1 We cannot allow "scandal burnout".  Through Congress and the courts each issue must be segregated and investigated to the fullest.

2 Like fuck it dosen't reform the tax code. This scandal is taylor made for tax reform.

3 THREE WORDS: BEA. ARTHUR. NAKED.

4 Dan Foster Types don't write those kinds of headlines

5

Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a malignant traitor.

6 Progressive-socialists just know they have better ideas.  The smug do-gooder from Hell they are.  And they have to prove how superior they are at every turn and utterance.

7 politics is essentially dumb and played out between the groin and the top the of the ribcage But, mostly the groin. Or, rather, my groin.

8 Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that the establishmentarians on the right are actually in bed with the leftists?

9 Bea Arthur? OUTSTANDING!

10
speaking of scandals...

they're dwindling, rapidly

We began the week with Gosnell, AP taps/leaks, Benghazi, and IRS scandals.

Gosnell scandal has already evaporated, and the IRS scandal is almost out of the news cycle completely.

Next to disappear without a trace is the AP scandal.

11 We cannot allow "scandal burnout". Through Congress and the courts each issue must be segregated and investigated to the fullest.

Posted by: Prescient11 at May 16, 2013 05:18 PM (tVTLU)

We need to hope and pray that the Repubs have at least the attention span of gnats so that they don't get distracted as usual.

Oh look, a Republican candidate misquoted a phrase from the Bible bring out the circular firing squad(s).

12 Maybe it will help open the eyes of some of the Everyone loves to hate the IRS.... Plus I want a little pay back for all the crap they did to Bush. Remember Alberto Gonzalez? Abu Graib? Scooter Libby?

13

The article isn't all that bad. In fact, if you read it, you'll generally agree with

 

Perhaps, but the title isn't just concern-trolling; in this case, it's wrong, too.

 

Scandal may not be policy, but promising to "clean house" certainly is.  Running on an agenda of "The Government is obviously too big, too massive, and it must be cut down to size" is an agenda- and it's one I think more Amercians are open to now than they were two weeks ago.

14

Sorry a bit OT, but this is 5 minutes old from Boston Herald:

 

The seven people who were allegedly trespassing at the Quabbin ­Reservoir in Ware early Tuesday are not tied to any other criminal activity, State Police said today.

 

How in the world can they know that?  And neither were the Boston bombers.  IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! 

 

They wanted to look at the reservoir these people said.  Can you even see anything at the dead of night?  Which is when they were there.

 

Anyone familiar with this structure?

15 12 Maybe it will help open the eyes of some of the Everyone loves to hate the IRS.... Plus I want a little pay back for all the crap they did to Bush. Remember Alberto Gonzalez? Abu Graib? Scooter Libby? Posted by: hello, it's me Donna at May 16, 2013 05:21 PM (9+ccr) Sorry left out LoFos...

16 Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:20 PM


You. Sick. Fuck.


Did you tweet that?

17 Donna, with McCain and Boehner as "leaders" and Rove as an "advisor", I would not hold my breath waiting for the joy of payback

18 The only thing preventing any kind of real investigation is John Boehner. Aside from the snark about his kid's wedding and what-not, Benghazi is as prime a candidate for a select committee as anything else in US history. And yet, and yet...

19 At the time, it seemed to me that the lost house seats in 98 (and 96) were a repudiation of Newt's failures.

20 16 Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:20 PM You. Sick. Fuck. Did you tweet that? Posted by: fluffy at May 16, 2013 05:23 PM (z9HTb) See the sidebar...

21

I don't know, I kind of think the headline is perfect.  Like you said, the GOP politicians are pretty stupid, in fact.  And people are so caught up in the scandal, and have such a strong contempt for Obama and his despicable Chicago-style politics, that the scandals *are* the entire focus. 

I agree with you that they should be the impetus behind and given political push at this moment, but: what exactly is the political push? 

For example, I have not heard a single Republican talk about the IRS scandal and bridge into how this shows that the IRS should be abolished.  Or even that we need broad tax reform. 

22

Hrothgar:

 

Absolutely right.  Thorough, not jumping to conclusions.  But these are real scandals.

 

The lesson that the dweebs at fucking NRO don't seem to understand, is that most Americans don't give a shit if Clinton was stepping out on his wife.  Who doesn't want some side action now and then.

 

But 4 dead Americans and sending no help and not picking up the phone.  IRS targeting people.

 

Yeah, that's a big fucking deal and that is not excusable.  That is pure abuse of power, not a moral failure.  Americans forgive the latter.  The former somebody needs to pay for.

23 If we let these scandals go, we don't have governance anymore, we have "rulers" whose will becomes power absent any enforceable limits. It's not *just* that I don't want to live in that place, I *can't* live in that place. It will kill me, literally, in one of several ways. It's an existential threat, if you will. You don't want to end up in the ditch? Hit the fucking brakes. Get control of the damned steering wheel. Because right now, the foot is on the gas and the hands are over the eyes, at least for most people. Long past sick of the "it'll be okay" crowd. No, no it really won't.

24 Republicans are stupid.  But they're held to a higher standard.  The media uses it against them along with Democrats.

Democrats are stupid too.  They just don't care about it and their constituents applaud them for it.  The media covers for them, so they're all good.

25

and the IRS scandal is almost out of the news cycle completely.

 

I don't think so.  I could be wrong, but I do not think we've heard the last of that one.  People are generally not accepting the "tendering his resignation" thing from fall-guys.  They (including the Media) seem to know that the designated fall-guys either a) weren't actually responsible (Miller wasn't in that position when the events began) or b) couldn't have done it without someone higher approving (this new guy who's resigning).

 

This goes up to cabinet level at least, and pretty well everyone knows it.

26
BEA.

ARTHUR.

NAKED.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:20 PM (+98Gb)

I saw the painting.......um......uh.......yeah......uh....

27 I nominate Chelsea Clinton for Ambassodor of Benghazi. Security? Nor a problem now is it?

28 Algore thought that Clinton's scandal du jour was enough to hurt him in 2000 and kept him away from his campaign

There were some exit polls that indicated that voters wanted a break from the constant Clinton drama

29 12 Maybe it will help open the eyes of some of the Everyone loves to hate the IRS.... Plus I want a little pay back for all the crap they did to Bush. Remember Alberto Gonzalez? Abu Graib? Scooter Libby? Posted by: hello, it's me Donna at May 16, 2013 05:21 PM (9+ccr) Justice for 4 dead Americans as well as people like us who have suffered actual political persecution is first and foremost.

30 Serious you guys are unfamiliar with the work of John Currin?

http://is.gd/cnhu7G

31

Hell...even Shep Smith was pissed off today.

 

Not just pissed. Outraged.

He was outraged at Barky, for dodging the question about "Did he know?"

