Real Time New Rules: We've let this 'Birther' garbage gather for too long
Real Time's New Rules for July 31, 2009. Among other topics, Bill reiterates what he said in his LA Times op-ed.
Never underestimate the ability of a tiny fringe group of losers to ruin everything.
For the last couple of weeks, we've all been laughing heartily at the wacky antics of the "birthers" -- the far-right goofballs who claim Barack Obama wasn't really born in Hawaii and therefore the job of president goes to the runner-up, former Miss California Carrie Prejean.
Also, when Obama was sworn in as president, he forgot to give his answer in the form of a question.
And yet, every week, the chorus of conservatives demanding to see his birth certificate grows. It's like they're the Cambridge police, Obama's in his house -- the White House -- and they need to see some ID.
And there's nothing anyone can do to convince these folks. You could hand them, in person, the original birth certificate and have a video of Obama emerging from the womb with Don Ho singing in the background ... and they still wouldn't believe it.
Which raises the question: Why, in this country, is it always the religious right that won't take anything on faith?
So far, the reaction from Democrats is to laugh this off, and I understand why. If you seriously believe that President Obama is an African sleeper spy, get out of your chat room and have your house tested for lead.
But we live in America, and in America, if you don't immediately kill arrant nonsense, no matter how ridiculous, it can grow and thrive and eventually take over, like crab grass or reality shows about fat people.
This flap might be a deluded right-wing obsession that is a total waste of time, but so was Whitewater, and look where that ended up. A handful of Republican operatives, enraged at Bill Clinton's unprecedented economic growth and budget surpluses, found a woman named Paula Jones, which led to a woman named Monica Lewinsky, which gave me enough material to eventually be able to buy a big house in Bel-Air. Which I'm still conflicted about.
More recently we had the Swift Boat allegations against John Kerry, in which Kerry was accused of volunteering to serve in Vietnam so he could jump in front of a bullet so he could get a medal and then throw it away to satisfy his urge to insult real Americans. This was so stupid that Kerry refused to even discuss it.
And we all know how well that worked out.
And once these stories get out there, they're hard to stamp out because our media do such a lousy job of speaking truth to stupid. Vietnam, Iraq and the Spanish-American War were all sold on lies that were unchallenged or even abetted by the media. Clinton got impeached and Kerry got destroyed in large part because the media didn't have the guts to say, "This is nonsense."
Lou Dobbs has been saying recently that people are asking a lot of questions about the birth certificate. Yes, the same people who want to know where the sun goes at night.
And Lou, you're their new king.
That's why it's so important that we the few, the proud, the reality-based attack this stuff before it has a chance to fester and spread. This isn't a case of Democrats versus Republicans. It's sentient beings versus the lizard people, and it is to them I offer this deal: I'll show you Obama's birth certificate when you show me Sarah Palin's high school diploma.
Tullycast
[Link Deleted. Please enter the specific URL for 'the rest.' To just give the general address to your channel page is off topic and is very much like blogwhoring. Thanks. Update: It had to be removed from YouTube anyway. Second update. Your Youtube account has been suspended. Save your ire for them-Sitemonitor]
Afterbirthers don't let facts get in the way of their opinions.
should henceforth- be eaten!!
I want it on a T-shirt.
There ought to be slogans with not only t-shirts, but bumper stickers, billboards, etc. saying "Where's Palin's High School Diploma?"
that last night was one of the best Real Times that I have seen in a while. Bill was in good form and the guests were great, with the exception of Joe Queenan.
Isn't that the truth, we can't ignore this craziness.
who was that guy Queenan, he was a total idiot! Judges President Obamas success by Wall street? Really?
Yeah I didn't get that crap either. The thing about Wall Street isn't new though. I hear that from conservatives I know personally and you see the conservatives on TV and the radio and in the newspapers saying it all the time. They seem to forget 2 key facts (and I know, they tend to not let facts get in the way of their "reality").
The first of these facts is that the housing market boom was pretty much a fraud. They bitch about it now, but back then, they were using it to show how amazing "Bush's economy" was. That, combined with the stock market going up, in part, because of the housing boom was what they pointed to constantly to say the economy was doing great.
The second of these facts is the difference in pay between top execs and the people in the lower echelons of the company. If you worked at the top, wages rose and you got bonuses. If you worked at the bottom, you barely got a raise, probably don't have any sort of benefits like insurance (though I'm sure the execs most definitely do), and you probably don't get bonuses for good performance.
