Pay-per-view! Jonah’s shriveled scrotum in full-color high-def 3D! Fire up the Tivo, gather the guys at the local pub — it’s showtime!

Personally, I’m waiting for the Tea Party charity balls.

Or is that too Liberally Fascist? I heard Hitler only had one.

Larry Craig is having palpitations. So many places…so little time.

Pantload scrotum? Urban myth.

“display our tea bags”

oh man, I can’t even imagine ever having dinner again let alone oral sex.

And speaking of overtaxed scrotum, I look forward to TBogg’s take on the latest Duggar news http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..randchild.

The wingnuts are just bursting with excitement, are they not?

Easy to laugh, but I think that Dave Johnson is right. As ridiculous as this stuff is, it actually works.

How about Tea Party Chastity Balls? I think I’ve creeped myself out.

It depends what is meant by “works”. If you mean it rallies the base, I agree. If you mean it will attract more people, I disagree. Think the Sarah Palin candidacy. The more people saw, the less they liked it, except for the base, who were excited.

Yup, the ridiculous stuff works, but not on us, which is why progressive radio and bloggy snark is just preaching to the choir. The only thing that will knock these people down is criminal trials of the leaders. It won’t change they way they (don’t) think, but it will keep the leadership as marginalized as is possible. Basically, they’re zombies, and talking sense to them is senseless.

I just got as tea-party robocall. For those digging into these groups (hello Jame) it came from 202-461-3452 and my caller ID id’d it as “FRNKCMPN”

The official Teabag graphic

I like this one better… but prefer not to associate it with weak tea.
.

I’m thinking of the Sad Sack episode of Arrested Development, when extreme closeup pictures of Tobias’ testicles are mistaken by federal prosecutors for satellite photos of Iraqi WMD sites.

Easy to laugh, but I think that Dave Johnson is right. As ridiculous as this stuff is, it actually works.

In what way? Obama is more popular today than he was last month, when these things started. The GOP has slid further. The right has been relentlessly going after ACORN for no reason now going on two years, to what effect? They are playing to an increasingly isolated and insular minority. These rallies will only reinforce these perceptions. People voted for Obama’s policy prescriptions and they did so willingly. Nothing about these contrived rallies will do anything to change minds.

Yup, the ridiculous stuff works, but not on us, which is why progressive radio and bloggy snark is just preaching to the choir.

Then why is the choir growing so large? Obama’s election represented a REAL grassroots movement and dwarfs the teabagging effort in scope, if not always passion. The right has been marginalized by their own actions, of course, but they’ve also been hurt by he likes of The Daily Show and, I’d say, the satirical blogs. Mocking, as evidenced by Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals has long been considered an effective political tool. Look it up.

And both of you, prove that this tea party movement is working. Johnson’s argument was fact free, I’m hoping one of you can point out a success.

PaminBB,

I do agree with dcblogger and Johnson in a general sense, in that we should never become complacent with these vipers, but I think you are dead on here. I believe another factor Johnson misses in his comparison to the nineties is the immediacy of the internet vs. the top down authortarian direct mail/robocall/media blitz style of the right wing. People are not so gullible anymore, not with teh google at their finger tips. I know this is a point that has been made many times before and we on the left are all well aware of, but it is important to keep in mind as it is really defining a new political reality. As you put it, excitement (or arousal in the teabaggers case), is restricted to an ever shrinking base.

JayBrida,

Said it much better (in a much broader scope) than I did. Wish I would have waited a few mintues to post, lol.

An ever-shrinking teabag??

Sorry, had to do it.

Never be complacent. History is full of instances where signs of craziness were evident and an intervention would have saved lots of pain and sorrow, Hitler and WW2 come to mind.
We should help these poor republicans and prevent them from spiraling further into craziness before they infect the rest of them.

And your point is spot on too Hatmandu. I don’t at all mean to say that “we’ve won”!!!11! There is no end to it, really. But the terrain was infinitely different in 1994. The GOP’s Contract on America and their Clinton Impeachment were both the high-water mark and the beginning of the end for the modern conservative movement. Their failure to implement much of anything from the Contract proved their innate hypocrisy. The Clinton impeachment showed their mendacity and pettiness. It fooled enough people to make it close for GW in 2000, but the always-at-11 klaxon insanity, amplified by the 24-hour news industry and the blogs, just wore on people. It became inescapable for normal people.

They only held on as long as they did because the Democrats were hapless and because of 9/11. I’m not agreeing with Obama as much as I’d like to be, but it’s clear that he’s an extraordinarily gifted politician and leader. And the GOP is reacting to his careful centrism with nothing but hysteria. It’s amazing to watch.

Don’t think such a minor event as their tea bags will elicit much interest. Of course they could use a 2000X zoom to make them look marginally significant.

Will Herb Al be attending? Or is that too Earl Gay a joke?

TBogg = Tbagg.

I knew there were clues in your sig ever since I captured the signals in my tinfoil derby.

Mind if I call you Tetley?

I also notice that HumanEvents.com lays claim to be the Headquarters of the Conservative Underground. Here in Florida, the only underground denizens I’m familiar with look like this and Spectracide cures that problem rather spiffily.

Underground tunnels, creepy crawlies and flapping scrotums carrying the faint scent of weak tea… I always suspected that’s where conservatives came from because it’s long been obvious they’re incapable of two-party procreation.

I propose we raise their taxes to 100%, confiscate their guns, force them to bow towards Mecca and make them look at pictures of unshaven vaginas. Otherwise, none of our lawns will ever be safe.

Human Events promotes tea bagging
Human Events has Ann Coulter as one of their main writers.

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.

My neutered terrier is better hung than Jonah.

I believe that noted philosopher and man-about-town Bon Scott had something to say on this particular subject:

“My balls are always bouncing
to the left and to the right.
It’s my belief that my big balls
should be held every night.”

Imagine how Earl Grey must feel about all this…

BWAAAAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA