tea bagging

Just because the media is tiptoeing around mentioning this doesn't mean I have to. From S&P's explanation of the U.S. debt downgrade:

Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012, remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act.

And this:

I've agreed to start helping Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies with their online outreach efforts. As many BlueNC readers know, the Institute was started 40 years ago as the research arm of the civil rights movement, and continues in that capacity today by reporting on environmental justice, workers' rights, corporate accountability, and people powered democracy.

Clearly exhibit A in the case that people powered democracy is under assault by corporate money is the rent-a-riot squads that have been attacking town hall events throughout America. Corporate front groups like Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Works, and the NCGOP have been effective in their defense of the status quo health insurance industry. What can I say? Direct action works, even when practiced by a relatively small number of partisans paid to travel the state.

Below are some photos I took today of Republicans greeting President Obama as he came to Raleigh to talk about health care.

While there were plenty of health care supporters outside, and many more inside, I mostly took photos of the anti-healthcare peoples because they were more, well shall we say "interesting." Also the police separated supporters from the anti-everything people, and I got stuck on the no side.

Rated PG 13 - If you are sensitive to jokes of an anatomical nature, you might want to skip this post and video.

David Shuster outdid himself last night when he sat in for Keith O. To understand the nature of some of the "jokes" you need to visit the urban dictionary first. Puts a whole new perspective on the winger's tea bagging, doesn't it?