I say "just about," because even when you call the fumigator, the ants and cockroaches and other vermin still somehow manage to find a way back in.

so non-native born people can run for president. He's almost as bad an idiot as Cruz.

Although it does remind me of what David Letterman said regarding Trump's possible run for governor of NY. "Donald immediately demanded to see his own birth certificate!"

Slight segue here: We owe Letterman a lot more than some people give him credit for, the way he kept up such a steady, LOUD drumbeat against Romney during the last campaign. Merciless. Almost savage at times. I could forgive him almost anything for doing the country such a great favor.

Arnie such a jack ass and groper!!!!

it would be fine. Eric Bonhoeffer was German, and so were a lot of other good people. Rheinhold(sp?) Niebhur, though from Missouri so far as I know, was certainly of German extraction. And I used to know some of the Neher clan, descended from major resistance fighters. I almost married a Ramstein, and probably would've except I couldn't stand his parents any more than they could stand me. We were strictly from opposite camps.

totally bombed out. I learned very early to appreciate history and politics. My grandfather did some time in a political Nazi camp for refusing to serve in the military even though he had served in World War I

His daddy supported a certain Austrian born corporal once.

Thanks for the link. I don't know how I didn't know this.

big time. He was absolutely relentless in his jabs at McCain, after McCain not only canceled an appearance on short notice (which Dave said was understandable) but then LIED about why he was canceling.

As for Palin, one of the best one-liners Letterman ever delivered was the night after Palin resigned from being governor of Alaska. Letterman comes out, totally deadpan, and asks, "Was it something I said?"

One of the funniest TV moments ever.

they didn't have Lenny Bruce after them. Letterman's mild compared to him.

Although back to bragging on ol' David, didn't you love all the Seamus stories? I'll never forget that poor dog hanging head down against the vehicle window, crying and banging with his paw for attention.

Did you hear what Letterman just said? The Republicans complain they didn't get anything from the shutdown rout. Oh yes, they did - 8 years of Hillary!

I have been taping his nightly program to watch in the AM.

I recall when Commander Cokespoon's approval ratings were at 23%. Stephen Colbert made some comment about the 20-something percent who thought WhistleAss was just dandy - the 'backwash' of society.

They force feed themselves lies...and they believe (BELIEF is vital) that anything else they hear must be lies.

For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes

See Other applications
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

... the 27 percent idiot contingent (ok, I stole that term from somewhere), but at times even 4% of idiots can see something is crazy

Here's an article I wrote on RWAs, years and years ago. I cross-posted it here and then this fellow was good enough to put it up on his own site, so it's still out there:

http://njvetcaucus.blogspot.com/2009/04/gun-toting-nazi-lemmings.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1198020

Here are some choice quotes from that:

The right-wing authoritarian is very much alive and well in America, and statistically identifiable. When John Dean examined the mystery of President Bush's thirty-percent "basement" of approval below which he rarely drops, statisticians explained to him that 23 percent of all Americans are right-wing authoritarians whose approval of this President will never waver (the remainder of his approval is explained by the less-than ten percent of Americans who are getting filthy rich off of Bush's policies, but even those supporters have withered away in recent months). A recent study showed that 76 percent of Americans feel America is ready for a black president. RWAs can easily account for almost all of those who don't.

The right-wing authoritarian exhibits behaviors almost too hilarious to countenance, until one recalls that they're running the country. They're recognized by faulty reasoning (including espousal of contradictory ideas like support for the death penalty and opposition to abortion); hostility to outgroups (such as ethnic and religious minorities); an array of character attributes such as dogmatism, zealotry, absolutism, hypocrisy, and bullying; and an inability to recognize one's personal failings and the failings of the leaders they follow.

Or, as John Dean described it, they're "over the cliff" followers, like goose-stepping lemmings. They're also extremely hostile to attacks on their world-view, which should make the mailbag entertaining.

___________

Since writing that article I've applied the 23% rule to all sorts of things in American politics, with pretty good success. All last year and even before that I wrote about how Mitt Romney was going to lose that election because he had betrayed RWAs and couldn't find a way to make them forget:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=31624

Right-wing authoritarians were the reason why the GOP did not dare try to get any mileage out of the distressing number of domestic terrorist events that occurred in President Obama's first four years. The perpetrators in many of those events were RWAs who considered conservative talking heads and their ally the Republican Party to be their political leaders, which meant that domestic terrorism was scrupulously avoided by all Republicans last year.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=journals&uid=142845&page=5

Romney's inability to win over the RWAs was the primary reason for the choice of a guy like Paul Ryan, whose negative numbers were nearly as high as his positives. It was necessary because right-wingers noticed how Romney gamed the primary system and knocked off their arch-conservative heroes one by one. Ryan didn't help.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1111460

One of the most annoying things about RWAs is that they can be politically programmed through a cognitive error called "The Backfire Effect." RWAs are therefore also, I contended, at the root of the reason why President Obama did not rise to take the bait from Romney's absurd number of lies that he told in the debates. Mitt Romney needed the President to call him a liar, because as stupid as it sounds, that is how Romney would have established himself as someone RWAs can trust. Don't try to make sense of that! The point is that right-wingers can't, make sense of it, and can be duped into thinking what their political masters want them to think.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021469106

The RWAs are also, I contend, the ones who are taking the brunt of the Republican-generated economic crises. Their refusal to accept health care is going to kill them. As they sicken, they sell off their properties (or have them foreclosed) and move into cities that have the health and transportation services they can no longer otherwise afford, and their votes are automatically canceled out by the larger numbers of people who know better.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1816684

The Great Republican Die-off is going to be one of the larger human tragedies the United States experiences over the next decade.

I insist on pointing out that these people, even though they are political rubes, are often very good people, and it's a travesty that it is legal to intentionally deceive these people and to use that deceit to rip them off as they have been so ripped. Their hatred and racism is programmed into them; I refuse to believe that it cannot be programmed back out by finding a way to give them dignified, peaceful lives free from deliberately created fear.

This is why the Republican Party must be destroyed forever. They are the spiritual slave-owners of these people, who are shackled by their own inability to think well.

Edit: It is important to point out that even though I'm quoting myself above, none of these ideas are my own. John Dean wrote about it. Al Franken wrote a whole book about it in the '90s (Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot). The original sociological studies were desperately trying to figure out who all those damned fascists were that burned into half a dozen parliamentary democracies in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. This means that Godwin's Law cannot be fairly applied to today's Republican Party. These people very much are the American Nazis.

There's only one place I'd disagree; that the coming Great Republican die-off will be a genuine tragedy although the RWA's will think so. It will be the beginning of the salvation of the planet.

Again I need to point out that even though RWAs have fucked this whole country without a kiss, they are as individuals usually good people, just as most people are good people. They are often` courageous, when one considers that it is fear which motivates them; many of them voluntarily do very dangerous jobs--soldiers, cops, firemen, and they often do those important jobs quite well. Many of them put in thousands of hours of charitable work over their lives, through the churches to which they so desperately cling.

It's true their votes have been highly malevolent in recent decades--but those votes were programmed into them by their conservative puppeteers. It's the exploiters who are the enemies, not the exploited.

All these people want is to believe that they are safe, but everyone from television news to Congress profits from making them feel unsafe. That's just wrong.

Nowhere did I say the RWA were unworthy of rescue or remedy. To me, that's what the Great Republican Die-Off will accomplish. Nobody except a baby likes to be changed. But it still has to be done for the sake of the baby no matter how junior kicks and screams while you're about it. If they can be cajoled and sweet talked, led gently by the hand into the light of understanding, all the better. But regardless of how the job must be done, it must be done.

Now would I be willing to go to all that trouble for anyone out of anything but love? Not when you consider how often they take a swing at my head.

Case in point: Should you be unfamiliar with my current situation, know that I retired to the rural blood red MidWest. I've been screamed at in public for things I've said and/or written in the paper, had beer bottles thrown at me, been threatened regularly by the local militia, and so on. Momma said there'd be days like this, but it's been almost 8 years come Thanksgiving. Gradually, however, the hostility seems to be lessening as I try to openly appreciate whatever I can find to admire, precious little as it is sometimes. I like to think and hope that these fine tribesmen are gradually becoming a little less hysterically xenophobic as they get a glimmer of realization that I'm not their personal enemy at all, only the enemy of their unbelievably twisted world view.

