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Showing posts from July, 2010

Wingnut Wrapup

Yes, it's once again time to dump a load of howling derision on the most deserving characters in the world, our wingnut brothers: Larry Elder, Town Hall: "Shirley Sherrod, Quit While You're Ahead" Yeah, from one "black" person to another, shut up! How dare you reveal Andrew Breitbart to be not a principled journalist, but a typical lying right wing smear master. After all, he's only following orders. Janice Shaw Crouse, Town Hall: " Clinton Wedding Raises Questions of Interfaith Marriage" It does? With who? I mean, really, who cares? What's the matter with you people- the country is collapsing all around you and this sort of thing is all you care about. Please, grow up some time soon. Erick Erickson, Red State: " Did the Federal Government Cause the BP Oil Spill?" Well, in a way they did, Erick. When Bush and Cheney told the oil industry in secret meetings that they could do any damned thing they wanted, and no one would

Republican Lunacy- It's Still Here

I hope the people at Daily Kos will not mind my just quoting this rather long excerpt, as it states the facts pretty perfectly: "Ah, the number 13. Always a source of fear. That's certainly true for Iowa Republicans who hope to strike fear in the hearts of Democrats by using the 13th amendment. They don't mean the current 13th amendment, the one outlawing slavery. That one they'd just as soon forget. No, says Iowa's GOP, the 13th amendment that the rest of the nation is following is not the real deal. Instead, it wants to reintroduce the "original 13th Amendment" first offered by senator Phillip Reed of Maryland in 1810. The amendment states that "if any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive or retain any title of nobility or honor” from a "foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen" and "shall be incapable of holding any office of trust." Why should Iowa Republicans be so intereste

I Disagree With Kos

From Daily Kos today: "Breitbart Was the Problem, Not "Bloggers" Sorry, Breitbart was not the problem. The problem is the mainstream press which for three decades now has virtually promised Republicans that no matter how stupid, dishonest and dangerous their claims are, they will be treated as though they were absolutely reasonable. Until the press starts telling the truth, this country is sunk. And unfortunately, I don't have a clue what would make them do that. Particularly unless the Democrats get some guts and start telling the truth themselves.

And I Can See Why

"Bush Memoir Release Has Republicans Concerned " Well, I wouldn't worry if I were you, guys. The people who it will be suitable for are all way too young to vote.

Important News!

This just in: "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader, says Paul the Octopus, the sea creature that correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup games, is a symbol of all that is wrong with the western world. " Mahmoud, somewhere there's a tea party that could really use you. Well, look on the bright side. There must not be much wrong with us if Paul the Octopus sums it all up.

Global warming pushes 2010 temperatures to record highs

From The Guardian. Just sayin'

Stimulus Truth

From the New York Times, via Americablog: "In a new paper, the economists argue that without the Wall Street bailout, the bank stress tests, the emergency lending and asset purchases by the Federal Reserve, and the Obama administration’s fiscal stimulus program, the nation’s gross domestic product would be about 6.5 percent lower this year. In addition, there would be about 8.5 million fewer jobs, on top of the more than 8 million already lost; and the economy would be experiencing deflation, instead of low inflation. The paper, by Alan S. Blinder, a Princeton professor and former vice chairman of the Fed, and Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, represents a first stab at comprehensively estimating the effects of the economic policy responses of the last few years. “While the effectiveness of any individual element certainly can be debated, there is little doubt that in total, the policy response was highly effective,” they write. " Yes, the stimulus averted a

Have I Mentioned This Lately?

Bobby Jindal is really stupid.

