When It Comes To Money Mike And The Republicans … They Are Who We Thought They Were

“They are who we thought they were,” is a quote made famous (maybe infamous) by former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green during an explosive press conference years back.

But, when you think of Michael “Money Mike” Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, the quote sadly rings all too true. Regretfully, Steele has become a phony face of diversity for a party all too comfortably willing to engage in the most hateful brand of politics now that we have a black man, Barack Obama, as president of the United States.

From the New York Daily News:

A secret GOP fundraising document urges the party to fill its coffers by playing on donors’ “fear” of Barack Obama and a pledge to “save the country from trending towards socialism,” Politico.com reports, complete with an image depicting Barack Obama as the Joker.

The strategy was presented by the RNC’s Finance Director, Rob Bickhart, and Finance Chairman, Peter Terpelk, to fundraisers at a GOP retreat in Florida, the Web site reports.

Included in the Power Point presentation is a slide titled ‘The Evil Empire’ depicting Sen. Harry Reid as Scooby Doo and Nancy Pelosi as Cruella DeVille, along with the Joker caricature of Obama.

No amount of pathetic excuse making (saying the offensive images had been on the Web, throwing a staffer under the bus, saying it was just for a small group, it was supposed to be humorous, turning himself into the victim) on the part of Money Mike is going to erase the fact that the Republicans’ game plan is to use the politics of fear and division to achieve what they deem to be “success” in future campaigns.

Steele says they will not tolerate this, but only time will tell if he is being a windbag trying to perform damage control.

In the video, he starts whining and trying to shift the debate back to health care and then turning himself to the victim over and over again.

Steele looks pathetic and like a clown defending this garbage.

Instead of answers, all Steele had to offer were excuses, issue shifting and victimization.

Democrats don’t want to get caught not looking and blindsided by the trash people apparently affiliated with the RNC are putting out.

The last thing Democrats want is to feel like Dennis Green did in the video below:

Can’t let them off the hook.

Ann Coulter And Credibility Are Enemies, But This Seals The Deal

Right wing extremist Ann Coulter, who like so many others of her kind finds a home on Fox News, attempted to come to the rescue of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. In her botched rescue event, however, Coulter ended up looking like even more of a nut when she attempted to push her foolish point that Palin (a two-term governor who quit on her beloved state to sell books, make money and work on Fox News) is 20 million times more qualified than Vice President Joe Biden, a long-time former U.S. senator.

COULTER: How about comparing Joe Biden with Sarah Palin? She’s twenty million times more qualified than he is.

GERALDO RIVERA: How do you say that? A two-year governor against a long Senate career. Anyway –

COULTER: How long are we gonna pretend Biden is not just some drunken Irishman embarrassing Obama?

There’s all the evidence you need of how much of an irrational nut Ann Coulter is and how she seems to fit in so nicely at Fox News.

Then, in the end, she shows how much of a hater she is with a vicious stereotype used to attack Vice President Biden.

Another quality Fox News personality.

The Majority Of Blacks Lean Left, But That Doesn’t Stop Name Calling

I found this kind of interesting as I took one of my many daily travels through the blogosphere in search of interesting little nuggets. On the blog, Politics, Policy, Pathology and Hope WITHIN The Black Community, I found this finish to a blog entry:

There are two names that one will never be called in Black America (OK – 3 now that I think about it)

1. “You are a left-wing extremist”
2. “You are carrying the water for the Democrats”
3. “You have sold out to Barack Obama where you care more about his political fortunes than you do your own permanent interests”.

Here are a few thoughts I had off the top of my head:

1. First and foremost, this is pretty much assumed of many black people (in and out of the media). Secondly, does the name Van Jones ring a bell?
2. Pretty much any black person who goes on television, as a liberal, is presumed to be carrying the water for the Democrats (so it doesn’t necessarily need to be spelled out explicitly).
3. Oprah Winfrey was nailed with this charge during the campaign by conservatives who became angry that she did not give Sarah Palin, then the vice presidential candidate, a forum on Oprah’s popular syndicated talk show.

Those are just a few examples off the top of my head.

