Joe McGinniss on Hardball.

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This is a MUCH superior interview to the one Joe did on CNN, and though I usually am not a huge fan of Mathews, he is very respectful and even gives Joe the chance to answer a question without interrupting.

On Hardball it's Palin-bots and ex-Palin-bots on parade attempting to minimize the impact of the McGinniss book.

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Clearly Shushannah Walshe is still shotgunning Palin brand Kool-aid, but Frank Bailey serves as a fairly effective counterpoint right up until Mathews hits too close to home with the Domionist talk forcing Bailey to make the attempt to change the subject.

By the way just imagine how much better Bailey's book might have been if he had not been so  worried about protecting himself from possible legal action? If that had happened it might have been Joe McGinniss commenting on HIS book instead of the other way around.

Lawrence O'Donnell reports on the Republican debate that devolved into a circular firing squad, with Rick Perry right in the middle.

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Can I just mention how much good it does my heart to watch the Republicans beating each other up?

I wish I could start EVERY morning with something like this.

Just in case you missed it, here is the ENTIRE Republican debate from earlier tonight. With a side order of tweets!

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I have to say that I actually had fun watching this.

I really like watching Republicans go for each others jugular.

I tweeted my fingers to the bone during this debate, so rather than write up a whole long post concerning my opinion about who won, who lost, and who said the stupidest thing, I will just let you read my highly informative, truly inspired, and potentially libelous tweets. (And remember, I MAY have been drinking during the debate.)

Perry is talking. I am pinching myself to remind me I am not having a nightmare about George W. Bush. 

Matthews should be happy. Romney is trying to kick Perry in the balls. He is missing, but he is trying. 

Okay Romney landed one. Does Perry believe he is responsible for the oil in the ground in Texas?

Wait is that Santorum? Here let me Google him to make sure. 

Herman Cain is going for the applause lines. Why do I crave deep dish pizza all of the sudden? 

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! It is "Crazy time with Bachmann!" I LOVE this show! 

Is she blaming the economy on "Obamacare?" Uh seriously?(Which by the way does not even start to kick in until 2013.)

Well who could possibly out crazy Bachmann? Mr. Paul, you are up. 

Oh Brian Williams is going to get some nasty e-mails tonight! How dare he confront the leprechaun of Libertarianism. 

Uh oh, I think Newt is working for the Perry campaign! 

Perry smells Romney blood in the water. "Did somebody say healthcare?" he drawls. 

Let's sum up Romney's defense. "MY healthcare plan good. Obama healthcare plan bad!" 

"Why are people uninsured in Texas?" Perry "Federal government." WTF? 

I think Bachamnn just said something smart. I am looking out of the window for locusts and fiery rain. 

Newt is attacking the moderators! Quick load up the tranquilizer guns! (Yelled at Brain Williams and that Politco guy to not attempt to make Republicans disagree with each other. I am not sure that Newt understands the concept of a "debate.")

The journalists are "protecting" Barack Obama? When did that happen? 

Santorum is speaking in the third person again. 

Holy crap! Rick Perry just looked through my television at me. Yeah, I don't like that! 

Romney will not say that Bachmann crazy. Pansy! 

Paul just kicked Perry in his "Hillarycare" supporting balls. 

Ron Paul just jumped the shark with his condemnation of Reagan policies in the eighties. I guess he was ALWAYS on that side of the shark. 

Yeah Rick Perry, why do you hate old people? (Called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme.")

Perry attacks Karl Rove? Ooh that is going to leave a mark! 

Romney found chink in the Perry armor. 

Oh NOW Perry does not want to fight. Yeah, that is how bullies ALWAYS respond. 

Herman Cain is talking about the Chile model. Why is that man always making me hungry? 

Funniest line thus far. Ron Paul saying "I as President." 

I think I have to agree with Perry about the HPV vaccine. I hate myself for it, but I do. 

Romney is supporting Perry on the HPV vaccine. Crap I hate it when they stop fighting! 

Why is Newt talking about WMDs again? Somebody get the man a calendar. 

Paul hates people affected by natural disasters. What did people do before FEMA? They died. 

Huntsman wants to talk about something important. And his tan is VERY Presidential. He wins points with me. 

