Associated Press
For decades, when Democrats and Republicans agreed to work on deficit reduction, we saw a familiar dynamic: Democrats would seek new revenues, the GOP would push for spending cuts, and the larger argument was over the ratio between the two.
As Republicans moved sharply to the right, it became clear that their leaders were really only interested in looking at one side of the budget ledger. What's less well known is how they perceive Democratic efforts on the revenue side -- some prominent conservatives are convinced, apparently, that President Obama is just trying to be mean.
Even as they grudgingly have come to accept that they can’t prevent the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for the rich, Republicans have increasingly started explaining this pitiable state of affairs to themselves as the product of President Obama’s unique malevolence. The operating theory here is that Obama is not demanding higher taxes on the rich because it advances his public policy goals. No, his goal, writes Karl Rove today, is to “kick off a Republican civil war.” This odd theory has likewise found expression from Charles Krauthammer (“Obama’s objective in these negotiations is not economic but political: not to solve the debt crisis but to fracture the Republican majority in the House,”) Peter Wehner, and other luminaries of the right.
The psychology on display here is familiar to anybody who has seen a petulant teenager, who assumes that any restriction that causes them to feel anger must have been intended to produce that emotion. Republicans are feeling humiliated and divided, so Obama's goal must have been to humiliate and divide them.
This is a deeply odd perspective. There are basically two ways the federal government can shrink its deficit: it can (1) bring in more money, and/or (2) spend less money. Once Republicans accept the premise that fiscal negotiations will lead to some combination of the two, the next question is deciding where the additional revenue will come from and where the spending should be cut.
The principal goal is addressing the policy question, not figuring how best to "fracture the Republican majority in the House."
For Obama and most congressional Dems, it makes sense to ask more of the wealthiest Americans -- those in the top 2% of earners -- not to punish their success, but because they're best able to afford a small sacrifice; they've already benefited disproportionately from years of Washington generosity; and it will have the smallest impact on the broader national economy.
In other words, for contemporary Democrats, it's a matter of fairness and sound public policy. The White House could seek more revenue through loopholes and deductions, but there's just not enough money there to reach the goals both parties say they want.
But Rove, Krauthammer, and others see a more nefarious plot driving Democratic efforts, assuming that the rascally president is really trying to "kick off a Republican civil war."
As political paranoia goes, this is pretty silly. If there are deep GOP fissures, the party did this to themselves.
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Americans are clearly getting sock and tired -- and infuriated -- with a Republican leadership bent on re-litigating the issues decided in the recent presidential election.These meddling conservative thugs and the Tea Party don';t seem to understand what happened in early November. They are operating on the old status quo, probably still believing the lies from Karl Rove that one more count of Ohio ballots will magically lead to a Romney victory. This is conservative fantasy masquerading as a governing philosophy. This country will never truly prosper until the GOP is put in its place and forced to accept reality as it stands. Obama cannot cave now. - progressive
What happened on 11/6/12: Wingnut World died.
The only way it is revived is for a spineless Democratic party and a milquetoast Barack Obama to allow it. It is our duty to stiffen those Democratic spines.
I don't want to "fracture" the Republican Party, I want to SMASH IT TO SMITHEREENS! There is nothing too bad that can happen to these scum.
DWIA . . . I wish that "Wingnut World" were no more. However, it seems to be very much alive, based on what we see around the country.
I agree completely with your second paragraph. Once again, Obama refuses to show a spine by throwing Susan Rice under the bus. I worry about his negotiating a budget deal. If this follows the familiar pattern, he'll probably agree to additional tax breaks for the 2% and the elimination of SS and Medicare.
Under "Republican", my thesaurus lists "petulant teenager" just before ignoramus, and after AssHat.
I'm guessing you carry "The mentally challenged Thesaurus"
No, Mentally Challenged is another synonym for Republican. Thanks for the reminder.
I'll say it again. For Republicans, there are two, and only two narratives. Everything they say boils down to one or both of them:
1. Those so-called "victims" you bleeding hearts are mewling about had it comin' to them!
2. Hey, I/we am/are the real victim(s) here!
That's it. That's their whole world view. No amount of privilege or power is enough to lift them from their own victimhood and no amount of tragedy, misfortune or disadvantage is enough to make them believe that people who aren't just like them are morally worthy of their aid.
There is one more possibility and it fit's pretty well with the others you listed.
There is already real trouble brewing in the GOP and people like Rove and Krauthammer know it and are looking to set up a deflection/projection strategy as cover and to blame Obama for absolutely anything they can.
