No mention of party affiliation except for "Walt Minnick, Right for Idaho."

"I've had to say 'no' far more often than I've said 'yes'." Wassamatta Walt, embarrassed by the party members that got you in office or the 70% voting record you have for voting with the Democratic Party? A great man once observed "In matters of principles, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current." I would venture to say that Thomas Jefferson also denoted the difference between a follower and a leader. Are you a leader, Walt? I'm none too interested in following after that ad.

I am perplexed by Walt's assertion that he voted against Wall Street bailouts. That vote occurred in October, 2008, a month before he won election.

"A Bible based marriage is between one man and, frankly, enough booty to make a Mormon compound seem quitely understaffed." Now that's funny.

From Boing Boing comes this compelling presentation on the method by which we save the planet. Its less than 20 minutes but once you click play, you'll never notice the time.

As I buried in the post on the Beckpocalypse, unfortunately the Nuge won't be performing at the "I have a nightmare" speech. He's been scrubbed, no doubt because of the racist comments. Beck's partners couldn't have that on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of MLK's landmark speech. But the tea baggers' loss is Boise's gain. But $60! Hell, Dylan was just here for $50. Good luck with that.

Freak. 90% of Idaho is welcoming country for the Nuge. But he's inflicting his testosteronic noise downtown adjacent to the liberal ghetto of Idaho. Nevertheless, the massive growth in west Ada County is chucky jam full of knuckle dragging mouth breathers with a penchant fer killing bambis, whose idea of gun control is using both hands, and who'd be in DC right now but for that damn child support(they lose their hunting license if they're not current).

After these guys down a dozen Vodka redbulls and get all hopped up on some of the Nuge's xenophobic bigotry, with a healthy dose of gay bashing, downtown Boise should make for a target rich environment. We'll see what the arrest sheets show tomorrow. We're no stranger to violent confrontations. A few years ago, one of our rock steady downtown musicians, a tiny cheerful intelligent girl who happens to be lesbian, was clotheslined by some asshole just for walking down the street. He commented about "her kind" when doing so while cradling his girlfriend under his other arm.

I must say Labrador fits right in with this cast.

Christ on a crutch. Who knew that almost a half century after Brown v. Board of Education, there's still segregation practiced in southern schools.

"[Y]ou asked what the net deficit impact would be if certain provisions of PPACA and the Reconciliation Act that were estimated to generate net savings were eliminated -- specifically, those which were originally estimated to generate a net reduction in mandatory outlays of $455 billion over the 2010-2019 period. The estimate of $455 billion mentioned in your letter represents the net effects of many provisions. Some of those provisions generated savings for Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program, and some generated costs.

"If those provisions were repealed, CBO estimates that there would be an increase in deficits similar to its original estimate of $455 billion in net savings over that period."

To be clear this applies only to the Medicare portions of ACA. If the entire ACA were repealed it would still add $140 billion. Numbers analysis here. As Benen said "In related news, Republicans believe accelerators make cars slow down, lighter fluid puts fires out, and light bulbs make rooms darker." But what can you expect from the party that has no use for education, thinks science is squishy, and apologized to British Petroleum for getting our water in their oil.

Republicans are all in for repeal. Especially here in Idaho where Governor Otter concocted the Idaho Health Freedom Act in order to distract away from the job he was supposed to be doing, governing. Instead he proposed to spend boatloads of money Idaho doesn't have on lawyers. Now he, and the rest of the walking contradictions, will have to 'splain to voters why they wanna increase the deficit by a half trillion dollars.

Onion parodies aside, what's tragic are the results from this focus group study demonstrating that Glenn Beck is the brain trust for the tea baggers.

Glenn Beck is the most highly regarded individual among Tea Party supporters of the people we tested. He scores an extraordinarily high 75 percent warm rating, 57 percent very warm.

This affinity for Beck came through very clearly in the focus groups. The only news source that participants said they could trust was Fox. Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity were cited as people who “are not afraid to tell it like it is” and support their arguments with solid facts. Beck was undoubtedly the hero in these groups. Participants consider him an “educator” (in contrast to the popular Rush Limbaugh who is an “entertainer”) who teaches people history and puts himself at risk because he exposes the truth. In the words of a woman in Ft. Lauderdale, “I would trust my life in his hands.”

Other comments are just as laudatory:

I like the way he’s trying to get back to the basics of the Constitution of the United States because I think that’s where our government is losing focus. They’re trying to change the Constitution or somehow twist it…

He brings out facts… And he actually shows the people saying the things. It’s not like just sound bites. It’s not chopped and really edited. And he is scary because every time I watch the show, which is pretty much every day, my heart feels…and I feel like I want to do something.

I’m frightened for him… Because of the things that he says. I think that he is stepping on some big toes.

He really does his research and he really lays it out to you well; a good professor.

Beck, of course, is an idiot. This weekend he is planning a rally on the 47th anniversary of MLK's "I have a dream" speech in the exact same location. Beck touts the event will "restore honor" to the nation's capitol. Certainly the irony is lost on him.

One of the scheduled speakers for the Beckpocalypse in DC was Ted Nugent who unfortunately had to cancel so he could have the opportunity to come sing to us "white people" right here in Boise, Idaho. Yeah, MLK is spinning like a top.

