Even the Hitler Zombie wouldn't be able to find a snack here

Looks like the loyal opposition are throwing mud randomly in hopes anything will stick. This and the recent dead monkey cartoon are so loose as to suggest an underlying thought disorder.

Why can't smarter Republicans focus the party on genuine Democratic weaknesses?

Because smarter Republicans are already Democrats.

Wow! That cartoon excels at being simultaneously offensive and stupid to a degree I haven't seen in a long time.

btw Orac, did you see the Nazi Zombies in the game Call of Duty?

I kind of liked it ;) It's got me pegged coming and going, a jew who pays his mortgage! I have to go buy more ammo now...

Ooh, I didn't know Kelly strips came in colour too.

Next election I should make myself a bumper sticker: Another Mortgage-Paying Jew for Obama.

Why can't smarter Republicans focus the party on genuine Democratic weaknesses?

ObQuirk!

Well, maybe not quite. Still, you've seen what happens to people like Kay Bailey Hutchison. The Inquisition is at full steam; Rush Limbaugh got the role as Torquemada.

Re D. C. Sessions

The word from Texas is that Senator Hutchison will oust Governor Rick "closeted gay gaybasher" Perry next year in the Rethuglican primary.

My apologies; I was actually thinking of Christine Todd Whitman.

IMHO, she would have made a good candidate for President Obama's EPA Administrator -- the whole "bipartisan" thing along with a proven record of actually doing what's right despite pressure.

Meh- the pro-life crazies have been playing this angle since Obama announced he was going to run for president because of his vote on BAIPA.

This isn't new.

Not exactly. The previous right wing meme was that Obama is like Hitler because he's a great orator, just like Hitler was, and can fire up crowds of thousands.

I...don't get it... *scratches head* Conservatives just don't do humour, do they?

Christie Todd Whitman...with a proven record of actually doing what's right despite pressure.

Mmh, like lying about the amount of toxic crap in the air after 9/11? Apparently she was also involved with a bunch of shady stuff when she was Gov. of NJ, according to my ex who used to work for the Press of Atlantic City... No thanks.

I'm assuming Orac is an expert on this subject. I'm having on argument on a message-board(someone is WRONG on the internet!) with some people about the zombie genre. The challenge is this: are we the real monsters?

George Romero has a lot of subtle social commentary in his films and one re-occurring theme is the dehumanisation of the people trying to survive, happily shooting and hacking zombies to pieces along the way. In the end of the first film, the last black survivor is mistaken for a zombie and shot. In another, a female zombie is hanged by a tree and used for target practice. Even zombies that are no real danger are treated worse than non-zombie corpses.

My argument is that the way zombies are treated can corrupt the surviving people if they do not keep in mind that they are doing terrible things to the bodies of dead people. They should be as dispassionate and clinical as they can, but still mindful, knowing they're only doing what they must to survive rather than engaging in sport.

I'm right? Say I'm right. Or is it just the Hitler zombie you are expert on?

I think Whitman was too damaged by lying for Bush by saying the air in NYC following 9/11 was "safe to breathe" when it wasn't.

This cartoon is neither funny nor clever. In fact, it doesn't even make sense.

You're not up with the latest wingnut talking points, Orac. Before the election Obama was hypnotizing the voters with his crazy voodoo rhetorical skillz: just like Hitler.

Now: he can't open his mouth without two Teleprompters, and if they malfunction, he's rendered mute, cowering like a deer caught in the headlights, glancing desperately left and right for inspiration.

I'm sure plenty of them are perfectly willing to make both arguments, though, and be perfectly unaware of the contradiction!

I liked this cartoon better when the braying donkey was a chimpanzee.

Not exactly. The previous right wing meme was that Obama is like Hitler because he's a great orator, just like Hitler was, and can fire up crowds of thousands.

Strange that "great orators who can fire up crowds" in the vein of Billy Graham or his son are never brought into that meme.

not even mentioning Hagee and his particular brand of yuck.

GUPTA STEPS ASIDE.

STEVE NOVELLA FOR SURGEON GENERAL!

STEVE!

STEVE!

WE WANT STEVE!

Now there's some weapons-grade stupid.
Look. . . I may not be Obama's biggest fan, but comparisons to Hitler ? Spare me the stupid.