The main difference between conservatives and liberals when it comes to the economy is this - conservatives think making money to make money is where the majority of the wealth should be while liberals tend to believe that you should probably actually produce something that is used by a wide number of people, in order to make a lot of money.
As for the Birthers thing, President Obama needs to either get Governor Lingle of Hawaii to Washington for a Press Conference or he needs to go there. She needs to make a statement where she holds up the Certificate of Live Birth and explains that this is all that Hawaii issues to the public to prove the birth happened in their state. Then she needs to hand it to President Obama and he needs to take the time to show on that fancy TV screen in the Press Briefing room the ACTUAL ARTICLES that announce his birth as he holds up THE ACTUAL NEWSPAPERS and then reads the announcement of his birth. After this, 2 people who have seen the official document in the state's archives should come up to confirm that what Governor Lingle produced today is authentic. NOW, this all sounds stupid, and to those of us that can think for ourselves, it seems like it would be a tad bit condescending, but that's about the best way to put this to rest. Then, anytime a Democrat or liberal is a TV show, like Lou Dobbs, where they here it being pushed STILL by someone on the show, even if it wasn't part of the segment they came on for, they should take the time to say the following - "That person, is an idiot."
"Dummies talking to other dummies." Fucking classic.
He had some good lines last night and that was one of the best ones.
The sad fact is the mainstream media do not produce news, they look for entertainment.
President Obama having a press conference, sorry we can't preempt "Dancing with the Stars". A serious look in the healthcare crisis will be postponed so we can bring you breaking news on Senator Doe' affair.
News died long before the newspapers began folding and Walter Cronkite died. Mike Judge "Idiocracy" is not that far off.
we are living "idiocracy"
did you watch the vid of hannity interviewing those two sd state senators? one was functionally illiterate
palin was elected gov of alaska cuz she is pretty
our current cali gov is in there cuz he looked good on screen and talks funny
and i take it you havent been watching reality tv lately...which is a step below getting kicked in the balls
and never mind having a retarded prez for 8 years...and expecting his successor, just because he is one of the smarter man in america, to fix all the ills of this country and the world in just 6 months
the big movie hits this year were transformers (which had no story, repetitive action and some of the worst acting i have ever seen in a blockbuster) and twilight (a tweener version of the vampire lestadt)
they are remaking everything under the sun cuz they have run out of good ideas.
no...idiocracy is a documentary of our times...and mike judge is a fuckin prophet
We are so close to that movie now, and the really scary thing is, its partly by design.
Idiocracy yet but now I will make an effort. Yeah Maher says all the time how stupid we are in america and he's right on the money with that.
this weekend
It was never 1984, it's Huxley's Brave New World, dumb down the prols and distract them with sugar and circuses
..which is a step below getting kicked in the balls.".....CLASSIC! Thanks for the laugh!!!...Everything in this comment is pure gold! I'm a struggling actor who feels like CRYING every time I hear the words, REALITY TV!!! Actually, there are a LOT of good ideas out there, but the suits who RUN the business don't know SHIT about art! They know how to play it safe, and make "easy" money. Just like the news media!
We can't let the brainly-challenged win. Attack the right wing lies and liars and attack them hard. Or else we truly will become Idiocracy...and Obama might get impeached because of the "Burger Incident".
NOBODY 2012
It was one of those what the fuck moments.
They got nuthin.
Let them continue. It proves how stupid they are.
And anyone who would believe that bullshit, would never be open to critical thinking anyway.
Actually, it was the week before last.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
That's a real billboard. Holy fuck.
It's real. Just south of downtown LA. It's either on Hwy 101 or the I5. I'm thinkin I5.
This will be just like the Ken Starr thing all over again.
There's alot at stake for the GOPers on this.
They have nothing. So they're scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything that will stick. Between this and the anti christ bullshit, one would think that they'll be outcasts for quite some time. But somehow I don't think so. There's enough serious stupid in this country for them to make a comeback with this nonsense.
Because that's all this is. Nonsense.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
I agree with him. At first it was funny, but now its become an annoyance that has the potential to let people who have nothing better to do, let their imagination run wild. Needs to be shut down quickley.
just as the troofers arent funny
and just as the troofers at their heart are really israel/jew hating bastards, so too, the birthers are knuckle dragging, minority hating racists
and that is what this is all about
coming up with reasons to hate obama
cuz these people are too pussy to say they hate him cuz he is black
'and that is what this is all about
coming up with reasons to hate obama"
It's about stealing a 3rd election in a row.
Ain' it de TWOOOTH?!
The trouble is the same people who don't believe that Obama was born in America would happily elect Schwarzenegger to the presidency.
I am so sick of the dumb ass right wing in this country, we really need to get rid of them, if for no other reason then to have a chance at once again being the greatest country in the world.
at what point(s) did Muhrka jump the sharp, and the loons become to feel so empowered. Must be in part all that media propaganda emboldening them?
This is why these folk are so agin the return of the Fairness Act, because such views couldn't possibly stand up to debate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDthMGtZKa4
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Those were the best of times- the worst of times- and, at any rate- good times....good times!
I'm not sure when it began exactly, but 9/11 sealed the deal. It became UNPATRIOTIC to question power and authority, and the Village Idiot was president.
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
Agree with Dahgrostabph-r-i
Is anyone else as pissed off about the fundamentalism on C-street as I am??
The "C-Street Band" is dangerous. Their status as a "church" needs to be exposed more and investigated. Let the IRS bring them down on that one. You know, the only way the Feds were able to finally nail Al Capone was through the tax code.
IRS won't touch this one. They will keep this little cult going without a single pause.
But just because it's single doesn't mean it might not be pregnant.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Is a senior cabinet member in charge of a gov department.
am so disgusted. It's the worst of the prosperity theology, and it's sick...
I've never seen change without a fire
had to buy it online because everyone is out of the book around here. Amazon is back ordered.
once and for all! I got a copy sent to my Kindle, so I had no idea that paper copies seem to be flying off the shelves.
I've never seen change without a fire
be enough i wonder. After that interview I was so mad. These people are really untouchable to a point. Along with the big names in evangelical religion. Its mind numbing. I havent read this book yet but I know how this interfath works.
Prosperity theology is just Social Darwinism in disguise.
Both Prosperity theology, and Left Behind millennial theology are considered heresy by most mainline churches, showing that Americans do not understand even their own religion.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
To clarify that's millennial annihalationist eschatology.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
for our tastes, m'dear!
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched...
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 24:42-43,44 KJV
(Good thing his American followers are so heavily armed.)
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I sure the hell am skeered after all that business!
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Thessalesbian 5:2 kjv
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. "
Jules Winnfield, a.k.a. Samuel L. Jackson 14:oct:1994 pfv
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/sinners.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWqQ9uwqQxk
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Have Americans, on average, ever been known to cognitively plumb the depths of, say, most anything thay adhere to?
Their toilets?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Now using my toothpick to plumb inter-dential depths of residual chunks from that last esophagal blow....
I have a horrible mental picture now!
I've never seen change without a fire
believed in Prosperity theology, and it went against my personal convictions, not to mention, it was really really unhealthy for PTSD and mental health in general. Not to mention I was alarmed by the charges of heresy.
And a quick off topic diversion,ysb. :P I was doing a little reading on the House of Wessex, and in the process I landed on a pedigree for your Henry II. He is a descendant of my Baldwin III, Comte de Flandres/Comte D'Artois, making Baldwin III "yours" as well as "mine." It means your ancestry also back to the House of Wessex on one side, and Charlemagne on another. It also makes us cousins a squillion times removed... :)
I've never seen change without a fire
You're both germane squid-life creatures at this point? ;)
:D
I've never seen change without a fire
Comte de Flandre's modern descendent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTCTrlREBeU
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
;)
I've never seen change without a fire
21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 21-23 kjv
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mark 10:25
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Alec Baldwin?
Does that mean I can marry Kim Bassinger now?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Honey!!
ahead! ;)
I've never seen change without a fire
a guy had sex with a horse...twice? WTF? I'm sorry, but that is beyond funny. That's just insane. And Madonna's arms look like Clint Eastwood's penis? Hahahahahahahahahaha........thems some fugly arms she's got going on there!
Finally, Bill has a funny new rules segment from start to finish.
show obama's long form when we get to see trig's short form
.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
That was fantastic! Very funny. It's so nice to see Michael Ware having some laughs.
I'd love to see the whole show!
Michael Ware was brilliant. He actually has lived and worked in the Middle East-Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan-and knows what is really going on. I wish Maher would have him back on for a one-on-one extended conversation.
Michael Ware tells the truth and we're so lucky to have him.
Bill and Rachel team up (provided they work out/compromise the dynamics of their own respective personalities)! Rachel herself has an uncanny and unique sense of comedic timing within the bounds of her journalistic call to duty- I think it could be quite a tour de force if managed appropriately?!
