Democrats have circular firing squads who take potshots at one another when they lose. Republicans now have death squads that are determined to destroy the entire party if any one of them defects on any issue. And so they get a quick death if they betray the death squad, but a slow death if they listen to them. And the more they listen to the loons in the death squad, the more voters will reject the party, and the more powerful the death squad becomes. Sounds like a win-win for us.

If this keeps up, even the Blue Dog Dems will be forced to reject Republican lunacy.

Now, if some of the Elite Eight started comparing themselves to the Iranians, I wouldn't laugh. The party thought police destroying the careers of all who veer from the party line is happening in Tehran as we speak . . .

The GOP has announced before, quite bluntly, that they do not take their 'net base at all seriously. I doubt that's about to change.

Wow. When I think about what has occurred within the republican party just since the beginning of 2008, the word which comes first to mind is grotesque. What the hell has happened to these people ? At this point, we have only one functioning political party in the country. Any pretense at bipartisanship is just that, pretense.

Why does the Republican activist base treat every issue, every vote, every endorsement, etc., as such a life & death issue? I realize this bill was a fairly important one for them, but they react the same to small ones as well. Death to the traitors! Talk about totalitarianism.
Too bad they've got that anti-cloning thing in their bag of jeremiads. Otherwise they could clone an army of voters from some perfect Republican (Bork, maybe?) and start winning elections again.

And here I thought the Republic Party was the party of American Exceptionalism. Do they really believe that such a small bill (in terms of dollars) and such a minor shift in energy policy will leave the economy in ruins?

I love when the right-nuts get into their "we must preserve our blood from the evil Jews" danders. Calling the last few crossover repubs "swine" is a great move. Should grow the party.

Good luck, Malkin, taking out the Jersey boys. Chris Smith is an institution in this state, and Lance is the only kind of Republican who can win his district.

Why does the Republican activist base treat every issue, every vote, every endorsement, etc., as such a life & death issue?

It's because they're delusional little kids who live in a fantasy world of Good v. Evil. Everything is part of a morality play which pits them in an epic struggle that requires them to fight valiantly and unwaveringly as the only way to prevail against evil doers.

And that's the thing: For as much as this is how they characterized the so-called War on Terror, this is how they see EVERYTHING. The neo-cons were merely channeling this delusional energy for their own evil purposes. but they didn't create it. These guys have always been delusional little kids and that will never change. That's why they're conservatives: Because they're so delusional that they don't have a firm grip on reality.

The only thing new here is that the non-delusional Republicans finally noticed what was going on and abandoned the party; so it just wasn't as noticeable until now. And the internet allowed them to find one another and pump the fantasy up even greater; as they now feed off of one another's delusions. But these are the same dopes who believed the Clenis was the end of civilization and needed to be impeached in order to cleanse America of its impurity. Had blogs like RedState existed back then, the demise of the Republican Party would have started much sooner.

the cinematic small town, american fat-cat, presbyterian, banker, republican, patriarchal stereotype of over a 100 yrs is finally reaping a modicum of the karmic revenge it so "richly" deserves.

if love will eventually triumph over everything, destiny is our friend... go to it you pathological, tragically soul-less wingnuts...

I think Mary Bono Mack should be applauded for taking a strong stand on this issue for the people of CA. As a Democrat, I thank her.

Doctor Biobrain: you are so fucking right on .. I would only add that these goons CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT THEIR DELUSIONS ...... AND WHEN ONE IS BUSTED THEY INVENT ANOTHER IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN THOSE DELUSIONS ... it's like their souls, if they have one, are fucking deformed .. infected with rabies

"..."Monstrosity From Hell That Will Destroy the American Economy" ..."

Since these wingers have been wrong on everything they claim will destroy the nation's economy their repudiation should bring great confidence to the 8 republicans that they are on the right side of things. They shouldn't worry bout what votes they might lose by such a reasonable vote but of all the votes they stand to gain for their boldness. They might even survive the destruction of their party by the always wrong Malkins of the country.

Name one instance where Malkin has ever...ever been right...on anything. That of itself speaks volumes. Malkin should continue to focus her attention on what she is an expert on...sex change operations.

Good luck, Malkin, taking out the Jersey boys. Chris Smith is an institution in this state, and Lance is the only kind of Republican who can win his district. -- jamfan

im assuming we're talking about michelle malkin here, not evgeni malkin. i trust evgeni malkin knows more about american politics and has a better sense of history than michelle, even tho evgeni is russian and a hockey player who barely speaks english. evgeni won the art ross and the conn smythe and the stanley cup this year; all michelle has done is rant angrily, humorlessly without accomplishing a damn thing.

i tried to email rep mary bono, but couldn't get through, probably because one must list his full address, and california is the only state allowed.
oh well, she missed the hurrah of one grateful democrat who happens not to be a constituent or a resident of california.

Everything is life and death with the GOP.

Earlier this week one of the GOP members talked about wanting protection because someone (one of the members) may come in chambers with an explosive. **I think he said an explosive hidden in an inkpen.

***Eric Canton will be the next embarassment to the GOP party.

"i trust evgeni malkin knows more about american politics and has a better sense of history than michelle, even tho evgeni is russian and a hockey player who barely speaks english."

Mudwall, I've met hockey PUCKS that have more sense than Michelle Malkin.

Boy George's words ring so true, "You're either with us, or against us."

Am I wrong or aren't Castle and Kirk planning to run for Senate next year?

Obviously, the wingnuts will spin on a dime when win the nomination.

It is important to record all their stupid comments now so they might help move a swing voter away from supporting the Republican in the future

"...it's like their souls, if they have one, are fucking deformed .. infected with rabies..."-stormskies

They have been cultivated by hate radio and will continue to infect those sickest among us who lack the ability for critical thinking...those depraved of emotional stability looking for someone to save them...'from what?' is what they try to inject.

...I've got four words for the National Republican Congressional Committee: Not One Red Cent. -- Robert Stacy McCain

A bit slow on the uptake here, ain't he? I've forsworn giving money to the Dem "institutions" (DNC, DCCC, DSCC and ditto for Virginia equivalents) *ages* ago (about the time DNC was experiencing Terry McAuliffe) and now contribute to individual campaigns only. I get a much bigger bang for my meager buck this way. And don't have to foam at the mouth watching the institution spend my cash on the likes of Traitor Joe and Spectral Boy Wonder.

I'd think it would be appropriate for the GOP to open their accounting books for examination to see what expenses they incurred at the taxpayers expense. Knight Sanford had irregularities. I'm certain there's alot of PORK.

As far as the DEMS not having a 'backbone,' I don't think that's the case. I think they are truly afraid for their lives with it comes to the GOP. I think we've only seen the surface of their behavior and actions.

This could be the reason every time the Dems become majority, they want to ban, or at the very least, put restrictions on guns!!!!

Malkin put up a "wanted" poster with the eight, under the text: "Wanted in the United States of America for selling out taxpayers." She went on label them the "GOP's Cap-and-Tax 8."

Yes, but do they have granite countertops???

And, of course, one of these people (McHugh) may soon be the next Secretary of the Army. Which would be a bit of a rough blow to people like Malkin who think that he's a traitor undermining America...

Boy, you've got that right, Exlibra! I've even taken my name off of those DNC, DCCC, DSCC email lists! "No public option? Bye." I told them.

Am I wrong or aren't Castle and Kirk planning to run for Senate next year?

Kirk, yes. There's been a lot of speculation about Castle, but in his last statement on the subject he sounded seriously unenthused.

This sounds like that "Operation Leper" that Erick Erickson dreamed up, whereby Republicans who showed insufficient enthusiasm for Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber would be shown what-for by those power brokers at RedState.com.

It's that Republican groupthink:
All must step to the same beat of the same drum.
No deviation permitted. And there are consequences --with the follow-up anger and outright dismissal from the Malkins, Limbaughs, etc.
Experts in the concepts of groupthink note it occurs mostly when there is the fear of threat.
Republicans are threatened by all things Obama.

It should be an interesting 8 years.

I don't understand Kirk's vote at all. I'm from Il, and although I try to ignore state politics as much as possible, even I am aware he is odds-on-favorite to be the repub nominee for Burriss' senate seat. Does he really think he can pass himself off as a moderate? His rep is extreme right, isn't it?

A noteworthy editorial from air america radio:

"... But still: Waxman-Markey requires that 6 percent of electricity come from renewables by 2012, and 20 percent of electricity from renewables by 2020. There would be a 3 percent cut in carbon emission by 2012, a 17 percent cut by 2020, a 42 percent cut by 2030, and more than an 80 percent cut by 2050.

All of this cutting will create a huge number of green enterprise jobs. Energy costs will actually decrease in the long run, but as mentioned already and mumbled over and over by Blue Dog Democrats who remain on the fence, there will be associated costs in the short-term.

Whether it is farm lobbies moaning about the cost of diesel and electricity—note they get a complete pass on the off-gassing catastrophe that is rising from their feedlots—or whether we’re talking about lawmakers nervous about passing the expense on to voting citizens, we’re concerned here mainly with a quagmire of self-interest and self-serving bias that truly endangers life on the planet.

George Lakoff rarely rises to the level of Luntz-like poetry, but here no poetry is required:
Pay a lot now, or pay much more later.

The bleak landscapes of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book are not that far off in the future if we don’t get a handle on this problem. And while Waxman-Markey is weak medicine for a very sick planet, it’s a whole lot better than taking the poor orb behind the Milky Way and shooting it.

Pass the Waxman-Markey bill please, so we can get a foothold in the mountain of a problem rising up before us. "

Did Malkin forget McHugh is now going to be Army Secretary? This is pretty evident that he's going to work in this fashion that supports the President.

Why does the Republican activist base treat every issue, every vote, every endorsement, etc., as such a life & death issue?

Posted by: sal at 1:12 PM

A tangent to Dr. Biobrain above. When I hear these fools go off like this, it sounds like accusations of apostasy. There is RepubCo scripture to reference and RepubCo iconography to proclaim fealty to. Not doing so is simply the desertion of fundamental truths.

These folks see RepubCoism as The One True Way. The Path of Righteousness. That bumper sticker about Questioning Authority? F'n heresy.

It also comes through in the wingnut Supreme Court judges that see the Constitution in the same infallible and unyielding light as the Holy Babble(sp?).

These people loves them some True Beliefs. They loves them some rules and discipline. And not only will every "red cent" be withheld but the message may arrive with a bullet for emphasis.

Life and death indeed. Life under the boot heel of Progressive free thinking is no life at all. Intellectual agoraphobia kicks in when they walk into the market of ideas. They need to get back in their boxes where they can listen to themselves and tapes of others like themselves.

But still there's "Why"? Good question Sal. I think it's genetic.

I'm less concerned about the GOP's own death spiral than with the 44 dim bulbs in the donkey party who voted "no thanks" to what is obviously a much needed policy going forward. The word "pathetic" comes to mind.

I'm less concerned about the GOP's own death spiral than with the 44 dim bulbs in the donkey party who voted "no thanks" to what is obviously a much needed policy going forward. The word "pathetic" comes to mind.

Posted by: about time on June 27, 2009 at 5:33 PM

Like it or not, a lot of them were doing it for their own self-preservation. They are in semi-reddish states still beholden to old energy, the perception is that this is the handiwork of latte-sipping Ivy yuppie coastal elites who listen to public radio (specifically Garrison Keillor) and could care less about the folks in "flyover country." I'm certain at least a few of them would have changed their vote if the bill's passage had truly been in doubt.

