Sunday, November 20, 2011

Kleenex says bless you

The God Squad sponsored a GOP presidential candidate forum last night:

Newt Gingrich, who has been preemptively addressing his complicated personal life as he’s shot up in the polls, acknowledged to the crowd of 3,000 gathered at the forum for Iowa social conservatives that there was “a great deal of pain that I had caused others,” and said he was “collapsing” in the 1990s emotionally.

Herman Cain spoke about his wife supporting him through cancer and his regret over not spending enough time with his children. He welled up twice, comforted by Rick Perry, sitting next to him at the table on a church stage set with Thanksgiving adornments for a discussion focused on faith, and in which opposition to abortion and gay marriage were discussed as critical issues. --source

Wow. I about welled up reading that. All they needed was Boehner bringing up the rear.

Now then, speaking of things I can really get behind, here's an uplifting PSA:

33 comments:

TC said...

Boehner wouldn't have had time to bring up their rears, Erin. Too busy trying to bring up his own.

(Sag!)

Contrary Guy said...

So I understand there was yet another Repub debate last night. Are they running for President, or out on some sort of misguided comedy tour? I can see it now: "HBO presents the New Kings of Malaprop"

Tony Rugare said...

Well said Contrary Guy.

Contrary Guy said...

I reread my comment after some coffee and it sounds too Leno-ish. But the gist of it is, how many debates do they need? As an independent voter, I can't say these are warming me up to the notion of any of them as Prez, especially if they're throwing in a few Barbara Walters Interview moments. Show me where Kennedy, LBJ, or Nixon cried in a debate, EVER.

Anonymous said...

Kennedy, LBJ, and Nixon never thought of having one of their staff squeeze some onion juice into a hanky before they went on stage.
MR

Erin O'Brien said...

I just watched ABC's This Week. It is utterly delicious to watch "smart" rightie pundits like George Will and Peggy Noonan trying to talk about this court of clowns as if they are anything but.

And yes, I realize we might be calling one of them POTUS on Jan. 21. 2013.

Bill said...

Really? With all of the stupid things that candidates, particulary some of these, say and do, you're going to jump on the fact that they get choked up about some very emotional personal experiences? You guys are cold! I get teared up sometimes, reading some of the beautiful stuff Erin writes about. Like this: The Erin O'Brien Owner's Manual for Human Beings: ...Jan 31, 2010
Jan 31, 2010
"Then, in my simple wonderland of contrast, I'll turn to my right and weep tears of joy over my daughter's laughter; I'll turn to my left and weep tears of sorrow over my father's grave."

Anonymous said...

I don't know how you guys can watch any of it.
If I want emotion I'll go to the theatre.
It's gonna be a long year.

My favorite quote from a random blog, so far, about the GOP field:
"Romney is the only one I can actually imagine sitting in The Oval Office that wasn't photoshopped in there."

RJ

Anonymous said...

I was just reading the transcript of Will's takedown of Gingrich. If he didn't have such a long history of championing conservative causes he'd be labeled one of the "Liberal Elite" by the right righties. Oh how I'd love to hear Bill Buckley take those clowns apart.

Michael Lawless said...

Mr. Boner added pepper-spraying Lt. John Pike to keep it honest.

Michael Lawless said...

http://boingboing.net/2011/11/20/ucdeyetwitness.html

Hal said...

@Bill - The difference is that Erin isn't running for public office, especially president.

And if she was running for president, I doubt she would appear at a forum sponsored by a group that once asked candidates to sign a pledge that included this language:

Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA?s first African-American President.

They sheepishly walked that one back, but that point of view - expressed for a long time by the likes of Pat Buchanan - is actually becoming mainstream in today's demented conservative movement,

I also doubt Erin would appear at a forum sponsored by an organization whose president is a birther.

On a somewhat related note, anyone notice how the two candidates who weren't there are both Mormon's?

The election is still a long way out so predictions are futile at this point, but my sense is that Obama's chances are looking better than they were last summer. Even if unemployment remains high as it's bound too, I have a feeling the GOP - even if Romney wins the nomination - is going to marginalize itself as they did in 2008. They simply can't keep behaving this insanely and ask reasonable people to take them seriously.

Bill said...

Hal, I was simply pointing out that showing emotion doesn't make you a weak person or candidate. A good example of weakness would be when a president travels around the world apologizing for his country. Whimpish, I would say. Another example would be when a president encourages a bunch of people to gather in tent cities and bitch about things. We'll see who's crying a year from now.

Anonymous said...

"Another example would be when a president encourages a bunch of people to gather in tent cities and bitch about things."
This would be as opposed to a President encouraging a bunch of people to sit around in their McMansions and whine about things.

That quoting Erin shit is nothing other than shameless patronizing of the Hostess. I look forward to the day she tells you to go to hell.

RJ

Bill said...

Shameless? Yes. Patronizing? Absolutely not. I love the way the Hostess writes, AND, she HAS told me to go to hell on several occasions. You can probably look it up.

Erin O'Brien said...

Perhaps sadly, I'm not going to tell anyone to go to hell.

I didn't watch the debate, just quickly scanned articles here and there. I did see a clip where Santorum teared up. And one with Newt and his take-a-bath-and-get-a-job spiel. Guess he doesn't want to walk around this riff raff on his way to Tiffany's.

What Contrary Guy said is right. These endless debates are ridiculous and are turning the race into reality TV. It's hard to believe. Is this really happening? Is this really the best the GOP can do? It takes my breath away.

