It’s absurd what’s happening today, and not just because of my last post about the Facebook Nazis. We are in dire straits, folks, and, Mark my words, I have had a Knopfler. (The Sultans of Swing Voters?) Sorry. Half our country can’t motivate and the other half probably shouldn’t. The Occupy movement remains rudderless and the Tea Party has charted a clear and exact course toward some jagged rocks.

Why are we increasingly polarized? Is it based on real differences, or is it by design? We need to get on the same page, folks, and soon. As Dylan and Hendrix warn us, “The hour’s getting late.”

Check out Dictionary.com’s definition of polarized.

Po·lar·ized   /ˈpoʊləˌraɪzd/ Show Spelled[poh-luh-rahyzd] Show IPA

(who should I show my India Pale Ale to?)

adjective

1. of or pertaining to a medium that exhibits polarization.

2. (of an electric plug or outlet) designed so that the plug and outlet fit together in only one way.

Check out definition number two. We are designed to see the world in one of two ways: progressive or regressive, positive or negative, D or R. Neither side has a monopoly on the truth, yet we have been pigeonholed into black or Romney thinking.

How did so many get so misinformed? Most of the blame rests with our entertainment in the guise of news journalism. Damn you Daily Discord, damn you! If you followed the Scott Walker recall coverage, umm, it was appalling.

“Given this blatant partisan coverage, it was absolutely impossible to watch either network [MSNBC or Fox] and weed out any clear understanding of the actual significance of the event, much less what effect it would actually have on the 2012 presidential election.”

—Dylan Byers Politico

When Mr. Olbermann started acting out, MSNBC told him good night and good luck. I imagine it won’t be too long before Ed I-know-nuszink Schultz follows suit. But here’s the rub, radicalism equates to promotions on the Right. Ideology is rewarded with viewers. Oh, and lie all you want, you’re audience doesn’t care. Fox is never having to make a retraction.

I want to retract that, Mr. Winslow. See? Even I can do it. Oh, he’s printing it anyway. Well, it’s the thought that counts and someday the Right will have those.

What can we do about this? There’s obviously a slew of people who want to watch this shit, facts be damned. Certainly one of the consequences for this station was a W. second term. Could you imagine if all you had was Walter Cronkite types? Bush would have been impeached, not re-elected. But, you can’t shut down Fox, you can only choose to shut it off, and that’s not likely to happen with the current caliber of their viewers.

“It’s a 66-Magnum….It shoots through truth.”

—Joe Piscopo

As predicted, the Tea Party was hijacked by Fake News, and, whatever it manages to accomplish, God help us. Then there’s Occupy, which has thus far been meaningless. The Discord’s version sums it up.

We are Discord! We occupy space

In this environment, can any grass roots movement really lead to more political parties and/or genuine reform? Face it, this is not exactly an independent-thought-friendly-era (ITFE). That was part of the initial inspiration for the formation of the Transcosmetic Party in the first place…and, of course, stories about Facebook Nazis.

Our two party system has us by the short hairs (I knew I should have manscaped). I fear Occupy is going to get rough and tumble at some point. And if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao…sorry, Beatles flashback. If I were a betting man, I’d say we have some riots in our future. I just want our ire to be channeled toward those responsible. And is that likely to happen? Occupy can be summarized thusly, “We’re mad but not sure why” and the Tea Party can be summarized as “We’re mad and supporting those destroying us.”

Well done everyone. How about we take a deep breath and think about shit before we start gnawing off each other’s faces.

“I’m taking my cannibalistic talents to South Beach!”

—LeBron James

Some of the misinformation is directly impacted by the dumbing down effect so prevalent today. Here’s a recent excerpt from NPR.

“The sophistication of federal lawmakers’ speech patterns is on the decline, with members of Congress now talking, on average, at the level of high school sophomores. According to a new report by the Sunlight Foundation, Congress has fallen by almost a full grade-level since 2005.” [and] “The members speaking at the lowest grade levels tend to be freshmen Republicans.”

If this is true, I would like to temporally channel a young sophomore Congressman Zano. I’m sure we’ll be interrupting him from his important endeavors back in high school…actually, let’s not. He just left for a Judas Priest concert with a bottle of Yukon Jack and a baggie of stems and seeds (a real Norman Rockwell moment).

