Congressional Republicans are trying to keep alleged White House “scandals” simmering well past al dente doneness. As facts unfold, it’s more like vainly trying to keep a wave upon the sandy beach.
Let’s remember last year’s GOP presidential primaries. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) made a seemingly intoxicated tirade about a tax return the size of a postcard.… [Read more]
The rhetoric that is coming out of Washington DC is so loud that the Republicans in House of Representatives and Senate cannot hear the American people. It seems there is nothing more important than stopping President Barack Obama from accomplishing anything. This, of course, comes at a time in American history when ideology is more important than jobs, unnecessary gun deaths and poverty, all of which affect the American economy.… [Read more]
The taxman is the Rodney “No Respect” Dangerfield of government employees. The latest hubbub over alleged Internal Revenue Service “targeting” of government-critical conservative groups is the latest ‘Tempest in a Teapot’ only Congressional Republicans could wail about. You’d think the President dug up ole Geo. Washington’s sacred bones and used them for White House Halloween decorations.… [Read more]
The continuing Benghazi debacle on Capitol Hill has all the marks of a Cecil B. DeMille Hollywood blockbuster. Starring the Marx Brothers.
“Impeachment,” hinted Sen. James “Lousy Okie Pilot” Inhofe (R-Okla.) as he made another pass at Runway ‘X’ and as construction workers scurried to safety. Inhofe is still mad at the Federal Aviation Administration for questioning his airmanship skills.… [Read more]
One has to have a sense of humor to be President of the United States. We saw with Tricky Dick Nixon how anger becomes paranoia, and “All The President’s Men” turned into a gaggle of bumbling cat burglars out of the Marx Brothers or the Three Stooges. Has-been conservative firebrand G. Gordon Liddy probably has an understandable aversion to dining off metal trays from his inmate years.… [Read more]
In the aftermath of the recent Boston Marathon bombing, Republicans now complain why we “ignored” warnings from Russian intelligence about the alleged culprits. How times change. Just as the Reagan Administration cozied up with the Taliban as “freedom fighters” as long as they were killing Russians, offshoots such as al Queda went from “partisans” to pariahs when the sponsored attack dogs started biting the hands that fed them.… [Read more]
Last year was particularly hard on the fortunes of Tea Party doyenne Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) After a flop at seeking the Party of No nod for President, and Bachmann’s months of proudly proclaiming her childhood Iowa roots, voters in her 6th Congressional District in Minnesota noticed their Congresswoman was off politicking for the White House, playing Tea Party ideologue, and AWOL from her constituents. … [Read more]
There’s no such thing as a bad time for reflection. Taking a look back at the activities of the first week of this new year should enable us to see what went wrong, what we’re up against and, hopefully, what can be done differently in the future.
The 113th Congress – the most diverse ever – was sworn in this past Thursday.… [Read more]
After squeaking out what she thought was a cake walk to reelection in November, Tea Party doyenne Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) reminded us the obstructionist 112th Congress is not dead and buried. This columnist does have a gaffe search list for daily use, with Bachmann near the top, but our Michele has been uncharacteristically quiet of late.… [Read more]
“We’ll always have Paris.” – Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca, 1942
It’s New Year’s Day, and we all noted that Congress managed to do nothing on New Year’s Eve. At least they are being consistent. What’s the objective? Single-digit public approval? As in a beach limbo, “How low can you go?”
There’s a standing tradition for columnists to record, and often lampoon, a “year in review” piece.… [Read more]
Just as the 1978 film, National Lampoon’s Animal House had the fun-loving Delta frat give the 1955 Richard Berry hit a new lease on chart life at a Toga party, loony Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) again plays the fool. On the taxpayers’ dime. Despite Election Day losses, old Right-wing fantasies keep popping back up. Modern-day political fisherman’s tales just involve ever-larger fanciful fish.… [Read more]
There are perfectly logical topics which simply bring out my “inner wiseguy.” It was a long campaign. In his entirely sensible piece on NPR bringing up whether, as it is a reelection and we have this sizable umpteen-trillion dollar deficit, Linton Weeks wrote, perhaps we could trim some of the pomp and circumstance from a usual American Presidential inauguration.… [Read more]
How, pray tell, did we ever survive America’s endless campaigns without comedy? Even those Michele Bachmann jokes didn’t make themselves up all on their own. Do we have to make it an Olympic sport?In 1968, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour got the first broadcast chuckles started with “Pat Paulsen for President.” I can remember, and have the AARP card to prove it.… [Read more]
“She blinded me with science.”
-Thomas Dolby, 1982
As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has often remarked, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh.) isn’t good at his job. Dozens of new Tea Party acolytes from November 2010 do make the G.O.P. House of Representatives’ raucus Republican Big Top an unruly menagerie to try and ring-master. I imagine Boehner still uneasily wonders when Majority Leader Eric Cantor will pull out the steely caucus knives for a weepy “Et tu, Brutus” coup.… [Read more]
Rarely do days go by without some controversial and embarrassing gaffe from Tea Party darling and failed Presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). In her last two wins, she and her network of ultra-conservatives probably thought once near certain polling numbers meant she had the latitude to even run for the G.O.P.’s 2012 Presidential nominee with her congressional duties safely on autopilot.… [Read more]
In critiquing First Lady Michelle Obama’s convention speech, the arm of the GOP named, facetiously, Fox “News,” was caught a little flat-footed: She didn’t (overtly, anyway) disparage Romney, didn’t give them anything much to take out of context and run with, and delivered her speech with charm, warmth, grace and skill. So what’s a body on Fox to do when propping up the GOP (and, in particular, its dismal presidential candidate) is one’s reason for living – and the Dems refused to offer them any real fodder?… [Read more]
Just over a week ago, Michele Bachmann was interviewed by Piers Morgan of CNN and, though Mitt Romney hasn’t yet chosen a running mate, Bachmann effectively ruled herself out when she said,
“Whoever it is that he chooses to bring in as his V.P., it will be a highly competent person who could step in at a moment’s notice and assume the responsibilities of the White House.”
Well, she ruled herself out even though Mitt Romney hasn’t yet asked her.… [Read more]
Reporting the top news story of the day in an old style ticker-tape manner: Blah, blah, blah, blah….Mitt Romney wins Iowa Caucuses….blah, blah, *yuck*, blah…blah….Oh my, how embarrassing….blah, blah, blah…He did what? He spent MILLIONS of dollars to beat his opponents and the difference between first and second place was only 8 votes?…*Giggle* blah, blah, blah…What is that you say about ‘return on investment’ for the guy who used to run Bain Capital?…blah, blah; YADA?…YADA?!?…Yes, Rick Santorum….*googled his name…ewww..… [Read more]
*Deep breath*…Ahhh….that scent in the air! It smells like ‘fresh-and-new-year’ scent. *Inhaling deeply again…* The reset button has been pushed; it’s all about moving forward!
*SLAP BACK INTO REALITY* OK, enough of that. Back into battle gear. Or so the GOP would have it.
What, so early in the year, has me pissed the hell off so annoyed?… [Read more]
I read many news sites and it’s becoming all too common to see posts in which people say that the Republicans are “funny”. I know they’re saying that if the right wing sincerely believes that this current lineup of presidential candidates represents their ‘best in class‘, then they must be kidding and they must be quite high.… [Read more]