The debate swirling around the proposed mosque and Muslim community center in lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site has, for many, tapped into strong emotions of a national trauma that is still raw. But in the churning political and constitutional arguments, one question has not been adequately addressed: what makes a mosque near ground zero offensive?

Nearly everyone in this debate affirms the constitutional right for the mosque's construction. Indeed, that right is a cherished founding principle. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights." It is no accident that the right to worship in accordance with one's own conscience is enshrined in the First Amendment.

But, many mosque opponents argue, just because it can be built does not mean it should be. They say it would be disrespectful to the memories of those who died on 9/11 to build a Muslim facility near the World Trade Center site. I appreciate the depth of emotions at play, but respectfully suggest that the presence of a mosque is only inappropriate near ground zero if we unfairly associate Muslim Americans with the atrocities of the foreign al-Qaidaterrorists who attacked our nation.

Read all of it.

Down With Tyranny

Recently Rupert Murdoch's parent corporation, News Corp., dropped all pretense of "fair and balanced" and gave the Republican Governor's Association $1 million explaining away the corrupting influence by arguing that the parent corporation has no say in the promulgation of news by its subsidiaries. Marc Johnson wrote a thoughtful, and far too kind, piece on the propriety of such a donation, noting the dishonesty and pointlessness of News Corp's defense. Jon Stewart observed that the money was going the wrong direction, but that's a tail wagging the dog conundrum.

That brings me to Idaho's branch of the right wing noise machine. The other day I noted Larry Craig's radio guest host gig, subbing for conservative Nate Sellman, in which he had Wayne Hoffman screening questions. Wayne needs no introduction but is notable here as the principal of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, a conservative public policy organization which began its own news outlet, the Idaho Reporter, which, like Fox, touts itself as fair and unbiased. During the call in, Wayne made sure no one asked about the senator's infamous past, a stipulation apparently demanded by the senator.

Wayne Hoffman was accompanied by one of his minions, Brad Iverson-Long, a "journalist" Hoffman pays to promulgate the Idaho Reporter. I listened to the show for about an hour which reaffirmed why I don't listen much to commercial radio and certainly not conservative radio. During the show, Craig received accolade after glowing accolade while Wayne screened calls and barked orders at his dutifully responding obsequious employee. And one person even got through and tried to ask why Craig said he would resign but changed his mind. Hoffman refused the call arguing that it wasn't pertinent to the topical subjects of the day. Someone should have asked about the Prop H8 ruling, Lt. Col Ferenbach, or the tolerance of Muslims in the gay community, but I doubt they would have taken those calls either. Like News Corp. Hoffman screams about the corrupting influence of money in politics, yet categorically refuses to provide any information on the source of his funding. The duplicity is apparent and the result is astonishing. They seek to restore to the honor and dignity of elder statesman status to a senator who was caught and convicted of soliciting anonymous sex in a public bathroom. And given our current stupid public discourse, this bizarro world outcome doesn't seem that far away.

I also wanna give some props to Marc Johnson for these observations.

Here is my historical point: America has always had its share of Bryan Fischers. They live now, as in the past, on the hot oxygen of hate masquerading as political speech or true religion and they thrive because the media let's them get away with it.

***
I reserve a spoonful of blame for the Idaho media who gave Fischer a launching pad for what is now a national megaphone and hardly ever held him accountable. While he was riling things up in Idaho there was precious little reporting on who financed him, where he really came from and whether his ideas and accusations could withstand serious review.

From Popkey:

Former Idaho GOP Sen. Larry Craig will be on KBOI-670 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, [CALL 336-3700 or 1-800-529-KBOI] filling in for conservative host Nate Shelman. Craig will be joined by Wayne Hoffman, executive director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and formerly an Statesman political reporter and spokesman for former U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, R-Idaho.

Shelman, who will be vacationing, said Craig will field phone calls and focus on politics, elections and the economy. Shelman said he doesn’t expect Craig to take questions about his 2007 conviction for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with a sex sting in a men’s room at the Minneapolis airport. “It’s an understood agreement,” Shelman said. “I don’t think he wants to relive it.”

How the mighty have fallen. Craig continues to do the impossible and try and rehabilitate his sorry ol' self. And as Serephin pointed out, he's, ahem, never gonna run from it.

Jiminy God, this could be a splendiferous opportunity for snark. And with Wayne Hoffman, no less. They make a cute couple. Ask Wayne about his ethics and how he can compare the IFF to the NAACP at the same time he's fronting for a hate group. Here's how to get on a radio show. By going on the show hosted by tea baggers' favorite emcee, he's trying to remain politically relevant in Idaho and is still received well at Republican events throughout the state. C'mon Idaho, we can't have this guy going around like he still represents Idaho and its values. There's lots of questions to ask. Mind you don't ask the screener. You could always ask him to sing.

The latest right wing conspiracy theory which shamelessly utilizes their favorite motivation, fear. Needless to say, it has no basis in reality. Watch this congressman embarrass himself when called out on his baseless fear mongering.

You can learn all you need to know about this from Jon Stewart.