Notes From An Alternate Reality
It just never stops:
“The president certainly remains popular, but his policies are becoming less and less popular,” Boehner said, citing the continuing slide in the financial markets. “Certainly the stock market hasn’t acted very well” since Obama’s inauguration.As the markets continue to falter, Republicans are becoming more confident in their criticisms of the president — some have already taken to using the phrase “the Obama economy.”
Yeah. About that “Obama economy,” Rep. Boehner:
Ironically, Obama’s high marks come at a time when Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the state of the economy. Only 7% say they’re satisfied about the economy, which is an all-time low in the poll. Moreover, 76% believe the economy still has a ways to go before it hits rock bottom. What’s going on here? The public doesn’t blame Obama for the economy—even as critics try to attribute the Dow’s decline to Obama, and also even as Obama yesterday gave stock advice (). Per the poll, 84% say Obama inherited this economy, and two-thirds of those people think he has at least a year before he’s responsible for it.
They aren’t even trying any more. This has gone beyond silly to just sad, and what is even worse for the Republicans is that as they keep saying things that the public knows to be completely untrue, it erodes what little trust they have in them. Think about it. If somebody keeps telling you things you know are false, eventually you just write them off altogether. At the risk of Godwinning this thread, the Republicans really do seem intent on testing the reaches of the Big Lie.
The other thing that strikes me about that poll is how, well, reasonable the American people are. Maybe a year is too long, maybe it is not long enough. But the fact that the majority of the public is willing to wait a while before casting judgment seems exceedingly rational. It is almost if the American people understand how big a deal this current mess is, even as the Republicans continue to play games.
calipygian
Besides the hookers, why do you think Rush and co. are always jetting down to the Carribbean? Tending the bank account. Actually paying taxes on their off shore accounts is what is pissing them off.
Krista
Yes, but these rational Americans aren’t Real Americans™ from the Heartland™, so their opinions are null and void. If you want to know what America REALLY thinks, go ask Joe Bob at the barber shop in Lubbock, Texas.
J. Maynard Gelinas
John,
Perhaps it’s time you began pontificating not on Republican failure, but on how dangerous Democratic one-party-rule might become. The Republicans really screwed the pooch, but only after they took over all branches of government. The Democrats right now are restrained and may do a good job during Obama’s first term. But remember how ridiculously bad they were during the late seventies and early eighties (in congress) and it becomes clear that entrenched power is the problem (not Republicans or Democrats).
The Republican Party seems to have chosen suicide over rational policy discourse. OK. But one party rule is not acceptable. We need competent opposition.
And that’s coming from a former Democrat who only left the party and went Independent after Obama’s FISA vote. Though admittedly I did vote Obama. Then again I also voted for some crappy Libertarian candidate for Kennedy’s Senate seat too – as much as I feel sorry for his illness, I still can’t bring myself to pull the lever in his direction.
valdivia
Classic cognitive dissonance? These guys still think they can repeat a talking point and the American people will believe them. Which also applies to the orange man saying Obama is trying to distract the American people from the budget with the Rush thing. He says this the day the team is actually answering questions in front of congress about this. so their comments have nothing to do with reality. But ignoring reality worked so well for them I guess they have to keep on trying it.
Napoleon
the Republicans are all about the big lie. Goodwin must be retired.
cyntax
And from sad to…
[link]
...all the down the rabbit hole. So this is what Steele meant by off the hook, and we’re still in the first quarter of the first year of Obama’s adiministration.
The mind boggles.
John Cole
@J. Maynard Gelinas: I will have no problem turning on a dime and stabbing the Democratic party to death if they become as crazy and dangerous as the Republicans are right now. And I will worry about the dangers of one party rule when there is another party that can help balance things out. Right now, there is not.
Martin
You sound very concerned.
If you spot something, speak up. If they’re doing well, get out of the way. And when haven’t Democrats been an effective opposition to the Democratic party? You said you went independent, didn’t you?
gbear
@calipygian:
Thank you for linking to that story. I’m smiling my eat-the-rich smile after reading that.
Comrade Stuck
The wingnuts think they found the pony only to learn they grabbed a Black Mamba by the tail.
John Cole
@cyntax: There is an easy way for Limbaugh to debate Obama. Win the 2012 Republican nomination.