Newt offers solution to education. "Get rid of public education!" So simple, why didn't anybody else think of that? 

Hey! How come the Hispanic moderator does not get a chair? 

Romney wants a border fence. That is just for YOU Teabaggers. Romney loves you, don't forget. 

Wow, Romney just went full Teabagger! 

Santorum punts the immigration issue concerning the illegals already in the country. 

Hispanics wants us to stop helping illegal aliens? "Screw you Uncle Jesus, get your green card!" (Bachmann claimed to have spoken to Hispanics who did not want Federal dollars spent on illegal immigrants in this country.)

Wow everything is so simple for Herman Cain. He is either a genius, or Herman Cain. 

Paul going after the drug laws. The stoner voting block is his for the asking. 

Ron Paul said that those border fences might keep us from vacationing in Peurto Vallarta. I KNEW those fences weren't for the Mexicans! (Ron Paul had said the border fences are to keep Americans in.)

Romney says he IS member of Tea Party. Baggers say "Nuh uh!" 

Bachmann is trying to channel Reagan. Nancy looks doubtful. 

Huntsman says no to pledges and immediately starts to lose his voice. Somewhere Grover Nordquist is choking a voodoo doll. 

Bachmann: "Obama is weakening our military." Yes because killing terrorists makes the rest of the world think we are push overs. 

Huntsman defends science? I thought he was a Republican? 

Perry grabbed the scientists by the scruff of the neck and throws them under his big ole Texas bus. Now that is a Republican!  (In response to Perry saying that the findings on climate science are not agreed to by most scientists.)


(I did correct a few spelling mistakes, but for the most part those are my tweets as tweeted in the heat of the moment.)

Lawrence O'Donnell responds to e-mail from Republican chairman in Iowa asking if he would apologize for repeatedly saying that Sarah Palin will not run for President after she announces. An announcement that he expected to take place on September 3rd.

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If only the Teabaggers watched Lawrence O'Donnell instead of Fox News, just imagine how much grief and disappointment they could have avoided.

Everything you need to know about the Teabaggers is represented by this pathetic excuse for a human being, Tony Katz. Update.

There was an exchange on MSNBC earlier today between this bloated piece of shit and Jamal Simmons in response to these statements by Teamster President James Hoffa directed toward the Tea Party:

“President Obama, this is your army,” Hoffa concluded to applause, his voice raising to a shout. “We are ready to march. Let’s take these sons of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong,” he said, stepping back from the lectern where President Obama would speak less than an hour later. 

“There’s a war on working Americans and we are getting sick and tired of it,” Hoffa told ABC News Tuesday morning. “It’s absolutely a war. They declared war on us. We didn’t declare war on them. They’re the ones that introduced right to work in 14 states, and went after public employee bargaining rights in both Wisconsin and Ohio. We’re fighting them across the board. They want to roll the clock back to about 1900.” 

Now this is video of what Katz said about Hoffa, the Democrats, and President Obama. I am going to warn you ahead of time that he is an especially nasty piece of work, and what he said literally had me shouting at the television and wanting DESPERATELY to be in the same room with him for just five uninterrupted minutes.

That, my friends, is the face of the Tea Party in this country. THAT is the kind of sloppy, porcine piece of human excrement that is given a platform on our airwaves to attack our President.

I mean for God's sake Gandhi himself would have punched that guy in the throat!

Update: Here is Hoffa's FULL quote:

President Obama this is your army. We are ready to march. And president Obama we want one thing: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. That's what we’re going to tell him. He’s going to be - and when he sees what we’re doing here he will be inspired. But he needs help and you know what? Everybody here's got to vote. If we go back and keep the eye on the prize, let's take these sons of a bitches out and give America back to America where we belong! Thank you very much!

I am sorry, I thought everybody knew that Hoffa was talking about voting the Teabaggers out. I will make sure to be more clear in the future. 

Martin Bashir tries to get to the bottom of the Sarah Palin/Christine O'Donnell kerfuffle in Iowa.

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I tell you every time I see one of these Teabaggers on television it is like they just got snatched away making barely coherent anti-government rants on YouTube, dressed in an ill fitting suit, and plopped down on a chair in the MSNBC studios.

