Buck Naked Politics

Astroturfin' USA: Widely Circulated "Ginormous Turnout" Photo Showing DC Mall Packed with Teabaggers Was from 1997?

 by Teh Nutroots |  This, to no one's surprise, from Politifact:

"[S]upporters of Saturday’s “tea party” protests...posted a photograph that showed a gargantuan crowd sprawling from Capitol Hill down the National Mall to the Washington Monument....

"Pete Piringer, public affairs officer for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Department, said the local government no longer provides official crowd estimates because they can become politicized. But the day of the rally, Piringer unofficially told one reporter that he thought between 60,000 and 75,000 people had shown up....

"[A]fter marching down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, the crowd “only filled the Capitol grounds, maybe up to Third Street,” he said.

"Yet the photograph so widely posted showed the crowd sprawling all the way to the Washington Monument, which is bordered by 15th and and 17th Streets.

"There’s another problem with the photograph: It doesn’t include the National Museum of the American Indian, a building located at the corner of Fourth Street and Independence Avenue that opened on Sept. 14, 2004. (Looking at the photograph, the building should be in the upper right hand corner of the National Mall, next to the Air and Space Museum.) That means the picture was taken before the museum opened exactly five years ago. So clearly the photo doesn’t show the “tea party” crowd from the Sept. 12 protest.

"Also worth noting are the cranes in front of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. According to Randall Kremer, the museum’s director of public affairs, “The last time cranes were in front was in the 1990s when the IMAX theater was being built.”" (emphasis added)

Politico: GOP Leaders Complain that the Party Is Becoming Defined by "Crackpots"; Meanwhile, Progressives Become Progressively Sicker of the Dems' Gutless Response

by Teh Nutroots | Politico's Andie Coller writes that a number of GOP leaders are increasingly worried that their party is being identified with its "fringe element" (so-called).  Here's a small sample culled from her many examples of GOPpers fretting over what's happening to their party. 

[S]ays Republican media consultant Mark McKinnon. “Unfortunately, right now the Democrats generally get defined by President Obama, and Republicans, who have no clear leadership, get defined by crackpots — and then they begin to define the Republican Party in the mind of the general public.”...

Here’s Orly Taitz, insisting that the commander in chief was born in Kenya. There’s a flock of town hall protesters, waving photos of the president in a Hitler moustache. Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin warns darkly that Obama is planning “death panels” for senior citizens. Georgia Rep. Paul Broun equates the president’s plans with “Nazi” policies. Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt — last heard calling John Murtha a “coward” — tells a birther: “I agree with you, but the courts don’t.”...

One veteran GOP official puts it bluntly: “The image of a bunch of white guys booing an African-American president is about as bad as it gets.” ( More at Politico)

Gee, ya think?

Aboat Free Health Care: Canadians Defend Their Single-Payer System Like the Wild-Eyed Ranting Socialists They Are

by teh nutroots |   Oi, teabaggers!  Time to stick your fingers in your ears and sing, "LALALALALALA"!  The blogger who made this video tried to find even one Maple Leafer who would say something negative about their system, and came up empty.  But what else do you expect from a nation of people who go on saying "aboat" when it's clearly spelt "about"? 

Laura Bush Defends Obama's Speech to Schoolkids

by teh nutroots|  I agree with Laura Bush.  People can keep their kids at home if they don't want to have the President of the United States suggest that they take advantage of the 100% free, taxpayer-funded education being provided to them by the government.  From CNN, via HuffPost:

Media Morons Heart the Tea-bagging Fools of the Party of No: A Compendium of Progressive Snarkery

by Teh Nutroots | curv3ball over at The Toot, commenting on the relationship between astroturfers and attendant loonies and our useless media:

The stupid has reached supernova and all the media can do is applaud the ability of those firing up the stupid to capture the media’s attention with a particularly shiny stupid.  Rather than, you know, point out that stupid mendacity is actually stupid and mendacious, and its purveyors likewise (or, in the alternative, cynical and mendacious). ("Nobody Dumbs It Better")

TBogg:

A coalition of 'concerned citizens'...have banded together to make sure that abortion funding is not included in whatever half-assed  health care plan the gutless Democrats finally cobble together. The idea being that....women will wake up in the morning and be all, "Hmm.... should I go to the mall or have an abortion today?" because woman just love abortin',  particularly if it's free, just like a makeover at M•A•C.

Abortion is only for those who can afford it. The uninsured Poors will just have to have their babies.

The cycle of poverty demands it. (Keeping Abortion Out of the Reach of the Riff-Raff)

Gah. Megan McArdle, Glibertarian, Live at WaPo

by Teh Nutroots | Gah. Whoever offered her a platform at The Washington Post needs to be forced to read her musings every day for the next year as a penance. 

McArdle: "Facts I Did Not Know"

TBogg:  "We're gonna need a bigger internet."  

