Buck Naked Politics

A Roman Catholic Priest to Obama Supporters: No Eucharist for You!

by Teh Nutroots | To be fair, he doesn't actually excommunicate them or anything---just says that, having cooperated with "intrinsic evil," they need to do penance.   The Priest, who can't have been paying close attention, says that Obama is the most radical "pro-abortion politician" ever. (YN)   As for me, I've never met anyone who is pro-abortion;  most Americans I know just think that the Catholic church doesn't get to decide for people who are not members when life begins and what God's opinion is on abortion.   In other words, they are pro-choice.  I myself am anti-abortion but completely pro-choice. They are not mutually exclusive.

Let us hope we see a bit more separation between church and state in the coming years. Confusing a religious conviction with a political principle is the first step on the road to theocracy.

Poll Shows Strong Public Support for Incoming Democratic Government

by Damozel & Nicholas |  If you looked at some of the right-wing blogs we read for laughs you'd never know this, but it seems that a large number of Americans are relieved to find the government in the control of the Democratic party---at least according to a CNN poll.  It appears, in fact---to quote Bob Fertik at Democrats.com---that "[t]he Republican mantra that America is a center-right country that doesn't want Obama's agenda to succeed is one more Big Lie."

Here are some of the results:

Michelle Obama Turns to Hillary for Advice

by Damozel | Whatever these ladies' differences---and we all know Michelle Obama was never a Hillary fan---Michelle knows Hillary understands the problem of sheltering one's young from the "media maelstrom."  (Politico)

Conservative UK Paper: Secret Service Blames Palin for Death Threats Against Obama

by Teh Nutroots|  You know what's effing crazy?  The fact that McCain, the muppets at The Corner and other formerly respectable bastions of the right, have forgotten that before 911 there was the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh, and a hell of a scary movement among paramilitary anti-government white supremacist militias to bring down the US government.

It's time to demand that Palin and McCain step up and issue a global retraction of their incendiary implications---and outright misreprentations--about President-Elect Obama. After noting the angry shouts and mutterings that characterized many of her rallies, Tim Shipman of The Telegraph reports:

Norm Coleman Tries to Stop Absentee Ballot Count in Tight Senate Race Against Al Franken

by Damozel | Deb discussed the Coleman-Franken stand-off here. Norm Coleman now leads Al Franken by only 221 votes. (TwinCities.com)   According to MPR, it is the closest Senate race in the nation's history.

Minnesota uses optical scan ballots. (TNR)  A large majority of ballots with no candidate marked in their Senate race were marked for Obama.  A recount would require the ballots to be checked by hand for mismarking. (StarTribune.com) 

Naturally, the candidates are scrutinizing every vote.  Now Coleman has tried---unsuccessfully--- to prevent the opening of 32 absentee ballots that didn't get opened on election day. (TwinCities.com)

From Democrats.Com: "Baracking Around the World"

by Damozel |  It's nice to see that America finally did something to make the rest of the world happy.  All around the world, people celebrated, and are still celebrating, the election of Barack Obama.  This one's definitely worth clicking on and scrolling. 

On a related note, also Arianna Huffington discussing Obama's win on BBC News' Newsnight with Thomas Friedman and Christopher Hitchens.  (Hitch--who endorsed Obama--expresses certain reservations about all this Obama love and jubilation.) 

Bill Maher's New Rules for 11-7: Republicans Must Not Spend the Next Four Years Plotting to Bring Down Obama

by Nicholas | A great post-election wind-up at Real Time.

Crooks and Liars has the complete transcript.  Best line:

The hard core Republican base is like a stalker. Rejection just makes them crazier.

Well, there's this:

Palin Denounces "Cruel, Mean-spirited, Immature, Unprofessional" Treatment---"And Those Guys Are Jerks!"

by Teh Nutroots |  First of all, what about the rumors that the anti-Palin movement was initiated by supporters of Romney who saw her as a 2012 threat? Ambinder musters them and debunks them, sort of.  Whoever started the Palin blame-game, it can't be laid at the door of the Romney faction (or not exclusively).

Meanwhile, Palin is complaining about the cruelty and cowardice of her critics.

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska fired back Friday at the unnamed McCain campaign aides who have been maligning her in recent days, saying that their criticism was “cruel and it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature, it’s unprofessional, and those guys are jerks.” (NYT; emphasis added)

Lieberman Watch Part 2: Republicans Reach Out

by Damozel | And they can have him. 

After all is said and done, I am astonished that he expected, or so it seems, that there should be no consequences to the things he said and did to stop people from voting for Obama.  But apparently he did expect it---if one is to believe the New York Daily News.

Sen. Joe Lieberman pleaded with Democratic bosses Thursday to keep his job as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee after stumping ceaselessly for GOPer John McCain.

Oh, Joe Lieberman:  Really?  Because you didn't just insult nominee Barack Obama with the intention of benefiting the Republican contender:  you insulted the integrity and good faith of all your colleagues in the entire party and the humble constituents who selected them.

Most Awesome Clip of Election Night: Author Gore Vidal Schools the BBC & the British Public in American Politics

by Damozel | Okay, right: as far as I'm concerned this was the most entertaining clip of all the clips from the entire evening from any network. Watch Vidal in action, free of any boring middle class inhibitions about coming across as gracious or conciliatory on the telly!  "Mad as a box of frogs," remarks the guy who posted it and he's not wrong. 

