Gaming Failure?

I had this theory hit me some time ago when conservatives started shouting about how Sarah Palin should run for president.

At that point, I told myself that there wouldn't be nearly enough Republicans ignorant enough to give her the nomination - but then the voices on the Right got louder. Were they really ready to slit their own throats and bleed out just to prove a point? Had the modern conservative movement become the new "Jones Cult", with Sarah as the one telling them when to take the first sip?

It seemed so.

But then some of them started to turn on her when it appeared too much of the constituency was ready to ask for a second cup.

Now, there's a host of Republicans hinting at a run in 2012.

Mitch Daniels

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) told the AP that he will look at other potential 2012 presidential candidates' stance on the federal before deciding whether or not to run himself.

Said Daniels: "We don't know who the field is. We don't know exactly what they'll emphasize and what their depth of conviction and specificity of prescription will be about the problems that are bothering me, specifically the debt iceberg the nation's heading for."

He previously said he will wait until the legislative session is over in April before deciding and told the Indianapolis Star that he's already turning down debate invitations.

Charles Krauthammer tries to play presidential oracle with Bill O'Reilly.

Chris Christie also has a special place in the hearts of the modern conservative movement when it comes to a Presidential run.

Huckabee could fall prey to his own hubris.

Then there's Newt......

.....and the list goes on.

So here's the question - are conservatives diluting the Republican field so much that they are all but assuring that Obama will get a second term?

Considering the fact that they are investing so much time in trying to convince their audience that he is the worst president ever, it appears that they aren't taking into consideration that those they are lauding as better candidates are the ones they should be more concerned about.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- I'm never shocked and occasionally satisfied ( as it verifies the stereotype surrounding them ) when I see the conservative movement continually show itself as an isolationist movement. So when former governor and garage band enthusiast Mike Huckabee continues this strain of thought, it makes one wonder if he says things like this to get back into the good graces of those within the fringe after the revival of his clemency affair.

- It's one thing to show that children are adversely affected by unaffordable healthcare, but when you completely distort the reality of sex education and portray children as the victims of deviant sexual indoctrination, that's a whole new level of pathetic. For anyone that has gone through sex education in schools in the late 80s like I did ( in grade school mind you ) there really wasn't such an outcry when children learned about oral sex and "ass-to-mouth" from C. Everitt Coop.

- I live in a part of the country that thinks Reagan was the second coming of Christ, that believes that Obama is a secret Muslim, and honestly believes that "teh gay" can be cured. So it was with great interest that I watch Rachel Maddow interview the man that claims that a good hug-and-cuddle will keep you straight and narrow.

Catch, Release, And Whitewash or Huck Get's Handjob From Hack

Upon learning that former Governor and alleged Christian Mike Huckabee granted clemancy to Clemmons, the man that killed 4 police officers in Washington state, I started to wonder how long it would take for Fox"News" to rub salve on this freshly opened wound.

It didn't take long:



One can't but realize that this is a veritable Willie Horton moment for Mike Huckabee and a bitter end to any would-be Presidential aspirations in the future. And Huckabee's clemmency that really isn't anything new. There was even an ad about it during the campaign.



But back to O'Reilly soft-peddling the issue here. There have been multiple instances where judges were ambushed outside of homes, getting out of vehicles with family in tow, or even leaving the local market where one of O'Reilly's mouth-agape droogies was more than willing to shove microphone and camera in face and level multiple questions - often irrelevant ones - and never allow the person to answer. Huckabee was not treated in this fashion. He was allowed a platform to excuse his complete lack of judgement.

And for once, the reactionary voices of the fringe conservative movement are making at least a moderate amount of sense this morning:

Huckabee got softball treatment on O’Reilly. He blamed other prosecutors and judges while downplaying his ill-considered judgment. There was no discussion of Huck’s long, controversial record on mass clemencies that resulted in more innocent victims of brutal crimes. And O’Reilly unbelievably praised Huckabee for his openness in explaning clemency decisions — which should cause the entire state of Arkansas to shake in derisive laughter and revulsion given the former GOP governor’s stubborn refusal to explain his decisions until forced to so by a massive public backlash.

