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CPUNK
Author: BobR    Date: 03/18/2013 13:02:28

The conservative gathering known as CPAC happened last week. The idea behind it is for conservatives to get together, exchange ideas, and layout a roadmap for the future. It is also a de facto Republican party convention. If they had hoped to gel around some concrete common ideals, it was not apparent there was any success from this outside view. What I see is sniping and litmus tests and general overall nastiness.

It's obvious they are an unhappy lot, unable to grasp why America has left them for the more progressive Democrats and liberals - even in traditionally Republican states. For this, they naturally blame the candidates for not being conservative enough. Both Mitt Romney and John McCain felt the wrath from presidential hopefuls Rand Paul and Marco Rubio (oh yeah - and Rick Perry). Ann Coulter - who previously supported NJ Governor Chris Christie took a shot at him making the ever-classy fat joke. Christie has fallen out of favor because he embraced President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and was not invited this year. Considering what a nasti-fest this was, that is likely to his advantage.

One of the highlights of the event is the straw poll for presidential candidate. Supposedly Libertarian Rand Paul (what person can be truly libertarian if they support government interfering with a woman's private medical decisions?) won the straw poll, dooming him to permanent also-ran status. The last person to win it and go on to win the presidency was Dubya in 2000 (even though he was appointed). Before that it was Ronald Reagan in 1984, running as an incumbent. Close behind was Marco Rubio. I am unaware whether his water bottle was pegged as his potential running mate.

The queen bee of obnoxious (and perennial convention favorite) Sarah Palin, however, brought the crowd what they wanted: a cathartic dose of nasty:
“We don’t have leadership coming out of Washington. We have reality television. Except it’s really bad TV, and America tuned out a long time ago.”

On gun sales: “More background checks? Dandy idea, Mr. President. Shoulda started with yours.”

On Obama’s reelection: “You won. We get it. Now step away from the teleprompter and do your job.”

She said - while reading from a teleprompter...

She started her speech by coming out with a Big Gulp drink and said "Bloomberg's not around, our Big Gulp's safe". Once again - taking a pot-shot at a fellow Republican. Of course - very few people - left or right - agree with his ban on huge soft drink sizes, but that's irrelevant because somehow the idea will become twisted in the minds of the convention-goers that this was an idea created by and supported by Democrats.

But like all Republican and Tea Party politics, where it really gets nasty is at the state and local levels. At one the break-out sessions, the discussion was about attracting southern non-white voters. One of the attendees declared that slavery wasn't so bad. After all - the masters provided food and shelter, right?

And that gets right to the heart of it, doesn't it? The problem with the Republican party is that they have the stigma of supporting the business owner over the workers, of the rich over the poor, of the white males over everyone else. They live in a dog-eat-dog world, where nastiness, greed, and an unwillingness to forgive are virtues, where helping the poor is socialism, where guns are the solution, not the problem, where Muslims are trying to create Sharia Law, while legislating their Christian religion.

CPAC has shown that this is not something they plan on changing. The attendees don't want to change it. The most popular speakers reflect the zeitgeist of the party, and it is ugly indeed. No amount of marketing is going to wash away that stink.
 

62 comments (Latest Comment: 03/19/2013 01:00:25 by Will in Chicago)
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Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 13:09:55
Morning

Isn't CPUNK a pro wrestler?

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 13:13:32
Morning, comrades!

And how are we all in this glorious debt slave treadmill worker's paradise today?



Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 13:17:33
can I just vent how sick and tired I am of hearing my teacher friends be so joyous that they get a day off for snow and gloat about it while the rest of us have to drive to work no matter what?

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 13:30:47
Quote by wickedpam:
can I just vent how sick and tired I am of hearing my teacher friends be so joyous that they get a day off for snow and gloat about it while the rest of us have to drive to work no matter what?


Right, and next week they'll have an early release day for "professional development"

What the hell do they do on those days, anyway? Can't this be done during school vacation week?


Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 13:39:47
Good morning!

Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 13:47:06
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by wickedpam:
can I just vent how sick and tired I am of hearing my teacher friends be so joyous that they get a day off for snow and gloat about it while the rest of us have to drive to work no matter what?


Right, and next week they'll have an early release day for "professional development"

What the hell do they do on those days, anyway? Can't this be done during school vacation week?


There should be better planning of a school year for both students and teachers. But then I speak as a childless loser.


Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 13:56:32
Quote by wickedpam:


There should be better planning of a school year for both students and teachers. But then I speak as a childless loser.



This has been a platform plank of mine. Still deciding what to do this cycle.



Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 13:56:43
I am so glad I didn't watch the coverage of the Steubenville rape conviction on CNN.

This is sickening.

Comment by BobR on 03/18/2013 14:02:19
blog is posted


Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/18/2013 14:05:58
Quote by Raine:
I am so glad I didn't watch the coverage of the Steubenville rape conviction on CNN.

This is sickening.



Good morning, bloggers!! I hope that everyone is well.

I did not watch the coverage, but having read about the coverage I have to ask what came of the much vaunted objectivity that I learned about in my journalism classes. Regardless of how a reporter feels, there should be objective reporting.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/18/2013 14:07:47
As for myself, I am home today helping to watch my great nephews. Their sister, Emily Rose, is having surgery on an obstruction spotted in her esophagus.

Raine, I fear that CPAC shows that the dominant wing of the GOP -- the Tea Party -- does not want to change and cannot reach out to others. I have to ask if it would be a great loss if they went the way of the Whigs. Then, perhaps, another party (probably the Libertarians) would emerge as a home for conservatives.

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 14:13:55
Say, have I mentioned that I have now reacted badly to physical therapy?

My right foot has been painful and swollen for days; I have actually stopped my regimen. (I see them again tomorrow, this will be duly noted.)

And I checked with a longtime stoner and friend at the store, who is also a cancer survivor and had neuropathy for two years post-treatment. She says that "medicine" didn't help with that much, so maybe I'll skip that after all.


<-- TriSec slowly realizing this may be the "new normal".



Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/18/2013 14:31:50
Quote by TriSec:
Say, have I mentioned that I have now reacted badly to physical therapy?

My right foot has been painful and swollen for days; I have actually stopped my regimen. (I see them again tomorrow, this will be duly noted.)

And I checked with a longtime stoner and friend at the store, who is also a cancer survivor and had neuropathy for two years post-treatment. She says that "medicine" didn't help with that much, so maybe I'll skip that after all.


<-- TriSec slowly realizing this may be the "new normal".




I hope that it is not the new normal for you. I do mention you during the Mi Sheberiach prayer at Temple on Fridays.


The key thing is to see what can be done.

In some positive news, I am finding some good positions out East.

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 14:36:23
Quote by Raine:
I am so glad I didn't watch the coverage of the Steubenville rape conviction on CNN.

This is sickening.



What the hell was all that boo-hoo-hooing over convicted rapists about?? I was appalled.

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 14:37:28
Republicans are sure acting like the frogs in the boiling pot now, eh?

Change is passing them by. Like other dead-ends of evolution, if they can't change they are doomed to extinction. Oh, there will be a few around, but they'll be like those oddball little lizards and chameleons that didn't get the memo. Chris Christie, of course, would be a Komodo Dragon.

(slaps self, sorry for the gratuitous attack.)


Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 14:43:26
That was a great Caller and conversation.

Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 14:45:15
This is the group that puts on CPAC, btw

Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 14:47:11
Quote by Raine:
That was a great Caller and conversation.


this is why I like when Hal guest hosts = he has some good conversations instead of kinda blowing off callers


Comment by clintster on 03/18/2013 14:52:22
Quote by wickedpam:
Morning

Isn't CPUNK a pro wrestler?


