Macaca has made it a whole new race in Virginia

The dynamics have changed dramatically in Virginia according to the Washington Post:

But Allen's remarks to S.R. Sidarth, 20 -- which included saying "welcome to America" -- are generating new support for the Webb campaign and energizing Democratic activists....

Political analysts also said they sense a more competitive race.

"If the race wasn't on Democrats' radar screen before, it is now," said Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report.

A week of national headlines -- none good for Allen -- has the potential to change the Virginia campaign from a Democratic long shot to one that could help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate next year, political analysts said. But only if Webb, who has struggled in his first run for office, can translate the temporary boost into lasting momentum.

Independent polling confirms that the race has tightened. The latest Rasmussen Poll has Allen leading 47% - 42% -- not a good place for an incumbent. Read the rest of this post...

By popular demand...

JonBenet open thread.

The first and the last about this stupid, stupid topic. Read the rest of this post...

Cliff's Corner

The Week That Was 8/18/06

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

So I was contemplating trying a new ‘do this past week. I wasn’t altogether sure what I wanted, maybe a buzz or a spike of some sort. But then thankfully I was reminded of the ever-popular Macaca, which I am truly in debt to Senator George Felix Allen Jr. (I mean who doesn’t take style tips from Republicans?) for rescuing from its waning popularity outside of Pulaski, Tennessee and Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Yes, as most of you probably know, Senator Allen got "Lotted" this week for mistakenly showing the true face of the GOP. The one that created the Southern Strategy, polarizing the country for a generation over issues like affirmative action and busing. Most recently, these avatars of equality saw a mob of their members refuse to sign onto a resolution condemning lynching or agree to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act without delays, caveats and serious trepidation. Yeah, I know, those were tough votes where principled arguments could be made on either side.

Somewhere Strom Thurmond was smiling, if he wasn’t busy desegregating his private parts with those of a barely pubescent African-American girl he was “romancing” while on shore-leave from the seventh-circle of hell.

Allen, meanwhile, who has a history of hanging a noose in his office, wearing a Confederate Flag lapel and looking like the somewhat more retarded and inbred cousin of Luke Duke—or is that David Duke—twice referred to a South Asian-American staffer of his opponent Jim Webb as “Macaca.” Which wouldn’t be a problem, if it were not French racial slur for darker-skinned North Africans. And if his mother weren’t French-Tunisian. And if he didn’t speak French.

Which begs the question, why does George Allen hate America? Was an American racist expression not good enough for him? He had to go showing his fancy-pants elitist education while launching racial epithets?

Crepe-loving Communist.

Yet, his explanation is even more priceless. He apparently meant to make fun of the Webb staffer’s “Mohawk haircut,” and add in "caca" just for good measure. In other words, what the distinguished gentleman meant to call a 20-year-old not bothering him in any real way was a “sh*thead.” Now that’s class. I mean what kind of guy would do that?

It’s almost like he grew up beating and torturing his own siblings…oh, right.

I still also find it so amusing that the Republican Party, realizing they can no longer just win elections by appealing to their Yosemite Sam meets Monty Burns base, are apologizing for their racist strategy of the past few decades (see Ken Mehlman’s speech at the NAACP, which he made in between hitting some of the gayest—by which I mean liveliest and most exciting—clubs).

For Allen is not alone this week. We also have sociologist and athletic theorist, Tramm Hudson, running for Katherine Harris’s open House Seat. This Genus Lost Causus somehow found it necessary to add to his stirring public comments that "I grew up in Alabama, so I know that blacks are not the greatest swimmers or may not know how to swim.”

They were, however, quite adept at completing the work his lazy ancestors couldn’t fork-lift themselves off their lard-filled asses to engage in. Not to mention subsequently attempting to live peacefully beside people whose largest accomplishment is most often retaining a baker’s dozen of teeth and not planting their seed in their sister (apologies to progressives in Alabama).

I’m guessing Tramm probably figured out that African Americans couldn’t swim when he had those five hoses trained on flipperless marchers.

Also playing into the worst Southern stereotypes of black Americans, the NRSC has put up a site called fancyford (I don't link to garbage). It attacks Senate candidate, Harold Ford, in a manner that is quite reminiscent of the reactionary populism used in years past to fan the flames of resentment towards successful African Americans among less successful whites.

Check out this description of a Ford fundraiser from the site: "It's NBA All-Star Weekend and whether you're making the trip to Houston or not, this is a weekend for fun…Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Congressman Al Green and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. DJ Biz Markie will make sure everyone is having a good time."

Gee what do all of these people have in common…Wait it’s coming to me…Is it that none of them attended a party full of balding, corpulent, floppy old pale-asses, who sneer at democracy while alternating between sucking up Manhattans and sucking off the public teat while giving grandpa-style pony rides to the best hookers bribery can buy? Well, that and they’re black.