The Republicans don't have that luxury. If they want to succeed, they will have to be a national party -- not, as someone once labeled them, "the Confederate Taliban." Look at the states the eight are from -- California, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Washington. The only place where a Texas-style Republican might be elected from would be Delaware, and that only if Wilmington and Philadelphia-suburban Delaware had bad weather and a low voter turnout compared to rural downstate Delaware. The GOP insists on purity at its own peril.

P.S. I'm a liberal, and I can't stand Keillor -- he's insufferably smug.

"As far as the DEMS not having a 'backbone,' I don't think that's the case. I think they are truly afraid for their lives with it comes to the GOP."

Umm, how is being afraid a defense for not having a backbone? Here's a concept to consider. When Democrats have 70% support, they are afraid to pass any legislation. When Republicans have 30% support, they think they have a mandate to do anything they want. Who has the spine? The Democrats seem to think that anything less than 100% backing just isn't good enough. If some redneck in a cabin out in the Tennessee woods thinks the Democrats are wrong, the Democrats will change their legislation to appease that guy. But maybe the Democrats do have a spine and just want to lose. They are doing a damn good job of it, so maybe that really is their intention. But if that's the case, we need another party. We have a conservative party that is hellbent on passing a conservative agenda, and we have a liberal party that's hellbent on letting the conservatives pass a conservative agenda. Why even bother having elections? If the Dems can't turn this around, I'll vote Republican. If there will be two Republican parties, why not vote for the real one?

rural downstate Delaware.

Last time I went to "rural downstate Delaware", it looked like one huge McMansion farm.

The fascist Rethugs wear their desperation on their sleeves. Their inability to govern, or to put the needs of the country above their insane need for power, ultimately will make them implode. Not unlikely is for it to morph into a guerilla movement using violence and terrorism to achieve what it can't at the ballot box.

In either case, the Republican Party, the GOP, as it has existed for over a century-and-a-half is done. It can't be resuscitated, nor should it be.

All in all, it comes to one point. Most people know that Iran's president is not the shot-caller. Well, here in the U.S. neither is our president the shot-caller. It is the IMF, World Bank, and all the Multi-National Corporations.

And you should believe the Dems are afraid of the GOP....I think I would leave this point as is.

And the GOP trying to blame Obama for the country's financial problems, it's their (GOP) problem.

The GOP needs to answer why every Republican Governor is sounding alarms that their state is broke - tinkering on bankruptcy.

Here in Cali, Pete Wilson (R) was governor and the state was broke, he issued I.O.U.'s to employees, borrowed money from state employees pension.

Where is the money?

Not to mention, John McCain is receiving $1900+ a month from social security, then laughs it off while saying, "I told the the Social Security System is broke."

Again, where is the money that the GOP is supposed to protect since they yell loudly when the Dems want to spend taxpayer funds for public/social programs?

As a clue, you notice it's the GOP that wants to break ranks with the U.N.

I suspect Reichert voted for it to keep himself from being vulnerable in the general.

He's managed to win against a couple good (on the issues) but otherwise not very strong opponents. But his area is reasonably sympathetic to environmental concerns and he knows it.

Oh goody. Another GOPurity Purge. Of course, this is excellent news for McCain.

Maybe I am wrong, but the RNCC seems to manage to raise fairly substantial amounts of cash rain or shine and I never had the feeling that its major sources of funding were the grass roots. I thought their biggest pipelines lead through things like the American Chamber of Commerce folks.

I am totally thrilled with Mary Bono Mack's vote.

Wow! Thank you Mary! Wow!

If you're on Facebook, I do encourage you to go read Newt's American Solutions page for the *lovely* comments about the Elite 8. It's precious.

Watching the blowout that is going to happen on November 4, 2010, when these fools are sent swirling down the toilet (where they so properly belong) is going to be FUN!!!

"Annjell" - the facts (I realize those are strange things to a Far Radical Wrong moron like you) are that when Pete Wilson was Governor and California faced a fiscal crisis, he did not issue IOUs - he clapped Republican heads and got responsible tax increases passed to put the state back in the black. Of course, this was back before the Great Sellout of 2000, when Democrats gave all the remaining Republicans safe seats in the redistricting, so that the wingnuts are safe. Back in Wilson's day, Republicans had to deal with reality because they might not get re-elected if they didn't.\

But you and the rest of the Orangutang County idiots please keep it up - it's nice to be reminded that there are indeed two species of hairless biped on the plant: homo sapiens (us), and homo sap (you).

TCinLA, I'm not sure if you just want a reason to call me a moron. But, your facts are definitely wrong. Pete Wilson, did in fact issue I.O.U's to state employees.

First of all, I was one to receive an I.O.U.
Secondly, a lawsuit was filed by some state workers because the banks would not accept the I.O.U.

Just to satisfy your mind try looking up google or talk to someone who works for the state.

But, until then, I will kinda help you out a little -
www.nytime.com/2009/25/us/25calif.html

www.totalcapitol.com/?_id=290

If you don't want to take my work then just google Pete Wilson issued I.O.U.'s to California

I hope the rest of your evening goes okay for you dear.

Oh, and BTW TCinLA -

since I last worked in the Financial industry - I am looking to move to the Caribbean in coming months.

With the new round of I.O.U.'s that may be coming, have fun paying the interest (taxes) on the I.O.U.'s the state have to pay the financial institutions for taking the I.O.U's

The only actual bipartisanship that matters is between the Blue Dogs and the progressive wing of the Democratic party.

Just gotta love the Republican true believers. Their nastiness and over-the-top threats would make Ivan the Terrible blush.

Like temper tantrums from 3rd graders, the Republican neocon talabangelical base hurls insults at their own.

The neocons conservatives are truly a dangerous, but dead ender group of failures.

Boner (er, I mean Boehner) Saturday comment about the energy bill:

"Republicans are offering common-sense solutions that will make a real difference in creating jobs, making health care more affordable, and promoting a cleaner, healthier environment, and reducing energy costs," said Boehner. "We hope our Democrat colleagues will abandon their failed go-it-alone approach and work with us to make these reforms a reality."

Talk about living in an alternate reality.

Why does anyone take that swish Klansman Stacy McCain seriously? The closet case with a Hitler 'stache opposes interracial marriage and was too racist for the Washington Times -- and he dictates G.O.P. policy!

Hey, bjobotts, wtf is up with this?

Malkin should continue to focus her attention on what she is an expert on...sex change operations.

That's pretty offensive.

I am glad they are going after the 8, and that some are going after Sanford. You return to conservatism or not, and there will be a 3rd Party.

Many Democrats are fed up with the progressives as Republicans are with RINO's.

As for man-made global warming, research, research, there ARE TWO view points:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/

"Unless and until all eight of these swine announce their retirements -- or are defeated in next year's primaries -- I say the grassroots answer to the NRCC should be NOT ONE RED CENT!"

Good to see the wing nuts are still on their internet civility kick.

And I wish them nothing but success in their campaign to help the Democrats grab a few more vulnerable GOP seats.

My Republican Congressman says Cap and Trade will be good for America.

And, he caught the Green River Killer.

Did you catch the Green River Killer?

No, no you didn’t.

You can hear his interview here.

http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=194&sid=184941

Dave Reichert SPEAKS: says Cap and Trade will be good for America

He argued that the expense would not be what the Heartland Institute, Heritage Foundation, and Wall Street Journal were predicting. He argued that it would cost around $.48 per day and that we would have better national security, more nuclear, coal and refining capabilities, and a cleaner environment with the bill. He argued that the conservative arguments against were mistaken, and that Washington specifically would be better off even though the bill was imperfect.

And, he caught the Green River Killer.

Yeah, it took him a couple of decades, but better late than never.

I hear Fox was thinking about making the Series 24 about Reichert. But instead of showing 24 hours in a day they would have to make each episode a year.