Author Archives: pandora

About pandora

A stay-at-home mom with an obsession for National politics.

A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words

Too, too funny!   Thanks, Mr. Knuckles, for the picture and the text!



I find that this picture from Return Day sums up the whole Senate campaign in DE. The self congratulatory look on O’Donnell’s face (voice in her head = “I have the upper hand”). Chris Coons calmly assessing the situation (voice in head = “All I have to do is let go, step back, and watch her decapitate herself”). And Beau Biden in the corner thinking of what could have been.

(h/t Jason330)

There’s Trouble In River City

As depressing as Tuesday’s election was, there is a silver lining.   The Republicans will now have to deal with their newly elected Tea Partiers.  It looks like they’re off to a bad start.

But GOP Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, the soon-to-be-ranking member of the House’s education and labor committee, dismissed talk that the new Congress will make it a priority to dismantle the Education Department.

“In some ways, that’s sort of a talking point,” Kline told Anderson. “There will be those who campaigned on that language. I’m not sure they always know what it means.”

Sort of a talking point? Kline is living in La La Land.  I may disagree with everything the Tea Party stands for, but I have no doubt they believe every promise they made.  Can’t wait until Kline tries to explain that campaign promises are merely talking points.

Here’s the thing.  Either Kline, and others, do exactly what the Tea Party group wants or they get purged.  Unless… I’m missing the part where Tea Partiers are open to compromise?  I just cracked my self up!

Personally, I expect a lot of drama, over-the-top speeches, and quite a few people being thrown under the purity bus.  Hey, Dr. Frankenstein!  Your monster is at your door.  Actually, it’s in your House!

“Republican Cannibalism”

So much for personal responsibility.  Honestly, is anything ever her fault – even partly her part?  The video below is an embarrassment.

Here’s the truth:  The Tea Party gave the senate to the Dems.  Not that they’d ever admit it.  In fact, after blaming everyone else they’ll start crying that they need to be more conservative.  Also, I expect to hear the term “Republican Cannibalism” a lot.

My prediction:  Even though her canidacy decimated Republicans up and down the ticket she’s not going anywhere.   I think we’re stuck with her.

Election Night Open Thread

DD has specific threads below.  Use this one for everything else.

For instance, Rachel Maddow keeps exposing Chris Matthews’ foolish, tired punditry.  Tweety is not happy with Ms. Maddow.  Personally, Matthews reminds me of that crazy, old uncle that talks too loudly at Thanksgiving dinner, saying a whole lotta nothing.  He should seriously consider retirement.

Have at it!

Happy Halloween!

Here’s one of my favorite songs for one of my favorite holidays!

What are your plans for tonight?  We’re in teenage land, so tonight will begin with trick-or-treating, followed by watching scary movies and end with 7 thirteen year old girls spending the night.  BOO!

Another Incident Of Violence

Is this really the path we’re on?

A 72-year-old man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 23-year-old activist protesting Dino Rossi’s Republican campaign for Senate in Washington state yesterday, according to local reports.

The incident occured outside GOP headquarters in Walla Walla County where the demonstrator, Christie Stordeur, was “one of five protesters standing about 40 feet from the entrance of the office,” according to the Tri-City Herald.

Stordeur and the other protesters “were wearing bags over their heads and holding a sign that looked like a check.” That’s when Victor Phillips, according to a Sheriff’s deputy on scene, walked over to Stordeur to “lift her bag off her head.” When Stordeur “lifted her arm in defense,” Phillips hit it “with ‘force.'”

What is it with men hitting and stomping on women?  There’s something very ugly bubbling up in Conservative Land.

Drivel

Occasionally, I pop over to Delaware Politics.  There’s nothing like a big dose of crazy to keep a person focused, and FVoshell’s latest piece, aptly titled Us and Them, brings on a whole new level of crazy.  It’s not just that she’s wrong – she is – it’s that she’s based her entire post on an conservative writer’s editorial that’s based on interpreting a poll.  She’s also, as usual, linkless – other than the conservative editorial, she offers no other proof that what she claims is fact.

Which brings us back to her latest post.  Us and Them.  Needless to say, Conservatives and Liberals.

Her first point is that there are more conservatives than liberals – which is obviously very, very good news.  As most of you know, I have more than my fair share of Republican friends and I have yet to hear any of them describe being “conservative” exactly the same way.  There are shades of conservativism, just as there are shades of liberalism.  But why deal with shades of gray when black and white is so much simpler to make your point?  Even the article she dead links to offers up this line:  Gloomy conservatives who comment on my articles propose reason to doubt this fabulous news. People, some conservatives seem to believe, really do not know what “conservative” means.

Love the use of the word gloomy.