Incertus
@John Cole: Yeah, the one thing you don’t have to worry about with democrats is us staying loyal to our party over every other concern. Sometimes we leave skidmarks in our attempts to get away from our own party.
valdivia
@John Cole:
exactly John. That was what I was going to suggest. In the meantime maybe he can debate Rachel Maddow.
J. Maynard Gelinas
@John,
The point I’m making is that if Republicans are insistent in exploring Whig irrelevance, then it is time for relevant moderate-conservative bloggers to find or create a rational party in opposition. Democrats are doing well right now. But then again, they’ve had their asses handed to them for nearly thirty years. They’re a bit more concerned about doing a good job while the public’s eye is upon them.
That will likely pass if Obama does well.
@Marin,
Same point. Though I disagree that differences among Democratic congressional members amount to real opposition. Come on. These people are expressing their actual opinions on matters of policy. Of course they’re not in lock-step ideological agreement with their party’s leadership like Republicans.
Give me an opposition party or two with that kind of freedom too. It’s that demand for ideological purity that is killing the Republican Party right now.
Jay B.
@J. Maynard Gelinas:
Ugh. First, the "late 70’s/Early 80’s" era you bemoan actually brought us the FISA bill as it stood (the one that you opposed Obama for usurping). The Democratic Congress also fought the Gipper tooth and nail over Social Security AND his Central America policy (see the Boland Amendment and Joe Moakley). They were hardly as supine as the Democrats were under Bush, they even held very substantial hearings on iran-contra. Plus, Tip O’Neill was a master of real world politics—he almost alone preventing the Reagan Administration from sinking to the depths of the GW Bush.
And when the Democrats had the White House AND the Congress, they were hardly "one-party" rulers. They checked the shit out of Carter, and Kennedy, who also voted the right way on FISA, ran way to Jimmy’s left to help sink Carter’s re-election bid. You might have read about that.
Since I have no idea WHY you were a Democrat previously, I don’t know what to tell you, but it would be nice if they operated as a functional political entity that hews to their constituency for awhile before worrying about their imminent corruption.
cyntax
@John Cole:
Oh please B’rer Rush, don’t through us in that briar patch.
Dennis-SGMM
Let’s not be too critical of the Republicans: they’re only doing what Limbaugh tells them to do.
Jscopes
I just want my money.
Bearing that, you can keep it.
I will simply pay you for honesty.
Quite simple actually.
p.
Napoleon
@J. Maynard Gelinas:
So how much do the Koch’s pay to have you troll?
Comrade Stuck
Used to be that statement would be pure 100 percent crazy spoofin’. If things continue as they’ve been going, I’m not so sure it is unpossible.
If Sarah Palin can make it as close as a few percentage points and a heartbeat away from the nucular football, then anything is possible.
Comrade Jake
@John Cole:
I suspect that’s what Gibbs will suggest if he hasn’t already.
Only one side in this whole thing is playing chess.
J. Maynard Gelinas
@Jay B.
Yeah. The Democrats under Carter also voted in the Garn St. Germain Act:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.....utions_Act
Thanks for the Savings and Loan Crisis folks.
Look. I was a Democrat because I mostly support Democratic ideals: single payer healthcare; less wasteful military spending; transparent government. But Democrats fuck up too. And when they’re in full power, their fuck-ups will be damaging too.
That’s what opposition parties exist to check against.
KCinDC
What is the bit about Obama giving stock advice (in which the exclamation point inside the parentheses somehow disappeared) referring to?
Uli Kunkel
@J. Maynard Gelinas:
Yeah, they might ruin the economy.
J. Maynard Gelinas
@Uli Kunkel
Teh awesome factual retort. Really. Though it doesn’t really contradict my original point. It’s just interesting reading. Thanks a bunch. No sarcasm intended.
TheFountainHead
If Limbaugh’s ego gets any bigger, do you think we could use it to fix the hole in the Ozone layer?
Jeff
the exclamation point inside the parentheses somehow disappeared
It’s a link to "http://www.balloon-juice.com/!" which is an invalid URL. That and "http://www.balloon-juice.com/?" pop up here and there, and should probably point to jpgs. I have no idea why it hasn’t been fixed.
Uli Kunkel
JMG: I understand an unobstructed admin could be a problem, but only in a very, very hypothetical sense given the depth of trouble W left us.
uila
I hope they keep flogging this stock market nonsense. You take a look at the greatest single year gains in history, and they all come in the year immediately after the big drops. So yeah, let’s give Obama all the credit for the stock market performance…
You’d think they’d learn after the way they’ve re-validated socialism as an electoral platform in the U.S.
gbear
And as the multitudes have said above, when there IS a functional opposition party, we’ll give them a little look-see.
