“I don’t understand it. The purpose of the United States Senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand.”
–Grandpa Walnuts does not understand how his party has used the filibuster to prevent even debate on various issues, this time guns.
(The Hill)
Regular readers know that our sometimes mantra, “Both Sides Don’t” is generally ignored; the pontificating poltroons in our courtesan press continue to belch up false equivalences to try to appear non-biased.
Our pal Driftglass has long said that the punditry lie of Both Sides Do It is the essential lie that lets all the other pundit lies exist, and we agree. It doesn’t matter what the topic is, any criticism of the Right immediately triggers a reflexive, “yes, but the Democrats…” and the topic shifts. The thing is that they are never equivalents and usually not even related. It’s like trying to pay your bar tab by handing over your dry-cleaning ticket. But I digress.
Kevin Drum at Mother Jones asks us, “Has the mainstream media finally had enough?,” and he postulates that maybe they have, reluctantly and bitterly started to reach the conclusion that the GOP is both rudderless and off the rails:
“It seems to me that something has happened over the past three months: the nonpartisan media has finally started to internalize the idea that the modern Republican Party has gone off the rails. Their leaders can’t control their backbenchers. They throw pointless temper tantrums about everything President Obama proposes. They have no serious ideas of their own aside from wanting to keep taxes low on the rich. They’re serially obsessed with a few hobby horses — Fast & Furious! Obamacare! Benghazi! — that no one else cares about. Their fundraising is controlled by scam artists. They’re rudderless and consumed with infighting. They’re demographically doomed.”
OK, that is sort of the conventional wisdom of Lefty Blogostan, what else have you got?
Recently, though, my sense is that this has shifted a bit. The framing of even straight new reports feels just a little bit jaded, as if veteran reporters just can’t bring themselves to pretend one more time that climate change is a hoax, Benghazi is a scandal, and federal spending is spiraling out of control. It’s getting harder and harder to pretend that the same old shrieking over the same old issues is really newsworthy.
Question: Am I just imagining this? Or has there really been a small but noticeable shift in the tone of recent reporting?
It’s a worthy question: are Drum’s Spidey-senses tingling?
My sense is that the MSM print media is just sort of sticking its metaphorical toe in the water of actually reporting, but I suspect that it won’t last. The electronic media (Dancing with the Gregory, This Week with a Greek Dwarf, etc.) have not even tried to break the surface of Villager foolishness.
I mean, just look at the top 3 Sunday Talkies line-up:
-NBC’s “Meet the Press”: White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) and retired Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly; roundtable with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, Republican strategist Alex Castellanos and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews
–ABC’s “This Week”: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI); White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; roundtable with ABC News’ George Will, Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-TX), former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, former Romney 2012 campaign senior strategist Stuart Stevens; “Sunday Spotlight” segment with author and Johns Hopkins Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery Dr. Ben Carson (“America the Beautiful”)
–CBS’s “Face the Nation”: White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; former Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) and Mayor Cory Booker (D-Newark); Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl; defense and foreign policy roundtable with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, Foreign Policy Magazine’s Tom Ricks and CBS News’ Margaret Brennan; political roundtable with Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson, Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter and CBS News’ John Dickerson
It’s not encouraging that so many pundits who have been proven demonstrably wrong continue to bloviate their conventional (incorrect) wisdom, week after week, month after month, year after year. There is no consequence for these people to be wrong on issue after issue. Next week, Walnuts will be on another Sunday Talkie.
In related news, a comet exploded over Russia indicating the end of the dinosaur era. Let’s hope Grandpa Walnuts gets the message.
So, Grandpa Walnuts after saying he would support Chuck Hagel instead supported the filibuster? Why?
“But to be honest with you, Neil, it goes back to there’s a lot of ill will towards Senator Hagel because when he was a Republican, he attacked President Bush mercilessly and say he was the worst President since Herbert Hoover and said the surge was the worst blunder since the Vietnam War, which was nonsense. “
…because he was mean to Chimpy and Walnut’s had his fee-fees hurt when Hagel was mean about his f***ing precious Surge. The End.
OK, I’m confused. Isn’t the job of the Defense Secretary to ensure that there is ammo for the guns and armor for the troops? You know, the stuff that Don Rumsfeld failed to do?
I mean, the Secretary of Defense is administrative, right?
The Generals set strategy, right?
The Secretary of State sets policy, right?
So, is Grandpa Walnuts going to shake his fist and yell at clouds next? What the hell was this about? Other than Walnuts trying to get someone to say that he was right at least once in his life-long career of being wrong about absolutely everything. Oh, and crashing 5 jets. There was that.
Poor, old Grandpa Walnuts, there he was whoring himself to the media screaming for a select committee meeting to look in on what happened in Libya, when the media had the temerity to ask him why he was not attending the meeting that he was demanding that the government to hold.