We really don’t need to talk to him, er me—let alone allow him, er me to govern. This is a key aspect of Fox’s false assumptions, dumb is the new smart (the Palin Effect?). I have covered this disturbing phenomenon for yerbs. That’s what The Right is calling years now. It’s OK, I’ve gotten usett to ip.

“That depends on what your definition of ip is.”

—Bill Clinton

I wouldn’t be concerned about a bonefied Mr. Smith marching off to Washington but this isn’t about Jimmy Stewart, or principles, or anything remotely patriotic. Today, Mr. Smith doesn’t need to go anywhere near Washington. No coherent or compelling speech necessary. He—clearly in the minority— can simply filibuster shit from his iPhone enroute to the Judas Priest concert with the aforementioned bottle of Yukon Jack. This typically occurs after a memo and an enclosed check from the Koch Brothers. Yeah team America! Activate form of nullification.

If being inarticulate were their only drawback, we would welcome these new voices into Congress, but, as it turns out, that’s their only endearing quality. The worst part is their persistent all-or-none thinking. Let’s have a contest here at The Discord. If you can find something repeated over and over again on Fox News that is not based on a false assumption, you could be eligible for cash prizes! …or a bottle of Yukon Jack.

I’ve been diligently searching for scraps of truth on that side of the aisle since long before the Discord’s inception, but, like my evenings spent at the Bellagio, I keep coming up empty. Kidding! I’m barred from the Bellagio.

No grass roots movement is likely to remain viable amidst this two party tyranny. The main problems?

1. The media won’t allow it. See Ron Paul’s coverage on Fox or MSNBC.
2. Our two glorious parties won’t allow it.
3. Our country is waaaay too full of Regressive Conservatives armed only with ideology and a romanticism bordering on delusional. In fact, why don’t you and the 1950s get a room? (I left the Schmuck’s Capacitor for you back in the DeLorean.)

Before Andrew Sullivan named it ‘The Cocoon’ or Bill Maher started his ‘Dispatches from the Bubble’ bit, I was covering the alternate reality I named The Neococoon’. In the end, I predict the Tea Party may actually do Occupy’s bidding. I think the problem with Occupy is they are vying for a full blown collapse, which they can’t seem to bring about, despite their organized camping initiative (OCI). The only way to bring about a collapse today is by repairing our existing system through stupidity.

Enter the Tea Party…

As for Occupy’s current tactics, you can count me out of any activity designed to simply hurt small businesses…that’s the Government’s job. But a full blown collapse is looming and the Tea Party’s current policies are likely to bring about Occupy’s desire—aka, starve the beast, block any payment on our bloating credit cards, downgrade and destroy.

Activate revolution form of Inept Reforms.

“I just cannot see how that argument wins against the logic that this sacrifice needs to be shared, that we all need to do our part, that, at this stage in the debt-binge begun in earnest under Reagan, we should double down on supply side economics in the face of massive evidence that it doesn’t fucking work. You need some kind of intravenous injection of Jude Wanniski to get this argument off the ground and in the air.”

—Andrew Sullivan

No, you just need Fox News and their ilk. They are the wind beneath our sails…of the just ate too much Mexican food variety. This coming from the man who wrote The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How We Can Get It Back. I don’t think it’s coming back, Andrew. Here’s what Sully recently said over at The Dish about the inspiration behind his book:

“I truly had no expectation that my book on conservatism would have an iota of an impact on the current GOP. But I wrote it anyway, as a marker to myself of what I believed, as a way to clarify for myself – and anyone else interested – what conservatism is for me, and why today’s GOP has so brutally assaulted the tradition whose name they claim.”

I promise not to go all Ted Nugent on these peeps until they impact the micro brew and specialty coffee shipments coming into my town. When that happens, no promises. I also vow to blog about my subsequent visit from the Secret Service. My actions will make Guy Fawkes look like Ghandi, MFs! Sorry, I just felt the need to top Ted for a moment. Urge to kill fading…

None of us should be defending either party anymore. Can’t we all agree on that? No? I didn’t think so. The Right is always too busy defending the indefensible and making up shit about their political adversaries (isn’t it a shame that’s too long for Fox’s slogan?). The left is ready to throw in the towel. Meanwhile, the Right is ready climb back in with Sandusky, towel or no (what, too spoon?).