And then there is the NRSC supported Republican candidate in Connecticut, Joe Lieberman. Lieberman has personally smeared Maxine Waters, while his doltish campaign advisor, Dan Gerstein, has attacked Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (no pattern here of course) even though in 2000 Lieberman was busy genuflecting before the racist Louis Farrakhan. But remember, the principled Lieberman is not race-bating with his current attacks, just as in 2000 he was not searching for votes with his Farrakhan-frenching. I mean c’mon, David Brooks says he’s principled.

Ok, still not convinced? Two words: Hurricane Katrina.

A special video edition of my weekly appearance covering Republican Sexcapades on The Young Turks can be found at http://youngturks.wmod.llnwd.net/a591/o1/8-17Schecter.wmv (If you want to know more about the "peculiarities" of Karl Rove and Jessica Simpson's dad, there's simply no other place to go...) Read the rest of this post...

A little Paris blogging...

Went out last night after the rain storm.





Read the rest of this post...

NYT: Inquiry suggests Marines hid Haditha massacre evidence

This is the course. Like it? Vote Republican. Read the rest of this post...

Donna Edwards cleaned Al Wynn's clock last night in their debate

That's the report from the Washington Post:

In their first time sharing a stage, Edwards attacked Wynn on his votes supporting the war in Iraq, the repeal of the estate tax and changes in bankruptcy law.

Edwards said the Democratic congressman has voted in "lockstep" with the Republicans, making him out of sync with the 4th Congressional District, which stretches across parts of Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

She hit him hard on his vote to send troops to Iraq, a stance that Wynn has since described as a mistake. "He says, 'Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have voted for it,' " Edwards said. "Well, 'sorry' is just too late."

Wynn, who appeared unprepared for her criticism, said Edwards clearly did not know what he had delivered for the district.

Donna Edwards will make a great member of Congress. I met Donna 10 years ago when she was running the National Network to End Domestic Violence and I joined their board. She was a pioneer in that issue.

Donna is bright, smart, funny, committed -- and she will truly represent her district, unlike the current member, Al Wynn. Maryland's Fourth District is a Democratic stronghold. Donna's right when she says their Rep. shouldn't be voting with George Bush and the Republican party. Check out her website and help her out if you can. She can win this race -- and she should.

This is a definitely a race worth watching. Read the Post article about her debate and you'll know she's the real deal. The last line says a lot:

Edwards has cast Wynn as a "complacent" incumbent who has betrayed his constituency.

"He voted in support of the war, but it's really more than that," Edwards said yesterday. "It's his voting the Republican line. I don't understand it for our district. It doesn't represent our district."

Edwards said at the Largo forum that Wynn's positions no longer match those of his constituency.

"As long as he chooses to vote lockstep with the Republicans, we will not have health care," Edwards said in response to whether she supports an affordable health care system. She said she supports a single-payer system.

Her supporters, a sizable crowd, broke into thunderous applause.

Gus Alzona, a Republican candidate for the 8th Congressional District, who shared the stage with the two, couldn't resist commenting: "That's a tough act to follow. I'm glad she's not my opponent."

Read the rest of this post...

CNN's Jack Cafferty on "success" in Iraq

Via C&L;. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Kyle the wunderkind (who's off working in Zurich) and BicycleMark of Amsterdam are visiting me this weekend. Should be fun, and geeky as hell. Read the rest of this post...

Someone give George Bush a God damn fucking civics lesson

I've had it with this idiot.

We've got the president of the fucking United States of America lecturing a US court of law that it's supposed to reach decisions NOT based on the rule of law, but on "the nature of the world we live in."

You God damn stupid fuck.

You have the nerve to claim Osama and the terrorists hate our democracy? They got nothing on you and your fellow "Republicans." Do you people even believe in freedom? Do you believe in the Bill of Rights? Do you believe in our Constitution? Do you fucking believe in anything other than your absolute power to do whatever the fuck you want like some two-bit communist dictator rather than the president of the greatest country on earth?

We live in a democracy, you incompetent ass - one that is quickly eroding because half the people of this country elected a moron to the presidency (twice) and now are so embarrassed by their vote that they refuse to stand up and demand an end to your idiotic reign of terror.

These are judges you're demeaning. American jurists. The people in charge of our laws. And you speak of them like they're nothing more than crap. You and your party have contempt for our entire system of jurisprudence, the entire system of checks and balances our democracy is based on, because you can't get your way 100% of the time. Well boo-fucking-hoo. We are a country of laws, you stupid stupid man.

The world in which we live is one in which the town drunk thinks he's the king of the fucking world.

Osama bin Laden is a danger to be sure. But the greatest threat to our democracy is from George Bush and his genuflecting Republicans. Read the rest of this post...

Bush blasts court decision -- rules don't apply to him

Just saw Bush do a statement about the economy at Camp David. He took a few questions -- none of which were about the economy. When asked about yesterday's court decision about the NSA spying, he got particularly snippy:

I would say that those who, um, um, herald this decision simply do not understand the nature of the world in which we live.

Then he launched in to his terror, terror, terror screed.