If you look at things like Dick Army and Jim Demint leaving their jobs not as carrer moves but defections you start seeing battle lines coming into focus.
The Republican "Three legged stool" has always had a bit of a balance problem that mostly comes from the added weight of their more obeasely paranoid members and it might finally have tipped over.
Dick Army and Jim Demint are just strip miners who have exhausted the vein, and moved on to newer strikes. Money trumps Ideology .
@Day
I don't disagree but you have to look at what they left behind. Like the Dwarves in Moria they dug to deep and woke an acheint evil. The John Birch Society.
(ok that might have been just a bit to geeky a metaphor)
@Dragoon
Awesome metaphor! (Yes, I'm a high-seniroity geek -- why do you ask?)
Yeah, pretty much.
Each day that they complain more and more it makes them look really idiotic they seem to have lost touch with reality.Karl Rove, Nordquist and the Koch Brothers (Americans will be so much happier, without mentioning or hearing about these guys ever again) need to stay away from politics, they have no idea what they are saying or doing, they sound really strange, the basics: noone can make anyone else feel something. That is common knowledge for many Americans. Nobody has the power to make anyone else feel anything. Psychology 101.
It is the 'Republicans as Victims' paradigm at play here.
So long as they are the 'victims' of whatever is out there (terrorists, tax hikes, liberal media, 'takers and others'), then they can justify whatever response they want.
And so long as Faux news and Rushbot push that echo chamber, there will be a significant portion of the population (20-25%) who fully and wholly believe that the Republicans really are victims. And that's sad.
The very definition of paranoid schizophrenic, is it no wonder our political system is so dysfunctional?
It's also the definition of being emotionally immature, you know like teenagers whose raging hormones have taken over or 2 year olds who believe that everything is "mine"! Either way these loons need to be removed from office until they can learn to be adult!
Republicans have been projecting their intentions onto others for decades.
Yes. Because their goal was to humiliate and divide Democrats and especially this President, they believe Democrats and President Obama want to do the same to them. So junior high.
We should understand the difference between paranoia and sociopathic projection. Paranoids scare themselves uncontrollably. Sociopaths do awful things to get their way, while imagining that everyone else is doing the same awful things to them. They try to hide their own evil from everyone, and themselves, under a fake veneer of victimhood.
To say that Rove and his cohorts are sociopaths is hardly cotroversial. They engaged in all manner of voter suppression, galvanized the Teavangelists with anti abortion measures under the guise of compassion for life, and still seek to impoverish unions and other groups that lean Democratic, as they attempt to buy the elections with dark money from the billionaires they want to enrich further. Then, like classic sociopaths, they claim victimhood at the hands of those they're trying to victimize, and project their very own malevolence into their victim's hearts. The GOP did inflict fissures on themselves, but this isn't political paranoia. It's ideological sociopathy, which is dangerous, not silly.
Would it be fair to say, Soffer, that these people are just plain psychotic??
It must be terribly crowded inside a liberals head. While Liberals beg for money from the Government, they speak of Republicans claiming "victim status".They speak of "voter suppression" as they entice illegals with backdoor amnesty programs and scour the prisons and shelters for votes. And seek to "impoverish unions"? Union membership has been on the decline for YEARS and you can thank their own greed and strong arm tactics as well as willingness to drive a company into bankruptcy for that. Liberals are really just addicts looking for a free ride off of the backs of others and quite willing to bankrupt the country as long as their taxpayer funded check and health care remains.
The scapegoats got out again..
Whenever I hear the top 1% complain they're being punished, I think of the response from the good people at Cracked.com. "Are you 6 years old? Do you still think mom made you clean up your room because she was mean?" Really sums it up nicely.
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-things-rich-people-need-to-stop-saying_p2/#ixzz2F27Hcy7w
David, AWESOME Cracked article!
Me: Clean your room
My 6 yo: No - I'm gonna play.
Me: Clean your Room NOW!
6yo: AAAUUGGGGHHHH!!! OOHHHHHHH----KAAAAAYYYYYYYY **Stomp Stomp Stomp** **Crashing** **Sound of something breaking**
6yo: YOU MADE ME DO THAT!!!!
(Not so) Dear Republicans,
Ever since Nixon's "Southern Strategy" and "Silent Majority," and Reagan's "Moral Majority," you've used the the following colors to paint yourselve into the corner you find yourselves in: Racist White, Misogynistic Mauve, Xenophbic Brown and Yellow, and Homophobic Pink.
You were the artists - not the Democrats, and not President Obama. YOU were.
You need to realize that it was YOU and YOUR policies and objectives that were so horrible and damaging to this country, that the country chose as President a first-term African-American Senator with the unlikely name of Barack Hussein Obama.
And you can't get over it, that that Niggrah beat you - TWICE!!!
YOU painted yourselves in the corner you find yourselves in.
And if you decide to kick off a Civil War amongst yourselves, it'll be YOUR decision.
And the rest of us can sit back, gobble popcorn, and watch as the wedge issues you've been using to win elections for over 40 years, tear you to shreds.
And that isn't just laughter you're hearing. We're also MOCKING YOU!!!
LOL!!!
Absolutely right.
And not only do we have the pleasure of mocking them, it is our DUTY to mock them. When a man has divorced himself from reason and reasonableness, there is only one way to deal with him: mockery and insult. It is all he understands.
Mockery and insults are all very well. I think locking more than a few of them up would also be useful.
"Obama’s objective in these negotiations is not economic but political: not to solve the debt crisis but to fracture the Republican majority in the House,”
Well, so what if it is? Obama's clearly become a seasoned, and effective, politician and if fracturing the opposition will achieve his policy goals then that is a legitimate strategy. After all, what did the GOP do to the Democratic opposition in the run-up to the Iraq war? Chuck, Rove and the rest of them feign indignation when the tables are turned on them.
There could very well be a Republican civil war coming.
I doubt, Too many of them are cowards at heart and can't handle the hostility against their own. They'd rather consolidate their forces and attack the left, with the cowards safely ensconced in the back where their bellies are not exposed.
D-bags like Rove and Krauthammer are such cowards, assuming if they act like generals no one will insist they pick up a weapon and fight in the trenches.
So it's to their benefit to call out to their fractured members "Stop fighting! (stage whisper) That's what he WANTS us to do!"
A not-so-subtle reminder that they accomplished big things when unified. Not great things, actually quite a few awful things, but BIG awful things.
Interesting. A case of mass Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
I think these guys are really losing it. Too many conspiracy theories is my guess.
John Boehner is a pumpkin headed clown; okay more like a Jack-O-lantern because his head is empty. They, the Wrong Wing, lost the better part of the election but, they continue with the same divide and conquer tactics and it is our fault. When a team as bad as Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan can fool such a large percentage of the American people, of course they are going to continue, they don’t have anything else.
I just can't believe that the GOP's "Divide and Conquer" plan has worked so well; amazing what millions of dollars can buy. Did they accomplished it through the use of subliminal messages, did they bet on the total ignorance and/or stupidity of the American people, is it because they kept us busy worrying about our favorite sports team, caring more about what happens on Sunday than what happened on Nov 6, did they attacked our President with lies and innuendos, it's all of the above! They packaged up all of this and served it up as the most potent shot of “Heroin for the Masses", ever to be used against us!
It’s like a bad sitcom when Democrats agree with the Republicans and Mitch McConnell panics and suggests a filibuster of his own Bill! It is laughable, well if it were not so sad, it would be laughable! You have a Justice of the Supreme Court saying that being gay is as immoral as murder; well, thank you Father Scalia! So, is it really that much of a stretch to believe Justice Scalia uses the same logic in equating the criminal intent of murder with that of homosexuality (Using the word logic in the same sentence as Scalia, Right!)! Some people have said that, things have changed, there is hope… I have to call BS on that! The American people are the problem, our Congress does represent us. They are a cross-section of us; we are as stupid, ignorant, segmented, blind, abusive and as dysfunctional as the government which represents us. We Americans take the “fun” out of Dysfunctional! Checks and Balances, Three Branches, nice concept but in practice, it isn't working. The White House cannot do it alone, it’s like The Lone Ranger has lost Tonto, oops, bad analogy, it is more like, The Cisco Kid has lost Poncho. You know what, forget about what I said, just go back to watching Fox News and kiss the rest of your brain cells goodbye!
wow. This is great, watching the GOP so desperate that they can't take responsiblity for anything. It's like watching a roomful of three year olds, but indeed that insults most three-year olds.
This is a good place for me to say this --
The Repubs in the House control the purse strings of the gov. They can reduce spending on any and all programs simply by writing the appropriations bills that way and holding firm when the Dem majority increases particular programs. It is as simple as that.