Romney’s economic advisor was on Fareed Zakaria this week, A.U. Sterity. He described Romney’s approach as Simpson-Bowels without any revenue generation. To me it sounds like an austerity-only cluster-fuck. Maybe Republicans should try the animated version, Simpson-Griffin? Doh!

Look, I never claimed to know a lot about economics…just more than a Republican. Cut from the same cloth, Paul Ryan’s Budget doesn’t address defense spending or revenue generating either and is designed to be as cruel and inhuman as possible, their usual M.O. I would actually sign off on their shit, if there was a chance in hell it would work…but, the only people impressed with their record at this point seems to be them.

Meanwhile, support for Occupy has dropped in half over the last few months. Therefore, many believe this movement is DOA….umm, those people are wrong. Admittedly, they do suck at the moment. In fact, I tried to contact the organizer in my town to ask, “Why aren’t you Occupying Facebook Meetups?” Using the internet to mobilize is the only thing the Tea Party got right. Yet I couldn’t even reach the guy. Hmmm. See the Discord’s important coverage of one of those local Occupy events here.

The Tea Party will die when they get the blame for the next Standard & Poor’s downgrade and officially gridlock us into oblivion. This will likely ignite a more formidable Occupy resurgence—too late to save our economy, of course, but fun and eventful nevertheless. And those with a clue will shift teams. Ultimately, Occupy has the potential to change the political landscape forever. It might alter how society functions and I hope a key focus will remain on sustainable energy and sustainable resources, as well as an emphasis on capitalism with a conscience. Yeah, that’s me dreaming again, but er, my dreams of tomorrow have proven to be more accurate than the Republican’s grasp of reality today.

Sociopaths can no longer be our CEOs and our leaders. Gordon Gekko must die! I know the Right has posed that Obama is a sociopath, but there’s currently little evidence. However, there is growing evidence that this man makes Gordon Gekko look like, well…. a community organizer.

I realize sociopaths are the Right’s champions, but my take on that sad piece of reality here.

It doesn’t take an Einstein to predict this shit, but it does take an Einstein to make people believe the exact opposite. Kudos Herr Ailes. Could you imagine a Michele Bachmann or a Rick Santorum with the ability to target anyone anywhere with a drone strike? That is when I will move myself and my family over to virtual Canada over at NHL.com (the puck stops here?).

The image of Bachmann with unlimited drones should keep you up at night. What will keep you up, you ask? The near constant explosions as our Government targets our gay and atheistic neighbors. (Studies suggest Explosion Therapy more effective than Conversion Therapy?) I’m being a bit facetious here but Presidents have more powers than ever before and they now want dangerously incompetent people to inherit these powers? One drone to rule them all…

Matt Drudge over on The Drudge Report is jumping on the Dem’s recent disillusionment. I think this shows the ability of the Left to assess and interpret facts. How quaint. Objectivity on the Right officially died during a recent episode of Hannity. RIP. Hey, maybe Giraldo can bury it in Al Capone’s vault. There’s also a chunk of our population who believes the Right’s appraisal of Obama’s performance thus far, which has little to do with reality.

Republicans didn’t mind deficits until they drove ours into the stratosphere. Their plan remains to counter our economic situation with their dumber than W plan. Sounds lovely. And, sorry, if you think returning to an incompetent foreign policy and an irresponsible economic plan is the way out of this mess, you’re more delusional than my prior posts suggest.

Kidding, I’ve had this bunch pegged all along.

The only thing that remains consistent in this freakishly bad economic period is the right’s unwavering ability to misread the tea bag leaves. In this environment, how can they do anything but hinder our recovery? How can they do anything but Fox-block a proper revolution? The answer is, they can’t—not if they insist on approaching each issue from the perspective of, “What would Mr. Burns like me to do?”

Good luck with that. If you find any policy or issue where Fox strays an iota from this theme, hit our contact button and I will post your comments. Good luck with that. I think you would have better luck finding a Mormon in a hash bar, or a Jew in Damascus, or an Iranian gay pride parade (Pricilla, Ayatollah of the Desert?).

At the end of the day, Republicans would rather allow the union to collapse than return to 90s level tax rates…and collapse it will. The Dems role in the demise of America is destined to be a footnote, but the Republican section will make War and Peace look like a haiku.

