The Morons Are Coming, The Morons Are Coming!

So Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) made the rather obvious and understated comment that the South “has not always been the friendliest place for African Americans.”  Yeah, you could say slavery and lynchings and discrimination in every aspect of life are kind of “unfriendly.”  Or you could be the GOP and go absolutely batshit.  It’s always a safe bet that the higher the reading on their outrage meter, the less there really is to be upset about.

Truth?  They can’t handle the truth, whether it’s history, economics, biology, climate science, or physics.  We already have a Congress and state houses filled with morons and on Tuesday we’re going to get even more.

Sulzberger Preferred the Wrath of Women Than African Americans

Dean Baquet, who has replaced Jill Abramson as the executive editor at the NYT, told owner Arthur Sulzberger that Sulzberger had to choose between them.  If Sulzberger didn’t fire Abramson, Baquet, the first African American managing editor at the paper, would quit, claiming “humiliation” over the job offer to Janine Gibson, who was going to become co-managing editor for digital.

Sulzberger, knowing he had to face a firestorm over an African American or a woman, decided to fire the woman.  He may have rationalized his choice by telling himself that women aren’t really a “minority,” like African Americans.  But when it comes to getting jobs like executive editor of the Times, women sure as hell are a minority.

See Sean Run

On his radio show today, Sean Hannity, Cliven Bundy’s BFF as of last night, said that Bundy’s “Negro” remarks are “beyond repugnant to me. They are beyond despicable to me. They are beyond ignorant to me.”

Making It Worse

Right-wing talk show host and tireless self-promoter Dana Loesch excuses Cliven Bundy’s appalling racism by arguing that he “isn’t media trained to express himself perfectly.”

But he did express himself perfectly!  We already knew he was a scamming criminal, now we know he’s also a rabid racist.

Quote of the Month

“I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro. …  I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”

Cliven Bundy

Anybody surprised by this?  What say you now, Dean Heller and Sean Hannity, and all you morons defending your fellow moron?  I especially love that “family life” part.  Oh, yes, family life on the ole plantation.  Getting raped by the master, having your husband and children sold to other masters so you never saw them again.  Good times…

If Bundy Were Black

From “What If Bundy Ranch Were Owned By Black People?” Jamelle Bouie, Slate:

“First, this entire incident speaks to the continued power of right-wing mythology. For many of the protesters, this isn’t about a rogue rancher as much as it’s a stand against ‘tyranny’ personified in Barack Obama and his administration.

“Second, it won’t happen, but right-wing media ought to be condemned for their role in fanning the flames of this standoff. After years of decrying Obama’s ‘lawlessness’ and hyperventilating over faux scandals, it’s galling to watch conservatives applaud actual lawbreaking and violent threats to federal officials.

“Finally, I can’t help but wonder how conservatives would react if these were black farmers—or black anyone—defending ‘their’ land against federal officials. Would Fox News applaud black militiamen aiming their guns at white bureaucrats?

“Somehow, given the degree to which right-wing media traffic in racial paranoia, I think we’d be looking at a different situation if the Bundy Ranch belonged to a bunch of black people. And as someone who closely follows the regular incidents of lethal police violence against blacks and Latinos, I also wonder whether law enforcement would be as tepid against a group of armed African-Americans. Judging from past events, I’m not so sure.”

Newsflash for Wingnuts

Some of the right wing is going nuts over a multi-lingual version of America the Beautiful in Coke’s Super Bowl ad.  I guess they don’t get the whole melting pot thing.

In addition to the non-English lyrics, the folks are Breitbart are outraged that the ad showed a gay family.  Newflash for Breitbart and all wingnuts:  Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote America the Beautiful, was a lesbian.

The biggest Super Bowl ad outrage was that poor MSNBC staffer who got fired for tweeting about the Cheerios ad that “maybe” the right wing would hate the ad because it featured a bi-racial family.  Losing your job for telling the truth?

Quote of the Day

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., in his speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, December 10, 1964

Frothy Cluelessness

Rick “Frothy” Santorum says that Nelson Mandela’s fight against apartheid was just like … the GOP’s fight against Obamacare.

The moral arc of the Republican Party continues to bend toward irrationality and irrelevance.

Quote of the Day

“While few explicitly talk about Obama in racial terms, the [Republican] base supporters are very conscious of being white in a country with growing minorities.  The base thinks they are losing politically and losing control of the country.”

Dem pollster Stan Greenberg, quoted in the NYT