 

When even Sheppie is outraged...this thing is not going away any time soon.

 

32 After all the Democrats' talk about how requiring voter ID was an assault on democracy, it's ridiculous to speak of the IRS' persecution of Obama's opponents during the election cycle as a mere scandal or distraction. The machinery of government must be ground to a halt until all the facts are known and the wrongdoers are punished, including the President. Empty promises to "fix" the agency after a stolen election are not enough.

33 26 Posted by: © Sponge at May 16, 2013 05:25 PM (xmcEQ) Saggy and somewhat reminiscent of that old granny from the classic Playboy cartoons. Still, he gave Be a some nice aureolas.

34 Abolish the IRS. Abolish the direct taxation of citizens by the federal government. States are responsible for collecting ALL tax revenue in a manner they see fit and consistent with their state constitutions. The States fund the Federal government directly thereby restoring the principles of the 10th amendment and instituting State authority over the Federal government's budget. Who's with me?

35 25 and the IRS scandal is almost out of the news cycle completely. I don't think so. I could be wrong, but I do not think we've heard the last of that one. People are generally not accepting the "tendering his resignation" thing from fall-guys. They (including the Media) seem to know that the designated fall-guys either a) weren't actually responsible (Miller wasn't in that position when the events began) or b) couldn't have done it without someone higher approving (this new guy who's resigning). This goes up to cabinet level at least, and pretty well everyone knows it. --- The fact that they've progressed from "low-level agents" to two consecutive days of top officials "resigning" within a week tells me it is getting traction. I think the media getting butthurt over the phone log story has helped move this along, as they don't like it when their guy turns on them.

36 Let me guess, NR wants us to focus on important stuff like amnesty, and wine and cheese combinations.

37

Merovign,

 

Agreed 100%.  But the nerds at NRO don't understand.  They have it all fucking wrong.  Americans didn't really like the GOP going full tilt against Clinton for fucking an intern.

 

These scandals are entirely different.  And, if Americans know about this shit, the damage to the dems will be significant.

38
How the IRS scandal is unfolding is quite intriguing. The employees who actually did the illegal targeting will not lose their jobs, but a supervisor and a temporary acting commissioner take the axe.

39

Run on CLEANING UP GOVERNMENT

 

40

The States fund the Federal government directly thereby restoring the principles of the 10th amendment and instituting State authority over the Federal government's budget.

 

Why that's just crazy talk.

41

Wheatie:

 

hahahaha.  Shep is one weird fucking dude.  He looks like a cross between a groundhog and a mole or something.

42 Maybe we need fewer policy wonks and more integrity wonks.

43 I think the Bea Arthur painting was airbrushed a bit.

As for scandal not being policy, that may be true, but I can't say I've ever had a policy induced boner or bought pudding because of wonkish policy either.

Seeing the scalps of your enemies nailed to walls?  Fapworthy.  Every freaking time baby.  Every time.

44 So, is NRO passing along the message from the RNC and the Rovians that Benghazi and the IRS scandals are another hill they're not willing to die on?

I'm betting they're planning to run with "Immigration Reform; Hispanics Are Natural Conservatives Who Want to Love Us!"

45 "You cannot trust them is a very effective campaign theme, and has won more elections than any policy-based theme. Obama just ran on this theme in 2012." Are you kidding me? The Dems have been killing the Reps since 2006 on that and that alone.

46 38 How the IRS scandal is unfolding is quite intriguing. The employees who actually did the illegal targeting will not lose their jobs, but a supervisor and a temporary acting commissioner take the axe. --- It's unfolding this way because no one believed for a second that the peons in the Cincy office were going to do this en masse without orders from above.

47 Saggy and somewhat reminiscent of that old granny from the classic Playboy cartoons.

Still, he gave Be a some nice aureolas.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:27 PM (+98Gb)

Agreed.  I was wondering if that was a rendering or artist interpretation, cuz....a few beers...a bottle of Jack.....maybe?

48 Interesting little article. Maybe it should be run by all the Rhinos we expect leadership and governance not living off scandal and being the party of no. Come up with some ideas and run on them.

49 "Gosnell scandal has already evaporated" Not so fast. The Lt. Gov in Texas ia pressing for an investigation into the abortionist here whose nurses allege twisted the necks off babies born alive after abortion.

50 Republicans are more likely to win with scandal than agenda. you'll get more people to run from a scandalous corrupt failed democratic regime than you will get people flocking to Republicans in the name of tax reform or easing regulatory burdens. in this day and age its the sizzle you have to sell, and scandal is sizzling baby.

51 What does hero Rick Tempest want us to focus on?

52 The employees who actually did the illegal targeting will not lose their jobs

The drones need to be fired too to serve as examples of what happens when you act on illegal orders.

53 Americans didn't really like the GOP going full tilt against Clinton for fucking an intern. Posted by: Prescient11 at May 16, 2013 05:28 PM (tVTLU) Suborning fucking perjury. I wish people would stop fighting Clinton's PR battles for him, it's been fifteen years for the love of God. If you accept their false narratives, they win.

54
okay, but why aren't the peons from the Cincinnatti office being vetted?

55 [[34 Abolish the IRS. Abolish the direct taxation of citizens by the federal government. States are responsible for collecting ALL tax revenue in a manner they see fit and consistent with their state constitutions. The States fund the Federal government directly thereby restoring the principles of the 10th amendment and instituting State authority over the Federal government's budget. ]] Ace, this is a policy response to scandal. You should hoist the flag on this and get Rand conservatives to start at least thinking in this direction. I heard somewhere that you never let a crisis go to waste. How about it?

56 Everyone hates the IRS. They want public hanging. I posted an article on FB about it with the comment " scary stuff"  and a total libtard ex added a like and she is a two time Obarky voter

57 20 See the sidebar...   --------   Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

 

58 "THREE WORDS: BEA. ARTHUR. NAKED. " Her nipples are all wrong, so either her nips floated around after years of stretching, or the painter couldn't get them right, or they've always been that way...kind of like Next Door Nikki ya know? She's always doing shoots with her shirt on, but sometimes she's got something see through on and you can see her nipples are all cockeyed. Wait, I think I've said too much.

59

But I don't think policy is as important as policy wonks think it is...

 

 

Ramesh Ponnuru hardest hit.

60 57 Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. Posted by: Assault Citizen Anachronda at May 16, 2013 05:32 PM (xGZ+b) If you squint, it resembles a Modlgliani rendition of Jennifer Aniston at age 50...

61 NR: "Scandal Is Not an Agenda" I'm sure the Democrats in 1974 were similarly castigated.

62

Posted by: Misanthropic humanitarian at May 16, 2013 05:30 PM (HVff2)

 

I think Republicans could get far on running against scandal and as the party of "No." But they have to make those positions into their agenda.

 

NO to ObamaCare and a Tax for simply being alive.

