No kidding, right?

You may remember a man named John DiIulio.  He was the Bush White House's first director faith-based initiatives.  DiIulio quit in 2002 calling Karl Rove & co. "Mayberry Machiavellis," and stating the Bush White house had no policy apparatus.  Everything was politics.  Rove & co. were not amused and strongarmed an apology.  However, you cannot unring a bell.
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/DiIulio.html

You cannot unring a bell, but you can muffle the reverberations.  That's just what the corporate media did.  They didn't censor the John DiIulio story four years ago, the just ignored it and let it die.

Now another directory of faith-based initiative has quit.  Unlike DiIulio, this guy decided to write a book.  Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction (Free Press) is due out 10/16/06.  Keith Olbermann, the only cable news anchor who is not a total Bush syncophant, had the author David Kuo, former Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, on his program on 10/11/06. 

There isn't much on the 'net right now as Kuo's book doesn't hit the shelves until Monday.  Kuo does write for beliefnet who published the following article:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/160/story_16092_1.html

What impressed me most about Kuo on Olbermann was he emphasized the ridicule in which Karl Rove and the White House politicos held the evangelicals.  They called the evangelicals "nuts" and laughed at them as soon as they left the room.  Thought only Bill O'Reilly's "secular progressive" Democrats did stuff like that!  Kuo makes it clear the right-wing politicians did not understand how to implement the social policies of faith-based initiatives, and they couldn't care less about learning.  To them, the whole "compassionate conservatism" notion was just a slogan to mobilize their base of conservative American Christians.  Kuo tried to engage RNC chair Ken Mehlman in ways to get the ball rolling on the actual programs.  Mehlman was pathologically incapable of regarding them as anything more than political strategy.

All the while we were saying, "You know, these guys don't behave like any Christians I've ever known."  We were right.  The Bush White House may have abused religion more cynically than any other Administration in U.S. history.  All they did was send out talking points to ultra-right media pundits such as Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and Michael Reagan.  Rove's idea was to treat the conservative Christians like sheep.  If the White House decided it was time to create some hysteria about "partial birth abortion," out went that memo.  If the theme of the week was to be "gay marriage," they sent the appropriate press release.

Meanwhile, Ralph Reed was bribing Casino gaming officials and Tom DeLay was enforcing prostitution and abortion among the impoverished young girls trapped on Saipan. 

How are conservative American evangelicals supposed to feel when they find out their "faith-based, Jesus-loving" president sees them as nothing more than political pawns?  It won't do us on the Left any good to say "Told you so!"  I think it's best to just let it speak for itself.  This is going to really hurt the feelings of true believers.

Bear in mind, David Kuo is no David Brock.  He hasn't resigned his theocratic beliefs and come over to the progressive side.  Even if the Bushie's gave him his wet dream, I would still call it unconstitutional.  However, even a staunch right-wing evangelical such as Kuo finds no reason to protect the Bushies.  Maybe if the Bushies had given some bona-fide support on faith-based initiatives, Kuo would be able to overlook the rest of the sleaze and hypocrisy.  Evangelicals such as Kuo have done so with the Republican Party since 1980.

To me, this is another indication the wheels are falling off the whole right-wing scheme.  People just ain't buying the lies anymore.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/04/faga7.gif

"Ask not at whom the chimp smirks--he smirks at you!"
--smirkingchimp.com's motto
http://www.russkoedelo.org/novosti/2004/images/bush_smirking.jpg

Won't see this story on Fox News, and if we did all would have "D" next to there names.

While Karl's laughing at Evangelicals, he's obsessing over Hillary Clinton.  Kinda makes you wonder what's really going through his mind. ::)

Won't see this story on Fox News, and if we did all would have "D" next to there names.

I watched Bill O'Reilly the same night.  Not one mention.  The first line of defense is "ignore it and hope it goes away," the second line is, "this is a lie the far-left whacko smear merchants made up because they know they're going to lose more seats in November!"
::)


While Karl's laughing at Evangelicals, he's obsessing over Hillary Clinton.  Kinda makes you wonder what's really going through his mind. ::)


What's going through his mind is, "If we start losing, I'm screwed!  They put me here to win, win, win and  nothing else!"  You know what happens to mafia underbosses who can't get the job done.
:o

See, Ronnie Reagan never forgot which side his bread was buttered on.  He didn't laugh at the evangelicals, not even behind closed doors.  He laughed at them in his own mind perhaps.  I think he laughed at all of us in his own mind.  When he could remember who we all were.  The Bushies don't have the kinda class Reagan had.  It seems to be the Bush crime family's Achilles heel.  They get so arrogant with power, they forget they too need to play politics!

Coming from a multi-religion family, I've usually laughed at people who describe themselves as "evangelicals" too.

Whether thay be Mormon or other Christian groups, when they would come to the door, my Mum would say "So you could say that you're really here to sell me some religion, right?"  The canvasser would usually say something like "Well, yes, I guess you could put it that way."

Mum would then say "Well I have one extra religion in this house already.  Let me know who's buying and maybe I'll go sell them one too."  ;D

My Mum, a very devout Roamin' Catholic, has her own suspicions about anybody who tries to recruit to religion.  Way back when the Bishop of our Diocese called her up personally one night to ask her to pray that one or more of her three sons (we were all altar boys) would become priests.  Mum told the Bishop politely "Priests don't make enough money.  I don't want my kids growing up poor.  No thank you."

To quote Jewel... "Who will save your soul if you can't save your own..."

Yeah, my parents are Roaming Catholic too. Out of their five kids only one is a practicing Catholic.  They're getting used to dealing with diverse religious ideals.  Every once on a while they will snicker at something Evangelical. :)

Well, the Roman Catholics were not surgically attached to the Republican party like the evangelical, notwithstanding the Irish Catholic boys on FOX News!

The Catholics do have their share of Democrats.  You're right though Evangelicals are sugically attatched to the Republican Party.  I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting and Evangelical who is also a Democrat.

I just saw the piece on "Sixty Minutes" where this guy Kuo was bitching and moaning that the Repub Party "made fun of" people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.  ::)

Guy came off as a total wuss.  And those two guys are major wack-jobs.  Robertson for example has well documented business dealings with third world dictators in money making schemes.

I just saw the piece on "Sixty Minutes" where this guy Kuo was bitching and moaning that the Repub Party "made fun of" people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.  ::)

Guy came off as a total wuss.  And those two guys are major wack-jobs.  Robertson for example has well documented business dealings with third world dictators in money making schemes.


That's why I said the scheme might be coming undone.  When even a sniveling l'il sheep like Kuo thinks yer an a-hole...
:D

If Kuo still thinks Falwell and Robertson are good Christians, then he's still confused.  Fool me once shame on you, fool me can't get fooled again!    It's OK with the Republicans if you have documented business dealings with third world dictators, so long as they're right-wing third world dictators.  Robertson has the GOP's blessings for that, if he was cozying up to Castro, he'd be as popular as beans on a bus trip! 

Wake up evangelicals, the Right hated Dr. Martin Luther King, and if your idea of being a Christian is helping the poor, healing the sick, and bringing about peace on Earth, the Right hates you too!
::)
"Wait Karl, he's got a check for five grand for us!"
"Oh, OK, thanks for your help keeping America a Christian nation that supports the family, or whatever crap you want me to say.  Thanks a lot!
Heh heh!  What a chump."

Actually, Catholics were surgically tied to the Democratic Party, almost, in the late 19th century and for much of the 20th century. One of the few exceptions was the election of 1896, following the fusion between the People's Party and the Democratic Party under the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan. The campaigning style of William Jennings Bryan, with its Evangelical Protestant, Midwestern echoes of the revival meeting, alienated Irish-German Catholics who saw the social group from which he came as a threat to their culture. The Democrats were an unlikely tie between the Irish-German Catholics and the Southern whites, with the Republicans being mostly composed of Northern, Western, and Midwestern Protestants, including most of the middle-class and upper-classes outside of the South. Until 1968 or so, even, most Northeastern Catholics and Jews were surgically tied to the Democratic Party. What turned most Northeastern Italians towards the Republican Party was the urban conflicts and white flight of the '60s.

Actually, Catholics were surgically tied to the Democratic Party, almost, in the late 19th century and for much of the 20th century. One of the few exceptions was the election of 1896, following the fusion between the People's Party and the Democratic Party under the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan. The campaigning style of William Jennings Bryan, with its Evangelical Protestant, Midwestern echoes of the revival meeting, alienated Irish-German Catholics who saw the social group from which he came as a threat to their culture. The Democrats were an unlikely tie between the Irish-German Catholics and the Southern whites, with the Republicans being mostly composed of Northern, Western, and Midwestern Protestants, including most of the middle-class and upper-classes outside of the South. Until 1968 or so, even, most Northeastern Catholics and Jews were surgically tied to the Democratic Party. What turned most Northeastern Italians towards the Republican Party was the urban conflicts and white flight of the '60s.