This guy Judson Phillips is clearly ill prepared to defend the Teabaggers against Bashir's rather pointed questioning, and his contention that "The Tea Party lives by the words of Martin Luther King, we judge people by the content of their character not the color of their skin," is laugh out loud ridiculous.

It is also worth noting that he essentially admits that Palin's people refused to have her participate as long as O'Donnell was included in the line up of speakers. And as all of the people who visit this blog are already aware, when they say "Palin's people" that really means the Grizzled Mama herself.

Palin does not trust ANYBODY to make decisions on her behalf.  Even Todd had to ask her what to do about me when I showed up at the book signing event in Anchorage.

Lawrence O'Donnell presents Professor Lichtmann and his 13 Keys that prove President Obama will win reelection.

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As I am sure many of you remember I wrote about Professor Lichtmann and his formula on Tuesday.

I am still standing on my soapbox and preaching that we buckle down and make damn sure that Obama gets reelected, but it is nice to know that there is this formula out there which predicts he will succeed.

Rick Perry wants to shrink government until it is so small it can fit into a woman's uterus, and boss it around.

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Apparently in Rick Perry's America women would be relegated to the only job that God ever intended them have, breeding.

And folks, there is a VERY good chance that THIS is the guy that will be facing off against President Obama in 2012.  Still feel like sitting out this next election?

Like me did you find yourself wondering what Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson thought of Dick Cheney's new book? Well thanks to Lawrence O'Donnell now you can find out.

Part One:

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Part Two:

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Wow!  I did not realize how much I had missed Lawrence O'Donnell while he was taking an extended leave of absence after the death of his mother.

 I am very glad that he is back on the air.

"Day of Destruction Decade of War." What will YOU be watching next Thursday?

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 (If video does not play click here.)

I cannot think of anybody I would rather look into what has happened to this country since 9-11.

(H/T to Bruce for reminding me about this amazing upcoming program in an e-mail.)

Rachel Maddow asks why, if everybody seems to hate the Tea Party, the GOP is letting them bully them into submission?

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Rachel Maddow discusses how Republicans use a Presidential campaign, not to win the White House, but as a stepping stone to fame and fortune. Sound familiar?

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(By the way in the lead up to this segment Rachel played the confrontation between Todd Palin and the Alaskan women in Iowa that we discussed here several days ago.  You can see that here.)

MSNBC host Martin Bashir finds way to silence the Palin-bots. Sadly won't work for everyone.

Courtesy of Mediaite:

Comparing his work as host of Martin Bashir to that of the network’s primetime stars, like Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, Bashir’s quick to concede he’s still learning. “It’s a challenge to find a voice, but also to do it in a way that consistent to me,” he told Mediaite. “I’m really more of a listener than a shrieker.” 

 He may be known as a genteel listener, but that’s not to say he’s a pushover when temperatures get hot. When Bashir delivered a commentary on Sarah Palin’s on-again, off-again bus tour, suggesting the motive behind it all was money, Palin’s supporters unleashed a torrent of criticism–and a few lightly veiled threats. “It was extraordinary. I had people literally leaving messages (late at night),” he told us, describing some of calls as unsettling in their tone and content. “Extremely offensive language and saying things about me personally. They said they knew where my family lived.” 

 Bashir, in keeping with his character, pondered the passion behind the threats before deciding what to do. “I’m an outsider, but I can tell you it’s a privilege to work in this country. So much of America is special and exceptional. And the implication of people who were (calling) was that because I was criticizing a quasi-politician, I was criticizing the country…that I was in some way implying comtempt or disrespect for this nation.” 

 Bashir made the decision to respond by going on his program and showing viewers his green card. “I am, in fact, a legal, permanent resident of the United States,” he said, holding the green card in his hand. “And I’m well on my way to becoming a citizen of this great country.” 

 It was a unique moment and a revealing one. It also put an end to the phone calls. “It was something. To be perfectly honest, it silenced everybody.” And for Bashir, it was not a moment manufactured for television–but a response that came from his heart. “I’m not someone who hates this country. I’ve grown to love this nation.”

I don't think that it is too much of a stretch to say that there is little doubt that Martin Bashir loves this country MUCH more than Sarah Palin ever could.

