Tidbits and Cat Treats — Mercredi In Montreal Edition

By Baxter

We cats have been a little bit out of the loop this week, being en vacances, but a few news items have managed to intrude into our consciousness:

The Quebec student strike continues, as do the talks to end them. We cats are mildly surprised that we've been in Montreal since Saturday and haven't seen one manifestation yet. But maybe we're glad about that, since the current tactic is to march through the streets at night, banging pots and pans.

Here's a North Carolina business we all should get behind: Replacements, Ltd. has run into a buzzsaw of homophobia since its owner came out against the state's recent gay-marriage ban. We cats are loyal customers, and although we don't currently need any additions to our china collection (eating mostly out of cat bowls as we do), we plan to place an order soon, just to show our support.

You know, we don't really think that "Polish death camps" is a misnomer exactly. Goodness gracious, don't we all know that the camps were run by the Nazis? But here's a difference between the President and Republicans like Romney: Obama is so intelligent that when he misspeaks you know it's truly a slip of the tongue. With Willard, not so much. (He really does think that corporations are people.)

If Romney is silly enough to stand on the same stage with unrepentant birther idiot Donald Trump, we think that no journalist should allow an interview with Willard to conclude without asking him when he'll release his tax returns.

Speaking of which, we find Romney's cell phone app misspelling the word "America" highly suspect. We think we'd better ask for Willard's birth certificate.

Finally, we cats would like to take a moment to HISS in the direction of all the liberal losers who said that there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between Democrats like Al Gore and GOP disasters like the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived (or, for that matter, who said that Ronald Reagan couldn't possibly be worse than Jimmy Carter). Just look at the Roberts court and Citizens United and try to say that again with a straight face. The damage that this right-wing court is wreaking has been incalculable — and to all those on the left who'd prefer to sacrifice the good in pursuit of the perfect, we cats dump our dirty litter boxes over your heads.

Freepers Abstain, and Not Courteously

By Sniffles

Well, today is supposed to be the day. The Texas Republican primary is expected to officially put Willard Mitt Romney over the top in delegates needed for the 2012 GOP nomination.

So, in spite of all the amusing diversions that the messy, badly run, and (if you care at all about democracy) extremely depressing Republican nominating process has brought us, the Obama people were correct in supposing that it would be Willard facing them in November. Good, because they've been preparing for that for, like, ever. On the other hand, if the GOP wants to continue to entertain us with some shenanigans at their convention, we won't object.

Meanwhile, we thought we'd check in on our anti-Romney teabagger friends at Free Republic, to see how they're handling the idea of Willard, Clinched. Seems that they're resigned to it, but refuse to join in the fun. Here are a few comments from Texan Freeps that were just too Schadenfreud-y not to share.

“Voted this morning for Uncommitted.”

“He won’t be getting any help from me. I’m still voting for one of the other candidates.”

“I voted for Newt since his name was still on the ballot. Just a protest vote against Mitt.”

“Romney despises Texas and Texas is irrelevant to the nominating process anyway. The feds made sure of that.”

“I’m not helping to put him over the top. I’ll vote for any of the other Republicans on the ballot.”

“The damn machine wouldn't let me write anyone in!”

“Conservatives got snookered, again. The GOP got their guy, again. So far, 2012 is almost a repeat of 2008. Let’s just hope the November results won’t be a repeat.”

(Actually, dear Freeps, we cats are looking forward to that!)

True North: Strong, But Maybe Not Quite So Free

By Zamboni

We cats are getting ready for what we're sure will be a memorable trip to Montreal. With Quebec students' anti-tuition-hike protests showing no end in sight, a week ago today the provincial government passed harsh legislation restricting les manifestations — or, at least, the manifs that the police don't approve eight hours in advance. Ridiculous, non?

It's pretty clear to us that the government is losing this fight. Yes, some of the demonstrations have gotten out of hand, and yes, the city stands to lose some tourist business with the summer festivals fast approaching. But when you overreach like they have, not only do the people respond by sending 150,000 into the streets — what are the cops doing to do, arrest them all? — but they end up taking you to court.