To damage the "full faith and credit" of the US to force Dems to accept part of the blame and therefore the American people's anger over said cut is just COWARDLY !!
I really hope that the American people will not let them get away with it. The Repubs all alone and by themselves are to blame for whatever damage is done. And as I said, I hope the voters remember all this in 2014.
What this country needs is for progressives to get a clear chance to show what good their programs can do if fully implemented.
oops, Dem majority in the Senate
Setting aside the passive-aggressive delusional psychology of this line of thinking, there are a few other problems:
1. Does this mean Mitt Romney was super evil because he ran such an incompetent campaign which propelled Obama to the WH for a 2d term so that Obama could cause this civil war? Doesnt this mean it was really Mitt Romney's fault?
2. I've been saying for decades that the extreme right (you can call it the TP or the Moral Majority, etc., it's the same folks just rebranded) would/should split off and form their own party. Does this mean Obama launched this nefarious plot when he was just a teen? The fact is, this "war" is a long time coming. The problem is both sides of the GOP schizophrenia realize that they need each other to stay a national party. Splitting up means they have to compete for the same votes.
3. Isn't this divide and conquer strategy the same one tried by Newt Gingrich when he was Speaker during the Clinton years?
"...Republicans are feeling humiliated and divided..."
OMG. The pathos. The human wreckage. The lost souls... wandering, seeking, weeping. The tender hearts... bruised, hoping.
Forget the SPCA in this season of reflection and giving. Those cats and dogs are livin' large compared to the downtrodden r's. I'm sending a donation of 5 cents and a red rose I found in the garbage to the RNC to try to help sooth some of the hurt feelings and confusion these sad... very sad... really and truly very, very sad r's are experiencing.
:~(~~
Republicans should be feeling humiliated. They deserve humiliation for 30+ years of failed conservative economic ideas and policies that have caused the problems we face. If they don't feel humiliated, it's our job to make them feel humiliated. If that is even possible for a creature that has no shame.
It occurs to me that the odious George Wallace of the 1960s would have fit in very well with this current Republican Party. I remember my parents, (staunch Republicans), demonizing Wallace, which helped to shape my own liberal views. Oh, how things have changed in 50 years. Now the racist, paranoid, close-minded, religious conservatism of the Republican Party would embrace George Wallace and his attitudes with open arms.
" No, his goal, writes Karl Rove today, is to “kick off a Republican civil war.” This odd theory has likewise found expression from Charles Krauthammer (“Obama’s objective in these negotiations is not economic but political: not to solve the debt crisis but to fracture the Republican majority in the House,”)Peter Wehner, and other luminaries of the right." These guys aren't "luminaries", they are a "black cloud"!
Note: This is too long to post, nobody will read anything this long, not on the internet anyway, it violates all rules of instant gratification. Screw it, I'll think of it as an open letter!
Punitive Articles of the UCMJArticle 88—Contempt toward officials“Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”
It's a good thing that none of us are commissioned officers but, that hasn't stopped "honorable" men, in the past. Robert E. Lee and his gang swore an allegiance to the United States of America and then they turned around and committed treason; they didn't like Abe and look what they tried. I know, those are difficult words for Southerns to swallow. "You might be a Rebel sympathizer if"... you view "The Civil War" as, "The Northern War of Aggression" and you'd welcome Secession, even today. Although I don't believe it to be the best course of action, maybe it's the wake-up call that this country needs. How do you go about ripping a country apart, without killing hundreds of thousands of people... I'm glad I asked. The following is longer than a fortune cookie message but shorter than the booklet that you studied in order to get a drivers license. If you are attention span challenged, read the rules and jump to the last few paragraphs; they deal with Florida; which may just be the center of your universe.
So, the election is over, the name calling should end and our government should be concentrating on the business of taking care of this country. There were lots of promises made but, some politicians haven’t learned anything and it is obvious that they are not going to play nice.
Case in point:
When I first responded to the Ron Paul Secession story, on Rachel Maddow’s Blog, my response was a mess. Rachel rules and I thought that I'd take another shot, with footnotes and headers and my own crap all mixed together but, hopefully in better order and with fewer errors; yeah, this is an open letter to me!
Like so many other people, I couldn't believe Ron Paul’s stand on Secession (or much of anything else that comes out of his mouth). Secession is unimaginable (I mean, in the real world) but if it were to happen, how would it proceed; this is rhetorical as, I have an idea. I believe that one possible answer could be a modified game of Red Rover we’ll call it “Secession Red Rover”.