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This

Smart Republican: Rep. Jason Chaffetz: “Most people are hesitant about pulling out because they don’t want to look like they have their tail between their legs,” Chaffetz said. “If the reason we should stay in Afghanistan is because we are in Afghanistan then it is time to re-evaluate your position.” Dumb Democrat: His Opponent, Karen Hyer, Chaffetz' Democratic oponent: "she said the Republican’s vote against this funding was “irresponsible” and described it as “the grandstanding of an inexperienced freshman congressman.” Hyer believe the funding is necessary to continue and conclude ongoing missions. “We should support our men in uniform who are currently in harm’s way,” she said." And the way to support them is to let them die for nothing. I've been waiting since Vietnam for someone to explain to me how that works. Bush and Cheney blew it over there long ago, and everybody knows it. History is full of people who let their soldiers die long after it wa

Wingnut Wrapup

Some internet problems and a real heavy workload have prevented GE from posting much, but here's a little Wingnut Wrapup, just to prove that reading these guys' comments hasn't finally rotted my brain away for good. Protest the Left: "House Democrats vote to illegally silence everyone but unions" And Protest the Left too, apparently. They don't seem to have succeeded in silencing you, more's the pity. Or any of the rest of your lying wingnut comrades. Howard Rich, Town Hall: "Contrary to Barack Obama’s rhetoric about protecting consumers, his new financial reform law represents...the latest example of America’s “march to Marxism” Sure. Preventing giant corporations from ripping off virtually every American in existence- what could you call that but Marxism? You guys really understand politics. Now, Jim Hoft is on a real campaign of late- he seems determined to take over the title "most obnoxious liar on Wingnut Wrapup, since Pam Gelle

Bad News for Rappers

"A giant sink hole in downtown Milwaukee swallowed up a Cadillac Escalade."

A Flash, or maybe A Flush From the Past

In Green Eagle's lunatic meanderings through the sewer that is today's conservatism, he rarely comes across anything which gives him as much innocent amusement as the following scholarly essays, written by one Robert Firth, at the time of the 2008 election, and which so well encapsulate both the vision and the values of our wingnut brethren: "WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR...MY PREDICTIONS FOR 2009 Illegal aliens: Now that they have been voted into power, look for the "Filthy Libs" to pass laws providing immediate amnesty for the 20 odd million illegal aliens already living on the largess of the American Taxpayers. In 4 years they will be sworn in as citizens and permitted to vote, thus guaranteeing nobama and his liberal pals permanent control. The days of America being run by common sense conservatives is over- Our once great country is headed now into the dust bin of history..." Whoops- wrong on prediction one- the "filthy libs" haven't even sug

Laugh of the Day

From CNBC: "Wall Street Fumes At White House Fin Reg Rebuke The White House’s decision not to invite the chief executives of JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs to today’s ceremonial signing of the financial overhaul legislation has many on Wall Street fuming. President Obama signs the financial regulation bill into law at a White House ceremony, with two big bank CEOs not invited. JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein were both left off the invitation list for the signing of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill into law. “It looks a bit like crony capitalism—the White House playing favorites and rebuking companies that don’t instantly agree that every policy coming out of the Democratic caucus on Capitol Hill is the most brilliant idea ever,” an executive at one of the companies whose chief got an invitation said." You've just got to laugh. I wonder why Bush didn't invite Saddam Hussein to be there when he declared war on Iraq.

Give This Job a Try, Alvin

Talking Points Memo has managed to uncover some performance reviews of South Carolina "Democratic" Senate candidate Alvin Green from when he was in the military. According to the report, he was "unable to express thoughts clearly," and "not able to adapt to any changes to daily routine." He was also described as potentially being a "a threat to others" Well, that may not make for a very good Senator, but based on recent experience, it would apparently amount to perfect qualifications to be a Republican president.

Michelle Lays It Out

Michelle Bachmann's plan for Republican leadership if they take back control of Congress: "According to Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., the House Republicans should exercise their power to subpoena and hold continuous hearings. "Oh, I think that’s all we should do,” Bachmann said. “I think that all we should do is issue subpoenas and have one hearing after another." Well, that should certainly work to deal with our country's problems. Boy, if the American voters fall for the Republican party's billion dollar smear campaign and put them back in the driver's seat, we are in for some rough times.

Fiscally Conservative?

A quote from Reuters: " WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - A fiscally conservative Democrat who chairs the U.S. Senate's budget committee on Wednesday said he supports extending all of the tax cuts that expire this year" The proper term for that is not "fiscally conservative." It's "corrupt."

Where in the World?

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Take a look at these pictures: What do you think? Iraq? Afghanistan? No, these photos are from here : Yes, these are photos of violence in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico- just about three miles from downtown Laredo Texas. Right next door, folks. How long will it be before we will be bringing those troops home from Afghanistan, in order to send them to fight in Texas? Oh well, at least maybe it will be a chance for George Bush to finish his national guard enlistment. Maybe all of the American politicians over the decades who thought that it was just dandy for them to keep Mexico in peonage in order to profit big corporations ought to be thinking twice about that decision.

A Major Victory

From an excellent post at Crooks and Liars, here is a list of some of what the new Democratic financial reform legislation accomplishes: "* Tighter consumer protections on credit cards and lending. * Consumer Protection Agency * The end of "too big to fail" * Real time reporting and transparency * Stronger requirements for bank capitalization * Shareholders now have a say in CEO compensation. * An end to "debit card fee bloat * The Volcker Rule - Banks may no longer trade securities for their own profit while also managing customer investments." Pretty amazing, considering that the substance of this bill is being ignored by the mainstream press, and savaged as another example of creeping communism by the Republicans. It's not everything we could want by a long shot, but considering the fact that the opposition party has turned into a bunch of seditious terrorists, it is a substantial accomplishment. Too bad the press will se

Right Wing Gunman Targeted ACLU

Remember the right wing police shooter from several days ago? You know, the one that the "liberal" press took almost no interest in? From Talking Points Memo, you can learn: "Anti-government shooting suspect Byron Williams has been charged with allegedly opening fire on police officers on Interstate 580 in Oakland, California, while on his way to "start a revolution" by attacking members of the ACLU...Police now say that Williams, an unemployed carpenter, told them that "his intention was to start a revolution by traveling to San Francisco and killing people of importance at the Tides Foundation and the ACLU," according to court documents." Never heard of the Tides foundation? Well, you would have if you listened to Glenn Beck- it's one of his favorite targets. When do you think we will have had enough of these incidents for the press to admit that the real terrorist threat in this country comes from our own home-grown, teabagging, &q

It's a Start

From MSNBC: WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signed into law Wednesday an overhaul of banking and Wall Street regulations that he says will end many of the practices that sent the U.S. economy into the worst recession since the 1930s. The legislation gives the government new powers to break up companies that threaten the economy, puts more light on the financial markets that escaped the oversight of regulators and creates a new agency to guard consumers in their financial transactions. Obama described them all as commonsense reforms that will help people in their daily life — signing contracts, understanding fees and assessing risks" Republicans, on the other hand, had another description for them: "communism." Like I say, it's a start, but in the end I'm afraid that it won't mean much until you are as likely to end up in prison for this kind of corrupt scam as you are for burglary.

Screw the Unemployed

Let's just stroll on over to that wonderful site, Renew America, which blends family values with Republican politics, to get our minimum daily dose of hateful ranting from one more greedy right wing bastard. Today's offering is from a self-described "Christian" by the name of Dan Popp, who apparently missed all of that helping the poor thing while he was absorbing Jesus' many speeches against homosexuality. I mean, really, when he talked about the wise and foolish virgins, what do you think he really meant by "foolish virgins?" Well, here we go: "Deadbrains By Dan Popp" Well, not so bad so far. Just let me warn you- don't get your hopes up. "Government help to the unemployed is just as disastrous as government help to business, or government help to unwed mothers, or government help to foreign countries, or to the homeless, or college students, or farmers, or sick people. Surely that's because help is not what government was c

China flooding kills 701, worst toll in a decade

That's Obama's fault too. I'm not sure how...I'll get back to you on that as soon as I check out the right wing blogs.

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan approved by Senate Judiciary Committee

Communists!

