GOP’s ‘seven biggest economic lies’

As told by Robert Reich and printed at RawStory.

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Mockery is the Best Defense

Here's another fine example of mockery being the best defense against the idiots.

In Tennessee, state lawmakers want to prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in the classroom. Somehow, if you don't talk about gay, then nobody will be gay.

As only he can, George Takei has a solution:
It's OK to be Takei.

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GOP Profiteering

So over the top, you might think its a skit on SNL.  Prepare to be pissed.

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Michigan Budget Crisis

I just saw Granholm on the news this morning talking about the state budget and how K-12 school may be hit with more than $300 in cuts, as opposed to what was originally thought, which was around half that much. Senate leader Mike Bishop has said that the Republicans are going to hold firm to their promise:

Bishop held firm that Senate Republicans won't agree to new taxes or fees to restore the scholarships, or any other items in the budget.

"If she chooses to veto anything we've sent her that was part of our bipartisan agreement, it will create a hole in the budget," Bishop said. "And we don't have an expectation of refunding those holes."

I am furious. I understand that taxes are high. I understand that there are some programs that the state spends money on that are a waste, but come on! We have made all sorts of cuts to education, corrections, transportation, and law enforcement. There is nothing else that can be cut. We need to raise revenue. Schools have already seen some serious cuts to crucial programs. Coounseling services have been cut way back or outright eliminated. Special ed. programs have lost key employees. Class sizes have gone way up. Are the Republicans that out of touch or are they as morally bankrupt as their opponents say?

I am done with Michigan Republicans. Anyone that continues to insist that education needs to be cut and is unwilling to raise any revenue isn't going to get my vote. I don't care if they are running against Karl Marx reincarnated, they aren't getting my support.

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TP v. GOP

Not really a surprise, but the Tea partiers are turning their sights on the GOP. An example:

In Florida, where the national party has signaled its preference for centrist Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP Senate primary, tea party activists are lining up behind former state House Speaker Marco Rubio in reaction to Crist’s public backing for President Barack Obama’s stimulus package.

Another:

Tea party activists are also lining up behind challengers to GOP establishment-backed Senate candidates in Colorado and Connecticut. In California, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina — like Crist, another National Republican Senatorial Committee-favored Senate contender — is the target of tea party animus in her primary against conservative state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore.

I still see the TP movement as being mostly without direction and mixture of well-intentioned folk and obnoxious teabaggers, spouting off all sorts of nonsense. Time will tell if this turns into a lasting political movement. If it does last, then what will it look like?

There are several options. One is that they will break off and form their own party. This would seem to be a disaster for both them and the GOP. They would attract the more conservative elements and some libertarians. The GOP would lose them and both would be relegated to third party status and influence. The other option would be that the TP'ers would force the GOP to adopt some or most of their positions. While they wouldn't lose the conservatives, they would have a difficult time attracting moderates and moderate Democrats.

Among TP enthusiasts, I hear praise and admiration for one of the few Republicans that they still support, Sarah Palin. As unfairly as I thought the media treated her, I still don't think she is a good choice for leadership. She is so polarizing and would be unable to generate any support among non-conservatives. Democrats worried about Obama's chances in 2012 should rest easy is she is on the ticket.

I understand that politics is cyclical and that both parties have seen good times and lean times. I also think it is a bit premature for Democrats to say the GOP is finished. Both parties enjoy die-hard loyalists, but the key to any election is appealing to the huge number of voters in the middle. At this point, I have a hard time seeing the TP'ers being able to do this, and I also have my doubts that a TPlite version of the GOP will be able to do this either.

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