In this modified version, one team consisting of fifty-one people, each wearing the name of a state, number fifty-one would be the District of Columbia , we’ll call them “Team United”, they will form a human chain(Porto Rico was invited but, they abstained, for good reason, if you continue reading, you will see why) . The other team is made up of people who want to force the Secession issue, this team is made up of members of the Wrong Wing, ‘Publicans, members of the Tea-liban and Fox Blues type Clowns, we’ll call them “Team Secession” (I had some other names in mind but, small children may read this, that and my medication is working.); Team Secession doesn’t need to form a human chain, they’ll just mill about smartly until they are called. The difference in Secession Red Rover is that Team United stays locked together and one at a time, they call the name of a member of Team Secession. The Team Secession member tries to break through Team United. If a member of Team Secession breaks through a state, that state must secede from The United States of America. If the Team Secession member fails to break through, he or she is dragged from the playground and is forced into Community Service, picking up litter along the US Interstate Highway System.
Let the games begin! Red Rover, Red Rover, send Grover right over (not Sesame Street Grover, Grover Norquist, the leader of the Tea-liban; although there is a physical resemblance, Sesame Street Grover is much nicer). Grover takes aim at Arizona. This is an easy target for the leader of the Tea-liban and he has no problem taking Arizona out! Arizonians (also known as Zonies), already have a ‘Publican Super Majority in their state legislature so Secession will be easy. Zonies will call one of their new laws, “voluntary deportation” but, in fact, they will not need it as people of color (every color, even those with just a suntan and a brain) will run for the borders and soon, Arizona will be as white as loaf of Wonder Bread. The brown crust represents the Arizona border, with people of color on the outside. Of course, the Zonies will need cheap labor to keep businesses, like agriculture, going. They’ll probably import people from places like Bangladesh; these people will have a green card like status only, no chance of ever becoming real Americans. Maybe the cards should be yellow, you know, easy to see and they can be made to wear the cards on lanyards. Like their skin color won’t be enough for the cops to pick them out of a crowd; well, some deeply tanned white folks will stay, the cops don’t want to detain the wrong kind of person. Also, the Zonies will make them live in gated camps… I mean communities; the workers will come out only to work.
Before Team United can call out another name, Alaska, a member of Team United, steps out of line. Alaska is represented by Sarah Palin. Sarah is wearing her Miss Alaska banner; she brought it out of cold storage, along with her brain, just for this game. Sarah says, “We, Alaskans had this idea, long before any of you Thirteen or Forty-eight or however many there are, we don’t need your help, we declare our Succession (she means Secession) from the USA (Sarah, always the renegade)!” One of the spectators, wearing a sweatshirt that says Canada, runs up behind Palin and she blindsides Palin while proclaiming, “Russia never had the right to claim Alaska and they didn't have the right to sell it! The people of Canada are claiming Alaska by the Right of Eminent Domain.” Then, Canada goes over to Michigan and pulls off Michigan’s hat saying, “We are also taking the Upper Peninsula, anybody have a problem with that, no, I didn't think so! Vive le Canada! “. Canadians are reasonable people, they want to share the Great Lakes so, they are going to let the International Court of Justice, at The Hague, decide the boundaries; their battle cry is, “Remember Georges Bank”.
Next, Team United calls out the biggest fattest, bully on the playground! Red Rover, Red Rover, send Rush right over. It is a set-up, Rush walks (he can’t actually run) over to Texas and Texas, folds like an old lawn chair. Yes, Texas had a huge (like everything in Texas) piece of the Defense Budget, so what, they still have oil, cattle and the biggest egos in the former United States or the new Un-united States. Rush is right at home, “…Rush’s blight is big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas….”; what no Alamo… nope, not this time.
Red Rover, Red Rover, send Ron Paul right over. Ron looks at his fellow team members and says, “You didn't let me take part in the “Big One” and look what happened! Well, I forgive you and just to prove it, I’m going to take down a piece of New England; it will give us a foothold in the Northeast, this one’s for you. Give us Libertarianism, or give us death!”. Ron runs, head first into Rhode Island and he bounces off like a BB off an M1A Abrams. Team Secession laughs and says, “Ron, you and your kid can forget about 2016, in either the USA or the Un-USA!”. Rhode Island says, “What a wicked clown, just because we are small you believe us to be weak and you believe that we stand alone, you’re dumber than a quahog!” Ron is dragged off the playground yelling, “Hey, I was kidding about the “death” thing!”.
