Charge of the Whine Brigade

One think you cannot help but notice in the midst of the Republican sojourn in the wilderness these days is how perpetually WHINY they all are. When this gets lined up with their preternaturally arrogant nature, it makes for quite a hilarious combination. Witness for example Smokey Joe Barton, who went in the space of a week from a cocksure trash-talker to a put-upon weakling:

A week ago, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, bet he would have committee chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) “by the nuts” during the markup of landmark climate and energy legislation by the committee:

"He has got a chance to get the votes. If you are familiar with Texas Hold ‘Em poker, he doesn’t have the nuts. It is not a done deal. Nor do I. … We will see which has the other by the nuts next week."

As Waxman steered the markup and Obama announced groundbreaking limits on global warming pollution from automobiles, Barton talked about the CO2 in Dr. Pepper. Republicans were left flailing, accusing Democrats of engineering economic catastrophe one moment and of being the party of big business the next. As his defeat became certain, Barton whined about being “beat time after time after time after time”:

"It’s easy on the majority to keep up a good-faith attitude because you’re winning. . . . It’s not a lot of fun, as you well know, having been in the minority yourself for twelve years, to work very hard and put just as much effort and put just as much focus, and get beat time after time after time after time 36 to 22, 31 to 20, whatever it is."

Barton is the epitome of the modern right-wing: trying to bully the Democrats, and then whining with their persecution complex when they can't pull it off.

Meanwhile, a new report suggests that the allowances in the compromised Waxman-Markey bill will actually protect ratepayers and prevent windfall profits for polluting industries. I'm not sure I believe that, but I know that Rep. Waxman has worked to avoid the pitfalls from Europe's cap and trade program, which did permit what amounted to windfall polluter profits. I certainly hope this is the case, and the report is worth reading.

More Pejoratives, Please!

Republicans, lacking perspective on anything anymore, have now resorted to calling the BCS Communist.

Texas Rep. Joe Barton likened college football's Bowl Championship Series to "communism" Friday, even as he made the case that the system is what it is because of money.

In his opening remarks during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee, Barton — the panel's ranking Republican — recalled the hearing he held on the same matter several years ago.

"That time, I had hoped through a spirit of volunteerism, the BCS would decide to go to a playoff system," he said. "That hasn't happened yet. It is interesting that people of good will — I think everybody on whatever side of the issue is a person of good will — keeps trying to tinker with the current system."

"It's like communism, you can't fix it."

The BCS, of course, is an oligarchic plutocracy, so Barton didn't even get the political science right.

I think we have to take up a collection for the wingnuts so they can come up with a new set of epithets to hurl at their enemies. Clearly these ones aren't working. In fact, they're only making people appreciate Communism and socialism more. I hope they don't start calling Democrats mass murderers - wouldn't want that to become popular.

Slaps Five With Other Dudes Back At The Frat House

Joe Barton thinks he stumped a Nobel Prize winner with his question straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.



This was my favorite response video. Someone took the time to upload this to YouTube and I'm glad they did:



The sideshow that is the GOP continues; outsmarted by a piece of paper.

Incidentally, if you want to read an actual smart person's smart comments, here.

...Brad Johnson actually offers the science on this.