CPAC gay-basher's past: Domestic violence plus...

By GottaLaff

Remember this guy?




Well now, via TPM, we find out he has quite a past:

The man who cited natural law in an off-script anti-gay rant at CPAC has had two run-ins with the real law in the past decade, including a restraining order for domestic violence, according to court records in California.

Ryan Sorba of California Young Americans for Freedom, who is a longtime anti-gay activist, in 2001 had a restraining order brought against him by a woman in a San Bernardino County domestic violence case, according to case records.

What a guy. How inclusive of the GOP to give him a platform.

He was also ordered to move out of the "family dwelling" in Highland, a small city outside San Bernardino, according to records. Sorba was 19 at the time and did not appear in court for any of the proceedings.

In an interview with TPMmuckraker this morning, Sorba declined to provide a detailed account of what happened, but dismissed the matter as "the stupidest thing you could ever imagine."

"I got in a fight with a kid in my neighborhood. And the mother did not want us getting in any more fights," he said. "And so the mother filed a restraining order. And then nothing else ever happened."

He says they're all pals now. And he says they were pals then. With friends like Sorba....

But wait! There's more!

In 2008, Sorba pleaded guilty to a noise violation for a disturbance at a polling place on election day. He told TPMmuckraker that he was handing out pro-Prop 8 flyers when "some homosexual guy came up and I guess he called the police and they gave me a ticket."

Asked how he knew the man was gay, Sorba said "because he looked gay, he sounded gay -- it was evident."

"I'm proud of that ticket. I look at that ticket as if it's a trophy," he said.

Welcome to The Big Tent GOP.

H/t: Harborguy

The current state of Republican humor

By GottaLaff

Thank you to Windy City Watch for directing me to a photo on Facebook that has since been removed.

Luckily, Windy City Watched grabbed it before it was deleted. Luckily, these racists are now exposed, again. Luckily, most of us don't think this way (Click on images to enlarge.):

Here's what you see when you go there now:

See that blank page? That's what the Rushpublics have been reduced to. Nothing. The Party of Nothing... and less.

Go to HuffPo for the full story. Here's an excerpt:

The photo has now been up at the site of the RNC -- Michael Steele's RNC -- for six days, posted as it was Oct. 20. In all that time, no one has thought to take it down. This is the Republican Party, where chicken-fried racism is so commonplace that an image like the above one, which offends the sensibilities of any halfway decent human being, can remain up and running, no questions asked.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-sweeney/republican-racism-example_b_333789.html

Oh, questions are asked, alright.... but not by them.

GOP officials apologize for Jewish stereotype

By GottaLaff

Yesterday I posted about the Borscht Belt team of Ulmer and Merwin. Whaddya think, did Rachel embarrass them into the mea culpa? It certainly couldn't be their consciences. They waited until after they got slammed before they slinked out with an apology:

After his words attracted national attention and drew condemnation from a Jewish state senator, a South Carolina Republican official is now apologizing for co-writing a newspaper op-ed that described Jews as penny-pinchers. [...]

State senator Joel Lourie, a Democrat and one of South Carolina's two Jewish lawmakers, issued a statement on Monday rebuking the two Republicans, calling them "individuals who unapologetically espouse racist and stereotypical attitudes."

He also called on DeMint and South Carolina GOP chairwoman Karen Floyd to denounce the comments.

Floyd did so on Tuesday, calling the observation "an offensive and inappropriate comment" while also accusing critics of using the controversy for political gain. Aides to DeMint have not responded to requests for comment. (UPDATE: DeMint has also weighed in.)

The Republican Jewish Coalition also blasted the op-ed. RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks said in a statement that Ulmer and Merwin "have done a tremendous disservice to their party."

Ulmer [...] said he "quoted a statement which I have heard many times in my life, truly in admiration for a method of bettering one's lot in life."

See? He was just quoting other anti-Semites. And it was a compliment! What's all the fuss about?

He e-mailed in an apology last night:

"I meant absolutely nothing derogatory by the reference to a great and honorable people," he said in the e-mail. "I hope that anyone and all who were offended by my comment will accept my humble apology."

How about this? Stop sending e-mails and get in front of a mic. Then say it like you mean it.

Merwin waited until this morning:

"At this time I wish to deeply apologize for any material included in that letter that would be considered antisemitic [sic] in any way," he wrote in an e-mail to reporters and other Republican officials.

I see. It wasn't really anti-Semitic. It was just considered anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism (note the spelling, Ace) is apparently in the eyes of the beholder.

