Sunday evening politics roundup

1. The late Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina was a racist piece of garbage who embraced all the wrong causes and struggled against most of the right ones. Therefore, it's a little surprising to see right-wingers describing him as some honorable exemplar of the conservative movement.

Um, are you sure you want to go there guys? Are you sure you want to be describing the pro-segregation, pro-apartheid racist fuck as someone who embodies your values? Are you sure you want to be calling the guy who said this;

The government should spend less money on people with AIDS because they got sick
as a result of deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct.

someone who embodies your values?

Read hilzoy's devastating post for more on the charming life of the delightful Senator Jesse Helms, unrepentant bigot to the end.

2. It looks like the right-wing nutosphere will have to find some new conspiracy theories about Obama:

AJ Strata appears to have done a pretty thorough debunking of the Obama fake birth certificate nonsense, enough so that Charles Johnson at LGF is cautioning folks to move on to issues of some substantive value, and it would appear to most reasonable observers that this issue is final over. Unfortunately, most reasonable observers are unaware of the proud tradition of wankery in blogging.
For example, when it was shown that the Graeme Frost family was in fact entitled to the health care they received, and were not merely rich loafers sucking on the public teat while lying about their financial condition, the issue for most people was settled. Not, however, on blogs, as we then learned that someone, somewhere, was able to talk to an insurance agent in Baltimore and tentatively price an insurance policy for merely half the Frost monthly income, and that if they sold all their belongings and their house they could have, in fact, been privately insured while living on the street. “YOU SEE- RIGHT WING BLOGS WERE CORRECT ALL ALONG!”
If you need another example of more recent vintage, I would point you this Red State post highlighted at Open Left in which we learn that the removal of non-weapons grade uranium from Iraq is, in fact, proof positive of the Saddam Hussein nuclear weapons program. You see- all you folks who thought there were no WMD’s were wrong, and Bush was right! Suck on that!
As such, while those of us working in reality may think this birth certificate saga is finally over, in a matter of days we will learn a kerning was off, or a comma misplaced, and the true perfidy of the Obama campaign will be brought to light, and once again we can celebrate the great truth detectors of the right wing blogosphere.
Does anyone want to bet me?

Nope.

3. As if we needed any more evidence that the media is hopelessly in the tank for McCain:

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/16100.html

The most important part:

The underlying point of the piece seems to be that Obama will be perceived as
having shifted — angering the right (for inconsistency and political expediency)
and offending the left (for moving away from his previous commitment) — even if
there’s no substantive change at all. But here’s the key point that’s usually
over looked: that’s why we have the media. We’re supposed to have reporters,
like the AP’s Jennifer Loven, to help us separate fact and fiction. If Obama
hasn’t shifted at all — and he hasn’t — we don’t need the Associated Press to
manufacture details and tell us of potential consequences of public confusion,
we need the Associated Press to help people be less confused. You know, by
reporting actual facts.

I think the US media has long since dropped any pretence of being there to separate fact from fiction when it comes to politics. Nonsensical campaign narratives and Republican spin are just about the only things the Beltway media takes seriously these days.

Also:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=10777

Bob Schieffer, on Face the Nation, responding to John Kerry stating that McCain
has completely changed his position on a large number of issues:
“Are you attacking John McCain’s integrity?”
I threw the remote. I like getting my heart rate up while riding the exercise bike and using the treadmill, but for
chrissakes Schieffer. I don’t want to have a heart attack.

I wonder if he had that shocked look on his face again. I can almost understand why the Democrats are afraid to show any backbone; the second they do, these media stars look at them like they just kicked a puppy.