Even so.  If you want a break from reality, catch McArdle in the process of demonstrating how much her reach-- as TBogg points out (though he's funnier) -- exceeds her grasp.

Update:  TBogg reviews McArdle (First we get rid of all the sick people.  Then we won’t need insurance. Profit!)  "I think, after this, we can officially designate Megan McArdle as the America's Stupidest Blogger™."

Brad at Fire Megan McArdle:  "Note that every single number she came up with to support her argument was hypothetical, and based on willful ignorance of reality..."

Susan of Texas: "A hypothetical is not a statistic. A statistic is a fact that can be verified, not a guess, and McArdle just admitted she made a guess. That guess was the entire basis for her argument against health care reform."

Everything that's Wrong with the Media: Marc Ambinder on Why Progressives Are Always Wrong

by bartleby the scrivener | So. Tom Ridge confirms what progressives have long known to be true. Here's Marc "Divide the Baby in Half" Ambinder to confirm why you must never again rely on our "free press" to protect democracy.

Journalists, including myself, were very skeptical when anti-Bush liberals insisted that what Ridge now says is true, was true. We were wrong.  Our skepticism about the activists' conclusions was warranted because these folks based their assumption on gut hatred for President Bush, and not on any evaluation of the raw intelligence.  But journalists should have been even more skeptical about the administration's pronouncements. And yet -- we, too, weren't privy to the intelligence. (emphasis added)

Marcy Wheeler saw that one off in fine style.

The Daily Show: The Diplomacy of Hillary Clinton

She won't channel her husband, so don't even think of asking her his opinion of anything.  After all, who is Secretary of State, Hill or Bill?  Hmmm?  JS:  "Damn, random person in the Congo.  You just got served!"  You go, Ms. Crankypants! 

After the jump....

Deal: Obama & Big Pharma

From Ryan Grimm at HuffPost:

"White House spokesman Reid Cherlin confirmed that despite Thursday's uncertainty the deal outlined in the New York Times still stands."  (Ryan Grimm, HuffPost; emphasis added)

So I guess that's that.  The New York Times reports

Frightening Numbers of Unemployed on the Point of Exhausting Unemployment Benefits

by Teh Nutroots  | According to The New York Times, the only thing standing between many Americans and complete ruin is just about to come to an end. 

Over the coming months, as many as 1.5 million jobless Americans will exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits, ending what for some has been a last bulwark against foreclosures and destitution.

Because of emergency extensions already enacted by Congress, laid-off workers in nearly half the states can collect benefits for up to 79 weeks, the longest period since the unemployment insurance program was created in the 1930s. But unemployment in this recession has proved to be especially tenacious, and a wave of job-seekers is using up even this prolonged aid.

Tens of thousands of workers have already used up their benefits, and the numbers are expected to soar in the months to come, reaching half a million by the end of September and 1.5 million by the end of the year, according to new projections by the National Employment Law Project, a private research group.

There's pressure on Congress to allow a further 13-week extension.  (NYT)  Thirteen weeks?

Rumors of Palin Divorce; Palin "Camp" Issues Swift Denial

by Teh Nutroots | The top gossip for today, courtesy of The Alaska Report, is that Todd and Sarah Palin are to divorce.  Akmuckraker at The Mudflats has the story of the story.  Palin's spokespeople who, after all, have access to first-hand information, deny the rumor. 

For what it's worth, the report -- which seems to have originated with this blogger -- is as follows:

A National Enquirer story exposing previous affairs on both sides led to a deterioration of their marriage and the stress from that led to Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska last week.

The Palins were noticeably not speaking to each other for most of last Sunday's resignation speech in Fairbanks. Sarah ditched Todd (MSNBC) right after the speech and left without him. Sarah removed her wedding ring a couple of weeks ago.

Sarah has recently purchased land in Montana and is considering moving the family there. Sarah Palin is originally from Idaho. (The Alaska Report)

I don't actually give a damn either way, but it's the story of the day, and I didn't want to be left out.

Minnesota Supreme Court Says in 5-0 Decision: FRANKEN WON

by Teh Nutroots | The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered that Franken be certified as having won the seemingly endless election dispute with Norm Coleman.  (WaPo)

"We affirm the decision of the trial court that Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under (Minnesota law) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota," the court wrote in its 5-0 ruling.

With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.(WaPo)

The ruling was unanimous.(Minn. Star Tribune) So it's over, right, and the baddies have to accept that they lost?  Right?  Not necessarily:

TPMtv's The Day in 100 Seconds: Neocons Who Wanted to Bomb Iran Bomb Obama with Criticism for Not Loving It Enough

by Teh Nutroots | Man, these people are morons. Do the ones invoking Reagan -- "President Reagan said "Speak softly and carry a big stick"" -- not know who Moussavi even is?  Have they not even looked at any history of Iran, its revolutions, or its reasons for fearing American meddling?

