The lunatics are running the RNC's asylum
By Steve Benen Wednesday Aug 06, 2008 7:30amIn any party or political movement, there’s bound to be a mainstream and a fringe. As a rule, the fringe looks to the mainstream for validation, and the mainstream looks at the fringe as kind of icky.
Things get interesting, of course, when the line between the mainstream and the fringe blurs. Take the Republican National Committee, for example.
The RNC is a fairly predictable, far-right animal. It’s run by lobbyists and business interests who divide their time between raising money and lying about Democrats. The RNC likes to exploit the ignorance of its base, and stoke the culture-war fires from time to time, but generally steer clear of the kind of insanity one might find in, say, a thread at the Free Republic. It’s the whole mainstream/fringe dynamic in practice.
At least, that’s usually the case. Yesterday morning, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan sent out this email to Republican donors.
It seems the Democrats’ would-be president of the United States of America really believes that the rest of the world’s problems, and approval, trump the interests of Americans when it comes to how we live our lives and where our money is spent. [...]
A bill he has sponsored in the U.S. Senate, the so-called Global Poverty Act
(S. 2433), would raise the amount of American tax dollars allocated to United Nations’ redistribution efforts to $845 billion.That’s $2,500 from every American taxpayer, when many in our country already are struggling to make ends meet.
And with that, the line between the unhinged fringe and the Republican National Committee has disappeared. The lunatics, it appears, are running the asylum.
You can check Google and find literally thousands of right-wing activists who are just livid about Obama’s “plan” to give the United Nations $845 billion of our money. And they can’t imagine why the media refuses to tell the public about this nefarious scheme, but they’re pretty sure news outlets are in on some kind of conspiracy to keep this dastardly plan under wraps.
The problem, of course, is that there is no such plan. It’s a right-wing myth that has been making the rounds for months, and to which the Republican National Committee has finally given its imprimatur.
At issue here is a U.N. initiative to implement its Millennium Goals on global poverty, which would, in fact, total $845 billion over 13 years — from industrialized nations across the globe.
The Congressional Budget Office did a cost-estimate analysis of Obama’s legislation, co-sponsored by Joe Biden, and found that U.S. responsibilities “would cost less than $1 million per year.”
I know Republicans can struggle with math, so I’ll make this one simple: $1 million is a lot less than $845 billion.
Jonathan Cohn concluded, “[I]t certainly appears that the Republicans are telling a pretty bald-faced lie about Obama here. Of course, that wouldn’t be so new or surprising either, would it?”
No, not at all. But it is a little surprising that the RNC would jump head-first into the nutty end of the pool. This conspiracy theory isn’t just wrong, it’s plainly insane. That the RNC is talking about it, in writing, and emailing it to supporters nationwide suggests a) these guys really are desperate; and b) they’ve completely lost their mind.
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Never fear, Hannity-Limbaugh-ABC will be on it soon
The Republicans have been dominated by the lunatic fringe, particularly its Southern (and occasionally Western) manifestations, for 30 years now, all while trying to convince America -- often successfully -- that the Democrats with whose policies a majority of Americans almost always agree are the real extremists.
Except that the Democrats have been busy for twenty years attempting to impersonate Republicans, and succeeding!
Witness the recent housing bill, another fat cat bailout.
Merely high fructose corn syrup to keep the synapses of under-used brains of their base functioning on a rudimentary level... you know, like crocodiles or house flies. But truth be told, since they are not stupid, this HAS to be desperation. They sit in a back room amid piles of money and coke and conjure up ANYTHING that MIGHT stick in the minds of the weak. They don't have much time, and we can surmise that the crap being tossed will gain in intensity until the entire GOP is covered in it.
We need to stay on the high road and stay on message here and let the GOP destroy themselves. They are doing a FINE job thank you.
The RNC is the nutty end of the pool, they have to sell John McAyn as potential president. The only way to do that is to Lie Here, Lie Now.
Alice X - (Chomsky Nader) - status quObama - change you can pretend in - @ 3:
Alas, you are correct in too many cases. We can START by draining the congress of as many righties as possible, then start working on the DEMS who sold their souls. You have a list in mind like I do I am sure.