She then goes on to point out how persecuted conservatives are due to liberal name-calling.

Republicans and other ordinary conservatives–those who have the temerity to want smaller government, lower taxes, states’ rights, traditional morality, among other things–could add to the list of names they are routinely given by liberals. Many conservatives have become almost used to the invective, and from what they see and hear on television, often believes themselves to be in the minority, sometimes feeling intimidated by the harassment they receive by the Left “majority.”

Lazy, lazy, lazy blogging, but it is much simpler to paint each side as good vs evil.  Conservatives are for truth, justice and the American Way, while liberals are against these things and resort to name-calling.  Love the traditional morality phrase tossed in at the end.  In my opinion, she should have led with this phrase, spelled out in all caps.  But the main problem with her assertion is that it doesn’t acknowledge the incidents that have led to a lot of the name calling.  Surely acknowledging, and denouncing, the bad apples that have tarnished the conservative armor would have given the statement more… umph?  But I understand that the closest conservatives get to criticizing their own ranks is the “both sides do it” argument.  I’ve always hated this argument.  It’s a childish cop-out, a way to avoid personal responsibility.

Once she moves past her non-point she offers her readers hope:

The truth of the matter is that conservatives outnumber liberals in every single state of the union, which means that even if a state like Delaware is called “Blue,” it really isn’t. Delaware, like all the rest of the states, is red. It’s just that the levers of control in the areas Walker mentions have been held by the blues.

What does this even mean?  Delaware elects Democrats because it’s really Red?  Have at it, because it makes no sense to me.

Of course, I’ve saved the best for last…

The above facts should be inspiring to those who are running as conservative Republicans and Libertarians, for if the conservative base in Delaware remains fired up during the next few days, candidates such as Urquhart and O’Donnell (among others) will indeed win.

That’s a pretty heady but realistic prospect.

Following the wins, the political complexion of Delaware inevitably will change to reflect the true conservative nature of the majority of voters in our little state.

Ignore, for a moment, the lack of facts, and focus on what she is predicting.  Urquhart and O’Donnell win and the “true conservative nature of the majority of voters” will be revealed.  And… Delaware will be the Red state it always was, even when it was Blue, but not really?

Actually, I lied.  The quote above isn’t the last.  It gets even better in the comment section.  It also gets a little creepy.

FVoshell:
I guess I would say America has always suffered from polarization–”Them” vs. “Us.”

But I don’t think the present sharp divide has seen its equal since the division before the Civil War. The divide is so strong, so across the board on so many issues, it’s as if we have two separate nations.

“…two political ideologies that when mixed together form an explosive charge that threatens to destroy both.”

I don’t think both will be destroyed. One will prevail over the other. If the Left in this nation prevails, we are looking at the destruction of the USA. If the Right prevails, we have the opportunity for restoration and renewal.

Rick:
I don’t think both will be destroyed. One will prevail over the other.

One might first have to separate itself from the other.

FVoshell:
Rick,

Maybe secession is the next step. But that would eliminate any chance for reform and would mean destruction of the USA.

But I think we’ve danced these steps before. 😉

The Civil War?  Destruction of the USA?  And a happy little discussion of secession – which I’m starting to believe conservatives really want.  It’s sorta like… we either take over this country, or start our own.  And it’s sad that talk of secession use to upset me and now only generates a shrug.

Wonder what happens if all their dreams don’t come true next Tuesday?  I’m really not seeing them taking the losses very well. In fact, given all the talk of 2nd Amendment remedies, violent overthrow of the government, and secession combined with incidents that are forming a frightening pattern, I have no reason to hope for the best – actually, I’m hoping no one gets shot. Because, not only have they convinced themselves that they are absolutely right (and let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of that) but they truly believe that there is no other outcome other than their winning…

…since Delaware only looks Blue, but it’s really Red.

And that, dear reader, is dangerous delusion.

UPDATE: Yes, there’s already an update.  This comment is worth it.

Rick:

Maybe secession is the next step. But that would eliminate any chance for reform and would mean destruction of the USA.

The U.S. is already being destroyed. The left, using their facilitators in Hollywood and the media, are teaching young girls to dress like whores at age twelve. Explicit sex-ed is being taught to 8-year-olds. Gay marriage and homosexuality is being promoted as ‘normal.’ Christianity is bashed and Islam is promoted as ‘a religion of peace.’ Patriotism is a vice and incivility is a virtue- soft porn and vulgarity are the norm on late-night television. Our children, especially in our colleges and universities, are being taught that American exceptionalism is a myth and that Marxism/Socialism is a superior political system. The left has made a religion of environmental extremism as a means of destroying the private energy sector.

