If we didn't call it racist, we'd have to debate it?!

I was looking for a picture of a tea-bagger sign that I saw the other day that said "If they didn't call it racist, they'd have to debate it!"


Now... I've made the case before that the racism charge is, at worst, perfectly accurate and, at best, giving them the benefit of the doubt.  You can only see so many "Muslim, Kenyan, communist, socialist, sleeper" signs before you're convinced that these people are in fact racists, if for no other reason than because it is hard to fathom a level sheer stupidity high enough to otherwise motivate and rationalize these signs.  Racist is an explanation I can accept. Stupidity is as well, but... that much stupidity?  Purely on stupidity alone?  I almost have a hard time believing that.  Anyway, I couldn't find the sign I was looking for (after sifting through literally hundreds of signs that ranged between the unintentionally hilarious and the outright offensive.) But I did find this one:

And it pretty much makes the same point.


And as well-designed as this one is... seriously: Is this how these people "think?"  We're "losing" the debate?  Perhaps, but only because 60% of America is too stupid to recognize the difference between something that is GOOD for them and something that is BAD for them. Seriously. And there was a perfect exampleof this in today's MSN article about the tightening Congressional races:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39818378/ns/politics-decision_2010


As far as the article goes? OK, yeah, whatever, we'll see in a few weeks.  Good news, I guess, but I'm still going to stand of the street corner with my sandwich warning people of the end of days, thankyouverymuch.   But there was one section that just drove me crazy:

Pennsylvania Republicans say the intense former Navy admiral is too liberal for this centrist state. They note that Sestak, a two-term House member, wanted a public insurance option in the new health care law, a larger stimulus package than the $814 billion plan Congress approved, and a tougher cap-and-trade energy bill than the House passed.

OK... now "Cap-and-trade" we can discuss that.  That's certainly debatable. Liberals are smart enough to realize SOMETHING has to be done, but obviously there IS a cost, and in all reality? It probably won't accomplish all that much. (It was originally a Conservtaive's idea, as well.  Just like everything else these idiots are blaomign OBAMA for!)   But let's put that aside for the moment and look at the other two.  (Because we really do like to list things in threes, don't we?  One thing alone isn't enough to win is it? You need THREE to make case, right?)


He's "too liberal," which is conserva-speak for "bad," because he wanted a public health care option and more stimulus.  In other words: He wanted to get people CHEAPER HEALTH CARE and MORE JOBS.  Can someone please exp-lain to how any individual person, anywhere, can possibly see either of those as a bad thing?!


Public Option: If you can do better, do so.  If it's cheaper, THEN WHY NOT?!  What is wrong with these people?  How can you possibly argue (unless you own an insurance company!) that this can be a bad thing?!  Seriously.  Who can honestly believe this?!  How do you reach that conclusion?! "Socialism," maybe?  But if "Socialism" was really going to give it to you for less, then why the hell would you NOT be a Socialist?  It makes no damned sense at all!


Same goes for the stimulus.  Which is another word for JOBS.  Campaigning against the stimulus is campaigning against JOBS!  Who does that?! Can you imagine what it would sound like if the Republicans were even half-way honest and the average American wasn't completely, mind-numbingly stupid? He be saying: I want to put more of you out of work, and then vote against unemployment for any of you!  Who the heck would vote for THAT guy?


But yeah.  "All" we're doing is shouting "racist."  (No: what we're doing is looking for a REASON behind all the blatant STUPIDITY!)  But apparently "if we don't call it racist, we'll lose the debate.  Well of COURSE we will!  If we're arguing with someone who thinks paying MORE for health and having LESS jobs is a GOOD thing!  How on earth would you debate with someone who has so clearly lost their freaking mind?!


See... it's not us who shout "racist" to squelch debate.


As I've said before, twice now, in fact, it they who say "liberal" and not only squelch debate, but then happily go and campaign for, and vote for, their own royal screwing.


Racist?  That's us being optimistic.  It's a compliment, compared to what we'd say otherwise, assuming there is even a word in the English language for this level of ignorance, gullibility, irrationality and stupidity.

"Thank you!" to all the Conservative posters over on MMFA

Yeah, you read that right!