Right now the opposition party can’t do anything but jag off.
Davis X. Machina
They probably don’t blame obstetricians for babies, either.
cyntax
@J. Maynard Gelinas:
Yeah, but today’s Democratic Party aims to be a one stop shop for the voter: they’re both the majority party and the opposition!
Just ask Evan Bayh.
=)
Left Coast Tom
I don’t disagree here.
But I do think that it’s the role of The Opposition to provide effective opposition. John’s point, as I read it and as you seem to agree, is that the GOP is massively failing at that role. But that’s exactly their responsibility at this point…they should either fulfill it or get out of the way. Or, be laughed at until they slink out of the way and others come forward to fill that role.
At this point, hand wringing over what an unchecked Democratic majority might do comes across as counterproductive concern-troll-ism. I think laughing at GOP Fail is far more productive.
uila
Damn moderation, I used the dreaded "s" word… let me try again…
I hope they keep flogging this stock market nonsense. You take a look at the greatest single year gains in history, and they all come in the year immediately after the big drops. So yeah, let’s give Obama all the credit for the stock market performance…
You’d think they’d learn after the way they’ve re-validated socia1ism as an electoral platform in the U.S.
Mnemosyne
This was one of my favorite parts of the poll:
WereBear
I think we are all having our minds concentrated wonderfully.
Martin
Isn’t that what we want, or are you look for someone to cross their arms and shout ‘no’ and stamp their feet for no reason?
But you have that kind of freedom – in the Democratic party. You have the Blue Dogs expressing things about the budget that they dislike. They’ve been there forever and they don’t vote along party lines on a whole host of things. Dems were all over the map on FISA, and you decided to step out over that one vote. That was your purity test, apparently.
So it seems like you WANT purity in the Democratic party, and then some OTHER party to keep that pure group in line. Seems counterproductive to me…
Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist
what is even worse for the Republicans is that as they keep saying things that the public knows to be completely untrue, it erodes what little trust they have in them.
Isn’t cable news losing a lot of viewers? Maybe this same principle explains it.
@J. Maynard Gelinas: if Republicans are insistent in exploring Whig irrelevance, then it is time for relevant moderate-conservative bloggers to find or create a rational party in opposition.
Why not have the Democrats like they are now, and a liberal party?
gwangung
What? Then I’d have to THINK about what positions to support…
KCinDC
Ah, something in the blog software that tries to provide a shortcut for making links by putting exclamation points around a URL? The original text had three exclamation points inside the parentheses.
In any case, I’m still wondering about Obama’s stock advice.
TheFountainHead
He said, "Buy, Motherfuckas, buy that shit!"
Hugh Jass
I’m a former Republican who jumped ship when Bush invaded Iraq and my fellow Republicans insisted repeatedly on cable news channels that anyone (like me) who opposed the war was an appeaser who affirmatively supported Saddam Hussein. I’d like nothing more than to see the Republican Party disappear, and I agree with J. Maynard Gelinas that if that occurs—and the Republicans seem to be doing their best to make it happen—there will be a vacuum that won’t, and shouldn’t, remain unfilled for long.
It would be great to be able to vote for a socially liberal, economically conservative party that exhibits a sane foreign policy. I’m thinking libertarianism without the crank/crazy element.
JGabriel
KCinDC:
No, it tries to link a jpeg image (maybe some sort of cartoon bangs?) to substitute for 3 exclamation points, or question marks, in a row.
.
gnomedad
@valdivia:
Awesome. She should challenge him. Repeatedly. No way he’ll do it without his call screeners.
Tonal Crow
GOPers have consistently been using The Big Lie at least since Joe McCarthy. Bushco was just exceptionally good at it.
r€nato
@TheFountainHead:
fixt
Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist
@Tonal Crow: GOPers have consistently been using The Big Lie at least since Joe McCarthy. Bushco was just exceptionally good at it.
I don’t think it was that they were good so much as that no one who had anything different to say was allowed on the air. And the news shows still pretty much suck as bad as they did.
Cyrus
@Mnemosyne:
Hmmm. 41 minus 15 is 26.
The percentage of Illinois voters who voted for Alan Keyes over Obama was 27 percent.
