The Rant & Vent about the Right Wing thread

[RGMike]

Time's "Swampland" blog, which I've really gotten into in recent weeks, ihas an entertaining discussion on Sen. Larry Craig (R., Idaho), who was busted for trying to get his swerve on in an airport restroom:

http://time-blog.com/swampland/

One commenter offered this genuis limerick:

The Senator from Idaho
Went to restrooms to come, not to go.
Said he, "I'm no nance
It was only my stance
That made some cop think I da ho."

as usual Mark Morford sums it all up nicely:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/a/2007/09/07/notes090707.DTL

and Assmussen has the, er, topper:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/09/07/DDASMUSSENBR.DTL

"the new Apple iSTALL can hold up to 5 GOP Senators of your choice"

ROTFLSHIPMP!

[RGMike]

if you missed it, Olbermann read a great quote last night from HL Mencken, about the Presidency. He wrote this in 1920!:

"When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack, or count himself lost. His one aim is to disarm suspicion, to arouse confidence in his orthodoxy, to avoid challenge. If he is a man of convictions, of enthusiasm, or self-respect, it is cruelly hard…

The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even a mob with him by the force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second or third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.

The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

[mshray]

if you missed it, Olbermann read a great quote last night from HL Mencken, about the Presidency. He wrote this in 1920!:

"When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack, or count himself lost. His one aim is to disarm suspicion, to arouse confidence in his orthodoxy, to avoid challenge. If he is a man of convictions, of enthusiasm, or self-respect, it is cruelly hard…

The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even a mob with him by the force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second or third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.

The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

F*cking A.  I have long felt precisely that, but it is something else to see it in Mencken's prose.

[RGMike]

Now, I hate Elizabeth Hasslebeck as much as the next guy (well, assuming the next guy isn't Matt Hasslebeck), but... if Barry Manilow is so goddamn fired up and political, then he should COME OUT OF THE FUCKING CLOSET!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=20391

Queens who live in Waterford Crystal houses shouldn't throw designer stones. :roll:

[mshray]

Now, I hate Elizabeth Hasslebeck as much as the next guy (well, assuming the next guy isn't Matt Hasslebeck), but... if Barry Manilow is so goddamn fired up and political, then he should COME OUT OF THE FUCKING CLOSET!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=20391

Queens who live in Waterford Crystal houses shouldn't throw designer stones. :roll:

are you implying that Matt Hasselbeck is having an affair with his sister-in-law?

[RGMike]

Now, I hate Elizabeth Hasslebeck as much as the next guy (well, assuming the next guy isn't Matt Hasslebeck), but... if Barry Manilow is so goddamn fired up and political, then he should COME OUT OF THE FUCKING CLOSET!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=20391

Queens who live in Waterford Crystal houses shouldn't throw designer stones. :roll:

are you implying that Matt Hasselbeck is having an affair with his sister-in-law?

Damn! all this time I thought she was Matt's wife, not Tim's -- I have to start liking Matt again.

[Gazoo]

Now, I hate Elizabeth Hasslebeck as much as the next guy (well, assuming the next guy isn't Matt Hasslebeck), but... if Barry Manilow is so goddamn fired up and political, then he should COME OUT OF THE FUCKING CLOSET!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=20391

Queens who live in Waterford Crystal houses shouldn't throw designer stones. :roll:

are you implying that Matt Hasselbeck is having an affair with his sister-in-law?

Damn! all this time I thought she was Matt's wife, not Tim's -- I have to start liking Matt again.

Take heart that she backed the wrong horse there (as with so many other choices).

[Gazoo]

A pretty little song here called "Clinton Got a Blow Job."  NSFW.

http://www.ericschwartz.com/stuff/ClintonBJ.mp3

[SFGuy]

Anybody catch the newest episode of Family Guy on Sunday (the one where the parodied Star Wars)? Seth MacFarlane actually had Rush Limbaugh do a guest voice as himself. What makes it interest is that MacFarlane pretty much is a liberal (who created American Dad as a result of "Dubyah"'s win in 2004). I thought it was someone doing Limbaugh's voice until I saw the closing credits (which also included the voices of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds from the movie Vacation and Helen Reddy).

I found it interesting (a) MacFarlane would use Limbaugh and (b) Limbaugh would do it unless Limbaugh doesn't know MacFarlane's a liberal and makes fun of the right-wing on both of his shows on FOX.

[Gazoo]

Anybody catch the newest episode of Family Guy on Sunday (the one where the parodied Star Wars)? Seth MacFarlane actually had Rush Limbaugh do a guest voice as himself. What makes it interest is that MacFarlane pretty much is a liberal (who created American Dad as a result of "Dubyah"'s win in 2004). I thought it was someone doing Limbaugh's voice until I saw the closing credits (which also included the voices of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds from the movie Vacation and Helen Reddy).

I found it interesting (a) MacFarlane would use Limbaugh and (b) Limbaugh would do it unless Limbaugh doesn't know MacFarlane's a liberal and makes fun of the right-wing on both of his shows on FOX.

