Bipartisanship is a Delusion: Has Obama Finally Figured it Out?

I've been harping on this for the longest: the Republicans had no intention of working with this president at any level. But not only have they repeatedly opposed his policies, the disciples of the party of "no"--excuse me, "Hell, no!"--have even had the audacity to claim involvement when these initiatives have benefited their constituents, as has been the case with the stimulus. (And don't get me started on their support of the Tea Party movement, a bunch of folks who took their name from a tax revolt, yet aren't aware of the fact that the average American is paying less federal taxes than in any point in history.)

But it seems that Obama may have finally figured it out. According to Gene Lyons in Salon, at a recent fundraiser in Manhattan he came up with the perfect metaphor to define the agents of obstruction:

He said that Republicans had made a calculated decision to oppose all White House initiatives, and to hope for the worst. "So after they drove the car into the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it back, now they want the keys back. No! You can't drive! We don't want to have to go back into the ditch! We just got the car out!"

Exactly.

Quote of the Day

...[O]nly in America will you find people stupid enough not to see the irony in a teenage girl who got knocked up lecturing them on abstinence.

- Blogger Xmastime on Alaska half-governor Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol commanding $15-$30K per appearance on the lecture circuit.

Rick Perry's Texas-Sized Hypocrisy

Without a doubt, hypocrisy is one of the main currencies in politics. Both liberals and conservatives partake. But it pisses me off when treason-inciting, Tea Party-loving, small-government proponents like Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) have the tax payers foot the bill for his expensive temporary digs while his state deals with a sizeable budget deficit. Oh, the outcry if were one of those tax-and-spend, liberal Democrats! Asshole.

Here's the deal: what small government really means to these people is corporations and rich people having as much leeway as possible to do whatever they want to fuck people over and pay as little taxes as possible. Add a touch of small-government + not letting liberals turn your children gay = your chance at the American Dream; and you've got yourself a sales pitch for the long haul.

AP/Yahoo:

AUSTIN, Texas – With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to live in a sprawling rental home in the hills above the capital, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

It costs more than $10,000 a month in rent, utilities and upkeep to house Perry in a five-bedroom, seven-bath mansion that has pecan-wood floors, a gourmet kitchen and three dining rooms. Perry has also spent $130,000 in campaign donations to throw parties, buy food and drink, and pay for cable TV and a host of other services since he moved in, the records show.

The public spending on Perry's rental comes as the state grapples with a budget shortfall forecast to reach at least $11 billion over the next two years. Perry has asked state agencies to cut their budgets by 5 percent and the Republican House speaker has begun to consider furloughs and shortened workweeks for state employees.

Ethics watchdogs, meanwhile, say Perry's campaign may have violated state disclosure laws because of the vague way he's reported what his staff calls "incidental" spending at the mansion.

"Anybody who is not offended probably doesn't know what's going on," said Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco, the Texas House Democratic leader. To spend so much while asking state agencies to spend less, Dunnam said, is "just rank hypocrisy."

Chris Myers Disses New Orleans; Hispanics

Talk about coded language...