Waiting for the fresh faux Outrage O'Day

After a spectacularly bad week by the GOP --outrageous behavior followed by a cacophony of screaming and shouting providing what amounts to the typical apology -- I just have to wonder: what can they do to top that?

The outburst was unexpected from a milquetoast Republican backbencher from South Carolina who had attracted little media attention. Now it has made him an overnight right-wing hero, inspiring “You lie!” bumper stickers and T-shirts.

Who's going to be this week's conservative nitwit rapidly exalted to hero status by Beck, et. al.? Or will it be reprises of the usual suspects; a pinch of Bachmann, a dash of Cheney, a skosh of O'Reilly?

You don't think it will have someone to do with "the racial" ... do you?

I’ve been loath to admit that the shrieking lunacy of the summer — the frantic efforts to paint our first black president as the Other, a foreigner, socialist, fascist, Marxist, racist, Commie, Nazi; a cad who would snuff old people; a snake who would indoctrinate kids — had much to do with race.

I tended to agree with some Obama advisers that Democratic presidents typically have provoked a frothing response from paranoids — from Father Coughlin against F.D.R. to Joe McCarthy against Truman to the John Birchers against J.F.K. and the vast right-wing conspiracy against Bill Clinton.

But Wilson’s shocking disrespect for the office of the president — no Democrat ever shouted “liar” at W. when he was hawking a fake case for war in Iraq — convinced me: Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.

Closer to home, what circumstance will the frantic, foaming mob of Chronically critical keyboard warriors -- taking a short break from FreeRepublic, townhall.com, and online pornography to quickly post that Obama is a lyin' African -- seize upon this week? Can they take a break from their rants about Ill Eagles, ACORN, and "czars" to focus on something else?

I'm guessing probably Kanye West is the man of the day. You know, black male rapper being rude to white female country performer. Seems tailor-made.

Sunday Funnies

Kinky Katz

That would be the musician/author and the deli magnate who could lead the Texas Democratic ticket in 2010.

“I don't think he's a serious candidate,” said former state Democratic Chair Molly Beth Malcolm. “Filing deadline's not there yet. I'm hoping there's some other names.”

Political consultant Glenn Smith said (Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Marc) Katz is not the “ideal” candidate: “He's an affable guy who's got a good restaurant. But, as his mayoral bid demonstrated, he lacks a certain something on the stump.”

Katz said his 2003 bid for Austin mayor failed because “I didn't know what I was doing.”

Or perhaps the DeLay slayer works his way in.

Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who most recently got national attention for his prosecution of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, said Friday that he is "leaning toward" running for governor in the 2010 Democratic primary. Earle, 67, said he hadn’t set a timetable but will probably make a decision "sooner rather than later."

I still prefer the straight-talking cattleman from Whitehouse, personally. And I agree with jobsanger ...

Earle is not going to cut into Kinky Friedman's base -- they'll vote for Kinky no matter who else is running. He's also not going to cut into Tom Schieffer's base -- these conservatives will not support someone as liberal as Earle as long as there's a real conservative in the race. That means he'll be splitting the liberal/progressive vote with Hank Gilbert, and that means there will be less chance of a liberal/progressive candidate winning the primary.

At least things are getting interesting. I think the most important thing to note is that Kay Bailey's stated strategy of pulling Democrats into the Republican primary in March to vote for her is a failing one. She should now be thinking seriously of not running, because her success is increasingly based on the appeal to GOP primary voters of the two candidates running to the right of Rick Perry: Larry Kilgore and Debra Medina.

If that happens -- Kay staying put in the Senate, that is -- then the scrum among Bill White and John Sharp, as well as David Dewhurst and Roger Williams and Michael Williams and all the other ladies and gentemen is completely moot. Ted Cruz and Dan Branch and the millions they have raised for a run for attorney general, based entirely on the supposition that Greg Abbott moves up to replace Dewhurst as lite guv, have to sit tight ... or transfer to some other contest.

If Kay goes on and quits the Senate though, then the game's afoot. John Sharp says the special could be held within 37 days of her resignation, though I believe it will likely happen during the holiday season.

More popcorn, anyone?

Update: Lisa Hernandez of the Carreno Group has the "wise-Latina-consultant" perspective.