I have to say, "sheer joy" and republicans rarely appear together for me but, yesterday, they did it for me. This is just sooooo much fun. I've been collecting some of the better posts on this at my blog.

Mmmm, GOP in-fighting. Yummy!

Keep your fingers crossed that Rush takes Pence's side and Cantor is forced to grovel.

I think farce is a better descriptor. I think that Gilbert and Sullivan would have had a field day with this one.

What fun.

One wonders whether they are grossly incometent or just plain stupid. I tend to think it's an unhealthy combo of both with a large smattering of bigotry to boot.

Keep those documents comming lemming heads.

Glenn Thrush added that Cantor and Ryan were reportedly "embarrassed" by the document.

Preparing a serious policy proposal? Indicating a sense of shame, however rudimentary? Must be a RINO.

Paul Ryan, whose staff has been working night and day for weeks to develop a substantive budget plan

When Contessa Brewer can see through it, you know it's a joke.

Paul Ryan, whose staff has been working night and day for weeks to develop a substantive budget plan

OK, who's kidding whom now? At best, anti-tax lobbyists will write a 700 page "bullshit paper", and at worst, staffers will cherrypick CBO numbers in order to attack 1% of the Obama proposal, while proposing "solutions" that ignor any economic problems in the world.

On another note: Cantor's embarrassment. What could be more embarrassing than a middle aged man fawning over Brittney Spears at aconcert. Now that's embarrassing...

it's hard puttin' hate and fear... in a budget.

it's hard work bein' a Republican

Pass the popcorn please...Wow! This is going to be fun. It is like watching one of those old buildings being imploded on itself. Kaboom! I never thought it would be this much fun to watch the GOP do anything...

Is it wrong that watching the GOP flail about makes me laugh and laugh and laugh...

"Gilbert and Sullivan" - While, I can envision Boner, Cantor and Pence singing "Three Little Maids From School Are We", I would suggest a Matt Sennett revival of the "Keystone Kops", with Ryan and others flying off the fire engine rounding a turn.

On another note: Cantor's embarrassment. What could be more embarrassing than a middle aged man fawning over Brittney Spears at aconcert. Now that's embarrassing...

The GOP humiliation factor doubles when you realize he was proud to announce he was at a Britney Spears concert but ashamed to be associated with this document.

The republicans' effectiveness in opposition was deeply dependent on their always being able to blame at least one branch of government for being to blame for the failure to implement the policies republicans claimed to favor. But in control of both houses and the presidency, they spent the entire time violating nearly every principle they'd espoused in opposition. (The ones they did follow--stripping government agencies of regulatory and oversight powers--were disastrous.)

Since all their "principles" were negative, it's impossible for them to construct a positive agenda. And their negative agenda has been discredited completely as a combination of brazen lies and disastrous failure.

Dammit Beavis, why are Stewart and Colbert on vacation this week? Can't wait for next week's shows!

Simply look at the de facto leader of the Republican party and it is easy to see almost to a T the real problem:

Over the years the Republican party has become fat and lazy, relying on pharmaceuticals to get excited! -Kevo

It's relatively easy for the republicans to put together a comprehensive budget. The hard part is hiding all the cuts they are looking to make (except to defense spending in red states), because there won't be any tax increases, other than stealth increases which disproportionately hit the lower and middle classes.

Don't look at the man behind the curtain.

I believe the chorus they want is from G&S Iolanthe's "Strephon's a member of Parliament, passing any bill he chooses".

Pretty Kettle of Fish indeed.

next wednesday????

APRIL FOOL!!!!!

It gives me a tingle knowing that the Mike Pence is part of the Republican brain trust. Dimwitted is too kind for him, and that's from people who've worked with him. If only the Senate leadership had to work more closely with Senator Bunning, now that would be a pass the popcorn moment.

Steve B, at the end of the post you again express your knack (as has Kevin D) for pithy little formulations of what's wrong with Republicans/cons/Galtards. Great! Keep it up ...

The apparent rift between the Cantor/Ryan wing and the Boehner/Pence wing is a perfect metaphore for the problems in today's GOP, which is split between the Southern right wing ideological wing that lost the last two elections but still retains office, and the serious traditional conservative governing wing that's taken it on the chin thanks to the right wing's extremism, but is still desperately trying to regain control of the party, mostly to no avail.

The hilarious budget "blueprint" released yesterday to universal and deserved ridicule was simply another example of a GOP mired in the vague abstractions of ideology. This is a party that actually takes Newt Gingrich seriously when he tells them that all they have to do to regain power is get back to "first principles." Party like its 1994! Hence, a budget blueprint that was seriously deficient in real numbers but chock full of "first principles": freedom, small government, individualism, free markets, liberty, apple pie and motherhood, you name it. It was all about blowhard pontificating and very little about serious policymaking. Haven't we already seen this movie?