Bush’s approval rating when he left office was 22 percent.
John Rogers’s "crazification" post is looking less like facetiousness and more like a testable scientific theory.
valdivia
@gnomedad:
In the meantime Rush afraid of Campbell Brown? Funny no? and yes Rachel should challenge him every day.
TheFountainHead
@r€nato: Only if you can find someone willing to caulk the seams.
gnomedad
@valdivia:
Rush is happy to sit in his cage and throw poo, but he’s skeered to come out.
r€nato
clearly, the thrice-divorced Rush is scared of vaginas.
Why do you think he takes his vacations – and an extra-large bottle of Viagra – in the boy-fucking haven of the Dominican Republic?
r€nato
goddamnit. you can’t write V1agra in here without being caught by the spam filter.
Martin
Yeah, I’m surprised we haven’t seen a poli sci PhD dissertation on it. Obama and Keyes are both name brands and it seems like an easy ticket onto Colbert.
valdivia
@gnomedad:
exactly. typical bully. can screed as long as no one really debates him.
Michael
I found a nice campaign pic for the use of the 2012 Limbaugh/Palin ticket….
http://i61.photobucket.com/alb...../jabba.jpg
valdivia
@r€nato:
does he even have a wife now? I pity her if he does….
Brick Oven Bill
The thing that will get Obama is his failure to be tested, ahead of his Presidency. This has led to an arrogance, which is dangerous on many levels. This arrogance can be observed in his actions:
1. Pledges no earmarks and then approves 9500 earmarks;
2. Pledges no lobbyists and then grants 17 lobbyist waivers to his new staff;
3. Criticizes bankers for using private jets and then jets around on Air Force 1 for photo ops;
4. Responding to Berg by stating that his case is ‘not about that sheet of paper.’
People will begin to call out the BS with increasing frequency, and then a very powerful man will face his first resistance, and respond poorly. I am very impressed with the execution skills of the Clintons, and part of me believes that all of this is engineered.
Why would Hillary want her name attached to the decisions that will have to be made in the next eighteen months? Hillary’s friends at Columbia would have access to Barack’s sealed application and records, which I conclude were filled out by an Indonesian. This is the best of all possible scenarios for the Clintons.
TheFountainHead
Best. Spoof Troll. Evar!
jcricket
@Michael: That was awesome. I am so stealing that.
cyntax
I am absolutley 100% appalled that the President might be flying around on Air Force One as you say.
Comrade Stuck
@Brick Oven Bill:
You nailed it BoB. It is engineered/ All part of Obama’s diabolical plot to succeed.
Martin
Can we ban the use of the phrase ‘in these uncertain times…’ and trivial variants thereof?
Max
That does count as a private jet, you know, in some universe or other. Maybe. Kinda.
zoe kentucky
Hillary’s friends at Columbia would have access to Barack’s sealed application and records, which I conclude were filled out by an Indonesian.
The stupid and nonsensical—it burns!
The thing that will get Obama is his failure to be tested, ahead of his Presidency.
Right, because he didn’t have a neverending primary against an inevitable, household name of a candidate or run a damn fine campaign against an experienced candidate. Obama wasn’t tested at all, his whole candidacy was nothing but a cakewalk. So far his leadership is clearly nothing but MASSIVE FAIL—as evidenced by his dropping poll numbers and lagging public support. /smirk
zoe kentucky
You know what else Obama is wasting taxpayer money on?
A very extensive secret service detail. How does the think he is? Also, does he really need electricity in the White House, can’t he just use candles?
That Obama, he’s just so wasteful.
Dennis-SGMM
Growing up as a mixed-race person with a single mom is a walk in the park. So is getting into Harvard without inherited wealth. It’s way more of a test to be raised in a wealthy family and then get a legacy admission to Yale.
r€nato
He also lives in government housing!
Incidentally, the satanic Clinton couple managed to get by for about 20 years without owning a home, living entirely in government housing. First in Arkansas, then in DC.
Goddamned communists!
gizmo
I worry that Geithner is going to be Obama’s undoing. That guy hasn’t uttered a single honest and forthright word yet. He is consistently evasive and slippery, and there is a movement brewing in the Senate to get him to start getting specific about where the money is going.
r€nato
Indeed, Bush got a ‘gentleman’s C’ during his years at Yale (where he was a cheerleader), and every single company which he ran without help from Daddy, failed.
