Datelyin' NYT: To Catch A Prevaricator

Too Bad, So Sad

Turns out the Ron Paul REVOLution is just RAHOWA.

Grand Old Police Blotter: Racist Texans Not Named Ron Paul Edition

Last week, we introduced you to Harris County District Attorney Charles Rosenthal Jnr., the Texan cretin who used his office e-mail to make creepy plays for his secretary. Turns out that was the least of his alleged sins:

In an office e-mail message on Aug. 20, 2007, to his staff, Mr. Rosenthal, a Republican, wrote, "I'd like to kick off the 2008 re-election campaign with a barbecue in early October."

Another, under his name from Sept. 28, said: "If you want to take the day off from work, come out and help, we will definitely find something for you to do."

Section 39.02 of the Texas Penal Code makes it illegal for a public servant to use government property, services or personnel to obtain a personal benefit, and Texas politicians over the years have been prosecuted and convicted under the act.

Penalties range from the lowest category of misdemeanor if the misuse amounts to under $20, to a first-degree felony if the loss is valued at $200,000 or more. A first-degree felony can be punishable by up to life in prison.

But Rosie the Republican wasn't just using his official e-mail address to support his own reelection, he was using it for personal amusement:

Not all the political messages involved himself. On Aug. 14, Mr. Rosenthal forwarded to friends a message attacking the record of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and calling her "a disaster for all Americans." His name appeared on messages comparing her to Karl Marx. And one of the images turning up as an attachment was Mrs. Clinton as a nutcracker.

Mr. Rosenthal also forwarded to a friend a mock study of flatulence and a series of jokes making fun of University of Texas football players after several were arrested on various felony charges. He also forwarded the image of a sign saying "girls and fish have a lot in common" with graphic sexual references.

Other material that was in Mr. Rosenthal's e-mail but did not contain his name was a photograph, titled "Fatal Overdose," of a black man lying on a sidewalk amid watermelon peels and Kentucky Fried Chicken containers.

Texas justice at its finest. If the story is accurate, Mr. Rosenthal and fish may have a lot in common.

Roger Gets Results

As I always suspected, CNN comes to this blog for story ideas. Wolf Blitzer is simply an empty suit -- size XS -- without the assistance of yours truly. I heard NPR got some inspiration from me as well.

But seriously, you've got to admire Ron Paul's gift for incoherent bullshit (from the CNN link):

"Libertarians are incapable of being a racist [sic], because racism is a collectivist idea."

It's thinking like that that got Paul declared the winner of tonight's G.O.P. debate by a third of the FOX News viewers who know how to operate telephones.

The Silence of the Pauls

So why aren't Ron Paul's newsletters and Paul's extremely unconvincing justification of their content getting more press? Sure, Paul's not going to be the Republican nominee, but he was within one percentage point of Mayor 911 in N.H. and got twice the percentage that Richardson got on the Democratic side. Maybe I missed the coverage. I don't read all the papers or watch many news programs. But I've seen more stories on the Golf Channel commentator who apologized for using the word "lynch," entirely without malice -- or any other form of thought -- in a metaphor about Tiger Woods and his rivals. And nobody watches the Golf Channel.

There's nothing in this article about Paul in today's NYT. This article about the mainstream press reporting on Paul's newsletter only refers to The New Republic article itself and a post on Andy Sully's blog. A search for "Ron Paul newsletter" on Google News turns up 20 stories, all or almost all of which appear to be from blogs or web-only publications. As far as I can tell, the author of the TNR piece only appeared on Tucker. And nobody watches Tucker.

Isn't this the sort of story the flaming liberal press supposedly loves -- exposing a Republican for his bigotry? Why, it's almost enough to make me believe the liberal media doesn't exist. Or maybe it's because Paul opposed the invasion of Iraq. [/sacrasm]

The most innocent explanation for Paul's actions -- that he put his name on a newsletter without ever monitoring its content -- means that Paul is a complete moron who was friendly with, and trusted, some extremely loathsome bigots. In other words, well within the mainstream of G.O.P. leadership.

p.s. -- More comedy gold from Paulogists here.

For Further Discussion: Compare to the media attention regarding Joe Biden's comment that Senator Obama was "articulate and bright and clean." And to other web-originated stories that have received traditional press coverage this week.

Huckleberry Pwned

The underreported story of last night was the political death of Fred Thompson, who drowned in a quarter-inch puddle of bourbon and branch water in Hew Hampshire at 7:01 p.m. EST. The Great Dead Hope of the Republican Party was bested by fifth-placed finisher Ron Paul, the absentee proprietor of a racist publishing empire. In fact, Paul received eight times more votes than Huckleberry Fred. Fred claims he's focused on South Carolina, where, God willing, folks might confuse him with Deputy Dawg, but when word of Paul's newsletters reaches the South Carolina G.O.P. there's no way Fred will outperform Paul.

