In the runup to the 2010 elections, Politico is trying to rearrange this election’s narrative from the real one of widespread voter dissatisfaction with the Democrat status quo to one of “offbeat GOP candidates” that will “hurt the GOP.”
Gee, why would that be, eh?
As Democrats all across the land are either stepping aside so as not to face difficult re-election campaigns, or losing their incumbent seats to primary challenges, the latest polls show the GOP beating the heck out of Democrats on a generic ballot. Further, Republican voters are energized as never before and 57% of poll respondents even say that the Democrat’s agenda is “too extreme.” But even with all this Politico sees defeat in the wind for the GOP. They’d be about the only ones that do, too.
It looks like Politico is ignoring the Democrat’s culture of corruption that has voters fighting mad, in order to serve its partisan-hack mission statement of attacking Republicans just for being Republicans.
But let’s look at Politico’s charge. The Internet news site is claiming that the GOP has a surfeit of “offbeat” candidates and they are wondering if these weird candidates will hurt the party in November.
One thing is patently obvious straightaway. The candidates whom Politico highlights won primaries, so we already have some measure of how voters are responding. They are winners, so apparently they aren’t too odd to win.
But as Politico drones on and on about Colorado’s Ken Buck, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, and Connecticut’s Linda McMahon — all of whom Politico claims to be “strange” (i.e. not politicans-as-usual”) for one reason or another — it is interesting to note that Politico has never written any sort of column highlighting the truly weird candidates on the Democrat side. Let’s face it, Democrats have for decades had more weirdos than a UFO convention.
Speaking of UFOs, to find one wacky Dem we have but to invoke the name of Ohio’s Congressman Dennis Kucinich who has claimed to have sighted a UFO and who thought a federal “Department of Peace” was a great idea.
Or how about California’s Pete Stark. Stark has absurdly claimed in the past that the more we borrow, the “richer we are” as a nation and he is on video espousing the quaint notion that the federal government has to power to do anything it wants to do, that there is no law that could stop it… not even that silly Constitution thingie. If Stark isn’t odd who is?
What of Al Franken, Senator and jester from Minnesota? This “offbeat” Democrat likes to pass the time sitting behind his fellow senators as they make speeches and mocking them by making faces like a ten-year-old might. He’s also a conspiracy nut and has a very short fuse with nearly everyone. This man-child is as “offbeat” as they come.
The distinguished gentlemen from Minnesota
And no one is more unhinged, ignorant, and distempered than Florida-by-way-of-the-Bronx’s Alan Grayson. Even the left-wing New York Times thinks this guy is out there.
But to highlight the Democrat’s “offbeat” politicians we don’t even have to reach for has beens and politicians of the past, recent or otherwise. We can take a quick look at South Carolina’s current candidate Alvin Greene to see one of the strangest pols of modern times.
And many of the Democrat’s other favorites are not but just a tad “offbeat.” Close Obama friend, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, was heard to scream “God Damn America” from his church’s pulpit. Where’s Politico’s exclamation of that strangeness?
And then there are the ethics violators: Charles Rangel, Maxine Waters, and Christopher Dodd. And that is not to mention Rep. Barney Frank, who lived in a house out of which a gay prostitution ring run by his former male-escort boyfriend operated! Lots of “offbeat” behavior there, eh?
So, where is the Politico story highlighting all that “offbeat” behavior perpetrated by Democrats?
Oh, wait. Democrats need all the help they can get in the 2010 election season as voters seem to be champing at the bit to vote them out of office. I guess Politico is offering to assist Democrats in any way possible even if that includes a one-sided coverage of those “offbeat” politicians in Washington D.C.
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
45 Comments
My Inaugural Speech: rough draft
We are gathered here to witness the perpetual continuation of an institution called the Presidency. It has been customary to have a lengthy speech that details out broad goals that through compromise, and careful deliberation with the Congress, and to be frank, if our Republic had the time, my first instinct would be to rally this Nation to accomplish those goals.
But there isn’t any time left.
Our problems have grown in size and proportion to our desire to have the government solve them. We have been through enough history to know that big governments are tools of oppression, and slavery to future citizens. We also know that it is not in governments nature to make tough decisions, when those decisions will lead to defeat at the polls. We also are tired of having our inalienable rights subject to risk by the whim of the courts, or a few vocal citizens that always stand ready to use our liberty for their pet projects or financial gain. As a nation we will no longer swim in the poisonous water of liberalism. This all ends now.
After I take the oath of office this nation will be 3 Trillion dollars in deficit and 15 Trillion dollars in debt. We are broke. Our first priority is to get our financial house in order by not spending money we do not have. This will be painful, but it must be done. Now, no President is above the law, therefore I have prepared three pardons:
The first is for the Obama administration, top to bottom. We do not have the resources or time to fight old battles – we must focus on creating a better future for our children, and our Country and by extension, this rare planet we all call home. There is one small catch to this pardon. Each person must submit an essay on what they would have done differently with their time in government.
We should all have to reflect on our mistakes without fear of retribution, and our future leaders will benefit greatly from these words.
The second will be for the taxpayers of this nation. The federal tax code is weapon that the government uses to destroy liberty. This must stop. Again there is a catch, to obtain this pardon, the first part of the form, with your name and address must be sent to the IRS with whatever you think you owe. I assume that those voices who think we should all pay higher taxes will be very generous this year, considering that it was their liberal spend first and ask questions later philosophy that brought us this financial nightmare. This pardon will be in affect for my term in office and will be retroactive.
The third pardon is for breeches of the federal law. If companies do not understand by now that they are responsible for the damage they cause, and customers do not realize this and advocate otherwise – one more law, or any law for that matter, at the federal level, is not going to amount to a hill of beans anyway, especially when the federal government cannot afford to enforce any of them. To every governor in this great land my message to you is this – do not waste this opportunity I am giving you to work within your borders to do what is necessary to solve your problems as rapidly as you are able to. If any bureaucrat has a problem with this they can meet me at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the next four years, because I don’t play golf, in fact until this nation is on a budget surplus, I won’t be wasting one damned nickel.
Our new frugality must also be applied to how we wage war. We cannot afford to live under the perpetual threat of tinpot tyrants and dictators. They must be stopped, those nations around the world who wish to join us in this effort are welcome too, if not we will go it alone. Or we will withdraw all forces from the middle east, and points unknown. There is no middle ground in war. To believe there is to tell the greatest of lies. If we decide to fight we fight to win, and come home, we owe our enemies, and our service members at least that much. If there was a bridge to be found to peace with limited war with those who would pervert the Islamic faith – President Barrack Obama would surely have found it. We will decide to fight those nations that seek to destroy us aggressively or we will retreat, and prepare to fight those wars in the future. We owe our children a secure world and our surrender will only lead to their demise.
Finally, and this is the most important, for too long we allowed ourselves to be divided by blame. We blamed the rich for not giving us their money. We blamed one race after another for another’s plight. We blamed energy companies for allowing us to live better and with greater freedom and security than any nation on the face of this earth. We even blame doctors and nurses as they work doggedly to save us from our own stupidity. From this point forward I want the citizens of the United States to blame me for everything. You step in a pile of dog shit, blame me, you get fired, thats my fault, your thanksgiving dinner is ruined because of a relative that won’t shut up, you get fired from your favorite job, that is my fault too; then when your busy angry at me, get busy on solving your problems ASAP, because you can all bet your ass the federal government neither has the capacity nor the money to do so.
God bless you and now go kick me some economic ass!
Alvin Greene for President! He can't be any worse than the last couple of decades. Maybe the action figure line would pay off the national debt!
Todd,
your article is spot on.
I caught a few minutes of Morning Joe this morning, and they are toeing the party line and beating the drum. Talking about Sharon Angle and Linda McMahon. Painting them as off the wall crazies.
Double Standards
August 13, 2010 by Bob Livingston
In 1995 Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) took to the floor to excoriate then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) over accusations that he had violated ethics laws.
http://www.personalliberty.com/conservative-polit...
talking of quality Candidates,does anyone remember this clown……… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg
Now, that is hilarious thanks for sharing.
P eople
O f
L iberal
I gnorant
T hinking
I n
C ahoots with
O bama
Offbeat candidates? John Edwards — love child, Nancy Pelosi — NAMBLA brown shirts, Clinton–disbarred impeached, Biden — gaffetastic, Reid — negro w/o dialect, Obama — marxist 57 states Rev Wright muslim schools sues AZ 1st speech as president was to muslim world
These are their top tier people.
"There is one small catch to this pardon. Each person must submit an essay on what they would have done differently with their time in government."
Are you kidding
No. We have a right to know how the con worked.
but we want the current gop to fail, and smoke out all the rino's. the tea party candidates will try to return the government to the people, and this is a good thing. i think every wing of the democrat party(every msm outlet), will try to tell us how dumb we are, and try to discourage us from firing every member of congress. if we do fire most members of congress, thier lifeline is over. they need the dumbocrats to win, so they can be bailed out with more money we don't have.