I suffer no illusion of eventual acceptance here. But I do count every smile I can weasel out of them a great victory. Although currently I must admit that I don't know whether the slight softening is due to their illusion of victory (ala Cruz) or graceful acceptance of defeat.

Yes, in many ways they are not only good people but some are downright sterling within their own narrow circles. It's this damned shortsighted tribalism that keeps tripping them up. Good grief, when I first moved here they acted as if I had horns and cloven hooves. Now at least a few seem to have modified that to "the silly northeast damnYankee woman who thought she could move here all by herself and make a go of it - but she ain't quite so bad as we first thought, once you see beyond her stupid politics."

That'll get the voters on his side!

criminalizing possession of birth control pills.

I honestly wonder if there's some intern at the campaign or VAGOP who is falling down on the job and is supposed to be gagging Cooch when he's about to say something insane and stupid. If not, they really missed a key assignment there.

Anyone who has paid attention understands that a thorough reading of the rhetoric of the anti-choice movement combined with the language in the HLA plank, would effectively allow them to charge women who take the pill with "attemtped murder". But they will generally soft-pedal that aspect of it.

No question, it's central to their goals.

the double digits. I would die happy if I saw that.

was on tv today talking about Cuccinelli's opponent and couldn't remember his name and kept on screwing up. I was laughing my ass off.

... a blow job? Maybe THAT's his problem.

Cantor is toast? That would be nice.

E(p)ric's is the direct appointee of big tobacco. His district is gerrymandered (and has been since before Bliley hand picked him off his staff to succeed him) to be engulfed by western Henrico county - westward until it hits the Shenandoah Valley BUT clearly cuts around Charlottesville. C'ville is one of them college towns where people think and have job security.

and this time, he is backed by the DNC money interests..

It's way past time to start getting rid of stupid Republicans and the cut off the leader's head, and the rest will follow.

didn't help him financially at all, and he still won 40% of the vote even though Cantor outspent him 20 to 1. It was disgusting.

the voter purging that could put him over the top..

(That's right, against.. Think he's going to fight that fight very diligently?)

Everyday it's another Cooch ass-kicking at the hands of McAuliffe's Ad and PR team. I really wish I'd volunteered in that shop...these people are stars; I'd like to know them.

It Cooch manages to not lose another 5% between now and Election Day, I'll be shocked.

Ol Reverend Jackass.

Everytime that ignorant imbecile opens his mouth, Kookynelly loses another 50,000 votes!

have the cynical idea that they would get lots of black votes with that moron? Don't think so.

This is what I think memories of the shutdown, and the GOP's increasingly undeniable lunacy will produce - not an instant switchover in the House in '14, but an erosion of support in swing states like Virginia, Florida, and perhaps Ohio.

i'll believe it even more if Rep. Cantor is looking for a new job in 2015.

Until then, i'll just keep my head down, donate to D candidates, and try to avoid wishful thinking.

Eric "blow up the World Economy" Cantor.

thanks underpants

Last night on her show she talked about the purge of the voter rolls in Virginia, said over 50,000 names have been purged. VA Dems sued, but Cochinelli, who is attorney general and governor candidate, would not recuse himself in the suit. Not good for Dems.

It has me concerned. If you can't win based on anything legitimate, CHEAT ... it's the Republican way.

The state is trying to reduce the number of Democratic voters. So if the t-pubs are gone, and Dems are eliminated ??

Wouldn't a good journalist give the reader context about the extent of the collapse?

Ok. 71% of independents view the GOP negatively.

That's down from....how much? One number does not provide anyone with any clue whatsoever. In fact, I doubt the journalist knows what the change was from this poll to the previous one.

I do know, from doing a little research, that the Democratic candidate for Governor had a 5% lead over the Republican, and now (after the shutdown) this lead has widened to 8%.

However we still have gerrymandered districts and the S/SW bible belt to contend with.

Removing Cantor should be a prime objective, even if it is done through a primary challenge.

any McAuliffe signs. Mostly its out in the boonies and the signs for the moron are huge, along with Jacksons signs...then again I'm in an area where there is a Baptist church about every 100 feet. For the record there was one hand written Impeach Obama sign at an intersection.