We can start with Pelosi?
Spending money abroad is only good when it hurts people.
Remember that the U.S. is involved in a War in Iraq that requires $12.5 billion a month, and that McCain would like to be there indefinitely.
Sadly, the people who seem to want to vote Republican fall all too easily to these kinds of fear based, knee-jerk-inspiring fabrications.
I'm amazed that McCain and Obama can be anywhere close to each other in the polls, and yet they allegedly are.
Part of me still doesn't believe it. But can a poll of polls lie?
Who knows...
Anyway I just hope the kind of people who tend to fall for these lies wake up and start using their heads a little... not everything must be feared. And not everything the Republican spin machine spits out is truth, or even rational.
The scary kneegrow candidate is in league with the UN!!! Boogaboogabooga!!!
They may or may not be desperate, but it's not clear they've lost they're minds. Just because the story is fiction doesn't mean the wingnuts won't believe it, and respond by mailing in checks. It isn't nuts if it works.
Eric Hussein in Ottawa @ 8:
Don't hope too much... I am afraid your soul will be crushed. Know that there is a huge segment of the population, God bless them, who cannot think past an opening paragraph or, shudder, actually fact-check something. We will NEVER change their collective minds. And that's okay. Let the GOP appeal to them, and let it work, because doing anything else to change this is pointless. No, we need the RATIONAL segment of the republican side. And let me tell you there are plenty of them who can add three numbers without a paper and pencil.
Courtesy of NOFX-
now angry mob mentality's no longer the exception, it's the rule
and im startin to feel a lot like charlton heston
stranded on a primate planet
apes and orangutans that ran it to the ground
with generals and the armies that obeyed them
followers following fables
philosophies that enable them to rule without regard
The Idiots are definitely taking over.
john j @ 7:
If we spent that much money on AIDS research, I'd bet we'd would have cure
I have heard this story about the Global Poverty Act that Obama is supposedly supporting. Apparently he doesn't just support it, but single-handedly created it, endorsed it and will pass it into law. While I found the story and hysteria about it to be rather odd, I was always amused that those who were so outraged about it could never point me to any information on this bill, except on a blog, which never references the actual bill.
Even aide in our own country...... Katrina anyone?
I find it more than sad that these imbeciles think it's acceptable to literally LOSE billions of dollars in connection with alleged Iraq "rebuilding" efforts but the suggestion of giving money to a global poverty cause is repellent and wasteful to them.
If Obama wins in November I will probably have a heart attack from the shock. I've got no hope that the timid dems can out play the crazy criminal reslugs.
Mr. Benen has understated the cost to the US: It would be almost $13 million (approximately $1 million per year for 13 years). Therefore, the RNC is not as far off the mark as Mr. Benen suggested! :)
To label these goofs as lunatics is an insult to every serial murdering, child raping lunatic anywhere. The Republican(Whig) party has let the world past it by. All they have left as their "base" is the criminally ignorant and the chronically racist.
Nada @ 16:
There is no return on the investment... except for perhaps living babies. Remember, they killed tens of THOUSANDS, mostly women and children, to have a CHANCE at some oil dough. Think they really care about some child in Darfur not getting ANYTHING to eat?
No, these are rat-bastards of the lowest form.
Thank God Obama wouldn't do anything so shady.
"I don't think that we can take nuclear power off the table..."-Obama
“I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs and today,” Obama.
"Obama’s biggest single source of corporate money in the primaries- $160,000 - came from executives at Exelon Corp., the nation’s largest nuclear power provider, and its subsidiary, Commonwealth Edison, an Illinois utility. Exelon spent $500,000 to influence policy in Washington last year. Although Obama took no money from Exelon’s Washington lobbyists, he accepted $1,000 checks from lobbyists John P. Novak and James Monk of Springfield. In Springfield, Novak represents Exelon., and Monk is president of the Illinois Energy Assn., a trade group that represents Commonwealth Edison. Ooppps.
Crooks and liars belong to a non-partisan club. Its ok...he's our liar.
What john j said. Also, a $1 million contribution per year is just pathetic; can't the World's Richest Nation(tm) do a little better for the rest of the world?
RNC are busy redefining the bottom of the barrel this cycle. How low will they go ? Will anyone notice ? Can they push MC Oldfart over the top ? Will Bush try the Martial Law scam to keep their necks out of nooses ? Stay tuned kids. Gonna be a bumpy albeit exciting ride.
The lie always gets more attention than the correction/truth. These sorts of things stick, regardless if they are refuted, or how quickly they are refuted. The RNC knows they can get away with these kinds of lies because "that's just politics" and "both sides do it".
And it works.
My right wing friends no longer forward their right wing crap to me and I wish they would. I always responded, reply all, with the truth and no one wanted to hear the truth.
Recently a democrat friend of mine forwarded one she had received. It was purportedly comparing McCain & Obama's tax policies - did you know that Obama wanted the federal government to tax homes over 2,400 sq ft! The idiot that had passed it on to her had done it at work. His name, his company name and all his contact information was included. I called to see if this was company policy - I have auto, house & life insurance with them and wanted to know if I needed to move all these. It seems he had resigned from the company a couple of days before.
Respond whenever you get one of these, respond quickly, calmly and with the facts.
Jesus, I followed some of those links at google. They've loaded up a whole bunch of right wing sites with this stuff trying to give the impression that if everybody is talking about it, it must be true. Each site I visited the post was almost word for word identical. Of course on Hannity's site, Sen. Obama was identified as Barack Hussein Obama.
It's frightening to think they believe enough of their members are stupid enough or gullible enough to buy this sh*t.
NoOneYouKnow @ 20:
Only if we bomb it and invade it first.
Johnny2BadObamaCavedOnCampaignFinance @ 19:
Col Kilgore @ 21:
I could use a good dose of "boring."
Whether it's spening money or counting ballots, Repukes are sure to get the math wrong.
john j @ 15:
Good point
George Bush doesn't care about black people
GOP the conservative/christian
Abortion is murder but my god let the Negros fend for them selves
It'll be interesting to see how long it is until someone calls in to C-span's Washington Journal talking about this. You still hear people calling in talking about all the rumors that have been out there about Sen. Obama. And they still talk about those rumors as if they are absolutely true.
The lunatics are running the RNC’s asylum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCuZ8O1eK3M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEbrWqGfsww
So once again they are trying to win Hook or By Crook.....they have been lying and scheming for the past 8 years , and it won't stop....it's easier for them to Lie about Obama then try to even tell a half truth about their own candidate....or their Current Criminal President...( I mean are Bush and Cheney even allowed to attend their Convention ? or what other GREAT Heros are going to attend ? Duke TopGun Cunningham? ahhh no...Teddy Stevens ? ahhh no....Mr. Foley? ...ahhh no.......Denny Hastert ? ahhh , no....Larry Craig? ahhhh no ( he will be in stall 3)......Tom the Exterminator Delay ? ahhh, noooo.
this is what comes of the reichwingneocons sleeping
with their cousins, their sisters, their brothers and their mothers.
they have a whole different look at what it means to keep
it in the family
way/values. what do you expect of such inbred morons. these guys really are desperate and they’ve completely lost their mind."We spend more money in the country on cigarettes than we do foreign aid
And most of that foreign aid is selling weapons at Target Blue Light Specials.
I prefer Red-Light Districts.
There's nothing nutty about it.
It's a scary lie and many people will believe it.
For them, winning is what is important. It doesn't matter how they win.
The ends justify the means.
You sound surprised. Why?
I wonder why the RNC doesn't send out emails about the economy?
Jobless claims rise to highest since March 2002
WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid off people signing up for jobless benefits last week climbed to its highest point in more than six years as companies cut back given the faltering economy.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance rose by a seasonally adjusted 7,000 to 455,000 for the week ending Aug. 2. The increase left claims at their highest level since late March 2002.
enigma4ever @ 32:
And yet a ridiculous celeb ad did some damage to Obama. It is time to start hitting back hard....yes, with attack ads, my friends.
At this rate, Obama will end up being a surrogate for another dem nominee in 2012 ..that is, if there's any interest in running as a Democrat at that point.
The thing is, anyone who believes this was never going to vote for Obama to begin with.