It was a curiosity, yes.  I'm sure Rush knows where Seth's and the show's politics lie and either is a big fan of the show anyway or just wanted to prove to the public that he can reach across the aisle.  (And yes, I likewise watched the credits to see if that was actually them. Add to the list: Mick "Simply Red" Hucknall.)

[mshray]

Anybody catch the newest episode of Family Guy on Sunday (the one where the parodied Star Wars)? Seth MacFarlane actually had Rush Limbaugh do a guest voice as himself. What makes it interest is that MacFarlane pretty much is a liberal (who created American Dad as a result of "Dubyah"'s win in 2004). I thought it was someone doing Limbaugh's voice until I saw the closing credits (which also included the voices of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds from the movie Vacation and Helen Reddy).

I found it interesting (a) MacFarlane would use Limbaugh and (b) Limbaugh would do it unless Limbaugh doesn't know MacFarlane's a liberal and makes fun of the right-wing on both of his shows on FOX.

It was a curiosity, yes.  I'm sure Rush knows where Seth's and the show's politics lie and either is a big fan of the show anyway or just wanted to prove to the public that he can reach across the aisle.  (And yes, I likewise watched the credits to see if that was actually them. Add to the list: Mick "Simply Red" Hucknall.)

Rush has a history of doing stuff to prove that he has a sense of humor.  Some years ago, the owner of my favorite BBQ joint in the world, Woody's in Santa Barbara, ended his long-standing ad account with a local station when they added Rush's show.  Rush got wind of it, mentioned it in his show, but said that although he thought about complaining or advocating a boycott, instead he was going to ask all his loyal Sta. Barbarian listeners to go to Woody's & buy lots of ribs.  He even stopped in a few weeks later himself.

[RGMike]

Anybody catch the newest episode of Family Guy on Sunday (the one where the parodied Star Wars)? Seth MacFarlane actually had Rush Limbaugh do a guest voice as himself. What makes it interest is that MacFarlane pretty much is a liberal (who created American Dad as a result of "Dubyah"'s win in 2004). I thought it was someone doing Limbaugh's voice until I saw the closing credits (which also included the voices of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds from the movie Vacation and Helen Reddy).

I found it interesting (a) MacFarlane would use Limbaugh and (b) Limbaugh would do it unless Limbaugh doesn't know MacFarlane's a liberal and makes fun of the right-wing on both of his shows on FOX.

It was a curiosity, yes.  I'm sure Rush knows where Seth's and the show's politics lie and either is a big fan of the show anyway or just wanted to prove to the public that he can reach across the aisle.  (And yes, I likewise watched the credits to see if that was actually them. Add to the list: Mick "Simply Red" Hucknall.)

I still hate FG -- cheap Simpsons ripoff, period. A Star Wars parody in 2007? gee, how incredibly cutting edge!

I think McFarlane is more libertarian than liberal (compared to, say the Simpsons writers). He's more concerned with being politically incorrect and gross (and covering all the bases) than with presenting a cohesive worldview. But he's had Olbermann on as a voice too, so credit where credit is due.

[mshray]

Anybody catch the newest episode of Family Guy on Sunday (the one where the parodied Star Wars)? Seth MacFarlane actually had Rush Limbaugh do a guest voice as himself. What makes it interest is that MacFarlane pretty much is a liberal (who created American Dad as a result of "Dubyah"'s win in 2004). I thought it was someone doing Limbaugh's voice until I saw the closing credits (which also included the voices of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds from the movie Vacation and Helen Reddy).

I found it interesting (a) MacFarlane would use Limbaugh and (b) Limbaugh would do it unless Limbaugh doesn't know MacFarlane's a liberal and makes fun of the right-wing on both of his shows on FOX.

It was a curiosity, yes.  I'm sure Rush knows where Seth's and the show's politics lie and either is a big fan of the show anyway or just wanted to prove to the public that he can reach across the aisle.  (And yes, I likewise watched the credits to see if that was actually them. Add to the list: Mick "Simply Red" Hucknall.)

I still hate FG -- cheap Simpsons ripoff, period. A Star Wars parody in 2007? gee, how incredibly cutting edge!

I think McFarlane is more libertarian than liberal (compared to, say the Simpsons writers). He's more concerned with being politically incorrect and gross (and covering all the bases) than with presenting a cohesive worldview. But he's had Olbermann on as a voice too, so credit where credit is due.

Maybe McFarlane has a 7-yr-old boy.  

Mine interrupted dinner conversation on Saturday to ask me what was the name the Sith Lord robot with the four arms from SW II, and I had to tell him that he was not a Sith Lord, only a normal bad guy, and (after checking in a nearby SW coloring book that I remembered had his picture) that his name was Gen. Grievous.  

My son loves nothing more than Star Wars, but he couldn't have gotten *in* to it any sooner than now.

[RGMike]

Maybe McFarlane has a 7-yr-old boy.  

Or maybe he's full of Sith.

[RGMike]

The great Roy Zimmerman (late of the Foremen) and his hilarious new song "Ted Haggard is Completely Heterosexual":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZmHC75FDqQ

"and glory, HowHeBlewYa!"