Wingnut Wrapup

This is like the labors of Hercules- The more crap we clean out, the more they truck in: Erick Erickson, Red State: "Americans have now learned about the extreme views of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court...Senators should filibuster her nomination to stop her sitting on the highest court in the land." Of course, Americans have learned no such thing, since she doesn't have any extremist views. Still, why not start the day out with a big fat lie? Got to keep in practice... Michael Van Cleve, Pajamas Media: "Why the Russian Spy Case Matters" Because wingnuts just might, maybe, find out a way to use this utterly boring incident to blame something else on Obama. Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "Sarah Palin Bashes Plans For Ground Zero Mosque" So what? Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit: "WaPo Writer Milloy: It’s Not Just Tea Partiers – White People Are Angry, Vindictive & Racists...Amazing, really, how people fro

The Right Wing Hits Continue

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Now we have news of a guy by the name of Byron Williams. Here's his picture: Byron had a little spat with the police recently. From San Francisco Weekly, this comment: "If a writer crafted a character like Byron Williams -- the 45-year-old felon in serious condition after exchanging gunfire with state troopers on I-580 in a scene right out of Robocop -- he'd have been accused of creating a nightmarish cartoon. With Williams, the jaw-dropping elements just keep coming like so many bullets. He was a twice-convicted felon driving on a suspended license with an arrest history including assault, property destruction, a DUI, hit and run, and theft. And, yes, he was allegedly driving drunk prior to yesterday's shootout...Williams was apparently prone to maniacal rants about about left-wing politicians taking away his rights and lived with his mother in backwoods Groveland in Tuolmne County. She had a locker full of guns, as she believed that armed resistance against our go

An Oh So Predictable Story

From the L.A. Times, as a result of a tip from Poll P: "Muslims throughout Temecula and Murrieta (California) have saved up for years to build a mosque to replace the plain white industrial building, tucked between a pipeline company and packaging warehouse, where they now gather to pray. But as the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley moves ahead with plans to build on a four-acre plot of vacant land near Temecula's gentle hills and invading housing developments, plans for the new mosque have stirred hostility in this mostly conservative community in southwest Riverside County." Hostility from you-know-who. Honestly, I don't know why the Muslims don't want to stay in their industrial building- it's so convenient to have your bomb factory right in the same facility. I mean, that's all Muslims are up to, right? That's what I hear from our conservative brethren, and I'm sure they researched the issue carefully before broadcasting this conclusio

Words of Eternal Wisdom

From Captain Fogg at the Swash Zone: " Things I've learned: America is indeed a classless society, but not in the good sense." Or as that great English man of letters, Thomas Carlyle put it so succinctly, "To the mediocre, mediocrity is excellence."

Who Cares?

"Obama to GOP: Restore unemployment benefits now" Nah, let 'em starve. They're nothing but a bunch of lazy bums, or they would all have fellowships at the Heritage Foundation or jobs at Fox News. I mean if someone as dumb and worthless as Sarah Palin can make twelve million a year doing nothing but mugging for the camera and shouting out hateful talking points, you can't tell me that these people can't at least get a job on some State Republican committee.

Obama's Economy

CNBC Reports online today: "Economists say the U.S. recovery continued during the second quarter of this year with more businesses hiring workers and fewer cutting jobs...The National Association for Business Economics said its latest survey, released Monday, found 31 percent of businesses added workers between April and June, the highest level in three years. And 39 percent of those surveyed say they expect to hire more workers over the next six months — the most since January 2008. Manufacturers reported the strongest increase in demand and profitability." The press and the villagers will never admit the damage done to the economy by Republican economic lies, which were never intended to to anything but expedite the extraction of wealth by the rich, from the rest of us (at which they did a very good job, sorry to say.) No, it is so much more appropriate for these people to blame Obama, who slowly but surely is working us out of the deep hole dug by Bush and Cheney and Reag

What? Where?

