Disarming the GOP Memes

Yesterday I posted the video to Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Dinner and took the opportunity to watch them a second time. I thought the second time was better than the first in regards to both the President's and Jimmy Kimmel's performances.

But something struck me while watching the President. There were the dog eating jokes. A lot of dog eating jokes. Just when you think he'd move on, he'd come in with another one. For a bit, I thought it was too much. But watching it a second time, I realized that all the self deprecation was yet another tool to disarm some of the ridiculous right wing talking points and conspiracy theories that still resonate with the uninformed, misinformed and ignorant that plague our society.

The President's wink after he stating he was born in Hawaii, the GSA scandal cracks, Hillary Clinton's "drunk texting from Cartajena" joke, and the constant dog eating jokes, all designed to disarm the constant harping from the right wing on things that don't matter, or more serious issues that are being dealt with but are used to misplace the blame on the President.

Why this struck me the way it did was because I can't recall such self deprecation on the other side. Sure, there's that hilarious time President Bush was looking under his coffee table for nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, but that wasn't so much humorous as it was sad and insulting. Eating dog because it's part of the culture in Indonesia when you're eight years old is a little different than starting a war under false pretenses. An "Oops, my bad" joke in that situation is not at all funny. But I digress.

The point is, watching the idiots on Fox and Friends or Hannity make the off-handed dog eating joke now is only going to make them look childish.

Is This A Joke?

The question is rhetorical.

Raw Replay: House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told NBC’s Matt Lauer Tuesday that tax hikes were “off the table” in negotiations with Democrats over raising the debt ceiling.

In a speech to Wall Street Monday, the Speaker insisted on trillions in spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation’s borrowing limit.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Look, we can argue whether spending cuts to crucial programs during the slow recovery of such a disastrous recession is a good idea or not, but don't try to pull the wool over our eyes with this "we don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem" talking point mumbo jumbo. When corporations can get away with paying practically no taxes because of loopholes and the richest 1% of the country pays less in taxes on percentage than the entire middle class, then yes, there's a fucking revenue problem. So fix it.

"I'm a regular guy with a big job." You sure are, Johnny. And exposing your lack of leadership by not standing up to the Tea Party freshmen who are out for your head, shows you're way in over your head.

ADDING... While the Speaker claimed Republicans are addressing the debt...

FACT CHECK

Ryan Admitted Plan Added $8 Trillion to Debt . According to an initial analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), they found that by the end of the 10 year budget window, public debt would actually be higher. CBO projected under current law the debt would balloon to 67 percent of GDP by 2022; “under Ryan’s plan, the CBO expects it to rise to 70 percent.” Ryan had to reassure conservatives “disappointed that his plan still adds $8 trillion in debt while failing to balance the budget for at least two decades.” [Congressional Budget Office, 4/5/11; The Atlantic, 4/6/11; The Hill, 4/5/11]

EDITORIAL: GOP Budget isn’t a “Serious Answer” to the Deficit Problem. “The deficit is a serious problem, but the Ryan plan is not a serious answer.” [New York Times Editorial, 4/6/11]

House Republicans Voted to End Medicare.  The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.” [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11]

New Talking Point Hot Button Phrase: Show Trial

The Republican party has been in a frothy lather since the torture memos were released and President Obama left the door open for AG Eric Holder to possibly investigate those who authored the memos.

Seeing the writing on the wall, the GOP is now attempting to make torture a liberal/consevative issue instead of the moral and illegal issue that it is, and their new tactic is to use the term "show trials" in an effort to belittle the the process should hearings and investigations occur.

Here's GOP ass kisser Bill O'Reilly justifying torture and repeating the phrase "show trial" to which Ellis Henican vehimently challenged. And I just caught Sen. Kit Bond (R-Doucheburgh) using the same term in his latest interview with Andrea Mitchell.

SHOW TRIAL! Watch for it!