Then all those hardhat work-a-day Joe Lunchbox Catholics voted for Reagan! As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' out for ya?"
::)

Then all those hardhat work-a-day Joe Lunchbox Catholics voted for Reagan! As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' out for ya?"
::)


And some of them still won't admit that they f*cked up.  I love pounding away at the union hall, Patco, going after waitresses, taxing unemployment benefits, and the union leadership in Washington right there in bed with him. 

And some of them still won't admit that they f*cked up.  I love pounding away at the union hall, Patco, going after waitresses, taxing unemployment benefits, and the union leadership in Washington right there in bed with him. 

There was an old spiritual that went something like,
"Say no to the devil,
the devil he's a deceiver..."
Always made me think of Reagan.  The devil doesn't come to you as a firebreathing demon...
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/04/firedevil.gif
he comes to you as your friend!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/04/elkgrin.gif
And didn't Reagan always seem like he was your friend...even when he was picking your pocket and slitting your throat?

That's why Reagan succeeded where Nixon failed.  Nixon had that funny face back in '73.  He looked trapped, put-upon, devious, and paranoid!  Iran-Contra was 100 times worse than Watergate and through it all Reagan kept beaming back at you and speaking in those velvet tones (they always rouged-up his cheekbones too!) 
"Well, all I know is that I don't remember...Well, all I remember is that I don't know."  It didn't matter how inispid Reagan's replies were, he just gave everybody that feeling, "Aw, shucks, such a nice man...how could he possibly mean any harm?"
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/icon_albino.gif

That's what the Bushies don't get.  The best way to keep being nasty is to behave so nicely!

That's what the Bushies don't get.  The best way to keep being nasty is to behave so nicely!


Cue the O RLY owl.

O RLY?  Seems to me that the Elephant wing of the Party understood the principle better than the Donkey wing...  After all, which of the two presidential candidates in 2000 and 2004 was voted "the kinda guy I could most likely see myself havin' a beer with?"

Cue the O RLY owl.

O RLY?  Seems to me that the Elephant wing of the Party understood the principle better than the Donkey wing...  After all, which of the two presidential candidates in 2000 and 2004 was voted "the kinda guy I could most likely see myself havin' a beer with?"

Bush does you one better.  He talks like most of us after a six-pack! 

I remember that question, and I think it is something we must seriously consider, if we're electing a drinking buddy!!!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/occasion14.gif

Look, if the guy the Repugs put $100 million behind was a William F. Buckley-type, the GOP would sell him on his grace, sophistication, and worldly refinement (the opposite of what they did with Kerry).  The Repugs don't care if they guy talks like Slim Pickens or Alistair Cooke, the question remains "Is he going to do the job?"  The job is make the rich richer, afflict the afflicted, comfort the comfortable, and make the poor poorer.  If the answer is "yes," we will sell him to the American people! 

It didn't quite work with Dubya, so they had to give Democracy the slip and steal both elections!

I subjected myself to a bit of FOX News earlier in the evening (boy, am I a glutton for punishment) and Sean Hannity was talking about how disgustingly rich the Democratic leadership is, how expensive Hillary's homes are, how much land Harry Reid owns, and how these Democrats would never invite regular folks to their parties.  I agree, Sean.  And your neighborhood?  Poor people shot on sight! (unless they're the gardener or the nanny).

What Mr. Hannity was expressing with his vast intellect was that the Democrats pretend to be the party of the people, but they're really not.  At least the Republicans don't pretend to be a friend to the working man....uh, wait a minute.  The Dems are like snobs and stuff because they eat French cheese,  and the Republicans are salt-of-the-earth because they eat hot dogs.  Well, Joe Sixpack couldn't get near our country clubs and exclusive restaurants, but, uh, when we're there we drink Coors and listen to Toby Keith.  Take our word for it.
:D

The Repugs are pounding on Harry Reid because he was involved in the kind of sleazy land deal Denny Hastert WASN'T involved in.  Land deal?  Didn't it succeed ever so well when they went after the Clintons about some kind of "land deal."  They've also dragged out some dumb gaff Hillary made about being named after Sir Edmund Hillary (Kiwi of Mount Everest fame).  Clinton was born in 1947 and Sir Edmund climbed Everest in '53, so she couldn't have been blah blah blah.  Anyway that was stupid thing Hillary said ten years ago, and the Repugs are dragging it out as a cudgel for the '06 elections.