The basic problem for the Republican Party, and the reason its doctrinaire "let's all get back to Ronald Reagan" right wing has the upper hand, is that the Obama administration is only two months old, so there is nothing for a responsible "Loyal Opposition" to responsibily oppose. We don't know if the stimulus will work. And the debate on other issues have not yet begun. Everything is hypothetical. That's why the only thing we seem to hear from Republicans are attacks on President Obama's very existance. He's a "socialist" says Sen. Grassley. No he's a dictator says Gingrich. No he's a fascist says Beck and Hannity and a talk show caller that Eric Cantor did not correct.

The fact that Republicans have come out this early with full court opposition to virtually everything Obama is trying to do tells you everything you need to know about the ideological character of a political party that thinks 16 pages of talking points are a suitable substitute for the federal budget.

I think the difference between now and the 1990's is that we are currently in the midst of an economic crisis. As a result, the opposition party has to offer up substantive ideas if they want to be taken seriously. This is tantamount to governing and, as Steve mentioned, the Republicans suck at governing.

Also, in times of crises, compromise is necessary in order to address the crisis. The Repubs suck at compromise as much as they suck at governance.

If I were a Republican I would be praying that Obama & the Dems stabilize the economy as soon as possible. That way the R's can get back to their strengths like yelling socialism!, questioning B. Hussein's birth certificate, and acting like victims.

The current economic crisis is the second part of a two part conservative plan to destroy Social Security and Medicare. First came Bush's failed attempt at privatization after the 2004 elections. When the privatization scheme collapsed and the 2006 and 2008 elections began a total erosion of Republican power, they doubled down on the second part of a scheme to destroy the nation's retirement and health care resources.

When I first learned of this was seeling a clip of Robert Gibbs quipping about how it was quicker reading a budget when it had no numbers in it. I thought he was being unduly snarky until I found out it actually has no numbers in it and that he really was going easy on them.

Let's give some credit to Obama for forcing the error. It's nice to have a Democrat who understands Washington politics on the hyper-status-conscious level that involves what some call 'the bitch slap.'

A few days ago, Obama specifically challenged his opponents to show their alternative. He called them out. Boehner went into a tizzy, knowing that every day that passed with that challenge out there made him look bad. He was off-balance, because Democrats have a long tradition of not calling out the GOP on their big talk. Boehner wasn't expecting to actually have to back up his criticism, so he responded in a way that made it worse.

Guess he never heard the one about keeping silent and being thought a fool, rather than opening your mouth and removing all doubt.

Point, Obama.

More, please, Mr. President.

Anyone who insults Mike Pence's intelligence is being cruel and mean!

If his IQ were only 20 points higher, he would be categorized as a moron.

The GOP is controlled by its Idiocracy.

"Republican officials have certain strengths and weaknesses. They're bad, for example, at governing."

Steve, I pulled a muscle reading that line. Little warning please! Thanks for the laugh.

With a few more brains, Pence could be a half-wit.

Robert E Lee once commented on the Union Armies, telling his troops to "damage them all you can."

Boehner seems to have discovered a strange way of spinning that order, choosing instead to say "damage us all we can."

Talk about your kamikaze politicians....

Obama took a couple of days to express his outrage about the AIG bonus because, he like to know what he's talking about when he speaks.

In a total failure to learn the lesson, Boner took a couple of days to produce an 18 page, number and detail free, Republican Federal Budget.

When my wife and I plan our monthly budget, guess what?

There are numbers in it!

All that time in the tanning booth has killed the few brain cells Boner had left.

As fun as it is to laugh at Republican missteps, I care a lot more about the absolutely disgusting things the Democrats are doing. They actually have the power, and they are using it to enrich bankers and millionaires.

Republican Congressmen were led around by a nose ring throughout the Bush years. Without the Cheney neocon gang and Delay, they're lost. When you watch them in action these days it is easy to understand how we got into the mess President O is having to clean up. I don't think most of them are very bright. Really.

soullite

Once again when someone has a line that is so hilarious please.... a little warning! I had to scrape my hot dog off the monitor screen.

I think soulite was using satire. I think. At least I hope so.

The problem with Democrats and Obama is that they are seeing the financial problems from the minority point of view, i.e., trillions and quadrillions of dollars are manna from Washington that appears as if by magic at the local public aid office and never has to be paid for.

They're in for a rude awakening.

The republicans are starting to resemble idiot peasants in a Monty Python movie. They even have a character -Sir Boner who calls himself Bay-ner.