No it doesn't. They're neither desperate or losing their minds. They know that they'll send this out to their constituents, and the right-wingers will go crazy over it. There will be no fact checking, no hand wringing, etc. Those who know better will not care, but those who don't know better (and there are MILLIONS OF THEM) will use this as the motivation needed to trash Obama all the way to the polls.
When you get in a fight with a pig, you get muddy. It's all the Republicans have ever done. Sling filth and lies to an ignorant public. And it's worked like a dream for YEARS.
StirFry @ 38:
You know, maybe moveon.org would like to create ad agin' McGoo in that vein.
Have shadowy figues of those Repug creeps you mentioned above (and, let's don't forget David Vitter and George Allen) walking across the background, with a tight shot of McGoo's lovely puss and the voice over would say:
________________________________ (fill in the blank)
The RNC simply represents it's constituency.
If you took a random selection of GOP voters they'd think (or rather, not think) and act the same way.
After a rather unsettling visit home with my 76 year old, former union member, BillO-lovin' father, I for the life of me cannot understand how the folks that bite on this stuff are so alright with being played as the lowest common denominator.
Johnny2BadObamaCavedOnCampaignFinance @ 19:
Wrong, Johnny. The leading corporate contributor to Obama's campaigh was Goldman Sachs. Exelon wasn't even the top 10.
www.opensecrets.org
Your constant complaining about Obama is really getting old. Edwards lost, Johnny. Get over it. Sorry there isn't a candidate out there that is exactly to your progressive specification but that's reality, pal. Your snide comments about Obama change nothing for the better. If you don't have anything redemptive to add to our discussion, have the good sense to say nothing.
pissed off patricia @ 24:
Their members aren't going to vote for Obama. The target is the swing voters. They are usually fact checkers.
I like to have source material. Anyone have a copy of the RNC chjairman's letter? I've called the RNC (it was painful) and asked for it but I'm not hopeful.
The charge is nutty on the face of it. Who in their right mind would think that any politician could fund the United Nations to the tune of the better part of a trillion dollars without garnering any media scrutiny?
The RNC's followers are just plain stupid if they believe the propaganda they're being fed.
Someone once said: "...when you got nothing, you got nothing to lose...". Seems appropo for the GOP.
I'm surprised that you are surprised at anything the RNC does.
RNC = Rear Naked Choke
And the really unbelievable, sad point is that there is actually people out there that suck all this stuff up without any doubt or proof of validity.
pissed off patricia @ 39:
Actually, you may not be correct. I have a friend, a democrat who is upset by all the foreign aid the US gives. The truth that we are stingy and give aid only in our best interest, doesn't deter her from her beliefs. She will probably believe this crap.
What we have to do is not allow falsehoods to go unanswered. What is the quote about "constant vigilance?"
As a former republican, I can only say how disgusted I am at the wasteful spending the party has been involved in over the years. I originally joined the (R) bunch back when I thought they were about small government and responsible fiscal policies. BOY did these yahoos ever prove me wrong.
Can anyone explain to me how anyone thinks that a 543 billion dollar war is money well spent?!?
Jusker @ 51:
I believe the quote is, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance".
Obama did the right thing by soft-pedaling the response. The Paris Hilton video did more damage to the McCain campaign over this than anything the Obama campaign could have come up with. "Wrinkly white-haired guy" indeed!
Probably said before here, but, again, the idiocy promulgated by the RNC and the rest of the twits who believe all this have drunk ALL the Kool-Aid, including the parts about Senator Obama's Muslim background, how he's the antichrist, he's a socialist, etc.,etc., ad nauseam, when the truth of the matter is they are all looking for AND finding other bomastically idiotic reasons not to vote for him and hide their racism at the same time. Racism is what it comes down to, plain and simple. "He's different from the rest of us ((except for the ones with a brain)), so let's think up or conjure up some fake stuff to smear him with and convince whoever will listen that he's unqualified, and we won't have to say 'Do not vote for the colored man' out loud.
I think you got your numbers wrong. Should be 1 billion, not 1 million. Still a small number, comparitively.