Now, Now we have to remember The Progressive/Socialist mindset is set to Moral Relitivism. Which means that if you belong to the brainwashed indoctrinated club that is the Social….errr…sorry…Democractic party you dont need to have any morals, tradition, ethics, and your empathetic, care for the children, and part of a larger group, and if your a Republican your nuts. These people are not hypocrites, (sniff, sniff, as I feel their pain) they are mentally ill and live in a world of delusional fantasy. As seen by the Photo of Senator Smally relaxing in his Senate office. ;0)
Everyone needs to go to http://www.politico.com and look at top left and click on politico 44.
Scroll down and mid-way on right you will see send news tip.
I copy each story on jouro-list from Breitbart and then paste it on their site and leave a simple comment like, this is why I quit coming to this site for news.
Anyone fitting into the "acceptable norm" D or R for politico is a candidate from which to run! How is it that so many "enlightened intellectuals" fall within the realms of insanity(doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results)? Perhaps, they do not want or expect change in Washington, so therefore does that not make them in sync with the elites =educated despots-Voltaire?
The Representative Republic is at stake, we the people CHOOSE the representative WE want, it is our duty as citizens to research and decide for ourselves whether the values a candidate holds are in line with ours. We MUST NOT VOTE FOR "PRESENT" VOTERS, or those who refuse to answer direct questions. I want someone who doesn't know how to "play the game". No more bait and switch candidates! The emperors new clothes are as transparent as ever.
Politico is a cipher, clicking away and putting out its fluff oblivious to the workings of the real world. I hope Soros is wasting a ton of money on it.
Obama, a failure on jobs
What do 9.5% and 71% have in common?
They are both proof of the failure of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid socialist machine.
9.5% was the unemployment rate in June. The Obama administration warned that unless its big government stimulus bill was passed, that unemployment would rise above 8%. The bill was passed (in a panic, without being read) and nevertheless, unemployment rocketed past 8% to settle at 9.5%.
What’s more, the 9.5% unemployment rate is likely too rosy a picture of the American economy. The real unemployment rate – which includes those who are underemployed and those who have given up looking for a job and left the workforce–may be as high as 22% according to some analyses.
The stimulus has clearly failed to create jobs as promised.
Jeez-I wonder what excuses Politico(Pravda?) might have made for congressman pervert Gerry Studds, who had sex with a 16yo male page? The Page "wanted" it? Or if Poltico had been around in July 1968, when Fat Kennedy was in the accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne? What woulkd your excuse have been Politico? Mary Jo drank too much? If Charles Manson been a far leftist politician(he WAS a leftist nut) you folks would have blamed his murders on Sharon Tate and Abigail Folger because they were rich , right Politico? You are disgusting. Change your name to Himmlerpol, thats about what you are. Propagandists.
Damn, do you clowns ever make an honest assertions? At least they are laughably easy to bat down.
Here is the core of the author's argument (If this is not true, then the house of cards collapses): "Politico is ignoring the Democrat’s culture of corruption that has voters fighting mad, in order to serve its partisan-hack mission statement of attacking Republicans just for being Republicans."
Here's the latest poll, published yesterday, asking about how Democrats are viewed, in terms of integrity, by the public:
"(CNN) – Despite two ongoing, high-profile ethics investigations of two senior House Democrats, more than half of all Americans say most Democrats in Congress are ethical, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll."
That puts Dems about a point above Republicans.
The author's argument fails. There is no evidence that voters are motivated by any "culture of corruption" narrative, particularly one aimed at Democrats. They see no statistically significant difference in ethics between the two parties and, if this poll is dead on, may even give a slight edge to Democrats.
If voters are fighting mad, it certainly is not because of any ethics narrative. That's not sticking.
Maybe you can look at other possibilities, like, say, "governing while black?" or fear of brown hordes. Maybe that's what's got your side stockpiling ammunition.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/12/c...
Here's mine:
As my first act as president, to repay our debt, all non-military federal government workers, officials and judges are fired.
To be rehired, leave any union, and accept a pay more in keeping with the output you've been producing for the American people.
This includes the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service, Air Force One's staff, and all others working to regulate industries that are overburdened. All Federal laws may be enforced by local law enforcement, and all intelligence work will go through the military.
As my second act as president, all executive orders are repealed and executive orders to anyone but the military are declared unconstitutional.
As my third act as president, I declare that all Americans should personally help pay down this massive debt. If you are a person currently qualified to collect government money through social security, I will ask congress to reduce your taxes by a good amount and eliminate your payroll and social security taxes. That means you can choose to work longer, and you should, because you will be paid more and need to pay less taxes. If you save us money by not retiring sooner, we can thank you by not charging you as much.
