Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

Once again, hip waders are required.  Seems to be an unusually stupid week. 

We've just got to lead with the Cons whining about how being smacked down for breaking Twitter's terms of use is an outrageous infringement upon their freedom of speech:

Twitter has shut down 33 fake accounts created by Connecticut Republicans meant to impersonate Democratic state representatives. According to the Hartford Advocate, the GOP scheme was designed “to send out posts under the Democrats’ names mocking the liberal tax-and-spend bastards.” Twitter strictly forbids impersonation “intended to mislead, confuse or deceive others” on its site. However, the state GOP chairman is now complaining that Republicans’ “free speech” rights are being violated:

“That’s unfortunate,” was state Republican Chairman Chris Healy’s response when told of Twitter, Inc.’s decision. “I’m not quite sure what the issue is, other than that the Democrats were successful in stopping free speech.”

Healy’s party may have suffered a setback with the loss of its Twitter campaign, but Republicans are still operating the 33 Web sites they created using the names of those same Democratic lawmakers. As far as anyone knows, this is the first time any state party has used such a tactic to mock its state opponents.

That's because political parties used to act like grown-ups, rather than delinquent middle-school hooligans.  I'm afraid they're not sophisticated enough to understand the difference anymore.  They're certainly not mature enough to realize that freedom of speech does not equal the right to violate TOS agreements.  Dumbshits.

Crooks and Liars notes that the waaambulance had to be called out for right-wing fainting violets for more than trumped-up free speech whines.  Hypocrisy is usually a chronic condition, but sometimes right-wingers suffer acute attacks that require hospitalization in a facility with plenty of fainting couches.

They should really rethink these shouting fits.  The louder they shout, the more support they lose:

The wingnuts were out in force yesterday denouncing that Washington Post/ABC News poll showing strong public support for the public option.

But as Keith Olbermann pointed out last night, there was a lot more data in the poll that should really have them clutching their pearls and fainting:

OLBERMANN: When anti-government protesters targeted President Obama and other Democratic leaders on April 15, the party took a hit. When town halls raged and the Tea Bag crowd hit Washington, the party staggered further. Now, the Tea Bag guys are on the move again. But in our third story tonight, signs that the party getting hurt by the anti-government Tea Bag people is the Republican party.

This week's "Washington Post"/ABC poll found 51 percent of Americans say that in next year's Congressional vote, faced with the generic Democrat versus the generic Republican, they'll vote for the Democrat; 39 percent will vote for the Republican. Only 19 percent have at least a good amount of confidence in Congressional Republicans to make the right decisions, far lower than Democrats or the president, for that matter.

And the number of Americans calling themselves Republicans has fallen to 20 percent -- 20, the lowest since 1983. A closer look shows that number has fallen from 25 percent just since mid-August. That's not a five percent loss for Republicans. Dropping from 25 percent to 20 percent is a loss of a fifth. Meaning since the height of town hall, Palin, Beck, death panel palooza, one out of five Republicans has stopped being Republican.

That should sober them up, but alas, they are batshit fucking insane, not drunk.

Here's something rich.  Elected Cons are blaming Beck and Limbaugh for their woes:

Yeah, all that’s holding the Republicans back is Glenn Beck and El Rushbo.

Many top Republicans are growing worried that the party’s chances for reversing its electoral routs of 2006 and 2008 are being wounded by the flamboyant rhetoric and angry tone of conservative activists and media personalities, according to interviews with GOP officials and operatives.

Congressional leaders talk in private of being boxed in by commentators such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh — figures who are wildly popular with the conservative base but wildly controversial among other parts of the electorate, and who have proven records of making life miserable for senators and House members critical of their views or influence.

Everyone, all together now: awwwwwwwwwww.

Quick quiz: which of the following wingnut media types do not engage in angry, flamboyant rhetoric? El Rushbo, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Neal Boortz, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, G. Gordon Liddy, Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, Mark Levin, Bill Bennett. Because they were all spewing their hateful tirades when Republicans were winning elections and talking of permanent majorities.

Here's how much sympathy I have for them.  I have exactly as much sympathy for the Cons as I do for parents who don't teach their young children discipline, manners, and boundaries, and then moan about how out-of-control they are.  How much sympathy is that, you ask?  0.  

If they didn't spend so much time whipping their base into a frenzy, repeating Beck and Limbaugh talking points, and basically encouraging as much bad behavior as possible, they wouldn't be having these problems, now, would they?  You made your monsters, GOP, now be chomped by them.