Someone needs to remind SoyBlo that when she puts Daddy McCain into the Old White Guy Home For Angry Senators, just set up a mic and a camera and he’ll settle in well. Bonus idea: paint the room green and put out M&Ms.
(CNN)
now that the fun and games and rants to empty chairs are done, time for the entire GOP family to get to work
Although he predicted it would not happen, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Wednesday it would be “wise” for President Obama to take Vice President Joe Biden off the Democratic presidential ticket and replace him with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton .
Because Grandpa Walnuts knows how to pick running mates.
“The only place in the world that I can recall where companies never failed was the old Soviet Union. And yes, the free enterprise system can be cruel.”
–Grandpa Walnuts, Notable Soviet scholar and self-confessed economics “dummy,” husband of millionaire booze heiress defending The Willard Mechanism on Fox News Sunday.
A jackass meets a llama
This is like the Oscars of stupid: Grandpa Walnuts is going to help the girl with the far-away eyes, Bachmann-the-Nut, retire her $1,000,000 2012 Goat Rodeo campaign debt by hosting a fund-raiser for her in Washington DC; oh, and she is trying to raise money for her campaign to maintain her current job as tinfoil hat adjuster and potted plant inspector.
Which only goes to prove, that Walnuts is a fool for a shapely middle-aged brunette with marriage problems, even if previously he dissed her.
Grandpa Walnuts, of course:
GREGORY: Do you think that there is something of a war on women among Republicans?
McCAIN: I think we have to fix that. I think that there is a perception out there because of how this whole contraception issue played out — ah, we need to get off of that issue, in my view. I think we ought to respect the right of women to make choices in their lives and make that clear, and get back onto what the American people really care about.
Of course, Dancing With The Gregory does not do the obvious follow-up question asking Walnuts why he voted for the Blunt Amendment that would have allowed employers to veto women’s access to contraception through their health plans.
That’s our fee, er, Free and unfettered Media. Treasure it, people.
It’s a trifecta:
–NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Pre-empted for Wimbledon coverage
–ABC’s “This Week”: Constitution panel with Georgetown University’s Michael Eric Dyson, Harvard University’s Jill Lepore, TIME’s Richard Stengel and ABC’s George Will; immigration panel with Michelle Rhee, former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and former Washington Post reporter Jose Antonio Vargas
–CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Gov. John Kasich (R-OH); Gov. Deval Patrick (R-MA); Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI); Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles)
–”Fox News Sunday”: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT); roundtable with The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol, FORTUNE’s Nina Easton, Chris Stirewalt and New York Post columnist Kirsten Powers
–CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); roundtable with former AOL Chairman and CEO Steve Case, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Harlem Children’s Zone President and CEO Geoffrey Canada, personal finance expert Suze Orman and entrepreneur Russell Simmons
–CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS Live (Sun. 10 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. ET): National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; author Bruce Feiler (“Generation Freedom: The Middle East Uprisings and the Remaking of the Modern World”)
–NBC’s “The Chris Matthews Show”: HD Nets Dan Rather, BBC’s Katty Kay, POLITICO’s John F. Harris and CNNs Gloria Borger
And now, Grandpa Walnuts is denying that he ever said that immigrants caused the wildfires. He lies so effortlessly, it makes me wonder what he really does believe he said.
Best Week Ever
That is Ed Harris as… GRANDPA WALNUTS!
This show is really looking great, and kinda spooky.
Grandpa Walnuts Paper Dolls.
Imagine the fun your little ones will have as they change Grandpa Walnuts from daytime to nightime looks.
Hurry, you can bid on them at the GoodWill shop!
(Hat tip: Skinny-D)
Poor old Grandpa Walnuts is confused again. You see, in his day, when you bought something in the United States it means it was built in the United States. “Take the buggy whip,” he did not say.
Anyway, given that he thinks the US economy is doing just dandy because his booze heiress wife is still raking in serious millions of bucks annually (and he really did think that middle class income was around $5 million), of course he would be on the Sunday Talkies expounding on the US economy.
I would also point out that if you emptied that house, if you had left a computer there or an iPad or an iPhone, those are built in the United States of America.
Actually, Walnuts, they are designed in Cupertino California, but they are manufactured in China.
But the best part is that after he finishes with that bit of nonsense, he then tells ABC’s Christiane Amanpour that is why we need more free trade agreements, so our exports will be cheaper.
(Raw Story has a video with a follow-up that smashes his assertion that Apple’s products are manufactured here.)
You’ll never guess that Grandpa Walnuts is trying to derail the START treaty, right? But… it looks like another defeat is heading Walnut’s way as the nose-counters at the WaPo says that it is about two Senators shy of right now of passing, and two GOPers are getting wobbly.
Walnuts is having his petulant temper tantrum, but I’m sure will be given plum seating on the Sunday Morning Talkies.