It takes a lot (of family pull) to overcome that and become President!
cyntax
@TheFountainHead:
On that absolute scale of spoof-trolling, I’d rate this one 7.1 (with the various entries on the "smart-grid" rating from 8.9 to 9.4).
valdivia
Stewart is destroying CNBC.
r€nato
really? this is what you conclude?
based on what? Data extracted directly from your rectum?
Comrade Jake
OT, but Jon Stewart is off the hook tonight.
TR
What’s the alternative? You want the President of the United States to fly on Southwest Airlines? Should he be checking his bags himself? Does the Secret Service get to have the aisle seat next to him?
Sweet Jesus Christ, you may be THE DUMBEST FUCKING PERSON that I have ever come across in the entire fucking internet. How the fuck do you even operate a goddamn computer?
You know why those low-level government employees keep missing their appointments with you, BOB? They’d rather blow their fucking brains out than have to sit and listen to you in person.
valdivia
@Comrade Jake:
this is the slaughter of the idiots at CNBC that no one in the MSM has done.
Martin
Ivy’s don’t give C’s unless you work really hard to earn them. C’s are bad for alumni giving, and the endowment rules all.
Surely you’ve heard the joke that the only thing harder than getting admitted to Harvard is flunking out.
r€nato
indeed, no president in history – especially not Obama’s predecessor – ever did anything like that.
Your comment is a black hole of stupid.
TR
Outstanding. Wow.
The smackdown of Maria Bartiromo was especially nice. She’s been sneering all over MSNBC lately.
And the fuck you to "Sir" Allen? Priceless.
Comrade Jake
@valdivia:
Well, it’s not like GMA’s going to run with it, are they?
If there’s any justice that TDS clip will go viral, because Stewart just emasculated Kramer and Santelli.
Dennis-SGMM
@r€nato:
Bush kept a homeward-bound aircraft carrier and its 5,000 man crew at sea for an extra day so that it could serve as a backdrop for his "Mission Accomplished" photo op.
Max
Let’s hope Stewart’s effect on CNBC’s hackery approximates his effect on Crossfire.
Brick Oven Bill
It is one thing to take a 747 to a summit, it is another for bankers to jet to Washington, it is a third for a global warming believer to take a 747 to Chicago for dinner at a foo foo restaurant.
I try to imagine myself as a green President, facing the responsibilities. I believe that my early time in office would be dedicated to getting myself up to speed. I would not be flying to Chicago for dinner, I know that much for sure.
If Barack was born in Hawaii, as he claims, he could get a copy of his birth certificate in minutes. There is a very credible case being made against him. If he could produce a birth certificate, it makes absolutely zero sense that he would fail to do so. His biggest error was putting out what appears to be a bad fake. The Clintons live for stuff like this.
And why would the Clintons want accountability for the next eighteen months? The next leader will likely take the reins in a crisis, yielding more power. This is the job the Clinton’s want. Notice the low profile that Hillary is maintaining.
cyntax
@Martin:
Short of shooting
someonethe dean (on campus), I don’t think there’s anything he could have done to flunk out of Harvard.lilysmom
@TR: I was cheering the whole time. What a great takedown.
Yeah baby
valdivia
Yes I loved the Baritomo kill, and the whole CNBC squad looked like the vapid nitwits that they are. This last segment on the DOW was fantastic. I too hope the show goes viral. I will do my part and spread that clip tomorrow far and wide.
Max
Well, you just can’t get good foo foo in Washington.
There. I said it.
Mike in NC
Glenn Beck / Brick Oven Bill 2012!
jcricket
C’mon, it’s not even data. It’s an anecdote at best.
r€nato
The Birth Certificate Corollary to Godwin’s Law:
The longer a comments thread proceeds with at least one wingnut participating, the probability of the/a wingnut bringing up the conspiracy theory of a ‘cover-up’ of Obama’s ‘true’ birth certificate approaches 1.
Mnemosyne
He did. Even World Nut Daily admitted it was authentic.
Of course, when you’re spending your time with your fingers in your ears screaming, "LALALALALA!! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!" you tend to miss little details like that.
John Cole
@valdivia: Good, I am glad you guys saw that. It was awesome.
valdivia
@John Cole:
you are welcome John. Best show ever.
r€nato
So credible that the right-wing-dominated Supreme Court refused to consider the case.
Twice.
