From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Friday Margaret & Helen Blogging
Gee, I wonder if the intertubes' most famous octogenarian marauding gang of thugs bloggers have anything to say about R… Oh, I guess they do:
Rush saw his shadow today. Six more weeks of stupidity…
Margaret, evidently you and I are sluts, and so are the majority of women who live in this country. Well good for us. I have always said that well-behaved women rarely make history. I have also said that Rush Limbaugh is a big fat pig. Pigs and sluts. Sadly, that’s what this has all boiled down to.
In 2008, the Democratic Party had a tough decision to make. Would we give America its first female President or would we give American its first African-American President? Would we turn the corner on sexism in this country or racism? Would we finally rise above hate and bigotry and make a statement that we truly are the land of the free? Either way, we would profoundly change the world for the better. And that we did. At the same time, over in the Republican camp, that party was trying to decide if you could see Russia from Sarah Palin’s kitchen window.
This year the Republicans have another tough decision to make as well. Will they decide that Mormonism is a cult or will they decide that women who use birth control are sluts? It’s a tough call. But either way we will profoundly change the definition of just how stupid is stupid. God Bless America.
And now you can
follow Helen on Twitter:
The Marine who kissed his boyfriend can kiss me like that anytime. Welcome home soldier. Mission accomplished.
Come on down and say hi. Free hugs for all college profs! Your west coast-friendly edition of Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Friday, March 9, 2012
Note: Do you ever have that dream where you're about to post C&J but then you realize that you don’t have a "Note" written, so you panic and make up some shit about having a dream where you're about to post C&J but then you realize that you don’t have a "Note" written? Yeah…uhhhhh...me neither.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Wonder Con 2012 in San Francisco: 7
Days 'til the Perdido Key Wine & Art Festival in Florida: 15
Percent of Americans who say they're more supportive of using clean renewable energy resources and increased energy efficiency as an alternative to more nuclear power than they were before the Fukushima disaster: 77%
(Source: ORC International survey)
Factor by which black students are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than their white classmates: 3:1
(Source: Dept. of Education report)
Percent chance that my home county in Ohio---Knox County---voted for Rick Santorum in Tuesday's primary: 100%
Release date of the 17-minute Obama campaign film, "The Road We've Traveled": 3/15/12
Percent chance that Wisconsin's progressive art community knows how to run rings around Wisconsin Republicans who want to make them invisible: 100%
(Source: The Maddow Blog)
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Puppy Pic of the Day: "I unlocked the bin near a flyover and had the shock of my life."
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CHEERS to having fewer idle hands on our hands. The latest jobs report was released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There's good news and bad news. The good news: unemployment among Americans didn't go up in February. The bad news: employment among Republicans in the House and Senate didn't go down in February.
???EERS to the Maine event. It's official: Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, the strongest Democratic contender considering a run to fill Olympia Snowe's Senate seat, has officially announced that she's no longer a contender considering a run to fill Olympia Snowe's Senate seat. That makes left-leaning independent candidate Angus King---our popular governor from 1995-2003---the top dog in the race. As disappointing as that is to Democrats, it's absolutely freaking out Republicans. No Republican entering the race will be as well-known or well-respected as King is, and plenty of Republican voters will jump ship for him in the voting booth. But after a decade-long absence from the spotlight, it'll be interesting over the next eight months to kick Angus King's tires and find out just who he thinks he is. And this is perhaps a good time to disclose my own connection with him: King is a faithful C&J reader who gave me a big ol' bear hug at an Obama rally a couple years back, and told me to never stop writing this column. That's a sign of either impeccable judgment or a man on the verge of madness. I'm leaning toward the former. Just in case he's lurking here.
JEERS to a big bowl of nuthin'. I won’t speak ill of the dead, but I'll certainly unload a big 'ol belly laugh at the Isle of Misfit Boys Andrew Breitbart left behind to run his sleaze shop. At last month's gathering of pissed-off conservatives in D.C., Breitbart promised to release "undiscovered" video bombshells that would tear down the Obama presidency. This week we got a look at "Round 1": some informal remarks that college student Obama gave about one of his professors in 1991, followed by an awkward pat-pat hug. I tell ya, it's the weirdest thing---in almost every way, Republicans are off their game this year. When it comes to smear campaigns, they've gone from sending in hardened Vietnam War veterans with their disciplined and deadly swiftboat tactics, to sending in children with plastic swords and marginal muckraking skills. Anyway, stay tuned for "Round II": Barack Obama does a crossword puzzle. In pencil!
CHEERS to getting shellacked. 58 years ago today, Edward R. Murrow---from whom Keith Olbermann borrowed his sign-off line, "Good night and good luck"---took Ann Coulter's pin-up idol, Senator Joseph McCarthy, to the cleaners over his Communist witch hunt (You can watch his fab-o wrapup here):
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men---not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular."
