I Didn't Say It

Adam Kinzinger, Illinois GOP Congressman, calling out other members of his party for promoting conspiracies about the January 6 domestic terror attack:

"This cannot continue to be a partisan fight. I'm a Republican. I'm a conservative. But in order to heal from the damage caused that day, we need to call out the facts. It is time to stop the outrage and the conspiracies that fuel the violence and division in this country and most importantly, we need to reject those that promote it. I've talked to a number of you [the four officers who were testifying] and gotten to know you. I think it is important to tell you right now, though, you guys may like individually feel a little broken. You all talked about the effects you have to deal with and you talk about the impact of that day. But you guys won. You guys held. It is toxic and it is a disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and the employees on Capitol complex, to the American people who deserve the truth and to those generations before us who went to war to defend self-governance. Because self-governance is at stake. Democracies are not defined by our bad days. We're defined by how we come back from bad days, how we take accountability for that."

Kinzinger is one of the very few in the GOP who want to know what happened that day, and how it happened. The rest want to move on like this was just another school shooting and not an attack on this country by an unhinged loser and his mob.

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Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor, advising officials working to convince unvaccinated Americans to receive a coronavirus inoculation to focus on explaining the facts about vaccines rather than mandates:

“The vaccines do work. Every focus group I’ve been in, Republicans who are not vaccinated, you have to walk them through the logic of this. They’re willing to be vaccinated.”

Walk them through? Howsabout, ‘Take the vaccine so you and your loved ones don’t die’? Why should anyone hold the hands of people who think all sorts of lunacy about the vaccines.

Take it so you don’t die.

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Sgt Aquilino Gonell, at the 1/6/2021 commission hearings, calling out traitorous GQPers and the twice-impeached, one-term loser:

"I was giving you guys borrowed time to get to safety. I was protecting you. I was ready to sacrifice myself and now we're being attacked by the same people we were protecting. It’s upsetting. It’s a pathetic excuse for [Thing 45’s] behavior, for something that he himself helped to create — this monstrosity. I'm still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day. To me it's insulting, it's demoralizing because everything that we did was to prevent everyone in the Capitol from getting hurt and what he was doing — instead of sending the military, instead of sending support or telling his people, his supporters, to stop this nonsense — he egged them to continue fighting.”

This man risked his life to save our elected officials, many of whom, with their rhetoric and their lies, bear some responsibility for the attack.

When you spew the Big Lie from November to January, and then your unhinged drug addled loser leader, holds a rally to spur on the attack, and you then attack the very officers who protected you, you are the lowest of the low.

Vote every single one from office.

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Charlie Crist, Democrat, Florida Congressman, and gubernatorial candidate, blasting Governor DeathSantis for his duties amid a spike in COVID-19 infections and playing presidential politics at the Texas border:

“You know what’s happening. We have gone to the top [of the new infections list]. And it is a dubious distinction. And why is that? Because we don’t have leadership. What’s [DeSantis] doing about it? Where [is he] as this health crisis resurged? Visiting hospitals? Consulting with physicians and public health experts? Huddling with his staff to brainstorm ways of persuading more Floridians to take the vaccine that would nip this pandemic in the bud? Nope. Florida’s governor was in Texas, 1,000 miles from Tallahassee, burnishing his 2024 presidential ambitions with a visit to the southern border … You’re the governor of Florida, you know. He doesn’t understand. And you know he’s spending our tax dollars out there, giving our law enforcement to Texas while people are dying in Florida. Unbelievable.”

Unbelievable? It’s Flori-duh after all.

And it’s Ron DeathSantis, too.

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Liz Cheney, who stood for her country, against her party, and continues to do so, at the January 6 Commission hearings:

"If those responsible are not held accountable, and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy system."

If we don’t punish those responsible, if we don’t point out why and how this happened, it will happen again and again every time the loons in the GQP don’t get their way.

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Officer Michael Fanone, to those in the GQP who downplay the terror attack at the Capitol:

“I went to hell and back …. But too many are now telling me that hell doesn’t exist, or that hell actually wasn’t that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful.”

This is the way the party of “law and order” treats those who are working to protect and serve Americans. The same people who demanded the police lock up antifa or BLM protestors, now denigrate police officers who arrested domestic terrorists.

They are worse than disgraceful.

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The Funny Papers

DNC Voices

So, after a day full of GOP stupidity, I needed to end with something more positive, intelligent, and uplifting.....

President Barack Obama:

‎"We don’t want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we don’t want bailouts for banks that break the rules. We don’t think government can solve all our problems. But we don’t think that government is the source of all our problems – any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we’re told to blame for our troubles."

Sandra Fluke:

"Your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen with hateful slurs. Who won't stand up to the slurs, or to any of the extreme, bigoted voices in his own party. Our president, when he hears a young woman has been verbally attacked, thinks of his daughters -- not his delegates or donors -- and stands with all women. And strangers come together, reach out and lift her up. And then, instead of trying to silence her, you invite me here -- and give me a microphone -- to amplify our voice. That's the difference."

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver: 

"Look, if being liberal and progressive means that I care for children and whether they go hungry, color me! Color me a Democrat! If being a Democrat means I'm concerned about our seniors in the sunset of their life, color me Democrat! Color me liberal! After all, we are the ones who protected Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, who fought for fair wages and who ended 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We are Democrats! And don't you ever forget it!"

Zach Wahls:

"Governor Romney says he's against same-sex marriage because every child deserves a mother and a father. I think every child deserves a family as loving and committed as mine. Because the sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. It comes from the love that binds us; that's what makes a family. Mr. Romney, my family is just as real as yours. President Obama understands that. He supports my moms' marriage. President Obama put his political future on the line to do what was right. Without his leadership, we wouldn't be here. President Obama is fighting for our families… all of our families. He has our backs. We have his."

Former President Bill Clinton:

"So — so President Obama and the Democrats didn’t weaken Medicare; they strengthened Medicare. Now, when Congressman Ryan looked into that TV camera and attacked President Obama’s Medicare savings as, quote, the biggest, coldest power play, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry — because that $716 billion is exactly, to the dollar, the same amount of Medicare savings that he has in his own budget. You got to get one thing — it takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did."

Vice President Joe Biden:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m here to tell you, bravery resides in the heart of Barack Obama.  And time and time again, I witnessed him summon it. This man has courage in his soul, compassion in his heart, and steel in his spine. And because of all the actions he took, because of the calls he made–and because of the grit and determination of American workers–and the unparalled bravery of our special forces–we can now proudly say—Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive."

Representative Tammy Baldwin:

"Our president has made historic progress toward equality. He repealed "don't ask, don't tell" so that no American ever again has to lie about who they are in order to serve the country we love. Republicans want to write discrimination into our Constitution. But the Wisconsin I know believes that with each passing year and each generation, our country must become more equal, not less."

Eva Longoria:

"Mitt Romney would raise taxes on middle-class families to cut his own — and mine. And that’s not who we are as a nation, and let me tell you why: because the Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy’s flipping burgers — she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not....And just like our president and first lady, I took out loans to pay for school. I changed oil in a mechanic shop, I flipped burgers at Wendy’s, I taught aerobics and I worked on campus to pay them back."

Senator John Kerry:

"...after more than 10 years without justice for thousands of Americans murdered on 9/11, after Mitt Romney said it would be naive to go into Pakistan to pursue the terrorists, it took President Obama, against the advice of many, to give that order and finally rid this earth of Osama bin Laden....Ask Osama bin Laden is he is better off now than he was four years ago."

Former Florida Governor, and Republican, Charlie Crist:

"That's the leader Florida needs. That's the leader America needs. And that's the reason I'm here tonight, not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an optimistic American who understands that we must come together behind the one man who can lead the way forward in these challenging times: my president, our president, Barack Obama!"

Tammy Duckworth, veteran:

"President Obama pushed for fairness in the military, listening to commanders as we ended Don't Ask Don't Tell, and on how to allow women to officially serve in more combat jobs. Because America's daughters are just as capable of defending liberty as her sons!"

Lilly Ledbetter, equal pay activist:

"Maybe 23 cents doesn't sound like a lot to someone with a Swiss bank account, Cayman Island Investments and an IRA worth tens of millions of dollars. But Governor Romney, when we lose 23 cents every hour, every day, every paycheck, every job, over our entire lives, what we lose can't just be measured in dollars."

Michelle Obama:

"When you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity…you do not slam it shut behind you…you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed."

I Didn't Say It ....

Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell's fiance, on marriage equality:

"We're not going to have a party when half of our friends ... can't do that thing we're doing. We're not going to ask them to come celebrate a right they don't have. That's just tacky! Forget like anything else, it's like really tacky for us." 

Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard's fiance, on marriage equality:

"I don't believe in standing in the way of love, and I want to stand up for that right. And that's what it is. If someone wants to commit their life to another person, why would I not bolster that argument?"

Once again, it’s going to take more than just the LGBT community to gain equality. We need our straight allies, and we need them to speak up.

Mittsy Romney, offering a new excuse for not releasing his tax returns:

"Our church doesn’t publish how much people have given. This is done entirely privately. One of the downsides of releasing one’s financial information is that this is now all public, but we had never intended our contributions to be known. It’s a very personal thing between ourselves and our commitment to our God and to our church."

Um, Mittsy, you delusional hack.

This might have made some minuscule bit of sense, had it been said the FIRST TIME anyone asked to see your returns.

And it might have made sense had you not already released the returns for 2010 that had all you church-y donations listed.

Your newest excuse holds about as much water as any other excuse you’ve offered.