The entire spectacle is a referendum on the right and how diseased and fractured it's become. They prove it every time they start with the American exceptionalism crap (which includes decrying Obama's "apologies").

Okay guys, listen up: whenever we get backed into a corner, everyone start chanting WE'RE NUMBER ONE! again and again. Got it?

Mike Lawless's link was compelling and sanctimonious, which is appropriate and exactly what I'd expect from a 20-something Cally co-ed.

I have no idea where OWS is heading, but what did people expect? I'm surprised it took so long for something like this to happen. Say what you will, but OWS has finally brought income inequality to the center of the discussion. And I've been squawking about it for a while.

Erin O'Brien said...

Oh and whatever you do, people, watch the Mike Tyson as Herman Cain spoof.

Mrs. C said...

Tyson has some serious comedy chops.

VideoDude said...

I wish someone would post a link to Pres. Obama apologizing to a world leader. I still have never seen it. At least, our President knows who these leaders are!!!

How do you know a Teapublican is lying? Their lips are moving!

Anonymous said...

@Videodude-he won't post a link because none exists. There are also no links to the President supposedly encouraging #OWS protestors, because they don't exist. He's barely even mentioned the protests in public, because he knows its a political minefield.
Dude just spews whatever he wants and it's almost always bullshit. I try not to acknowledge his presence anymore, because he's a freaking liar-NOBODY could be simply 'misinformed' as often as that.
MR

Erin O'Brien said...

Here's Rove's piece "The President's Apology Tour" from the 4/23/09 WSJ, if you can stomach it. You won't find any quoted apologies therein, just carefully carved words and pure delusion on Rove's part.

Here's a couple of excerpts:

Mr. Obama told the French (the French!) that America "has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive" toward Europe. In Prague, he said America has "a moral responsibility to act" on arms control because only the U.S. had "used a nuclear weapon." In London, he said that decisions about the world financial system were no longer made by "just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy" -- as if that were a bad thing. And in Latin America, he said the U.S. had not "pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors" because we "failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas."

Mr. Obama was asked in Europe if he believes in American exceptionalism. He said he did -- in the same way that "the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks in Greek exceptionalism." That's another way of saying, "No."


What a tool.

Anonymous said...

I didn't take away anything one way or another from the weepy-touchy-feely aspect of the joint press conference-and that's what they are, not debates.
What I did take away is how eager these individuals are to establish a christian theocracy in the United States of America.
'Strict' Constitutionalists? My ass.
MR

wv:'outted'...too easy

Anonymous said...

Thanks Erin. The 'apologist' meme and the 'supports OWS' meme will unfortunately never die as long as there are misinformed chuckleheads to keep them alive. Anti-climate science, anti-math, anti-intellect. All of a piece.

Bill said...

here and here I know. In your opinion it's not apologizing and it's not encouraging. But, more than half of the voting public think it is! Lots of us chuckleheads out here. Have you checked the climate trends lately?

v said...

Bill, I am sorry but Fox News is not a credible source, besides the video (Obama Apology Tour) is so bad I can't even understand a word that is said. I want a video of Pres. Obama with a world leader saying the words "Sorry" or "I apologize". As I said before, for the Teapublicans, if another Teapublican or, in this case, a Teapublican Network says it...it must be true! Sorry, Bill you FAIL!

@MR: You are correct!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the gracious concession that you are indeed a chucklehead.

MR

Bill said...

No problem, MR. We chuckleheads are in awe of brilliant commenters like you and, of course, this genius.

Bill said...

Then there was this congressman who ran, and won, as a democrat, forgetting that all chuckleheads were supposed to be conservatives or republicans.

Anonymous said...

I no longer open links posted by self-described chuckleheads.
MR
wv: puntoem "fourth and 21, we better 'puntoem'

Bill said...

Apology for Guantanamo in France: Speech in Strasbourg, France, April 3. “In dealing with terrorism, we can’t lose sight of our values and who we are. That’s why I closed Guantanamo. That’s why I made very clear that we will not engage in certain interrogation practices. I don’t believe that there is a contradiction between our security and our values. And when you start sacrificing your values, when you lose yourself, then over the long term that will make you less secure.”

Apology for Guantanamo: Speech in Washington, D.C., May 21. “There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America’s strongest currency in the world.”

Is Guantonamo closed?

Al The Retired Army Guy said...

I made some Pumpkin Creme Brûlée the other day. Julie took it to her annual company Thanksgiving Day potluck. It was the star of the show, as they say. I must have done something right.

Al
TRAG

Al The Retired Army Guy said...

Guantanamo isn't closed from what I know.

Not a political comment, but a statement of fact.

Al
TRAG

Anonymous said...

@Al-Yes, Guantanamo is still open, though not through lack of effort by the President-he signed an executive order to close it on January 22, 2009. In May 2009, Senate Democrats working WITH Republicans stripped $80M from an appropriations bill, giving the President the choice of killing an appropriation that included funding for Iraq and Afghanistan or accepting the political realities. Unlike the previous administration, he declined to use an extra-constitutional 'signing statement' giving him cover under the 'unitary executive' theory of the Presidency to accept the provisions of the bill he liked.
Polling in June '09 reflected a 2-1 opposition to closing Guantanamo Bay, with a further 3-1 "NIMBY" opposition to trying detainees in the federal courts and detaining them in stateside Supermax prisons. By January of this year former defense Secretary Gates had acknowledged that domestic sentiment would prevent any closing.
MR