Here’s to lighting a fire under your ass on a Monday.

News/Politics

Peace Between Palestine & Israel: Well, not quite yet. Feel free to hold breath.

There Hugo: The opposition takes another small bite out of Hugo Chavez’s hold on Venezuela.

Embrace the Hoff this weekend.

Who said that Republicans have no plan? They just released a bold 21-page manifesto called "Pledge to America" that promises extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich and repeal the Democrats' health care plan among other revolutionary initiatives that will transform the country back to exactly the way it was two years ago.

I read with great interest and admiration David Seaton's post here: "Observations of and on the Rich".  Seaton contrasts the relatively modest and even awed reactions of some Americans to their financial success with the self-satisfaction and arrogance of others.  Seaton identifies correctly the latter group as the backbone of the reactionary movement that is destroying our world.  Seaton describes the neo-fascists as:

Dan Savage and husband Terry: Remember, it gets better. Very inspirational words from the loving couple.

So, despite the way the economy feels in your neighborhood, there's been an official statement that the recession ended last June. Yup. All over. That is a perfectly sound statement at the same time it doesn't mean what the rest of us mean by "end of the recession."

So, Saturday night the news was that Christine O'Donnell "dabbled into witchcraft" before becoming a hard-line evangelical Christian. And you know what? I wasn't surprised at all. Surely I wasn't surprised that a candidate like O'Donnell was attracted to the supernatural, since all of her politics are about magical thinking. I shrugged it off, and Sunday morning I went to church.

While Democrats face the potential of an ugly November that will see their advantages in both the House and Senate disappear, there is still a possibility they could be saved from the rampaging GOP. The results in the mid-term elections depend all on one man – President Barack Obama. He can still save the day for the Dems.

But he needs to start blowing some shit up, and pronto.

Now, I’m well aware that the U.S. is still mired in quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan and doing battle in shadow wars in Yemen, Pakistan and God knows where else.

It’s time for Sharia Law to come to the United States. This nation has settled into a moral and economic funk that only a healthy dose of Sharia Law can fix.

Oh sure, you’ve probably heard lots of bad things about Sharia Law. You probably think that it’s an Islamic plot to overthrow the world and control humanity. But this information – provided to you by the likes of Newt Gingrich – is based on ignorance and bigotry.

Last night on Inside Washington, Evan Thomas, the "moderate" on the panel said that while there's little doubt that allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire on everybody is going to hurt the economy, it's necessary because the government needs the money.  We certainly do need the money as the budget deficit is now into the double-digits.  But are Thomas and every right-wing pundit, blogger, and columnist who state with the absolute confidence of a used car salesman correct that tax cuts for the wealthy will hurt small businesses and the economy?

I've just been informed that notorious funnyman Jon Stewart and his subversive sidekick Stephen Colbert are organizing a protest march in Washington DC on October 30th. The pretense of the protest is a parody of Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor demonstration last month, but we all know what this is really about. Stewart and Colbert planned this "protest" in order to proselytize a perverse and poisonous doctrine that they call comedy.

Almost one year ago, I wrote a post titled What's the Matter with New York? about the fierce battle between moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava and fringe conservative Doug Hoffman to represent New York's 23rd congressional district. Scozzafava dropped out of the race and endorsed the Democratic candidate, who prevailed in the election.

At last, Democrats launched their counterattack. For two years, Republicans have joyfully demonized President Obama, his wife, his daughters, his pastor, his staff, his casual acquaintances, and various socialist subversives running amok in Washington. The only Obama associate to escape withering defamation has been his dog Bo.

WASHINGTON – In a new Rasmussen poll today of people who may or may not vote in November, more than ever are now saying that the “Enthusiasm Gap” is what they are watching for as the mid-terms approach.

“I think that’s what matters most to me,” said Tim Johnson, of Tupelo Miss. “What this country needs is more enthusiasm. Enthusiasm!”

SEATTLE – “Do I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse?” cried out Marty Peretz.

“Where are the peaceful Muslims?! Where are the peaceful Muslims?” wrote Sarah Palin on her Facebook page.

Brad DeLong is a professor of economics at Cal.  Megan McArdle is a hack in the employ of the Atlantic (for some reason).

Megan, meet Professor DeLong.

The real treat here is that McArdle comes by DeLong's blog to defend her stupidity in comments.  DeLong, again, tries to clue her in.  The fun comes when she finally realizes her simple (yet gargantuan) error and has to finally utter the resounding mea culpa of, "Oops."

Who on Earth is crazy enough to burn the Koran? Until two weeks ago, my answer has always been "raging lunatics in Elizabethan drama." You know, stage characters from the age of Shakespeare, the kind of people who are prone to cutting off their own hands, biting off their tongues and spitting them on the stage, or baking their enemies in pies and serving them for dinner. The people who make Hamlet seem well-adjusted. Certainly, I didn't think of it as the kind of thing real people did.

We're always told that economics is a complicated science, which is true, but also that bottom-line practical economics is very simple. But the simple rules we've all learned seem to have landed us into an incomprehensible mess. Let me try to recap what's happened.

Obviously, every business needs to make a profit to survive. This is done by keeping costs lower than revenues. If you're selling something, you need to make more money selling it than you spend in making or buying the product and in paying your workers.

It’s an election year. That must mean it’s time for Congressional representatives to announce support for ridiculous Constitutional amendments and for state leaders to instill fear in the population by creating all sorts of boogeymen, like (imaginary) undocumented Mexicans running roughshod in the Arizona desert, beheading (imaginary) poor, unsuspecting, hardworking, freedom-loving, salt of the earth Americans.

Which has me wondering: why is discussing problems and solutions like grown ups so unpalatable in America?

Always quick to pounce on a big opportunity, political entertainer Sarah Palin today announced she has signed a $5-million deal to hawk sex enhancement products on QVC.

“If you’re tired of being limp and impotent, I’m here to help,” said Palin. “Why, I’ll make millions just from the lamestream media.”

The deal comes after Palin’s recent comments on the Sean Hannity Show: