Sisyphus's blog

More of this please.
 read more »

Consider this as another in my series providing election year ammunition. This one is targeted for the lies spread by deficit hawks gunning for Social Security. Send them an email.

Top 5 Social Security Myths

Rumors of Social Security's demise are greatly exaggerated. But some powerful people keep spreading lies about the program to scare people into accepting benefit cuts. Can you check out this list of Social Security myths and share it with your friends, family and coworkers?

Myth: Social Security is going broke.

Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a 'T').  read more »

Here's a DNC list of the Republican agenda. Watch for the very last one which is complements of the Idaho State Republican Party Platform. Way to go Idaho Republicans.

Detailed list below the fold. Sourced here.  read more »

As a follow up to Election Year Ammo I have a couple quick links to assist in correcting the record for the upcoming election which should be useful to candidates, bloggers or commenters when challenging their opponents, the media or tea baggers.

From sister of Sisyphus, we have this most excellent piece of snark composed of an email exchange between a concerned parent and a "Christian Volunteer" over some proselytizing allowed in Australian schools. This one's for Binky where ever he is.

Dear Darryl,

I have received your permission slip featuring what I can only assume is a levitating rabbit about to drop an egg on Jesus.  read more »

UPDATED 7/28: A US District Court has enjoined the most offending portions of Arizona's immigration bill. Here's a draft of the 36 page opinion which is well written and easier to read than most court documents.

I've got a longish post working around in my head in anticipation of SB 1070 going into effect on July 29th. This video by Black Eyed Peas member Taboo is a prelude.  read more »

You can't make this up. The Idaho Republican Victory Campaign 2010 is a DC Republican effort primarily to get wingnut Raul Labrador elected to congress. The campaign recently hired former Lt. Governor Brad Little aide, Phil Hardy, as its director. DFO of HBO interviewed Hardy about Idaho Republicans and their newly minted platform.

DFO: Has the Idaho Republican Party been taken over by the Tea Party wing?

Phil Hardy: It’s not the Tea Party people who have taken over. The state of the country has become such that more people than ever want to get involved in the political process. What we see is a lot of new folks coming in. Someone used the phrase that I’m going to use now: Regressive is the new progressive. In my lifetime, I can’t remember people going back to the federalist papers and the Constitution and reading this stuff. Perfect case in point is the 10th amendment. Over last year, I’ve been forced to read the 10th amendment. It’s in the bill of rights. Framers were pressured to come up with Bill of Rights to get the Constitution passed. Either we repeal (the 10th amendment) or enforce it and these people are asking these questions.  read more »

From Benen.  read more »

Its the economy, stupid. Facts are stubborn things. Which is why they come in handy when faced with right wing talking points unhinged from reality, a reality which we all know has a liberal bias.

For the right wing day trader who says the stimulus failed, here's the White House demonstrating what the stimulus actually did.

For the deficit hawks complaining that Obama politics are bankrupting this country, here's the responsible party.

And as evidence at how unhinged they are, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell actually said there's no evidence that Bush's tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% caused decreased revenue to our treasury. Ezra Klein eviscerates that notion which was based upon the much discredited, but aptly named, Laffer curve.

Go fight win.  read more »

out of the closet.

From Wonkette specifically calling out the super tuber.

Updated below

Never understood the revisionist history surrounding the mania for fusing of God and Country. This event in Nampa is more akin to a barnstorming evangelical meetin' in the south with the laying on of hands. No word of any snake handling but they surely speak in tongues. Paradoxically their zeal to meld God and Country seeks to undermine one of our most cherished freedoms, the establishment clause, which prevents them, or any one else, from using government to impose their religious views on the rest of us. In addition their conservative politics don't really jive with what I was taught about Christ's teachings. Take a gander at Tea Party Jesus which puts the words of value voting conservative pundits into Jesus' mouth with humorous results.

Dave Johnson set up a decent pictorial representation demonstrating how conservative policies led to the demise of the middle class since the time Reagan sold a revolution to dolts destined to be destitute. So next time one of your shirt tail relatives/hairdresser/cranky neighbors includes you in one of his specious mass forward emails you can include this link in your "reply to all" and tell them to trickle down on this. Conservative philosophy is simple, its freedom. People must have the freedom to be exploited cause there is no greater good than gluttony and greed, deadly sins notwithstanding. At least this guy puts on a mask.  read more »

Ever since the Village Idiot took off for his new village in Tupelo, Mississippi and his job as guardian of the ancient texts, chief asshole, blogger for the American Family Ass'n, our loss has been Wonkette's gain, giving the lampoon site plenty of fodder from Fischer's Biblical based lunacy. Yesterday Fischer explained how the mauling death of a hiker near Yellowstone could have been entirely prevented had the hiker followed the warning signs to avoid the area. listened to his years of training on the risks associated with a posted capture area. obeyed the commandments set forth in Leviticus. Give him credit for consistency. Fischer also claimed it was God's will that an orca killed its trainer because they failed to stone it in 1991.  read more »

...this asshole will be chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.

UPDATED BELOW

 read more »

The big question after the ID-01 Republican primary bloodbath, which involved two candidates but only one campaign, was the degree to which Labrador was going to secure the fairly solid Republican establishment backing Vaughn Ward had accumulated in the 14 months he was campaigning. While nationally Republicans are monolithic putting a premium on party loyalty, the division between moderates and wingnuts in Idaho predates any flirtation with tea bagging.  read more »

Idaho Republican Party Executive Director Jonathan Parker blasted Rep. Shirley Ringo (D-Moscow) for her lawsuit inviting the court to review allegations of wrongdoing and sweetheart deals brokered at the Idaho State Tax Commission. Parker labeled the lawsuit "frivolous and politically motivated" even though the Commission is bipartisan and she sued the two Democrats on the committee personally, David Langhorst and Tom Katsilometes. Parker threatened:

“We’ll follow this case very closely as it progresses this summer,” Parker said. “If Rep. Ringo or her Democrat colleagues implicate anyone through innuendo or hearsay and use that information in a political campaign, we’ll be reminding the public that taxpayers are paying for that partisan propaganda.”

Methinks he doth protest too much. Sounds like there might be a couple legislators or their patrons sweating the public review a court case will provide. Ironically amusing how they can complain of a taxpayer funded lawsuit instituted solely for political purposes after the state passes the Idaho Health Freedumb Act.

Meanwhile, the federal government placed tax liens on the assets of Representative Phil Hart (R-Athol)  read more »