Just had a visual of CM Punk crashing the dais during Sarah Palin's speech. That could only have improved it.

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 14:56:32
CPAC season it is my favorite time of the year. The conservative movement show America how truly repellent it really is.

Comment by clintster on 03/18/2013 15:13:27


Maybe he'll play younger Moses, and Jack Nicholson will play "leading the Israelites through the wilderness" Moses.

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 15:18:55
Quote by clintster:


Maybe he'll play younger Moses, and Jack Nicholson will play "leading the Israelites through the wilderness" Moses.



I would pay hard earned money to see Jack Nicholson play Moses. The shades would be a hoot.

Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 15:24:01
Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 15:27:16
Quote by Raine:
That's twice in 2 weeks.

Is the real Sirota back?



Don't count on it. I'm sure there will be an OBAMAISWORSETHANBUSHHERE'SWHY column coming soon.

Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 15:29:17
For some reason, I thought she already was in support of Marriage equality.

Thank you Madame Secretary!

Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 15:30:29
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
That's twice in 2 weeks.

Is the real Sirota back?



Don't count on it. I'm sure there will be an OBAMAISWORSETHANBUSHHERE'SWHY column coming soon.
ERRMERGERD!

Yes.


Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 15:37:53
California is doing this the right way.

RWGN will be having heads blown any minute now.
http://www.bloomberg.com/image/i6tRQitg4NJs.jpg

California Department of Justice police agents walk towards a house near Ontario, California on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. The agents, working for the only state-level program to confiscate illegal firearms from owners, targeted people who’d once legally purchased firearms and lost the right after being convicted of violent crimes, committed to mental institutions or hit with restraining orders.



Comment by clintster on 03/18/2013 15:43:50
Get ready to see this from your RWLM's on Facebook

Devil in "The Bible" miniseries looks like Obama

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 15:46:36
Quote by clintster:
Get ready to see this from your RWLM's on Facebook

Devil in "The Bible" miniseries looks like Obama



Ugh.

Comment by livingonli on 03/18/2013 15:48:55
Good morning, folks. It seems the fact that the spokespeople for the right now are so bat-shit crazy probably explains why I've had difficulty talking with my righty friends of late because it seems like a lot of them just swallow what Fox News, right-wing talk radio and the "star" politicians on the right say without doing critical analysis. Things are OK as long as we don't talk politics.

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 16:11:09
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!



Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 16:13:55
Moron, the files are attached like they would be on every other online form that supports file attachments that you have ever filled out in your entire life!




Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 16:17:55
Quote by clintster:
Get ready to see this from your RWLM's on Facebook

Devil in "The Bible" miniseries looks like Obama

The damn history channel is now Fonzie.

Yes I think that should be a new meme. No more using the phrase "jumping the shark"

Just type Fonzie. I'm gonna start it now.

Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 16:20:53
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 16:21:46
Bugs on a bus.

Doesn't quite sound the same.



Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 16:22:02
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 16:29:57
Sometimes I wonder who Ed is trying to convince about his show and the times change.

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 16:30:12
A lengthy AAV bonus.

On this, the eve of the tenth anniversary of our invading Iraq.

"The war in Iraq won't truly be over until the last, tortured veteran dies screaming in his sleep perhaps 70 years from now."
- Rachel Maddow



Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 16:30:45
Quote by TriSec:
Bugs on a bus.

Doesn't quite sound the same.


Gives a whole new meaning to Roach Coach....

Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 16:31:35
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!


Jesus seems a bit fair skin for someone from Nazareth, if you ask me.


Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 16:32:58
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Bugs on a bus.

Doesn't quite sound the same.


Gives a whole new meaning to Roach Coach....



:shudders: bugs


Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 16:33:51
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?


Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 16:37:24
Caller on Ed just said Roma Downy, Jr produced the show - She used to be on Touched by and Angel, a show I kinda liked from time to time, mostly cause of Della Reese and Andrew Dye.

