If it’s Memorial Day weekend, it’s time for right-wingers to impugn Obama’s patriotism

For the wingnuts among us, almost any time of year is a suitable occasion to suggest that Barack Obama is insufficiently patriotic. But the wackos seem to think that such suggestions are especially [...]]]> The real John Wayne http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130525/BLOGS/305259997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 25 May 2013 9:15:28 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130525/BLOGS/305259997/-1/blogs01

Tomorrow is the 106th anniversary of the birth of actor John Wayne, a fitting occasion for me to republish an essay in which I examine his peculiar status as a conservative political icon.

I say “peculiar” because [...]]]> As a percentage of the population, the U.S. government workforce is much smaller than 50 years ago http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130525/BLOGS/305259998/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 25 May 2013 9:15:28 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130525/BLOGS/305259998/-1/blogs01

innumeracy_mousepad-p144991771872644827z8xsj_400

Back in my school days, mathematics was not my strongest subject — which is why I sometimes try to redeem myself by [...]]]> Republicans can learn from Democrats about rebranding their party http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249965/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:43 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249965/-1/blogs01

The party is in [...]]]> Nifty collection of negative reactions to new Boy Scouts policy lifting ban on gay members http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249966/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:43 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249966/-1/blogs01

Check HERE for evidence of how Texas Gov. Rick Perry and nine other right-wingers [...]]]> Right-wing Congressman Steve King blames Ronald Reagan for the election of Barack Obama http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249967/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:43 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249967/-1/blogs01

HERE‘s a novel theory, if [...]]]> Republicans fervently hope IRS scandal is seen as evidence that Obama is fundamentally sinister http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249968/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:43 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249968/-1/blogs01

The Internal Revenue [...]]]> A question for Sen. Chuck Grassley: How dumb can you get? http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249969/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:42 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249969/-1/blogs01 One would think that the ranking Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee would know what it means to “pack” a court.

But, in the case of Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, one would be wrong.

“Court-packing” is a term that dates back to the administration of Franklin Roosevelt, and it refers to expanding, or trying to expand, the number of seats on a given court for political reasons.

A president who merely nominates candidates of [...]]]> Jon Stewart mocks Peggy Noonan, which makes me like him even more http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249991/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 9:15:27 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130524/BLOGS/305249991/-1/blogs01

Anyone who chides the insufferable Peggy Noonan as effectively as THIS is all right in my book. (Note: be sure to watch the [...]]]> Who first disclosed the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS? http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239972/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 23 May 2013 20:19:57 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239972/-1/blogs01

The question in the headline above is one the right-wing conspiratorialists seem never to ask themselves.

Who blew the whistle on the IRS?

Was it investigative reporters from the mainstream media, [...]]]> Pope Francis says atheists who do good are redeemed http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239973/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 23 May 2013 20:17:39 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239973/-1/blogs01

A Facebook reader of the Applesauce post just before this one (HERE) has [...]]]> Glenn Beck says there’s an atheist mole at CNN http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239974/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 23 May 2013 20:17:06 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239974/-1/blogs01

Glenn Beck, the clown prince of right-wing politics, thinks he’s http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239975/-1/blogs01

Greg Sargent NAILS IT:

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130523/BLOGS/305239995/-1/blogs01

As I’ve reported several times in the past week (most recently http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229976/-1/blogs01

Considering the feverish zeal with which Obama-haters are pushing their conspiracy theories these days, I guess THIS KIND OF [...]]]> Ninety-nine one-liners to use againt global-warming deniers http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 22 May 2013 19:14:34 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229995/-1/blogs01

HERE‘s a great collection of arguments to use against the disinformation campaigns [...]]]> How to turn a wingnut (whether lefty or righty) into a moderate http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229996/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 22 May 2013 19:13:13 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229996/-1/blogs01

Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein WRITES HERE of a fascinating study conducted by Philip Fernbach [...]]]> Here’s your opportunity to witness the birth of a conspiracy theory http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 22 May 2013 19:12:46 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130522/BLOGS/305229997/-1/blogs01

As you may already know, some of the vermin on the far, far right of the American political spectrum have been peddling theories that [...]]]> Report: Republican congressional staffers say they’re fed up with crazy Benghazi witch-hunt http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219975/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 21 May 2013 18:20:53 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219975/-1/blogs01

THIS is pretty interesting:

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219976/-1/blogs01

Political analyst Charlie Cook, who’s widely respected in both parties, http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219977/-1/blogs01

David Sirota NAILS IT:

Was the severe [...]]]> Rand Paul says Republicans need more blacks, Hispanics and tattooed guys with beards and ponytails http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219978/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 21 May 2013 18:16:58 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219978/-1/blogs01

The man SAYS the GOP needs greater diversity:

At a sold-out New Hampshire Republican Party dinner [...]]]> In an appeal to its more immature members, NRA issues list of “coolest gun movies” ever http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219979/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 21 May 2013 18:15:50 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219979/-1/blogs01

Why am I not surprised that the silly 1984 fantasy “Red Dawn” (above) tops THIS LIST?