What is the connection here? On the left you have somebody blaming a group of innocents for society's problems. On the right you have somebody blaming a group of innocents for society's problems. Is the cartoonist saying that Democrats are just like Nazis, or that Democrats are just as foul minded, manipulative, and contemptuous of people as the Nazis?

If the latter, then I would have to disagree. It's a few Democrats who are as foul minded, manipulative, and contemptuous of people as the Nazis.

Nota Bene: I have yet to hear a Republican refer to people as sheep. Republicans have their own disgusting insults for people they don't like.

Ah! The secret to geting Orac to STFU is discovered! Just say (draw) something that is so stoopid it has formed a singularity so dense it's detached itself from this universe and is now floating, like a rogue turd, through the multiverse and bouncing off occassional pockets of reality.

Well, Ok, not quite STFU, just a short posting that won't burn out my mouse-wheel when I read it⦠;-)

Is âfiscally responsible achievers yadda yaddaâ some sort of codephrase for, oh, I dunno, bankers or enron executives/auditors? Even if it is, it doesn't change the sheer stoopid and überepic failâ¦

What is the connection here? On the left you have somebody blaming a group of innocents for society's problems. On the right you have somebody blaming a group of innocents for society's problems. Is the cartoonist saying that Democrats are just like Nazis, or that Democrats are just as foul minded, manipulative, and contemptuous of people as the Nazis?

The catch is that the Democrats aren't actually blaming the innocent, fiscally responsible mortgage holder for the problem.

They're thinking about some sort of mortgage relief package that would help homeowners who can't pay their mortgage - the problem, acknowledged by both parties, is that then fiscally irresponsible mortgage holders get financial help, while fiscally responsible mortgage holders don't get help.

Not getting a relief package is not the same as being shoved into ovens by the millions. In fact, not getting a relief package is not even the same as getting blamed.

Looks like the loyal opposition are throwing mud randomly in hopes anything will stick. This and the recent dead monkey cartoon are so loose as to suggest an underlying thought disorder.
Why can't smarter Republicans focus the party on genuine Democratic weaknesses?

Agreed that the cartoon is stupid, but I think the mud-slinging is a reaction to the general imbalance in publicity. McCain was a bad candidate, but the campaigns did not play out well. Obama and his positions didn't receive the critique they deserved, so the right has resorted to shouting and antics. The point here is that there is a multitude of smarter Republican/conservative voices out there, you just aren't hearing them because they don't make themselves amenable to posting a stupid cartoon for everyone to ridicule.

Chris, they also aren't a major force in the primaries or, for the most part, in commentary. Yes, you have a few David Frums and Christopher Buckleys, but I see no reason to think they are a substantial piece of the Republican Party.

It doesn't even make sense? American politics, or more accurately the political-ideological belief system, is as bizarre to non-Americans as are Japanese videos/cartoons to most westerners. I understand the political mechanism, but I don't understand the political belief system. --"These Romans are crazy!" :-))

I don't get it. Hitler wasn't a Muslim, was he?

Ever hear of a book called The People of the Lie, by M. Scott Peck? The guy who drew this cartoon is one of them.

Today I encountered a new term, 'Obama Recession.'

Ya know, I think there are people out there that will nod and say, yes, he's the one.

Moderately Unbalanced Squid,

The donkey's point is rather obvious. He is blaming the responsible for the problems of the irresponsible. Much as the Nazi in the left hand panel is blaming the Jews for the problems of Germans. That is the connection; two people, two groups blaming an innocent third party for the travails of a second party. Focusing attention and assigning blame to a minority is an age old practice. Religious and secular leaders in Medieval times blamed the Jews when things were bad. The Romany have also been a favorite target over the centuries. Today our political parties point the finger at different groups to rile up supporters; Democratic demagogues point their fingers at those who pay their mortgage on time because it makes those who don't look bad, Republican demagogues at those who support same sex marriage because allowing that's supposed to destroy marriage. They're both full of shit.

The cartoon is not saying that Democrats are Nazis, it's saying that Democrats act like Nazis when they make spurious accusations regarding a segment of society. Let's face it, certain Democrats are acting reprehensibly, and in a manner that emulates the Nazis and other extremist groups. That is the point of the cartoon.

When you imitate the fool do not be surprised when others accuse you of being like those who you imitate.

The cartoon is not saying that Democrats are Nazis, it's saying that
Democrats act like Nazis when they make spurious accusations regarding
a segment of society.