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 17:06:26
Quote by Raine:
Quote by clintster:
Get ready to see this from your RWLM's on Facebook

Devil in "The Bible" miniseries looks like Obama

The damn history channel is now Fonzie.

Yes I think that should be a new meme. No more using the phrase "jumping the shark"

Just type Fonzie. I'm gonna start it now.


Don't be hating on the Fonz now!


Comment by Raine on 03/18/2013 17:27:27
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)

Comment by TriSec on 03/18/2013 17:44:21
Alright gang...heading back to MAH to see my gastroenterologist. I expect some faaaaaaantastic cocktails in my future.



Comment by livingonli on 03/18/2013 18:19:00
There seems to be some reports that whoever it is who's working on that Bible series is a Right-wing Christian Fundie which may explain a lot of things.

Comment by wickedpam on 03/18/2013 18:25:55
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)


didn't realize he was such a Fundie


Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/18/2013 18:49:42
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)


didn't realize he was such a Fundie



It is kind of embarrassing to see what the History Channel has become.

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 18:56:58
Quote by TriSec:
Alright gang...heading back to MAH to see my gastroenterologist. I expect some faaaaaaantastic cocktails in my future.




We can compare notes!

Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/18/2013 19:08:03
Argh, Mike Newcomb is in for Thom. I will listen to Randi. (As opposed to Newcomb, I would almost rather listen to a blend of fingers scraping against a chalkboard and flatulent goats.)

Comment by trojanrabbit on 03/18/2013 19:16:59
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)


didn't realize he was such a Fundie



It is kind of embarrassing to see what the History Channel has become.


So glad I dumped cable. Don't have to deal with this shit.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 03/18/2013 19:22:37
Looks like tomorrow's commute's gonna suck (snow, rain, sleet, ice, other frozen shit). Staying home really isn't an option unless things are really bad, the division CEO is visiting from Eindhoven, my chamber is probably on the list of things they're going to show him. Going home shouldn't be that bad, unless the forecast is totally blown again.

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 20:07:31
Gee I had no idea that adult stem cell therapy has been approved by the FDA!

Comment by clintster on 03/18/2013 20:21:26
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)


didn't realize he was such a Fundie



It is kind of embarrassing to see what the History Channel has become.


I have to say, though, that the "Hatfields & McCoys" miniseries was very well done. Nonetheless, I don't have much use for the History Channel anymore.

Remember when there was music on MTV, history on the History Channel, science fiction on SciFi (fuck that "siffy" shit), educational programs on TLC, and arts programs on A&E?

Comment by Mondobubba on 03/18/2013 20:45:46
Quote by clintster:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)


didn't realize he was such a Fundie



It is kind of embarrassing to see what the History Channel has become.


I have to say, though, that the "Hatfields & McCoys" miniseries was very well done. Nonetheless, I don't have much use for the History Channel anymore.

Remember when there was music on MTV, history on the History Channel, science fiction on SciFi (fuck that "siffy" shit), educational programs on TLC, and arts programs on A&E?



:wistful: Yes!

Comment by livingonli on 03/18/2013 21:53:00
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by clintster:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
Kid's birthday party? Let's bring GUNS!!


Clickety click.. here's JESUS!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/18/article-2295082-18BFDB35000005DC-609_634x380.jpg


so who produced this?

Mark Burnett....


(Of 'survivor' fame)


didn't realize he was such a Fundie



It is kind of embarrassing to see what the History Channel has become.


I have to say, though, that the "Hatfields & McCoys" miniseries was very well done. Nonetheless, I don't have much use for the History Channel anymore.

Remember when there was music on MTV, history on the History Channel, science fiction on SciFi (fuck that "siffy" shit), educational programs on TLC, and arts programs on A&E?



:wistful: Yes!