In addition to these cuts, we will use the rest of the "stimulus funds" to fund a single goal of setting up self-sustaining space mining colonies. Colonists will be autonomous to the USA, and there will be no taxes or regulations on any colonists leaving Earth, except what they themselves set up. A constitutional amendment to support this in the long term will be submitted. The profits from this venture should be sufficient to fund the rest of the nation's debt within 10 years.
Their crazy for trying to impose limited government and fiscal soundness on DC. But Obama and his minions are sane for doing the opposite? The last thing they do is call you crazy.
You know, I see that picture of Al Fraken, and I just want to know how on earth anyone in Minnesota thought it was a good idea voting for that nutjob. Like he's something to be proud of? What a disgrace.
That's good and very true.
Good One!
You know, you had a good post going for a while, then you threw race into the mix. AGAIN. That card is getting old.
You are right that he is as off-beat as it gets but, did you REALLY have to post that picture of Franken? REALLY?
Progression
You are a lberal troll that either lies or denies the truthn as usual.
Congressional approval rating at 11%!
Sure looks to me like there trusted! NOT!
Your argument falls short for two reasons. First, you cite a Communist News Network (CNN) poll, which are notoriously unreliable because of the sample population is overwhelmingly of the Progressive/Socialist mindset. Second, like WVSickFreak, your use of the Race Card shows a desperation in your argument and a nonsense.
Gallup reports that Nationwide, Democrats have a 4-point party identification advantage over Republicans in 2010 (44% to 40%), down from an 8-point advantage in 2009 and a 12-point advantage in 2008.
politico is a bs site with a bs group of hacks.
and this guy franken should be dragged from the Capitol by his neck and tossed back to the mediocre celebrity life he left.
Such a brave progressive speaking truth to power.
If you believe the polls CNN has anything to do with, you should ask your mom to move the sharp objects out of your reach.
Remember safety first when dealing with children.
I suppose it's worth noting that Dave Weigel over at Slate has a story on the exact same topic this morning, albeit from a slightly different angle.
Reading this, why, you'd think there might actually be a website where Weigel and the writers for Politico might be exchanging ideas on what subjects to cover and what points to make at the exact same time, in order to give the story and the spin the greatest impact. But surely, after the Journolist debacle, they wouldn't try to pull the same stunt again…
CNN. Like they are fair and balanced. How's Wolf Spritzer doing? Or Anderson Blooper. I hear thier ratings are soaring. LOL. God you are removed from reality.
odd that people still are using that photo of Franken, which is a fake, when they could use a still from "Stuart Saves His Family" where he looks equally ridiculous.
http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/9/2/2/2...
A pardon for the Obama administration and all the flunkies! It's something I contemplated as well. And I agree.
After all the damage the Obama administration has done, it's hard to let it go. Yes, doing what is right for the country is damn hard. But if we can get behind the veil through a pardon, I think we would be doing what is best for the country.
" . . . doing what is best for the country." What a concept. Do you ever think we will live in a place that actually accomplishes that goal?
"But surely, after the Journolist debacle, they wouldn't try to pull the same stunt again… " I am sure that you are kidding, dustrider, but I doubt that they are. The Greatest Truth about these guys is that "learning from their mistakes (or anyone else's, for that matter) is not their strong suit."
History, evidence, fact — none of these things even cause blips on their radar….it's "damn the reality, and full speed ahead" when you're dealing with the kind of arrogance that doesn't admit for the possibility of error.
I remember a story from a few years ago that boiled down to "Americans perform worse than large parts of the world on standardized tests, but, in self-reporting, they believe that they have "aced it." I remember thinking, "terrific. The direct result of teaching 'self-esteem' over math…" It seems much more insidious now…..
If you doubt it, why would you offer a pardon to the criminally irresponsible Obama administration?? I'm optimistic though. Information is spreading, consciousness is increasing. We can beat the drones.
You had me until the "self-sustaining space mining colonies." Thanks for the laugh!
I'm down with that. I was hoping I'd never have to see that picture of Franken again!!
It's better to be offbeat than tone deaf.
Politico is not an objective news agency, they are cheer leaders for the Obumble administration.
Now thats a scenario I can hang my hat on!! Good job Joe..
Whether or not it is fake is not the issue. It's the reality that it represents!!!
Wanna bet?
"We'll form a new club that's even MORE super-secret! With super-secret passwords! And a super-secret handshake! And a super-secret agenda!" Ad nauseum.
You must be logged in to post a comment.