We cats can only hope that the law will be struck down as contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which we firmly believe it is. In the meantime, we're planning to avoid as many melees as possible. And if we run into Jean Charest anywhere, we'll HISS and arch our backs. Jean, take it from us: These students aren't the FLQ. This isn't October 1970, and you've blown it — big time.

"Mr. Romney Is Responsible for the Proposals He's Putting Forward"

By Miss Kubelik

We cats have been irritated by the silly pushback that the pundits, aided by the Republicans, have given to the Obama-Biden Bain ads.

Where were these same people when Karl Rove & Co. rushed in to label John Kerry as an effete, windsurfing Purple-Heart stealer? And the Democrats should shy away from defining the opposition in a hotly contested general election? Ridiculous.

We were all set to SNARL, HISS and post our displeasure, but then we decided that the President, asked about it Chicago the other day, explained things much better than we could ever hope to. So, take it away, Mr. President.

(Funny, too, how when it comes to Romney's talking points, his tenure as Massachusetts Governor seems to be, um, totally nowhere. Which makes us cats PURR, because we're sure the Obama campaign has some delicious Bay-State-related ads already in the can.)

We've Got Friends in Pennsylvania

By Baxter

So PPP has released a fresh poll showing President Obama up by eight points in Pennsylvania. Which makes us cats PURR.

But at the same time, it makes us cats HISS that the political cogniscenti are such jerks. Why is it assumed in Pundit World that Willard Mitt Romney has a legitimate shot in Pennsylvania, when he's eight points down?

And why do the same punditheads who call Pennsylvania a battleground state claim that it's: 1) 100 percent impossible for Obama to win Indiana, 2) unrealistic for Obama to dream about contesting Arizona, and 3) naive for Obama to think that North Carolina is within his reach — all because he's, gosh, eight (or fewer) points behind?

The pundits' electoral bias in Presidential elections, which probably dates back to 1972, is infuriating. And Obama strategists like David Axelrod need to call them on it.

After all, since 1988 the Republicans have won — outright — a grand total of ONE national general election. And that was only because the media allowed the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived and the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived (If Indeed He Were a Person) to get away with the ridiculous threat that if you vote for a Democrat you will die.

Booby Prize

By Sniffles

We cats are always happy for a laugh, and we must say the nut cases over at the Heritage Foundation have just given us one. They've announced the creation of their new "Breitbart Awards" for journalism.

Conflating the late, totally-not-lamented, right-wing Internet terrorist with honest reporters is so patently absurd, we almost passed on compiling the following list. But we knew you were waiting for it, so here we go.

Naming a journalism award after Andrew Breitbart is like:

• Naming a day care center after John Wayne Gacy.
• Naming an AA meeting room after John Boehner.
• Naming a hospital after Rick Scott.
• Naming a university after Sarah Palin.
• Naming a women's shelter after Rush Limbaugh.
• Naming a senior citizens' center after Paul Ryan.
• Naming an abortion clinic after Bubba Carpenter.
• Naming a bridge after Dharun Ravi.
• Naming a fitness center after Chris Christie.
• Naming airports, turnpikes, federal buildings and everything else the Republicans can possibly think of after Ronald Reagan. Oh, wait — they already did that.

(IMAGE: Bugs Bunny admires his Oscar. We'll do anything to keep from posting a picture of Andrew Breitbart.)

Jimmy Who?

By Zamboni

We cats are unhappy that the Republicans think they can score easy points by slamming Jimmy Carter. The latest example: Willard Mitt Romney's rope line comment that "even Jimmy Carter would have given that order" to kill bin Laden.

Note to Willard: Jimmy Carter did give that kind of order. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite as well as the bin Laden mission that President Obama authorized. Such are the perils of the Presidency.

Still and all, it's silly for the GOP to harp on Carter. It's not just because we cats worked for him (yes, we know we're dating ourselves). Or because, like everything else the Republicans say, their disdain for Carter is way too facile and one-dimensional.

It's stupid simply because — excuse us here — how many active voters actually remember the Carter Administration? We wager, not many. In fact, if you're 40 or younger, you barely remember Ronald Reagan. (Lucky you.)

Therefore, making Carter into a bete noire kinda falls on deaf ears. But then, we never assume that the Romney people actually know what they're doing.

At the same time, we understand their hostility. Former President Carter is the recipient of the one accolade that the Republicans are furious that Reagan didn't receive: the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ha! We cats PURR.

A Quickie: Here's What Romney Called "A Day of Shame" For America

Republican hyperbole strikes again. Will anyone in the media circle back to Romney and ask him to take it back? Nah.

UPDATE: We cats stand happily corrected. Colbert King took Romney to task for his stupid Chen comment today. Way to go, Colby!

Woe Is Willard: Repudiating Ricketts Edition

By Miss Kubelik

It's happened again! Just when some good comes to Willard Mitt Romney — in today's case, a hefty fund raising report for April — something correspondingly awful occurs. The latest "awful" being that repugnant Republican proposal for anti-Obama super PAC ads.

Willard must not have been blocking reporters from his rope line this afternoon, because he had to officially recoil in horror from this document, which we cats expect the Southern Poverty Law Center soon will brand as created by a hate group. However, Romney being Romney, his comments were limp-wristed and effete; he "repudiated" when he should have been throwing up all over his questioners' shoes.

Yep, the proposal that bad. If we belonged to a prominent American minority — like, say, if we were Mormons — we'd be looking over our shoulders, wondering if we were next.

Try to read it, if you can. It's over the top and strange. It seeks to position the President of United States as the ultimate Other, but ironically it sounds as if it was written by someone who was from a different planet himself... someone who was just dropped here and who thought that Reverend Jeremiah Wright was still news. Sorry, Republican super PAC and TD Ameritrade billionaire Joe Ricketts, but that train left the station years ago.

Our only questions are these: Was this proposal ever real? Or was it a nefarious ruse to sow doubts about the President without actually running the ads? Where can we sign an online petition to boycott TD Ameritrade? And do we have to root for the White Sox now?

"Sick, Misleading, Evil Religion Divides People"

We cats appreciate it when other enlightened progressives make our blog posts easy. And we especially love it when — just as we're feeling surrounded by ignorant, bigoted people who call themselves Christians — somebody emerges to remind us what the Big Jesus Guy really taught.

Tidbits and Cat Treats: Everybody's Gay (Again!)

By Baxter

The gay news just keeps rolling in. It's so everywhere that we cats are sure that the homosexual-hating teabaggers over at Free Republic are hiding their heads in paper bags. Well, too bad. We just have to do a mini-roundup.

First item of note: Finally! An openly non-heterosexual supporter of Willard Mitt Romney has declared he's had enough. Repulsed by Willard's pandering to the Liberty "University" crowd, major donor Bill White has asked for his money back. Let's see if any of the other GOP high rollers who happen to be gay — and/or who have friends, family, children or siblings who are —will have the guts to do the same.

Meanwhile, in the "turned tables" department, we found it amazing that Republicans in Colorado — who just shelved civil unions in that state — have accused Democrats there of "playing politics" with marriage equality. You know you're on the losing side of an issue when you have to make a charge like that. (Not to mention that in light of the campaign the GOP ran in 2004, the hypocrisy is breathtaking.)

On the other hand, we cats aren't mad for the now-famous Newsweek cover. People will misunderstand it. How many non-politically obsessed folks out there will remember that Bill Clinton was once dubbed "the first black President"? Dumb.

Then there's this little gem from the capital of our current state of residence: Right-wing Republicans in Richmond have blocked their Governor's nomination of an openly gay prosecutor to be a judge. Aside from their naked homophobia, which we find detestable, it's fun to see Republicans fight with one another over who's the biggest sinner. And it's another dent in Transvaginal Bob McDonnell's halo vis-a-vis the upcoming Willard veepstakes. Hurray!