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219980/-1/blogs01

Two major public-opinion polls released this week have lots of good news for President Obama and lots of bad news for the Republican Party.

The first of these is the CNN/ORC survey, which [...]]]> Oklahoma’s two Republican senators usually oppose federal disaster relief for any states but theirs http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219981/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 21 May 2013 18:13:48 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130521/BLOGS/305219981/-1/blogs01

“Hypocrites” is the one word that comes to mind in light of http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209966/-1/blogs01 Here’s a 96-minute account of the historic Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954.

Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video....

Read more
]]> Poll: Almost no one thinks marijuana users should go to jail http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209967/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 20 May 2013 17:16:40 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209967/-1/blogs01

Each year, roughly 800,000 people are arrested for marijuana offenses. That amounts to one arrest every 42 seconds, which represents a great strain on the criminal justice system.

The irony in all of this is that [...]]]> Once again, Republicans come up with a black candidate who fits the bill as a first-rate loony http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209992/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 20 May 2013 17:16:05 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209992/-1/blogs01

The Republican Party doesn’t often field black candidates for public office, but when it does, they’re usually wingnuts of the first order.

My favorite example is Alan Keyes, who was recruited from [...]]]> Does the food industry only pretend to promote healthful eating? http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 20 May 2013 17:15:08 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209993/-1/blogs01

Writing in Scientific American, Patrick Mustain imagines THIS LETTER [...]]]> Conspiratorialist Rand Paul cites IRS memo that seems not to exist http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209994/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 20 May 2013 17:14:25 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209994/-1/blogs01

Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s detachment from reality is getting worse, as we see HERE:

Former reporter for Rockford TV station targeted in federal probe of national security leaks http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 20 May 2013 17:13:41 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209995/-1/blogs01

James Rosen (above), who worked at WREX-TV in Rockford for a while in the 1990s, is http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130519/BLOGS/305199992/-1/blogs01

Most of us rabid political partisans, whether lefties or righties, take special pleasure in citing what we see as the excessive rhetoric of certain people on the other side of the spectrum.

And so it is with me when [...]]]> Another new poll shows that “scandals” seem not to be hurting Obama http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130519/BLOGS/305199993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 19 May 2013 16:17:19 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130519/BLOGS/305199993/-1/blogs01

The RESULTS of a new CNN/ORC poll are mostly good news for [...]]]> You’re fooling yourself if you pine for the good old days without putting those memories in context http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130519/BLOGS/305199994/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 19 May 2013 16:16:56 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130519/BLOGS/305199994/-1/blogs01

Stephanie Koontz, one of my favorite social historians, WARNS HERE about the potential pitfalls of [...]]]> Obama’s “scandals” aren’t worse than Watergate or even as bad as Ronald Reagan’s Iran-Contra affair http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130518/BLOGS/305189974/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 18 May 2013 15:20:34 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130518/BLOGS/305189974/-1/blogs01

Despite suggestions from such conservatives as Charles Krauthammer and Newt Gingrich to temper their [...]]]> Wingnuts contrive another silly Obama “scandal” — Umbrella-gate! http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130518/BLOGS/305189987/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 18 May 2013 15:14:34 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130518/BLOGS/305189987/-1/blogs01

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130518/BLOGS/305189988/-1/blogs01

Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, whose skillful way with words usually exceeds her grasp of the facts, waxed indignant the other [...]]]> When Bill Nye, the Science Guy, got booed in Texas for saying the moon reflects light from the sun http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179962/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:40 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179962/-1/blogs01

A Facebook friend of mine has dug up THIS WONDERFUL STORY from four years ago:

If the political buzz among your friends is all the same, you need to make more friends http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179963/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:39 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179963/-1/blogs01

One morning back in 1977, I was having coffee with a certain prominent public official (an appointee, not a politician) whose judgment in most matters I usually respected.

Our conversation eventually turned to an upcoming local [...]]]> Public interest in Benghazi and IRS “scandals” relatively low for such prominent news stories http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179964/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:39 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179964/-1/blogs01

Most Americans are not following the controversies regarding the Internal Revenue Service and the Benghazi tragedy with especially intense interest, as we see http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179965/-1/blogs01

Ordinarily, I like to know what’s going on in the world. But I’m glad I didn’t know about http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179992/-1/blogs01

The right-wing noise machine has strongly implied, and falsely so, that the Obama administration doctored government emails concerning the Benghazi tragedy.

In truth, however, it was [...]]]> Surprise! The so-called IRS scandal has nothing to do with taxes! http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 14:13:04 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179993/-1/blogs01

It’s probably safe to say that many Americans think the current “scandal” at the Internal Revenue Service is about who has to pay how much in taxes.

But that’s not the case, as Steven Rattner Like millions of other Americans, actor Bruce Willis doesn’t understand the Second Amendment http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179994/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 14:12:28 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179994/-1/blogs01

The image above, which I ran across on Facebook this morning, is based on an http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130517/BLOGS/305179995/-1/blogs01

The Washington Post editorial board, which is not always as liberal as some conservatives seem to think it is, makes good sense in http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169960/-1/blogs01

Media critic Bob Somerby (above), a liberal, is out with a snarky attack on MSNBC pundits Chris Matthews and Lawrence O’Donnell for their ignorance of the details regarding the so-called Benghazi scandal. [...]]]> Ezra says the scandals are falling apart http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169961/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 16 May 2013 15:20:24 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169961/-1/blogs01

I don’t know that I fully agree with Ezra Klein on THIS STUFF, but he’s one of the [...]]]> Almost every company or organization needs an independent Dr. No http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169992/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 16 May 2013 13:16:07 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169992/-1/blogs01

One of my pipe dreams in recent years is to hire myself out as an independent consultant under the name of Dr. No.

You see, the problem in most organizations of appreciable size is [...]]]> Regarding Texas Republicans and the fear of God http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 16 May 2013 13:14:40 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169993/-1/blogs01

Given the awesome size of the Lone Star State, in population as well as area, http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130516/BLOGS/305169994/-1/blogs01

When the scandal at the Internal Revenue Service first came to light, my immediate reaction was that “heads should roll” (see http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159966/-1/blogs01

THIS is too, too funny:

PPP’s [...]]]> Pat Robertson says a husband’s infidelity is just a man being a man http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159967/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 15:20:32 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159967/-1/blogs01

Televangelist Pat Robertson, who frequently claims to have his own pipeline to God’s thoughts on [...]]]> The two most self-important people in the establishment media declare that Obama has lost D.C. http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159968/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 15:20:32 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159968/-1/blogs01

Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei (above) of Politico want you to know THIS:

The town is turning [...]]]> Republicans outraged at federal probe of media they had demanded http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 12:15:06 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159993/-1/blogs01

Can you say “hypocrisy,” boys and girls?

HERE‘s a good example of [...]]]> Federal budget deficit shrinking faster than expected — perhaps too fast http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159994/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 12:14:33 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159994/-1/blogs01 http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130515/BLOGS/305159995/-1/blogs01

A funny thing about problems in the executive branch of the federal government — some of which are actual scandals — is that they don’t always badly hurt a president’s [...]]]> Karl Rove gets a little blowback for smearing Hillary Clinton http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149959/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 15:15:46 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149959/-1/blogs01 This video, which counters a recent TV ad sponsored by American Crossroads, a Karl Rove outfit, was produced by a liberal organization calling itself the Bridge Project.

Click here to view the embedded video.

... http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149960/-1/blogs01

While pundits and politicians on the left and right alike (including me, as evidenced HERE [...]]]> Has Obama lost Jon Stewart — and his millennial base? http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149961/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 15:15:45 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149961/-1/blogs01

Alex Seitz-Wald wonders whether Barack Obama has suffered the equivalent of Lyndon Johnson’s http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149985/-1/blogs01

Political satirist Stephen Colbert, who’s made a career of parodying right-wing pundits, SAID [...]]]> Check out the satire in this military version of The Onion http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149986/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 11:15:01 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149986/-1/blogs01

As a long-time reader of the satirical newspaper and Web site known as The Onion (see HERE), I was glad to stumble upon The Duffel Blog, a site that offers the same [...]]]> Federal snooping into journalists’ phone records compounds Obama administration’s woes http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149987/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 11:13:58 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130514/BLOGS/305149987/-1/blogs01

For an already besieged President Obama, THIS STORY could not have come along at a worse time:

