss of civility occasioned by Newt Gingrich and Tom De Lay’s exterminator politics. You didn’t see this type of thing happening in the Tip O’ Neill era.
Untruth and Consequences.
Try as they might to contain it, Dubya’s role in the Iraq-Niger component of Weaponsgate continues to leak under scrutiny. Worse still for the White House, many irate columnists are examining the larger pattern of deceit that has characterized this administration. Whatsmore, the I-word is now getting thrown around. How, I wonder, will the Bushies manage to lie their way out of this one?
American Mullah.
“We ask for miracles in regard to the Supreme Court…One justice is 83-years-old, another has cancer and another has a heart condition. Would it not be possible for God to put it in the minds of these three judges that the time has come to retire?” Pat Robertson calls on God to put a hit out on three Supreme Court justices following Lawrence v. Texas. Well, while we’re praying for people’s “removal”…
Once and Future King.
Amid all the prophesying about a coming era of Republican dominance, Chris Suellentrop of Slate remembers that we’ve heard this all before.
Dominance without Hegemony.
The Washington Post offers yet another story on the GOP belief in their upcoming electoral dominance. (It is counterpoised with an article on the lost and wayward Dems.) Didn’t we hear all this before, after the 1994 midterms? What goes around comes around, and while Dubya’s support may be a mile wide, it’s also an inch deep, particularly when you consider that 3 out of 4 Americans didn’t vote for him in 2000. Whether it be Weaponsgate, corporate malfeasance, handouts to the rich, intemperate buffoons, or, much more likely, just the simple fact of the Dubya dip, the GOP is strutting about on feet of clay.
When you give a banquet, invite the poor (Luke 14:13)
“I have to ask though, why do Republicans hate the word of God?,” queries Mega of Triptych Cryptic as he points the way to some biblical passages apparently not included in Dubya’s daily bible study. Not on this list but equally valid in appraising the Bushies’ selective Christianity: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25) Now there’s one you don’t hear very often from the likes of The 700 Club.
War between the States.
“Bipartisanship is another name for date rape.” Ah, the wit and wisdom of a GOP flak…On what planet would that not be offensive? Republican strategist Grover Norquist also revels in the increasing acrimony within state legislatures. “We are trying to change the tones in the state capitals – and turn them toward bitter nastiness and partisanship.” I guess he’s a divider, not a uniter. (Via Medley.)