Is it a bad thing that stealing money from conservatives continues to be a growth industry?

Is it a bad thing that stealing money from conservatives continues to be a growth industry?

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I think we can all agree that being an American conservative means being a gullible idiot. The "movement" is a harmonious symbiosis between parasitic grifters and bloated, intellectually lazy hosts. That has been the state of things since Nixon decided to break the country in two in the hopes that the stupid, racist half would contain more electoral votes. But while the con men who run the conservative movement were once satisfied by collecting votes, and separating the doltish conservative masses from their political donations, they are increasingly fleecing the conservative dullards and racists of actual money. So what, right? Why should I care if Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity want to 1bankrupt a bunch of morons by selling them worthless gold certificates and freeze dried survival food? Certainly, it is hard to feel sorry for these idiots - as the old adage says, "You can't cheat an honest man." And yet, the monetary losses suffered by these gullible idiots are usually fungible across society. Take, for example, Trump University.
Bush did one good thing

Bush did one good thing

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Thanks to Bush, there are fewer people around who think America should be the world's Sheriff. We went into Iraq drunk on WWII "greatest generation" nostalgia. (Saving Private Ryan, 1998. A Band of Brothers, 2001) It was America's job to "put a boot in (the world's) ass" according to the 1999 Toby Keith song lyrics. I like to think that we are a little less sure of the virtue of global American belligerence these days.
QOTD — The NRA Builds a Database of Millions of Gun Owners, Where’s The Outrage?

QOTD — The NRA Builds a Database of Millions of Gun Owners, Where’s The Outrage?

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Buzzfeed has reported on the NRA's efforts to build a database of possibly tens of millions of gun owners from data they were able to obtain from states on gun and hunting permit owners. Interesting, yes? This is the same NRA that manufactures its outrage over the press publishing the publicly available list of people with gun permits. The NRA specifically fundraises off of manufactured fear that the government is creating lists of gun owners in order to seize those guns, or some such. As if the government didn't outgun these gun owners anyway. But here is the NRA specifically building the database it accuses the government of trying to do -- so where *is* all of the conservative outrage on this data collection effort that is being done without the permission of those gun or hunting permit owners?

Thursday Open Thread 8.22.13

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At Wonkblog, Sarah Kliff has an ironic revelation: "A new poll finds that young Republicans are more likely to have health coverage through their parents' policy than young Democrats, an option widely expanded under the Affordable Care Act...The poll comes from the Commonwealth Foundation, which has spent two years tracking how adults between the ages of 19 and 25 are reacting to the Affordable Care Act. Beginning in 2010, the health care law allowed young adults up to age 26 to stay covered under their parents' health plans...The Commonwealth Foundation estimates that of the 15 million young adults that have insurance coverage through a parent, 7.8 million would not have qualified without this policy."
Trashing Teachers – Another Big GOP Fail

Trashing Teachers – Another Big GOP Fail

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In spite of the GOP's ongoing assault on public schools, and public school teachers, a new Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll shows that most Americans like their public schools and the teachers who work there.
...parents, especially, are increasingly pleased with their neighborhood schools and more displeased with the rising use of standardized, multiple choice tests to evaluate, and potentially punish, teachers, a new Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll suggests.
The GOP's efforts to trash public schools and vilify public school teachers may have had some impact, but, like so much of conservatism, not the anticipated impact.
(Parents are) displeased with the rising use of standardized, multiple choice tests to evaluate, and potentially punish, teachers, a new Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll suggests.

More on Beau (Updated).

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The AP, through the Huffington Post, is reporting that AG Beau Biden's bout of fatigue and disorientation in Indiana last week was not the first time symptoms appeared.
Emergency responders were called earlier this month to the home where the son of Vice President Joe Biden has been staying, two weeks before he was hospitalized during a family vacation, authorities said Wednesday. A [New Castle] county dispatch center log indicates that someone at the vice president's home was reported to be possibly having a stroke and apparently not alert. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, 44, has been staying at his father's Greenville home while his own house is renovated. [...] Rickie Clark, a staff supervisor with the Cranston Heights Fire Co., confirmed Wednesday that county dispatchers received a call for help from Joe Biden's home. However, he refused to provide further details.
Ok, now Republicans are just insane.

Ok, now Republicans are just insane.

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According to a Public Policy Polling survey, 29 percent of Louisiana Republicans say President Obama is more to blame for the botched executive branch response to Hurricane Katrina while just 28 percent blamed George W. Bush. A plurality of 44 percent said they were unsure who was more responsible. Let that sink in for a second while we enjoy a moment of quiet. Still letting that sink in. Alright, are you ready? Ok, let's examine this.
Monday Open Thread [8.19.13]

Monday Open Thread [8.19.13]

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"Political allies of Vice President Joe Biden have concluded that he can win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination--even if Hillary Clinton enters the contest--and are considering steps he could take to prepare for a potential candidacy," the Wall Street Journal reports. Looks like Papa Joe is tapping into some of Jack Markell's medical marijuana. Because if he seriously believes he can defeat Hillary, he's high right now. Mr. Vice President, I love ya, but you are no Barack Obama. Only Obama could defeat Hillary, and even then it was a nailbitter, a down to the wire contest. You have no chance at all. I agree with David Axelrod, who is quoted in the Journal story, that Biden and Hillary will not run against each other. But Biden will run for President if Hillary doesn't. He is the Plan B. And because he is the Plan B, he has to begin putting together an organization, and donating money through a PAC to candidates in 2014 to party build and create goodwill. So Joe Biden and his staff have to talk like he is really running and that they are confident he will beat Hillary to keep up appearances. The truth is, its all a con-game. The minute Hillary annnounces (January-March 2015), the Vice President will cite his long friendship with the former Secretary of State and beg off.