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BuzzFlash's Republican Race to the Bottom: The Fallen Four Double-Header

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:23am.

Well folks, we’ve reached the Fallen Four. Where once there was a Sour Sixteen and then an Elitist Eight, we're coming down to the worst of the worst this week. In case you haven't been paying attention, BuzzFlash has been thoroughly enjoying the honor of giving basketball fans as well as those who could care less about college basketball's March Madness their own bracket to fill in and their own players to root against. 

It’s the BuzzFlash Race to the Bottom, and you've tuned in just in time to catch the beginning of the end! For a round up of last week's games, where heavyweights George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales, Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter got run out of town, click here. You can also read up on week one here and the entirety of round one here. To see the original description and full bracket, click here.

But the focus for these players is the future. Because these competitions are the last before the final throw-down, we've decided to launch two games today and to extend voting through Tuesday night so everyone can weigh in.

Even though Dubya's out of the picture, the men who landed him in office and who pulled his strings once he got there are still menacing us.

Game one pits the extremist arm of the Supreme Court against Bush's Brain. The SCOTUS Federalist Foursome have their fingers in every aspect of American life, and their longevity combined with their ability to quadruple-team opponents makes for almost an unfair match. However, it would be downright foolish to underestimate Karl Rove, the mastermind of the neo-conservative propaganda system. Which will be able to "hang tough?" Whose black scuff marks will be harder to erase from our great country?

The other game in this round could be referred to as The Great Scowl-Off. Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh are facing off as a pair of jowly mugs only a mother could love. Cheney might have the advantage of pure, unadulterated evil on his (dark) side, but Limbaugh is still limber, with a much greater reach throughout the league and undeniable star power. Will it be the man behind the curtain or the spotlight hog that advances on to the final round?

You know these men. Each in their own way is qualified to be the worst of the worst. But remember: Any given Republican, any given day could come out victorious. So vote now, and be sure and stay tuned through Tuesday night to see who will be in the final "Bottom Feeder" competition.




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As Long as They're in the Minority, Who Cares?

Submitted by SkeeterVT on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 1:21pm.
Bottom Line: the hard-line conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court are in the minority -- and will likely remain in the minority with Barack Obama in the White House. That's the REAL reason the Right is such in a sour mood: They've lost the battle for control of the Supreme Court. As long as Obama is president and the Democrats control the Senate, the Right has no hope of taking over the Supreme Court. They can't count on Justice Anthony Kennedy, a moderate conservative who's now firmly planted in the center seat as the court's critical swing vote -- and who's demonstrated a stubborn libertarian streak on social issues. Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, wrote the majority opinion in both landmark gay-rights rulings of the past 13 years: *Romer v. Evans (1996), which struck down a voter-approved Colorado measure that overturned all state and local laws protecting gays from discrimination and barred the legislature and municipalities from passing any new ones. The court found the measure violated the equal-protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. *Lawrence v. Texas (2003) which struck down state laws that criminalized a certain sexual act, but were enforced exclusively against gays and not heterosexuals who performed the same act -- fully legalizing gay and lesbian relationships (which, conservatives now concede, may pave the way for legalizing same-gender marriage). That's not all. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in all three Supreme Court rulings that slapped down President Bush's claim of unfettered authority in the treatment of terrorism suspects. When, inevitably, the Supreme Court takes up the same-gender marriage issue (The first federal lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act was filed March 5 in U.S. District Court in Boston), I predict a 5-4 ruling in favor of same-gender marriage (Although conservative Justice Clarence Thomas could surprise everyone by recusing himself, resulting in a 5-3 decision. The reason? He's a direct beneficiary of the court's 1967 ruling that struck down laws banning interracial marriages. Thomas is black; his wife is white). Getting a majority on the Supreme Court was the Far Right's Holy Grail; that's now been wrecked with Obama's election. There's little doubt that Obama will fill at least one and perhaps as many as three vacancies on the high court before he leaves office. No way will he appoint anyone the Far Right likes.
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Correct, but they still scare me

Submitted by kladner on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 1:55pm.
I appreciate the thoughtful reassurance, Skeeter. You are right about the numbers. My concerns revolve around Roberts as CJ, combined with Scalia's intellectual arm-twisting prowess. It worked in Bush v Gore. As to Thomas, I think pigs will flap their ears and fly before he recuses, especially on a hot-button issue like DOMA. As to potential nominations, the effect of them depends on which Justices depart, by whatever means. (I still can't really forgive O'Connor for bowing out.) I have heard some rumors about Roberts' health. Hope they are true, though Rehnquist held on to the bitter end in spite of some pretty dramatic seizures. I hope that Ginsburg has truly recovered. There is a fair chance we'll see something better in the next four years. Time will tell. In any case, the RATS have pulled ahead. Huzzah!
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Ride On, Dark Horse.

Submitted by nobugsonme on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 11:54pm.
Go SCOTUS Go!!! I always believed in your chances in this tournament.
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Scrofulous SCOTUS RATS

Submitted by kladner on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:11am.
The RATS (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia) have been narrowing the gap with Rove since yesterday. I'm still hoping for a come-from-behind win. Voters in this little exercise should bear in mind that, though Rove is undoubtedly responsible for much evil in our political world, he would have had far less influence without the "RATS' behind": Thomas and Scalia. Their utter lack of ethics in participating in the infamous Bush v Gore, when they should have recused themselves for conflicts of interest, put Bush in the White House in 2000. That made possible the appointment of the other end of the RATS: Roberts and Alito. REMEMBER: a now-pundit like Rove can spread ugly ideas; Supreme Court Justices can impose those ideas with the force of law; and THEY "SERVE" for LIFE. I have made my decisions in these polls based on the principle of which candidates represent "The Greatest Harm for the Greatest Number." By that standard, the Scrofulous SCOTUS RATS should win hands down.
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Cheney; out of his hidey-hole

Submitted by elder693 on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 3:55pm.

Dick "death-squads" Cheney has been everywhere, practically begging for or announcing a new hit on the U.S., for weeks now.

Remember, right after 9/11, the administration stated that no speech made by bin laden could be shown or heard in the U.S.? They were afraid he would make a gesture or use special phrases that would flip on Al Qaeda cells in the U.S.

Well, that's kind of how I feel about Cheney.

The Dick is still pulling black ops strings and has rogue intelligence people doing his bidding. I just have a really bad feeling every time I hear him growling about how Obama is setting us up for a hit. Me thinks that is a bit of projection.

If we get hit, Cheney is the first person we should be looking for!

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