Who Hijacked Our Country

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Attending a Wingtard Convention: Inside the Belly of the Beast

You’ve gotta check out this article. It’s long, but it’s an excellent read: appalling, hilarious, infuriating, absurd...

The author, Leonard Pierce, infiltrated the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC). He got in by posing as a lobbyist for the American Milk Solids Council. We know that two percent of America has gotten rich beyond belief in the past 7 years, and that 19% still think George W. Bush is doing a heckuva job.

Knowing those statistics is one thing, but just imagine being surrounded by thousands of these people. As Pierce describes it, “Here's a description of Hell: a huge room full of all the people you hate most, and they're all having a wonderful time.”

There's a speech by Dick Cheney (of course). During his speech, the crowd starts cheering and yelling “Four More Years!” Cheney gives the usual soundbites about 9/11, telecom immunity and the wonders of torture. But the most telling thing about Cheney’s speech was the observation that: “His defense of torture gets a standing ovation, but his praising of our fighting men in uniform does not. It takes a man to fight, but it takes a train to waterboard.”

Next comes Mitt Romney’s famous speech where he says he entered the race because he loves his country and now he's leaving (the race, not the country) for the same reason.

And there has to be a speech by Dumbya. Before Boozo the Clown even begins his speech, the crowd starts chanting “Four More Years!”

Bush’s speech itself had the predictable Bushisms: “Dick Cheney is the greatest vice president in the history of the United States.” The Bush Administration “didn't seek the approval of editorialists…and we darned sure didn't seek permission from groups like Code Pink and MoveOn before taking action.”

But check out Pierce’s description of Bush:

“In person, he looks a little haggard and tired: no legacy to speak of, no friends overseas (whither Pooty-Poot? a nation turns its starving eyes to you), and another boatload of corpses to go and frown at later today. He won't last as long as his old man once he's out of office: With no one to stand in the way of, with no one to infuriate, with no press hanging over his shoulder for him to mutter ‘fuck off’ at, he'll wither away and disappear, just another burnout boomer with prostate cancer and no hobbies.”

cross-posted at Bring It On!

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18 Comments:

Blogger Lizzy said...

That convention sounds like something nightmares are made of.

March 2, 2008 at 9:15 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Lizzy: Yeah, either a nightmare or a bad acid trip. Reminded me of Hunter Thompson's "Fear and Loathing" books.

March 2, 2008 at 10:56 PM  
Blogger Mauigirl said...

A description of a horrifying scenario indeed. Great summary at the end of Bush's future.

March 2, 2008 at 11:25 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Mauigirl: Yup, horrifying indeed. I don't think I could've done something like that. I would have either been grossed out, or burst out laughing, or both.

March 3, 2008 at 12:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The kind of corruption and arrogance and demogogic (not sure if that's actually a word) attitude that preceded the fall of the Roman Empire. If anyone hasn't looked at the Roman Empire since high school, now would be a good time to revisit that era and see the similarities between them and us. Scary stuff!

March 3, 2008 at 8:04 AM  
Blogger Candace said...

Oh gawd, I don't know if I can stand to watch it.

Remember that article a while back by the reporter who infiltrated a cruise ship full of right-wingers? They were all about invading Iran ASAP. I am VERY worried about an October surprise.

March 3, 2008 at 9:25 AM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Rockync: Yup, the waning days of the Roman Empire; unfortunately that's a very good comparison. Hopefully this current neocon administration will fall soon and the country itself will stay intact.

Candace: These "inside glimpses" and "infiltration" stories are always fascinating. But at the same time I'm always thinking "how could this person stand it?"

March 3, 2008 at 10:17 AM  
Blogger libhom said...

rockync: Your Roman Empire analogy is especially good when one considers how overextended our military is.

March 3, 2008 at 3:35 PM  
Blogger Jim Marquis said...

Great article, Tom. Thanks for posting it.

March 3, 2008 at 5:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was especially telling to look at analyses of contributing factors to the fall of the Romans:
A decline in morals and values and increased violent crimes.
Public health and environmental issues.
Political corruption.
Unemployment
Inflation
Military overspending.
It sounds scarily familiar and we need to change direction if we have any hope of stemming the tide towards this country's downfall.

March 3, 2008 at 5:55 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

J: Thanks.

Rockync: Those parallels are scary all right. Let's hope we can change course in time.

March 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM  
Blogger Randal Graves said...

Um, cutting brush IS a hobby. Wait. Do they have brush in South America?

March 4, 2008 at 5:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That was great writing by Pierce and thanks for posting it Tom. Alternet has some awesome pieces. He's a brave soul for going to that covention because I doubt I would have come out of that gathering with my sanity. Thanks again.

Jo

March 4, 2008 at 8:25 AM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Randal: Yes, cutting brush is a hobby. And so is waterboarding (not the deed itself, but pleading and groveling for the right to watch somebody else do it). And so is having a tantrum at a press conference and then going home and getting shitfaced on Jim Beam. I think the author was unduly harsh, accusing Dumbya of not having any hobbies.

Jo: Yup, Pierce has a lot more bravery than I do, or a stronger constitution or something. It would only take a few minutes for me to burst out laughing and/or blurt out "are you F#$%&!$ kidding?!?!?" Pierce sure did a great job of describing all those people. It reminded me of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" where Hunter Thompson went to all these casinos and conventions while he's tripping on acid.

March 4, 2008 at 9:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Weird that you talk about "Fear and Loathing," that's the book I'm reading once I finish "The Modest Proposal" by Swift. I would also recommend the reading of H.L. Mencken autobiography.

Jo

March 4, 2008 at 6:08 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Jo: I've never read anything by Mencken; I probably should. I like all the quotations from him that I've heard. Hunter Thompson was great. I haven't read a lot of his recent books, but the 2 "Fear and Loathing" books are just a total mindfuck. I also liked The Great Shark Hunt (a collection of his earliest articles) and his book about traveling with the Hell's Angels. I think the title was "The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Hell's Angels," or something like that.

March 4, 2008 at 6:26 PM  
Blogger Ken Albin said...

Truly chilling! It is amazing how far we have let our country's morals and ideals sink.

Please read my last blog post about my efforts to speak openly about the educational system and the local administrators' efforts to censor and intimidate me into silence. A comment would be appreciated if you have time.

March 8, 2008 at 4:22 PM  
Blogger Tom Harper said...

Ken: Thanks for stopping by. Interesting post at your blog; I left a comment. I guess Good Ol' Boy networks are the same everywhere.

March 8, 2008 at 5:38 PM  

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