Northern VA goes Dem by a large margin. Richmond and eastern Henrico (black middle class area) goes Dem. Western Henrico (where I live) has been voting Dem where it didn't used to ---IF they can get out the vote which is hard in non-POTUS election years especially since our Gov election comes a year after. Chesterfield (south of Richmond) goes Repub but it only serves to offset Henrico and the city of Richmond.
Va Beach is REPUB country but Hampton offsets is a bit.

They key really is No. Va. for McAuliffe.

See here --> http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-16/local/42106916_1_republican-ken-cuccinelli-will-sessoms-virginia-beach

I don't know that Va Beach has changed that much (the old guard there is probably dwindling due to time) but the mayor of Va Beach is not expected to do that.

got 38% of the vote against Cantor in 2012, with NO money from the national Dem party. That was pretty damn good IMHO, and I hope Cantor's next challenger at least gets some money to allow him to fight. It was a shame that Powell got no help. I have always wondered why he didn't get any help -- are dems also in tobacco's pockets?

DU'er elleng and I actually went to a rally for him.

I don't think they are in the tobacco's pocket I think that they have to weigh what it would take to get someone like Cantor out....and ... consider that if they did put resources into what would Cantor be able to raise and what the RNC would throw in to save him. Cantor's district is gerrymander as any. It is a cost/benefit analysis - can the resources go somewhere to win or set the stage for the next run in two years.

Just my take on it.

from the national dem orgs, even though he applied and was polling pretty high when he applied. He got that 40% by spending about $400,000 of his own money (which includes small donations from people like me) while Cantor had $10 million to spend. If Powell wasn't someone the national Dems wanted to spend money on, who the hell was??? A couple of mil could have made a difference.

A lot of ppl, even in this gerrymandered and RW-heavy district, are sick to death of Cantor and consider him to be a real weasel.

it's time to throw the bums out!

... having a senior moment here. Is Eric Canter from VA or NC?

Don't hex us like that!

...goody,goody,goody!

Thanks for the thread, underpants.

It's less than a month before the election here in VA , and I haven't seen a state Repuke candidate performing so badly before ! Not to mention this used to be suite a red state, but now ? We still have some local yahoos, but we also have alit if Federal employees who were hurt by the government shutdown .

Heck of a job Teddy!

getting younger and more diverse especially in northern virginia. Lots of tech jobs plus there is a lot of federal government contracting in NoVA and Norfolk area, and we don't get back pay during furlough. Lots of layoffs with the sequestration too.

Witness what happened to George Allen when he thought racism was a good idea. Good old boy behavior doesn't work as well as it used to.

I hope this trend holds. The extremist wing of the GOP needs to be put back in its place once and for all.


The jobs situation in VA looks pretty good thanks to big infrastructure projects and and educated workforce. I'd like to move back.

And i thought our SOS was a douche -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/17/virginia-election-officials-purging-almost-40000-voters/

I wonder how many families and businesses were hurt in VA by that unneeded shut down?

But as President Obama put it, "Please proceed Republicans."

I'm not a big Terry McAuliffe fan, as I think everybody knows. I think he's a terribly inept political strategist. However, he isn't against compromise. McAuliffe is a third way Democrat, and the willingness to compromise is one of few virtues of a third way Democrat. If McAuliffe said anything like that, I'm the Cooch is taking it out context. Accusing a third way Democrat of being against compromise is like accusing a Nazi of not being bloodthirsty.

They point fingers at the tea party and shun them, but they voted with the TP and protected them...therefore, they are ALL tea party.

I can't believe they put this zealot forth nationally today, especially given the poll numbers in that state.

The Republicans screwed up big time this time.

.....first in line to vote against "the Cooch" and his minions. I might camp out even.

In order of party affiliation: 1 Tea Party, 2 GOP, 3 Democrats, 4 Libertarians.

There. I said it. The TPs are running the joint. I think it's time to call a Tea Party member a Tea Party member. Drop any mention of their GOP "affiliation".

I may be naive but I do believe that calling something by what it really is will be helpful to Democrats. If the GOP isn't running a real GOP candidate...better say so.