"I have always abhored [sic] in the past, and shall continue to do so in the future, anti-semitism [sic] in any form whatsoever. I concur fully with the apology offered by my co-author, Jim Ulmer, and likewise beg that any and all who were offended will accept my deep felt apology."

At least it was deep felt. I know that to be the case, because he said so.... in his badly spelled e-mail.

DeMint "looking after the nation's pennies -- like a Jew would"

By GottaLaff

So DeMint's just like my family? We Jew People sure know how to cheap out, huh?

After a Democratic state senator wrote that DeMint didn't bring enough money back to the state, Bamberg County GOP Chairman Edwin Merwin and Orangeburg County GOP Chairman James Ulmer responded that he was just looking after the nation's pennies -- like a Jew would.

"There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves," Ulmer and Merwin wrote.

No words. None.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/19/gopers-demint-like-a-jew_n_326295.html

H/t: Sam Seder

AUDIO- Rep. Steve King: Matthew Shepard not murdered because he was gay

By GottaLaff



Speaking of "intolerance," I will not, cannot tolerate such bigoted idiocy, so the least I can do is expose it:

Today in an interview with Radio America/WorldNetDaily, Rep. Steve King (R-IA)–who has said that hate crimes legislation creates “sacred cows” and puts the “victimizer’s focus on someone else” — tried to argue that such a bill is unnecessary. His argument? Matthew Shepard himself wasn’t actually murdered because he was gay.

What the Foxx? Does this ring a cracked, cacophonous, warped little bell? It should.

As Salon reported in November 1999:

Speculation has persisted for the past year that Matthew Shepard, rather than being the victim of gay-bashing, might really have been nothing more than a hapless robbery victim who was exploited by gay activists to reap unwarranted sympathy and advance their own agenda to enact hate-crimes legislation. Statements made by one of the convicted killers, which were revealed for the first time Thursday, reveal these accounts to be false. [...]

According to detectives who interviewed both of the convicted murderers, there is no evidence that Shepard made any sexual advances to the pair — and the detectives dismissed the idea that the murder was the mere result of a robbery gone bad. “Far from that!” scoffed Sgt. Rob DeBree, the chief investigator in the case. “They knew damn well he was gay. … It started out as a robbery and burglary, and I sincerely believe the other activity was because he was gay.”

How can people like Steve King live with themselves? And exactly what century are they even living in?

Conserva-smears against Kevin Jennings backfiring?

By GottaLaff

Kevin Jennings, the U.S. Department of Education’s director of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools–aka the “safe schools czar", is ::gasp!:: gay. That's already enough to get him all kinds of negative attention from the GOP.

But Jennings has been smacked around by the conservaschmucks more specifically, for something from his book, One Teacher in 10. A student told him about having an affair with an older man, but Jennings didn’t report it. That did it. Pow!

However, instead of pulling a Van Jones, he has this to fend off the vultures:

First, Media Matters confirmed that the student was of legal age when he came to Jennings. Now, the group has a statement that really couldn’t be better for Jennings:

I had no sexual contact with anybody at the time, though I was entirely legally free to do so. I was a sixteen year-old going through something most of us have experienced: adolescence. I find it regrettable that the people who have the compassion and integrity to protect our nation’s students are themselves in need of protection from homophobic smear attacks. Were it not for Mr. Jennings’ courage and concern for my well-being at that time in my life, I doubt I’d be the proud gay man that I am today.

Love is never having to say your czar-ry. Go get 'em, Kevin!

Most offensive bumper sticker ever

By GottaLaff

Mr. Laffy was driving home yesterday and saw this bumper sticker:

Taxpayers are the Jews for Democrat ovens.

Welcome to Corporate RushpubliHate 2009, brought to you by UnNeighborly Grassrootitude Hypocrites, or UGH. Short on bigotry? Running out of fear mongering? Can't say no to death threats? Just scream "UGH" and help is on the way!

Now go enjoy yourself a big steaming mug of sickos.

VIDEO: Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del) Fends Off the Birthers

By GottaLaff

Listen to the crowd in this video. Good lord, they sound like those crazed, pitchfork-wielding, frenzied mobs out of an old Twilight Zone episode:

A woman gets up, holding a baggie containing her birth certificate, and unleashes a rambling, minute-long tirade about how the president is a “citizen of Kenya.” The crowd hoots and cheers when she’s done. Castle responds, diplomatically: “Well I don’t know what comment that invites. If you’re referring to the president, then he is a citizen of the United States.” That elicits roars and boos from the crowd, so Castle presses on. “You can boo, but he is a citizen of the United States.”

So here’s one of the least conservative members of the House GOP conference, in a state that gave the Obama-Biden ticket 62 percent of the vote, and he has to deal with the angry howling of birthers.

There's that good old fashioned Rushpublic patriotism in action. Remember that? Remember when they'd turn all red in the face and blast any Democrat who dared speak ill of Boy Georgie? After all, our military was in Iraq fighting for our freedom, and we'd been attacked by evildoers. Reverence of King Boy Georgie was mandatory.

How things have changed: Today, above all else, it's "do not support your president", not any more nosireebob, even in times of war, recession, and any other of the kajillion crises that exist... because he's ::dun dun dunnn:: from Kenya!

Moral of the story: Scream, whine, stomp your foot, and demand your country back if your president is black.

Kudos to Rep. Castle for standing up to them.

VIDEO: Maddow v. Buchanan on Sotomayor hearings, race. 2 words: No contest.

By GottaLaff

Gimme a B! B! Gimme an I! I! Gimme a G! G! Gimme an O! O! Gimme a T! T! Whaddya got? BUCHANAN!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

H/t: Cody

Family Values? RNC Web site promoting anti-Semitic, anti-Latino, and pornographic literature

By GottaLaff

I'm running out of synonyms for "astonishing", "offensive", "despicable", "bigotry", "hypocrisy", and "just plain stupid":

[T]he GOP started promoting it's new Web site, http://www.gop.com/obamacard/. The site is supposed to showcase how much money President Obama is supposedly spending by letting you, the visitor, spend money too on your new "Obama credit card." [...]

Just what products does the RNC propose you buy with your new Obama credit card? Anti-semitic, anti-Latino, and overtly pornographic literature - with pictures to boot.

Basically, the RNC site is set up as a faux online business, like Amazon.com, where you can buy goods by doing word searches. Search for the word "car," for instance, and you get pictures of various cars and how much you can pay for them with your ObamaCard.

But don't stop there. Do a search for products dealing with the word "Jew" and the RNC suggests you buy the book "The Jews and Their Lies" (bottom left).

Type in "Latino" and get "The Latino Threat."

But the real fun starts when you type in the word "gay."

Gay, you see, is banned by the RNC (at least they haven't lost their sense of irony). "Homosexual," however, is a product you can buy at the RNC site, and oh what they showcase with that word (note the two men in the upper left corner - perhaps they're just very close friends, like Lindsey Graham and Aaron Schock).

I'll stop there. Please go to AMERICAblog for the rest. If you dare.

VIDEO: Buchanan declares Sotomayor a "militant liberal Latina"

By GottaLaff

Again, adios Rushpublic Hispanic vote, courtesy of White Old Man Pat Buchanan, who has a "beef" or dos with Judge Sotomayor:



From the July 15 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

Gene Robinson: "'Militant' is a ridiculous word to use!"

VIDEO: MSNBC's David Shuster Takes On "Free Republic" For Malia Obama Racist Comments

By GottaLaff



This video refers to this.

David Shuster really needs a show of his own. How many time must we say this, MSNBC, before you take us seriously?

Dr. Nancy? No. Other Guy Whose Name I Don't Even Know, but is the New Morning Guy? Uh-uh.

Shuster? Absolutely. Ten thumbs up.

VIDEO-- Joe The Plumber: Immigrants Should Get ‘The Hell Out Of Our Damn Country’

By GottaLaff



Not Joe the Not Plumber, the guy who McCain/Palin chose to represent America, does it again. Couple this with how well Miss Personality Disorder is doing lately, and, well, J Sid McCain and his impeccable judgment, and there you have it: The face(s) of the Rushpublic Party of D'oh!

While protesting government spending at Houston’s Independence Day Tea Party, Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher stated that American taxpayer dollars would be best spent on the mass deportation of 12 million undocumented immigrants [...]

Wurzelbacher dedicated a private interview to saying that he’s tired of the government “sticking its hand” in his “back-pocket” and urging the government to “pull its head out of its butt.” Apparently he’s against bailouts and the stimulus bill, but he completely supports spending approximately $206 billion over five years, or $41.2 billion annually, to hunt down and deport all the undocumented immigrants living in the US. Joe probably doesn’t realize that such a policy would also mean a loss of $1.8 trillion in annual spending and $651.5 billion in annual output.[...]

The Anti-Defamation League warned that white supremacists and neo-Nazi hate groups were planning to take advantage of the tea parties to disseminate their anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant views and recruit new members.

The Big Tent is missing what's left of it's pathetic, diminutive, limp little pole. Shrinkage.

Howie Kurtz asks panel whether the media would ask temperament questions "about a male judge"

Simple answer to simple question- No.