I try to imagine you possessing a brain or having something useful to say, but even a creative professional such as I can’t accomplish that feat of imagination.
r€nato
and of course the footage of that photo op made a valuable contribution to the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign…
Dennis-SGMM
Getting a black President elected took over 200 years. I don’t think that there’s much hope of electing a green one.
gnomedad
@Michael:
Surely you meant this one.
Phoenix Woman
Meanwhile, the Obamas are about as wholesome as a family can be—Daddy and Mommy got the girls a new, American-made swing set that’s set up on the lawn just outside Dad’s home office window, so he can keep an eye on them while he works:
They squealed with delight upon seeing it, a spokeswoman for the first lady said.
President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, went to work while the girls were at school, arranging for the set to be installed on the south grounds of the White House within sight of the Oval Office, where their father spends plenty of time.
I just love this.
Mnemosyne
At one point, I started making a list of every agency that would have to be in on the conspiracy to make it work. The ones I can remember off the top of my head are:
Social Security Administration
State Department
State of Illinois
State of Hawaii
State of New York
Occidental College
Columbia University
Harvard University
University of Chicago
US Department of Education
Internal Revenue Service
Looking at that list, the conspiracy is so wide-ranging that it must be true.
r€nato
Speaking of the first daughters, I think that now would be a really good time for Rush to demonstrate his undisputed leadership of the few remaining Republicans by making a crack comparing Sasha and Malia to dogs.
Mnemosyne
@Phoenix Woman:
They’re just so fucking cute, aren’t they?
r€nato
Clearly, the 2004 senatorial campaign of Alan Keyes was in on it too, seeing as Keyes never brought up the issue.
Martin
State of California…
And you can be sure the FBI and Secret Service (Treasury) looked him up along the way.
Balconesfault
@Brick Oven Bill:
Just chalk that up to Obama’s nod to bipartisanship. Despite his ideological opposition, he decided to grant the Republicans their thousands of earmarks they wrote into the bill.
r€nato
BZZZZT! Sorry, you fail "Contemporary Wingnut Conspiracy Theories 101"
The only valid proof of Obama’s American citizenship would be if every single wingnut in America were able to personally examine the ORIGINAL - not a copy but the ORIGINAL - birth certificate, upon request, at any time.
Plus, they have to produce the original BIRTH CERTIFICATE, not a "Certificate of Live Birth" which of course is not the same thing at all.
Also.
Jess
I am laughing my ass off at BOB’s comments…"This is excellent news for Hillary!" Really, BOB, how do you manage to muddle through the day? I’m impressed!
iluvsummr
@r€nato: In fairness to Brick Oven Bill, John’s post is titled "notes from an alternate reality" – BOB is just taking the opportunity to share notes from Planet Nitwit.
Dennis-SGMM
@Mnemosyne:
Just more proof that the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission, the Fuggers and the (shudder) Stonecutters were all in on it.
Brick Oven Bill
Re: “The longer a comments thread proceeds with at least one wingnut participating, the probability of the/a wingnut bringing up the conspiracy theory of a ‘cover-up’ of Obama’s ‘true’ birth certificate approaches 1.”
I believe that The Birth Certificate Corollary is valid.
So, I challenge the audience to explain to me why this Internet-savvy Administration would not simply produce the document and put this behind them. This could be done in minutes. The ‘trap’ theory is one valid option. Another is that the document does not exist. The third is that they are really dumb. Here is my handicap:
‘Trap’: 12:1
‘Does not exist’: 2:1
‘Dumb’: 4:1
maxcat07
Yes, but John Boehner is an asshat….
Max
Where to begin…among several other reasons, (1) they aren’t in possession of said document, (2) the agency that is in possession of the document is prevented by state law from releasing it to anyone that doesn’t have a direct vested interest, and (3) there is absolutely no reason for anyone in the Obama administration to give any credence to this crackpot theory with no basis in fact.
TenguPhule
What, that brain gangrene got out of control?
Mnemosyne
They did.
I’m not sure how many other ways it can be said. They produced the document. They posted it online. They let several news outlets, including Factcheck.org and World Net Daily, examine it in person and they agreed that it was authentic.
But I’m sure you’ll be back again tomorrow to insist that no one ever, anywhere has verified Obama’s birth certificate because everyone knows that the State Department hands out US passports like candy with no documentation required.
anonevent
@Brick Oven Bill: You know, BOB, until you cut your lungs out of your chest and mail them to me, I don’t believe you have them. Tapes of your breathing, or X-Rays of your chest will not do, I must have the actual lungs.