Sarah Palin is a spoiled little girl who uses the language of the patriot to manipulate people into supporting her, and lining her pockets with cash. Bashir is a man who was born elsewhere and was drawn to this country by the freedoms that many of its people take for granted.

His awesome smackdown of the Palin-bots almost makes me wish I had a green card to wave around when they come after me.

Interesting analysis of the top three GOP frontrunners and Rick Perry's chances of emerging victorious.

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I don't watch Chris Matthews very often anymore, but I caught this one today and I was caught somewhat off guard by Jennifer Donahue's predictions concerning these three GOP hopefuls.

I am not sure if she is right, but she makes a very compelling case.

I am interested in what all of you think.

"I'm the worst possible choice for this country! No, I am! I hate this country! I hate it more!" Last night's GOP debate in a nutshell.

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I was only able to watch a little of this three ring circus, because I have a doctor's note that excuses me from watching too much Fox news since it dramatically impairs my ability to engage in rational thought.

However what I did see was MORE than enough to convince me that we need to work our little progressive asses off to make sure that President Obama gets reelected, and that not ONE of this simple minded douchebags should be allowed anywhere near the White House!

Seriously I don't care HOW disappointed you are in this President, or how frustrated you are that he did not wave his magic negro wand and solve all of the nation's problems like you convinced yourself he would, from what I saw last night he is this country's only hope of not ending up looking like a real life version of a "Mad Max" movie.

These are the scariest bunch of lunatics I have seen gathered on one stage since I watched patients at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute put on their version of a "Midsummer Night's Dream." (Not bad really.  I especially enjoyed the part where the actor playing Puck forgot his lines and kept asking if anybody in the audience had a copy of Shakespeare with them.)

Hearing these slack jawed candy asses claim that they would NOT raise taxes even if they were promised ten spending cuts for each tax hike made my frontal lobe scream for mercy.

I know these people are smarter than that (except for Michele Bachmann who is only about six brain cells away from having to have a cork stuck to the end of her fork) and yet they refuse to stand up to Grover Norquist and the Teabaggers, and tell the voters the truth about what it will take to fix this nation's economy.  That was a shameful display.

There were a FEW glimmers of intelligence, such as Jon Huntsman saying that he would repeal NCLB, but for the most part this appeared to a contest to see who could act like the most ignorant man on the stage.

In fact these wannabe leaders of the free world had dumbed themselves down to such a degree that having Sarah "all you need is common sense" Palin and Rick "I can't figure it out so let's pray for a solution"Perry join them onstage might actually have RAISED the combined Intelligence Quotient.

Yeah, it was THAT bad! 

Now if you will excuse me I have to write a check to the Barack Obama reelection campaign.

Jonathon Capehart talks to the man who interviewed Mercede Johnston for Playboy.

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Okay this guy is an imbecile, though I guess I should be pleased he liked my state so much. However he did not answer any of the Jonathon Capeheart's important questions.

However it is interesting to note that, despite what people are constantly trying to imply on this blog, he said that the residents of Wasilla did not consider Sadie a liar.

Too bad he did not ask them if they consider Sarah and Bristol liars.

I've asked that question in Wasilla and guess what? Yeah I think you know the answer to that question.I also think it is awesome that Sadie's Playboy pictorial and interview are getting much MORE media attention than the Grizzled Mama's most recent Facebook rant.Oooh that's gotta sting!

Rachel Maddow points out that the downgrading of the US credit score by S&P means little, but that the blame for any harm it might cause rests solely with the Republicans.

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I believe this is the same point that I have been attempting to drive home over and over this weekend.I appreciate Rachel Maddow's gift for breaking a complicated issue down and making it much more digestible for the public at large.

Lawrence O'Donnell and Matt Damon take a courageous stand to defend our teachers against the unrelenting attacks coming from the Right Wing.

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I am not ashamed to admit that I literally had tears streaming down my face as I watched this segment.

Lawrence O'Donnell's passion in bringing this, and other important, stories to our attention should earn him this country's undying gratitude, and Matt Damon? Well in my humble opinion from this day forward Matt Damon should be considered a national treasure.

He did his mother, his teachers, and his country proud.

Gabby Giffords triumphant return to the floor of Congress to vote on raising the debt ceiling.

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Amazing!

That was JUST what we needed at this time of acrimony and strife.