Team Secession is humiliated, they need a big win. Team United calls, Red Rover, Red Rover, send Willard right over (Not the rat named, Willard, from the movie of the same name, the other one, Willard Mitt Romney). Mitt says, “You have picked the right man for the job, you will not be disappointed (Now, where have we heard that, before?)! I’m taking out my home state!”. Of course he means Utah as Massachusetts was never his home state, not really, and besides, after the mess that he left there, if Mass gets their hands on Mitt, tar and feathering will be back on the books and the rail that they mentioned is not Amtrak. Willard takes Utah by a landslide (I guess that none of the “47%” live in Utah). Now that Utah doesn't have to worry about being a member of the United States, they can bring back some of the old ways. On Romney’s first day as "Grand President Apostle" of Utah, he will change the State Bird from the Seagull to the Chicken Hawk, he will declare a 10% flat tax, it works for his um… “church” and of course he and his Lt. Apostles don’t have to file any more tax returns, you just have to trust them;o), polygamy will be the law of the land (It’s in the Bible and the Book of Mormon; well if it isn't there, it will be!) and he will repeal Obama Care, no wait, scratch that last one. Of course, like everything, there are pros and cons. One polygamy pro is that Mormon men (actually, any man who pledges an allegiance to Utah) can have a different wife for every night of the week, totally procreation and not recreation (Haven’t you ever watched the TV series, Big Love; if it’s good for Bill Paxton and Harry Dean Stanton, it’s good for everyone!). The downside is that all of those “Sister Wives”, viewed as unwed mothers, by the US Government, were eligible for welfare, oops, no more US Government and no more welfare but, lots more "Sistahs” and “lil’ins”; not to worry, I’m sure that there will be plenty of Jell-O to go around. Too bad Joe Smith isn't around. If Joe were around, today, he probably would have taken His People to some place other than North America, maybe some place like Guyana (“Alias Smith and Jones”, wasn't that a TV series or, am I confusing that with something else?).
Red Rover, Red Rover, send Richard Lynn Scott right over (that’s the name on his voter registration card, we don’t want any mistakes that would invalidate his participation), of course they are referring to Rick Scott, the Governor of the soon to be ex-state of Florida. Rickie Lynn runs straight at Florida, he trips on a copy of the Constitution, which someone dropped on the playground but, he regains his footing and Florida goes down easy, real easy, maybe too easy. As Rickie Lynn starts his victory dance, Marky-Marc Rubio comes running across the playground and takes Ricky Lynn down like a palm tree in a Cat 5! Rubio says, “While we are on the subject of Secession, South Florida is seceding from the former state of Florida. We are joining the newly formed, Union of the Greater and Lesser Antilles!” Wow, who saw that one coming, talk about Pirates of the Caribbean! In order to secure a Nonaggression Treaty with the UGLA, President Obama orders an immediate and total withdrawal of all US Troops, from NAS Key West, Guantanamo Bay and he returns GTMO to the UGLA State of Cuba; how cool is that.
Okay, I could go on but, before I am accused of trying to make my point the hard way (What, too late for that, you say?), I will stop, or at the least, take a break; besides, this house isn't remodeling itself, back to work. Years ago, one of my good friends, Dr. N. Dale Desmuke PHD, turned me on to a book by Joel Garreau, the title of which is, The Nine Nations of North America. I believe that it should be mandatory reading for everyone; oh, “H-E-double Hockey Sticks”, I hate using absolutes, let’s say voluntary mandatory reading. Secession seems like such a drastic move, how about a simple reorganization. Maybe we should try to recognize, understand and accept our differences; it will help if you just read the book.
“Home, in the twentieth century is less where your heart is, than where you understand the sons-of-bitches” – Dave Hickey, The Texas Observer
A "kind and loving god" would let these miserable old bastards die and stop subjecting the world to their miserable bull@!$%#, another good reason to be non-theist.
I'm not going to read Rove's article but it seems like his contention might be that Obama doesn't really care if the revenue comes from tax hikes or closing loopholes, but that he's going to insist on the tax hike to force republicans to break their pledges to Norquist, thus creating a "civil war" amongst them. If that's the case, was it just a coincidence that raising taxes on the rich was one of the central themes of Obama's re-election campaign, or was it brilliant foresight on his part to employ this double-edged sword? I think it kind of disproves the civil war angle.
Like everything else Republicans believe, this is boolsheet.