28 | September | 2010 | Existential Ennui

Tags

Darwinism, Fox News, GOP, Jim DeMint, Media, rightwing nuts, Sarah Palin, social Darwinism, Stephen Hawking

I mean, it’s not like I’m telling you something you don’t already know. Jim DeMint, (R-SC) is nothing more than your average jackass of a GOPer.

You remember him from early on in the Obama administration when he announced that health care reform would be “Obama’s Waterloo”, signaling that Republicans were only about destroying a president and not doing their constitutional duty to govern the nation.

He has of course stayed true to form. Worse, he has traveled far to the dark side, way past Darth Vader. He’s cozied up with the teabagger movement, making it most clear that he is willing to throw even other Republicans under the bus in pursuit of wacko teabagger ideals. That they have no actual policies outlined, is of course, besides the point.

It all goes to show that DeMint is a true lover of power, with no principles. It’s not like he has any issue with re-election. His opponent is laughable–Alvin Greene–someone so idiotic that it’s hard to believe he’s not a teabagger himself, except that he’s not. And being in South Carolina pretty much ensures his re-election anyway.

So, DeMint signals that his only true desire is to be a leader of the group he is banking will be a mover and shaker in the up-coming Congress. He made all this quite clear in the Value Voters Summit where he blatantly threatened, ala the Palinator, that you better either get with the “program” (which is really just a long list of dislikes), or you too will find yourself looking for work.

To show how awfully nasty he really is, and of course, his truest colors, when Democrats asked for unanimous consent to give the Oil Spill Commission subpoena powers, he alone stood up and objected. It is hard to know whether it’s just because he opposes anything proposed by a Democrat no matter how benign or universally agreed to, or whether he is protecting the oil interests of BP. In either case, it’s another case of refusal to consider the public interest in favor of personal political interests.

It points up of course the radical schizophrenia that inhabits the Teabagger movement. Surely these hard-working middle class folks can’t be in favor of the destructive activities of BP in the Gulf. Surely they would want them held accountable. Yet they will ignore DeMint’s betrayal of the public trust, because he is “for them,” and their political acumen is just that thin that that is held to be enough.

@@This just in: DeMint and Colburn vote against a bill that would allow the sale of a piece of federal land to a private interest for purposes of building a Women’s Museum. No taxpayer money was involved. The bill had popular support, across the aisle. Why you ask? Women already have a “Quilter’s Hall of Fame” and “Cowgirl’s Museum.” Yeah, right.

@@@This just in later even: It now seems that Master of the Universe, Jim DeMitt has sent a letter to all senators indicating that he will oppose any and all legislation not cleared through his office by end of the day today unless it has been hot-lined, meaning it has cleared each caucus with no objections. It seems the demagogue-in-his-own-mind desires to shut down government completely and then of course blame the Dems for not passing anything. The man is simply nuts.

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Meanwhile, the Chronicle, gives a really captivating and thoughtful review of Stephen Hawking’s new book. Drawing strongly on the philosophy of Wittgenstein and Toulmin, Carlin Romano, makes a good argument that Hawking went a bit too far in his claims that God is unnecessary to the universe. Apparently, and I should have guessed, Hawking also argued that philosophy itself has had it’s day and should close up shop. Stimulating reading.

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An intriguing poll sponsored by Politico and reported in the Washington Post, suggests that Sarah (that women is an idiot) Palin may or may not be accomplishing what she wants to. If her goal is to be a force to be reckoned with within the GOP, then she appears to be doing that. If on the other hand, she is hopin’ to be the next POTUS, not so good. Her quitting of the governorship of Alaska, and her position as Fox Noise pundit, have served to increase and harden those who strongly disagree with any efforts of hers to seek the presidency. A strong 58% find her unacceptable.

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Oh Snap! The wacko right loves to call liberals elitists. Yes they do. Forgetting of course that their darlings, such as Billy (the nerd) Kristol were graduates of Harvard both undergrad and post grad. While a goodly clump of GOPers disfavor real Darwinism in favor creationism, when it comes to social Darwinism, we may have a different story. Social Darwinism, in case you are a bit rusty, is the Darwinian misuse of the idea of “survival of the fittest” promoted in the 19th century. Started by LIBERAL ELITISTS, it was co-opted by wealthy industrialists, to justify ruthless practices that left most of America in poverty. Ironic no? Read Robert Reich’s analysis.

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Kevin Drum has an excellent explanation of why the right-wing crap flies. It has to do with Fox and how it operates. Basically, they hammer a story round the clock, using all their pundits, and so-called journalists to bang the same drum. More often than not, the mainstream media feels forced to pick up the story and say something: and thus we get more and more of our time taken up by non-stories such as the New Black Panther party. MSNBC keeps their punditry and their actual news quite separate, so the exposés don’t get the mainstream media play.

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What’s on the stove? Chicken Cacciatore and Soft Polenta with butter and Parmesan, with rolls and homegrown corn.