2012 republican presidential nominee III: can romney get santorum out of his hair?

It's almost kinda like

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/111218-kimjongil-jimjongun.photoblog900.jpg

except put this son on the left.

http://www.whatsonningbo.com/news_images/0c8c90a9ba54df69_North_Korean_regime_1.jpg

(Contained) joyous relief:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/files/styles/article-main-image/public/legacy/images/imagefield/files/blog_images/Romney%2520and%2520Perry%2520at%2520Republican%2520Debate_0.jpg

those are basically the same expression

(Contained) joyous relief, take #2:

http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/101211cain.jpg

Blurry disbelief:

http://coffeeandmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Romney-Gingrich-CBS-Debate-800x403.jpg

DJP's right--we're talking micro-increments here.

huge tracts of newt

Mittz runs the gamut from A to B

So take a good look at Mitt's face
You'll see his smile looks out of place
If you look closer it's easy to trace
The huge tracts of Newt

huge tracts of newt

long trails of santorum

Ok, badly formulated thought shotgun coming, so here goes:

-Anti-contraception has jack shit to do with religion; if your core belief is based around obedience, punishment, and retribution, then the idea that anyone is getting away with something is anaethema to you. You did something Bad, so you must be punished. Use contraception(and later abortion) are getting away with something, and that's Morally Wrong. It's this kinda thinking that shows up in the language elsewhere, e.g. when people get criticized as "selfish" for not having children.

-I think the way we humans are wired are that we build our principles around certain core values, and these are prioritized. We dismiss what we consider the lower-standing one if somethign affecting a higher status thing comes up. In other words, which side do you fall on: do you heal this sick man on the Sabbath, or not?

-At any rate, it's like all this shit comes down to psychology and culture, and has dick all to do with theology(except for the amount that theology is interwoven with human psychology and culture). The problem is that for many people, they're not raised to have or eschew any awareness of how this shit works. Culture is religion, and religion is culture. We uphold these cultural trends 'cuz we can't separate them from God, and thus to go against these trends is to go against God. (See also certain 19th-C defenses of slavery).

-Of course, it also so conveniently works out that God trumps any other argument. It's not me that constructed and upheld this certain cultural tradition, it was given to me by God, so this act of questioning me is an attack on God. (See also certain defenses of post-war nuclear families as the Only Way).

-Also, because these folks are authoritarians(either social dominators or followers), the punishment aspect only flows downward, power-wise. You must never question Those with Righteous Authority for their transgressions(e.g. Gingrinch, child-raping pontiffs, treasonous Presidents, etc), but you can sure as shit use it as a weapon against those below you.

-Oh, and even trad Catholicism has birth-control: the rhythm method(a.k.a. the Calendar Carousel, the Pope's Pinball, etc). Of course, the funny ways that doctrine collides with biology is that if you suddenly change your mind like the Pope did in the mid-1800s and say that life begins at Contraception(read: ejaculation), you get what I read once and will quote again: "If God ensouls every fertilized egg, then Heaven is full of human caviar." Fertilized eggs don't implant due to the timing, and that's it for that.

Okay, did that make sense? Weird mishmash of stuff I've posted before mixed in with Altemeyer, Lakoff, etc.

here, this truthout bit helps(sorta):

http://www.truth-out.org/right-wing-id-unzipped/1329147417

especially when it quotes Dr. Bob Altemeyer's definition of RWA followers(incl. fundies):

They are highly submissive to established authority, aggressive in the name of that authority and conventional to the point of insisting everyone should behave as their authorities decide. They are fearful and self-righteous and have a lot of hostility in them that they readily direct toward various out-groups. They are easily incited, easily led, rather un-inclined to think for themselves, largely impervious to facts and reason and rely instead on social support to maintain their beliefs. They bring strong loyalty to their in-groups, have thick-walled, highly compartmentalized minds, use a lot of double standards in their judgments, are surprisingly unprincipled at times and are often hypocrites.

and they write for the NRO, naturally.

Mencken:

"It is now quite lawful for a Catholic woman to avoid pregnancy by a resort to mathematics, though she is still forbidden to resort to physics or chemistry."

Eh, aside from some Tantric practices, avoiding sex is generally considered a good idea if you want to get to Nirvana/Heaven/Bliss in religions the world over. The sex act, like the act of killing, eating meat, cleaning up waste, stealing from your neighbor, etc. simply draws your focus towards worldly/material matters and away from your personal journey towards Godhood.

It's silly to legislate based on religious beliefs. Religion should be a personal journey imo.

Love that Mencken, Tracer

I was hoping my personal journey would actually get me to nirvana via sex

I'd avoid sex with Rick Santorum, for sure.

Shouldn't be too hard to avoid

Mencken line is lol, as always

Politico thinks Wisconsin state flag is labor union flag, shits bed

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha

Ouch!

excellent brainfart, v well executed

Dude, Obama works for USA #1776.

I thought his local was Penn #1600

Remember when he got flack for making an "Obama Flag" using colors from the American banner?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbtvEi1vbbE/SPmyA01O1XI/AAAAAAAAAPo/8bNqXV7gPM8/s320/obama+ohio.jpg

that was really the Ohio state flag?

I don't remember that but people are amazingly, shockingly stupid

iirc ohio used to have its own flag, then obama made them change it to the obama flag once he became pres

I don't remember that but people are amazingly, shockingly willfully stupid

http://mediamatters.org/research/200810160022

haha when Michelle Malkin is being the voice of reason, you are in deep, deep trouble

Irrational derangement syndrome

Great stuff:

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/feb/15/contraception-con-men/

Gets into everything from the weird psychosexual history of the Church to laughing at idiots who support run for office on it.

only halfway through but yeah, great piece

lol @ politico

remember the 'office of the president elect'?

http://obamashrugged.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/1apelect.jpg

https://data.intrade.com/graphing/temp/chart13293911886263903.png

sometimes I wish there were real money in this and wall st were playing too. is 70 cheap for romney right now? idk.

ah that didn't work, one sec

er now it did

there needs to be some kind of paul slansky-style chronicle of The Crazy from these years. i'd forgotten about 'the office of the p. elect' and the nuttiness in response. people like victor davis hanson are STILL talking about the 'roman columns' at the dnc. i feel like there will be an instant santization of the anti-obama right in short order; "eh there were some birthers, crazy huh?"

So apparently everyone's skipping the March 1 Georgia debate except Newt.

Also from HotAir, trying to deal with the Friess soundbite of the day.

That would be awesome if Newt debated himself like Jack Donaghy negotiating with himself on that episode of 30 Rock. xp

newt in zen debate

http://rlv.zcache.com/want_to_hear_the_sound_of_one_hand_clapping_tshirt-p235558754416511122zwoib_400.jpg

I think this goes back a few months:

http://capitolcommentary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Romney-debate-yourself-cartoon-flip-flop.jpg

For a sec, I thought the the pro-gun control Mitt had either a mullet or sideburns.

can someone shop sad and wistful Romney listening to himself talk plz k thx

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzieyzu6ht1qdmmiqo1_500.jpg

http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/Sutherland-body-snatcher.jpg

loooool @ 2 romneys