These are cultural rather than purely political issues- hence, elections cannot significantly alter the status quo– the left will still control academia, media, Hollywood, music, ‘art,’ and thus, the culture.

The cultural schism is, I think, permanent. Conservative, traditional states should secede, and then wait for the old, corrupt, socialist states to fail- as they ultimately will.

Remember, the Left wants to make you a slave of the state.

“Creation Out of Destruction”

Another Reason To Vote

As the mother of a teenager daughter I’m always keeping my eye on family planning issues, so Colorado’s Amendment 62 caught my attention.

Personhood Colorado’s website acknowledges that Amendment 62 would ban all abortions, without exceptions for rape, incest or to save a mother’s life. It also would ban stem cell research and birth control other than “barrier methods.”

“It reaches into birth control, it reaches into fertility treatments,” Richards said. “The legal turmoil this could create is so immense. I think that’s just the purpose of this amendment . . . to go far beyond choice; it’s to take away women’s right to family planning.”

Remember the days when Republicans said they were against abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother? Good times.  Now they are perfectly okay telling a woman who was raped that she has to have her rapist’s baby.  They’re fine with telling a woman she has to have her uncle’s, brother’s or father’s baby.  And they have no hesitation telling a woman that she has to die to have a baby.

Here’s the thing.  I don’t believe for a second that these “pro-lifers” care about the baby.  It’s not as if they give a damn once the baby is born.  They don’t seem the least bit upset over the number of children living in poverty.  They scream about school taxes, welfare moms, and anchor babies.

No… there cause has nothing to do with the sanctity of human life, and everything to do with controlling women.  Don’t believe me?  Then ask yourself this:  If it takes two people to create a pregnancy why is the man missing in Amendment 62 – and every other “pro-life” platform?

Basically, these conservatives seem to think that it’s the woman’s responsibility to keep a man’s sexual urges in line.  Bluntly put (and we’ve all heard this) she needs to keep her legs shut.  If she ends up with an unwanted pregnancy, well… that’s her fault.  After all, boys will be boys.  And if she has to die bringing this child in the world… that’s the price she’ll have to pay for being a slut.

And that’s really what this boils down to.  Madonna vs whore.  In these “pro-lifers'” minds a saintly woman would die before aborting her child;  She’d bear the cross of having her rapist’s or father’s baby.  A saintly women would suffer, or even die, in silence.

A whore is a women seeking to get away with murder, or, more truthfully, getting away with having and enjoying sex.

The scary thing about this extreme position is that it’s gaining ground among Republicans.

Dianne Edmondson of the Republican National Coalition (RNC) for Life told The Huffington Post that there are absolutely more candidates this election cycle opposing abortion without exceptions. Each election cycle, her political action committee, founded by Phyllis Schlafly, submits questionnaires to GOP House candidates about their positions on choice issues and then endorses candidates who advocate a strict no-abortion platform. “I know that we have many more candidates responding to us this year than we did in the last election cycle — probably about three times as many — and I’d say at least half of them do meet that criteria,” she said. “The rest are pro-life to one extent or another.”

RNC for Life has endorsed 63 House candidates who are “pro-life without discrimination” and heading into the general election. Edmondson pointed to Bill Flores (TX-17), Stephen Broden (TX-30), Rocky Raczkowski (MI-9) and Sandy Adams (FL-24) as especially exciting candidates to watch. Incumbents endorsed by RNC for Life include Michele Bachmann (MN-6), Jean Schmidt (OH-2) and Duncan Hunter (CA-52).

The candidates getting the most attention, however, are on the Senate side: Sharron Angle (Nev.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Joe Miller (Alaska), Christine O’Donnell (Del.) and Rand Paul (Ky.). All of them oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

Even several high-profile gubernatorial candidates such as Carl Paladino (N.Y.), Bill Brady (Ill.) and Nathan Deal (Ga.) hold these views.

63 House candidates who are pro-life without discrimination? 63 three candidate who are perfectly okay with forcing a woman to have a baby resulting from rape and incest… and in some cases, forcing her to have a baby even if she dies.  That’s a really big number.

As the mother of a teenage daughter (who just got her first boyfriend and turned her father’s hair gray overnight!) this is unthinkable.  My daughter’s life matters in its own right, and it frightens me to think that she could be forced to have a child – even forced to die.

Still on the fence about voting for less than perfect, pro-choice Democrats?  Shame on you.

O’Donnell and Urquhart – Birds Of A Feather

What is it about these two and their fixation on the phrase separation of Church and State?

Today Christine actually made a debate audience gasp.

And who can ever forget Glenn’s stellar performance…

That video never gets old, and I’m thrilled Carney is using it.

There really isn’t a difference between Glenn and Christine, and that needs to be pointed out again, and again, and again.