Randi Rhodes: Game of Chicken

It's Friday, ya bastids!
A new poll shows that the Republican Party has become mostly a regional Southern white party. They needed a poll to tell us that? All you have to do is listen to the accents. I think it’s been years since I’ve heard the word “socialism” uttered without a Southern accent. Well, it looks like the GOP’s “Southern Strategy” has worked too well. It wasn’t supposed to be a “Southern Only Strategy.” Basically, the only places where Republicans have succeeded are places that seceded.
There’s a game of chicken coming over the vote in Congress to extend Bush’s tax cuts for the rich. Well, since the tax cuts are for the very wealthiest, it’s less a game of chicken and more a game of veal medallions in a cognac sauce with a side of squash puree. Tax cuts for the rich do nothing to stimulate the economy because the wealthy don’t spend the money. If youth is wasted on the young, then money is definitely wasted on the rich. But then Republicans don’t want to give money to the rich to stimulate the economy. They want to give money to the rich to stimulate the rich.
Finally, Dr. Laura went on a rant saying the “n-word” 11 times in five minutes. Was she trying to break some kind of record? And who owns that record—David Duke? Dr. Laura said “Turn on HBO, listen to a black comic, and all you hear is n****r, n****r, n****r.” And for those of you who don’t get HBO, all you have to do is listen to Dr. Laura, evidently. Thanks, Dr. Laura, you just saved some of your viewers an extra $19.95 per month on their cable bill for HBO. But they still won’t get True Blood. OK, maybe there are black comics on HBO who use the n-word. But let’s make a deal, Dr. Laura—you agree not to use the n-word, and Chris Rock will agree not to give bad relationship advice. 11 n-words in under five minutes! I don’t know if Dr. Laura should be giving relationship advice. Maybe she should be giving advice on something else… like dealing with Tourette syndrome. Dr. Laura later apologized for the outburst. OK, Dr. Laura, the apology was a nice start. Now can we get 11 apologies in under five minutes? In her apology Dr. Laura said she “was attempting to make a philosophical point.” Really? I’ve read a few philosophers, and I don’t remember a lot of use of the n-word. I just leafed through Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” and as far as I can tell Zarathustra never spake that word.
Today’s Homework Discuss
Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) has a “terror baby” meltdown on Anderson Cooper last night: