Frank Rich:

Last Sunday the site was Lower Manhattan, where they jeered the “ground zero mosque.” This weekend, the scene shifted to Washington, where the avatars of oppressed white Tea Party America, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, were slated to “reclaim the civil rights movement” (Beck’s words) on the same spot where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had his dream exactly 47 years earlier. [...]

There’s just one element missing from these snapshots of America’s ostensibly spontaneous and leaderless populist uprising: the sugar daddies who are bankrolling it, and have been doing so since well before the “death panel” warm-up acts of last summer. Three heavy hitters rule. You’ve heard of one of them, Rupert Murdoch. The other two, the brothers David and Charles Koch, are even richer [...] But even those carrying the Kochs’ banner may not know who these brothers are.

The country will be in for quite a ride should these potentates gain power, and given the recession-battered electorate’s unchecked anger and the Obama White House’s unfocused political strategy, they might. [...]

You can draw a straight line from the Liberty League’s crusade against the New Deal “socialism” of Social Security, the Securities and Exchange Commission and child labor laws to the John Birch Society-Barry Goldwater assault on J.F.K. and Medicare to the Koch-Murdoch-backed juggernaut against our “socialist” president.

Only the fat cats change — not their methods and not their pet bugaboos (taxes, corporate regulation, organized labor, and government “handouts” to the poor, unemployed, ill and elderly). [...]

The other major sponsor of the Tea Party movement is Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks, which, like Americans for Prosperity, is promoting events in Washington this weekend.  [...] FreedomWorks received $12 million of its own from Koch family foundations. [...] The Kochs surely match the in-kind donations the Tea Party receives in free promotion 24/7 from Murdoch’s Fox News, where both Beck and Palin are on the payroll. [...]

Tea Partiers may share the Kochs’ detestation of taxes, big government and Obama. But there’s a difference between mainstream conservatism and a fringe agenda that tilts completely toward big business, whether on Wall Street or in the Gulf of Mexico, while dismantling fundamental government safety nets designed to protect the unemployed, public health, workplace safety and the subsistence of the elderly.

Yet inexorably the Koch agenda is morphing into the G.O.P. agenda, as articulated by current Republican members of Congress, including the putative next speaker of the House, John Boehner, and Tea Party Senate candidates like Rand Paul, Sharron Angle, and the new kid on the block, Alaska’s anti-Medicaid, anti-unemployment insurance Palin protégé, Joe Miller. [...]

Do any of the Fox-watching protestors at the “ground zero mosque” know that Fox’s profits are flowing to a Obama-sympathizing Saudi billionaire in bed with Murdoch?

But despite all this, sadly, as Frank Rich suggests, President Obama isn’t fighting back.

Much more here.

It’s L.A. Times letters to the editor time! First, a couple of opinions about that whole “Obama’s not one of us” meme. One more letter to come in a separate post on a different issue:

The president and his faith

Re ” White House reminds nation that Obama is a Christian,” Aug. 20

The mere fact that President Obama had to actually declare himself a Christian, and the fact that so many people believe he is a Muslim, are deplorably illustrative of both the pervading ignorance and the judgmental attitudes in this country.

It’s also sad that he allowed himself to be manipulated by these polls, effectively saying, “I hereby declare that I am not a Muslim, or an atheist, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist.” Uninformed Christianity and the right wing have hijacked this country with their vitriolic divisiveness and ideological demagoguery. Where does that leave the rest of us?

Neither Obama’s religion nor his ethnicity constitute why I voted for him.

However, with this moronic screeching frustrating all his attempts at governing, he is in a no-win situation.

Must you continue giving press to these dogmatists and racists?

***

My wife and I read the articles about the polls showing the increased numbers of those who think that the president is a Muslim, was not born in the United States, doubt his belief in Christianity or other absurdities; it is sad to see how ignorant and mean-spirited so many Americans are.

The difficult times of our recession and the politics of the “tea party” and ultra-conservative Republicans are bringing out the racial, religious and ethnic prejudice that lie just beneath the so-called civilized veneer of our society.

It is good to see that not all Americans apparently fall for the outrageous lies disseminated on the Internet, TV, talk radio and some so-called news organizations.

Unfortunately, too many believe these wild accusations. Too many ignore facts or real news and forgo the use of critical thinking to analyze what they hear.

The talk of the United States overcoming its history of racial intolerance with the election of Barack Obama as president was obviously premature.

Via L.A. Times letters to the editor:

Prejudice in the Supreme Court?

Re “Facts anchor marriage ruling,” Aug. 6

The Times reports, “Four conservative justices on the high court are widely believed to be unlikely to support a decision recognizing a constitutional right of gays to marry.”

This sentiment has been echoed by other responsible media outlets.

It’s a woefully sorry state of affairs when conventional wisdom seems to suggest that four justices of the highest court of the land are assumed to enter any case with prejudice.

Forgive my sporadic absence lately. Editing BLUNT videos is extremely time consuming, and now M.I.L. is in I.C.U. (adrenal gland surgery). We were half way to the hospital just now, but F.I.L. called and said turn around, she was too nauseous/feeling too miserable for visitors.  I need a happy story. Anyone have one?

Another conservative idiot proving our assertions of conservative idiocy for us:

Psst! ConservativeGal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton#Presidency.2C_1993.E2.80.932001

H/t:  DAKGirl

According to some conservatives, confirming Kagan would be hitting a home run

If the Party of No needed some cover, they’re getting it. Several fans of Elena Kagan, including Clinton investigator Ken Starr, who also happen to be conservative, are giving her major kudos– publicly. Despite her political leanings, they are endorsing her, saying she is sharp as a tack and able to work well with others:

Conservative lawyers and academics are voicing support for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, praise that could soften criticism from the right and provide cover for any Republican senators inclined to vote for her nomination.

The essence of their take on Kagan, the former Harvard Law School dean who now serves as solicitor general, is that she clearly has the smarts to be a justice and has shown an ability to work with all sides on thorny issues.

Of course, if the obstructionist party stays true to form, all they’ll talk about at the confirmation hearings is her Jewiness, her secret lesbianosity, and her obvious Marxification.

Thomas Goldstein, a Supreme Court lawyer who writes about the court and nominations for Scotusblog.com, said the support on the right is potentially useful to Kagan.

“When conservative icons strongly endorse Kagan, that knocks the legs out from under the claim that she’s either unqualified or a liberal activist. Those arguments end up looking like pure politics,” Goldstein said. “The endorsements also give critical cover to moderate Republicans who want to vote for her but worry about criticism from the right.”

One supporter, Michael McConnell, a former federal appeals court judge who was nominated by George W. Bush, said Kagan will be “a safe liberal vote”.

Let’s hope he’s right.

See that graph? So did Allison Kilkenny, who tweeted:

Four of the five most conservative justices to serve on the court since 1937 are on the court now.

Now here’s Chris Hayes subbing for Rachel Maddow, making the very same point:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

By GottaLaff

Roll Call is subscription only, but the snippet they did post was enough:

Conservative lawmakers known for fanning the flames of the tea party movement and its harsh rhetoric against President Barack Obama are, at the same time, some of the most giddy Members of Congress when it comes to the president swinging through their home states for a visit.

If that doesn’t illustrate their blatant hypocrisy, nothing does. They don’t even try to hide it any more.

By GottaLaff

Now children, let’s go back and review what we’ve been missing:

Men rode dinosaurs so that they could hunt better. And besides, they made great companions when the wife was busy birthing cavedwellerettes.

There is no such thing as separation of church and state. That’s a crazy myth that some Marxist commie made up.

Always use your position to exploit and indoctrinate children, and then accuse the first African American president of doing the same when he’s encouraging good work habits and responsibility:

After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday voted to approve a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics textbooks, stressing the role of Christianity in American history and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light.

The vote was 11 to 4, with 10 Republicans and one Democrat voting for the curriculum, and four Democrats voting against.

And children, above all else, be fair and balanced:

The board, whose members are elected, has influence beyond Texas because the state is one of the largest purchasers of textbooks.

Remember children: The whole church and state thing? Pffft!

The conservative members maintain that they are trying to correct what they see as a liberal bias among the teachers who proposed the curriculum. To that end, they made dozens of minor changes aimed at calling into question, among other things, concepts like the separation of church and state and the secular nature of the American Revolution.

“I reject the notion by the left of a constitutional separation of church and state,” said David Bradley, a conservative from Beaumont who works in real estate. “I have $1,000 for the charity of your choice if you can find it in the Constitution.”

Bias? What bias?

They also included a plank to ensure that students learn about “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schalfly, the Contract With America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association.”

To be fair, the Black Panthers and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “nonviolent approach” will get some print space, too. That’s some concession, huh?

Today’s lesson: Little children asked, and received, their own little raptors for their birthdays. And if they were extra special good, pet nanshiungosauruseseseses… eseses…es.

Sunday’s lesson: Jesus had dinosaur stables back when saddling up a brontosaurus was in vogue. He loaned his herd out to anyone who needed a ride to the nearest crucifixion. He was socialistic that way.

By GottaLaff

I say, I do so appreciate the British flair for understatement, what?

“It’s hard for us to understand, if I can put it that way.”

– United Kingdom conservative party leader David Cameron, quoted by Vanity Fair, on Sarah Palin’s popularity.

Pip pip, don’t you know, eh Corrupta McDimBulb?

Tally… ho!

By GottaLaff

If at first you don’t succeed…

The certified public accountant from Lake Placid, New York announced that he’s making a second bid for Congress. His first run, as a Conservative Party candidate in a three way race, helped spark a bitter divide within the GOP and was one reason Democrat Bill Owen won a district his party hadn’t controlled in over a century.

So he used to be a Divider. Now, he wants to be a Uniter.

That’s right, now he says he wants to unify the party, get ‘em all together– Republican, Conservative and Independence Parties– and bundle ‘em up to beat the Evil Pelosi Party.

Maybe he’ll enlist Barbie McLipSchmutz to campaign for him. That should clinch it.

Besides, who could resist a face like this:

By GottaLaff

Your Daily Dose of BuzzFlash, brought to you by Mark Karlin:

The modern “conservative” movement is nothing more than a massively funded and highly effective communications strategy to shift America into an oligarchy that functions for the super wealthy through tax cuts and for corporations through the elimination of safety regulations for the public good and the privatization of government.

That’s not conservatism; that’s highway robbery. It’s a crime.

All this came about through the organized strategy and financing of wealthy financiers and corporations to build a network of think tanks, media-owned outlets, reporters toting the oligarchy line on the “benefits” of unrestrained “free trade,” public relations initiatives, and front organizations to move America from an evolutionary society relying on the strength of innovation and a dynamic educated middle class to a relatively static society in which those at the top are in a members-only club growing obese with wealth while kicking others down from the ladder to the top and demanding tithes from them.

The most vital cudgel used to achieve this economic and social imbalance that stultifies the American nation and is immoral to its founding principles is the notion of “centrism.” It is beat into us by Republican and Democratic politicians (Rahm Emanuel and the White House being current exemplars), the corporate mainstream media, and, of course, the relentlessly effective GOP echo chamber.

What is “centrism” other than an artificial metaphor, given that America is confronting so many issues and that the vast majority of society wants to move forward, not backward. What most Americans want is not static “centrism,” but movement ahead. [...]

After all, so called “Conservatism” is the opposite of progress. [...]

America prided itself on breaking away from the fixed and stultifying inherited upper class rule of Europe, only now to have an interest group with such massive amounts of funds to create a “natural order” of winners and losers; in essence, to reverse the American Revolution.

That’s not “centrist” or “conservative”; it is immoral, even treasonous.

[...]

The created fiction of the “center” is used as an excuse for inaction on behalf of America’s obscenely wealthy interests.

Much more here.