I'm just not sure what to make of this story: "The Syrian minister of higher education has prohibited the entrance of veiled female students into universities and colleges throughout the country, news agencies reported Sunday. Dr. Ghitath Barakat explained that the donning of face veils, which cover everything but the woman's eyes, "opposes the morals and values of the academy". Syria? Well, if nothing else, let this serve as a reminder that Muslims are no more all the same than Christians. Christians are not all child abusing priests, and Muslims are not all crazed terrorists. Who knew? And this just in: On the other hand: "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – There are few pleasures left for Gaza's 1.5 million people, squeezed by both a blockade and Hamas efforts to impose its strict Muslim lifestyle. And women here just lost another one. Gaza's Hamas rulers have banned women from smoking water pipes in cafes, sending plainclothes agents through popular bea

You've Just Got to Laugh

Via Atrios, this hilarious comment from the New York Times about Pakistan: "But behind the opulence lurks a troubling fact. Very few of these households pay income tax. That is mostly because the politicians who make the rules are also the country’s richest citizens, and are skilled at finding ways to exempt themselves." Well, at least we can be thankful that such a thing would never happen in the most magnificent, God-blessed country on earth.

Wingnut Wrapup

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Time for another load of sewage from the other side of the aisle, huh? Well, here's what they're "thinking" these days: Pat "I Love Me Some Hitler" Buchanan, Town Hall: "Rescuing itself from the obscurity it richly deserves, the NAACP has found a way back onto the front page: accuse the tea party movement of harboring racists. Is it not an absurd world we live in?" God, Pat has that one right. A guy who has spent a lifetime defending Nazis becomes an appropriate person to talk about the NAACP. And for stating a totally obvious truth. Well, Nazis like Pat don't have much use for the truth. Michael Gerson, Town Hall: "Dishonoring Stalin's Victims" Funny, this was not an article about how conservatives debase the horrors of the Stalinist era by comparing him to Obama. Go figure. Neil Stevens, Red State: "Reid leads, or Mason Dixon understating Angle again?" Oh, it must be the latter. How could the majority leader

Climategate- Their Scandal, Not Ours

From the Guardian (via Americablog: ) "Last month was the hottest June ever recorded worldwide and the fourth consecutive month that the combined global land and sea temperature records have been broken, according to the US government's climate data centre. The trend to a warmer world is now incontrovertible. According to NOAA, June was the 304th consecutive month with a combined global land and surface temperature above the 20th-century average. The last month with below-average temperatures was February 1985. Each of the 10 warmest average global temperatures recorded since 1880 have occurred in the last 15 years with the previous warmest first half of a year in 1998." Remember last winter when, every time it snowed somewhere it proved that global warming was some sort of gigantic fraud? Well, I guess once you convince yourself that being against evolution and gays has more to do with the religion of Jesus than being for the poor, the sick, the stranger, it&

Important News

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Just one step closer...and you're going to get such a bite.

Oil Spill Fades

A little addendum to my rant about the press just below, from Chris Cilizza at the Washington Post today: "Gulf oil spill fades as an issue just as oil stops gushing into Gulf" Funny that, as long as the Republicans could beat Obama up about this disaster that was totally caused by Republican deregulation and indifference to corporate malfeasance, it was the number one story anywhere. Within one day of the situation seeming to be under control, it "fades as an issue." Apparently, as with the Wall Street reform legislation, things are only issues if they can be used to make Democrats look bad. Otherwise, who cares, right?

A Simple Explanation of the Dems' Troubles

Would you like to know why Democrats are having so much trouble getting any traction with voters, who seem posed to return to power the very people who nearly destroyed our country two years ago? Consider this: Yesterday, Obama and the Democratic party achieved a phenomenal victory for the American people by putting together an unstoppable majority in Congress to pass major new financial controls on the out-of-control maniacs on Wall Street. This was done despite the almost unanimous opposition of Republicans, who are dedicated above all else to letting the rich do any damned thing they want. How was this treated in our "liberal" press? Here are a few examples. At the New York Times, the headline was: "Obama Pushes Through Agenda Despite Political Risks" The article was about how the voters apparently don't like being protected from another depression. At NBC News: "Obama builds on a record blurred by poor economy" Again-nothing to indicate t

Racists Pure and Simple

Mark Williams, one of the national leaders of the Tea Party Movement, in what he considers (I suppose) to be some sort of parody: "Dear Mr. Lincoln We [National Association for the Advancement of] Colored People have taken a vote and decided that we don’t cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!" I never, ever, ever want to hear another ass claiming that the teabaggers are not significantly motivated by racism. We all know this is a simple fact, and here is one more proof. Racism and greed, that's all these "patriots" have.