We're all for the moderates and we despise Ahmadinejad as much as the next sane person, but we're worried about Obama sticking his nose in and making the situation even worse.  People who want to understand what's happening in Iran need to read Bill Maher's interview with Hoomin Majd for a start.  After the jump....

Britain Unveils New Lightweight Emissions-Free Hydrogen Powered Car

by Teh Nutroots | At last, the 21st Century!--at least in Britain.  Check out the photo of this bad boy.  The Daily Mail reports:

The two-seater Riversimple Urban Car is able to travel 240 miles without refuelling and weighs just 772lb or 55st. It could be put into production as soon as 2013. A spokesman said they expected it to achieve 300miles to the gallon (Daily Mail).

Of course, the 21st Century might move a bit slower than you were probably imagining back when you used to watch The Jetsons.  The present version can reach speeds of "up to 50 mph."  (Daily Mail)  On the other hand:  the cars are expected to have a 20 year lifespan.(Daily Mail)  But....erm: hydrogen?  How does that work? Won't...explosions be a problem? 

I guess not:

Iran Ironies: An Observation

by Teh Nutroots | You've got to love it that the same right-wingers who bought into the whole "axis of evil" thing and who thought war with Iran might be a good idea are now cheering on the moderates, as if the moderates too weren't always part of Iran.   The moderates have been there all along, guys; and -- once more for the record -- you can't go to war against Iran without going to war against its moderates as well as Ahmadinejad and other "evildoers."

We all hope the moderates prevail, but that may be wishful thinking.  If they don't, we need to remember that Ahmadinejad and the current repressive regime is not Iran. 

What this guy says.

The Right Wing Media's Role in Fostering Domestic Terrorism

by Teh Nutroots | Remember the great Furore o' Right Wing Fury a few months back when the DHS published a report stating that right wing extremism and the threat of right wing extremism was on the rise in the US?  No?  If not, please see "Dept of Hollow Laughter: Right Wingers Incensed Over DHS Report on Rise of Right Wing Extremism," published on April 15 at this very blog.  And while you're at it, see also Bill Kav's piece yesterday on the increasingly scary rhetoric coming from right wingers who watch Fox News.

In re: the DHS report that had certain vocal conservatives up in arms last April, Paul Krugman says:

The Torture Administration: Gonzo on the DoJ's Role in Torture -- "I Did My Best to Defend Our Country"

by Teh Nutroots |  Poor little berk, I really believe that's what he thinks he was doing.  Video after the jump:

Arlen Specter Defends Nancy Pelosi, Thinks CIA Might Occasionally Palter with the Truth

by Teh Nutroots |  I mean, look, come on:  they're the CIA.  Do people really think that they are on close terms at all times with the truth as it might appear to you and me?  Don't we all pretty much assume that they lie reflexively, whenever they need to obscure a spot of excess zeal or whatever?  Don't we all reckon that they're the ultimate ends-justify-the-means agency in America?  Isn't history clear on this point?

Specter didn't go quite that far, acknowledging that it isn't official CIA policy to misrepresent the facts, but he went far enough. 

"The CIA has a very bad record when it comes to — I was about to say 'candid'; that's too mild — to honesty," Specter, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a lunch address to the American Law Institute. He cited misleading information about the agency's involvement in mining harbors in Nicaragua and the Iran-Contra affair.

Annnnd Former Gov. (& SEAL) Jesse Ventura Says: "Give Me a Waterboard, Dick Cheney, and One Hour and I'll Have Him Confess to the Sharon Tate Murders"

Teh Nutroots | | Heather at C&L Video Cafe says:

On Larry King Live Jesse Ventura takes on the Bush administration chickenhawks and Rush Limbaugh, and defends Colin Powell. After being waterboarded himself in the SERE program, Ventura makes no bones about it. Waterboarding is torture. I'd like to see Hannity have Ventura on his show to debate the issue.

Ventura says he'd prosecute everyone who was involved in torture, right down the line.  He also points out that if waterboarding isn't done correctly, the recipient could actually drown. 

Finally, he defends Colin Powell against chickenhawk Cheney and calls for legalization of drugs!  Are we more offended by drugs or murder?  he asks.  Awesome.

Snark on Toast: Venal Politicians, Crappy Taste; Shorter All the Defenders of Dick Cheney's Lies; the Omnipotence of Obama & His Childlike Faith in Insurance Companies; Following the Money

by Teh Nutroots | British libertarian Vindico isn't only disgusted by British MPs who divert taxpayer money to their own ends; he also objects to their taste in taxpayer-funded gewgaws:

Not only are our MPs up to their receding hairlines in the Parliamentary trough, but they also appear to have no taste whatsover...

John Reid claimed for a pouffe and a glittery loo seat on MPs' expenses...