Haley Barbour helped sink his presidential bid this morning

He told Crowley on CNN that the uproar over the slavery issue that was ignored by the Virginia governor is "a nit".

And when commenting on the American people in general regarding how they've acted in the past he said they've "been stupid".

These are the kind of clips that even in context are not a display of leadership. I'm already hearing them echoing in ads.

I don't believe he ever had a chance of getting his Party's nomination. But should he accomplish that, he's going nowhere.

Barbour's ego is 10000000 times bigger than his brain.

He does make the effort to dress nicely.

But his thoughts are far, far back in history.

The Republican Party is not a Party with a modern mind/agenda.

The tea partiers don't have a modern agenda. Nor do governors like Christie or Bob McDonnell.

I guess that I think it's powerful because it's one of those soundbites that says a heck of a lot.

White House.

It seems real possible that you and I don't share his view!

:hi:

conservative or a movement: Discuss. Bumper sticker ready?

I've been reading a ton of downloaded free ebooks from Letters of a Woman Homesteader to mysteries like the Thirty-Nine Steps. What shocks me is the common acceptance of racism and sexism and anti-Semitism. I shouldn't be shocked at the off-handedness of it but I am.

We want to believe that only the heartless and soulless can think and believe these things, these casually dismissive, condemning to second and third-rate status attitudes about otherness but they were the accepted thoughts and beliefs of otherwise wonderful, brave, decent people for centuries. It is horribly jarring to read.

Even the ancient Athenians, the people whose government set us all on the path to equality with their democracy. The ancient Athenians would make us SICK if we at DU met with them today. The Republicans would adore them. Instead of teabagging, we would have demonstrations to reform our laws to Athenian standards.

The way we think is uncomfortably new for many many people. They aren't monsters. Their thoughts and beliefs weren't considered monstrous until very recently. They don't understand what's wrong with thinking like Daddy and Granddad thought.

"Modern" ideas are radical and strange departures from the norm to them. They reek of "fad." Successful campaigns are rarely run as modern ideas. They run as restoring the right traditions of....whatever you happen to espouse. We are amazingly blessed in the documents that founded our nation. All we have to do is insist we are carrying out our founders' dreams of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans and we're covered.

the bottom dregs for any indicator you choose. No, I don't think the powerful elite of the RETHUG party--no matter how inherently racist they may be-- are going to succumb to his "charms."

As in head lice.

On edit: In some parts of the world, they call the lice "nits."

It is to laugh.

"I say, I say - son!"

read Alan Raymond's "How to rig an election"