If cable networks had to be faithful to their names, I think two-thirds of the cable networks would have to go off the air from deviating so far from their original purpose. Interestingly, in Canada, the Canadian version of the Oprah Winfrey Network has been ordered by the CRTC to ramp up its educational content by 55 percent to meet the terms of its license or the channel could be shut down. This might force it to drop a lot of the programming imported from the American network.

Comment by clintster on 03/18/2013 22:14:05
Oh my... Bill O'Reilly is getting divorced and it is getting uuuuuugly.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/19/2013 00:45:45
I have some good news.

My grand niece Emily Rose did not have to go through esophagus surgery after all. What the doctors thought was an obstruction they saw in an x-ray was not an obstruction. So, she is back to being treated for some viral infections. With any luck, she will be home soon.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/19/2013 01:00:25
Here is something that I found on a site called the BlueStreetJournal, via a friend on Facebook:

The Democratic Party 101: A Letter to Republicans Who Call Us Victims and Parasites

This was a response that I wrote to a family friend who took issue with what she perceived to be the Democratic platform. I would like to clarify that my discussions with her have been nothing but respectful; the title of this post is directed at those individuals who are unable to have the kind of open and honest discussion that she and I have been engaging in. It ended up being far longer than I expected, but every word was necessary. I hope you will read this in its entirety.

Dear Paulette,

You said that conservatives believe that rights are endowed by our Creator while liberals believe that rights are provided by the government. I take issue with that notion; liberals believe that the government has a responsibility to protect and defend our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not define them or interpret their limitations for us. As a Democrat, I take that to believe that each individual is entitled to live a free and happy life in any way they choose as long as they do not hurt another person or interfere with another person’s liberties. The government doesn’t give us our rights; it makes a promise to protect them. It is my belief that no person has the liberty to tell someone what is right for them. We don’t always stop to recognize that our circumstances are often much different from someone else’s, and that what might be right of us isn’t necessarily right for them. That is one of the primary reasons that I am so socially liberal; I can choose what is right for my own life as long as I don’t harm anyone else, but I have no right to tell someone else how to live their own life. In contrast, banning something like abortion or gay marriage imposes a single view on everyone with no room for personal choice. That is not freedom. That is not upholding the creed that “all men are created equal,” and that is where my biggest qualms with the Republican Party lie.

Our Constitution says, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…” Telling someone that they do not have the right to make decisions about their own body or marry the person they love is not upholding our liberties. Denying help to the most vulnerable among us is not promoting “the general Welfare,” and stigmatizing them as lazy and parasitic is, in my view, obscenely iniquitous and injudicious. There will always be people who take advantage of the system, but the vast majority of people receiving government aid are hard-working, and often disadvantaged individuals: veterans, children, the disabled, single mothers, widows and widowers, the elderly, the mentally challenged… The notion that everyone can climb to the top if they just work hard is a myth. It sounds beautiful in theory, but the fact of the matter is that children who grow up in poverty have everything stacked against them. Yes, the occasional exception is out there, and my respect goes out to those incredible individuals, but this is not the reality for 99% of others who share their circumstances. People get caught up in a cycle of poverty that becomes near impossible to escape. If you grew up in a family that had nothing and you had to drop out of school to help pay the bills, when do you have time to get an education and make something of yourself? And the sad truth is that most of the people who live in these circumstances do not actually receive any federal or state aid. The ones that do receive food stamps and health care for their children, and my God, it’s the least that we can do for them. My cousin would not have health care or groceries without the state aid that her mother receives. Should we tell her mother that she just needs to go out and work harder to provide for her daughter, as if she isn’t already working as hard as she can? She was raised by parents who were drug addicts. There were times when she didn’t even have a place to live. She never had a chance to develop the life she deserved. Do her life circumstances not justify the paltry aid that she receives? Should we punish the innocent for being born into life circumstances they they did not ask for or deserve? Should we not give them a chance to escape that cycle? What would our nation look like if we just left these people to fend for themselves? We would be ransacked by poverty, and it would seep into every corner of our nation.