Posts Tagged Republican
Lance Abbott for U.S. Senate? It’s Catchy. It Has a Good Ring to It. Sounds Good to Me. Now, Pull the Lever!
Posted by Lance Haley in Uncategorized on June 15th, 2010
LANCER’S JOUSTING ON HORSEBACK
Maybe I should run for a U.S. Senate seat?
Think it’s a long shot? Think I am crazy?
Think again . . .
According to one study, the first name on a ballot has a much higher probability of winning an election - name placement on an election ballot is usually predicated upon alphabetical order, although some ballots are based on when a candidate files to run for office, or decided by a lottery. Given the name-placement theory based on alphabetical order, all I would have to do to win is change my last name to Abbott. That would likely place me at the top of an election ballot, putting into motion the state of “primacy” - that which is first, is foremost in the mind. Unless, of course, some smart-ass changes his last name to Aardvark. But then who would vote for a guy with a last name that reminds them of an ugly animal?
Now I am really starting to think I have a good chance. Just this past week, Alvin Greene, an unemployed ne’re-do-well in South Carolina just stunned the Democratic establishment in that state by winning his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Jim DeMint. Which has given rise to a number of theories regarding Greene’s inexplicable nomination - yes, even conspiracy theories suggesting Republican shenanigans at work; Greene beat an experienced, heavily favored, former Democratic state legislator and judge.
Furthermore, Greene’s resume is not exactly stellar; he was “involuntarily” discharged from the U.S. Army, he has a felony charge currently pending against him for obscenity for allegedly transmitting a pornographic picture to a University of South Carolina student, and he lives at home with his elderly father. He also had to pay $10, 440 to file for his candidacy; the question is, where did he come up with that kind of money if he is unemployed? And he apparently has not even run any semblance of a political campaign – no rallies, no media ads, no active campaigning, and no money.
Even in his own home town of Manning, South Carolina – population 0f 4000, where everybody knows everybody – hardly anyone knows Greene. And that may very well have worked in his favor. The less voters and your opponent know about you, the better. Especially in the current political environment where “professional politicians” are viewed with disdain and cynicism, and negative campaigning works because voters are rarely concerned with the truth. Particularly in South Carolina. Just ask John McCain about the Republican presidential primary in 2000.
So what gives? Notwithstanding the alphabetical placement theory, one South Carolina voter – Gail Westerfield – even admitted that she voted for him because the name reminded her of the famous soul-singer, Al Green. And yes he is black. Which gives a whole new meaning to “dark horse” candidate (no, that is not meant to be a racist comment – but it is an uncanny irony).
Now, let’s get back to my proposed candidacy.
My real first name - Lance – is an English name derived from the French term for a lance (which is the weapon commonly referred to as a ”spear”). A Lancer was an individual soldier who rode on horseback directly into battle with a lance as a weapon. A fearless warrior. Think Lancelot from Camelot. Now with a name like that, how could a clueless voter not feel as though I would always have their best interests at heart as their elected representative? Of course, Lancelot had an affair with the Queen (Guinevere). But hey, that’s almost a prerequisite for political office these days.
I also like the name Abbott. After all, it invokes the term “abbot” – a spiritual designation for one who oversees the monks in a monastery. In a monastic community the abbot is the superior, and he is obedient to God’s will, while simultaneously given the respect and authority to act wisely in the administration of the monastery.
Perfect. I can use the anologies associated with the historical underpinnings of those two names to demonstrate how I will unselfishly and faithfully represent my constituents if elected to office. Hopefully, no one else has ever made a similar campaign promise. 
So now comes the $64, 000 question. Would you vote for me?
P.S. And can anyone lend me around $10, 000?
Christian Right-Wing Homophobe Apparently Likes Carrying Well-Endowed Rentboy’s “Luggage”
Posted by Lance Haley in Conservatives, Cultural Issues, Culture Wars, Fox News, Humor, Media & Communication, Religion, Religion & Spirituality, Sex & Sexuality on May 9th, 2010
“Me Thinks Thou Dost Protest Too Loudly”
– paraphrase of quote from William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
George Rekers has been one of America’s most vehemently anti-gay activists over the past three decades. He is also a Baptist minister, co-founder of the ultra-conservative Family Research Council – which holds the annual Values Summit, and he is a professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina – that bastion of intellectual curiosity. Well OK, at the very least maybe closeted sexual curiosity.
But I digress . . .
He shops at Rent-A-Boy – Rentboy.com - anytime he needs a luggage handler. Of course, Rekers denies that it was anything untoward or sexual in nature. He just needed a little help after having surgery with carrying all that heavy luggage while on vacation – or was it the other way around? Sure looks like he recovered quickly from that surgery. And his boy-toy seemed to equivocate regarding the nature of their little 10 day jaunt together through Europe when confronted by a reporter.
Besides, I suspect the boy-toy’s “luggage” was the heavier of the two, and he needed Rekers’ help to “pack-it tight” every night.
I cannot wait to hear Sean Hannity or Ann Coulter spin this one on Fox News: “Oh, you Left-wing, Liberal media-types need to quit focusing on such insignificant details, and get your heathen minds out of the gutter. You always try to make everything so political.”
You mean like Republican Senator Larry Craig’s “reach-under” in a men’s restroom at the Minneapolis Airport in 2007?
However, the story does end on a positive note. Hey George, you just made the list of America’s Top 10 Homophobes Outed From the Closet. And you went straight up the chart to # 1 . . . probably while sitting atop your boy-toy’s ”perfectly built 8 inch cock” (those are his words, George, not mine).
Let me guess . . . you use that “8 inch rod” to hang all your Hawaiian shirts on?
So Can You Put Red-Knit Stockin’s On That There Little Filly, Pardner?
Posted by Lance Haley in Humor, Sex & Sexuality, Sexual Deviancy on April 22nd, 2010
And you thought bestiality (Zoophilia) was the sole province of sheep herders and lonely cowboys . . .
P.S. It should come as no surprise that one of the “participants” came from Tennessee. Wonder if he was a Republican, too?
Top Strategy in Fox News’ Playbook Exposed By Republican Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Posted by Lance Haley in Bill O'Reilly, Conservatives, Fox News, Glenn Beck, Government, House of Representatives, Media & Communication, Sarah Palin, Senate, Tea Party on April 6th, 2010
Re-elect Republican Senator Tom Coburn.
That’s right. I said it. Vote for a Republican. Even one I often disagree with.
You know why?
Because Tom Coburn has shown the courage of his convictions to not allow his constituents to be misled, or operate under false assumptions regarding misinformation that Fox News regularly feeds it’s viewers. Nor have them be deluded into believing that Nancy Pelosi is somehow loathsome merely because she is the Democratic Speaker of the House.
In a recent Town Hall meeting back in his home state of Oklahoma, Senator Coburn summarily dismissed a statement by one of his supporters that you could be put in jail for not buying health insurance under President Obama’s newly-passed Health Care Reform Bill, and openly criticized Fox News for its irresponsible dissemination of this kind of nonsense to it’s viewers:
“The intention is not to put any one in jail. That makes for good TV news on FOX but that isn’t the intention . . . [w]hat we have to have is make sure we have a debate in this country so that you can see what’s going on and make a determination yourself.”
When mentioning Speaker Pelosi by name, the crowd began to hoot and make personal attacks against her. In response, Senator Coburn admonished his supporters, lecturing them on the finer points of civility by saying this:
“Come on now. She is nice – how many of you all have met her? She’s a nice person . . . [j]ust because somebody disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re not a good person . . . I’ve been in the senate for five years and I’ve taken a lot of that, because I’ve been on the small side –- both in the Republican Party and the Democrat Party . . . [s]o don’t catch yourself being biased by FOX News that somebody is no good.”
The context of his speech was the current debate over extending unemployment benefits, and his opposition to Speaker Pelosi’s policy of not providing current funding for the proposal – thus increasing the deficit. Whether you agree with his position on this – and I do not – I respect his willingness to not personalize the issue.
WOW!
A Republican teaching his constituents to think for themselves? To not take everything they hear or read at face value? That is both laudable and courageous. And it earns my respect as much as any Democrat’s position on policies. Especially in the current political environment. Senator Coburn seems less interested in pandering to Fox News’ liberal use of the most common form of invalid argumentation: Argument Ad Hominem, otherwise known as attacking the speaker instead of addressing the issue.
Under the rules of formal debate, it is an unacceptable technique designed to appeal to emotion rather than logic. In other words, Coburn correctly is calling out Fox News for it’s unconscionable attempts to persuade its viewers with labels and shameful lies, rather than with valid facts and reasoning.
Argument Ad Hominem is the most misused form of argumentation in American politics – and one that when elevated to irrational and vicious proportions, can lead to violence. Simply put, if you do not agree with one of my arguments, address it directly. Do not try and divert attention to my politics by attacking me personally, insinuating or saying that I am a Socialist, or a Liberal, or a lawyer. That does not make my argument any less valid, and in fact, completely invalidates your response.
In the legal arena, there is an old saying:
“If you don’t have a case, abuse the witness.”
RIGHT, FOX NEWS?
Hang All the Democrats? It May Be Too Late to Stop That, Eric Cantor . . .
Posted by Lance Haley in Anti-government sentiment, Conservatives, Cultural Issues, Government, Healthcare Reform, House of Representatives, Politics, Tea Party, crime on March 26th, 2010
OK. So many Americans are disenchanted with the direction of the country, specifically the health care legislation that was passed this week. One can disagree with policies – that is reasonable and to be expected.
So now it’s alright to threaten, intimidate and otherwise cast scurrilous invectives at our Congressional representatives – particularly by other members of Congress?
If the more civil party members of the Republicans and Tea Party (as for the latter, one has to wonder if “civil party members” isn’t an oxymoron) are sincerely interested in preserving the State of the Union, they would be well advised to tone down the rhetoric before something tragic happens that will ignite unforeseen consequences.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R.- Virgina) is a case in point. Cantor has suddenly decided that he wants to weigh in on this issue ONLY after his own Congressional office back home was fired upon by an unknown gunman. Cantor is now accusing Democrats of “fanning the flames” by reporting these acts, but said NOTHING prior to this when a member of his own Republican Party used language that was beyond incendiary, to wit:
1) House Minority Leader John Boehner (not ironically, Cantor’s “boss”) said this week of fellow Ohio Congressman Steve Driehaus (D – Ohio), after Driehaus voted for the Health Care Reform Bill, “He may be a dead man. He can’t go home to the west side of Cincinnati.”
Moreover, Tea Party activists protesting on the Capitol steps spewed racist remark towards several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and even spit on black Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver (D – MO).
Cantor, who is of Jewish decent, claims that he has been the target of racist threats and invectives since he took office. Given that fact, coupled with the history of his own people, you think he would have spoken up earlier in the week. The silence of the German people regarding the slowly fermenting racist hatred towards the Jews by members of the Nazi party in the 1930’s was an act of omission – a moral crime, in and of itself. We all know what happened next. Cantor, of all people, should understand the unintended consequences of not speaking up sooner.
Yet, only now after he became a target of this decidedly un-American behavior, was Cantor quoted as saying, “Enough is enough, it has to stop.”
Yes Mr. Cantor, you are right.
You just should have spoken up a long, long time ago.
Why Good Non-partisan Politicians Like Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Dennis Moore (D-KS) Throw in the Towel
Posted by Lance Haley in 2010 Election, 2012 Election, Campaigns, Conservatives, How and Why We Get Screwed, Uncategorized on February 16th, 2010
These two men are the “poster children” for what’s really wrong with Congress and American Politics
You only need to look at their recently announced retirements – Bayh’s came yesterday and Moore’s was back in November 2009 - in order to divine that something is seriously amiss.
They are NOT Liberal Democrats. These are both very mainstream Centrists, at times even leaning a bit to the Conservative side. Moreover, it is highly unlikely either one of them would have lost their seats in the next election cycle. They were both very popular – especially with independents and Republican moderates – and they both have huge campaign war chests.
So why quit?
Evan Bayh’s stated reasons given at the press conference for his retirement announcement yesterday speaks volumes:
“There is too much partisanship and not enough progress — too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving,” he said yesterday. “Even at a time of enormous challenge, the peoples’ business is not being done.”
And although Dennis Moore has not stated the same sentiments publicly – and I have known Dennis for a number of years – I have a very strong visceral instinct that such is the case. If so, we are witnessing the disappearance of the political Centrists/Moderates, and an even greater polarization of the political spectrum.
Moreover, the inexplicable hatred of President Obama by the Right Wing - and blanket criticism of everything he does (or does not do) – defies logic and reason. Because of this insane hatred and the incendiary punditry, we are now treading down a very dangerous pathway; it does not bode well for the future of our country, or the security of this nation.
