Monday Open Thread
Welcome to your Monday open thread. I hope you all had a happy and safe New Year. Remember, the handheld cell phone ban started yesterday, so don’t text and drive!
Crazy Teapublican Rep. Michele Bachmann told an amazing story of her political transformation.
At a speech to Michigan Republicans on Tuesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) — the darling of the Tea Party right — told an amazing story about how she shed her youthful Democratic roots and became a Republican. As she told the tale, her political conversion was because of her disgust at a “snotty” Gore Vidal novel that satirized the Founding Fathers.
“Until I was reading this snotty novel called ‘Burr,’ by Gore Vidal, and read how he mocked our Founding Fathers,” Bachmann told the crowd. “And as a reasonable, decent, fair-minded person who happened to be a Democrat, I thought, ‘You know what? What he’s writing about, this mocking of people that I revere, and the country that I love, and that I would lay my life down to defend — just like every one of you in this room would, and as many of you in this room have when you wore the uniform of this great country — I knew that that was not representative of my country.”
“And at that point I put the book down and I laughed. I was riding a train. I looked out the window and I said, ‘You know what? I think I must be a Republican. I don’t think I’m a Democrat.'”
Wow, that’s pretty unbelievable, even for Bachmann. It makes me want to read “Burr.”
Nearly one in nine federal judgeships are currently vacant, a vacancy rate that is leaving many courts barely able to function. Indeed, the problem has become so severe that Republican Chief Justice John Roberts used his annual year-end report on the federal judiciary to call upon the Senate to end this logjam:
Over many years, however, a persistent problem has developed in the process of filling judicial vacancies. Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of judicial nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes. This has created acute difficulties for some judicial districts. Sitting judges in those districts have been burdened with extraordinary caseloads. I am heartened that the Senate recently filled a number of district and circuit court vacancies, including one in the Eastern District of California, one of the most severely burdened districts. There remains, however, an urgent need for the political branches to find a long-term solution to this recurring problem.
The Senate might not have that much to do anyway this session considering the antics of the incoming House. Hopefully the filibuster reform will help resolve the problem.
Tags: Open Thread
If you are a fan of historical fiction, you should read Burr. And Vidal is certainly a compelling writer. But you can see that Bachmann was born to be a repub since she has no clue of the difference between reading history and reading historical fiction.
And the end of the world is on May 21, 2011. Mark your calendars.
I think the end of the world is already beginning in Arkansas. They had dead birds fall out of the sky and a large fish kill just this weekend.
It makes me want to read “Burr.”
LOL, maybe we should read it together as a blog. 😉
I’ve started my own TV game now, it’s called “Wired”.
First thing you have to do is watch the HBO series “The Wire”. Then when you are watching other TV shows or movies, every time you spot an actor who has appeared on The Wire, you shout, “He’s was on The Wire.” Extra points if you can name their Wire character as well.
The Wire may be the Best TV Show Ever. But then there’s The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Homicide so it is hard to pick. I’m from Baltimore (where the show was based and filmed) so we have a variation your your TV game, which is a driving game — IDing spots where The Wire was filmed.
They had dead birds fall out of the sky and a large fish kill just this weekend.
This may just be COD practicing a few spells in an out-of-the-way spot.
We need to talk cassandra. They seem to eat at a lot of dives that look like they make some real “bad” food. I need to know where these places are.
While watching The Wire, I crave greasy food the same way I crave cocktails when watching Mad Men.
Fox News reporting the man found in the dump couple of days ago, was John Wheeler an Aide to George W. Bush and Ronald Reagun. Can you believe it? We heard a couple of days ago a body was delivere to the dump in a garbage truck an then we heard nothing more. How about this?????
The Real Jay Landsman and Snoop talking to Anthony Bourdain. Chaps on Pulaski Highway is legendary for Pit Beef and I think showed up in Season 2, but I think they changed it up some. The Roost showed up in Season 3 or 4. Not sure about Mo’s, but a spot to hit. This is the one on Albermarle St.
Homicide – Life on the Streets was by far one of the best dramas on TV.
Anon, that is a strange and disturbing story.
The John Wheeler story is going national now. Fox & NBC have both tweeted about it.
anon- The News Journal has been updating this daily since the initial report of discovery.
So a botched disposal on a profesional hit? It certainly was not the neighbor lawsuit.
What makes you think it was a professional hit?
The News Journal has been reporting on the missing man all weekend, and reported on the man’s identification this AM. This does seem to be one strange story.
EDIT: Thanks Smitty, for getting there first!
Cass – there was a yard sign planted into the median along US13 near what used to be Beaver Brook Apts (I forget the current name) about May 21, 2011. I saw that several months ago, I think last August or something close. It lasted only a day or two before it was gone. Yes, they are among us, literally. There was also another end-of-world date gone-by that the article didn’t mention. That was Sept-someday-1995.
It cracks me up when sects of Christians start running around, drumming up attention, trying to proclaim the date of rapture. They run afoul of the very specific writing that “the date” will not be revealed to anyone. Ironically, that makes them a false-prophet, a sin. Ah, yes, but it is as it applies to them; therefore, they must be right. Got it.
You know, Smitty, I knew that date sounded awfully familiar.
There was a ? at the end of the sentence. Speculation based on the odd facts.
Re: John Wheeler… dead men tell no tales. Don’t believe me? Ask William Casey. Hmmmm….