I chose June 3rd to interpret Matt Drudge’s sad, ideological nonsense over on The Drudge Report. For those of you non-Drudgers, this guy cherry picks headlines designed to embarrass the President and reorganizes information in the guise of a news site. These headlines seem damning and they often paint quite a picture. What they don’t tell you is the artist of said picture has been huffing the paint fumes.

If you actually read these articles, the facts are typically more damning to the Right. How could they be otherwise? Every day I scan the Drudge and cringe. If you read the articles on June 3^rd (yes, one day’s worth of BS), here are the headlines followed by my interpretation:

Hillary Tours Arctic to See “Impact of Climate Change”

Universal Translator = Yes, for those among us who scorn science and reason, this trip is some pleasure cruise to the frozen wasteland. Perhaps this voyage is another example of misspent stimulus funds?

Fact: every year we lose enough ice on this planet to fill eight Lake Eries, so I think you can tear the quotes down around climate change any time now, dip shit. Call me a crazy, but studying our next potential mass extinction seems a worthwhile investment. Besides, Obama understands how sending the Ice Queen to the Pole could refreeze entire sections of our glaciers for the price of a simple cruise ticket. Touché Mr. President. Touché.’ Of course, had he mistakenly sent his big mouthed Veep instead, Manhattan would already look like Venice at high tide.

Even Maureen Dowd Begins To Turn.

Universal Translator = Umm, yeah, because Obama is too conservative for Maureen’s taste. And, sure Libs can change their minds; they actually have minds to change. Liberals are angry because Obama is still pandering to Conservatives when they deserve nothing but deportation. Kidding! Four years of Romney and all political comedians will likely join the one percent. Republicans are a national treasure, comedically speaking.

This Dowd line captures the essence of her article:

“As president, Obama has never felt the need to explain or sell his signature pieces of legislation — the stimulus and health care bills — or stanch the flow of false information from the other side.”

Yes, Matt, you can translate this as Obama’s failure to defend his achievements and failure to have you arrested. How embarrassing.

Weak Economy Points to Obama Constraints

Universal Translator = This implies Obama is restricting things, regulating the markets, and single handedly destroying our economy. Riiight. If you actually read the article—which Mr. Drudge is betting you won’t—it actually blames Obama’s “constraints” on China devaluing its currency, Europe’s woes, and an unwillingness of Congress to pass anything until the early Romney Administration. There’s only one of those three things we have any control over and who’s cock blocking whom? Check out two separate think tank gurus on our Republicans attempt to end our Republic here. Here’s a quote from the NYT article Mr. Drudge linked to:

“And now, despite their own record-low numbers in the polls, they [Congress] have next to no incentive to help an embattled Democratic president lift the economy.”

Republicans have no incentive to save us, which is a Star Spangled Bummer. Maybe a Patriotism for Dummies book could help. The Right is twice as angry at a president who in reality is only half as bad as their last guy. Distortions, delusions, and defund, oh my!

Oh, and then Mr. Drudge has this headline listed on the same flipping day.

This Summer ‘Eerie Echo’ of Pre-Lehman…

Universal Translator = This is an interesting attempt at bending logic (even by Republican standards). Maybe Mr. Drudge just missed the irony while riding the short bus to work. It is hard to see with those special helmets on. No, Mr. Drudge. Don’t hurt yourself! It upsets the other children:

Matt, by choosing this headline, is implying that our financial system is about to collapse because Obama has not regulated big banks, which the Right wouldn’t allow. The Republicans blocked finance reform back in 2010 as covered by the NYT here.

This ‘Eerie Echo’ of Pre-Lehman article believes the market’s vulnerability involves the collapse of the Euro and nothing more. They’re saying the collapse of the Euro may well be on par with the housing bubble. Oh wait but Obama is a Kenyan/European/socialist so I do see the connection. It is his fault.

Here’s another gem:

Rachel Maddow: ‘The less you talk about the election, the more your ratings go up’

Universal Translator = The implication is that the enthusiasm is low on the left and the Dems are quaking in their shoes for the 2012 election. Actually, Maddow just explained the natural lull during an election cycle after the primary season ends. Besides, didn’t we all deserve a lengthy break after 427 of the most ridiculous debates in our planet’s history? Kidding! The 2008 Primaries were worse.