Now, for the most part, these are indeed labels a lot of blacks do not have to fear, but that is mostly because many people simply assume all blacks are in the corner of Democrats.

A FEW SIDE NOTES: I am not sure that everyone would agree with Sen. Evan Bayh about the Democrats moving too far to the left. Some would say (considering the Dems gave in on aspects of health care, sending more troops to war, etc., that President Obama has moved too far to the middle and has upset his base). That is just something to think about with this kind of discussion. Also, keep in mind, Sen. Bayh is trying to position himself as a centrist for political purposes.

Bill O’Reilly Exploits Fort Hood Tragedy To Attack Dr. George Tiller Again And Defend Himself

Fox News right-wing host Bill O’Reilly refuses to let the murdered Dr. George Tiller, who provided abortions, rest in peace. It’s not bad enough that O’Reilly frequently attacked Dr. Tiller who was murdered in vicious and cold-blooded fashion (at the hands of a cowardly anti-abortion bigot). Now, Bill O’Reilly is callously exploiting the tragic murders at Fort Hood (Texas) to again attack Dr. George Tiller (who was a family man in addition to being a doctor) and portray himself as a victim who is being attacked.

Indeed, Bill O’Reilly continues to attack a murdered man while at the same time he sets himself up as the victim.

As Media Matters for America points out, it seems O’Reilly has ignored the right wing exploiting this tragedy to again launch bigoted attacks on Muslims and others they see as “extremists” in their narrow-minded view of the world. Instead of being balanced and fair, he has used this tragedy to again showcase his far-right bias and use his platform to attack people he sees as liberals.

Harwood Takes Some Parents To Task Over Right-Wing Extremism

I found this while checking out Crooks and Liars and it is the kind of thing that makes you think and wonder about what is going on in the hearts and minds of some of these parents out there. The anger and bigotry coming from some of these right-wing extremists has been frightening since the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States of America.

Here is what Crooks and Liars had:

John Harwood lets one slip on MSNBC and tells the truth about these people fear mongering over the President speaking to school children next week.

Novotny: John, what about this controversy over opposition to Obama’s speech to school children?

Harwood: I’ve got to tell you Monica, I’ve been watching politics for a long time and this is, this one is really over the top. What it shows you is there are a lot of cynical people who try to fan controversy and let’s face it, in a country of three hundred million people there are a lot of stupid people too, because if you believe that’s it’s somehow unhealthy for kids for the President to say work hard and stay in school, you’re stupid.

Novotny: Ouch.

Harwood: In fact, I’m worried for some of those kids, I’m worried for some of those kids of those parents who are upset. I’m not sure they’re smart enough to raise those kids.

Right Winger Thomas Sowell Talking Foolish Again

Working to make himself at hom on the far right wing of the political mainstream, conservative columnist Thomas Sowell took great strides in that respect with this moronic series of comments:

From Media Matters for America:

Limbaugh guest Sowell said Obama speech to students reminded him of “Hitler Youth”

That is incomprehensibly stupid and irresponsible on the part of Sowell. He may make some friends among the far right of politics, but he is burning bridges in the process.

This is also from Media Matters:

Thomas Sowell went on to remark: “All the dictators want to get their hands on the kids. They get them early on – Stalin, Hitler, Castro, you name them.”

Sowell is falling right into lockstep with what the extremist nuts on the far right want people to believe. It’s ironic that they are the ones talking about indoctrination.

It’s amazing how Sowell is so willing to sell his soul for popularity among the angry right-wing extremists.

Think Progress Writer Amanda Terkel Discusses The Right Wing’s Attempt To Smear Mark Lloyd

Think Progress writer has a compelling blog posted today about the attempts of those to the far right of the mainstream attempting to smear a man named Mark Lloyd, who is the FCC Chief Diversity Officer/Associate General Counsel. Since the far right is so dominate in the talk radio media, conservatives have been watchful and eager to attack anyone who they even remotely think could be in the way of right-wing talk radio continuing its dominance.

Here is an excerpt from Terkel’s blog at Think Progress:

Since the FCC appointed Mark Lloyd as the agency’s Chief Diversity Officer/Associate General Counsel on July 29, conservatives have made him their new target in the ongoing campaign to baselessly warn about the reemergence of the Fairness Doctrine. The most absurd attacks have come from pundits like right-wing radio host Michael Savage, who has called Lloyd a “neo-Nazi” and “piece of garbage” intent on closing down “conservatives in the media.” He said that Lloyd’s title — Chief Diversity Officer — is “code word for the KGB.”

Such hateful words from Michael Savage is nothing new as he is known to attack people (especially minorities) while standing in defense of pretty much anything white and conservative.

Terkel highlights an attack from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who seems to be right in line with what Savage is thinking:

Simply put, I strongly disagree with Mr. Lloyd. I do not believe that more regulation, more taxes or fines, or increased government intervention in the commercial radio market will serve the public interest or further the goals of diversifying the marketplace. I am concerned that despite his statements that the Fairness Doctrine is unnecessary, Mr. Lloyd supports a backdoor method of furthering the goals of the Fairness Doctrine by other means.

Typical far-right talk from a far-right senator who is well outside the mainstream in a party that clearly is a diversity-challenged one.

Terkel works hard to put everything into context for her readers.

Check out her blog:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/22/mark-lloyd/

Right-Wing Nut Birthers Resort To Forged Birth Certificate To Attack President Obama

Some of these right-wing moronic birthers have really just taken a dive off the deep end.

In their efforts to attack President Obama, birthers are now attempting to use a forged birth certificate to try and assert that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. These extremists will go to any and all extremes to attack President Obama and try to portray our president as not being one of us. Boy, don’t you love those good Americans who will pull garbage like this for their own sinister purposes? I love the line in this article that talks about the weirdos who are so quick to doubt Obama’s authenticated birth certificate, but so quick to embrace a mysterious forged birth certificate that fits their obsessive agenda of lies and negativity.

From Huffington Post:

The latest development in the Obama “birther” conspiracy is the emergence of a “Kenyan birth certificate” for the president, put online by movement maven Orly Taitz.

Oddly, the same people who are so skeptical of Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate are willing to accept this new document despite many flaws, documented by the Washington Independent’s Dave Weigel and Markos Moulitsas.

The fact that these birthers are following the lead of a nut like Taitz, and agreeing with so much of she says as they nod continuously like mindless bobbleheads, proves the idiocy of their discredited agenda.

I am a little disappointed … I expected the fake birth certificate to come out sooner and with fewer errors.

Individuals who attempt to hide their hatred for President Obama rarely let the facts get in the way of a piss-poor lie that has spiraled out of control.

Michelle Malkin An Advocate For Bone-Headed Tea Party Movement

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin was talking with George Stephanopoulos about these moronic and sparsely-attended tea parties we’ve seen sprouting up since President Obama has been in office. Malkin, as a far-right extremist, has been feeling the tea parties (a gathering of mostly far-right nuts who are using taxes as a way of attacking President Obama). Much like the birther morons, who are cloaking their racism with this birth certificate nonsense, the tea party bobbleheads are driving the Republican brand into extinction.

From Think Progress:

This morning, right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin joined the ABC roundtable on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Asked what the conservative opposition strategy is going to be this coming month while Congress is in recess, Malkin said there is a growing “tea party movement — these counterinsurgencies amongst taxpayer rights groups” — that is fomenting opposition to Obama’s health care plan.

Malkin claimed the Obama administration has “vastly underestimated just how grassroots this movement is.” Lawmakers are going to face “townhalls-gone-wild,” she added.

The term “counter-insurgencies” does reveal the mentality of conservatives in opposition to Obama. Like Bill Kristol has said, the right wing is bluntly stating that it is going “for the kill.” Malkin has previously declare her hope that Obama fails.

Malkin has had a prejudice against President Obama from the beginning and it makes me wonder what her prejudice is truly based on. I am not sure it’s as obvious as her followers would like to believe. The administration vastly underestimated the high degree of hatred that is being felt by a number of people on the far right still struggling to come to grips with the first black president and what some people have described as the “browning of America” with the growing Latino population and the growing number of people who are biracial.

Let these birther and tea bagging nuts have their little townhalls so people can see just how extreme the right wing is going these days and how out of touch Republicans are becoming with blacks and Latinos (it will get worse with Latinos as Republicans continue to beat up on U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor).

I doubt the Obama Administration is too concerned about the diversity-challenged and intellect-challenged tea party movement.

Nutty Michelle Malkin Rushing To Judge President Obama

Far-right nutblogger Michelle Malkin has been waging a little war against President Obama, who is the first black president of the United States of America (and who walked into a mess that included a financial meltdown, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a housing crisis and a diminished level of respect for the USA around the world). A part of Malkin’s partisan and misguided war effort is her new book crying about President Obama and corruption just six months into his presidency.

When did career player hater Malkin, drunk with blind-rage prejudice, start writing this book about Obama Administration corruption if he’s only been in office six months?

Malkin is a bitter and small person who clearly seems to be unhappy unless she’s angry.

Check out this Crooks and Liars video during which host Bill Maher makes fun of the ridiculous rush to judgement on the part of Michelle Malkin, a conservative opportunist trying to cash in on President Obama’s popularity while appealing to a shrinking minority of bigots who follow her every word like mindless morons.

The title of her book is funny and ironic coming off the prior presidency.

Remember When Janet Napolitano Was Criticized For Homeland Security Report On Right-Wing Extremism

It was not all that long ago that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was being strongly criticized by right-wing politicians and pundits.

Here is a sample from the Washington Post:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano responded yesterday to widespread criticism of a leaked domestic intelligence report warning local law enforcement agencies to be on guard for right-wing extremist groups seeking new recruits amid the nation’s economic troubles.

“Let me be very clear: we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States,” Napolitano said in a written statement issued by her department. “We don’t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence.”

With the heinous assassination of Dr. George Tiller (a doctor who provided abortions), maybe there was a lot more merit to the report (not that it did not have some flaws) than people wanted to believe at the time.

Extremism (to this extent) is wrong … whether it comes from the left or the right.

Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041503390.html

Field Negro:

http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2009/06/domestic-terrorist-and-people-who.html

Rep. Steve King, Of Iowa, Continues Whining About Hate Crime Legislation

Think Progress has a story quoting far-right extremist Rep. Steve King, of Iowa, who is crying about the hate crime legislation, known as the Matthew Shepard Act. Why did Iowans put this individual in office? Of course, the same could be said about some of the people in Minnesota who helped get Rep. Michele Bachmann, another right-wing nut, reelected. Check out the Think Progress story to see the fit that some on the far right are throwing and all the fear-mongering they’re creating.

KING: If they’re one of God’s children let’s protect them equally and when you go down the path of special protected status, then you end up with the sacred cows walking around the street that have another extra shield around them that actually would put the victimizer’s focus on someone else. I think it’s unequal protection of the law that results from it.

Rep. King seems to be worried that if penalties are too harsh in protecting some people (such as gays and ethnic minorities) then it will lead to attacks on white people. That seems to be his implication. But, if people are specially targeted then why shouldn’t they be specially protected?

Think Progress:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/06/king-sacred-cows/

Fox News: A Safe Haven For Homophobia?

Fox News is amazing in its right-wing bigotry. But, the rising tide of homophobia is becoming increasingly evident in Fox News broadcasts as of late. Extremist conservatives like Fox News host Bill O’Reilly have been soldiers on the front line of a ridiculous effort from right wingers to slow down the move toward compassion and equal rights for gays and lesbians in the United States of America. But, Fox News homophobia extends beyond O’Reilly and the nasty comment made by one of his guests, comedian Dennis Miller during one particularly nasty segment. Here is a comment of Fox News host Greg Gutfeld about Congressman Barney Frank that was caught by Think Progress:

Look, I don’t dispute that aliens exist, but there are more urgent matters to deal with, other than wrinkly creatures with a knack for anal probing.

But enough about Barney Frank. I couldn’t resist.

About the only good thing to come out of this was the fact that apparently someone at Fox News realized the disgusting nature of those homophobic words and attempted to cover it up.

Think Progress:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/18/gutfeld-fox-edit/