NO to leaving our Ambassador out to dry.

NO to using the agencies of Government to coerce, intimidate,and silence opposition.

63

52 The employees who actually did the illegal targeting will not lose their jobs

 

The drones need to be fired too to serve as examples of what happens when you act on illegal orders.
 

 

---------

 

And prosecuted, too.

They will sing like canaries, about 'Who' told them to do it.

 

It's the only way to find out how high up this went.

 

64 How about a recognition that "The Government is not to be trusted" is, in point of fact, a profound policy position itself?


Look, I agree that an optimal response is to pound away at ScandalGate and to advance policy positions on other matters as well.   But given that Our Betters have yet to demonstrate an ability to chew gum, let alone walk while doing so, how about we focus on the fundamental attacks on the structure of the American republican form of governance first?   M'kay?

65 The administration takes 5 degrees of separation seriously.  Not only are they employing the sibs of various network heads but found this yesterday:

"West is married to Maya Harris, currently Vice President of the Ford Foundation in New York City. His sister-in-law is current Attorney General of California Kamala Harris"  http://tinyurl.com/bja6zq5

Tony West  http://tinyurl.com/aq63s2k
"President Obama gets heat for saying Kamala Harris is 'best looking attorney general,' while First Lady accidentally calls herself a 'single mother'"http://tinyurl.com/cx2n3gv

66 They left of the word "necessarily". Certainly you can have a scandal with an agenda, or certainly an agenda can cause scandal. However, these are also relationships they have blithely ignored: 1) requiring photo IDs is not necessarily "voter suppression", 2) a recession is not necessarily a judgment on the whole Free Market system, criticizing a president of another race is not necessarily racisim, an inquest into a fatal incident by the opposite party is not necessarily "just a witchhunt". If they kept better guard on their own conclusions, I might be inclined to do more than acknowledge their trivial stipulation.

67 58 Wait, I think I've said too much. Posted by: Burn the Witch at May 16, 2013 05:32 PM (NcPjb) Right on, Maude!

68 NR: "Scandal Is Not an Agenda" Thereby pointing out the least of our fears about the GOP's actions.

69 67 Posted by: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, at May 16, 2013 05:35 PM (/b8+5) So, does Kamala Harris have Kamala-toe?

70

Better headline...."The Agenda IS The Scandal"

 

71 >>I've got nothing against NR -- or not much, anyway<<

Well...it's nice to see that you don't hold it against them for being a passel of hypocritical white whities

72 OT: Dick Trickle dead. Apparent suicide?

73 Scandal is not an agenda, and the Republican party is not running on ReggieGate (although...). But to belittle all of the Obama administration's egregious politically and ideologically-motivated misconduct as "scandal" is surely a mistake.

74

Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD. Take us away. at May 16, 2013 05:35 PM (Gk3SS)

 

What does it say that a blog with people who do other things for a living can see this -and be pretty sure it would work- and our supposed "betters" in the Republican Party can't?

75 The summer of 2014 is a long way off.  I cringe when I think about what might be happening in this country by then.  These scandels will have long since been forgotten and replaced with crisis.  It's how the dems and MFM roll.

76 Our side doesn't do scandal well. If Rand Paul promised to hatef*ck Harry Reid if elected, he'd be a lock for the 18-24 vote in 2016. Roger Stone, call your office.

77 The name finally got to him...

78 That Bea Arthur painting needed more veins.

79

Republicans are more likely to win with scandal than agenda. you'll get more people to run from a scandalous corrupt failed democratic regime than you will get people flocking to Republicans in the name of tax reform or easing regulatory burdens. in this day and age its the sizzle you have to sell, and scandal is sizzling baby.

 

Which reminds me....I like my political platforms the same way I like my steak and my women.

 

Lean and hot on the outside and pink in the middle.

80 82 That Bea Arthur painting needed more veins. Posted by: Burn the Witch at May 16, 2013 05:39 PM (NcPjb) Varicose nipples? Feh....

81

Dick Trickle dead

 

 

Let's not be hasty.  Sometimes people get better.

 

82 You want to stop this shit? The IRS, the EPA, all the vast overreaches? TERM. LIMITS. AND limit the amount of time one can be employed by the federal govt. Seriously, massive, constant turnover. Get these fuckers out.

83

A sex scandal like Bill Clinton's maybe doesn't lend itself to a positive Republican agenda.   OK, I get that.   But these particular Obama scandals do.   In fact, they crystallize what should be our agenda:

 

1. Obamacare should be repealed because the IRS cannot be trusted to enforce it even-handedly, given what we've learned in the IRS scandal.

 

2. Big government needs to be rolled back because government bureaucrats cannot be trusted with that much power, as we've learned in the AP wiretapping scandal.

 

3. America needs to be take off the rose-colored glasses when it comes to the "Arab Spring," and be more conscious of protecting our citizens and diplomats from jihadists, as we learned in the Benghazi scandal.

 

Etc.

84

85 Voter ID causes supression?  HOW?!?

Identification (ID) card            
Age 59 and younger: new     $16     Expires after six years (on your birthday)
Age 59 and younger: renewal     $16     Expires six years after previous expiration date
 
Age 60 and older: new or renewal     $6     Never expires
Replacement ID card     $11     Current expiration date does not change
Replace a lost, stolen, or damaged ID card            
Change address or name            
Limited term ID card
For temporary visitors to the U.S.     $16     Expires when period of lawful presence expires, or in one year if lawful presence period is “duration of status”
ID card for individuals registered under Chapter 62, CCP
New or renewal     $21     Expires one year after previous expiration date


Yeah NOBODY can afford THAT.  NOBODY.

86 How the hell did I activate the Italians?

87 Bah...I'm already in there.

88

Posted by: Lurking Canuck at May 16, 2013 05:39 PM (ZRmWD)

 

Barrel.

89 Or......."The Agenda Is a Scandal Generator"

90 Lookit, I don't know why the press has suddenly turned on Dear Leader.  I'm sure there's either a horrible endgame in mind or he's just getting a couple days of light swatting for bugging the AP.

But when I checked my email, its prog news service was scrolling a story about his presser... anchored by the Marine umbrella-holding picture everybody's talking about instead. 

I'm just going to enjoy this while it lasts before the camps gin up.

91 Aaaaand the Canadian for the Barrel!

92 Is there anyone in the Republican leadership willing to articulate the obvious? Fact: There are now more than 500 conservative organizations and voters who believe that they were targeted by this administration based on their political beliefs and statements. Fact: The IRS has ADMITTED that this was done. Fact: This administration plans to turn over all medical records to the IRS. How can anyone with a shred of integrity argue against the appointment of a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this?

93 Bea Arthur had a shrubbery.

94 86 You want to stop this shit? The IRS, the EPA, all the vast overreaches? TERM. LIMITS. AND limit the amount of time one can be employed by the federal govt. Seriously, massive, constant turnover. Get these fuckers out. Posted by: BCochran1981 - Credible Hulk at May 16, 2013 05:40 PM (GEICT) Dude, they're all UNIONIZED!!!!! A cure for herpes is more likely than your suggestion.

95 What does it say that a blog with people who do other things for a living can see this -and be pretty sure it would work- and our supposed "betters" in the Republican Party can't? Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at May 16, 2013 05:38 PM (/PCJa) It says that we care more about our country, our liberty, than we do about lifetime employment on easy street.

96 Tonight we're featuring a Canadian flavor...

97

Or......"Scandalous Agenda Generates Scandals"

 

98

NRO is mostly a bunch of chickensh*t eggheads how have never done anything but write their entire lives ...  only a handful of real jobs in their entire staffs background  (I mean adult post college jobs) ...

no, I do not consider writing opinions a real job ...  entertainment maybe ...

99 >>Dick Trickle dead. Apparent suicide?<<

By penicillin?

100 If a scandal happens and a) it isn't reported as such and b) people don't give a shit, then it's no scandal and you're an angry white boy.

101

Ace,

Policy's important. Don't get me wrong. But I don't think policy is as important as policy wonks think it is, just as I don't think skill at written expression is as important as writers think it is, just as I don't think hammers are as important as the Big Nail thinks they are.

The fact of the matter is, no matter what the intellectually-oriented people might think or wish, politics is essentially dumb and played out between the groin and the top the of the ribcage.

This is exactly correct.  And it is why the GOP performs so badly against the DNC in politics.  The GOP (and conservatives) are forever trying to run on policy issues and the DNC runs on things like "they'll kill old people", "they're racist", "they love the rich and hate the poor."

When was the last time any dem politician actually put forth any kind of real policy ideas in a campaign?  I can't think of any.  Obama certainly didn't in either campaign.  they put forth emotion and they play hardball (it helps when the press backs you 100%) and they play dirty. 

The GOP has not learned how to do any of that.  Even the elections we have won, we have won mostly because the majority was sick of the other side.  We took over congress in 1994 as a reaction to Clinton's attempt to nationalize health-care.  Bush II won to a large extent because of Clinton scandal fatigue (if the public wasn't sick of the scandals, Gore would have won handily I think).

Part of this is branding.  For the last 50 years, the DNC/media has been relentless at branding the GOP as rich, white homophobic, racist, mysognists who hate the poor. For a short span (1980 - 1992), the GOP was somewhat successful on the presidential level of branding DNC candidates as liberal tax and spenders, which is why liberals still run from the liberal label.

But, the GOP has never made any real effort to brand the DNC overall as the party of special interests, spending, wealth redistribution, abortion, etc.  It seems to shy away from that kind of confrontation. 

Thus, no matter how liberal a candidate we run for any office, they will be branded by the media/DNC as right-wing extremists (see Romney, McCain).  While dems continue to get away with running candidates as "conservative".

Scandal comes into play big-time when branding the other side (remember how the DNC used scandals to re-take the house, branding the GOP as corrupt?).  time to turn the tables and use all of these scandals to brand the DNC as essentially corrupt.  the taint won't last forever (and b/c of the media won't be as successful as the DNC's efforts), but it will sway a bunch of the mushy middle in the next couple of cycles much more than diatribes on reforming the tax code will.

The GOP needs a nation wide marketing effort put forth on branding the DNC and its candidates as extremely left, partisan, spenders, taxers, etc.

102 Barrel

103 OT:

Dick Trickle dead. Apparent suicide?

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:38 PM (+98Gb)

Story so far, he was in a cemetery.

Called 911 and told them to go to the cemetery because they'd find a dead body.  HIS.

Either he was terminal and couldn't handle it....had a loved one die recently, or he was into some seriously freaky shit that was about to become public......

104 Actually, that Bea Arthur painting looks like the work of a first-year art student. $2.5M for THAT?

105 Voter ID causes supression? HOW?!? Posted by: © Sponge at May 16, 2013 05:40 PM (xmcEQ) That's what would be called, outside of politics, a "transparently dishonest argument." It has nothing to do with suppression, and everything to do with enabling fraud.

106 "96 Is there anyone in the Republican leadership willing to articulate the obvious? Fact: There are now more than 500 conservative organizations and voters who believe that they were targeted by this administration based on their political beliefs and statements. Fact: The IRS has ADMITTED that this was done. Fact: This administration plans to turn over all medical records to the IRS. How can anyone with a shred of integrity argue against the appointment of a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this? Posted by: USA at May 16, 2013 05:41 PM (VIaw0) " "Fact is not an agenda." Apparently.

107 Bah...I'm already in there.


Shorter sentence for slamming the brakes on?

108 What does it say that a blog with people who do other things for a living can see this -and be pretty sure it would work- and our supposed "betters" in the Republican Party can't? Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at May 16, 2013 05:38 PM (/PCJa


That one of the fundamental problems with politics is that those of us who can see such things recoil at the thought of being utterly destroyed should we try to move into a position to implement them?


I keep coming back to Mitch Daniels and what many of those here had to say about his personal life and his wife.   That's what was coming from those who are friendly to his positions.  I blanch to think of the savaging he would take from the Left.   There is no way in Hell that I would ever, ever subject me and mine to an election.   Never. 

To be even more happy camper, I see no end of it.  The politics of personal destruction works.  Why would anyone abandon it?  

109

"Democratic scandal does not take the place of a Republican agenda."

 

But neither should the Democratic agenda be so scandalous.

110 103 >>Dick Trickle dead. Apparent suicide?<< By penicillin? Posted by: Albie Damned at May 16, 2013 05:42 PM (Yhu4q) Well, I think he wanted to kill the "trickle" and not the whole "dick." That's Obamacare for ya...

111 Dude, they're all UNIONIZED!!!!! A cure for herpes is more likely than your suggestion. Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:41 PM (+98Gb) You're telling me that a midlevel bureacrat at the IRS is unionized? What fucking union does he belong to?

112 I disagree even with the premise. When you have a government on steroids, you will get an impotent government. Also, shriveled balls.

113 Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that the establishmentarians on the right are actually in bed with the leftists?

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at May 16, 2013 05:21 PM

Cue a bunch of penny-loafer-wearing, tea-sipping effete "intellectuals" doing their best Wm. F. Buckley imitation (nose daintily in the air and a self-satisfied smirk): "We ah not ah-muuuused."

114 I remember when dick trickle was just a nasty rash.

115 You know what IS an agenda? "We're gonna gut the IRS and make sure it can't control your healthcare." "We're gonna kill jihadi ass." "We will not Watergate the press like a fucking dictator."