And while the statement from Malkin is to be predicted, given her complete and utter disdain for O'Reilly having been summarily dismissed from co-hosting and appearing and guest-pundit on his program, one has to wonder what she would say about the very real fact that this morning Fox & Friends completely glossed over the issue and essentially excused Huckabee for his ignorance as well. Michelle seems to have no problem appearing on their program.

The resulting internal fighting within the conservative movement as a result of the tragedy in Seattle in a microcosm of what their ideology will and won't allow. If your a conservative and you make a poor decision that results in death, you will be given a platform to make excuses and shift blame. However, this isn't without reprocussions from the finge elements within your party. But they are just as willing to be hypocritical and allow many within their ranks to act in equally wretched manners and give them a complete pass.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- Sarah Palin's sad attempt to hang onto any shred of notoriety found itself nestled in the odd confines of EBay recently. The disgraced former governor of Alaska was auctioning off a dinner with her to some poor sap willing to dish out more money than the average American makes in a year for the dubious "honor" of sitting across the table from her. However, this auction wasn't open to everyone. After all, this is about Palin donating money for tax-write-off purposes...........oh, I mean for "charity".

- A video has surfaced of a Fox"News" "producer" urging the crowd at the 9/12 rallies to cheer longer and louder when prompted. So, if Fox is allegedly impartial in these matters, then why would this woman be rallying the people? Oh, that's right..........

- Did you know that the CBO ( Congressional Budget Office ) that the right-wing conservative set has had such joy in referencing this past summer has released a new study that shows proposed Cap-and-Trade legislation would cost American families around $160 per year? That's 44 cents per day. Wonder why Mitt Romney is still using the already debunked $1761 per year number?

- Bill Moyers, whom my uber-conservative Aunt and Grandmother have been watching for years, recently did a piece on Dick Armey ( the point-man behind FreedomWorks ) and his current lawsuit to keep his government controlled healthcare plan. And, as we all know, Dick is also one of the point-men behind the "grassroots" Tea Party nonsense. But wait, don't they want government OUT of the healthcare industry? Ah, I love the smell of conservative hypocrisy on a Monday morning.

- Apparently, there was a wingnut convention somewhere in the US called the Values Voters Summit, and former governor Mike "I <3 Bass Guitar And Chuck Norris" Huckabee won the "straw poll" for potential presidential candidates. He even beat out Sarah Palin nearly 2 1/2 times over. Even though it's a poorly constructed and coneived idea ( because no matter what, a wingnut wins ) this just may say something of Palin's popularity at this point in the game.

- It seems that James O’Keefe, the VERY white guy that dressed completely unconvincingly as a pimp - yet somehow managed to dupe a few ACORN workers in the US - has a very interesting reason for going after the group. It doesn't sit well with him that ACORN registers minorites. And as we all know, most minorities are going to vote Democratic, as the Republican party has done nothing to make them feel like they were the same as white Americans since Lincoln ended slavery.

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Huckabee's Love Of Death

While it has been made quite clear here what I think of those that pretend to have care, compasion, and offerance of condolances at the time of death of someone whom they violently disagreeed with, it's almost as bad to blatantly lie and use the death of a person to somehow prove what is a blatant lie.

Enter former Governor, failed Presidential candidate, and poor garage band bassist Mike Huckabee.

[I]t was President Obama himself who suggested that seniors who don't have as long to live might want to consider just taking a pain pill instead of getting an expensive operation to cure them," said Huckabee. "Yet when Sen. Kennedy was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer at 77, did he give up on life and go home to take pain pills and die? Of course not. He freely did what most of us would do. He choose an expensive operation and painful follow up treatments. He saw his work as vitally important and so he fought for every minute he could stay on this earth doing it. He would be a very fortunate man if his heroic last few months were what future generations remember him most for

It truly is interesting to see Mike Huckabee do his "country preacher" schtick on Fox"News" and try to convince his flock that what he is saying is the gospel truth. But this is something that I would have expected from the likes of Micheal Savage or Limbaugh.