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139958/-1/blogs01 Woman at the center of the Benghazi fuss, a former aide to Dick Cheney, says she’s non-political http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139959/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 15:20:38 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139959/-1/blogs01

Make of THIS what you will:

After ABC [...]]]> FLASH: Story that Michele Bachmann has threatened to move away from Minnesota is false! http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139960/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 15:20:38 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139960/-1/blogs01

{NOTE: IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS STORY ISN’T TRUE. I PICKED IT UP ON A FACEBOOK POST LINKING TO A STORY FROM A GAY WEB SITE IN EUROPE, WHICH, I’VE BELATEDLY LEARNED, HAD [...]]]> Obama calls alleged IRS misdeeds “outrageous,” won’t tolerate them http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139961/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 15:20:38 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139961/-1/blogs01

HERE‘s the story:

President Barack Obama [...]]]> Your state’s highest-paid public employee likely is a coach http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139994/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 10:16:03 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139994/-1/blogs01

What does THIS say about our priorities?

You may have heard that the highest-paid [...]]]> By the way, the IRS is supposed to guard against political groups posing as something they’re not http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 10:15:11 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139995/-1/blogs01

Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas make a few good points HERE:

Let’s [...]]]> John McCain is the undisputed king of meaningless blather on Sunday-morning TV talk shows http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139996/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 10:14:46 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139996/-1/blogs01

One of the great unanswered questions of our time is why the major television networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox — so often feel the need to book Republican Sen. John [...]]]> Obama better use his news conference this morning to address IRS scandal in no uncertain terms http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 10:13:58 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130513/BLOGS/305139997/-1/blogs01

President Obama is scheduled to hold a news conference at 10:15 (CDT) this morning, and he should use the occasion to roundly condemn recently disclosed practices at the Internal [...]]]> Refuting the Republican right’s latest canards about Benghazi http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129989/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 12 May 2013 15:15:44 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129989/-1/blogs01

Here are the myths:

The White House And State Department Edited References To Terrorism Out Of Talking Points For Political Purposes.

Benghazi Whistleblower Gregory Hicks Is Being [...]]]> The shocking extent of cluelessness among the American people http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129990/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 12 May 2013 15:15:43 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129990/-1/blogs01

Frank Bruni OFFERS EXAMPLES of the American public’s curious detachment from certain facts:

Will Obama be another in a long line of presidents who have suffered big second-term difficulties? http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129996/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 12 May 2013 9:15:33 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129996/-1/blogs01

Since the end of World War II, every U.S. president who has served more than four years has experienced significant difficulties in his second term.

Harry Truman’s problems were such that he left [...]]]> Heads should roll at the IRS over targeting of right-wing groups http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 12 May 2013 9:15:32 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129997/-1/blogs01

No matter that the targets were groups I consider wacky and bad for America, http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129998/-1/blogs01

Ordinarily, I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, especially since they can’t defend themselves.

Nor do I necessarily agree with certain theories advanced by Marie Burns of the Web [...]]]> Surprise! So-called consulate in Benghazi was actually the site of a secret CIA operation! http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119989/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 11 May 2013 15:15:33 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119989/-1/blogs01

Glenn Kessler, the fact-checker at the Washington Post, has more than a few juicy [...]]]> Like certain televangelists, Michele Bachmann blames America for the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001 http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119990/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 11 May 2013 15:15:33 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119990/-1/blogs01 A few days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, televangelist Jerry Falwell, with the concurrence of televangelist Pat Robertson, said those awful events represented God’s judgement on America.

The terrorism, said Falwell, was God’s punishment of America for sins of “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way–all of them who [...]]]> Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia channels Archie Bunker http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 11 May 2013 9:16:01 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119997/-1/blogs01 Some of our readers probably are too young to remember Archie Bunker and consequently may not fully appreciate the humor of this video:

Click here to view the embedded video....

Read more
]]> Heat-trapping carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere at highest level in millions of years http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119998/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sat, 11 May 2013 9:16:00 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130511/BLOGS/305119998/-1/blogs01

Let’s see what the global-warming deniers can make of THIS:

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109968/-1/blogs01

Already infamous for his especially kooky style of global-warming denialism (see http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109969/-1/blogs01 The first thing you need to do here is watch this Republican National Committee TV spot that was prepared for last fall’s presidential campaign but never used – because the Romney campaign people thought it would distract from the candidate’s focus on the economy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

. [...]]]> Incredible! Townfolk where Texas plant explosion killed 14 not concerned about lax regulations! http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 10 May 2013 9:20:39 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109993/-1/blogs01

There must be something in the water that makes some Texans so strange.

Consider http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109994/-1/blogs01 This video is clever, but does it cross some kind of line?

Click here to view the embedded video....

Read more
]]> GOP’s trumped-up Benghazi scandal hasn’t tarnished Hillary Clinton http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 10 May 2013 9:20:38 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130510/BLOGS/305109995/-1/blogs01

If Republicans think their bogus Benghazi scandal will serve to render Hillary Clinton beatable in the 2016 presidential, which seems to be the principal purpose of this exercise of late, they had better think again.

I [...]]]> What would Republicans say if a terrorist bombing killed 220 Marines on Obama’s watch? http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099961/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 15:16:18 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099961/-1/blogs01

The current political controversy over last year’s tragedy in Benghazi, Libya, brings to mind an even greater tragedy of nearly 30 years ago in that same part of the world.

On Oct. 23, 1983, a [...]]]> Darrell Issa admits, in effect, that his over-hyped Benghazi hearing was a big nothingburger http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099962/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 15:16:18 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099962/-1/blogs01 Census Bureau: Blacks voted at higher rates than whites in last year’s election http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099963/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 15:16:17 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099963/-1/blogs01

Four months ago, I reported http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099991/-1/blogs01

You’ve heard of love-hate relationships, right?

HERE‘s a classic [...]]]> Jon Stewart shines withering spotlight on right-wing noise machine’s hysteria over Benghazi http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099992/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 9:20:28 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130509/BLOGS/305099992/-1/blogs01

It speaks ill of the so-called serious news media in this country when a political satirist does a better job than all of them in putting a controversy in proper perspective.

Such was the case last night when it took Jon Stewart a mere 10 [...]]]> Republicans chasing their own tails on Benghazi http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089973/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 8 May 2013 15:20:23 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089973/-1/blogs01

At this writing, a U.S. House committee hearing on the Benghazi tragedy has yet to live up to the breathless hype with which it was promoted in advance by Republicans.

Joe Klein’s Bush administration was caught off-guard on 9/11 — but not on the anniversaries of 9/11 http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 8 May 2013 9:16:01 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089995/-1/blogs01

Former Vice President Dick Cheney says the attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last Sept. 11 was “a failure of leadership” on the part of the Obama administration, especially since it was the anniversary of [...]]]> Stop the presses! Right-wing Republican wins election in right-wing Republican district! http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089996/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 8 May 2013 9:16:01 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089996/-1/blogs01

It should come as no big surprise that former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (above) won a congressional election yesterday in a solidly Republican district, but the national media are playing the story as [...]]]> As stocks hit record high, wingnuts demand Obama’s impeachment for wrecking the stock market http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 8 May 2013 9:16:01 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130508/BLOGS/305089997/-1/blogs01

You can’t make up stuff like THIS:

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130507/BLOGS/305079974/-1/blogs01

What is it about today’s Republicans that makes them think of Ronald Reagan’s presidency in terms that are completely at odds with the reality of it? [...]]]> How corporations bribe congressional staffers even before they become congressional staffers http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130507/BLOGS/305079995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 7 May 2013 9:15:52 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130507/BLOGS/305079995/-1/blogs01

HERE‘s a clever scheme perpetrated by Corporate America:

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130507/BLOGS/305079996/-1/blogs01

The story is HERE:

Pat Brady [above], the chairman [...]]]> Violent reaction to Glenn Beck’s name-dropping at NRA convention http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130507/BLOGS/305079997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 7 May 2013 9:15:51 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130507/BLOGS/305079997/-1/blogs01 This video mocks Glenn Beck’s preposterous recruitment of Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and other unlikely folks to the cause of unfettered gun ownership.

Click here to view the embedded video.... When the senior George Bush quit the NRA http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130506/BLOGS/305069967/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 6 May 2013 15:20:35 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130506/BLOGS/305069967/-1/blogs01

Here’s the text of George H.W. Bush’s letter of resignation from the National Rifle Association in 1995:

Dear Mr. Washington [then-NRA President Tom Washington],

I was outraged when, [...]]]> In 40 years, the American right wing has switched from supporting police to spewing cop-killer rhetoric http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130506/BLOGS/305069968/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 6 May 2013 15:20:34 +0000 Pat Cunningham http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20130506/BLOGS/305069968/-1/blogs01

Back in the day, the message in the image above was the mantra of most right-wingers in America.

Today, the far right sounds like