“For Whatever Reason…”

Just a short time ago, I received an urgent message in my in-box from the Great Cheeto himself. The subject line of the the urgent e-mail reads “Pop Quiz.” The urgent e-mail is reproduced in full below (emphasis added):

Boston Boomer,

President Obama has appointed a bipartisan commission to develop recommendations to balance the budget. For whatever reason, the commission is loaded with Blue Dogs and Republican opponents of Social Security. For example, the Republican co-chair of the commission, Alan Simpson, recently insulted an advocate for women’s rights by saying Social Security is like a welfare “milk cow with 310 million tits.” Seriously.

And that’s not all Simpson has said. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has put together a website with Simpson’s most offensive quotes. The website has a game where you try and tell Simpson’s real quotes from fake ones. Play the game, and join the fight to protect Social Security, here:

Click here to see what Alan Simpson said about Americans who depend on Social Security.

Many members of the deficit commission are multi-millionaires and corporate CEOs who are out of touch with America. Some members of the commission have suggested cutting health care for veterans in order to preserve expensive weapons deals for defense contractors. A majority of the members of the commission favor gambling some, or all, Social Security funds on Wall Street.

In November, the commission will make its recommendations. In December, Congress is expected to vote on the recommendation without allowing any amendments. Before the commission releases its recommendations, we need to defend Social Security recipients from Wall Street, and veterans from defense contractors, by discrediting Alan Simpson’s campaign to cut those vital programs.

To do this, click here to learn more about Alan Simpson, share his quotes with your friends, and join the fight to protect Social Security.

Thanks for all you do,

Markos Moulitsas

Founder, Daily Kos

First, Kos is a bit slow on the uptake, isn’t he? This story has been out there for days, and the White House has already announced that it stands behind Alan Simpson.

“Alan Simpson has apologized and while we regret and do not condone his comments, we accept his apology and he will continue to serve,” Jennifer Psaki, the White House deputy communications director, told The New York Times.

But getting back to that urgent e-mail, Kos just can’t figure out why “for whatever reason,” the Cat Food Commission is “loaded with Blue Dogs and Republican opponents of Social Security.” Gee what could that reason be?

Clearly Kos is stumped. Let me see if I can help him out with a little pop quiz of my own:

1. If President Obama chose the members of the Cat Food Commission, what does the make-up of the Commission say about the President’s views on Social Security and Medicare?

2. Is President Obama, whom you admit appointed Alan Simpson and the other members of the Cat Food Commission, in a position to fire Mr. Simpson?

3. If President Obama, who appointed the members of the Commission and has the power to change its makeup, doesn’t fire Alan Simpson, what does that indicate to you about the President’s views on Social Security and Medicare?

4. Taking into consideration your answers to the above three questions, what do you think is the reason the Cat Food Commission is “loaded with Blue Dogs and Republicans who oppose Social Security?”

This message from Kos also put me in mind of something Paul Rosenberg wrote at Open Left a couple of days ago on the topic of Alan Simpson’s nasty remarks: The problem with Alan Simpson is NOT Alan Simpson

You’re thinking he’s going to say that the problem is the person who appointed Alan Simpson, right? Guess again. Rosenberg does not mention the President anywhere in his post! Here’s what Rosenberg says:

Alan Simpson is symptomatic of everything that’s wrong with America. He’s a crazy uncle, of course. But that’s not the problem. The problem is, no one tries to contain his craziness or limit it in any way. To the contrary, his craziness is not just encouraged, but celebrated. It’s normal. “A feature, not a bug,” as they say in the trade. [....]

Simpson is really not your archetypal crazy uncle. Unlike the crazy uncle, he knows damn well what’s going on around him–he just doesn’t give a damn about anyone else, unless he’s forced to. And that’s just it: No one will force him too. [sic] Quite the opposite. His “crazy unclehood” lies not in his own character, mean and nasty as it may be. It lies in the situation that surrounds him….

Well not only is no one in Versailles about to force Simpson to give a damn about anyone else, they’re seemingly pleased as punch to have such an outspoken leader for their misanthropy.

It’s Washington’s fault, or all of our faults, or something. Obama appointed Simpson, you nitwit! What does that say about Obama–leave the rest of us out of it. Oh, and Rosenberg quotes Digby on the subject, and she doesn’t notice that Obama is responsible for the make up of the Cat Food Commission either!

What’s going on here? Why is it that no one wants to talk about the elephant in the room? Are these blogger boys afraid of the mighty O, or are they just afraid of admitting they were wrong about him?

Anyway, after reading Kos’s desperate plea for help in fighting Alan Simpson, I couldn’t resist going over to the great Cheeto to look around and see how things are going at my old internet home. While I was there, I just happened to come across this diary on the Cheeto’s demographics. Remember how us bitter, clingy old working class women were driven out of that place? Well it seems most of us haven’t gone back. And it looks like the youngsters who were so avid for hope and change aren’t there anymore either. The Cheeto is “overwhelmingly…White. Over 50. Well-off. Male.

…the Daily Kos audeinece [sic] is overwhemlingly [sic] white (93%), well-educated (80% college grads and more) and affluent (37% make >$100k) and disproportionately older (53% >50) and male (64%) when compared the demographics of Internet Users.

This data is consistent with other indicators that demonstrate that Daily Kos demographics are also out of sych with on-line activist demographics; other sources include polls, surveys, and critiques of the older white maleness of Netroots Nation.

In fact, rather than increasing demographic diversity since these issues were raised years ago, the opposite seems to be occurring. Despite the more balanced demographics of the front page…DK readership seems to be whiter richer and more male than ever. Those who have followed Quantcast Reports will note, for example, that African American readership has declined from a high of 9% to 4% over the past 2 years.

Worst [sic] still for a site aiming to influence Democratic policy and politics is this — Older affluent highly educated white men are NOT the Democratic Party voter base.

Where are the voices and visions of those who have long made up the unswervng mainstay of the Democratic Party — African Americans, the poor and the unionized working class, women, Latino/as, the young??

Not here.

Bwaaahahahahahahaha! These people *are* Obama’s base. The Cheeto might as well have been taken over by Goldman Sachs! And the Democratic Party and its traditional policies are dead! Thanks in part to the mighty Kos.