My Favorite Marxists

Aaron Goldstein

"Although The Marx Brothers largely took an anarchistic approach to their brand of humor, it nevertheless retains both a sense of timelessness and reassurance. I am confident that a thousand years from now people will still be laughing at Groucho’s wisecracks, Chico’s puns, and Harpo’s facial expressions."
...."In 2013, aside from our individual trials and tribulations, we have the beginning of President Obama’s second term to look forward to or, more accurately, to dread. As Groucho’s Rufus T. Firefly sang upon assuming the presidency of Freedonia in Duck Soup, “If you think this country’s bad off now, just wait till I get through with it!”
"It’s going to be a long four years. They can take away the Constitution and they can take away our guns. But they can’t take away the laughter."   Hat tip to Christy Waters on Facebook

While a patient in the Camp Lejeune hospital, a staff sergeant in a nearby bed was doubled up with laughter that went on and on. I asked him what was so funny and he said "Nothing! This pain is killing me!'
Naturally I asked him why he was laughing and he said ,"This is the way I cry!"
With that in mind, let me wish you a happy new year and thank you for your readership.
The Tunnel Dweller.

Post-Mortem; This lady really nails it!

Laura Hollis  "I truly believe that most Americans who voted for Obama have no idea what they are in for. Most simply believe him when he says that all he really wants is for the rich to pay “a little bit more.” So reasonable! Who could argue with that except a greedy racist?
....
"For the past four years – but certainly within the past campaign season – we have tried to warn Americans. Too many refuse to listen, even when all of the events that have transpired during Obama’s presidency – unemployment, economic stagnation, skyrocketing prices, the depression of the dollar, the collapse of foreign policy, Benghazi,  hopelessly inept responses to natural disasters – can be tied directly to Obama’s statist philosophies, and his decisions.
"....I see the country I love headed toward its own “rock bottom,” and I cannot seem to reach those who are taking it there."
Some of Laura Hollis' points that she covers much more in depth at the link:
1. We are outnumbered
2. It wasn’t the candidate(s)
3. It’s the culture, stupid. More on this:

"We abdicated control of the culture – starting back in the 1960s. And now our largest primary social institutions – education, the media, Hollywood (entertainment) have become really nothing more than an assembly line for cranking out reliable little Leftists. Furthermore, we have allowed the government to undermine the institutions that instill good character – marriage, the family, communities, schools, our churches. So, here we are, at least two full generations later – we are reaping what we have sown. It took nearly fifty years to get here; it will take another fifty years to get back. But it starts with the determination to reclaim education, the media, and the entertainment business. If we fail to do that, we can kiss every election goodbye from here on out. And much more.

4. America has become a nation of adolescents
5. Yes, there is apparently a Vagina Vote
6. It’s not about giving up on “social issues”
7. Obama does not have a mandate. And he does not need one.
8. The CorruptMedia is the enemy
9. Small business and entrepreneurs will be hurt the worst
10. America is more polarized than ever; and this time it’s personal

This Daily Kos writer read her article and responded with these points which you can use for comparison. For more enlightenment, watch this video we posted yesterday. Then tell me who you want running America more, Romney or the choice of this Kos writer and these people in the video.

Credentials: Laura Hollis is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame. She was previously a Director at Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and an Associate Director and Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School with an undergraduate degree from Notre Dame.   Hat tip to Val Brose; Santa Maria, CA

http://obamacartoon.blogspot.com/2012/07/useful-idiots-obama-supporters.html

NBC News’ Top Science Reporter: Something Fishy About Hillary Clinton Claiming She’s Being Treated For Blood Clots Related To Earlier Concussion…

Weasel Zippers  "The problem: Clinton’s office is saying she’s being treated with blood thinners and the clots are related to her supposed concussion, but blood clots from concussions can not be treated with blood thinners. Hmmmm."

Quoting Politico:

“All we have is a statement from her office. The hospital isn’t saying anything and the statement from her [office] says that she had this blood clot that stemmed from the concussion and she’s being treated with blood-thinning drugs,” Bazell continued. “The problem is that usually when blood clots come from concussions, they can’t be treated with blood [thinners.] So either it’s not really related to the concussion and she’s got a blood clot in her leg or something, or there’s something else going on that we’re not being told. And right now, we’re just sort of seeking that clarification and hoping for the best as she’s being observed.”

Fiscal Cliff; Deal or NO deal? Let the blame game begin!

Late news that may supercede the links following the others in this post:  A ‘fiscal cliff’ deal is near: Here are the details   "On the spending side, the Democrats’ headline concession will be accepting chained-CPI, which is to say, accepting a cut to Social Security benefits. Beyond that, the negotiators will agree to targets for spending cuts. Expect the final number here, too, to be in the neighborhood of $1 trillion, but also expect it to lack many specifics. Whether the cuts come from Medicare or Medicaid, whether they include raising the Medicare age, and many of the other contentious issues in the talks will be left up to Congress."

WaPo; As ‘fiscal cliff’ looms, Republicans have no political incentive to make deal with Obama
"Yes, Obama won the election and did so quite convincingly. And, no, he doesn’t ever have to worry again about being reelected, which should, in theory, embolden him. But he is the only person involved in the fiscal cliff talks who has that luxury. Everyone else needs to keep one eye (at least) on their next race.
"That mentality means that for the vast majority of Republicans in Congress, a deal is more dangerous than no deal. A deal creates the possibility of a primary challenge from their ideological right in districts and even states that, by and large, went heavily against Obama in November. No deal means they might — with the emphasis on “might” — face some blow back from constituents who want them to get something done for the good of the country and put the partisanship and politics aside.

Rick Moran; GOP sets record for quickest surrender in history  "In a matter of hours, Republicans went from standing for entitlement reform - however small - to caving in to the Democrats. This, despite the fact that Obama himself supported the idea of chained CPI earlier.
"These guys couldn't negotiate their kids' allowance, much less a deal on taxes and spending." Via Lucianne

 

What do the pundits mean when they refer to politics as "Kabuki Theater"?

After posting the Ramirez cartoon in the post above, I began wondering about this term that one hears often.

From Slate; It's Time To Retire Kabuki; The word doesn't mean what pundits think it does.
"Judging from op-ed pages and talk radio, American pundits know a lot about Kabuki, the 400-year-old Japanese stage tradition with the Lady Gaga get-ups. Health care reform recently brought Kabuki to mind for both Rush Limbaugh—"what you have here is 'Kabuki theater' "—and New York Times columnist Frank Rich: "[I]f I were to place an incautious bet on which political event will prove the most significant of February 2010, I wouldn't choose the kabuki health care summit." For The New Yorker's George Packer, all the capital's a Far Eastern stage, and all its men and women merely players. "I looked for answers outside the Kabuki theatre of Washington personalities." "

In other words, pundits do not know what the term means, they just know using it makes them sound well-educated. Kind of like throwing in an occasional French or Latin word .
 Et tu, Mr. Krauthammer?

Media Blackout: Air Force General Blows Whistle on Obama

General William Shelton, the
commanding officer of U.S. Air
 Force’s  space command

Examiner.com   “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
“If an Air Force general blows the whistle on the Obama White House, does anyone in the media hear the corruption?
...."According to a source familiar with the Lightsquared probe, many officers at the Pentagon are highly suspicious of the President, the White House staff and even Obama's appointees at the Defense Department."
...." "First of all, we know what motivates politicians and big business. In the middle you have a career officer who is a four-star general. Whom would you believe? What's in it for General Shelton to make up stories?" Baker asks.
" "Let's hope General Shelton sticks to his guns and that more Pentagon and Justice Department officials decide enough is enough from this administration," Baker added."  Hat tip to The Right Planet