Primary season is just warming up, and already the Teabaggers have scored a major victory against Republican incumbents, snuffing out Bob Bennett (R-UT), one of the most conservative members of the Senate, for not being conservative enough.
Bennett told the Associated Press he has not ruled out a write-in campaign.
Split votes, here we come.
Party on, Tea People!
The Maine Republican Party has just embraced the batshit brigade. At their convention last night, they adopted a platform straight out of Alice in Wonderland:
An overwhelming majority of delegates to the Maine Republican convention tonight voted to scrap the the proposed party platform and replace it with a document created by a group of Tea Party activists.
The official platform for the Republican Party of Maine is now a mix of right-wing fringe policies, libertarian buzzwords and outright conspiracy theories.
The document calls for the elimination of the Department of Education and the Federal Reserve, demands an investigation of “collusion between government and industry in the global warming myth,” suggests the adoption of “Austrian Economics,” declares that “‘Freedom of Religion’ does not mean ‘freedom from religion’” (which I guess makes atheism illegal), insists that “healthcare is not a right,” calls for the abrogation of the “UN Treaty on Rights of the Child” and the “Law Of The Sea Treaty” and declares that we must resist “efforts to create a one world government.”
Hoo boy.
The whole document, which is written in a hamfisted style intended to mimic the Declaration of Independence, is here if your head hasn’t already exploded.
Sarah Palin recalls her first meeting with Michele Bachmann:
I knew that we’d be buddies when I met her when she said, Drill here, drill now. And then I replied, Drill, baby, drill and then we both said, You betcha!
Bachmann was equally taken with Palin’s charms:
[A]s absolutely drop dead gorgeous this woman is (sic) on the outside, I’m here to testify that she is 20 times more beautiful on the inside.
Palin/Bachmann 2012: Don’t ask, baby, don’t tell
Posted in campaign, Palin Bachmann 2012, Republican Party, Tea Party
Tagged Michelle Bachmann, sapphic, Sarah Palin, wingnut
We’ve seen quite a list of flip-flops from John McCain ever since he found himself saddled with a Tea Party challenger in his primary this year. Always tacking to the right, he has been quick to chuck any number of his previous cornerstone beliefs overboard to appeal to the slavering Tea People.
But this takes the cake.
“Maverick” is a mantle McCain no longer claims; in fact, he now denies he ever was one. “I never considered myself a maverick,” he told me. “I consider myself a person who serves the people of Arizona to the best of his abilities.”
Um…
Poor Charlie Crist.
His matchup in the Florida Republican senatorial primary against wingnut Tea Party upstart Marco Rubio has been the most one-sided smackdown since Godzilla first made his way through Tokyo.
But things are looking up.
Just this morning, Colonel Bud Day, one of John McCain’s Hanoi Hilton cell-mates, endorsed Crist in the primary.
“You know, we just got through (electing) a politician who can run his mouth at Mach 1, a black one, and now we have a Hispanic who can run his mouth at Mach 1,” Day said. “You look at their track records and they’re both pretty gritty. Charlie has not got a gritty track record.”
Day confirmed he was speaking of Obama and Rubio.
“You’ve got the black one with the reading thing. He can go as fast as the speed of light and has no idea what he’s saying,” Day said. “I put Rubio in that same category, except I don’t know if he’s using one of those readers.”
Crist’s response? Any port in a storm:
“I am more than honored to have the endorsement of Colonel Bud Day,” Crist said in the release. “Colonel Day is a true American hero who has served our country well, and I could not be more grateful for his support.”
Godzilla: 1
Tokyo: 0
Posted in campaign, Republican Party
Tagged Bud Day, Charlie Crist, Godzilla, Marco Rubio, Senate
Here’s what the summer is going to look like on television:
Prior to this week, Alexi Giannoulias (D), who produced that ad, was running about five points behind his opponent, Mark Kirk (R).
What a difference a little health reform makes:
March 10: Giannoulias (D) – 44% , Kirk (R) – 41%
The Republican Party in Exile wants to make their comeback bid with “Repeal and Replace?”
Works for me.
Posted in campaign, health care, Republican Party
Tagged Alexi Giannoulias, health care reform, Mark Kirk, repeal, Republicans
“Repeal and replace.”
Mitch McConnell uses the weekly Republican internet and radio address as an opportunity to confirm to America that the Republicans will be doubling down on the strategy of repealing health care reform.
Booyah.
Posted in campaign, health care, Republican Party
Tagged health care reform, Mitch McConnell, repeal
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo points out that the million or so feet of tape that exist of Mitt Romney extolling the virtues of health insurance mandates and Massachussetts-style health reform will pretty much brown his bread if he decides to run in 2012:
Like I said, I think Mitt’s done. Unless Health Care Reform ends up having no part in the 2012 presidential election. And even if that’s true, too much of the early spadework for the nomination will have to be done in the period where the GOP is the anti-Health Care Reform party.
It’s like having to race the Indy 500 with your car backwards and driving in reverse. Just too much to overcome.
Posted in campaign, health care
Tagged 2012 election, health care reform, Josh Marshall, Mitt Romney, Talking Points Memo
Want to see a Public Option – or even better, an option for everyone to buy Medicare as their primary insurance plan?
Me too. One of the best ways to do that right now is to ensure that Alan Grayson, the Democrat with the strongest spine in Congress, keeps his seat in November.
Donate to his campaign today. Even $5 helps. But if you can afford it, give more.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s another Democrat with a spine you may recognize:
Posted in campaign, health care
Tagged Alan Grayson, Congress, Howard Dean, Medicare, public option
I’ll keep saying it: Michael Steele is one of my favorite things about the new Republican Party. In one five-minute interview:
“Health care reform is Armageddon”
“Civility is very, very important”
“Let’s go fire Nancy Pelosi, baby!”
Posted in campaign, health care
Tagged Antichrist, Armageddon, health care reform, Michael Steele, Nancy Pelosi, Republicans
