×
- There was little doubt that Organizing for America, among other liberal activist groups, would get into gear to counter these tea party/health-care reform protests that have been swamping town halls and generally harassing people who are trying to have a civil discussion. Now it's clear the OFA is already rallying supporters to go tit-for-tat with these remnants of final stages of the McCain/Palin campaign.
- Remember back when the stock market was doing poorly, it was because of Obama's economic policies? Now, according to RNC Chair Michael Steele, the recent surge in the stock market is actually a reaction to Obama's economic policies. Sweet Jesus, isn't it high time we stop prostrating ourselves before the stock ticker and just admit that the only thing stock prices are indicative of are...stock prices?
- Embodying the deeply held conservative belief that the public is firmly behind the conservative movement, an NRCC flak opines that "what Democrats call mob rule the average American calls democracy." Besides the fact that this thing called 'democracy' already happened back in November, this sentiment is deeply telling about conservative contempt for democracy. The right wingers getting bused around the country to harass and disrupt are a disposable means to an end for powerful interests who stand to make somewhat less of a profit under a new health care regime that prioritizes care over their bottom line. But any demonstration of 'democracy' that interferes with whatever the conservative agenda happens to be at the moment (say, preemptive foreign invasion) is treated as treasonous and radical.
- Kevin Drum picks apart a James Joyner piece that argues while the right certainly has its own conspiratorial fringe to deal with, the left has their own loonies, too. But this isn't terribly interesting. The salient point is that the Democratic party rejects their wingers while the GOP is incredibly tolerant of theirs. I suspect this is because conservatives tend to believe that radicalism is born on the left and hence can't exist on the right. But in reality, the NRSC chair is accusing the president of data-mining his political enemies, Minnesota's favorite wingnut thinks the Census is the road to serfdom, and the GOP's preferred cable network is still reporting that the government is going to enslave us all. This level of mainstream legitimization of the fringe simply does not exist on the left.
- Remainders: California's prison disaster; Xe (formerly Blackwater) responds to allegations that it engaged in murder of Iraqi civilians; The Washington Post decides to shift its resources away from producing Drudge-level gossip; why didn't CNN correct Arthur Laffer for lying (or point out his ignorance)?; and tea baggers offer Pavlovian response to simple verbal command, "Reagan."
--Mori Dinauer