The Lord's Work

Oh, those god-loving Republicans sure to think voter suppression is funny.



The video of former Governor, and garage-band bassist, Mike Huckabee was shot during a campaign rally where he was showing his support for Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell.

Needless to say, his opponent - Terry McAuliffe - doesn't think that's what the Lord has in mind:

We just found out that while campaigning for Bob McDonnell, Mike Huckabee told a crowd of Republicans that if they know people who aren't going to vote for Bob, it's their job to "Let the air out of their tires" and "keep 'em home." He even called voter suppression "the Lord's work."

This is no joking matter. People died for the right to vote in this country, and we have to protect it.

More here from Racheal Weiner at The Huffington Post

Mike Huckabee Is His Own "Pastor-Problem"

Typical conservative/religious response to something they don't like - just claim that the subject or the person is attempting to kick Baby Jesus in the face:

In a posting on his website, Huckabee states:

I urge you to email or call your Senator and Congressman this weekend or first thing Monday and let him or her know that your are against the pork laden stimulus bill in Congress. Call every talk tadio program you can and speak out. Go to the blogosphere and urge action on the part of other citizens who are outraged as well.

Go to your computer or your phone. Do it now. Let your voice be heard. If you don't speak out, then you are saying it's okay for Congress to mis-spend money.

Email or call now. There is time to stop it.

Think Progress reports:

[T]his myth has been making the rounds in right-wing circles for about a week. Originally, the American Center for Law and Justice, a right-wing legal group formed by TV preacher Pat Robertson, said the stimulus bill includes a provision that would prohibit “religious groups and organizations from using” buildings on college campuses. […]

[T]he standard language in the bill simply blocks spending for on-campus buildings that are used primarily for religion (like a chapel, for example). This same language has been part of education spending bills for 46 years. It’s just the law, and it’s never been controversial.

The only think more dangerous than an uninformed politician, is an uninformed religious fanatic that is a politician.

Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly has more.

Conservative Losers Get Radio Gigs

With the Obama adminimstration doing it's level best to be as transparent as possible, conservative talk-radio is in full-on offense-mode.

The new batch of right-wing prattle-heads is shaping up to the a whos-who amongst Republican Presidential losers:

It is a lively time to be behind the microphone. One television talker, Joe Scarborough, is starting a radio show. Another, Bill O’Reilly, is ending his.

Several of the supporting actors in this year’s Republican primary are showing interest in the medium, too. Fred Thompson, the “Law & Order” star turned presidential candidate, will begin hosting a two-hour show in March, as the syndicator Westwood One is expected to announce this week. Mr. Thompson’s show would take the place of Mr. O’Reilly’s.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and a Republican presidential candidate, had been in negotiations with Westwood One for Mr. O’Reilly’s time slot, according to two people with knowledge of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity because a deal was not struck.


Mike Huckabee, the former Republican presidential candidate who now has a weekend program on the Fox News Channel, is trying radio as well, hosting short segments for ABC Radio beginning Jan. 5. While there are plenty of topics to talk about — and plenty of hosts willing to do the talking — nagging questions about the business remain. A sharp advertising downturn is limiting revenue for stations. And some hosts are worrying about the relevance of talk radio in a digital age.

More here.

When one realizes the severely inflated value that conservatives place on those talk-radio voices that are intended to represent their own, it's easy to see that Right-Wing talk is becoming more and more irrelevant.

Giuliani can't seem to make it through one semi-coherent thought without invoking Spetember 11th at least 3 times. Thompson will probably hold a call-in contest to see who can give him the best "appalause" that he desires. And Huckabee's way too soft-spoken to be a successful right-wing talk-host.

Truthfully, neither of the three will probably have what the bulk of conservative audiences want - that red, red, meat.