FEMA Buses to Hell

And this just in from Survivalist News: " FEMA Buses Spotted In Gulf Shores Alabama Apparently FEMA is staging evacuation buses in Gulf Shores Alabama. Best guess is that the buses will remove Gulf Shores residents to the civilian prison camp at Maxwell AFB near Montgomery Alabama. The Maxwell civilian prison camp was established under Operation Garden Plot and is staffed and ready to receive “refugees”. Because what possible reason could there be for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be on the site of a national emergency? I mean, it must be to take people to prison camps, right? I sure can't think of what else they might be up to than starting to implement a plan to enslave the American people. That makes so much sense. What an evil man that Obama is. Next thing you know he will be sending American troops to "fight" the "terrorists" in "Afghanistan." I mean, am I right, or what?

Cheney

From TPM: "But reading between the lines, you're left with the distinct impression that Cheney, 69, is entering the late stages of congestive heart failure" What heart?

Your Liberal Media at Work

From a story at Media Matters, we learn that Pamela Geller has recently been a guest on the following national TV "news" shows: MSNBC News CNN- American Morning NBC Nightly News Fox and Friends Fox's Huckabee Readers of Green Eagle will be well aware that Pamela Geller is an unrepentant right wing racist liar of the most despicable sort, who has devoted her life to spreading the ugliest hatred about Muslims, with side excursions to spread grotesque, hateful lies about Obama. Just recently, I reported her serious claims that Obama is plotting nuclear war against the United States. What place does a person like this have anywhere near a program that claims to present the news, when even moderate liberals like Markos Moulitsas are almost totally blackballed from these networks on the thinnest of pretexts? And yet the media plays along with the right wing lie that it has a liberal slant. This is not an accident, and it is (as I have said so many times before) not because p

Wingnut Wrapup

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Well, here we are with the current skimmings off the top of the Republicans' ongoing attempt to turn the United States into a third world dictatorship: Dan Riehl, Riehl World View: "Have you noticed what superb writers we have on the Tea Party side of the aisle?" No, I haven't noticed that at all. In fact, if you don't mind my expressing my own opinion here, I would have said just the opposite. For some examples, just keep reading, and see how you feel about the question by the end of this post: Doug Giles, Town Hall: "What If Glenn Beck Said, 'I Hate Every Last Iota of a N-----! Kill Their Babies!' " You guys would all agree with him, although not many of you would say it out loud. That's what would happen, jerk. Astute Bloggers: "COOLIDGE PURSUED A SIMPLE POLICY: LIMITED GOVERNMENT; IT LED TO THE GREATEST PROSPERITY THIS NATION HAS EVER KNOWN." Yeah. Particularly from 1929 to 1940. We sure need more of that, huh? While we&

Nice Picture

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This tasteful billboard paid for by teabaggers in Iowa: "North Iowa Tea Party co-founder Bob Johnson says ...the pictures might be overwhelming the intended message." What intended message would that be, and exactly how do the pictures overwhelm the message? As far as I can see, this billboard pretty much exactly represents the teabaggers' lying, sick, anti-American message. Update: From Confederate Yankee, this sage observation on the billboard: "Of course, Obama is nothing like Hitler or Lenin. Both of them were demonstrably more competent" Well, there you go. But Wait, there's more! Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online: "it isn't quite saying Obama is a Hitler. In an academic setting one could defend at least some of the ideas captured in the billboard" What ideas, Jonah, you prick? The only idea of that billboard is that Obama is like Hitler and Lenin. In what academic setting could you defend that idea? Oral Roberts University,

Engaged. What Next?

From the AP: "Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston say they're engaged" Thank the Lord in Heaven above that we don't have the sick redneck spectacle of Sarah Palin and her white trash family one step away from the White House.