This Is Brilliant

You must read this commentary by Charles Pierce. You will laugh. You will cry. You will blow coffee out your nose.

Not necessarily the best bit, but what I want to comment on —

A Republican may well get elected president next year. But, whoever that is, first has to answer, constantly, to the voices in the party’s head. It’s exhausting work. It’s already eaten Bachmann alive, and Herman Cain is next on the menu. Which is probably why so much energy seems to be going into the promotion of candidates who are not running. Right now, the non-candidate du jour is Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, who replaced Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana, who replaced Governor Rick Perry of Texas, who made the capital mistake of actually running, and who already has flummoxed and disappointed Bill Kristol, maker of public men and truly unnecessary wars.

Pierce goes on to say that “If Bill Kristol went to the track, he’d bet on the fucking starting gate.” I want that on a needlepoint pillow cover.

Anyway — Pierce goes on to say that both Mittens and Yosemite Sam Perry blew it with wingnut voters because of what they did that was effective.

In the debate on Thursday night, both he [Perry] and Romney fell afoul of having done, during their terms as governor of their respective states, something reasonably decent for the citizens therein. In Romney’s case, of course, he passed a law that has resulted in 95 percent of the people in Massachusetts being covered by health insurance. In Perry’s case, he allowed the children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition to the state universities in Texas.

And from what I’ve read, that’s the pathetic truth. The base turned on these guys not because of the lies and the corruption and the phoniness or anything else they’ve done in their sorry-ass careers, but because of things they did that were sensible and beneficial.

But apparently the GOP establishment hasn’t noticed that Christie has already jumped that shark. He appointed a Muslim judge and belittled the hysteria over sharia law; and he agrees with climate change science. The base may have fallen in love with him awhile back for the many Youtube videos showing him denigrating public school teachers, but I’d say the bloom already is off that rose. If Christie does run, the base will eat him alive.

Jeb? You there?

Pepper Spray Cop Outed

The NYPD “pepper spray” cop also “stands accused of false arrest and civil rights violations in a claim brought by a protester involved in the 2004 demonstrations at the Republican national convention,” the Guardian says. An injunction was filed against the cop, identified as deputy inspector Anthony Bologna, and is expected to be heard sometime next year, or whenever somebody gets around to it, apparently.

The Village Voice reports the hacker collective Anonymous helped identify the cop with a close up of his badge. However, Anonymous also released his possible phone number, address, and names of family members with the warning “Before you commit atrocities against innocent people, think twice. WE ARE WATCHING!!! Expect Us!” (Yes, but how will anyone know who you are?)

Patrick Bruner of Occupy Wall Street and pepper-spray victim Chelsea Elliott condemned the release of Bologna’s personal information.

Update:
I agree with Mistermix.