I've made no secret of the fact that I love MMFA. I love that they call out the Right's lies, that they debunk the myth of the Liberal Media and (of course) that they're LIBERAL.

I love them MORE SO because while they're liberal, they manage to keep partisan politics out of a lot of their commentary. No, they do! Really! I'll explain: They mostly limit their editorial content to criticism of journalistic practices and many sources lack of journalistic ethics.

When they do a global warming article, or Congressional Budget article, or a Gay Right article, for example, they pretty much never actually advocate for the liberal position. Rather, they show how the issue if be misrepresented or deceptively framed, and show either conservative bias (in a supposedly liberal media) or the demostrable falsehood being presented. They criticise the coverage, without advocating for the position. They show you why the story is slanted or false without trelling you WHAT to think. (Only HOW to think!) It's objective, it's effective and I LIKE IT!

But there is another reason I like MMFA: The posters.

First off, most of the liberal posters (many of whom comment here regularly, thank you very much for that, btw!) have positions accross the board that I can relate to. And that goes beyond simply being liberal. (I DO NOT believe that something is inherently good just because it's "liberal." That's largely a mental disorder of conservtaives.) But I just don't find a lot of liberal extremeists there. (And to prove that I do believe there IS such a thing, and just to show the con's that I'm NOT one, my next post will be something alont the lines of "10 liberals I hate," but we'll leave that for now.) Basically I find their liberal posters to be very reasonable and to hold positions that I largely share. (And where some of the lib's there DO lean consrvative, even THAT is on some of the same issues as I do: Death Penalty, Gun Control, Jassie Jackson and Al Sharpton... just to name a few.)

But that's only half of it.

In addition to having some of the best LIBERAL posters, I have to admit that they've drawn in the very best CONSERVTAIVE POSTERS as well. And I know. I've looked on other boards, particularly conservative and even on ostensibly non-partisan boards, and the level of politcial discourse there is somewhere between neanderthal and thuggery. And as tough as I am on the regular Conservative posters over on MediaMatters (and I certainly don't hold back!) I find that they really do they best job, as far as posters go, pretty much anywhere on the web, of arguing the conservtaive position. That's not to say that any of them have ever actually influenced me... But at one point or another, every one of them has made me THINK. And I appreciate that. Plus I respect anyone who can gop into the "lion's den" and advocate for the christians, so to speak. (Think 'Romnan Coloseum' if you don't get the joke there.)

But seriously, I truly believe that the conservative posters on MMFA are among the best that are out there. You guys keep coming back, despite all the abuse, and you keep making GOOD POINTS, at least relative to the morons posting everywhere else. And you really keep the conversation hopping. So I want to give a profound THANK YOU to all the Conservative over there that I've locked horns with, for all the spirtied debate over the past couple of years:

ANOTEHRAMERICAN
BRUCE1ACE
CHENEY2010
DAVE
DAWUSS
DEXTERITAS0071418
FAIRLIBERAL
GALILEONARDO
JETER2
MISSDEE
OSCAR THE GROUCH
POINTOFVIEW
PROUDCONSERVATIVE
RIGHT ON
SLRTX
STARK
T.BOONE SLICKENS
TOMMY
TRUTH AND JUSTICE (that guy was a trip! what ever happened to him?)
and
WESLEY

Hopefully, I didn't forget anyone. Anyway, THANK you guys, for the all the spirited debate.

Now... I don't plan to go any easier on you, and I hope you never feel the need to pull your punches with me, but it's been so much FUN going at it with you guys, and you're a HUGE part of why I've stuck around on that board, where I've just given up (in boredom) on so many others.

And for all my LIBERAL friends? (Oh God, I hope y'all know who you are!) I can't even start to name you off, becasue there are too just many to count. (Although thank you especially to Brabantio, DellDolly and Conchobhar for your regular contibutions to THIS blog!) (And if I'm leaving anyone out, it's becuase I don't know what your handle is over on MMFA!)

Anyway I LIVE for debate. And while it's nice to know I have people who see the world the same way I do, it's also very nice to have worthy adversarties.

So THANK YOU.