This is one why Americans should never watch anything but BBC News via BBC America.  Anchor David Dimbleby was awesome too, both during (meekly and bemusedly and humorously submitting to being schooled by one cranky old lefty curmudgeon) and afterward  ("Well, that was fun!")   BTW, Vidal's right about the Brits getting it wrong by associating Republicans with British conservative (who would be moderates here, if not liberals).  The GOP:  It's not a party, it's a mind-set!   

Colbert Report: What Part of 'Barack Hussein Obama' Doesn't Scare You?

Stephen asks:  Did the Bush Administration overvalue fear and have too much spread around by too many people? Has the 'fear bubble' finally burst?

Jon Swift: It's Not the End of the World

by Damozel | In the midst of an excess of right-wing fear, screeching of imprecations and defiance, and generalized impotent raging, blogger/satirist/sensible conservative Jon Swift is bearing the blow philosophically.  As he so truly says,  "Electing a Scary Black Man President Isn't the End of the World."

For years conservatives have been saying that racism doesn’t exist anymore. The election of Barack Obama proves we were right all along. Throughout the campaign we reminded people at every opportunity that while it might be frightening that Obama is a socialist who pals around with terrorists, probably wasn’t born in this country and is secretly a Muslim, it made no difference whatsoever that he was black.... [I]n the end no matter what we threw at Obama, white people voted for him anyway. So with the election of Obama conservatives have been vindicated.

Just Say: "No Joe": Lieberman Watch

by Damozel | Earlier Teh Nutroots wrote about Reid's summoning of Lieberman to the woodshed. According to HuffPost's Nico Pitney, Reid wants Leiberman out and Leiberman's only shot at keeping his committee chair "appears to be lobbying members of the Senate Democratic Leadership besides Reid. One key target would be the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, a group of nearly two dozen Democratic Senators who play a role in deciding committee seats."

Pitney suggests that this isn't likely to work.  "[I]t is highly unlikely that Democrats would act against the wishes of Majority Leader Reid."  Not to mention their own.  In fact, many of us among the rank-and-file have speculated that Reid really isn't that set on seeing the back of Joe Lieberman.  There are political reasons for Reid to want to keep him around.

Schaden-Bloggen-Freude: "Circular Firing Squad"

by Teh Nutroots |   Times may be dark, my friends, and Bush might still be president, but the comical finger-pointing and red-faced apoplectic screaming among former allies of the far right seems bound to continue for yet awhile.  Let's have a round of very slow clapping for our perpetually furious friends on the far right!

All the stories about Palin's wardrobe?  Turns out---that is, if you want to believe Politico's Jonathan Martin, and you betcha I do---that it was all true, and much worse than you probably thought:

News from the Always Wrong Right-Tilting Punditocracy: Obama the Socialist/Marxist/Terrorist Ran a Center Right Campaign

by Teh Nutroots | Ha, ha, this is rich.  Right wing bloggers are masters of the maladroit reframe and the transparent revisionism.  From the conduct of the loons at The Corner and as illustrated elsewhere, one can distill their entire M.O. and fit it into a nutshell.  A wing-nutshell. 

Reid to Take Lieberman to the Woodshed

by Teh Nutroots | So it seems.   But will Lieberman get spanked?  Does it surprise you as much as it does me that we have to wait and see?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will likely meet later this week with Joe Lieberman to discuss whether the Democrat-turned-Independent will be stripped of his Senate committee chairmanship, a senior Democratic leadership aide tells CNN.

Lieberman currently chairs the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  (CNN)

America Has Awakened and Said "No More"

by Deb Cupples | If ever there were a night worthy of bubbles, it was last night.  So, I opened a bottle of champagne and fixed a mimosa.  I didn't sip it straight, because I needed my RDA of vitamin C.

We Americans made history last night by electing our first black president, but it's far more than that.  Americans have awakened, horrified by what they've grown accustomed to over the last eight years, and they've roared their demand for changes in how America does business.

ABC Discourages Western Voters from Turning out to Vote

by Deb Cupples |   Watching last night's election returns on ABC TV was about as disgusting as the thought of chugging a pint of rancid, liquefied lard.  Maybe more so.

I started watching the election returns at about 7:30 pm.  By 9:00 or so, ABC said that Obama had 200 electoral votes, indicating that he was well on his way to winning.  Then I went to  ABC's electoral map on the Internet.  What did I find? 

That ABC was predicting the winner (i.e., giving out electoral votes to a candidate) for states that had reported as few as 1% of votes. One-percent?  Does anyone with any knowledge of statistics think that one-percent is reflective of an entire state's population -- especially states with distinct red and blue pockets?

Here's why premature predictions upset me:

"BARACK TO THE FUTURE"

THIS IS AWESOME.

A HISTORIC VICTORY

I have tears in my eyes.  I am thrilled I lived to see this---such a diverse crowd celebrating this historic occasion.  I'm listening now to a tearful-sounding Tracy Chapman talking to the BBC America pundits!  What a wonderful moment.

This photo is by realjameso16 [used pursuant to a Creative Commons license].  The photo page (showing the license) is here.  Please do not copy or use this photograph without consulting--and complying with--the terms of the applicable license.