Love to hear more about Wares stories, he was hilarious.
Or the thousands of White House email conversations that mysteriously went missing?
Could boosh ever prove he went to that one assignment that no one could recall ever seeing him there?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Truth to power and truth to stupid!
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
In Whitewater, there was a special prosecutor, that once appointed, kept expanding the investigation into unrelated areas. There's no special prosecutor in the birther thing, and I don't see this going anywhere.
I would compare the birther people to the people who say the moonwalk was staged, and that the moonwalk really didn't happen. It's idiots like these that drove the educated Republicans out of the GOP. Hence, I don't have a problem with these birthers. I think they hurt the GOP and I'm fine with that.
ya, it's their new conspiracy theory, now that they have pictures of the moon landing sites from space, footprints and all.
Some people don't want it to be true for some reason so they make things up.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
"Where's the birth certificate?"
I know where it ain't. In Panama, Where John McCain's is.
Ya, the fact is John McCain wasn't born anywhere near the US and then he crashed planes and talked to the enemy - not that he meant to or anything...
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Rachel brought up a great point on her show. When the "McCain isn't a real American" stuff started to bubble up, it was a group of Democrats, including Jim Webb, Hillary Clinton, Patrick Leahy, Barack Obama, and the Republican Tom Coburn who cosponsored a resolution with Clair McCaskill declaring that John McCain was a natural born citizen and thus eligible to run for POTUS. Note that it was a group of Democrats who stepped up and quashed the fringe lunacy aimed at their opponent. Where is the Republican leadership on this issue? Mike Stark's video of trying to interview Congress critters about Obama's citizenship should be shown 20 times a day.
MoutainMan posted a link to the interview with the author of "The Family" about the C Street incest nest (which HBO has since pulled from YouTube) it's a scary fu*kin' picture they painted at the beginning of this episode , there are some seriously messed up rightwingers in this government who feel chosen by God to lead us into ____ and deliver us from _____
Radix Omnium Malorum Avaritia
Watching it now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq20THy7Hbk
I've never seen change without a fire
Watching it again now as well.
Radix Omnium Malorum Avaritia
*
I've never seen change without a fire
They're pulling these Maher/Birther ones right now.
(Remember to re-post 'em if you got 'em.)
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
what do you mean
...pulling these clips from YouTube. I watched one, then the next was pulled, and I clicked on the original one, and it got pulled in the meantime. It's like whack-a-mole. They get posted, they disappear.
(So I watched the 7 year-old-kid that stole his parents' car so he wouldn't have to go to church--again. I love that kid. The Nazis watching think he needs a beating.)
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
I don't blame him for thinking it's too hot to get dressed up and go to church!
I've never seen change without a fire
The one about the 25 minute early news report, Youtube and Google spent a week whack-a-moling that video, then they gave up.
very odd...
I've never seen change without a fire
They seem to leave G Beck videos, don't they? Hmmm...
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
"...and in America, if you don't immediately kill arrant nonsense, no matter how ridiculous..."
I always thought it was errant, but, apparently, both are correct:
http://thecommonparlance.blogspot.com/2007/04...
Thanks for the new addition to my vocabulary.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Gotta skeedadle now to eat tacos and watch Son of Dracula:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv4y_Y0bKWo
Have a Loony Lughnasadh y'all!!!
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I was hoping you were talking the 1974 Son of Dracula, with Harry Nilsson and Ringo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBa404fNznM
Actually, that's one I've never seen, I've seen most Dracula films with the exception of Roger Corman's blonde Dracula, and some Japanese versions.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
with this birther movement is its taking away from the prosecution of Bush and Cheney Administration. This is a side track, there is nothing in the news about investigations anymore.
...one of the best "New Rules" in my memory.
The reason the "birthers" are thumping this drum is because screaming "there's a n----r in the White House" just won't work anymore.
For some reason, I had the image jump into my mind of the scene from Blazing Saddles, when Cleavon Little is riding into town and Mel Brooks is yelling, "The sheriff is a n-----!"
The Republican Party seems to be turning into Harvey Korman....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHvazndll8M
I think the birthers are losing steam. Over at YouTube, I am EXTREMELY FOUL-MOUTHED, at times (hee he he), and I just don't get the same usual "death threats" a Canadian (non-American) could expect.
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
You just know it makes them froth at the mouth and soil their tidy whiteys.
Asking them if they prefer LIHOP or MIHOP, also works them into a frenzy too.