Are you listening America?
PopuCon Teabaggers Give Whole New Meaning to Getting Teabagged
Posted by Lance Haley in Bailouts, Congress, Conservatives, Financial Crisis, Government, Healthcare Reform, How and Why We Get Screwed, Politics, Tea Party, Uncategorized, Wall Street, taxes on October 21st, 2009
There is an interesting disconnect between what the current populist-conservative Tea Party movement pretends to represent, and certain historical facts that undermine their agenda. The idea for this nascent PopuCon (Populist-Conservative) phenomenon which first appeared in Spring of 2009 is modeled after the Boston Tea Party, which was a protest against a tax levied on tea imported from England’s East India Tea Company to the American colonies.
Just one problem . . .
There have been no new taxes levied on Americans since the very day that President Obama was inaugurated.
Moreover, according to the group’s newest YouTube video promoting their Tea Party Express II tour, they are also protesting bailouts, out-of-control spending, and government-run health care.
Hey Teabaggers, did you also know . . .
1) that the bailouts (TARP funds) were approved, and the first $375 Billion were dispersed by former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, when George Bush was President and the Republicans controlled Congress?
2) that George Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress took power in January 2001, outgoing President Bill Clinton had left them with a balanced-budget – which they subsequently decimated in six years, running up over $500 Billion in deficit spending (not including the $750 Billion allocated and spent on the Iraq War – which is borrowed from the Chinese government)?
3) Medicare, a government-run health care program for the American elderly, has been in existence for approximately 45 years, and some of your members would have no health care if not for this United States government-run agency.
I am still having a difficult time finding any pictures of protests regarding these very important facts (at least, according to your agenda) back in October, 2008. Can anyone help me?
This cup of tea is rather tepid and awfully watered-down.
The First American Quitters Family
Posted by Lance Haley in 2012 Election, Campaigns, Conservatives, Government, Politics, Uncategorized on October 5th, 2009
Have you ever heard of a Husky that quit pulling it’s sled in the Iditarod? Ever seen a picture of a salmon give up swimming upstream even with bears sitting in the rapids waiting for them to jump? Can you ever recall a sitting governor of a state resign mid-term because the media was so tough on them and their energy was better spent focusing on other things? Oh, I almost forgot, that last one has occurred – just one time. The others . . . NEVER!
Now Sarah “I’m no quitter” Palin and husband Todd are officially The First American Quitters Family. The guy that catches salmon and runs in the Iditarod has just announced that he is leaving his oil field job to “spend more time with his family.” You betcha, WINK, WINK.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, my Conservative friends . . . make her the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012. That is what she and Todd are setting the stage for anyway with all of this “quit whatever you are doing in Alaska and get your dumb asses down here in the lower 48 if you want to rate” whispers.
Listen. Even if Obama never accomplishes anything as President (and that is looking more and more plausible with each passing day), he can still beat her while continuously traveling all around the world during the 2012 Presidential Campaign, trying to get the winning bid for the 2040 World Curling Championships to be held in Detroit. All she has to do is give a few campaign speeches, do her best “going rogue” routine with Independent voters watching, and sit down for a handful of spontaneous interviews with some of those ”gotch ya” liberal political reporters, with all of their “tricky questions” (like, “Governor, can you tell me what body of water does Afghanistan lie next to?”), and you can stick a fork in her.
SHE’S DONE and he’s WON!
P.S. None of Afghanistan’s borders are bounded by water, and there is not a significant body of water within several hundred miles of Afghanistan. I won a beer betting on that fact one night in a bar with several of my Conservative buddies shortly after 9/11. We had a retired U.S. Marine who happened to be tending bar that night settle the dispute for us. Was that beer extra tasty? You betcha!
P.S.S. In 2040, the average daytime temperature in the winter in Detroit will probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of 123 degrees Farenheit. They will have to hold the World Curling Championships in the Mayor’s office in City Hall since that will be the only public place in town that will still be allowed to have a window air conditioner installed in order to “keep it cool”. By then, people will be “Wintering” in Wasilla, Alaska, with it’s posh new Bed and Breakfast run by an elderly couple who just quit their consulting business (How to Quit a Job Without Consequences) in order to “come back home”.