Bottom line: Every day spent talking about gays, abortion, contraception or other social issues is another losing day for Willard — at least, in the purple (and lightly tinged red and blue) states.

We cats PURR.

Liberty "University" vs. Barnard College: We'll Take Barnard, Thank You

"We are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every part of America, whether it's the salary you earn or the health decisions you make. We know this to be true. The question is whether together we can muster the will — in our own lives, in our institutions, in our politics."

—President Obama, Barnard College, May 14, 2012

Woe Is Willard: The Bain Ad

A Conference Call We're Glad We Were Left Out Of

By Sniffles

We cats could never be President. Not because we think the job is awful. It must be really neat to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and ride around in Air Force One, and have people stand up every time you walk into a room. (Although cats definitely merit that last one, superior beings that we are.)

No, we could never be President because then we'd have to do things like call a bunch of pastors after announcing our support for marriage equality. As President Obama had to do last week.

Ugh, we just don't have the patience for that. Smoothing the ruffled fur of guys who think the Bible should determine civil rights, and civil law? No, thanks.

But then, we never did understand why more than a thousand federal benefits conferred on legally married straight Americans should be denied gay Americans because, 2,000 years ago, some jerk wrote hate into a document that later generations called Scripture.

We are not, as a rule, against religion. But this cacophony about marriage equality infringing on "religious freedom" is a canard. No member of the clergy, or any congregation, is being forced to perform gay marriages. Which makes us very irritated — that is, hissy and snarly — with pastors who seem to think that they are.

Therefore, the more we admire President Obama. We already knew he had a ton of patience with Republicans. Apparently he has even more with narrow-minded members of his own and other faiths.

Suitable For Framing

It's been a busy weekend, but tomorrow is another day. In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful work of art by Bob Staake.

A Quickie: Can We Introduce Mitt Romney to Rebekah Brooks?

Her hair is ridiculous. Perhaps Willard can do something about it.

Tidbits and Cat Treats — Everybody's Gay Edition

By Zamboni

Whew! If we cats were a bunch of homophobes on the Christian right, we'd be, like, so frustrated today. Everywhere we look in the news, we see gay people. Gay marriage! Gay rights! Gays getting their hair cut by Mitt Romney! (Wait... isn't that backwards?)

However, although the dust is starting to settle on yesterday's Obama interview, we have a few gay-related questions bumping around in our little heads. Such as:

Why doesn't Willard remember this horrific hair-cutting incident? Is it because he did it so often that he can't recall? Or is he so absent-minded that if he became President he'd forget where he put the nuclear codes? Or is he just a lying sack of you-know-what?

Willard was the only Mormon at Cranbrook school. What's a minority kid doing picking on another minority kid? Despicable. (By the way, that "if anybody was hurt by that" apology he issued today? Unacceptable. Willard is a soulless, phony, empty person.)

Is it possible that the Obama campaign knew the gay-bullying story was about to come out? After all, the President sure talked about "do unto others" a lot yesterday. God, they're good!

Willard has 18 grandchildren. Statistically speaking, at least one of them will turn out to be gay. Then what?

Finally, where is Ken Mehlman on this? We cats have looked in vain for his reaction, which confirms for us that he's not really out. Sure, he says he regrets the hate-mongering campaign that he helped run for the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived back in 2004. But his party's putative nominee has allowed an openly gay person to be run out of his organization — and now says he opposes even civil unions — and Kenny is silent. Goodness, he might just as well be back in the closet.

UPDATE: Other bloggers have written more eloquently than we could on Willard's lack of humanity. We cats will simply note the Romney campaign's clumsy handling of this story, and — unless you believe Joe Biden's "Meet the Press" appearance was a pre-orchestrated trial balloon — the Obama organization's ability to turn on a dime in addressing marriage equality this week. 'Nuff said.

Obama Channels Spencer Tracy

"There will be 100 million people right here in this country who will be shocked and offended and appalled... [but] the only thing that matters is what they feel, and how much they feel, for each other."

Just replace Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton with two gay people, and you get the idea.

Dick Lugar Rails Against the Right

By Baxter

We cats almost weren't going to link to defeated Republican Senator Richard Lugar's primal scream against the state of his political party, because in it, he uses the noun "Democrat" as an adjective. But having pointed that out, we'll continue.

Lugar correctly noted in his concession speech that his party has gone off a cliff with what he terms "an unrelenting partisan mindset," held captive by those "whose prime mission is to cleanse the Republican party of those who stray from orthodoxy as they see it."

He reaffirms his personal identity as a Republican, and defines what he thinks a Republican is. The problem is, his description — "small government, low taxes, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and trade expansion" — bears almost no resemblance to his party's priorities today. Nowhere in his list do the current GOP obsessions against abortion, contraception, women's healthcare, immigration, gay rights, Medicare, science, climate change, taxing the rich, et cetera, appear.

We cats want to know: What took you so long, Dick?

The Republican Party's descent into inflexibility and intolerance did not happen overnight. Lugar could have delivered last night's speech back in 2010 or even in 2008. Why did he wait until he lost to take a stand?

Perhaps one of the problems Lugar (and virtually every other so-called moderate-conservative Republican) has is that they're too full of themselves to have recognized exactly how, to what extent, and how precipitously the political landscape has changed.

Yep, Lugar endorsed his teabagger opponent, but he did it with little enthusiasm and for no positive, forward-looking reasoning — other than wanting Mitch McConnell to be Senate Majority Leader. That's the second tepid Republican endorsement this week (Rick Santorum's of Willard Mitt Romney being the first). That says something.

And where are all the alleged Republican "moderates" in the wake of Lugar's defeat? Where are John Danforth, Christine Todd Whitman, Chuck Hagel, Bill Cohen, Colin Powell, Joe Scarborough, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Lincoln Chafee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Castle, Olympia Snowe, Lamar Alexander, Chris Shays, Robert Bennett, John Warner, Alan Simpson and Warren Rudman?

You know where a lot of them are? Out of office. You'd think that getting booted by a bunch of extremists would embolden them to speak out: They should form a unified chorus against the Kochs, the Norquists and the other GOP hatemongers. But, no. No guts. No party.

We cats HISS.

Maybe They Should Change It to "Inner" Banks

By Miss Kubelik

We cats continue to be struck by the way the previous Administration was able to do stuff in the eyes of the press that the current Administration cannot.

Case in point: The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived disagreed with his Vice President — the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived (If Indeed He Were a Person) — on extending marriage to gay people. The former Vice President (sorry, we're not going to type our name for him again) has a lesbian daughter, and he's been pretty vocal and active about wanting that daughter to enjoy equal rights.

But apparently President Obama and Vice President Biden are not allowed to similarly disagree.

This is puzzling, particularly since although our President falls short of endorsing marriage equality, he isn't relying on a closeted, self-loathing homosexual to help him ride to re-election by demonizing gays.

Believe us, we cats would rather have a Cabinet publicly disagreeing on a domestic policy matter than to have a bunch of lamebrains staying silent while their bosses (and colleagues like this) beat the drums for a trumped-up war.

Meanwhile, North Carolina votes today. We agree with Governor Bev Perdue that a marriage equality ban would damage the state's reputation. We often wonder how employers in ass-backwards states like Kansas or Oklahoma, or in states that legislate hate, like Arizona, manage to recruit any up-and-coming young professionals to live and work there.

And now it looks like North Carolina, the site of our 2012 convention, is about to join their ranks. As they say in heavily Catholic Quebec, where marriage equality has been legal since 2005, tant pis.

"Morning In America": Not Just the GOP's Any More

We cats have very good ears. We can already hear the Republicans whining about Osama bin Laden's cameo in this ad.

Cat Fight! Romney vs. Paul

By Sniffles

We cats have been watching with fascination as the Ron Paul people continue to embarrass the Romney folks at delegate-selecting state party conventions.