Which novel was that, Rep. Bachmann?
“We noted over the weekend that Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) said she became a Republican after reading Burr by Gore Vidal. However, TPM notes that in 2004 she reportedly attributed her party switch to a different novel by the same author.
Said Bachmann: “I was reading a book, 1876 by Gore Vidal, and what he was writing about just didn’t ring true. I remember thinking, ‘You are such a fraud. What you’re writing about isn’t true,’ and I remember looking out the window and thinking ‘Am I becoming a Republican?'”
I just saw this:
I wonder if the police will be interviewing the person who wrote this?
Seems to me that it might just be a good place to start.
CT – has anyone ever told you that you’re an asshat? If not, let me be the first.
What? For pointing out the obvious implications of hate speech urging the murder of one’s political opponents? Seems to me that someone making such a suggestion would be among the first to be interviewed if there is no immediately obvious suspect?
Now I realize that pointing out such an INCONVENIENT TRUTH may bother those who are fellow travelers and collaborators with those who incite murder against political foes, but Clear Thinkers like me can’t help but spot the connection.
And you spent how long digging through old posts to find that RWR, I mean CT? You’re not a clear thinker, you’re a fucktard.
How long? About the length of time it takes me to check out another website where that post is prominently linked as an example of liberal hate speech. In other words, only as long as it takes me to type in a URL and wait for the site to load.
But I do find it interesting that you attack those who point out that the murder of a member of 3 Republican administrations took place not far from where a noted liberal blogger who called for the political assassination of members of the GOP both lives and works.
I guess Clear Thinker is giving you all the same clout as Glenn Speck, Sean Shamnity, and Phocker Carlson. While petty in his/her weak attempt to compare orange-pulp (DL) to a full-grown orange (the aforementioned names), there’s an unintended compliment in how much impact he/she thinks you all have. Muy bueno!
FTR, CT, I think the blogger-you-refuse-to-mention, but I know who that is from challenging him/her over that and similar comments, has in no way whatsoever anything to do with this murder, as you are indeed insisting. Additionally, you are using that well-respected man’s murder and memory to promote your own self-serving conspiracy theory.
These bloggers, while certainly prominant in local politic blogging, don’t have the sway of ultra-intolerant-conservative talk-show hosts whose fan base do in fact reach millions and many of which are sheep in the way they listen to the false-prophet gospel.
Stop blaming this site and a blogger for this man’s murder. It’s pretty damn shallow and disrespectful.
No — I’m simply playing the same game that you folks on the Left, including several of you here, played with the suicide of a Census worker last year. You know, when it was declared O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Beck, Bachmann, etc. had blood on their hands over the alleged murder of a guy who did himself in.
And I cannot help but note that you are playing the same game now.
But using your own argument, perhaps that blogger and his cohorts here need to be taken in for questioning until they can provide evidence to clear themselves.
But Smitty, it furthers CT’s hate and warped political beliefs to blame us for Mr. Wheeler’s murder. He’s the definition of a schmuck.
Besides, I’d argue that there are plenty of unstable folks among those who have posting privileges here, or who have had them in the past.
And right on cue, one of them appears.
Ooh, the wanker made a funny. Not!
So…you then are admitting that Mr Wheeler’s murder is your platform to blame liberal bloggers? I don’t agree with your reasoning, but see what you’re saying; yet, all that tells me is that while you find that behavior abhorrent, you have no problem participating likewise. Got it.
No — I’m mocking the losers who put this site together.
So it makes you the King of the Losers (is that you, Cialis Whisperer?) to continue to just hang out here, right?
There has been a great deal written recently about wingnuts who are being paid to just disrupt sites like this. Which is the only thing that accounts for this sorry excuse for a social studies teacher to insist on getting his ass handed to him over here on a routine basis.
You will not be warned again that belligerence towards contributors or comments does not constitute conversation.
cassandra,
I think you are overestimating the wingnuts. Most of them are not smart enough to figure out that someone will pay them to spew the moronic garbage.
But thanks for the tip, I don’t mind be a moron for money. For free rarely, though the VA has me on some pretty wild meds and I have no control over it.
Cassandra: Do you have links on that pay-to-troll stuff?
Here is what I can find quickly, Geezer:
Professional Blog Warriors
George Monbiot on wingnut Astroturfing
Much of the recent discussion of paid (and volunteer) directed trollers was jumpstarted by documentary (Astro)Turf Wars.
It also explains how the wingnut trolls can continue to espouse faith in the supply side unicorn. Mystery solved! Thanks for those links Cassandra.
Thanks, Cass. Good stuff. Makes me wonder about the real motives of some of DL’s past visitors from other states. I always thought it was odd that you would get so much attention from a social studies teacher in Texas.
In other words, quoting a contributor to the site in an open thread now violates the comment policy? Responding to insulting comments directed at me constitutes a bannable offense? Too bad you don’t apply your standards to yourselves.
That wasn’t a quote. You just decided to launch off of one man’s murder to go into your usual bullshit about liberal hate speech. Which — no matter how often they pay you to say it doesn’t make it any more true. And not does it intimidate anyone here, which is what you are looking for.
This:
You will not be warned again that belligerence towards contributors or comments does not constitute conversation.
Is quite precise. Stop it or sod off and grade some papers.
Y mght wnt t lk p th dfntn f “qt”, cssndr.
CT – don’t you need to go mow W’s lawn or something?