116 Actually, that Bea Arthur painting looks like the work of a first-year art student.

$2.5M for THAT?

Posted by: zsasz at May 16, 2013 05:42 PM (MMC8r)

 

You should see my Helen Thomas painting

117

That one of the fundamental problems with politics is that those of us who can see such things recoil at the thought of being utterly destroyed should we try to move into a position to implement them?

 

Thanks.

 

Where'd I put that razor...

118

so...

 

Dick Trickle...

 

just petered out?

 

to soon?

119 Dougless Karpen is the Texas (Houston) Gosnell. " verified the worst.“When he did an abortion, especially an over 20 week abortion, most of the time the fetus would come completely out before he cut the spinal cord or he introduced one of the instruments into the soft spot of the fetus, in order to kill the fetus,” said Deborah Edge, who worked as a surgical assistant for Karpen for about 15 years until leaving in March, 2011.“I thought, well, it’s an abortion you know, that’s what he does, but I wasn’t aware that it was illegal…Most of the time we would see him where the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive,” Edge continued.How often did this happen?“I think every morning I saw several, on several occasions,” she said. “If we had 20-something patients, of course ten, or twelve, or fifteen patients would be large procedures, and out of those large procedures, I’m pretty sure that I was seeing at least three or four fetuses that were completely delivered in some way or another,” said Edge, acknowledging that these babies would be alive.She described how some babies would emerge too soon and would be alive, moving, and breathing. She also told of how Karpen would sometimes deliver the babies feet first with the toes wiggling until he stabbed them with a surgical implement. At the moment the toes would suddenly splay out before going limp. Sometimes he would kill the babies by “twisting the head off the neck,” according to Edge.During the interview the former abortion clinic employee says: “the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive” and the abortion clinic employee added “I’m talking about the whole floor dirty. I’m talking about me drenched in blood" One abortion clinic employee is quoted as saying, “I thought, well, it’s an abortion you know, that’s what he does, but I wasn’t aware that it was illegal. Most of the time we would see him where the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive.”

120 sick

121

Posted by: Lauren at May 16, 2013 05:44 PM (wsGWu)

 

I must be getting desensitized.

 

I made it three whole sentences into that before I felt like puking.

122

"It's easier to get someone to change his mind than to get him to care in the first place."

 

That was me.

123 Dick Trickle, Didn't he have a brother Phil Mcrakin ?

124 >>> When you have a government on steroids, you will get an impotent government. I suspect video guy would disagree.

125 National Treasury Employees Union - guess who they support.

126

I like this story in the Sidebar:

 

"Daily Mail: Men who are physically strong and have large penises are more likely to have right wing political views..."

 

Like I've always said...Conservative Men Are Just Hotter.

 

127 105 Posted by: Monkeytoe at May 16, 2013 05:42 PM (sOx93) "No Justice, No Peace" looks better on a sign and is easier to say than the Preamble. A big lie is easier to sell than the plain truth.

128 Wait a second. You guys do other things for a living? Crap! **shuffles through desk for an old resume** bbl

129 That's what would be called, outside of politics, a "transparently dishonest argument."

It has nothing to do with suppression, and everything to do with enabling fraud.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile at May 16, 2013 05:42 PM (qyfb5)

EXACTLY!!!

Where's my politician that will say that?

Where's the guy getting up on the senate or house floor saying:

"The reason Democrats don't want Voter ID is because of fraud.  They benefit from it every time.  Illegal aliens (THATS right, I SAID IT) tend to vote Democrat because of their stance on free stuff."

I'd vote for them for king.

130 "Agreed 100%. But the nerds at NRO don't understand. They have it all fucking wrong. Americans didn't really like the GOP going full tilt against Clinton for fucking an intern." Shows you how ignorant you are. The Clintons sponsored a employment initiative saying that there was NO reason for sex in the workplace and that anybody who engages in it should be removed. They held a seminar about it that numerous public employees had to attend. So its okay for Clintons to fire people for sex in the work place and sponsor a program--I think through EEOC--to spread this message, but you just find it too prudish to prosecute Clinton on something he would fire people for--even when combined with perjury? I'm sure the Dems thank you for the help everytime you spout one of their parrot points.

131 127 Dick Trickle, Didn't he have a brother Phil Mcrakin ? Posted by: The Jackhole at May 16, 2013 05:45 PM (nTgAI) Mike Huntsman. He was a candidate.

132 Each and every day we are closer to 2014.

133 I made it three whole sentences into that before I felt like puking.

I read the whole thing.
Time to go home and drink a lot.

134

Cue a bunch of penny-loafer-wearing, tea-sipping effete "intellectuals" doing their best Wm. F. Buckley imitation (nose daintily in the air and a self-satisfied smirk): "We ah not ah-muuuused."

Posted by: MrScribbler at May 16, 2013 05:43 PM (mHrip)

 

You forgot to mention that they're holding the tea cup daintily between thumb and forefinger, and have their little fingers out.

135 dangit. Hit the post button too soon. In other words, 2014 can't come soon enough.

136
the "news" on my boob toob now:

-- stroller falls on tracks (rolls, not falls, because mother wasn't paying attention)
-- unexpected passenger (young deer crashed thru window of moving bus and then goes nuts inside the bus

and now, more OJ Simpson "news"

137 Douglas Karpen is an American abortion doctor from Harris County, Texas who in 2013 was accused by county officials and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of performing illegal late-term abortions similar to those performed by Philadelphia abortionist and convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell. Photos taken at Karpen's facility, the Aaron Medical Center in Houston, allegedly showed "huge" babies "with gashes in their necks", indicating that they may have been killed after being born alive

138 123 Beck played the soundbites of that woman's interview. She came off as either mentally retarded or absolutely heartless. I really think abortion is the safety net for a lot of people who couldn't handle jobs that weren't intended to result in death.

139 Debating policy with people who are politically auditing you is dumb.

140 I made it to "soft spot". So yeah, needles to say Texas is looking to prosecute. The left won't be able to say it's "just Gosnell".

141 That one of the fundamental problems with politics is that those of us who can see such things recoil at the thought of being utterly destroyed should we try to move into a position to implement them? My take? We need to stop running and apologizing for things. I hate that shit. You fucked up? Man up, admit it and move on. Instead, our politicians try to explain and wheedle and employ legalese and pussymouthed bullshit. I. Fucked. Up. I did it, I admit it, I'm sorry (actually sorry) and I'm doing/have done my best to make amends. Now, what exactly does that mistake have to do with the fact that millions upon millions of Americans are unemployed? That 4 Americans were left to die in Benghazi? That the IRS is targeting individual citizens and political orgs based on nothing more than their political beliefs?

142 Bea Arthur is this year's Monkey Jesus Painting.

143
more 'news'

-- Athlete retiring from sport nobody watches (Beckham retires)

144 "123 Dougless Karpen is the Texas (Houston) Gosnell. " verified the worst.“When he did an abortion, especially an over 20 week abortion, most of the time the fetus would come completely out before he cut the spinal cord or he introduced one of the instruments into the soft spot of the fetus, in order to kill the fetus,” said Deborah Edge, who worked as a surgical assistant for Karpen for about 15 years until leaving in March, 2011.“I thought, well, it’s an abortion you know, that’s what he does, but I wasn’t aware that it was illegal…Most of the time we would see him where the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive,” Edge continued.How often did this happen?“I think every morning I saw several, on several occasions,” she said. “If we had 20-something patients, of course ten, or twelve, or fifteen patients would be large procedures, and out of those large procedures, I’m pretty sure that I was seeing at least three or four fetuses that were completely delivered in some way or another,” said Edge, acknowledging that these babies would be alive.She described how some babies would emerge too soon and would be alive, moving, and breathing. She also told of how Karpen would sometimes deliver the babies feet first with the toes wiggling until he stabbed them with a surgical implement. At the moment the toes would suddenly splay out before going limp. Sometimes he would kill the babies by “twisting the head off the neck,” according to Edge.During the interview the former abortion clinic employee says: “the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive” and the abortion clinic employee added “I’m talking about the whole floor dirty. I’m talking about me drenched in blood" One abortion clinic employee is quoted as saying, “I thought, well, it’s an abortion you know, that’s what he does, but I wasn’t aware that it was illegal. Most of the time we would see him where the fetus would come completely out and of course, the fetus would still be alive.” Posted by: Lauren at May 16, 2013 05:44 PM (wsGWu) " Vile. But it would be vile either way. Somehow "reasonable" people disagree.

145 I must be getting desensitized.

I made it three whole sentences into that before I felt like puking.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at May 16, 2013 05:45 PM (/PCJa)

I only made it half a sentence, then hit the scroll wheel.

146

Posted by: Axeman at May 16, 2013 05:46 PM (cAr2x)

 

Whether you like it or not, most people (even my relatively well informed parents) thought the Clinton Impeachment was about his having sex with an intern. 

 

Yes, it was hypocritical too- and the real reason was the suborning perjury and obstruction of justice- but people didn't care.  They couldn't get outraged over Clinton having an afair.

 

So, whatever the truth was, the Remembered Truth is that "it was all about sex."

147 109 Voter ID causes supression? HOW?!?

Posted by: © Sponge at May 16, 2013 05:40 PM (xmcEQ)

That's what would be called, outside of politics, a "transparently dishonest argument."

It has nothing to do with suppression, and everything to do with enabling fraud.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile at May 16, 2013 05:42 PM (qyfb5)

Took my gram to the doc the other day.  They took her picture like they do in the DMV, said it was now required by law.  I innocently asked why they wouldn't just ask to see her driver's license and got treated to a diatribe of "it's not us, if you don't like it, ask the government". 

148 Ace, just assume the headline is aimed at congressional Republicans and all will be well.

149 Scandal is not an agenda, serious you guys.

150 Hey J.J. Sef You still here? If so, I have a screenwriter question for you. Say Hi to me if you're still around

151 "when someone tells you something that's perfectly obvious..." I remember that's why you didn't like the SlutWalk people. When they announce they're against rape, it kinda-sorta implies that you are for rape. I've noticed that Libs get really mad at me when I tell them I don't think the President Bush is a monkey, or that Dick Cheney isn't a Sith Lord. Mostly in their anger, they just tell me that I'm "wrong" or "crazy". Which is further proof that they do actually believe it. But in all seriousness, we've never actually elected a monkey as President.

152 The photos show babies that are huge, with gashes in their necks, indicating that these babies were likely born alive, then killed, just as Kermit Gosnell did at his ‘House of Horrors’ clinic in Philadelphia,” said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue. “In fact, there are numerous similarities between Karpen and the Gosnell case, including the disregarding of complaints by the authorities that allowed both men to continue their illegal operations.”

 

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called for a “full scale” investigation, releasing this statement: “In a week when serial murderer Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of killing babies, I read with disgust about the allegations of Houston-based abortionist Douglas Karpen performing illegal late term abortions surrounded by appalling sanitary conditions in his clinic.”

 

The district attorneyÂ’s office said its investigation began before the lieutenant governor demanded a probe.

 

Operation Rescue was alerted to the Houston physician through its “Abortion Whistleblowers Program” which offers a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an abortionist breaking the law.

153

I blanch to think of the savaging he would take from the Left. There is no way in Hell that I would ever, ever subject me and mine to an election. Never.

 

Over the years,  I've had a few people say I should run for office.

 

My stock response is that between the paper trail and rampant drug use, my nomination would never get off the ground.  Which is largely true.

 

Fuck the fucking people.  They've got the internet.  They choose ignorance, I choose guns.  We'll see who The Burning Times favours.

154 "The Republicans [of 1998] did not really run on a promise to remove Clinton from office — or on any other agenda. Their strategy was to assume that the scandal would redound to their benefit, and that they merely had to sit back and let victory rain o’er them. It didn’t."

What happened in 1998 was that the GOP failed to parse how LIVs on the street would view the Lewinsky scandal and the prospect of impeachment.

The GOP perspective was that, hey, this is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, and he has provably perjured himself under oath in front of a federal grand jury, and that's a genuinely serious problem that we have to address.

Whereas your typical LIV's perspective was that, hey, this was a known horndog with an ugly cold-fish wife, said horndog having been getting a bit of strange to make up for an unsatisfactory marital bed, and this isn't worth all the time and trouble and fuss, and who could take these Republicans seriously that they think this is a big deal?

Sleeping around happens all the time in the lives of ordinary LIVs themselves, and they watch adultery-related fluff constantly on the cheesy talk shows that LIVs love. They don't find it an outrage. They find it mildly titillating at worst. They're not conceptually or intellectually equipped to deal with the legal and constitutional impact of Presidential perjury, so they ignore that part.

What I was further tearing my hair out about at the time was that the GOP was in no position to be perceived as pointing an accusatory finger at someone else's casual adultery.

There were, I warned, plenty of lingerie-clad skeletons waiting to come tumbling out of closets on the Republican side once the Palace Guard Media were to rush to Clinton's defense. Which is precisely what happened once the PGM dug up the dirt on Gingrich, Livingston, et cetera. Making the entire party look like sanctimonious hypocrites of the worst order.

155 So its okay for Clintons to fire people for sex in the work place and sponsor a program--I think through EEOC--to spread this message, but you just find it too prudish to prosecute Clinton on something he would fire people for--even when combined with perjury? Yes. People react to a policy based on which role they see themselves playing. In the former, they think of themselves as the poor intern pressured into sex because of a mean boss. In the latter, they see themselves as poor Bill Clinton, hen-pecked by his witch of a wife and, suffering from a moment's weakness, having a fling with a relentless slutty sow. People don't consider the consequences of their policy choices. You know what would have changed the dynamics? If Monica had come out against Bill. But she stayed loyal, so where's the victim? And, no, that wouldn't work in any company in America. Except maybe a DC law firm.

156 You forgot to mention that they're holding the tea cup daintily between thumb and forefinger, and have their little fingers out. Posted by: Jay Guevara at May 16, 2013 05:47 PM

But of course, my good fellow!

Still hope I live long enough to see some Conservative Thought Leader and Pundit display enough Dangling Courage Units to wake up and say: "Too much scandal, too many felonies, too much treason. It's time to impeach Choom Boy."

Yes, say it out loud. Never mind what the pantywaists in charge at Clownhall.com, Tepid Air and Rude State think of the "optics" or the Democrat buddyroos' opinions....

157 "140 the "news" on my boob toob now: -- stroller falls on tracks (rolls, not falls, because mother wasn't paying attention) -- unexpected passenger (young deer crashed thru window of moving bus and then goes nuts inside the bus and now, more OJ Simpson "news" Posted by: soothsayer, now with 20% less ruth at May 16, 2013 05:47 PM (8dspl) " Idiocracy.

158 Eh, I'm convinced the Republicans and Boehner in particular are retards. How in the world can they not be using the IRS and AP scandals as reason to stop Obamacare now? A simple speech stating: "we will not allow the American people and their children to become casualties partisan politics" and "the IRS has amply proven that they cannot be trusted in this role", etc, etc. There you go NR scandal and policy- two great tastes that taste great together.

159 Actually, that Bea Arthur painting looks like the work of a first-year art student.

$2.5M for THAT?

Posted by: zsasz at May 16, 2013 05:42 PM (MMC8r)

 

I've got an exhibition of my own paintings coming up in August. My prices just went way up.

160 >>>"Fact is not an agenda." Apparently.
>>>Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at May 16, 2013 05:43 PM (rMcKn)

Well, fact is not an agenda, actually.  An agenda, in this context, means some type of legislative/political goal.  What is the goal right now? 

I'm not sure people actually read the article, because nowhere does it say that the GOP should stop making such a big deal over the scandals.  They don't say anything like that.

They are saying that these scandals should be used as momentum-builders for a conservative agenda. 

A total a**shole once said: "never let a crisis go to waste".  Well, he is right, and if all the capital gained from these scandals are simply spent on impeachment-masturbation, then we are letting this crisis go to waste.

161 "150 Posted by: Axeman at May 16, 2013 05:46 PM (cAr2x) Whether you like it or not, most people (even my relatively well informed parents) thought the Clinton Impeachment was about his having sex with an intern. Yes, it was hypocritical too- and the real reason was the suborning perjury and obstruction of justice- but people didn't care. They couldn't get outraged over Clinton having an afair. So, whatever the truth was, the Remembered Truth is that "it was all about sex." Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at May 16, 2013 05:50 PM (/PCJa) " Affairs are only bad if Republicans have them.

162 Karpen was sued in 2004 for performing illegal abortions on minors 

163 NR is a confusing abbreviation.  Is it New Republic or National Review?  Context gives it away, of course, but at first glance it can be confusing.

164 If you can't parlay this scandal into an argument about the merits of a limited, humble government then you aren't much of a politician.

165 I used to sidewalk counsel outside Aaron's in Dallas. It gives me chills to think about. Also, Aaron's.slogan? " Welcome... It's All About You." Yep, certainly not the baby you're hiring Karpen to kill.

166 I stopped reading NRO when it panicked during the stock market crash and 99% of the Corner was all "Government come save us!!!" Then they started running ads that looked like news stories and it wasn't the go-to place for breaking news anymore and... well.

I just figure if anything on there is ever worth reading, you guys will let me know.

167

Affairs are only bad if Republicans have them.

 

Sad but true.

 

If you can't parlay this scandal into an argument about the merits of a limited, humble government then you aren't much of a politician.

 

Also true.  The "sad but true" on this one is that the vast majority of Republican politicians can't do it.

168 if all the capital gained from these scandals are simply spent on impeachment-masturbation, then we are letting this crisis go to waste.

Posted by: dan-O at May 16, 2013 05:53 PM

Are you suggesting that the alternative is what we have now? Three-plus more years of sniggering, tittering and uttering profound polysyllabic criticism of the Choom Boy regime's minor violations?

We can follow up by making excuses for Boner and Rubio, while looking for the Good Parts of the amnesty bill, and wistful backward glances at the Good Old Days when we had a Constitution.

169 That one of the fundamental problems with politics is that those of us who can see such things recoil at the thought of being utterly destroyed should we try to move into a position to implement them?

The fundamental problem is that you see things through the prism of a politically aware, conservative blog commenter who spends time online almost exclusively among other politically aware, conservative bloggers and commenters.

They have to look at it from a political perspective.  They don't have the luxury of turning up their noses at the notion of political ramifications.

What would greatly please readers of the AoSHQ blog would in most cases go over like a lead balloon with the electorate at large.

I'll say this again- you, me, and the rest of us in this thread represent a VERY SMALL MINORITY.  The Internet makes that far too easy to overlook.

tl;dr- They don't do what you want them to do because it's usually bad political advice you're advocating.

170
If you can't parlay [these scandals] into an argument about the merits of a limited, humble government then you aren't much of a politician.

And that's the crux of it, ladies and gentlemen.
At the very least, we should be able to really dust up Obama with these scandals.

171 No wonder the pro-life people often come across ad a bit loony. If you knew this was going on every day, year after year, wouldn't you get a little touched in the head? I just saw this shit a few weeks ago and I'm ready for some "alternative justice" situations.

172

They don't do what you want them to do because it's usually bad political advice you're advocating.

 

Funny.  They keep doing it their way and losing, yet they're saying doing it our way (which they won't even try) would cause them to lose.

 

Hmmm...

173 Scandal is always the agenda when you're the Kardashian President.

174 >>>NR is a confusing abbreviation. Is it New Republic or National Review? Context gives it away, of course, but at first glance it can be confusing.

Not really.  The New Republic  is always abbreviated as TNR.  National Review has always been NR.

175 John Dean (from the Nixon administration) - nails Benghazi.

“When you have a good scandal, one that has legs, you know what the underlying problem is,” Dean said. Benghazi fails that test, “and with no clear charge, the public is confused and bored and not terribly interested”

176 They are saying that these scandals should be used as momentum-builders for a conservative agenda.

A total a**shole once said: "never let a crisis go to waste". Well, he is right, and if all the capital gained from these scandals are simply spent on impeachment-masturbation, then we are letting this crisis go to waste.

