"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)"

With a big hat tip to iamcoyote, the republi-con hyprocisy is in high gear. (my highlights)

MINNEAPOLIS-- As residents of New Orleans were fleeing Hurricane Gustav, top Republican party officials donned pink boas and swigged vodka shots at a wild whirl of corporate and lobbyist-paid parties this weekend in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Many corporate sponsors and their lobbyists carried through with plans for lavish entertainment of GOP lawmakers and others despite calls from the campaign of Sen. John McCain that Republicans should tone down the convention festivities.

"We will be contacting corporations and others to ask them to be respectful of events in the gulf," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said Sunday afternoon.

Yet, last night lobbyists for the National Rifle Association, Lockheed Martin and the American Trucking Association put on a raucus six-hour party at a downtown bar featuring music by the band "Hookers and Blow." There was no evidence of any actual prostitutes or cocaine.

No night off for these republi-con party animals... I'm convinced they were glad the convention got curtailed by an act of God!

And yes, after what this country has been put through for the last 8 years, I'm an intolerant liberal blogger.

One observant Democratic challenger was ready to go... as pointed out by DvilleDem at Daily Kos.

Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), a GOP House deputy whip, was seen meeting with a group of lobbyists, who bemoaned McCain's call to tone down the parties which had already been paid for...

On the Sept. 1st Broadcast of ABC’s World News Tonight however, the Congressman can be seen arguing with reporters, fighting for his right to party.

Shuster’s opponent in the 9th Congressional district Tony Barr made the following statement. "We are saddened but not really all that shocked. At a time when the citizens of the Gulf Coast and literally running for their lives, and citizens here in the 9th District are feeling the pinch of an economy floundered by the policies of George Bush and Bill Shuster, where is our Congressman? Holding court with lobbyists who advocate the same failed polices that got us into this mess in the first place. At a time when drugs and drug related crime are the scourge of our streets, there’s Bill Shuster, partying with "hookers and blow!"

I can't wait for the pictures of this party.

UPDATE: Now we know why ATA was supporting a republi-con convention party. ATA (American Trucking Association) will support higher fuel taxes. The bastards...

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Family Values

Family values means "supporting" your 17-year-old daughter's "decision" to follow through with an unplanned pregnancy and get married. Married at 17.

Bizarre. Forced motherhood has never felt like "family values" to me.

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned,"

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family," she said.

Realize "very quickly" indeed. Who is really getting "punished" in this deal? The kid who has to "grow up too quick" or the baby who has to be raised by the kid who has to grow up too quick?

UPDATE: BTW Palin opposed sex ed. (obviously)

And, Obama says stay out of it to all of us. I agree for the most part. But the hypocrisy is stunning.

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Getting It Right On The Second Try

You can smell where this is going. Our Republican Government, which botched the first disaster 3 years ago, is about to get a make-over as a competent manager of disaster relief. They'll get it right (at least the initial part where the news cameras will be on) and in the eyes of the media, be redeemed.

The Media is writing the narrative already. (Bless Athenae)

"It's an opportunity!" the operatives boldly state. (h/t to EV)

I hope to god I'm wrong. And I hope that provenance sees fit to deliver the gulf coast a miracle.

Update: Don't miss tristero's post comparing the Democratic and Republican responses to the hurricane. It fits perfectly into what I'm seeing - the GOP is using this as a marketing opportunity and the news media is rewarding them by enabling it.

And now that the primary battle is long over, Krugman is posting sense again.

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Don't Buy The Pooched Rat.

In the last 24 hours, I've seen the criticism of Gov. Sarah Palin turn from legitimate commentary into outright slander and misogyny.

What if the McCain operation wants to stoke the negatively misogynistic themes we're seeing this weekend?

I admit it's attractive, it tastes real good because of all the fuckings we've gotten in the last 8 years, and it's really satisfying - but it's absolutely horrible for the health of our movement.

If I was Republican dirty tricks operative, I'd be grinning and rubbing the slime between my palms right now.

Political dirty tricks are nasty, but some of the worst are the ones buried by your own side in order to make the finders look like complete assholes.

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Boxer on Palin

California's Democratic Senator, Barbara Boxer, cuts to the quick on Sarah Palin. (my highlights)

The Vice President is a heartbeat away from becoming President, so to choose someone with not one hour’s worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.

If John McCain thought that choosing Sarah Palin would attract Hillary Clinton voters, he is badly mistaken. The only similarity between her and Hillary Clinton is that they are both women. On the issues, they could not be further apart.

Senator McCain had so many other options if he wanted to put a women on his ticket, such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison or Senator Olympia Snowe – they would have been an appropriate choice compared to this dangerous choice. In addition, Sarah Palin is under investigation by the Alaska state legislature which makes this more incomprehensible. - Barbara Boxer

Thank you Barbara for all you do!

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She's the Wall Street Choice.

Wow. So McCain picked Palin. And her nomination is doing exactly what McCain's campaign calculated she would do: suck every last bit of oxygen out of the media concerning this week's Democratic convention & it's historic nomination and speech in Denver.

What is very apparent however is that Palin's credentials seriously cast doubt on her experience and ability. Her story is very shallow. And she's just been named the President-in-waiting, both in terms of McCain's health and that the VP automatically becomes the lead contender for the office when McCain would step down after 2 terms.

Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen for very shallow and short-term reasons in the Presidential campaign - she was chosen by an executive who places more concern in short-term gains over long-term stability and growth, both in his campaign an in the operation of his country and his party.

That should be the meme. She's the Wall Street choice not because of her oil industry ties, but because she was the obvious short-term choice whom would bury the emerging Democratic lead. Short-term profit over long-term growth.

There are some real challenges here, however. One, Americans love attractive, personable . . celebrities. We may not like her politics, but how many people are going to see only her attractive face when they evaluate her? Two, Steve is absolutely correct that the Democratic campaign will have to be incredibly cautious in attacking and engaging in debate with Palin - Sarah Palin is a former journalist, and journalists love to love their people. Add to that her looks, and Biden could easily look like he's stomping on the cute, dumb puppy that likes to chew on the cuffs of your pants. If Dan Quayle could elicit that reaction by America, Sarah Palin could easily do it.

Update: When Chez agrees with me, I know I've hit the right note.

Because don't think for a second that he truly believes Sarah Palin is ready to lead the free world should something render him unable to. No, what John McCain believes is that Sarah Palin can lead enough women to the polls to win him the presidency.

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Hot Damn

We Democrats sure can throw a helluva party.

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