I saw one of those billboards recently. In the right hand, bottom corner and in small letters, I noticed that it said wnd.com. I knew right away that the website was for World Net Daily. WND is one of the more extreme, loony, right wing, whacko sites on the internet. Complete with the usual bat sh!t crazy contributors and topics. They have a "Birth Certificate Billboard" campaign, where you can contribute and also purchase lawn signs and bumper stickers. I have a pretty strong stomach. So, I wouldn't recommend going on the site unless you really need to puke.
I have never found this Birther stuff funny just the opposite it scares the crap out of me.
When I watched the youtube clip where the lady in the red shirt screams "I want my country back" and then they stand up and just recite "The Pledge" over and over and getting louder each time sent a chill down my spin.
Last time I felt that chill is when I was living in Oregon and having four "Anglo Gentlemen" driving their car at my walking pace for two blocks screaming stuff I wont type in this forum the whole time.
I wouldn't be surprised if they are now "Birthers" these people are dangerous and it is just a Powder Keg waiting to blow up.
I do like Bill Maher and liked this show, but BEWARE. Bill Maher is a perfect example of a "double agent" who appears to get it and appears to understand the danger Republicans pose for the USA but at crunch time in an election year he starts up with the "Both Parties are full of it", "They're no different", "The Dems are just as bad if not worse than the Republicans" bullshit.
No television personality worked harder to help George W. Bush slither into the White House in 2000 than Bill Maher with his high profile endorsement of Ralph Nader. No television personality worked harder to help George W. Bush win that second term than Bill Maher with his limp non-endorsement of John Kerry until AFTER the election was over and his praise of the "tough guy" persona of George W. Bush before the election.
Maher started laying the ground work for helping Democrats LOSE their majority control last night when he said "Barack Obama is like Michael Jordan with a terrible team...the Dems are useless" or words to that effect.
Maybe Obama and the Democratic Congress aren't doing everything we wanted them to do, but the pain is NOTHING like it would be if the Dems gave up a dozen seats in the House and lost their 60 seat Senate majority to the Republicans. And that appears to be what Bill Maher is perfectly willing to help happen by spending the next 18 months slamming "useless" Democrats.
Again, I like Bill Maher. But when it comes right down to it and when it really counts, Bill Maher works to HELP Republicans win elections.
You are correct to note that accusations that it's the "right wing media falsely state history of the last 15 years. Whitewater was the New York Times. Al Gore was ridiculed and lied about by the Washington Post/New York Times and NBC. Nobody worked harder against the Clintons and Gore than Chris Matthews. Nobody beat up Hillary Clinton in the 10/31/07 debate more than moderators Tim Russert and Brian Williams.
Nobody lied about Bush's privatization scheme more than Russert on Meet The Press. The list goes on and on.
Whenever someone tells me there's a liberal mainstream media, I ask them how GwB got to be president. If you go back and look, Arianna Huffington, who backed Bradley, spent time denigrating Al Gore about his clothing!
If we think for a moment these people aren't already working on that one, and we aren't ahead of them in the game, they we deserve to have it stolen.
The author of the book, The Family, if that isn't enough of an expose about their plans,even child rape could be forgiven because they're the chosen ones, were in deep shit.
not "arrant"
in America, if you don't immediately kill arrant nonsense, no matter how ridiculous, it can grow and thrive and eventually take over,
it is critical to point out that the "errant" nonsense that carries on endlessly growing all out of proportion to its importance ONLY comes from the right. There is nothing even remotely equivalent on the left that would be carried for daya and anyone form the left that attempted such an endeavor would be soundly lambasted in the MSM. But when wingnuts are caught in their whackier and malfeasance, the MSM works to suppress the truth from coming out - Sanford's extramarital romp in South America being only one of many such recent instances.
The US corporate media that carries the wingnut crankery is in fact an enabler, a willing partner in promoting the wingnut lies and dissembling that occurs and which is clearly intentional to distract the American people from the critical issues of the day. There is nothing accidental or innocent about it.
Once again Bill is dead on accurate.
He is one of the few people to admit that BOTH the Democrats and Republicans are right of center...
I particularly like he holds many liberals views, but see the 9/11 Truther crowd as the whack jobs they really are....
Bill made a great point about the birthers- they will NEVER be convinced- this whole birther issue is about destroying the Obama presidency, thats all
[Deleted. Sitemonitor]
P.S.- They haven't shut me down yet this week.
[So "This account is suspended" apparently does not mean what I think it means. It's what I got when I clicked a link to your YouTube account in your post-Sitemonitor]
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