Oregon Guy
You forgot the Punahou School in Honolulu.
Brick Oven Bill
Mnemosyne; you referenced World Net Daily. I would like to think of myself as open-minded on the issue. Googling “World Net Daily” and “birth certificate” yielded a search, the most recent of the top articles was this (14NOV08):
‘Constitutional crisis’ looming over Obama’s birth location
I am open to any and all information that would make me believe that my President has a physical birth certificate from Hawaii. It makes me suspicious when the official argument is that the charge is:
“not about that piece of paper”;
because the Constitution requires that it is about that sheet of paper. The Obama Administration should just produce that piece of paper. It is easy, and it could be a trap, but I don’t think that this scenario is likely.
Max
Here you go, Bill:
http://hawaii.gov/health/about/pr/2008/08-93.pdf
Brick Oven Bill
That statement does not cut it in the Internet age Max, but thank you for the response. The good Doctor’s statement omits the place of birth.
The President, if he is authentic, could produce the document in minutes. It may be a trap, but I suspect that it is the Clintons letting events play out. Perhaps it is AIG.
Max
No, he couldn’t. He doesn’t have the original document, and it is not legal for the original document to be released to anyone that does not have a direct vested interest.
Chuck Butcher
BOB,
I just want to be sure I’m clear on this, the Bush Administration was in control in 2007/8 and being so ran the FBI, SS, IRS, and about a whole alaphabet soup of security and despite infecting government with right wing loons didn’t bother to take a look at Barak Obama? Or they did and kept it secret so McCain could get handed his ass because he didn’t like the Bush/McCain Primary 8 years before? We must understand that an administration that went around calling ordinary citizens, members of Congress, and celebrities traitors stopped short of mentioning a bit of a natural citizenship problem and contentedly watched the Republican Party be reduced to eunechs?
Now far be it from me to suggest that GWB was personally a competent manager or that there were a lot of them in his administration but this isn’t quite the same thing as saving a drowning city or staying the fuck out of a tribal country of theologically obsessed asswipes like Iraq, it is a BIRTH CERTIFICATE. ok? You do remember suggesting that it is all really simple?
BOB, please, another metric, ok? Something amusing for awhile again? the hairy girl? sewage anecdotes? something else?
I’m sure that by now the, "yessir, nosir, yessir, nosir," thing must be wearing a little thin for you.
Brick Oven Bill
I had a direct vested interest in getting my Birth Certificate Max. Because I wanted to get it. And it took me four days. I am a prole.
Stinky.
Chuck Butcher
goddam BOB, by the time I got to the bottom of this thread you ran me off the rails.
What I wanted to say was that awhile ago I wrote something from somewhat the same perspective and then came here and saw it done better. I’d be willing to bet a lot of minds are running in that same ditch.
Joshua Norton
The GOP is now constantly at war with logic. The fiscal wing and the thumper/nutter wing of the party are fighting over the wheel of the clown car. Soon they’ll all drive off a cliff.
Mnemosyne
Try this one, which admits that they removed the article that said the birth certificate was authentic from their website because they got so much heat from their readers:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/i.....geId=84065
So where’s your long-form birth certificate, BOB? Not the one the county gives you so you can get a passport, but the long-form one that you’re demanding Obama produce? Scan it for us and post it on the net. It’s okay, you can delete the identifying information.
If everyone has their long-form birth certificate sitting around the house it should take you, what, 15 minutes to get it up online?
Mnemosyne
Great, so you have it handy. Flickr is a quick and easy place to post it online, but Photobucket will work well, too.
cain
@r€nato:
He’d be fucked. Not only would public opinion fuck him over, I fully expect Obama to personally come over and beat the shit out of him and Rush would cry like a girl at recess too. You know he’s the quiet fat kid at recess that people beat on in elementary school.
cain
cain
@r€nato:
And not just that, they will also want the exact sperm, and the mummified vagina, plus the original egg that birthed him. No egg or sperm? He’s not a citizen!
cain
Brick Oven Bill
Re: "Try this one."
Mnemosyne; I have challenged you and you responded with this link. I present a portion:
From Media Matters to Keith Olbermann to Democratic members of Congress, they are all eagerly attributing to WND a definitive finding that Barack Hussein Obama’s website displays an actual copy of his birth certificate – so the whole controversy about whether or not he is a "natural born citizen," as required by the Constitution, is a tempest in a teapot.