Show us your tax returns.

Charlie Crist, former Florida governor, and Republican, endorsing Barack Obama for president:

"As America prepares to pick our president for the next four years—and as Florida prepares once again to play a decisive role—I'm confident that President Barack Obama is the right leader for our state and the nation. I applaud and share his vision of a future built by a strong and confident middle class in an economy that gives us the opportunity to reap prosperity through hard work and personal responsibility. It is a vision of the future proven right by our history."

Snap.

I don’t think too much about Crist, given his alleged closeted homosexuality, but it is nice to see someone take a stand against their own party, and their own candidate.

It won’t make much of a splash, because it’s Crist, but it was still nice to read.

David Mixner, former Clinton White House adviser, on the importance of voting:

"It is not enough just to vote for Obama/Biden but we must turn out our vote. Reflect on the the results of last Friday's CNN Poll to have all the proof you need to get busy now. When all voters were polled, President Obama defeats good ole Mitt by 52% to 43%. That is a nine point huge victory. However, when just those 'likely to vote' were polled, the election becomes a toss-up with 49% to 47%. Every damn voter we get to the poll from our community is going to count. Every single person we can get to the polls will make a difference. No community, none, loses more than the LGBT community if the right-wing Tea Party Republicans become the dominant force in our American politics. LGBT Americans have died, been beaten and have paid terrible prices in order for us to get this close to full equality. What a shame if we honor their memory by not completing this battle."

It’s one thing to say you support the president but you must follow that up with voting. Saying it doesn’t really count unless you do something about it.

Vote.

Jesten Peters, “Reverend” of Keys of Authority Ministries, saying her organization prayed Isaac away from Tampa:

"We have had lots and lots of people praying around the clock that it would move, and after you watch from the very beginning where they were saying it was coming and now where they say it is going, then it has really moved out of the way for us and we appreciate God doing that and moving it for us!"

Um, moron? May I call you moron?

Hurricanes move. Winds cause them to move. Ocean currents cause them to strengthen and weaken which causes them to move.

And, when you were praying it to move away from Tampa did you give the tiniest rat’s ass thought about sending it to New Orleans?

I may start a prayer group to have you move…away from asshattery.

Chris Matthews, MSNBC news pundit, laying into RNC Chairman Reince Priebus about Mittsy’s lame birther joke from last week:

"It is an embarrassment to your party to play that card...This stuff about getting rid of the work requirement for welfare is dishonest — everyone's pointed out it's dishonest....And you are playing that little ethnic card there. You can play your games and giggle about it, but the fact is that your side is playing that card."

It was pathetic to watch Priebus giggle like a mean girl when Matthews spoke.

It’s just further proof that the GOP isn’t about moving forward, it’s about lying and race-baiting and rehashing some issue that’s been dead—and I think we’ve seen the death certificate every time we see the birth certificate—for years.

Chris Christie, on whether or not Mittsy should release more tax returns, and if he should have made that birther “joke”:

“I think if he had to do it over again, he wouldn’t make the joke. But you know what, when you’re on camera 12, 14 hours a day, and you’re at a big rallies and you’re just going off the cuff, there are going to be times you’re going to say stuff you wish you could take back. If you get a chance to talk to Governor Romney, I think he’d tell you that he wishes he could take that one back.”

Wrong, KrispyKreme.

You learn, as a politician, through all your surveys and reports and polls, what you can and can't say, should and shouldn't say.

You learn what your base wants to hear, and Mittsy needs the wingnut GOP base so he purposely made that "joke".

Michael Musto, writing for the Village Voice, on “gay” Republicans:

"Just when you assumed gay self-loathing had been deposited in the dead-chicken bins, along comes a new wave of self-flagellation aimed to throw us under the hate truck. At a time when gays have made significant progress and other people are fully available to do all the hating, some gays crazily want to join in! I'm talking about the wave of gay Republicans who grovel before the enemy, making lavish excuses for politically repellent candidates—you know, the Romney/Ryan ticket—who would gladly turn us into a subordinate class without any semblance of full equality. There's no one more self-loathing than the oxymoronic 'grubs' (gay Repubs) who rally to the defense of power-crazed bigots, spinning them as champions of decency and fairness who happen to be grossly misunderstood."

I understand having a conservative mindset and feeling like the Democratic party doesn't represent you. But as a gay man, how do you justify following a party that constantly seeks to denigrate you?

That's the height of self-loathing.

Stephen Colbert, on how it’s actually The Gays who created Hurricane Isaac:

"Hurricanes form from rising moisture created by hot steamy man action aboard a gay Caribbean cruise. When that sin gets high enough it makes the angels cry and those tears fall to earth in the form of massive precipitation because homosexuals are a vital part of the water cycle. That's why the gay symbol is a rainbow!"

I missed that in my copy of The Gay Agenda.

But I like it….and I needed a good laugh today!