Put a check mark next to Maine and Nevada, now. Paul trailed Romney by four points in the Pine Tree State's caucuses on February 11. But this weekend, the libertarian-in-everything-but-abortion whack job from Texas took 21 out of 24 of Maine's delegates to the Republican National Convention in August.

In Nevada, the Paul and Romney people fought tooth and nail yesterday, with two Willard supporters ending up booted from the RNC. Former Governor (!!) Bob List lost his committeeman seat to a Paul guy named James Smack, thus giving a whole new meaning to the term "smackdown."

So, when will the media at large wake up to this story? Don't be afraid guys — it isn't too arcane to explain to laypeople. (Of course, you'll have to put forth a little more effort than usual, but you can do that, right?)

Meanwhile, Ron Paul's steal-the-delegates game is even more proof that the Romneybots are under-organized, overladen with pricey consultants, and don't know what the hell they're doing. We cats PURR.

UPDATE: Aha, it looks like The New York Times has noticed.

"La Greve" Is Getting Grave

By Zamboni

Eh, bien — it's time for us cats to weigh in on the student uprisings in Quebec.

The unrest has been going on for three months now, but since our media believe that anything happening beyond American borders is beneath notice, you probably haven't heard about it.

The provincial government, which is in the hands of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), is imposing a tuition rate hike on what we would call state schools and community colleges here in the U.S. The increase is around $1,600, spread out over either five years (the original plan) or seven years (the government's most recent proposal). The students will have none of it. They've been on strike — refusing to attend class — for the last 12 weeks, and have spent a good deal of their time engaging in manifestations in downtown Montreal.

Some of those demonstrations have turned violent, and some have even been naked (sorry, you'll have to click on the link and see for yourself). So the PLQ moved its party meeting scheduled for this weekend from Montreal to Victoriaville, east of the city. To no avail — the students followed them there, and more trouble ensued.

The province is, to say the least, consumed by this continuing kerfuffle. Montrealers are tired of the disruptions to their daily lives (cars overturned, windows smashed, traffic snarled). After early returns that favored the Liberals on the matter, everybody now is taking a beating in the polls. And in an echo of the Elian Gonzalez controversy that rattled Miami 12 years ago, discussions are getting dicey at work. For example, the SAQ (where Quebecers buy their wine) has banned employees from wearing red squares, the symbol of the student strike, on the job.

We cats believe that neither the students nor Quebec have behaved very well, which at first made us smug that Canadians are apparently just as capable as screwing up governing as Americans are. On the other hand, with our personal memories of Chicago in 1968, we would simply caution Premier Jean Charest: Be careful of "delivering a campaign-style speech while battles rage outside."

(PHOTO: Jacques Boissinot, La Presse)

Woe Is Willard: Dissident Chinese Guy Edition

By Baxter

You know you're really running a bad campaign when you prove Bill Kristol right.

But Willard and the Romneybots couldn't help themselves, could they? They just had to jump in and pronounce the Administration's handling of the Chen Guangcheng situation a "day of shame." Goodness gracious.

Day of shame? We'll tell you what constitutes a day of shame. Abu Ghraib comes to mind. Never finding Saddam Hussein's WMD, too. In fact, let's go way back and cite Bush v. Gore. Gawd, what a day of shame that was.

Meanwhile, while the putative Republican nominee sputtered and fussed, the U.S. and China quietly forged a solution behind closed doors. Doors, we might add, that Willard Mitt Romney currently is not allowed to pass through.

Kristol termed Romney's rush to judgment "foolish." We agree. Willard, you're an idiot. Sit down and shut up.

Woe Is Willard (Resigned Gay Guy Edition)

By Zamboni

We cats love the way the Romneybots are furiously protesting that they thought the Richard Grenell flap had "blown over."

Actually, what's worse? The fact that they muzzled their gay national-security spokesperson on a conference call with the press — or that a campaign aide told Grenell he had to "lay" low for awhile? (It's "lie" low, of course.)

That particular grammatical error really grates on us cats. Other than that, we're highly amused by the rest of the story.