Obama Gets Left Behind; Libs Turn…

Universal Translator = This is true. Many libs, like Maureen Dowd, are piping in their disgust, but it’s because Libs aren’t getting much on their wish list. And the reality that the Right will never admit is this: Obama is governing more like Reagan than Reagan did. Libs want someone more liberal. Bill Maher said it best when ranting against the GOP contenders:

“Newt Gingrich called Obama the most radical Leftist President in history. Senator Marco Rubio called him the most divisive figure in American history. Michele Bachmann said Obama is the most radical President we have ever seen in the history of the country …John Bolton said Obama just doesn’t care about national security. Honestly, there are Mexican drug mules who don’t pull this much stuff out of their ass.”

See more of that Real Time riveting rant here.

We May Have to Work Until We’re 80 Post Crisis

Universal Translator = I know Matt Drudge is again trying to embarrass Obama, but let me sum this one up for you. Keep in mind, the crisis began in the U.S. in 2008 and then spread to Europe soon thereafter. So…

Before George W. Bush was president the world could retire at 65, now, post Bush, one AIG executive thinks we should all be prepared to work until we’re 80.

Yeah team America! Let’s put the Iranian War on Visa too. What’s the big deal? There’s plenty more plastic where that came from. My sources tell me, little Chinese children mine new credit cards each day from deep within the Himalayan Mountains  (at least for our gold and platinum cards).

America is exceptional, so much so it’s ready for the Exceptional Olympics.

Debt Has Increased More in Last 15 Months Than First 97 Congresses — Combined!

Yep, true story = This is all you will hear until the election. They will present this one “fact” in every pie chart and graph known to mankind. It’s the only number that has any meaning to a Foxeteer, which is your hint that there’s more to this story. As not to beat this dead elephant, my take on the botched debt deal debacle here.

The right doesn’t want any course corrections under Obama, even though we all know these are primarily republican excesses accumulated over that last three decades (or Alex Bone’s bar tab).

This headline gives them all a boner (a Boehner?). Headlines like these will run on Drudge right up until the erection (sorry, it’s the Boehner thing). This is the only point they have…they created this problem and locked us into this decaying orbit and have successfully convinced 40% of our population they have nothing to do with it.

Republicans refuse to help fix their own mess precisely because they want a headline that reads: Debt Has Increased More Than First 97 Congresses Combined! You know, a better America through destroying it. (It’s catchy. Maybe we could petition to have it added to the lyrics of America. My country borrowed for these…wars, cuts, and Medicare D, for free I sing). Why are Republicans so mathematically impaired?

Just before sending this off to Mr. Winslow on June 5^th, I made the mistake of perusing the Drudge (that’s five minutes of my life I’ll never get back…time better spent banging my head against the steering wheel). This was posted the next day but deserves an honorable mention award: ‘Pulitzer’ Newspaper Mocks Drudge For Informing Readers…

No, he’s not talking about The Daily Discord, this time. I’m sure our Pulitzer just got lost in the mail (if our Government could only have afforded to spring for overnight shipping). But notice Pulitzer is in single quotes…just like Climate Change. I think there’s a clear difference between informing and misinforming, Mr. Drudge.

 So, on that note, keep reading The Drudge “Report”.

Flagstaff, AZ—Always on the job, I attended the David Sedaris show on Friday April 27th over at glamorous NAU. Sedaris is supposed to be an autograph-friendly-legend (AFL), but one person was clearly gypped. You might be wondering who? I was supposed to ask him some questions that I scribbled down on the ride over. The plan was to ask him as many of these questions as possible until his bodyguards dragged me or him away. Then I would categorize our brief, yet turbulent encounter as “an interview”…you know, the usual.

I figured the signing would suit my needs, but man the line was long—the director’s cut of Twilight long. I was about to head back to my seat when I realized the line was down to one person, presumably because they announced, “The show is starting, so piss off.” But I managed to sneak behind the last person in line. Once I was standing before the comedic legend himself, I did my traditional unfolding of the biggest receipt in my wallet. I smoothed it out all nice like and then slid it over for him to sign. Then one of his evil minions said, “That’s it. The other guy was last.” I was shirked, rudely shirked! Now you see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I’m being repressed! I recovered quickly, because I am a professional, after all, and I told Dave, “Hey, I’m looking forward to the show.” He ignored my comment and zipped up his little bag of Sharpies and walked showard. The bastard! So I did the only thing a self-respecting blogger would do…I picked up the one Sharpie that had dropped on the floor and huffed the thing dry.

