Handwriting on the Wall

[Lindsey]

Uh-oh. One sure sign that Michael Steele's tenure as RNC chairman may be short-lived--no, not the bashing he got from Limbaugh, this is worse: he gets a thumbs-down (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/joe-the-plumber-blasts-michael-steeles-hip-hop-ambitions.php) from former war correspondent and GOP political analyst Joe the Plumber.

In the words of one commenter, "Grim indeed. Steele knows well the time-honored expression: 'As goes Wurzelbacher, so goes the nation'. Steele is officially powdered toast."

[Judy G. Russell]

Uh-oh. One sure sign that Michael Steele's tenure as RNC chairman may be short-lived--no, not the bashing he got from Limbaugh, this is worse: he gets a thumbs-down (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/joe-the-plumber-blasts-michael-steeles-hip-hop-ambitions.php) from former war correspondent and GOP political analyst Joe the Plumber. In the words of one commenter, "Grim indeed. Steele knows well the time-honored expression: 'As goes Wurzelbacher, so goes the nation'. Steele is officially powdered toast."Oh for pete's sake... what a bunch of...

Not that I'm any kind of fan of Michael Steele, but these people are so silly.

[Lindsey]

Not that I'm any kind of fan of Michael Steele, but these people are so silly.

Well, the comment, of course, was tongue in cheek, but maybe Wurzelbacher really was reading the tea leaves correctly. Headline in today's TPMDC: "Steele's Days May be Numbered (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/steeles-days-may-be-numbered.php)".

Of course, in many ways Steele is his own worst enemy. He's so good a shooting himself in the foot. A recent interview (http://men.style.com/gq/blogs/gqeditors/2009/03/the-reconstruct.html) with Lisa Paul of GQ did not exactly go stunningly well. He managed to admit to supporting abortion rights (oh, yeah, that should go over well with the Republican base) before backtracking to say that yes, he believes in choice, but the state should decide what choice you have (????), and then there was this sad exchange over what music he liked in addition to hip-hop:

GQ: Who else?
Steele: I like Sinatra. I like old-school. You know, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, Dean Martin. Love Dean Martin. He was one of these guys who just didn’t give an F. He just didn’t. Life was a party, and you either want to party or you don’t. But yeah, I like those. I’m a big Pack Rat. I love the Pack Rats from the 1950s—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, those guys.

GQ: You mean the Rat Pack.
Steele: The Rat Pack, yeah.

It's like watching a middle-aged white guy try to imitate Michael Jackson in his Thriller days.

[Judy G. Russell]

It's like watching a middle-aged white guy try to imitate Michael Jackson in his Thriller days.Now that's funny! (Pack Rats, indeed!)

[Lindsey]

Now that's funny! (Pack Rats, indeed!)

You have to wonder what has gotten into the Republican Kool-Aid that the entire party is starting to look like the Keystone Kops. (Hah! Funny typo -- I almost wrote "Kook-Aid".)

[Lindsey]

I should feel guilty beating up on Michael Steele -- but I can't help myself. The guy is just too tempting a target.

Channeling his inner PeeWee Herman, Steele is now claiming (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/steele-on-rush-flap-its-all-strategic.php?ref=fp1), "I meant to do that" in regard to the recent tangle with Rush Limbaugh that ended with, if you'll excuse the expression, Steele getting bitch-slapped by Limbaugh. Hey, it may have looked like a major blunder, but it was all part of Steele's grand strategic plan.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[Judy G. Russell]

I should feel guilty beating up on Michael Steele -- but I can't help myself. The guy is just too tempting a target. Channeling his inner PeeWee Herman, Steele is now claiming (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/steele-on-rush-flap-its-all-strategic.php?ref=fp1), "I meant to do that" in regard to the recent tangle with Rush Limbaugh that ended with, if you'll excuse the expression, Steele getting bitch-slapped by Limbaugh. Hey, it may have looked like a major blunder, but it was all part of Steele's grand strategic plan. Yeah, that's the ticket.Amazing. Just amazing...

[Lindsey]

Amazing. Just amazing...

Michael Steele, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann -- so many gifts that keep on giving!

Boehner's introduction Thursday of what some are calling "the picture book budget" was good for some laughs, too. Apparently a number of reporters were, like this one (http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=2277899), really PO'd that they got roped into covering a "very important announcement" that turned out to be nothing but air.

And following Michael Steele's "I meant to do that" meme, Mike Pence told CNN's Campbell Brown (http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=2278327) that "it may be progress that our plan is being attacked" -- progress, that is, over where the Republicans had been with their budget alternatives just the day before, which was nowhere. And actually, they're still nowhere, they're just very laughably nowhere.

Pence trying to answer Campbell Brown's question "Where are your numbers?" reminded me of a kid who gets called on in class when he hasn't done his homework and tries to BS his way through an answer.

[Judy G. Russell]

Apparently a number of reporters were, like this one (http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=2277899), really PO'd that they got roped into covering a "very important announcement" that turned out to be nothing but air.As if having something turn out to be nothing but air was something new in Washington?

[sidney]

Boehner's introduction Thursday of what some are calling "the picture book budget" was good for some laughs, too

fiverthirtyeight.com got the inside scoop on the details of the Republican plan that unfortunately were not quite ready in time for Boehner to show at the press conference. But here it is, leaked by a high level insider at the Republican party:

http://pcd.dreamhosters.com/538/images/rrtr.png
link to article at fivethirtyeight.com (http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/03/real-republican-road-to-recovery.html)

[Mike]

ROFL!!!

[Judy G. Russell]

fiverthirtyeight.com got the inside scoop on the details of the Republican plan that unfortunately were not quite ready in time for Boehner to show at the press conference. But here it is, leaked by a high level insider at the Republican partyROFL!!! Yeah, I'm getting just a little tired of "tax cuts! tax cuts! trickle down, y'all!"

[poakes]

<snip>

"Grim indeed. Steele knows well the time-honored expression: 'As goes Wurzelbacher, so goes the nation'. Steele is officially powdered toast."

Slow news day?

-poakes

[Lindsey]

As if having something turn out to be nothing but air was something new in Washington?

You have a point there...

[Lindsey]

fiverthirtyeight.com got the inside scoop on the details of the Republican plan that unfortunately were not quite ready in time for Boehner to show at the press conference.

LOL!! Unfortunately, I think some of that is not all that far from the truth!

[Lindsey]

Slow news day?

-poakes

Hey, these days I turn to the news headlines for laughs instead of the funny pages.

[Judy G. Russell]

Hey, these days I turn to the news headlines for laughs instead of the funny pages.Yeah, the headlines are funny when they're not terrifying...