We know we're in a war on terror. We want the President to do everything he can to stop it. Unfortunately, he has chosen methods -- invading Iraq and undermining our constitution -- which play in to the hands of terrorists. Iraq has made the situation worse on many levels especially by diverting the fight against the real terrorists. And, the President likes to remind us that terrorists hate our free society. He's making us less free when he usurps the constitution and rule of law.

Bush said he thinks his wiretapping program is constitutional. But, he doesn't decide that. The courts do, whether he likes it or not. Read the rest of this post...

NYT editorial on court decision striking down Bush domestic spying

NYT:

...one judge in Michigan has done what 535 members of Congress have so abysmally failed to do. She has reasserted the rule of law over a lawless administration and shown why issues of this kind belong within the constitutional process created more than two centuries ago to handle them.

Read the rest of this post...

"Security moms" dump GOP

Washington Post finds the latest round of bad news for the GOP. They're losing an integral part of the coalition based on fear-mongering:

Married women with children, the "security moms" whose concerns about terrorism made them an essential part of Republican victories in 2002 and 2004, are taking flight from GOP politicians this year in ways that appear likely to provide a major boost for Democrats in the midterm elections, according to polls and interviews....

The study, which examined the views of married women with children from April through this week, found that they support Democrats for Congress by a 12-point margin, 50 percent to 38 percent. That is nearly a mirror-image reversal from a similar period in 2002, when this group backed Republicans 53 percent to 36 percent.

Everyone knows, you can't keep lying to mothers and get away with it. They can tell. Read the rest of this post...

Macaca controversy isn't going away

From Wednesday night's Hardball (via MediaMatters):

MATTHEWS: Macaca, from what I understand, John, is a term used by the Algerians and the other French people who lived in northern Africa when they were living up there and colonizing the place, that they used against the local Arabs, north Africans.

THE WASHINGTON TIMES' JOHN McCASLIN: Right, right. And I once chased a macaca around South Africa on a safari one time, which Americans spend a lot of money to do. So it's also --

MATTHEWS: You mean a monkey?

McCASLIN: -- a term for a monkey in South Africa....

MATTHEWS: Why they are struggling against admitting that it's a racial term, or ethnic term, right?

NEW REPUBLIC'S RYAN LIZZA: Right. They're saying he didn't know what it was. I mean, the interesting twist on all this is his mom is French Tunisian. And this is a word that's used in North Africa to describe --

MATTHEWS: We just had Shimon Peres here, the longtime great man of Israel. He knew the term.

LIZZA: Is that right?

MATTHEWS: Oh, yeah.

LIZZA: That's fascinating, then.

MATTHEWS: I think it's a term that is not so unfamiliar to people.

LIZZA: Look, he grew up in a house where his mom spoke five languages. It's not a big leap of the imagination to think that he --

MATTHEWS: Well, I can understand why he doesn't want to say, "Mommy taught me this word."

McCASLIN: And a very outspoken mother at that. I reviewed the book in 2000 that George Allen's sister Jennifer wrote, and I know Ryan wrote about it just this last April. She's a very outspoken lady.

Read the rest of this post...

The latest massive privacy violation

No one could have ever imagined another privacy violation. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Joe is still asleep. Shhh.... Read the rest of this post...

Another great Jon Stewart

Read the rest of this post...

Free tix for George Allen

And who says bigots don't get any fun?

August 17, 2006

Senator George Allen
204 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

RE: Opening Night Tickets For White Noise Musical

Dear Senator Allen:

We have been following your remarks on the campaign trail with great interest, particularly your recent use of the term “macaca.” When we heard you use this word, considered by some to be a racial slur, or even a “code” word intended for certain constituents, we knew we had found a potential audience member who could truly appreciate our show on all levels.

We are the creators of an exciting new musical called White Noise, and we would be honored if you would attend the New York opening. White Noise is about a white supremacist teen pop group—inspired by the racist twin girls who make up the band Prussian Blue, with whom we’re sure you’re familiar. It is a fun evening, full of pop songs featuring white power propaganda, and we think you’ll just love it. There’s no instance of the word “macaca” in the script as it stands, but if you were to attend, we would be delighted to work it into the dialogue, or perhaps even devote a song lyric or two to that word that’s so familiar to self-identified white supremacists. Also, we would be thrilled to make a reference to the noose and Confederate battle flag you once had hanging on display in your office. Just let us know; we’re here to accommodate you.

As of today, there are two tickets for our September 18 opening reserved under your name. If you’re unable to make the opening (we know you’re busy campaigning for your race, no pun intended), White Noise can come to you. Say the word, and we can have our cast sing some pro-white pop songs at any campaign event or fundraiser that we are available for.

Feel free to contact us, or just show up at 8 pm on Monday, September 18, 2006 at the TBG Theater on 312 W. 36th Street in New York City. We look forward to meeting you.

Kind regards,

Joe Drymala and Ryan J. Davis

Read the rest of this post...