Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

In moving news, settling in continues apace. The cat has finally discovered how to sit comfortably with her ma in the recliner. And after more hours of shopping than I care to think about, I have glorious silk curtains on order for the bedroom and a set of bookshelves that roughly blend with my current ones on the way. By the end of tonight, my office will be put together. This is no thanks to my bookcase-building abilities. I follow directions slightly better than Republicons govern, but that ain't sayin' much.

Speaking of Cons, they bear a remarkable resemblance to my first attempt at putting the sides together on these shelves: you'd think the sides should point the same direction, but they don't:

The GOP's "budget" was roundly mocked throughout Democratic circles and even in the suddenly-caring-about-policy traditional media for not having any numbers, the way that, you know, a budget does. Yesterday, John McCain sought to calm the waters by claiming that the Senate GOP would put together, in fact, an actual budget with hard numbers instead of just a pamphlet with a bunch of circles and positive affirmations.

DAVID GREGORY: Do you think that Republicans should provide a detailed budget alternative?

McCAIN: Yes.

GREGORY: With numbers?

McCAIN: Yes.

GREGORY: Will that happen in the Senate?

McCAIN: We're working on it, working very hard on it.

Rick Klein reports that Sen. McCain is mistaken.

According to a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Senate GOP's plan remains the same: Republicans are planning to offer individual amendments to the Democratic budget but not a detailed, comprehensive budget of their own. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, has pointed out that if the GOP amendments are accepted en masse (which will not happen), the amended budget would be the Republican alternative.

I think Mitch and John need to have a confab so they can get their stories straight. They might want to bring Rep. Paul Ryan in with them:

Last week, the House GOP presented its alternative budget proposal. Members of the media, including conservative commentators, widely panned the document for being scant on details and appearing more as “campaign-style talking points.” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), ranking member of the House Budget Committee, has said he will release yet another budget proposal, but this time with more specifics.

Though Ryan has been most critical of the deficit impact of Obama’s budget, he has been unable to assess the deficit impact of his own budget. After being repeatedly asked this weekend by Bloomberg’s Al Hunt about “how large” the deficit would be under the Republican plan, Ryan finally respond, “A lot”:

HUNT: But the Obama budget deficit is $1.4 trillion. How, roughly, how large will yours be?

RYAN: Their budget deficit is $1.8 trillion. […]

HUNT: Gimme an idea of how large yours will be?

RYAN: A lot. Let’s put it that way.

So. They're upset over the Obama budget deficit, but if they plug actual numbers instead of wishes and dreams into theirs, they end up with a huge deficit themselves. Brilliant, aren't they just?

Hysterical, too:

It's already astounding that the Norm Coleman-Al Franken Senate recount has taken this long to resolve. Franken has won the first recount and Coleman's lawyers even acknowledge that he will win the case before the Minnesota Supreme Court when the verdict comes down shortly. But this is the first time I've heard the word "years" to describe the timeframe for resolution.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn is threatening "World War III" if Democrats try to seat Al Franken in the Senate before Norm Coleman can pursue his case through the federal courts.

Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, acknowledges that a federal challenge to November's elections could take "years" to resolve. But he's adamant that Coleman deserves that chance - even if it means Minnesota is short a senator for the duration.

World War III, eh? All for Norm? These people really aren't quite right in the head.

He'd better watch it, though. If the Cons get too feisty, the Dems may call in the far left bloggers, and we're a formidable force. In fact, it turns out we're Bill O's #1 enemies:

In their interview with Bill O’Reilly this morning, the ladies of The View failed to question him about his comments on rape or his record of stalking and harassing his perceived enemies. Instead, they let O’Reilly make a series of attacks that went unchallenged:

BARBARA WALTERS: Who are your current enemies?

O’REILLY: I have enemies all over, Barbara. Come on. Is this a telethon? I mean…

WALTERS: Number one. You just said every day, every week you look for a new enemy. Number one enemy at this moment.

O’REILLY: I would say the far left blogs. I mean, they’re just everyday.

Heh. We are a mighty and awesome force. Almost as mighty as the right's stupidty.