Good story, but I have to say I think the post could be improved upon, just by this tweak: a discerning mind would know the $835 billion figure is outlandish, but shouldn't you include a teaser about Biden's $1-million figure up front, and save lazy casual readers the decision whether to click thru for the rest of the story? To the casual, math-challenged middle-of-the-road voter, maybe the 835 bil figure isn't so outlandish, so they're left wondering why you're calling the RNC nutty. And maybe they simply move on to the next website, only now there's this huge but seemingly uncontradicted figure in their heads, and the GOP lie machine scores another one.
The RNC is not crazy and they understand how things work perfectly well.
The story is completely wrong, but the RNC knows that, given the level of "news reporting" being done in the broadcast and print media, there is about a 50/50 chance this "story" will just be picked up and rebroadcast without any investigation. The folks at MSNBC, CNN, etc will just read the press release from the RNC and then slam Obama.
There is not even a down-side for the RNC. Those real newspeople that are willing to report on the utter stupidity of this story and criticize the RNC will either never get on the air or their stories will not be distributed (thanks, AP).
Frankly, this shows that the RNC clearly understands our news media and is working the system very well.
Smart move by the RNC...
john j @ 7:
Yeah, interesting how nobody in the RNC fringe or otherwise picks up on that one, huh?! They'll only spin things that hurt or denigrate the Democratic party, or tell outright and outrageous lies to get their fucktard followers incensed, or drum up business in some devious and underhanded way usually by pointing the finger at someone else who doesn't believe like they do. What a bunch of clowns... who are hurting a lot of innocent and ignorant sheeple.
Wrong by a factor of 8.35*10^5. Creationists are wrong about the age of the earth by 7*10^5 or so. As Richard Dawkins points out, it's like saying America is 7 yards wide. That's why they have to keep saying they're Right. Because they have so many things so wrong so clearly and to such a degree.
LKern @ 6:
And the traitor-necked Steny-Marylander! A truly foul species that feeds its own to predators, in order to maintains its perch.
The point is that the RNC is trying hard to make their base want to get out and vote. If you can't vote for our guy, then at least cast your vote against that dirty theiving dem. It is aimed at the right wing evangelicals and the couch potato nation-the SHEEPLE IOW. and they will eat it up because it validates their worldview. You must always keep in mind that your opponent is just as smart as you are. You make fun of them and belittle them at your peril. Never underestimate your enemy. If you do, you will lose. It may look funny, kooky, stupid from your perspective, but the repigs know their base and what gets their fury up.
And WHY are we hurting? Because of the party the Repuglicans have been having on our dime for the last (almost) 8 years. Bush & Co. started out with a surplus, remember, and they have now run our country into the ground.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 62:
There just ain't no heroes anymore. The RNC boldly lies where no one had lied before. The Dems meekly suck-up to the RNC, like rich little lap dogs hopping idiotically beside the mastiff, yapping compliments in it's unconcerned ear. You know the cartoon -- every once in a while the mastiff hauls off and slaps the lap dog into next Tuesday, but the lap dog always comes back, bruised but undeterred, yapping apologetically for its presumed transgressions and expressing a desire to renew their relationship.
And the voters, poor suckers that we unfortunately are, generally have to choose between a bully determined to walk all over us, or his toady. This time, however, it's different. MCain is Bush III, without the charm (!). Obama is an inspirational leader, brimming with ideas and a willingness to work for the betterment of the Nation and its people. If he's allowed to win in November, things may change for the better.
Republicans only want to help people in other parts of the world if they can drop bombs and kill a lot of people in the process. On second thought, the idea that they're helping people is just an excuse.
I have to laugh sort of: Glen Beck lunacy has got 222 comments and this "lie" has only 65.
Someone earlier on mentions that Ruch and Hannity will be on it; will they tell the truth? Probably not. The MSM, how about them? We'll see but I'm not holding my breath. KO- A Worst Person award to the GOP? Maybe, but I think that should go to Glenn Beck for the Batman chronicles.
GrMtGirl @ 51:
Sadly, there are a WHOLE bunch of people who eat this shit up like it's candy. I have college educated in-laws who will forward those ridiculous swift boating emails about Obama raising every tax in existence and chide me with "Look at what Obama is doing now!"