But the quote of the morning has to go to Chinless Mitch:
“Our top concerns should be the safety and security of Americans, not some politician’s desire to declare a political victory and host a press conference before the first of the year…. Americans have had more than enough of artificial timelines set by politicians eager for attention. They want us to focus on their concerns, not ours…. It is unfortunate that something as important as the Senate’s consideration of a treaty like this one was truncated in order to meet another arbitrary deadline or the wish list of the liberal base.”
Liberal base? Saint Ronnie started this thing, and every hawk since then has endorsed it.
UPDATE: Time says that the votes for it could go as high as 75, now that their stop everything strategy is falling apart; er rather, Time reports that Rich Lowry says that… Starbursts! (TIME)
“Today’s a very sad day. The commandant of the United States Marine Corps says when your life hangs on the line, you don’t want anything distracting. . . . I don’t want to permit that opportunity to happen and I’ll tell you why. You go up to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Marines are up there with no legs, none. You’ve got Marines at Walter Reed with no limbs.”
“How do you expect them to get gay married, let alone date with no limbs,” Walnuts did not snarl. “Thighs like pistons that can go all night…” he did not murmur, twitching. “Oh, Lindsey…”
(WaPo)
…Grandpa Walnuts can fly into a rage without much prep time (just ask The C-Word):
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered the [DADT] report to be released on Nov. 30, one day earlier than planned, “to support Congress’s wish to consider repeal before they adjourn,” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Sunday.
(WaPo)
It seems he has a never-ending song for David Gregory about DADT, which is OK because Gregory is probably thinking about his next blow-out and food pellet.
(Note to self: is David Gregory the worst journalist on non-Fox news?)
Man, Stockholm Syndrome must suck. Just when I was starting to like her.
…is calling her a C*** again? After all, he is leading the DADT filibuster.
CINDY MCCAIN:
Our political and religious leaders tell LGBT youth that they have no future.
They can’t serve our country openly.VARIETY OF SPEAKERS:
What’s worse, these laws that legislate discrimination teach bullies that what they’re doing is acceptable.CINDY MCCAIN:
Our government treats the LGBT community like second class citizens, why shouldn’t they?
Better be careful, Walnuts. She’s the one with the money, you filthy old whore.
…and eleven couples return. But that’s OK with Grandpa Walnuts, as long as everyone lies about it. Walnuts has successfully filibustered repeal of DADT.
UPDATE 1 – Georgia’s Senators Offices say all faggots must die
UPDATE 2: McCain gets hysterical (someone should slap him):
UPDATE 3: Saxby Chambliss admits that the All Fags Must Die comment came from his office. Please note that he does not take any responsibility for it, though; he was busy in the Senate voting against DADT. GOP Big Tent my ass. When are the Log Cabin Uncle Tom’s Club going to break away from that group of bigots?
“We have seen the allegations and are moving quickly to understand the facts. This office has not and will not tolerate any activity of the sort alleged,” Chambliss spokeswoman Bronwyn Lance Chester said. “Once we have ascertained whether these claims are true, we will take the appropriate steps.” The comment was posted on Joe.My.God., a blog dedicated to gay and lesbian issues. “All [gays] must die,” wrote a commenter identifying himself as “Jimmy.” Blog author Joseph Jervis of New York City used the Internet Protocol address attached to the comment to trace the slur to “the neighborhood” of Chambliss’ office in Atlanta. Readers quickly helped. “Among the fields in which gay people are over-represented is the IT field,” Jervis said. The office of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is in the same area. But a spokeswoman for Isakson said his staff quickly ascertained that the message did not originate with them.
Ultimately, if you were a HUGE fan of the 2008 campaign, the book is worth a skim. It’s not a crime that she wrote it, though it often feels like a misdemeanor reading it.
Who woulda thunk that Little Miss Entitlement’s book would feature yard sign theft (oh, the madcap hijinx of an heiress!) and hair styling bitch sessions? Yeah, me too.
(Time)
ReutersIt’s the look all the anti-Cougars are wearing.
(I don’t want to speculate what is going on with her knees, but that is one interesting run in her stockings, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.)
Getty Images“…I told you what Matzoh does to me!”
…I mean, sending their old coots off into the desert to die? Why not let the Death Panels do their thing?
The U.S. Justice Department is filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigrants, setting the stage for a clash between the federal government and the state over the nation’s toughest immigration crackdown.
Oops! Didn’t the DoJ remember to check with the real President, Grandpa Walnuts as he fights for his entitlement to be the senator from the White People’s Republic of Arizonastan?
No amnesty. Many of them need to be sent back
– Grandpa Walnuts
Ho! Ho! Ho! Take THAT, Grandpa Walnuts! There he just finished declaring that he was all gung-ho for Arizona’s new law and wants to send brown people back where they came from, and a definitely non-white head of the Justice Department is filing a lawsuit against the cavefish-white people of Arizona.
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