McCarthy, of course, was the ideological jerk from Wisconsin who thought he could bluster and bully his way to power and glory. He was mistaken. The current governor of the state would do well to learn from history. But of course he won't. Republicans rarely do.
JEERS to today's bipartisan Kum By Yah mind meld. Tuesday night Mitt Romney foolishly offered "no comment" when asked to clarify his thoughts on the recent tirades by Rush Limbaugh, and it struck me that he totally missed his chance to have a slam-dunk "Sister Souljah Moment." Turns out Republican strategist Mike Murphy was thinking the same thing:
“It could have been and it should have been,” Murphy said. “This was an opportunity for Mitt to push back. Even Santorum, who said it was absurd, was a click or two tougher on him than Mitt was. And I thought it was a lost opportunity for his campaign.”
I wonder if Mitt---father of five boys---would raise an eyebrow if he had a daughter or two. Meanwhile Romney says he's now playing an "away game" in the south, but that he's
learning to eat grits and say "y'all." (Strange that he doesn't know how already, given that he's been campaigning for seven straight years.) But there's one happy place he can go in Dixie where he'll always feel right at home:
Waffle House.
CHEERS to the original plastic diva. 53 years ago today, the Barbie doll made its debut at the American Toy Fair in New York. Today she's a billion-plus-dollar-a-year industry, thanks in part to collectors editions like the already sold-out Prince William and Kate anniversary set. And Mattel is still trying to keep the brand fresh through new marketing efforts, like the one urging Canadians to "See what happens when you play with Barbie." As I recall, when I played with Barbie it gave Ken and G.I. Joe a chance to sneak off for some clandestine cuddle time. Their garden wedding was beautiful. Until the barn owls snatched 'em.
CHEERS to home vegetation. It may be a bit warmer outside, but the teevee still beckons. Here's the haps: On HBO's Real Time, Bill Maher talks with Michael Steele, Jon Hamm, Andy Stern, Catherine Crier and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Orin. New DVD releases include the unnecessary remake of Footloose and the absolutely necessary Blu-Ray release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (Harry's list is here.) Saturday night at 9: Julianne Moore's eagerly-anticipated Emmy-winning performance as Sarah Palin in HBO's Game Change, which is getting boffo reviews. (SPOILER ALERT: Obama wins!!!) Jonah Hill hosts SNL. NCAA March Madness gets underway with Selection Sunday at 6 on CBS. On 60 Minutes: Aerosmith at 40 and the World's Greatest Teacher.
And here's your Sunday morning lineup, and let's throw everybody---hosts, guests, pundits---into our giant C&J Gender Separator (Man / Woman) and see how they shake out:
Meet the Press w/ David Gregory: Rick Santorum; VA Governor Bob Ultrasound (R); MD Gov. Martin O'Malley (D); roundtable with E.J. Dionne, Al Sharpton, Peggy Noonan and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TB). C&J Gender Separator: 6M / 2W
This Week w/ George Stephanopoulos: Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsay Graham (R-Fussyville); roundtable with Austen Goolsbee, Jake Tapper, Mary Matalin, Eliot Spitzer and Nicolle Wallace. C&J Gender Separator: 6M / 2W
Face the Nation w/ Bob Schieffer: Newt Gingrich; Robert Gibbs; roundtable with John Dickerson and Norah O'Donnell. C&J Gender Separator: 4M / 1W
Washington Week w/ Gwen Ifill: Super Tuesday recap with Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times, Beth Reinhard of National Journal, and Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times. C&J Gender Separator: 2M / 2W
Fox GOP Talking Points Sunday w/ Chris Wallace: It's Fox's turn to babysit John McCain while Cindy goes shopping. Plus Newt Gingrich and roundtable with Dana Perino, Liz Marlantes, Chip Saltzman and Evan Bayh. C&J Gender Separator: 5M / 2 W
Final count: 23 men, 9 women. The feminist-run media rolls on.
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Five years ago in C&J: March 9, 2007
JEERS to little people with little brains. Largo, Florida city manager Steve Stanton---consistently praised as competent and respected---was officially fired yesterday by the city commission after word got out that he had started the transition to become a woman. Wait a minute---isn’t that gender discrimination? And isn't gender discrimination illegal? Me smell a lawsuit.
BON VOYAJEE to the boy king. President Bush is now in South America on a "goodwill tour." He was greeted by thousands of well-wishers, who burned a "goodwill effigy" in his honor before they were themselves treated to a cavalcade of "goodwill tear gas." Just one big party down there, ain’t it?
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And just one more…
CHEERS (though your opinion may vary) to brighter evenings. Hey, America---are ya ready for some DAYLIGHT!!!!!!! Yes, indeed, Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday morning at 2am, suspending the sun's descent by an extra hour. And here in Maine we are...SO...ready for it. Here's the deal: make a note to turn your clocks ahead an hour this weekend. And if you live near any Republicans, they'd appreciate it if you'd drop by to help 'em out. They still haven't quite figured out the whole "moving forward" thing yet.
Have a great weekend. Practice civility. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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