Friday Funnies "Dancing with the Czars" edition

Mighty oaks and ACORN

Hey Robbie, you five-day-old douchesack, take your tongue outta Glenn Beck's anus and look around; maybe you'll see something besides right-wing shit.

ACORN has received a grand total of $53 million in federal funds over the last 15 years -- an average of $3.5 million per year. Meanwhile, not millions, not billions, but trillions of dollars of public funds have been, in the last year alone, transferred to or otherwise used for the benefit of Wall Street. Billions of dollars in American taxpayer money vanished into thin air, eaten by private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, led by Halliburton subsidiary KBR. All of those corporate interests employ armies of lobbyists and bottomless donor activities that ensure they dominate our legislative and regulatory processes, and to be extra certain, the revolving door between industry and government is more prolific than ever, with key corporate officials constantly ending up occupying the government positions with the most influence over those industries. ...

So with this massive pillaging of America's economic security and the control of American government by its richest and most powerful factions growing by the day, to whom is America's intense economic anxiety being directed? To a non-profit group that devotes itself to providing minute benefits to people who live under America's poverty line, and which is so powerless in Washington that virtually the entire U.S. Senate just voted to cut off its funding at the first sign of real controversy -- could anyone imagine that happening to a key player in the banking or defense industry?

Local frothing idiots aside, the manipulation of the masses of fools on the right would continue to be laughable if it weren't spreading like swine flu at the day care.

If one were to watch Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh -- as millions do -- one would believe that the burden of the ordinary American taxpayer, and the unfair plight of America's rich, is that their money is being stolen by the poorest and most powerless sectors of the society. An organization whose constituencies are often-unregistered inner-city minorities, the homeless and the dispossesed is depicted as though it's Goldman Sachs, Blackwater, and Haillburton combined, as though Washington officials are in thrall to those living in poverty rather than those who fund their campaigns. It's not the nice men in the suits doing the stealing but the very people, often minorities or illegal immigrants, with no political or financial power who nonetheless somehow dominate the government and get everything for themselves. The poorer and weaker one is, the more one is demonized in right-wing mythology as all-powerful receipients of ill-gotten gains; conversely, the stronger and more powerful one is, the more one is depicted as an oppressed and put-upon victim ...

It's such an obvious falsehood -- so counter-intuitive and irrational -- yet it resonates due to powerful cultural manipulations. Most of all, what's so pernicious about all of this is that the same interests who are stealing, pillaging and wallowing in corruption are scapegoating the poorest and most vulnerable in order to ensure that the victims of their behavior are furious with everyone except for them.

UPDATE: John Cole highlights what might be the most telling aspect of all of this: demands for a "Special Prosecutor" into Obama's so-called "relationship with ACORN" from the very same circles that vehemently objected to investigations into torture, illegal government spying, politicized prosecutions, military contractor theft, Lewis Libby's obstruction of justice, and virtually every other instance of Bush-era criminality. Those, of course, are the very same people who, before that, demanded endless inquiries into Whitewater and Vince Foster's "murder." There's nothing more valuable than petty, dramatic "scandals" to distract attention from what is actually taking place.

This is, obviously, the Fauxtrage we were waiting for this week. The Chron's Nick Anderson has the summation:

Locke, Brown, Costello and Holm: Vote No

The Houston mayoral and city council elections aren't this blog's typical beat, but what's being discussed elsewhere is worth repeating here. Namely ...

-- Gene Locke is a misogynist ass.

-- Stephen Costello is a duplicitous Republican masquerading as an independent.

-- Peter Brown can't get his supporters' list straight. No wonder, since he has demonstrated trouble remembering which candidates he is supporting.

-- And lastly, the one person among these four not afraid to call herself a Republican, city comptroller candidate Pam Holm, attended a fundraiser for District A Republican candidate Brenda Stardig last evening, skipping the Houston Hispanic Heritage awards presentation (via Carl Whitmarsh).

Holm appeared on Glenn Beck's program earlier this year. That's all anyone with a functioning brain stem should need to know.

So now you know who not to vote for in November.

More Fauxtrage and additional postpourri

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-- Kanye West blurted out something stupid and obnoxious, apologized repeatedly, and appeared contrite in a TV appearance. In comparison, Joe Wilson did the same, apologized once to the president but refused to do so to his colleagues, was subsequently rebuked by them, and is hailed as a "hero" by the freak right wing. (Note the "Wilson-Palin 2012" most-recommended comment in the Chron link.)

Now which of these is the racist again? Honestly, maybe both them are, but thankfully there is still such a thing as atonement. For some.

-- And the 'quien es mas conservative' purge continues.

-- One of the DC Madam's best johns, Sen. David Vitter, finds himself "outraged" over the ACORN prostitution "scandal", but not so much that he could make the vote that cut off federal funding to the organization.

-- Michele Bachmann thinks Obama is going to ration the food supply. Really.

"President Obama said we can't eat as much food as we want and think the rest of the world will be okay about that, as if that matters to freedom-loving Americans," she said on the House floor this week. "Well, we just heard last week that the federal government now under the Obama administration is calling for a re-ordering of America's food supply. What is that going to mean? Now will the White House decide how many calories we consume or what types of food we consume?"

Steve Benen replies ...

Yes, Michele, that's exactly what it means. In fact, ACORN will now be responsible for preparing all foods in all households. President Obama will appoint a "dinner czar" to make sure you don't skip your vegetables. If you do, a "death panel" will decide whether you qualify for dessert.

How much more stupid can it get? Serious question.

The Weekly Wrangle

With the start of the football season, the Texas Progressive Alliance invites you to read this week's roundup of blog highlights in the voice of John Facenda.

Last week, the Lone Start State got some much needed help from the feds when the EPA slapped down Governor Perry's global warming denier pick for our state's top environmental official. This week the EPA will have another opportunity to intervene in Texas when mayor Calvin Tillman releases an environmental study of air quality in Dish, TX that will contrast dramatically with industry findings. Keep watching Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS as TXsharon brings you that news.

Bay Area Houston has some pics from the Yes we Klan! teabaggers on parade in DC.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that editorial boards across the state are taking Rick Perry to task for running Texas like he owned it.

Mean Rachel asks "Since when do conservatives care about anyone dying?" in "Dare Devils: Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Death Panel."

Off the Kuff takes a look at a local race that found a hole in our state's Elections Code.

Justin at Asian American Action Fund Blog writes about the right wing's War on Diwali.

BossKitty at TruthHugger notices headlines this week that demonstrate America's decline in common sense or accountability. Even worse, there is no regard for consequences of thoughtless actions ... Sabotage Experts: US Coast Guard Exercise on 9/11, Congressman Baucus and Republicans.

Neil at Texas Liberal ran a video he shot in front a hurricane damaged fishing pier in Galveston in which he asked people to be flexible of mind. The video is 48 seconds long.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson on Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) making it official that he won't seek reelection, and what that means going forward in Ogden will not run for Senate in 2010.

McBlogger offers another post on wage growth. Not terribly exciting, but it is hella important to the future of democracy. So, you know, you might want to read it.

A couple of Kinky Katz could wind up at the top of the 2010 Texas Democratic ticket, according to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Kay Bailey Hutchison takes a head-in-the-hot-sand approach to climate change that will get Texas burned and drive tens of thousands of new jobs elsewhere. Learn more at Texas Vox.

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