RW tunnel vision in play on this.

Planned Parenthood also provides a wide range of services here in Texas, despite the budget cuts pushed through by anti-abortion fanatics, right-wing ideologues, and Tea-publican opportunists.

I have reached the point that whenever a Texas Republican politico bloviates on just about anything, I wonder whether they're lying, and by how much.

Voter suppression is one thing, apathy is far more dangerous. One of the main reasons that Republicans are still so powerful here in Texas because so many potential voters just don't bother to vote, particularly Texas Hispanics. It is most unfortunate that so many Texans choose to be politically apathetic. If, for example Texas Hispanics were to go to the polls in the same percentages as their Golden State counterparts, the Texas Republican Party's grip on statewide offices would be broken.

I'm watching this one a bit. Brother is a big supporter. I even donated a few bucks to her campaign from here.

I don't know. The pundits already claim that Mrs Greg Abbott can start thinking about how she'd like to redecorate the Texas Governor's Mansion, but I'm of the opinion that the corporate media here is solidly in the pockets of Texas Republicans (State newspapers and broadcasters make the lazy, arrogant, and apathetic US national corporate media establishment look like a pack of tough, hard-hitting and antagonistic investigative reporters).

The Texas Republican Lieutenant Governor's primary run-off is coming up on the 27th. I suspect that David Dewhurst, the establishment Republican candidate, is going to lose to Dan Patrick. I suspect that a Patrick win will not only make the Lieutenant Governor's race more competitive, but it's also going to splash Greg Abbott and convince more voters that he, too, is a right-wing nut case.

I'm taking the Yogi Berra saying to heart: It ain't over 'til it's over!

Yep.

Patrick is an idiot and a nut case who is going to scare moderate voters.

Everyone needs to realize he'll say anything to get what he wants.

If you know the truth and you lie anyway, you are a fucking scumbag. Are you really counting on the ignorance of your voters?

If you don't know the truth, then you are just unwilling to learn the truth.

Neither choice is worthy of high office in the state of Texas, or anywhere for that matter.

Last edited Sat May 10, 2014, 08:07 AM - Edit history (1)

Why lie about Planned Parenthood? For two reasons if you're a right-winger.

First, because if you're a right-winger here in Texas, there are no consequences for telling such falsehoods. The zealots and ideologues who have shuffled off more moderate politicians to the sidelines don't bother with fact-checking. Since there are more of them voting in Tea-Publican primaries than more center-leaning (wherever the h#ck the center is these days), the aspiring wing-nut's Republican Party nomination is assured. And since in recent decades turn-out is lower in off-year general elections, there's a very good chance they'll get elected anyway.

The second reason is perhaps even scarier. To many right-wingers' minds, if you say something , that makes it true, regardless of any inconvenient facts. All you gotta do is believe. And, if a Rightie is waving a Bible or drapes himself in a flag, he or she can say just about anything and be given a free pass by other right-wingers.

Which just highlights that the Bible is one of the biggest impediments to progress ever created.

Paul Krugman touched on this (blatant lying) at the national level in a recent column.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/05/opinion/krugman-inventing-a-failure.html?emc=edit_ty_20140505&nl=opinion&nlid=55286731&_r=0

I must disagree here. As practiced by Jesus of Nazareth and some of the early Christians, the NT is a pretty radical document, even by today's standards. Imagine what would happen if debt forgiveness (The Jubilee) was made into civil law.

The Bible does have a lot of very useful stuff (as well as some bad stuff) on how to live an honorable, upright, decent life. Much of that advice is ignored by the Radical Rightists who wave their Bibles as props and quote selectively instead of reading it the whole way through.

The Radical Right has taken advantage of an existing thought-system called "Christianity" which is an excuse to prop up the wealthy and powerful and to oppress women and the poor. Their so-called "Christianity" is more a means of tribal identification than anything preached by the son of Mary and Joseph.