Whitey Lied

That's Tweety Matthews' excuse for the difference between the blowhards and pollsters' predictions for the New Hampshire Democratic primary and the actual outcome. It couldn't possibly be that the pollsters and pundits don't know their asses from holes in the ground when it comes to Democratic politics. It's that thousands of caucasian Dems were afraid to admit, anonymously, to someone they'd never seen before (or ever) and would never see again that they weren't voting for the black man. Matthews supported this hesis by "quoting" that pidgin-speaking caricature of a Native American, Tonto, who (according to Tweety) said, "White man speak with fork-ed tongue."

It couldn't be that the pollsters' methods of identifying actual Dem voters were flawed, because that's never happened before. It couldn't be that a large portion of the New Hampshire electorate ares independents, who could choose which party's primary to vote in up to the time they were handed a ballot. And it couldn't be that the blowhards stayed away from the Granite State (like Matthews) or stayed in their luxury suites, engaging in alcohol-fueled circle jerks with failed campaign consultants and substituting the counting of heads at rallies for speaking with potential voters.

While citing "the Bradley effect" allows dolts like Matthews to pose as scholars of American politics, it actually shows their superficiality. Senator Obama was trailing Senator Clinton in N.H. pre-Iowa, although he was closing the gap in December. So how did the pollsters manage to locate all the frightened whiteys in the closing days of the campaign? (Or was there a surge of frightened whiteys when Obama came to the state and stole their dates?)

It's not that I believe racist whites don't lie about their beliefs when it's advantageous to do so. Hell, some of them even denounce their old newsletters. But no one could seriously believe that choosing one of other Dems over Obama would reveal their otherwise hidden bigotry.

Meanwhile, on FOX News, the channel's post-election analysis consisted of Sean Hannity pimping Dick Morris' website and anti-Hillary DVD. And Senator Clinton still appeared on their morning show.

Update: Bob Somerby also debunks the application of the Bradley effect to yesterday's primary. I guess "Bradley effect" is easier to pronounce than "I'm a highly-paid fraud."

Smell The Premise

From Time:

Speaking of celebrities, the Obama campaign also confirms that Larry David has shown up at their headquarters and has been making calls on their candidate's behalf.

A Vast Libertarian Conspiracy

Kennedy was killed in a Lincoln, and now ... this.

In October 2007, the wingnut bulletin board RedState.com banned supporters of Ron Paul from joining the website.

Now, RedState's totally realistic plans for blogging world domination have been thwarted by an inferior website program called Drupal.

Drupal is an anagram for .... Dr. Paul.

Coincidence? There is no such thing.

(More here. Perhaps I should threaten to withhold the Year-In-Review Quiz answers until I raise enough dough to buy a new car.)

Mark Levin, Oxymoron

Attention to detail is what made hairless troll doll Mark R. Levin everything he is today. Witness his obsequious Ode to Big Pharma:

Rush has never bowed to efforts by the left to control our national debate through intimidation tactics. A few months ago, when the Democrats shamelessly used Graeme Frost, a 12-year-old who had been in a terrible car accident, to promote the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) entitlement, it was Rush, with information from folks on conservative websites such as Free Republic, who told America that the Frost family was not as it was represented to be by the Democrats and the Big Media. The Frosts had been financially able to purchase health insurance but apparently had chosen not to. Among other things, the parents sent their two daughters to an expensive private school, at an apparent cost of $40,000 per year. For exposing this sham, Rush was accused of picking on the poor seventh grader. Well, as Rush explained at the time, she'd been used, but not by him -- by her own parents, the Democrats and the media.

Drug-addled or dumbfuck? You make the call.

Paulites Go Loco'reilly

And Mitt's future second wife is outraged!

How Shameful [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Ron Paul supporters harrassed (sic) Sean Hannity in Manchester last night. Who does that?

Presumably people who care about politics care about politics because they love their country. Right? Why would you treat anyone like that?

Never mind the guy (Hannity) with the most honest analysis of the night (which could even be interpreted as good news for Ron Paulbots). (sic)

Presumably people who write for a living care about spelling and grammar because they love writing. Why would K-Lo write something like that? For that matter, how could she confuse Sean Hannity with "their country?"

And doesn't anyone know to make a snowball any more?

Get Ready For This

Last night, on a "news/talk" radio station out of Fresno (KMJ 580 AM), I heard this douchebag, who is reportedly broadcast on 300 stations, refer to Senator Obama as Barack Mohammed Hussein Obama. Three times. In less than two minutes. In connection with a reference to Islamic terrorism.

If the candidate and his supporters aren't ready to rip Cunningham and his ilk a new and bigger asshole, repeatedly, they'd better get out of the way.

The Ascension of Saint John

Tim Russert's man-crush, Senator John McCain, appeared on Meet the Press to get Father Tim's blessing as the G.O.P. establishment's man. McCain was followed by veteran stratahacks Mike Murphy and Steve McMahon, who assured viewers that Saint John would be the Republican nominee.

The corporate wing of the G.O.P. has sold its shares of Willard Co. and is repurchasing St. John Corp. to fend off the fundy rump action.

Romney's support is now limited to the lunatic fringe and those with a financial stake in Willard's success.