Actually, this was my small revenge:

That’ll teach him to mess with an important voice of the press.

Before I continue with the Sedaris character assassination, I will state for the record, he’s a comedic genius and a talented author. I enjoy his work immensely. Let’s face it, he’s approaching nearly a Zano level of talent (NZLOT). What really impressed me was his natural wit during the question and answer phase of the night’s festivities. Now, having said that, onward with the personal assault!

The show was very funny, but I had already read one of the selections he chose to recite. It was a story from The New Yorker. In fact, I think they were all recycled excerpts. Then he did the same snail joke he used on The Jon Stewart show. Sure it’s a funny joke, but the second time….?

Guy gets woken up at 2AM by his doorbell. He opens the door and sees a snail perched on his porch.

The snail says, “Hi, I’m going door-to-door selling magazines. Could I interest you in a subscription?”

Enraged, the guy boots the snail off his porch, sending him sailing.

Two years later, doorbell rings again, and one more time it’s the snail.

“What the fuck was that all about?”

[Canned Laughter]

OK, if he can do it, I can do it. Is that his secret to success? You want a great recycled joke?

So this koala bear walks into a bar…No, I can’t do it. Only original jokes here at the Discord. I have higher standards.

I was sitting waaaay in the back of the auditorium, so far back I think it would have taken me longer to get in a question than that snail. And, for all of my trouble, it would have probably ended similarly for me. The show was sold out and packed to the gills with a variety of college students, professors, and locals. Since the whole question and answer thing wasn’t working for me, I decided to catch him after the show, but, again, the line ended up being waaaay too long. Besides, I had places to go and people to see. Parole officers expect punctuality.

I decided to get on David Sedaris’ official Facebook site the next day, as I was still desperately trying to salvage some kind of a story. You see, when Mr. Winslow wants a story, he gets a story. Not a very accurate or well written one—it’s more about deadlines with him. And, for us contributors, it’s more about missing those deadlines. My boss needs to understand I have other offers in the industry. I’m just simply omitting exactly what industry (hint: it rhymes with corn).

So I resolved to ask my thoughtfully prepared question on Dave’s official FB site. Here’s what I asked:

Thanks for coming to Flagstaff, Dave! Enjoyed the show. You were great during the Q&A section. I was in the back so I didn’t get to ask you this important question: was your latest book Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk inspired by Rick Man-On-Dog Santorum?

It’s not a gottcha question. It’s a legitimate enquiry, right?

Fact Check: Mr. Santorum’s statement during the Republican Primaries, wherein he suggested homosexuality led to bestiality, was made nearly two years after the release of Mr. Sedaris’ book. You asked the question, because you are a juvenile proto-journalist with an ego the size of our defense budget.

Damn you Fact Check! Damn you! Can we disable this feature, Mr. Winslow? Otherwise I’m applying at The Onion……again.

Then I check back on the site the next morning and my comment is gone… utterly wiped from our virtual world as if it had never existed! Stripped from the comment thread like it was simply some Constitutional Amendment. Very neighborly, Dave. I think he was afraid of the question. Apparently, my cutting edge journalistic endeavors frighten him.

Well, if you tune in to his Facebook site on 5/29, I will be posting this very question on his site:

Dear Dave,

Here’s another question I never got to ask you in Flagstaff. Was your book When You Are Engulfed in Flames inspired by Michael Jackson or Richard Pryor? Take your time. Oh, and check out my complete grilling of you and your overrated career right here on The Daily Discord.

You’ll have to have near perfect timing, because his Facebook Nazis are fast on the draw. Maybe my next post should be Blogger Seeks Interview. How about an interview with the Discord, Mr. Sedaris? You will be given a fair shake. Or maybe I’ll just boot you off my porch, sending you sailing. Then I will receive an email in about two years asking, “What the fuck was that all about?”

Come on Dave. You don’t want to risk being downgraded to somewhat-near-Zano-level of talent (SNZLoT).