Willard loses all the way around here. We've checked the teabaggers over at Free Republic, and although they already hated Romney like poison, they hate him even worse for hiring an out-of-the-closet adviser in the first place. (Typical of the 467 comments posted there: "Tell me again GOP, how this guy is a winner? Fag-loving, Obamacare pioneer who supported fag marriage in mASSachusettes and is a member of something just above a religious cult?")

On the other side of the fence, the nation's brave little band of openly gay Republicans is crestfallen and, no doubt, feels like the second-class citizens the GOP thinks they are.

The rest of us just look at this debacle and see a weak phony lamebrain who can't stand up to the nut cases who call his party's tune. Blown over? Seriously? Why did Willard and his minions think that after their initial burst of protest, the homophobes and the Christian right would just go away? They would never have gone away, and they still won't — from now to November and probably beyond.

This latest misstep by Team Romney demonstrates a continuing, fundamental misunderstanding of their intractable base. It's another reason that Willard is not in control of his own nomination, and why we'd rather be us than him.

(PHOTO: Jae C. Hong, Associated Press)

UPDATE: We cats are reminded that had this silly controversy erupted around Bush-Cheney 2004, the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived — as well as the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived (If Indeed He Were a Person), who has a gay daughter — would have defended Grenell to the hilt. What an indictment of Willard and his hapless Romneybots.

Lest We Furr-get: Two Speeches, One A Year Later (and Another, Nine Years Ago)

"The American people rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice somebody who killed over 3,000 of our citizens."

—President Obama, May 1, 2012

"They fixed the speech, but not the sign."

—Donald Rumsfeld, on the "Mission Accomplished" speech, May 1, 2003

Willard: The (Non) Organization Man

By Sniffles

Obama-Biden 2012 recently opened a campaign office in Prince William County, Virginia. We cats were impressed. It was good to know that the re-elect effort was solidly up and running in our pretty-red county in our purple battleground state. And even better to know that as of mid-April, Obama already had 13 offices in the Old Dominion.

Romney-Whatever, meanwhile? Well, we can't find a list of Willard's offices in Virginia on his website. Just a page of empty platitudes and endorsements from Transvaginal Bob, Eric the Mean and other reprehensible folk.

We suspect that it's like this in other primary and caucus states. Willard beamed in, did some minor organizing, carpet-bombed his opponents with negative ads, and pulled out completely once the voting was over. Why else would the Obama campaign have been able to rent former Romney office space in Des Moines, Iowa?

But here's how else we know our suspicion is true: Last week, the Romney campaign was embarrassed in a Republican state convention. It happened in Alaska, a solidly Republican state whose post-caucus confab should have been a cakewalk for the March 6 winner. Instead, the meeting was taken over by supporters of third-place finisher Ron Paul.

Now, this is a bit of Inside Baseball, but think about this for a moment. Ron Paul lost Alaska in March, but his people upended the Anchorage GOP in April. This says to us that Willard did not win the caucuses at the grass-roots. He won superficially — by saturating the airwaves and then getting the heck out, leaving no presence behind. The Paul people, on the other hand, never stopped organizing.

Something similar happened when Massachusetts caucused this Saturday. Republicans in the very state Willard used to govern voted to send Ron Paul delegates to Tampa. Willard's own former lieutenant governor lost.

Do party rules require these Bay State delegates to vote for Romney in August? Yes. Will Romney win Alaska, and lose Massachusetts, in November? Sure. But it bodes ill.

Willard isn't in control of his own nomination, and his presence in the field is ephemeral. Meanwhile, Obama, cranked up and working, is opening office after office. Just another reason that, even with our fragile economy and in the wake of Citizens United, we cats are glad to be us and not them.

UPDATE: We cats have been reminded that the most recent Presidential nominees who were not in control of their own nominations were: George H.W. Bush in 1992 (because of Pat Buchanan), Jimmy Carter in 1980 (thanks to Ted Kennedy), Gerald R. Ford in 1976 (due to Ronald Reagan) and Hubert Humphrey in 1968 (because of everything). Hmmmm... What do all four of those nominees have in common?