Tell me, dear GOP, I know the fix is in with Diebold et al., so why are you acting desperate when there is no need?  Please, Republicans, don't act desperately.  You're not any better at doing that than you are at managing the economy or foreign diplomacy!
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I remember that question, and I think it is something we must seriously consider, if we're electing a drinking buddy!!!


Voters of States representing more than 50% of Electors to MaxwellSmart:  "Wait, we weren't?" ;)

Voters of States representing more than 50% of Electors to MaxwellSmart:  "Wait, we weren't?" ;)

How about phrasing the polling question a bit differently?  If you went out drinking with him, which candidate is more likely to land the both of you in the county slammer?
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/drunken_smilie.gif

How about phrasing the polling question a bit differently?  If you went out drinking with him, which candidate is more likely to land the both of you in the county slammer?
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/drunken_smilie.gif


Once again, 51% of the population voted for precisely that candidate.  (So how did Karl Rove get a hold of your account, anyway? ;-)

Once again, 51% of the population voted for precisely that candidate.  (So how did Karl Rove get a hold of your account, anyway? ;-)


Oh boy, don't get me started on percentages and who really voted for whom.  The fix is in for this November too!

Oh boy, don't get me started on percentages and who really voted for whom.  The fix is in for this November too!


That's right, let us not fall into the forgotten history trap.  Seems they are having problems once again with the Diebold crowd, Ohio was one state mentioned.  Someone, I'm not sure who, urged voters to get absentee ballots, that way there would be a paper trail.  Great Idea.

That's right, let us not fall into the forgotten history trap.  Seems they are having problems once again with the Diebold crowd, Ohio was one state mentioned.   Someone, I'm not sure who, urged voters to get absentee ballots, that way there would be a paper trail.  Great Idea.

Don't forget about the Republican-style "get out the vote" mass mailing campaigns to poor people.
"We invite you to come out and vote this Wednesday!"  Yeah, Super Wednesday, tee-hee.

"BUT make sure you have your rent and your utilities paid off or else you can't vote.  Oh, and if you have a warrant against you, you will be arrested at the polls and taken to jail.  Heck, if you or any one of your relatives has so much as an outstanding parking ticket YOU will be arrested at the polls and incarcerated until the matter is resolved."

No wonder the Republican party want to be able to declare American citizens enemy combatants!  They know they're rotten, they know we hate them, and they're rightfully scared of us!  That's what happens when you start to govern without the consent of the people!
:o

UPDATE:
Republican right-wing squealer Sean Hannity told Democrats to stay home on election day.  He regurgitated his the trashy talking points about how "Democrats don't know how to govern, and Democrats "Have no idea how to win the war on terrorism."  Two things he said were poignant.

1. "Your vote doesn't matter anyway."  Oh, so Sean, you know the fix is in, do you?  Then you know your party is guilty of treason.
2.  Democrats' votes "won't change who occupies the White House."  That's inherent in a mid-term election, even stupid Hannity knows that.  So he must be reiterating the first assertion, implying the fix was in in 2000, 2004, and will be in 2008.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200610200001

However, if either of the above are true, why was the fear in Mr. Hannity's voice so palpable?  Exactly.  Like I said above, the GOP knows it is a rotten criminal syndicate and they know the American people hate them now.  Could Hannity be just a bit afraid that if the GOP schemes fail on Election Day '06, that something bad will happen to him?  Republicans should be fighting for Democratic reversal in November.  That way they can blame all the catastrophes they've created on the Dems as the Presidential campaign heats up in '07.  It does not make strategic sense for the GOP to want to retain Congress now.

I can only conclude they are frightened that even the milquetoast Democratic party will have no choice but to indict and impeach the executive branch.  If the Dems open the Pandora's box and the media can no longer deny what we know to be true, the Republican party itself may crumble.  If all the fraud and criminality of the the GOP over the past six years is exposed, public officials from sentors all the way down to county magistrates may face prison.  There's a better chance of that asteroid colliding with Earth than any of that happening!  If Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House, you know what she will do about GOP malfeasance?  Nothing! 

So why is Sean Hannity afraid?

Well, maybe he knows the GOP will rig the elections next month, but the public won't buy it this time.  There might be civil unrest that dwarfs what we saw in the 1960s.  It may match only the 1860s!  Poll after poll says the majority of Americans hate these guys.  If election thefts are too obvious to deny, who knows the level of anger that might erupt.

Perhaps a fascist lapdog like Hannity has it in the back of his mind that he might be one of the ones lined up and shot.

Let me make this crystal clear: I am not advocating criminal behavior or violence of any kind.  I am just weighing possibilities.

Bump