Which story prompted the longest conversation at Propeller this week? That would be "Why Does Obama Hate America So Badly?," with 57 props, 46 drops, and 281 comments. The thread included a spirited debate about Obama's virility index, especially as perceived by the British. Said pc25: "Seems they are starting not to like President Pantywaist much there." Replied hefaa1: "President Pantywaist sure slaps the Republican members of Congress around pretty. There are also three Somali pirates at the bottom of the ocean that don't think he's a sissy either." Taking a more geopolitical point of view, stalemate urged the president to toughen up, and quickly: "Doesn't Obama realize that if he keeps flip-flopping, there may not be an America for him to govern? Obama, wake up. Be a man and quit being such an apologetic, begging wimp. Muslims only respect strength in their counterparts." To which mesodude replied: "Stop giving orders from your keyboard and sign up yourself and all of your family members. Then we'll know you're serious and not just another fearful con chickenhawk who loves to cheer from the sidelines." And AbuAmirah had an even more pungent response (which has been slightly redacted here for our PG-rated audience): "How do you know who and what it is that we respect? Do you know any Muslims? Hell, no. Have you ever been in a mosque? Hell, no. All you know is what they tell you on conservative talk radio and Faux News."
For libsRfunny, the POTUS still had some explaining to do. Indeed, he ridiculed the idea of Obama as a cool, reflective leader: "The Moron-in-Chief signed a $786 billion spending bill that he didn't read and that he didn't allow members of Congress to read or debate. I don't know anyone with a shred of common sense who would call that 'thinking before acting.'" For truthiness, however, this was nothing but sour grapes: "Here is the crux of it, the Republicans appear to be scared because, unlike Carter, President Barack Obama is a formidable opponent. He is kicking your asses left and right. Your party doesn't know what to do, because Rove's strategies don't work on him. He won't be distracted, he won't get sucked into name-calling BS, he just keeps on doing what he was elected to do."
CURIOUS GEORGE
"Billionaire Soros Bankrolling Calls for 'Torture' Probe" racked up 48 props, 19 drops, and 179 comments. Candida was all for George Soros putting his money where his mouth was: "So what? He is a thinking person, so he should join all the other thinking persons. In addition, he has lots of money, and what better way to use it than to promote justice?" Responded slate: "Isn't Soros a non-citizen? I mean it's one thing for citizens to support things and even send money, but a foreigner having his fingers in the American Pie doesn't bother you lefties?" (In a subsequent comment, slate conceded that Soros was indeed an American citizen.) Meanwhile, Beau7890 saluted just about anybody who was willing to spearhead an inquiry into our interrogation tactics: "Torture is morally wrong. I don't give a rat's ass if Kim Jong-Il, Hitler, or Cheney himself calls for investigation of our use of torture--it should be investigated anyway. Anyone who has a problem with investigating simply because George Soros is calling for it is not rational." But BB64 still excoriated the Hungarian-born billionaire, who he branded as a socialist and political meddler: "Wow, Soros is bankrolling this. Does this surprise anyone? He's typical of all huge socialists. Insists you and I pay taxes while he avoids them. You want to follow corruption, just follow his money trail to the 527s."
Then there was the related issue of how torture may damage America's image on the world stage. For prophyporcrites, that horse left the barn a long, long time ago: "Hurt our image? We are the only country to use a nuclear weapon on innocent civilians. We nuked a few hundred thousand Japanese to death--I think waterboarding is a little less hurtful to our image than that!" But willottica sardonically (I think) argued against throwing in the towel quite yet: "Alright, since your image is already tarnished, you might as well give up the pretense of democracy, too. The two-party system already guarantees that political choice is severely limited and fairly inconsequential. Why not just admit that it's a tyranny by the wealthy and get over it?"
AND DON'T OVERLOOK....
A story about the defection of Senator Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party generated 65 props, 2 drops, and 133 comments. Several members, including RedRiverJ, were delighted to see him go: "Good, he should take Collins and Snowe with him." Replied most_reasonable: "Arlen finally realized that there was no room in the new GOP for honest, integrity, and competence. Something that has now been more and more apparent to the American public." Meanwhile, chevydog saw the whole spectacle as pure electoral calculation: "One has to wonder about the role that age played--or maybe should have played--in this. Arlen's not in the best of health, and he'll be 80 when the election rolls around. I suppose he could have retired gracefully; I'd hazard a guess that that still may happen. Either way, it won't translate into a Republican seat in PA." (A related post, "Limbaugh Urges Specter to take McCain with Him," earned 66 props and 105 comments. Said mntnman444: "[Limbaugh] recruiting for the Democrats... Now I've seen everything.") And finally, there was "Miss California loses for supporting marriage between a man and woman," with 52 props, 15 drops, and 125 comments. Said Klarissa: "The question should not have been asked in the first place. It was inappropriate for the occasion." Replied Dionys: "Why? It comes down to the fundamental rights of humanity within the US legal system. Can one marry the adult partner they've fallen in love with or not?" Meanwhile, dailyblueberry questioned the whole point of beauty pageants to begin with: "Should we give credence to beauty contests? I say no. It sends the wrong message." But it was sonofreason who most effectively stared into the crystal ball: "Next year, Elsie the Cow will be a judge posing the question: Should Americans eliminate beef from their diet?" Game, set, match.