EXACTLY.  Well said.

I'll add that it needs to be in the context of what is politically plausible.

It doesn't matter how much you might like the idea of eliminating the IRS, instituting a flat tax, repealing Obamacare, etc. 

It doesn't matter if you're right, correct, and I agree.

It's not going to happen while the Dems control the White House and Senate.  No scandal will change that.

177

Fast and Furious, Solyndra, IRS, AP and other scandals are tailor made for highlighting the virtues of limited government. Not that the Republicans have more than a couple of office holders who would know how to take advantage of that.

178 The best result so far from this barrage of scandals is that if forces the believers to choose between their precious and their world view. So is Obama a tyrant or are his hands clean? If his hands are clean, what does that say?

179

156 The photos show babies that are huge, with gashes in their necks, indicating that these babies were likely born alive, then killed, just as Kermit Gosnell did at his ‘House of Horrors’ clinic in Philadelphia,” said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue. “In fact, there are numerous similarities between Karpen and the Gosnell case, including the disregarding of complaints by the authorities that allowed both men to continue their illegal operations.”

 

---------

 

Makes me wonder if there's a convention these guys go to in order to swap ideas and give awards to each other.

 

180 "Makes me wonder if there's a convention these guys go to in order to swap ideas and give awards to each other. " NAF convention.

181 Hell, what about highlighting what they've done with ADA under Obama? That shit is insane. Low counters, wide hallways, pool lifts, etc. I just read in the past day or so that some ruling came down that for private & parochial schools to be eligible for vouchers, they have to meet ADA standards. Of course, they won't be able to do that because they're buildings are old and they don't have the money. And then there's the EPA - the lead rules. You can't have any renovation done without an EPA-certified lead removal specialist - even for plumbing & electrical work.

Why don't our  politicians talk about the stuff that people find ridiculous about government? Stuff they can understand? Just saying burdensome regulations hurts job growth means nothing. I can whip up a crowd in 10 minutes with this kind of stuff. I've read about these regs and they are truly insane. They're BIG GOVERNMENT gone wild.

182 John Dean (from the Nixon administration) - nails Benghazi.

“When you have a good scandal, one that has legs, you know what the
underlying problem is,” Dean said. Benghazi fails that test, “and with
no clear charge, the public is confused and bored and not terribly
interested”

Posted by: Herbert Hymenhopper at May 16, 2013 06:05 PM (p8RjH)

 

I dunno. Letting four good men die to cover for Hillary's incompetence and President Obama's dishonesty in re a resurgent Al Queda sounds like legs to me.

 

By the way, when making an argument from authority, John Dean is a questionable 'authority'.

183 Just like to point out that we lost an election because "rich people bad," gay marriage, and zomg abortionzz!!1!1!1 When republicans start treating the electorate like the idiots they are and milking every advantage they can get, whether policy related or not, they'll have a better chance of winning. They give us 3 scandals? Take them and use all 3 of them until we can't any more. Screw "policy."

184 Regarding the National Review: Bill Buckley, that remarkable Cold Warrior, is dead. We'll not likely see his kind again. He was cerebral, yes, but he was also passionate and--maybe more importantly--cunning. He was an old-school gentleman, the kind with guts and balls, the kind that knew how to fight. I swear to God, one more breathless and politically meaningless report from the Vatican while the papal elections were going on, and I was going to conduct a seance, bring Buckley back, and ask him to kick their collective asses over there. Let Morrissey over at Hot Air do the breathless reports from the Vatican.

185 The headline pissed me off all day; so much so that I avoided reading NR and the corner, which I usually hit up early on. Tin ear politics is a speciality of right leaners, and the Review hit that particular ball out of the park with this idiotic headline today.

186 "86 You want to stop this shit? The IRS, the EPA, all the vast overreaches?


TERM. LIMITS.


AND limit the amount of time one can be employed by the federal govt.


Seriously, massive, constant turnover. Get these fuckers out.

Posted by: BCochran1981 - Credible Hulk at May 16, 2013 05:40 PM (GEICT)"

[\i]<\i>

No, that will probably make things worse.  The problem is that there are a whole lot of permanent government workers in Washington and most of them are Democrats.  In this case all they needed was to get the word from an unscrupulous pack of Democrats to abuse their government power to help Democrats win an election.

I don't think that there is any way to change the fact that most government workers are going to continue to be Democrats but we can change their behavior.  Government workers like a nice safe job where they generally don't have to work all that hard, they have good benefits and they look forward to a pension.  They are also normal middle class people so they are scared of going to prison.

Scare them with a credible threat that they will be fired and lose their retirement for obeying instructions to abuse government power for partisan political reasons.  There should also be prison time in the penalties but that should only be necessary when they won't roll over on the next level up in the conspiracy.

The critical thing in these laws is that the statute of limitations has to be so long that the Democrat government workers will be sure that there will be a Republican in office at some point who will enforce the laws against them.  I would either make the statute of limitations 50 years or just have no statute of limitations at all.  That means that at some point a Republican can decide to reduce the head count of civil service government workers who cannot be fired by investigating and prosecuting them.  Workers who did abuse their positions but who kept secret CYA "get out of jail" records can trade them for their pensions if they have enough to nail their supervisors.  Supervisors can have the same deal if they have enough to nail somebody higher than themselves.

187 Live in the moment Repubs! If the enemy is busy handing you news cycle domination with simple, straightforward stories, easy for low info voters to understand, just accept it. Lay back and smile, because as soon as the press can find some positive talking points that somehow still fit all the known facts for each scandal, our moment in the sun will be over.

188 154 Hey J.J. Sef You still here? If so, I have a screenwriter question for you. Say Hi to me if you're still around Posted by: L, elle at May 16, 2013 05:50 PM (0PiQ4) Back from dinner. You there?

189 I was wondering who would be the first Republican douchebags to wag their finger and scold people for actually having a backbone and going after Obama, making sure to vomit forth the trite lectures we've all heard before from such douchebags, so, congrats on being those douchebags National Review.

190 John Dean, the guy who caused Watergate? Yeah, thanks, asshole. Wipe your opinion on the walls.

191 The candidate which forces his opponent to deny being a pig-fucker first generally wins the election.

192 "We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men." George Orwell

193 So what was the big "policy agenda" the Democrats ran and won on in 2006 and 2008? Seems to me they strung together a worse-than-expected war, a trumped-up scandal about a House GOP leader sending some mildly provocative emails to some boys, and a bunch of idiots drowning in New Orleans into an entire campaign of You Can't Trust Them, They Have Fucked Up Everything. With a side helping of Dick Cheney Sold The Country To Halliburton. Sure as hell worked for them. We have REAL scandals now, don't even have to trump them up. Why can't we run on that and win?

194 No scandal ever fed a hungry child.