Nonsense. The cartoon is making a direct comparison of Democrats to Nazis in order to smear Democrats. It's so ludicrously over-the-top and stupid that truly it causes my neurons to cry out in pain as a wave of apoptosis-inducing moronicity washes across them.

Let's face it, certain Democrats are acting
reprehensibly, and in a manner that emulates the Nazis and other
extremist groups.

Really? Which Democrats are advocating sending responsible borrowers to the gas chambers, pray tell?

Democratic demagogues point their fingers at those who pay their mortgage on time because it makes those who don't look bad

You could, of course, easily prove this by providing a link to a news story in which some Democratic politician has pointed a finger at those who pay their mortgage on time.

I think we'll be waiting for a good looooooong while... :o)

Reductio ad Hitlerum - it's the most fun logical fallacy!

You could, of course, easily prove this by providing a link to a news story in which some Democratic politician has pointed a finger at those who pay their mortgage on time.

Interestingly-- although the donkey on the right side of the panel is saying something so alien to anything the Democrats are saying it's difficult to create a link even as parody or misrepresentation-- it's EXTREMELY easy to find conservative or republican writers over the last eight months blaming the financial meltdown on minorities, obtaining mortgages under the Community Reinvestment Act.

This fails on so many levels:

First, as catgirl mentioned, the reductio ad hitlerum. I mean, seriously, Nazis? Hitler? The cartoonist couldn't think of anything better?

Second, it fails historically. Jews in Europe were an historically reviled group, making them an easy target. Is anyone in financial straits right now really saying, "Well, if the Joneses down the block weren't paying their mortgage on time, I wouldn't be in this mess!"

And it fails on the basis that no one is saying this. PoliSci 101 folks: The fiscally responsible citizen who would have avoided the mortgage crisis is also traditionally the most politically active citizen. I know Dems are famous for cutting off their own legs, but c'mon!

Orac,

Does it have to be a straight analogy? Let us remember the Nazis did not start off advocating extermination, that they built up to.

"First they went after the religious. But I did not worry, because I was a Democrat.

"Then they went after the fiscally responsible. But I did not worry, because I was a Democrat.

"Then they went after the gun owners. But I did not worry, because I was a Democrat.

"Then they went after car owners. But I did not worry, because I was a Democrat.

"Then they went after those who supported measures our president opposed. And learned I wasn't the proper type of Democrat."

It starts small, and any cause can lead to tyranny in the hands of the small.

Wow. The number of faulty slippery slope arguments in the post are actually sort of amazing. I don't think I have to be a partisan democrat to see how illogical this is, but I think even MORE than most people's religious beliefs, political beliefs have a white-wash of logic masquerading for a bunch of rationalizations that justify our own moral and personal preferences. I don't think any particular ideology is more or less guilty in that regard either.

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The number of people I've read making arguments like those of Alan Kellogg above (8:48 pm) is truly scary: two.

Yeah, this particular trope-l'oeil is such utter hogwash that it is scarifying even if only a couple of folks are bodaciously lamebrained enough to buy it.

Howdy. I'm new in these here parts.

So can somebody tell me: Is Alan Kellogg a parody or is he freakin' fer real?

On the rare chance that the claim was actually offered seriously: mortgage relief isn't about rewarding irresponsible mortgage holders. It's an attempt to prevent defaults in cases where there is a reasonable chance that a homeowner can maintain the mortgage with a reasonable adjustment in terms. Doing so actually helps support housing values as well as the value of lender's assets -- both things that any rational Republican should support.

However, there don't seem to be many "rational" republicans left, at least among their leadership. For them, it's all about the possibility of moral hazard, and for that they'd rather risk further economic collapse.

If this is the Alan Kellogg I used to know in San Diego, yeah, he's real. Dr. Benway: THIS.

Actually, I've heard there are two of us. Did the Alan Kellogg you knew live Downtown?

Idlemind: Not all potential beneficiaries are good prospects. Those who are, I hope the assistance helps them. But don't be surprised if some of those assisted fail to keep their homes.

Really, what we need here are financial institutions ready and able to be more flexible and far-sighted than they have been so far.

There is one thing I'd like to see, the outlawing of the sale of loans and mortgages to third parties. I'd include contracts, but that would change the face of sports forever.

If a fascist state is coming, the best way to avoid seeing it is to believe you're always on the other side. I mean that generally.