And here's the Gang of Four Fuckwits feeding xenophobia by chasing after WND conspiracy theories:

After a week delay, four Republican lawmakers have formally asked the House sergeant at arms to investigate whether a Muslim advocacy group placed interns in national security committees, a spokesperson for the sergeant at arms confirmed to TPMmuckraker this afternoon.

Spokesperson Kerri Hanley would only say that a letter requesting a probe of the Council on American Islamic Relations was received today and that it is under review.

The letter, which you can read in full here, claims that CAIR is tied to "HAMAS" and cites the new WND-published book Muslim Mafia, written by a man who has labeled President Obama "Muslim":

Muslim Mafia raises claims that CAIR, who the FBI says has a relationship with HAMAS, has made it a strategic goal to influence Members of Congress on the Judiciary, Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees.

Politico described the document that is the basis for that claim as "basically [laying] out a fairly straight forward public relations and lobbying strategy."

Because we can't have those horrible American Mooslims doing anything so American as lobbying the American government and trying to influence public opinion, now, can we? 

Elsewhere, Inhofe's untruth squad's grown to a gang o' three, including one super-duper secret agent member!

Last month, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) announced that he would travel to Copenhagen in December to act as a climate skeptic “truth squad” during international climate change treaty negotiations. “I think somebody has to be there — a one-man truth squad,” Inhofe said on CSPAN. Today, on Bill Bennett’s radio show, Inhofe revealed that his delegation has expanded to “a truth squad of three”:

BENNETT: And John Barrasso’s going with you, right? John Barrasso?

INHOFE: Yeah, Barrasso and there’s another secret person going with me. We’re going to have a team of three, a truth squad of three.

This is turning into the most slapstick of low comedy.  I can hardly wait to see what happens next.  Shall we start a pool as to who Secret Agent Buffoon is?  I'm plumping for Michele Bachmann.

Time now for our quick hits with the Smack-o-Matic.  And who better to get a good whack in at than Dick "Darth" Cheney?  He just accused the Obama administration of “dithering while America’s armed forces are in danger.”  Think Progress hauled him out to the woodshed at that link. 

Steve Benen, not satisfied, unlimbered his prototype Smack-o-Matic 5000 (gotta get me one of those) and hauled Dick Cheney out to his own woodshed for a further "discussion."  I especially liked this whack: "Taking a few weeks to come up with a coherent plan doesn't put U.S. troops 'in danger'; listening to Dick Cheney puts U.S. troops 'in danger.'"

Robert Gibbs took up the paddle and entered the woodshed for a follow-up visit with Mr. Cheney:

In today’s White House press briefing, Gibbs referenced McKiernan’s troop request to hit back on the emptiness of Cheney’s accusations:

GARRETT: So that was a specific reference to McKiernan’s request that said that specific troop request was not taken seriously.

GIBBS: It wasn’t — Whether it was taken seriously or not, it wasn’t filled. I assume since it wasn’t filled, it was not taken seriously. Maybe they filled unserious ones and didn’t fill serious ones. That’s a fabulous question for the Vice President, who seems to have forgotten his role in the last seven years of Afghanistan.

That explains the resounding, fleshy CRACK! I heard earlier today.

And then Nancy Pelosi put the finishing touches on a very thorough woodshedding: “That’s really just not dignified.”

If I were Dick, I'd shut the fuck up while I could still sit down (with the help of very soft cushions).

Speaking of stupid people getting their due, you really need to check out Rep. Alan Grayson demolishing Rep. Paul Broun over ACORN.  It is a thing of beauty.

Looks like Rep. Steve Buyer has a bit o' the old pathological addiction to golf.  Wow.

T. Boone Pickens has entitlement issues.

And I hate to agree with Pat Buchanan on anything at all, but I have to say he's absolutely right on this point.  Too bad he's so wrong on absolutely everything else.

Finally, here's an absolutely hysterical tidbit Digby unearthed:

Somebody needs to call Glenn Beck immediately. Obama is trying to kill Republicans:

Republican men nationwide may have experienced a drop in testosterone levels the night Barack Obama was elected president, according to the results of a small study that found another link between testosterone and men's moods. By taking multiple saliva samples from 183 young men and women on election night, researchers found that the testosterone levels of men who voted for John McCain or Robert Barr dropped sharply 40 minutes after Obama was announced the winner.

[...]

Low testosterone levels in men are linked to increased risk of premature death.

First, they lower their testosterone so they don't feel like procreating, then they kill them. It's all there. What else do we need to know?

You're welcome.