This is a demographic that needs to have it's opinions spoon-fed to them. They don't want to hear about the struggles of the poor, the problems with urban educational systems. They want to hear about how great "free markets" are. They want to be told that some faceless person in Congress is trying to begin back "The Fairness Doctrine". They seem to have this deep desire to be scared.

While Giuliani seems to be the only one out of the new-school of incoming talking-heads that can accomplish such a feat - only because he loves talking about terrorists - I don't see any of these shows lasting.

When Did Huckabee Choose Not To Be Gay?

John Stewart effectively points out to Mike Huckabee that the consistant and cacophonus shouts from the conservative movement about the "sanctity of marriage" is nothing more than just that - a shout.



In the end, Huckabee comes off as a person that seems to be relying more on his warm demeanor rather than anything of substance.

Stewart points about how patently laughable the arguement against gay marriage is, simply because it is based in a book that conservative christians only partly believe in. All men are created in the eyes of the Lord as equal. That is, unless you're gay.

And If You Try Hard Enough.....

The six-degrees-of-seperation game isn't just a game to those at Fox"News". Often, it is a debate tool and most certainly one that is used to connect any and everyone to some "scandal" merely out of ideological expedience.

Case-in-point is the obvious glee in Sean Hannity's voice as he tries to link Obama and Rob Blagojevich. His latest attempt in casting Obama in the role of villan took an interesting turn, as his guests - ones that he was sure would be the "yes" men that he requires each night - didn't really buy into the notion



President-Elect Obama could give Sean Hannity the cure for cancer and he would complain that it wasn't cherry-flavoured.

In all, this is a trumped-up notion that only serves as a new talking-piont within the lunatice fringe.

Huckabee's Prerequisites

Last night, I saw Mike Huckabee on some random, evangelical program on EWTN - at least I think that's the channel. He was giving some nonsensical prayer and holding hands with a televangelist who apparently thinks that bleeching his hair is a good idea.

I found myself sitting in bed a thanking whatever celestial creature that is listening that Mike Huckabee is not President.

Then, I saw this this morning:



So, Huckabee thinks that gays haven't been assaulted enough, that they have to cross some violence threshold in order to be considered the same as him? Perhaps he isn't familiar with people like Matthew Shepard or Harvey Milk. What about the thousands of men and women that are visciously attacked simply because they are "gay".

Above all, Huckabee is a "minister" and is essentially required to use the bible to compartmentalize people into groups. He has to, and will continue to, twist biblical text in order to excuse the ill treatment of those with whom he disagrees.

While some may see a vast difference between gays and blacks fighting for their civil rights - meaning that gays should be required to face their struggle on their own terms and not claim that they are experiencing what blacks did during segregation - they are, in their own way, exscusing this treatment outside of the biblical realm. It's just as wrong.

To say that you have to meet a pre-set level of violence in order to be seen as a relevant member of society is far more pathetic than I have words to describe.

Where Republicans Go When They Don't Win - Fox

This could be comedy gold:

Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee announced on his Web site that he has a new show debuting 8 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday on the Fox News Channel.

The show is simply titled "Huckabee," he said.

"I'm sure the name will make it easy for all of you to find it," Huckabee wrote on his political action committee's blog.

Fox News Channel spokesman Richard White said that Huckabee's new show would air on the channel but referred all questions about the show to Huckabee's agent.

Sarah Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor's daughter and head of his political action committee, said the same show will air both nights. She said his guest on the show will be Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the conservative co-host of ABC's "The View."

source

Not entirely sure what to expect from this show.

Perhaps some good, homespun, Arkansas humor?

Who knows.

Fox"News" loves to swoop up rabidly partisan Republican politicians who, for one reason or another, don't have anything better to do.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck is an interesting choice as a first guest. She really doesn't do much of anything but complain about how much she hates the guests on The View. It should be point out that she never has the sand enough to talk about it on her own show, she's got her buddies at Fox to help her out with that.