Lord, you would think they would stop for a second to let a little common sense kick in. But no, they are so gullible they treat these spam emails as gospel.
Actually, I think it gives them a reason to hate the guy besides admitting they are racist.
They are not crazy. They are not insane. They have learned that there is absolutely no penalty for lying, no matter how outrageous the lie. They do it all the time, on talk radio, on cable pundit shows and in campaign ads. They never get follow up questions, they never get called on it by the MSM and they get away with it. Sadly, it works with a bunch a lazy uninformed Americans. And so they do it, why, because it works.
It will continue to work until the other side is able to re-take the White House and re-organize the FCC and the way the media is controlled. As long as a few mega-corps run the media and thus all public information, Americans will remain dumb as dirt and likely vote the same way.
Bob Canuck @ 17:
Hey, Bob go back up and read the article. It does say 1 million dollars a year. Who is off the mark again?
Something is dreadfully wrong with this math!!
If the plan "would, in fact, total $845 Billion over 13 years" (or 65 Billion per year) and our portion is only going to be 1 million per year (or 13 million over 13 years), then 64,999 other countries would have to be giving at this million dollar rate to come up with the 65 Billion dollars. Per Wikipedia, there are only 245 entities that even vaguely qualify as 'countries' - not 65,000 (and some of these, presumably would be receiving the aid.. not all giving it.)
So, I think the math in THIS post is off by a factor of 265 at least.
It only hurts our credibility when we throw around numbers so carelessly. Especially in a post where we are pointing out the carelessness of others. Be smart. Check your math. We can beat them on the arguments unless we let the conversation get TOO SLOPPY.
The $1 million figure is for devising the plan, not the actual amount the U.S. would contribute to the plan. Still, the $845 billion figure is a lie, any way you look at it.
The GOP is a cesspool of ignorance which a very few at the top stir at their convenience.
cervantes @ 10:
But it's still evil.
There's only one plan to redistribute wealth. Since the plan has been implemented, it's succeeding wildly and it's run entirely by corporate America and the Republicans and corporatist Democrats who make up corporate America: the wealth redistribution plan is called EOMBO - "Export-Our-Manufacturing-Base-Overseas".
It's been a smashing success. Not only has it sent trilions overseas, it's gone a long way toward destroying the middle class and destroying the labor rights of all, including those drooling GOPers who can only look forward to minimum wage jobs and a low standard of living for the rest of their lives.
yellowdogD @ 57, the "less then $1 million" figure is from the Congressional Budget Office. The links are there for you to click on and see for yourself so that you can save yourself the embarrassment of saying something like "I think you got your numbers wrong"
Bob Canuck @ 17, $13 million compared to $845 billion is "not that far off the mark"??? You didn't do too well in math did you?
gasho @ 71, the $1 million dollar figure is from the Congressional Budget Office. Mother Mary on a peice of burnt toast but can people NOT read or are there just a lot of mccain supporters trying to get 'mccain points' today?
As I said above, the $1 million figure from the CBO is the cost of implementing the plan, not the amount the U.S. would pay for foreign aid. The right is already seizing on this error. Someone should quickly point that out with updated information.
Eric Hussein in Ottawa @ 8:
Sadly, the people to whom this lie has been spread will gladly hang on to it as truth because it justifies their worldview.
I would not expect the Little Eichmans to see this for the lie that it is.
Here's a much better article than the one referenced here, which is deceptive.
http://www.votegopher.com/blog/?p=67
Eric Hussein in Ottawa Says: Sadly, the people who seem to want to vote Republican fall all too easily to these kinds of fear based, knee-jerk-inspiring fabrications.
I’m amazed that McCain and Obama can be anywhere close to each other in the polls, and yet they allegedly are.
Part of me still doesn’t believe it. But can a poll of polls lie?
Who knows…
Anyway I just hope the kind of people who tend to fall for these lies wake up and start using their heads a little… not everything must be feared. And not everything the Republican spin machine spits out is truth, or even rational.
It is kept "close" because DIBOLDING only works when the margin between the two is 10% or less. So, the monied corporate insterests keep the corporate line and continue the bullshit about even stevens, knowing full well that McCain will be totally raped come Nov 4. I expect no less than a 12% margin.
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