The GOP's Not So Very Good Day

This is the sort of day the GOP is having.

OK, so we have the special election in the very Republican district of NY-26.  Kathy Hochul holds a small but surprising lead over Republican Jane Corwin.  One of the really fun parts of this campaign has been Ian Murphy's campaign on the Green Party ticket.  Murphy was the prankster who called Scott Walker pretending to be one of the Koch brothers.

The other day, apparently he "volunteered" at a Corwin phone bank.  Give a read.

Meanwhile there have been a number of "Kinsey gaffes" around today.  The Kinsey gaffe is a mistake where the truth is accidentally admitted to by someone in politics.  Very damaging, the truth.

Here's a fun one. Congressional idiot, Paul Broun - dude can't even spell Brown - says he will vote to plunge the US into default unless the Departments of Education and Energy are abolished.  Yes, as we enter the 21st century, it is important that we under-educate our citizens and keep them dependent on foreign oil.  I mean, if they are educated, they might not approve of more wars in the Middle East.  And we can't have THAT now, can we precious!

Here's another one!  Evilest member of the GOP leadership Eric Cantor refuses to pony up emergency funding for the victims of the Joplin tornado unless cuts are made elsewhere.  I have a suggestion, let's cut Congressional leadership pay for starters.  People are dead, dying, injured, maimed and thousands of others have lost almost everything.  And this colossal douchecanoe wants to quibble over funding.  Funny, he voted for the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq war and all the supplementals that paid for that.  But screw over the people of Missouri who lost their neighbors and neighborhoods.

This one REALLY takes the cake. Yet another conservative jackass, Rob Woodall from Georgia's 7th district, decides to double down on dumb.  At a town hall, several constituents noted that ending Medicare through the Ryan plan that Woodall voted for would create extraordinary stresses on both the elderly and their children.  Here's the money quote:

Woodall suggested that the woman concerned about vouchers might find the type of health care system she and her children approve of in Canada or another industrialized nation.

"If you want a socialized health care program, there are lots of places to find that," he said. "But, for your children's sake, I beg you: There aren't many places to find the freedom to succeed by the sweat of your brow like we have here."

Translation: Get out of my country you greedy old fart!  Also, too, FREEDOM!

These stories are such a perfect distillation of the sociopathy at the heart of the GOP.  Screw education!  Screw energy policy!  Screw disaster victims!  Screw the elderly and anyone who lives long enough to become elderly!

What's really important is that we give massive tax breaks to the wealthy and continue to fund endless wars.  Oh, wait, no, what's important is "freedom".  The freedom to be poor.  The freedom to work for whatever the titans of industry want to pay you.

William F. Buckley wanted to roll back the Great Society.  These crazy bastards want to roll back the 20th century.

Oh, one other thing that happened today.  Chrysler paid off its bailout.  Remember how unpopular that was?

UPDATE: Hochul won.  Obama won 46% of the vote in that district.  Her margin above 46% will give us a rough estimate of how painful the screwing around with Medicare is going to be for the GOP.