There’s just one problem.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Fifteen minutes could put this to rest.
Mnemosyne
That’s right, it can. Get back to me when your long-form birth certificate is posted online.
Ninerdave
@Brick Oven Bill:
John McCain was born in Panama so we’re fucked either way BOB. It’s really a communist plot to take over our country with naturalized citizens. Next up will be a President with not just one, but TWO Muslim names. The sword of Damocles is hanging over our heads, eh?
Max
You know, that’s not really an analogous situation. Not even close.
Svensker
How come you guys keep engaging BOB? He’s obviously a spoof. It’s like I come in here and see a bunch of y’all doing fierce battle with the shadow of a windmill. Boooooring!
Original Lee
Somewhat OT, but a wingnut coworker came in today with a brand-new coffee mug that had the Constitution printed on it. I complemented him on it, and he answered, I shit you not, "I thought I’d better start paying attention to the Constitution now that nobody else is any more."
WTF???? Does this mean the wingnuts are starting an "Unconstitutional Obama Administration" meme?
Svensker
@Original Lee:
Yeah, because Bush suspending the 1st and 4th amendments was just, like, no big deal. Assholes.
Laura W Darling
@Svensker:
I’ve wondered about this for many months, but especially in the last few weeks when it seems to me that at least half of the threads morph into crap of this very nature. More lately. Maybe there’s not enough serious stuff to discuss.
Is it sport? Is it fun? Is it debate practice? Is it interesting to those who seem to enjoy it?
I honestly don’t get it. While I realize I can (and do) simply scroll through most of the threads now stopping to read only those people I either learn from or laugh at, I think it diminishes/dilutes the normally smart and thoughtful front page offerings, as well as the abnormally intelligent and well-informed commentariat. I don’t read comments on any other blogs so maybe this is how they all roll? I think not, however.
Shorter me: It’s getting annoying as hell.
Jules Crittenden » Mission Accomplished
[...] fun at Balloon Juice, where the communications instructor cruelly mocks GOP observations that Obama’s more popular than his policies as the Dow [...]
Mnemosyne
Hey, where’s BOB? He was supposed to get back to me with his long-form birth certificate that’s so easy to get that Obama not releasing his is PROOF that it’s all a vast conspiracy by the State Department, the SSA, the FBI, the Secret Service, the IRS, the states of Illinois, Hawaii, California, and New York, Columbia University, Occidental College, Harvard University, Punahou School, and Federal Financial Aid to cover up the fact that Obama is not a citizen.
Rick Taylor
For me that happened years ago, when Bush looking back said we’d had to go to war, because Saddam wouldn’t let the inspectors in. That floored me. Of course in the Republican primaries, Romney said something along the same lines. It was positively Orwellian. Since then nothing has surprised me, except for their insistence that Alaska’s proximity to Russia was evidence that Palin was qualified to be vice president.
The Populist
One party rule by reasonable human beings beats allowing psychofants who bow down to psycho like Limpbag to have any say.
Until the voters purge that party of the asshats, I don’t care about the Dems having say on things. So far, they’ve been somewhat reasonable and responsible in their rule.
The Populist
Then can we find an opposition party that isn’t fucked up loony? Somebody who maybe reps the interests of moderates like me? There are a lot of us and maybe having a significant party of moderates to vet both sides of the aisle may lead to some brilliant things.
The Populist
I know you troll, but give it up. He was born in Hawaii. Stop already.
The Populist
Original Lee,
Maybe it would have helped him and his party had they been paying attention back in 2001 & beyond! If this guy cares so much for the constitution, maybe he should start by demanding the repeal of the Patriot Act and prosecuting Bush for wiretapping Americans illegally.
After all, he claims to care right?
The Populist
To all trolls and wingnuts:
If you quote Worldnetdaily as a source of credible information to win a debate/argument…you lose.
The Populist
To all wingnuts and trolls:
Obama was born to an American citizen. Similar to McCain in the sense that it doesn’t matter where he was born (Hawaii, fyi) as long as it’s to an AMERICAN CITIZEN!
Rick Taylor
@J. Maynard Gelinas:
Yes we do. Unfortunately, we don’t have it. If you have any ideas how to fix that situation, I’m all ears.
Mary
@Uli Kunkel: That was a really interesting piece. Thanks for sharing it.
Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » How Is This Possible?
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